Wintry Mix Holiday 6-Pack

Caves Jean Bourdy Cremant du Jura Brut Rosé NV

Caves Jean Bourdy is a 15th generation biodynamic producer in the Jura; they grow their vines on 10 hectares of land, including a half hectare in Chateau Chalon AOC. They use old barrels—some as much as 80 years old—for fermentation and aging. This crémant is made from 100% Trousseau. It’s dry and energetic with notes of strawberries, cherries, and candied fruit that finishes with brisk, Alpine minerality, perfect for toasts and getting the party started.

 Domaine Batard Langelier Muscadet Le Besson Gabbro 2022

This is a  3rd generation, certified organic producer with 50+ year old vines of Melon de Bourgogne. Le Besson is from a single 2.5ha vineyard on Gabbro, an igneous rock made by magma. The wine is fermented with indigenous yeast and aged in underground glass-lined tanks on the lees for 12 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

This is a brisk and mineral-intense Muscadet with notes of salt and rocks (from the proximity to the Atlantic) as well as white fruit and flowers. Perfect shellfish pair, from raw bar to scallops and grilled fish, or all on its own to whet the appetite.

McKinlay Jacob Martin Chardonnay Willamette Valley, Oregon 2021

McKinlay Vineyards was established in 1987 but the Kinne family roots go back to the early 1900s. George Angus McKinlay dry-farmed cherries, apples, prunes, and nuts on these well drained volcanic soils on east facing slopes in the valley’s Eola Hills. Jacob Martin Kinne (Jake) recently grabbed the family’s winemaking baton. This Chardonnay is from 30+ year old vines planted by his father. It evokes apples, lemons, a fresh spring morning. It’s bright and lively, with only a touch of oak.

Romuald Petit Morgon Roche Noire 2022

Romuald Petit farms 7 hectares in the Maconnais  (primarily in Saint-Veran with a small parcel in neighboring Pruzilly) and 5 hectares in Beaujolais, mostly in Morgon with smaller holdings in Chiroubles and Saint-Amour. The estate is made up of small plots of different age & origin that are farmed without chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. There are young vines planted by Romuald himself, and other plots over a hundred years old, planted by his ancestors just after Phylloxera. Each parcel produces grapes with very different qualities that are vinified separately and assembled just before bottling. 

The Roche Noire vineyard takes its name from the black schist soil that is interlaced with decomposed granite, from some vines that are more than 50 years old, vinified whole cluster in both cement and foudres. This is a silky wine with dark cherry, cocoa, violets, and savory notes throughout, 

Edgar Dufes Successeurs Langlades Languedoc 2018

This is a 3.5ha estate in Langlade, a commune in the easternmost part of the Languedoc AOC, which has long been renowned (though not very well known) for the finesse of its wines. The small family production represents the work of retired doctor Élisabeth Van Der Bent and her mother Eliane, a fan of old school Burgundy and a former winemaker herself. Elisabeth's vineyards are located on the plateau above the village, amidst scrub plants on mid-slopes with northeast exposure. Farming is organic and by hand. Élisabeth is in her 80s and Eliane is over 100. Don’t let anyone tell you wine is bad for you.

This 2018 red is a blend of Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah from vines, which at 80 years old, are almost as old as the duo who made it. It’s sanguine and dusty, roasty and earthy––it’s got a rustic, crumbly red brick character about it. Light tannins on the finish. Only 12.5% abv, and only 750 cases produced.

La Sala del Torriano Chianti Classico 2021

This wine appears in our December wine club, here is a portion of that note: La Sala del Torriano’s vineyards flourish in the sun-drenched clay and limestone soils typical of Tuscany. These homogeneous soils produce wines that are both elegant and robust through careful, organic farming practices on a combination of alberese limestone (a calcium carbonate that tends to elevate pH), galestro schist (rich in potassium, and contributing a saline perception in the wine), and macigno del Chianti sandstone (tends to increase acid component in the wine). These soil elements combine to create balance in the wine, while the presence of iron oxides and manganese also provide a sense of minerality, and contribute to the body of the wine.

The resulting wine is a deep, slightly bricky, ruby red. The aromas are of red and sour cherries, roasted strawberry, wet stone, bergamot, mulling spices, green pepper, tar, and black licorice. On the palate, a high level of fine tannin is buoyed by fairly high acidity, both of which propel a complexity of primary and secondary flavors to a long finish. That complexity, and tannin makes this a fine match for a nicely marbled steak, reverse seared with butter and thyme.