We hope to see you on Thursday April 28th for our in-store tasting with Jenny & Francois. Between 6 and 8 pm (though we usually keep the tasting going a little later!) we will be pouring three excellent bottles from their portfolio, each is unique, delicious, and very reasonably priced for the quality on display. To start things off we have a very cool Pet Nat from Alsace that has been selling fast since landing in our coolers a few weeks ago. Then we have two reds who could not be more different from one another, so it will be a great opportunity to experience the diverging styles of Old World vs New World.
Les Vins Pirouettes - Le Pet Nat D'Eric 2020
cultivated and vinified by Domaine Jean-Louis et Eric Kamm (Dambach-la-Ville)
Vineyard: 18 years old vines on granite, organically grown
Varieties: 80% Auxerrois, 20% Pinot Noir
Cellar: Grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed, and fermented with indigenous yeast and zero sulfur. The wine ferments in concrete tanks and spends some time on the lees before the two grapes are blended and then transferred to bottles to finish as a naturally sparkling wine with zero additions of sugar, yeast, or sulfur. The wine is unfiltered and is not disgorged.
Personality: gentle sparkle, floral nose, zesty mouth – un joli pet-nat, quoi!
"Les Vins Pirouettes" is a small group of likeminded producers in Alsace (14 estates in 13 different villages within Alsace) who have been encouraged by the renowned Alsatian winemaker Christian Binner and enologists Pierre Sanchez and Xavier Couturier All growers are Organic- or Biodynamic-certified
Laurence et Remi Dufaitre - Beaujolais Villages "Premices Le Millesime" 2021
100% Gamay - The flower on the label signifies that this release is the first flowery taste of the new vintage.
Stunning, light bodied, bright lip-smacking structure. Great with a slight chill.
Fermented and aged in concrete (no oak). Whole cluster press. Brief maceration (carbonic of course). Organic farming, minimal sulfur added.
More info from Jenny & Francois:
"Rémi and Laurence (his wife) Dufaitre began purchasing vines in and around the Brouilly and Cote de Brouilly crus in 2006, he began to work the land organically, and started harvesting the grapes. Rémi began by selling his grapes to the local co-op, all the while monitoring the indigenous yeast population until he felt it was healthy enough to make his own wine. In 2010 he made and bottled his first vintage. When Jean Foillard tasted Rémi’s wine, he immediately sought him out, recognizing the obvious talent that must be behind the wine ... Remi’s wines currently have a very avid following in the bustling Paris natural wine scene as a result of this.
Rémi is a member of the informal group that has evolved from Kermit Lynch’s “gang of four,” the producers in Morgon who studied with natural-wine-pioneer Jules Chauvet (winemaker and biologist), making natural wine (Foillard among them). This group has grown to include younger winemakers like Rémi, who are working in the same spirit...
Rémi makes wines in a classic carbonic style, using whole bunches, which are carefully sorted to avoid broken grapes or rot. He adds some carbon dioxide gas to protect the grapes at the beginning of fermentation and does not use any temperature control. He avoids foot stomping the grapes unless he sees some volatility starting to creep in. His goal is to have as little juice in the tank as possible. He also performs routine analysis to see how the yeast is performing and whether or not there is any volatility. Remi makes all his wines with the same method, thus we can really see and taste the differences between the sites, with minor differences in the elevage of each cuvée. He tastes each cuvée before bottling and may decide to add between zero and 2 mg of sulfur, depending on how stable he judges the wine to be."
Field Recordings - Fiction Red Blend (Paso Robles) 2020
Field Recordings never disappoint with their unique tasting notes:
"pours the color of darkest night. Heady aromas of blueberry pie, luxurious suede couches, ham paninis, unlit menthol cigarettes and roquefort tarts. Firm tannins anchor flavors of grilled meats, cherry cola, sweet carob and black licorice chews, all cased up together conveniently in a cigar humidifier."
This kitchen sink blend from winemaker Andrew Jones features 10 grape varietals! 21% zinfandel, 15% sangiovese, 13% petite sirah, 12% syrah, 8% alicante bouschet, 7% charbono, 7% grenache, 7% cabernet franc, 5% cabernet sauvignon, and 5% corvina!
Fuller bodied, plenty of ripe dark fruit up front with an impressive finish and overall complexity at this price point. Pair with spare ribs.
Sustainably grown and vegan friendly.