Hello, Feastlings.
This Sunday being the last Sunday of the month, it’s time again for our monthly fancy-pants wine tasting. Not that Kevin’s weekly tastings aren’t full of tasty wine and snacks and information, but once a month we like to open up a few higher-end bottles, and pair them with a few little plates of food meant to go specifically with each wine. It’s a little spendier (this month’s tasting is $35 plus tax and tip,) but once in a while it’s nice to taste Pommard and world class Champagne proper without having to buy the whole bottle, especially when there are food pairings to be had alongside. Our friend Katie Woodcock of the Estates Group will be here this Sunday, November 27th, at 3:30 pm to show off some of her favorite wines for the holidays- some for the obligatory get-together where fancy wine will be lost on some, and some wines for the treasured and deserving people in your life who merit opening that special bottle. If you’d like to join us, please call us at 326-9363 (web and email reservations won’t hold a seat for you) and then show up this Sunday ready for some Holiday tasting. We hope you can join us.
Holiday wines with Katie Woodcock
NV Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve Champagne $52.00
The Brut Réserve expresses the very quintessence of the Charles Heidsieck style. Easily recognizable, this wine is the fruit of a unique blend that can be summarized in one equation: 60/40/10. 60: the number of hand-selected crus for a blend that is precise, crisp and tailor-made. Wines produced in the harvest year, a third for each variety (Meunier, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir), are vinified cru by cru, variety by variety, in stainless steel vats. 40: a high proportion of 40% reserve wines, equally divided between Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, ensure the fine complexity and voluptuousness of the Brut Réserve. 10: the reserve wines average age, extraordinary for Champagne. Sourced from the best crus produced in the greatest years, the wines placed in reserve are kept for between 5 and 15 years in stainless steel tanks if not more. This maturing time is essential for their refinement and for the development of their aromatic range.
2015 Les Rocailles Apremont, Vin de Savoie AOP $16.00
100% Jacquère, Les Rocailles is delicate and feather-light, it offers green apple and floral aromas on the nose. On the palate, it is dry and extremely refreshing, with crystal clear purity.
2014 Joseph Drouhin Pommard $66.00
A great Burgundy, worthy of its reputation. An intense, bright, red colour; a powerful nose, with notes of black cherry and spice, evolving towards aromas of young leather. On the palate, the tannins give a certain impression of firmness, somewhat softened by a nice, harmonious texture. Persistent flavors in the aftertaste.
2012 Château Vincens “l’Instant” Cahors $12.00
Château Vincens, owned and managed by the young and dynamic Philippe Vincens, has quickly become a leader in Cahors thanks in large part to the viticultural practices as well as their hilltop exposition. The winds are so strong at these higher elevations that the vines remain quite dry and don’t suffer from the mold and rot issues that vines further down the hillsides are subjected to. The property grows primarily Malbec grapes, with some Merlot. The design of the vineyards responds to the innate structure of the land. The ground between the vines alternates between soil and grass – grass retains water and heat, but leaches nutrients. The property uses sustainable farming methods. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks and then for some, are put into new and old oak barrels for aging. The wines are lush and pure examples of Malbec that smell and taste like the soil of France. The wildness of the terrain and this lost region of France is obvious in the wines, which is one of the many reasons we love them so much.
2014 Peñalolen Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo Valley $18.00
Made from a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. This is a complex and velvety wine with a soft structure, spicy tannins, and a fruity finish. Low yields and hand harvesting indicate the care given to the superior fruit from this single-vineyard winery located on the gravelly slopes of the Maipo Valley. These standards extend to the wine-making process, with meticulous grape selection and aging in French oak barrels for 12 months.
2014 Donna Fugata “Ben Ryé” Passito of Zibibbo, Passito di Pantelleria DOC $39.00
Complex and ample sweet wine with an outstanding freshness. On the nose, intense notes of apricot and peach followed by sweet sensation of dried figs and honey, aromatic herbs and mineral notes. An extraordinary meditation wine, it’s the ideal companion while reading a book or listening to music. We recommend it as sweet ending of an elegant dinner as well as your first date