Hey there, Feastlings.
This month’s tasting hails one of the great importers of all time. If you’re ever remotely in doubt about a bottle of Old World wine you’re inspecting, but you’ve never tasted it, turn the bottle around. Does it say “Imported by Kermit Lynch?” You’ve just virtually guaranteed yourself an exceptional experience. Come find out why this Sunday at 3:30 pm, when our friend Mike Galkin walks us through six delicious wines from the preeminent French (and Italian) wine importer. The cost is $35 plus tax and tip, the wines are exceptional, and each will be paired with a snack specific to its charms. Phone and email reservations won’t work, so if you want to join us, you can make a reservation by calling 326-9363. We hope you can make it.
Trust Your Importer: Kermit Lynch
2016 Vignato Davide Garganega Frizz-Nat “Primo Incontro,” Veneto, IT $21.00
All Garganega from Gambellara, the neighboring DOC of Soave. Hand harvested. The first of two harvests occur in mid-September, grapes are pressed and fermented in stainless steel tank. The second of two harvests occur in late-September, grape bunches are hung to dry (“Picai” technique) until February. The dried grapes are then pressed and the juice is added to the wine from the first harvestand then bottled.A second fermentation occurs in bottle, creating a frizzante wine. Fragrant perfumes of white flowers, apple and bread crust, enlivened by a pleasant freshness. Freshness comes back into your mouth for an immediate and pleasant sip, in which the mineral and earthy note typical of the terroir prevails.
2016 Domaine de Reuilly Pinot Gris (Rose) Loire Valley, FR $23.00
The wines of Denis Jamain at the Domaine de Reuilly are getting better and better – his 2016 Rosé of Pinot Gris is from vines in conversion to organic and biodynamic certification, fermented with wild yeasts is a testament to that. Denis been making this for the last 20 years, the Pinot Gris rosé, It existed in Reuilly a long time ago, it got the appellation certification in 1961. It had been grown before in Reuilly, but the thing is that for many, many years it was just consumed locally, it was not even marketed in France. It was a very small production wine, but in the last ten years people have realized that it was a great product. The color is a lovely pale onion skin, the aromas are floral and pretty with gooseberry, peach and citrus. Light berry, peach and stone flavors on the palate are framed in firm acidity. It has good ripeness,but is subtle and balanced.
2016 La Soeur Cadette Julienas, Beaujolais, FR $33.00
In the village of Saint-Père, a quiet, peaceful revolution is taking place. This part of Burgundy has been producing wines for centuries, but estate bottling still represents a relatively recent phenomenon here. Jean and Catherine Montanet planted their first vineyards in 1987. They began farming organically in 1999, & founded their own label, Domaine de la Cadette. La Soeur Cadette is the “negoce” under which they use some of their own organic grapes and buy organic grapes from some of their friends. 100% Gamay. Primary fermentation in stainless steel tank. The wine ages in 228L barrel for 9 to 10 months.
2015 Gachot-Monot Cote de Nuits-Villages, Burgundy, FR $36.00
The wines of Gachot-Monot represent some of the best values in the KLWM portfolio – not because they are the least expensive, but because they offer an outstanding price-to-quality ratio. Damien Gachot may work the vineyards of the lesser known Côtes de Nuits Villages appellation, but he works his vines as if they were premier cru fruit from Nuits-Saint-Georges. 100% sustainably farmed & hand havested Pinot Noir. Grapes are vinified traditionally in cement tank, and then aged in barrel (20-30% of which are new) for up to 18 months before bottling.
2015 Domaine Gallety Côtes du Vivarais, Rhone Valley, FR $30.00
The Côtes run down the western flank of the Rhône, just south of Montélimar in the Ardèche. Although these hills mirror those of the Côtes-du-Rhône on the opposite bank of the river, the Côtes du Vivarais was only recently awarded A.O.C. in 1999. The wines here stand as a gateway between the Northern and Southern Rhône, frequently seeing equal blends of the noble grapes, Syrah and Grenache. Vinification lasts about 20 days. Pump-overs and punch-downs happen 3 to 4 times a day. The wine is aged in neutral oak barrels for about 15 months.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Côtes du Vivarais, imagine treating your palate to a cross between Saint Joseph and Gigondas. Savory and elegant, recalling a harmonious medley of spices and flowers, this red also features the fleshy, dark fruit we’ve come to expect in southern appellations.
2015 Domaine de la Tour du Bon Rouge, Bandol, Provence, FR $41.00
Domaine de la Tour du Bon rests peacefully atop a limestone plateau in Le Brûlat du Castellet, in the northwestern corner of the A.O.C. Bandol. Agnès Henry is the current winemaker and owner of Domaine de la Tour du Bon. Her parents bought the estate in 1968 and spent the next two years digging into the rocky earth and planting the vines that she now tends full-time. In her 25 years of making wine, she has come to embrace organic agriculture and a hands-off approach in the cellar. The blend is around 55% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache, 15% Cinsault, & 5% Carignan. The wines ages in barrel for 18 months before bottling. The wild side of Mourvèdre is on full display here in the form of ripe blackberry and a rustic spiciness. For best results, decant or cellar it.