Tag Archives: Mary Taylor Wines

More from Mary Taylor Part 3

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“…these are excellent values and should not be missed.”

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I suppose it’s fitting that the last two wines in my three part report are the first two I’ve tasted imported by Mary Taylor that are not from France. Although Ms. Taylor works with properties from Spain, Portugal and Italy, it’s mostly the French stuff that’s available here in Detroit and surrounding environs. Here then was my first opportunity to selections in the MTWines book from Sicily and Spain respectively.
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More from Mary Taylor Part 2

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“There’s a lot of wine here, for not a lot of money.”

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I rarely do organized tastings these days. My modus operandi hasn’t changed much since we started Gang of Pour way back in ‘97: “ We feel that fine wine is best enjoyed and evaluated when we can sip a glass or two leisurely over a period of time, without hurry, in order to more fully appreciate its charms, and to observe how it changes and develops in the glass. We sacrifice quantity of selections sampled, in favor of quality of the tasting experience itself.”

There are exceptions, of course, like when I went to meet Mary Taylor at last Thursday’s Plum Market event. Or, I might be on a “scouting mission,” looking for selections that I can spend a little time with and get to know better on a later date. Again, such was the case last Thursday, when I came home with six wines, two of which have already been reviewed here. I’ve opened two more bottles since then, and both I and my wife Kim really like both. Here are my impressions.
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More from Mary Taylor Part 1

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“These are two decidedly different expressions of Gamay, and each
represents the variety beautifully in its own particular manner.”

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I don’t get over to Ann Arbor as much as I used to, but when I found out that Mary Taylor would be at Plum Market’s North Campus location this past Thursday, I made a point of being there too. I only just discovered Mary Taylor Wines in February, but I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve tried so far, and here was an opportunity to sample new things that I haven’t had access to previously.

Even better, I had the chance to meet and spend a little time talking with Mary, who is every bit as straightforward and down-to-earth as the wines she imports. She’s had to work her ass off to compete successfully in an industry dominated by men, and now that she’s living her proverbial dream, we’re all better off for it.

There were ten wines available to taste and purchase, two of which (the Bordeaux Blanc and Costières de Nimes) I’ve already reviewed, so I focused on the eight that were new to me. Once again, I enjoyed everything I tasted, but I brought home the six I like most for further consideration, starting with another entry in one of my favorite categories, dry rosé.
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A Country Bordeaux

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“A little more exuberant and less “refined” than most
Bordeaux that I’ve run into over the years…”

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It seems that I have found a kindred spirit in Steve, the wine guy at Westborn Market. I stopped in there a couple of days ago to find out if there were any plans to bring in more of the wines from Mary Taylor that I’ve so been enjoying lately, and not only did he assure me that, yes, he would be stocking more of them, but he also mentioned how much he really likes them too.

I’ve been getting my 2020 Mary Taylor Wines Christophe Avi Agenais Rosé, 2021 Mary Taylor Wines Olivier Gessler Côtes de Gascogne and 2020 Mary Taylor Wines Jean Marc Barthez Bordeaux Blanc at Westborn, but had totally whiffed on this one, because it sits right next to the Bordeaux Blanc and the labels are identical. Steve pointed it out, much to my delight, and I immediately brought one home with me to see what’s in the bottle. (It’s made by the same vigneron who is responsible for MT’s Bordeaux Blanc.) Here’s what I found.
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A Fine Agenais Rose

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“There’s nothing pretentious about this wine; it’s straightforward,
well-made, and boy, do I like the price.”

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I’ve been on the prowl for anything from Mary Taylor since I first tried three of her wines in February. I love her concept of importing “the kind of honest, authentic wines that the Europeans have been enjoying for centuries,” and those I’ve tasted have been much to my liking.

But, I’d only managed to track down one other specimen, the very nice 2020 Mary Taylor Pierre Vidal Costières de Nimes, until now. Then, yesterday, I stopped in the Westborn Market in Berkley specifically to find something new and interesting, and there this sat stacked and waiting for me. It’s the first Agenais I can recall seeing around here, and it’s dry rosé, so it was an easy choice for this taster.
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Three from Mary Taylor Wines

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“Definitely a 2nd glass kind o’ wine for this taster, and maybe a 3rd glass too.”

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I guess I haven’t been paying attention lately, because I only found out about Mary Taylor Wines a few weeks ago. Mary Taylor is a negociant who specializes in importing “the kind of honest, authentic wines that the Europeans have been enjoying for centuries.” These are “wines of place,” sourced from classic European wine regions and made by specific winemakers from each. They are the kinds of wines that I have come to favor over the years, and based on the three noted here, I’ll definitely be looking for more of them. There are more than 30; you can read about them on her website, as well as Ms. Taylor’s philosophy that drives her business model.

My introduction to Mary Taylor Wines came a few weeks ago, during a stop at York Ann Arbor, formerly known as Morgan and York. After our friend and colleague Chaad Thomas shared some background information about the following selection, I had to pick one up and see what it was all about. Man, am I glad I did.
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