Thanksgiving Packs, Tastings in the shop, etc

Picture of the line up is at the top of the page. Pete(r) Buckley from Vineyard Road will pour. 

Domaine Tissot Crémant du Jura Blanc $34.99

Photo above from Wine Anorak. This wine is mostly Chardonnay & Pinot Noir with about 5% each Poulsard & Trousseau from biodynamically farmed vines. Fermented in stainless steel, full malo, then 18 months in barrel, no dosage––dry dry dry. This wine is focused and graceful, with hints of apple & salty sea spray. Watch this video to learn more about Jura and Tissot. 


Sophie Schaal Alsace Riesling 2021, $19.99

Pictured above, Sophie and Julien Schaal, from www.jancisrobinson.com. From a patchwork of vineyards planted on granite, limestone, clay, shale, and sandstone. Fruit is hand-harvested then fermented with native yeast, low (temp) and slow (up to three months) for a vibrant, fruit-forward wine with orange blossom and tropical fruit on the nose, and lemon curd, green apple, and bracing slate-like minerality on the palate. 



Giovanni Almondo “Bricco delle Ciliegie” Roero Arneis DOCG 2021 $24.99

The Almondo family (pictured above) has lived in the town of Montà on the norther edge of Piedmont’s Roero for 600 years. The property is now farmed and operated by Domenico Almondo with his sons Federico & Stefano. As Irene eloquently wrote in the August wine club: This area has long been known for grape growing alongside asparagus, peaches, and strawberries. Wooded lands abut vineyard land making Montà a polyculture in contrast to the uninterrupted patchwork of connecting vineyards that form the monoculture of Langhe. The combination of a rich biodiversity, balanced mineral rich soils, dry growing conditions with sufficient winter precipitation make this an ideal environment for the organic farming Az. Ag. Giovanni Almondo practices today.

Bricco delle Ciliegie Arneis is from vines (some old vine plots) planted at 340m-370m on clay, snad, and limestone. 95% is fermented and aged for 10 months in stainless steel, 5% goes into non-toasted French oak. This wine is delicate and fresh with notes of white chalk, lemon, and pear. 

Roero Nebbiolo 2020, $26.99

From vines planted at 320m elevation on sand, limestone, and clay. Fermented and aged for 18 months in non-toasted Slavonian oak.

Irene's tasting note: Giovanni Almondo Roero DOCG 2020 has an unusually limpid ruby appearance. The aromas graduate from cranberry to sour cherry to wild black raspberry, then come violet and rose floral notes along with woody vetiver, black pepper and a warming hint of cinnamon. On the palate wild forest berries, an earthy, balsamic smokiness, and more of that lush sour cherry. The tannins are apparent so serve this wine at a classic cellar temperature of around 57° F for maximum deliciousness. And it is delicious.



Ann-Sophie Dubois Fleurie Les Cocottes 2022 $31.99

Ann-Sophie Dubois (pictured above, via www.francaboutwine.com) is originally from the Champagne region of France. With her parent's help, she took over this old-vine domaine (some well over 60 years) in 2007. She farms organically, and has a delicate touch in the cellar, with an emphasis on elegance and purity of fruit. Her wines undergo long macerations, fermentations are with wild yeasts, and there is no new oak, no filtration or fining, and no pumping – just gravity.

Les Cocottes is the only cuvée Anne-Sophie Dubois vinifies whole cluster *with* carbonic maceration (the remainder are traditionally fermented, in the Burgundian style, without carbonic). "Les Cocottes" means “the chicks”, and this is what Anne-Sophie drinks when she’s kicking back with her friends. It’s a fruit-forward style that doesn’t sacrifice any character; it’s full of raspberries, cherries, and other red berries, along with crackling minerality, earthy pepper notes, and fresh & zesty acidity.