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Take a look through our past articles pertaining to wine, tastings, and events. These will help you become a well-rounded wine-o!If you like what you see here, sign-up for our newsletter!
March 30, 2020
Imagine your dream is to make world-class wine from the planet's most tradition-bound, insular region, but you're a young couple with no inheritance and no historic bloodline. But that's just what Matt Chittick and Camille Thiriet did. Only in its third vintage! Sourced from a 50-year-old, organically farmed vines. This is Pinot at its purest.
March 4, 2020
A Morgon made by one of Beaujolais' rising stars. I'm thrilled to offer the only case of Kevin Descombes, Morgon 'Vieilles Vignes' 2016 in South Carolina. True old-vine Gamay grown on steep granitic slopes. Classic Beaujolais winemaking and extended aging in used Burgundy barrels. A rare, late release Morgon.
February 17, 2020
Proprietress Principessa Coralia Pignatelli della Leonessa and her husband first bought the property in 1968. To this day she crafts some of the most traditional, classic and elegant wines anywhere in the world: soulful, distinctive, long-lived, and delicious. Proof that Sangiovese can rise to greatness when grown in the right place.
November 21, 2019
Make no mistake, every Monarch Exclusive is special. Each of these wines take extra effort to obtain. They are wines we believe in so strongly that we go the extra mile to bring them to you. However, this is a BIG ONE. We are proud to be the only retailer on EARTH to offer Raj Parr's 'Monday Club' Pet-Nat!
November 13, 2019
Oilvier Lejeune (as his name suggests) is a young and incredibly talented winemaker in France's Loire Valley, the ancestral home of Chenin Blanc. He has been mentored by the region's 2 most revered winemakers, Angeli and Leroy. These two names are revered by Chenin freaks (like me!).
October 30, 2019
When a winery you've never heard of outshines some of the region's heaviest hitters, it makes a lasting impression and creates a mild obsession. Chandon de Briailles has long been synonymous with traditional, age-worthy Burgundy. Monarch is proud to offer the only bottles of Chandon de Briailles in South Carolina!
October 9, 2019
Those of you who know me or follow Monarch, even from a distance, can see my passion for Burgundy. Few wines match the purity, delicacy, and terroir transparency of those hallowed vineyards. You can imagine my sheer delight, my astoundment, when tasting Il Borghetto 'Bilaccio' for the first time. A Tuscan Sangiovese with unmatched grace. An ethereal red, from the heart of Chianti Classico.
September 18, 2019
Dominique Lafon is not one to rest on his laurels. His day job is making wine for his family's estate in Meursault at Domaine des Comtes Lafon. The Domaine ranks amongst Burgundy's elite, producing wines that will age for decades.
August 15, 2019
Drake Whitcraft isn't usually at his winery on Saturdays in the Spring. But there I found myself, on a rainy afternoon, tasting through an incredible line-up of his namesake wines in a freezing barrel room at the Santa Barbara winery. That's the kind of guy Drake is: quiet, modest, giving. Much like the wines he crafts from surrounding vineyards on the Central Coast.
August 13, 2019
I don't like rosé. Let me re-phrase that: I don't like most rosé. What used to be a fun, summer-scented wine has gone the way of Pinot Grigio (through no fault of its own). Mass-produced, watered-down, devoid of character and a sense of place. Don't get me wrong, I love crisp, chug-able rosés, but it is rare that I taste a truly transcendent rosé...until now.
July 10, 2019
Admittedly, I usually don't gravitate to Southern French whites. The heat and relentless sunshine combine to produce fat, oily-textured wines, devoid of freshness and acidity. But this wine couldn’t be more unlike anything else from the South...
July 6, 2019
A strong case can be made that, of all the places where Chardonnay is grown, Chablis produces the most distinctive and unique wines. Even “village” wines from solid producers have a unique charm and minerality. But in the hands of a true master, working with old vines and elite vineyards, Chablis can scale heights unknown to other Chardonnay makers...
June 26, 2019
It's an age-old story, or is it? Boy meets girl while working harvest for legendary winemakers in Beaujolais. Girl marries boy. The young couple start their own winery and take the wine world by storm with their thrilling and incredibly soulful wines!
May 22, 2019
Go to the ends of the earth, find ancient and mostly forgotten vines that grow in a windswept moonscape atop dormant volcanoes, and make great wine...
March 27, 2019
I taste a lot of wine. I mean, a LOT of wine OK? And the simple fact that I can still be stopped in my tracks by a heartbreakingly beautiful bottle of wine...well, that's why Monarch exists. This exclusive is from a producer that is no stranger to our shelves, but it is a cuvée that is totally new to South Carolina.
