The Main Course Thanksgiving 6 pack

The Main Course Thanksgiving Pack  

Domain Lupin Roussette de Savoie Frangy, 2022

In the Savoie wine world, everyone knows Bruno Lupin. Widely respected as an authority both on vineyard management and winemaking, his tiny domain in Savoie has risen to become a reference point for exceptional white wine in France’s alpine Savoie region. 

Working with altesse in this warmer microclimate in the village of Frangy, Bruno Lupin produces wines dramatically different from the average Savoie wine. Bruno’s wines are structured with the ability to develop elegantly in bottle for many years.

This Frangy exudes freshness with green citrus, green apple, green grass, tender herbs, faint green pepper, white flowers all framed by a stony minerality. Bracing acidity and a creamy texture make this a pleasing aperitif and a winner with many dishes on the Thanksgiving table. 

Koehler Ruprecht Kallstadter Kabinett Trocken Riesling, Pfalz, Germany 2021 

One of the better things to come out of Kallstadt, Germany is the wine of Koehler Ruprecht. Another ‘culinary’ connection to the town is Heinz 57 as the Heinz family hails from there.

After hand harvest, the grapes are pressed outside in the properties courtyard. The juices settle in stainless steel tanks and then are racked by gravity into the myriad casks of the underground cellars. Most of the casks are large oak called stück, halbstück, and dopplestück (1200L, 600L, 2400L) and they have all been employed for decades. There is no climate control in the cellar, and fermentation can take weeks or months. Malolactic conversion is not monitored: it either happens or doesn’t. The wines stay on their lees for about eight months and then a light filtration is performed before bottling. This Riesling is dry with laser-focused acidity. The fruit leans toward green apple, lemon/lime, with background notes of dried mint, a touch of pear. Surprisingly broad on the palate for 11% abv. 

Cristia Rolle IGP Mediterranée 2022

Created by Etienne Grangeon in the 1950s, the property originally spread over 2 hectares of Grenache grew under the leadership of his son, Alain, who joined the estate in 1963. Passionate about viticulture, he notably contributed to the expansion of the estate by improving grape plantings based on his expertise with the estate's predominantly sandy soils. 

This Rolle, as Vermentino is known in southern france, is a very fine example with a perfumed nose of fruits and flowers. On the palate, the balance between lightness and fat gives it a beautiful presence that oscillates between richness and elegance. 

Clos de la Roilette Fleurie "Cuvée Christie” 2023

In the 1920s, when the Fjeurie appellation was first created, the former landowner was infuriated with losing the Moulin-à-Vent appellation under which the had previously been classified. He created a label, using a photograph of his racehorse Roilette, and used the name Clos de la Roilette without mentioning Fleurie . The owner vowed not to sell a drop of his wine on the French market and the production went to Switzerland, Germany and England.

In 1967, Fernand Coudert bought the property  and replanted the vineyards. His son Alain joined him in 1984, and has been the winemaker since.

This wine is from a plot outside of the Clos de la Roilette sector so it does not get the name. For years it was called Cuvée Christal, a combination of Alain's children Christie and Alexis. But a certain famous producer's lawyers recently hit the Coudert with a cease and desist…

Domaine Des Rabichattes Côtes de la Charité Le Pavillon, Pinot Noir 2022

It was the Cistercian monks of the Abbey of Bouras and la Charité who first discovered the potential of these clay-limestone hillsides in the eastern Loire Valley. Long after the decline of the church these vineyards continued to thrive through the late19th century with 1,300 ha under vine when phylloxera arrived to decimate the vineyards of France. The wars and recovery economy that followed delayed replanting into the 1980s.

The work of hearty souls like Fabrice and Vincent Grebet, who now cultivate the vines of Rabichattes, have brought the return of a mere 50 ha of the Côtes de la Charité to production, mainly of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Sourced from 20+ year old, organically farmed Pinot Noir vines grown on limestone. A natural fermentation is followed by 12 months aging in larger oak barrels resulting in vanilla, tobacco, coffee, cherry, cola and beach-rose hip aromatics, with mouth watering acidity that makes this a wonderful accompaniment for turkey.

Klumpp  Cuvee No 1 2021, Baden, Germany

Weingut Klumpp is a relatively young family run operation formed by Ulrich and Marietta Klumpp as a garage winery in 1983. By 1990 they’d moved out of the garage and to a new winery building, and a by 1996 they’d converted to organic viticulture. The Klumpps are now joined by their sons Markus and Andreas in their newly expanded facility which includes a tasting room and barrel aging facility. Their vineyards are in the up-and-coming region of Kraichgau, a hilly wine-growing district in the southwest of Germany's Baden region. The soils are from shell limestone with iron veins, and gypsum laid down by a primeval sea.

Cuvée no. 1 is Klumpp’s red classic for every day! Delicious fruits full of berry-like suppleness. Cassis and cocoa, candied cherries in chocolate, with hints of spice. This Blaufränkisch offers rich berry aromatic intensity and flavors on the palate.