Wines of Alain Brumont Tasting @ Cellar 13

Cellar 13 is a hidden gem tucked away in a small shopping center in Buckhead, Atlanta. The owner John has a beautiful collection of unique handpicked wines mainly from small production vineyards in Europe as well as in South America and the US. Another thing that is special about this shop is that John has personally tasted every bottle that is on the shelf and so it’s nice that he can give first hand impressions about all of the wines.

It was here that I attended the wines of Alain Brumont tasting presented by Vincent Thébaud, export director of  Brumont wines. These are wines from a lesser known region called Madiran, which is located in Côtes de Gascogne or the Gascony region of southwest France. Grapes from this area include gros and petit manseng, sauvignon blanc and petit courbu for whites; and tannat (dominant grape), syrah, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cab franc for reds.

Alain Brumont is a renown winemaker in France known for two very prestigious estates- Chateau Bouscassé and Château Montus. For this tasting, we had several wines from these two properties: Brumont 2016 Gascogne Blanc, Brumont 2016 Gascogne Rosé Brumont 2015 Gascogne Rouge, Torus 2011 Madiran, Château Bouscassé 2010 Madiran, Château Montus 2011 Madiran, and Château Bouscassé 2010 “Brumaire” Pacherenc du Vic Bihl Doux. For anyone who loves the big bold structured wines of Bordeaux for example, the wines from this part of France should definitely be explored.

What I like about John’s tastings at Cellar 13 is the ambiance. The group is very small where everyone is seated around a dining table for wine, hors d’oeuvres and conversation. You feel as if you’re at somebody’s home. If you’ve never been before, il faut y aller (you have to go)! Here is how to get on his mailing list.