I was in NYC for a few days and I had the opportunity to have dinner with Dr. Ralph Madeb, president and CEO of M & M Importers, one of M’s in M & M (I just think Ralph secretly loved M&Ms as a child, but hey).

The current lineup of wines is the following:

NON-IDS Wines
2013 Eccelenza, Bianco Umbria (tasted in past)
2014 Famiglia Cotarella, Marciliano, Umbria (note below)
2014 Famiglia Cotarella, Montiano, Lazio (note below)
2014 Chateau Leroy-Beauval, Bordeaux Superieur (tasted in past)
2016 Chateau Haut Brisson, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru (tasted in past)
2016 Chateau Tour Saint Christophe, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru (tasted in past)
2018 Valle Reale Botteotto Montepulciano, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (not yet tasted)

IDS Wines
2015 Chateau Labegorce, Margaux (tasted in past)
2015 Virginie de Valandraud, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru (tasted in past)
2016 Chateau Leydet-Valentin, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru (not yet tasted)
2011 Chateau de Valois, Pomerol (note below)
2018 Jean Luc & Paul Aegerter Pommard, Reserve Personnelle (note below)
2018 Jean Luc & Paul Aegerter Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits, Reserve Personnelle (note below)
2018 Jean Luc & Paul Aegerter Gevrey-Chambertin, Reserve Personnelle (note below)
2016 Château La Tour de By, Heritage Marc Pages, Médoc (note below)
2018 Clos des Lunes Lune D’Argent, Bordeaux (note below)
NV Janisson & Fils Champagne Brut Rose (tasted in past)
NV Janisson & Fils Champagne Brut Blanc (tasted in past)

While the IDS portfolio is impressive, I find the Italian wines more impressive, Italy is where I truly believe Kosher wine can shine. Of course, the French wines from IDS and those that M&M have imported are very impressive and really shows the power and potential of France for kosher wines.

The focus of the tasting were the 2018 Jean Luc & Paul Aegerter wines. They were all very impressive, the wines are super young now and have a long way to go. Still, as much I really liked them, they are a step behind the current kosher star of Burgundy Domaine Lescure. I have put in my order for all three 2018 Jean Luc & Paul Aegerter wines and I hope to watch them evolve. For now, do not waste your money tasting them, store them away and start opening them up 6 years from now. Still, the best wine at the tasting was the 2016 Château La Tour de By, Heritage Marc Pages, it is a rich, racy, and in-your-face Medoc wine that should be a sure buy by all.

My many thanks to Ralph and his partner for sharing their wines with us, the wine notes follow below:

The wine notes follow below – the explanation of my “scores” can be found here:

2018 Clos des Lunes Lune D’Argent, Bordeaux – Score: 91 to 92
This wine is a blend of 70% Semillon and  30% Sauvignon Blanc. The nose on this wine is lovely, with flint, rock, gooseberry, citrus, and green notes, with orange blossom, yellow fruit, and earth. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine comes at you in layers of fruit, with a nice integrated acid, showing green notes, tart with asparagus, yellow plum, dry straw, with mineral, lovely smoke, tart fruit, rock, and grapefruit and lemon/lime. The finish is long, green, with orange notes, and mineral that lingers long forever. Drink by 2023.

2018 Jean Luc & Paul Aegerter Bourgogne, Hautes-Cotes de Nuits, Reserve Personnelle – Score: 91
This is a classic green and red joy, with dark red fruit, smoke, loads of earth, redolent with mint, oregano, with sour fruit, and rich loam. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine is oaky, with lovely strawberry, dark raspberry, with incredible saline, green olives, with layers of integrated tannin, lifted by the incredible acid, cherry, and earth, with garrigue, smoke, tart and green fruit, with layers of fruit, earth, and tobacco, with leather. Nice. Drink from 2021 until 2027.

2018 Jean Luc & Paul Aegerter Pommard, Reserve Personnelle – Score: 92
Lovely nose of elegance, showing red and black fruit, with green notes, showing straw, with loam galore, and mineral, with licorice, and cranberry, and foliage galore. Crazy floral notes. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine is pencil shavings, with incredible acid core, followed by layers of dark cherry, juicy strawberry, with layers of mushroom, artichoke, with layers of fine and elegant tannin that is mouth coating and drying, with dark fruit, ethereal with green notes, tart fruit, with bitter notes of mineral and graphite, followed by mushroom and sweet spices and toast. The finish is long and green, dark fruit, earth, mineral, with smoke, and forest floor galore. Bravo! Drink from 2021 until 2028.

2018 Jean Luc & Paul Aegerter Gevrey-Chambertin, Reserve Personnelle – Score: 92
The nose on this wine is crazy bright and dark with loads of fruit, smoke, toast, and earth galore, with mushroom, and forest floor, floral notes galore. This wine is incredibly young and closed with loads of black and blue fruit with tart and juicy raspberry, with layers of smoke, mushroom, sheer elegance and plush layers of dark red fruit, plum, tart and juicy pomegranate, with saline galore, with blackberry, blueberry, and lovely fruit structure that is wrapped with sweet tannin, sweet Oak, and lovely earth and mushroom galore. Wow! The finish is green, dark, juicy, tart, with leather, spice, smoke, and tobacco galore with med spices and mushroom and forest floor. Wow. Drink from 2022 until 2030.

2014 Famiglia Cotarella Montiano, Lazio – Score: 91+
This is from the same winery that used to be called Falesco. They have renamed the wines to Famiglia Cotarella.
Wow, this is ripe, scary, showing dark fruit, smoke galore, with loads of blue and black fruit, with air that opens to less fruit, with herb, blue, black, and red fruit, and forest floor. The mouth on this medium-bodied wine is sweet, ripe, with layers of sweet fruit, lovely acidity, loads of mushroom, forest floor, with crazy tannin, sweet oak, and layers of tart juicy raspberry, searing acid, and mouth-drying tannin, with chocolate, and sweet tannin galore. The finish is long green, dark, earth, with incredible black and red fruit with mineral and sweet toast. Drink from 2021 until 2026 (probably longer).

2014 Famiglia Cotarella Marciliano, Umbria – Score: 91
This is from the same winery that used to be called Falesco. They have renamed the wines to Famiglia Cotarella.
This is ripe, the nose shows ripe black and red fruit with loads of black pepper, licorice, smoke, tar, and new world fruit, with air that becomes, mushroom, green notes, and peppercorn, with brooding black fruit. The mouth on this full-bodied wine is a beast, with layers of blackberry, juicy and tart raspberry and smoke, with dark and brooding fruit in the background with crazy graphite, searing tannin, and acid, with ripe fruit, and graphite, with coating tannin, sweet oak, olives, forest floor, graphite, and hints of green notes. The finish is black, long, green, and earthy, with tannin, and leather, with tobacco and smoke. Wow. Drink from 2022 until 2030. 91

2011 Chateau Valois, Pomerol – Score: 90 to 91
This wine is IDS and it has been lying dormant in IDS’ warehouses for forever. I think this wine is lovely, it should, however, be handled with care and open and drink, it needs no decanting, it is ready to go. I have short notes on this one, sorry.
Lovely, mineral lick, sweet, balanced, with crazy smoke, forest, dirt, with mushroom, and barnyard and joy. Drink UP!!

2016 Château La Tour de By, Heritage Marc Pages, Médoc – Score: 93
This wine is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot. The nose on this wine is ripe, big, and bold, with clear black fruit leanings, but well balanced, with black pepper, tar, sweet black fruit, with red berry, and lovely spice. The mouth on this medium to full-bodied wine is well balanced, layered with a lovely mouthfeel of blackberry, cassis, rich sweet fruit, but balanced with lovely acidity and green notes, with crazy garrigue, menthol, mint, and cinnamon, followed by roasted herb, mouth-draping tannin, and a lovely fruit-focus, with an incredible mineral backbone. The finish is long, green, rich, layered, and well balanced with lovely graphite, rock, spice, roasted herb, black and red fruit, and dark chocolate. Drink from 2021 until 2026.