Pressed for Thought

I have a hankering for something new.  Surely, it is that time of the year, and as a northeasterner, I am conditioned for change.  With that change, I want new flavors, new labels, and new stories to tell.  This month’s selections are all new to the shop and to the club, as well as being all new to the state. It is exciting to see new wines enter our marketplace!  That is not all that links them together, they are also selected because they will serve well as partners to the foods of the season.  I was at the farmer’s market on Saturday, and I was thrilled to fill my bag with spring sprouts, scallions, radishes, collard greens, baby kale and fresh spinach!  These greens are fresh, crisp, bright flavors that need wines that will balance, provide fruit against their acidity and bitter flavors.  The trick is that the wines need acid to stand up to acid, but they also need fruit and body to balance the sharpness of flavor and bitterness of these spring vegetables.   

I rarely think about food without considering what wine I will pair with it.  Truth be told, more often, I think about what wine will excite my palate before I start to construct my meal.  This is the benefit of a wine club with a seasonal mindset.  I have done the thinking for you! These wines are conveniently in your rack ready to go, so you can concentrate on your menu.  

My affection for Spring could be elevated by the Goldilocks nature of the wines that appropriately pair with the flavors of the season.  Neither full bodied nor ultra-light wines, these are medium bodied wines that are just right.  They tend to have crowd appeal and food flexibility, they are easy to enjoy on their own, and have a grounded sensibility with a note of petrichor and budding tulips. I hope you enjoy them all, find something new to excite your palate, and that they give you patience to survive April, it is the cruelest month, teasing us with the colors of warmth. Stay in the moment, enjoy your wine, summer is around the corner and without the rain, the flowers would not be so stunning nor the tomatoes so delicious! 

Responsible Indulgence--April 2024 Wine Notes 

If you are creating a beautiful salad to celebrate the return of fresh local vegetables, try one of the value whites for this month.  Both will dance well with those lighter flavors of spring.  The 2020 Domaine de Cabrials Sauvignon Blanc has wonderful citrus notes—lime and grapefruit and a crisp, zippy acidity balanced by a nice round mouth feel.  I love the white flowers on the nose as you raise the glass!  It is dry on the finish, which is a wonderful contrast to its fruity start.  The grapefruit pith note gives the wine a complexity that surprised me for the modest price point. The 2021 La Bastarda Toscana Bianca  by contrast will provide more stone fruit and melon flavors with a little green apple and apricot. Its acidity expresses itself more quietly.  And, instead of white flowers, this one leans to honeysuckle.  It is a blend of Chardonnay and Trebbiano, and it has floral, fruit and earth notes in an easy drinking, dry, but fruity white.  Roast a chicken simply with that big salad or maybe a piece of fish pan-seared, but keep it simple and enjoy the lightness. 

If you like a rosé with a bit more to chew on, you will enjoy my 2023 TRW Rosé made with Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Cinsault, sourced from Lake County & Yolo County in California.  This one has cherry notes, a little sour fruit, watermelon and cirtus with a woody quality that is likely a result of the whole cluster maceration prior to bleed off.  It can handle some intensity of flavor, but it definitely wants food.  I suggest a quiche lorraine! 

 For some Value Reds, I want options.  As we know there are still some cool days in April, so the 2020 Chateau Blouin Bordeaux Rouge has layered and compelling flavors of plum, cherry, cola, and vanilla. The brambly fruit comes from the Cab Franc, but the Merlot gives it body, rounds the edges and softens the tannins.  It is a value price point, but this wine is surprisingly complex and approachable.  For a bit lighter expression, try the 2021 Zemmer Schiava, a medium bodied red from the Alto-Aldige region of Italy. The Zemmer family has been making their alpine wines for a century, and the wines reflect the terroir and the hand-crafted nature of their work.  The Bordeaux is just as you would expect, but likely this grape is new to you.  It is more berry and brightness, earth and fresh plum flavors, maybe even a little rhubarb.  It would be great with a little spice! 

The 2022 Renzo Masi Chianti will meet you in the middle of the two value reds with a bit more body and intensity than the Schiava but less so than the Bordeaux.  It has all the character of Sangiovese that you expect—juicy front fruit, tension on the midpalate, and earth, spice, and warmth on the finish.  Its texture gives it some weight, but the wine finishes fresh and clean, so pair it with tomato sauces or braised meats. 

If it is your purpose to learn a bit about your palate, taste the two value whites and take note of the distinctions. The brightness of acidity and intense aromatics make the grape an ideal white for spring vegetables. Depending on where the SB is from, your experience can be quite different. These both have an abundance of citrus, jasmine, honeysuckle, lemon nd orange blossoms aromatics, but the wines differ in their flavors and textures. The 2020 Chateau Roquefort Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux has more minerality and chalkiness. There is a feeling of talc on the palate, which gives the appearance or feeling of dryness, likely because of the chalky soil in which it is grown and its minerality. The 2022 Stony Mountain Sauvignon Blanc comes to us from Marlborough, New Zealand, where the wines have greater fruitiness—more gooseberry and grapefruit and passionfruit flavors, as well as more herbaceous-ness—grass, bell pepper, jalapeno. There is no right or wrong, only the right occasion for the wines to satisfy your own hankering. These wines are great with cheeses, egg dishes, a bowl of beef barley soup to contrast the richness of each of these, but also their high acid makes them ideal for big salads, which I cannot get enough of right now. 

2021 Marquilliani is the one return to a bottle we have seen before. This Corsican rosé is the palest pink, but don't be fooled into any assumptions about flavor. This is a serious and somewhat hedonistic wine that will seduce you. It has an ethereal softness and almost transparent hue of pink, but the stony terroir of the island imbues the grapes with character, minerality, and depth of flavor. Anne and her father Damiel Amalric make wines together at the family farm, and theirs is weightless and delicate, but imparts cherry, herbs, and citrus—more blood orange than lemon. It would be ideally served with smoked salmon and creme fraiche with fresh scallions and lemon zest. 

For the Select Reds, I offer some variety to allow for both the warmth of early spring and the still cooler weather that reminds us that Mother Nature is not quite done with her winter work. For a lighter red, reach for the 2021 Zemmer Legrein. This varietal is unique to the alpine region of Alto Adige DOC, Italy, in the north, where the growing conditions are extraordinarily challenging, mountainous, and with volatile weather patterns. The wine is treated gently during the ferment, which is apparent in its style. It is approachable and light to medium bodied, but with intensity of flavors like plum and dark cherry. It is assertive, which allows for it to be paired with duck or roasted red meats. It also pairs well with rich bean stews and alpine cheese dishes like fondue. 

2020 Verziomartini Langhe Nebbiolo is also assertive without bold body. 100% Nebbiolo from La Morra, this is an exceptional wine with character and layers of flavor. The fermentation of this wine is in tank, not barrel but the malolactic fermentation takes place in oak. These strategies lead to complexity of flavor. You will immediately pick up on cherry notes, but then notice a subtle sweet spice, musk, vanilla, and mushroom. It is fruity and balanced with tannins. The 2019 Curton La Perriere Bordeaux Rouge similarly has attractive fruit and spice with lush earth and mushroom, but it has a bit more body. Its weight due to the varietal difference—Cab and Merlot are simply going to give more punch in style. That said both wines would pair well with braised meats, hearty bean stews, and gratins. 

For my collectors this month, we have two remarkable wines from Paulo Manzone in the Serralunga region of Barolo. Paolo and his wife Lusiella are now the 6th generation in Paolo’s family to produce wine in this highly venerated DOCG. They are both the wine makers and vineyard managers on the 24 acre vineyard.  

2019 Manzone Barolo grows on a south facing slope in Serralunga d’Alba. After picking, they use the free run juice only to ferment in stainless steel at controlled temperatures, to keep the maceration slow and long. After a couple of months, they rack the wine and store it in French tonneaus, to allow time to develop. The wine has excellent depth of flavor with notable black cherry, earth and spice. It is generous and abundant in its fruit with balancing texture of very supple tannins and a lengthy and satisfying finish. 

2022 Manzone Roero Arneis is a wonderful aromatic white that will delight you. It is also elegant and so well-crafted that you will stop after a sip and look at your glass with astonishment, thinking, “wow, this is actually really, really good.” And it is. Arneis is a grape that was formerly referred to as White Barolo and in the early 70’s was near extinction. Thanks to the commitment of independent wine makers like Paolo who decided to make great Arneis, its popularity continues to rise. This one is just brimming with fragrances from pea shoots to chamomile tea, honeysuckle and almond. It is a dry, mineral driven wine with loads of fruit and complex flavors. I want to let this wine shine, so I will serve it with just a simple cheese plate. 

As always, thank you for reading my meandering thoughts on wine and food. I hope I have inspired you to eat, drink, and think!

Cheers, Maria

March Wine Notes! 

March is an inbetweener month, some spring like days give way to temperatures that require a big warm sweater to stave off the chill and dampness.  All of that precipitation will help to provide water for the rest of the year, give nourishment to flowers, plants, and vegetables with which to make our lives beautiful and our tables abundant. We must be patient.  The wines for the month give both a few lighter options for spring flavors and a few bold wines to wrap up in when we need some warmth.  I am curious to hear which are your favorites, so watch for an email that gives you a chance to tell me which ones you love and why!  Your answers are more than just satisfying my curiosity, they will help me make selections for the club as we move forward. 

Value Wines 

2020 Domaine Foretal Beaujolais Village.  Gamay from France with a lovely approachable fruity quality balanced by earthiness that bespeaks the forested amphitheater that contains the vineyard. Domaine de Foretal is located in the village of Vauxrenard in the heart of Beaujolais.  Jean-Yves Perraud is the fifth generation of winemakers in his family, all have used sustainable and organic practices both in the field and in the winery. This Gamay is hand-harvested and benefits from vines that average 40 years of age, planted in granite soil. I love the ripe red fruit on this wine.  It is easy to drink but offers some complex flavors to elevate an inexpensive wine.  It has a touch of earth on the nose with more of the same on the palate, even a mushroom quality that is typically reserved for pinots. The acidity and light tannins keep the fruit in check so that this red is a charmer on its own or with an array of lighter dishes light mixed salad with a pomegranate vinaigrette.  

2021 Tikves Belo is a new one for me, and I was drawn to it because it bespeaks the briny aroma of our oceans.  The wine comes from a larger estate in Macedonia, but still produced with the care for the earth that my ethos seeks.  The tension of this wine between floral, fresh, and fruity aromatics makes it both alluring and satisfying.  Stone fruits, jasmine flowers, citrus, and grass notes all come together with some Castelvetrano olives.  It is great for a cheese board or a fresh salad.   

2022 Broadbent Vinho Verde Rosé, Portugal.  Bartholomew Broadbent owns this importer, and like many importers, he makes a little wine.  He also has a deep and developed  love for Portuguese wines which stems from their eminent drinkability, restrained alcohol levels and the balance which makes them versatile enough to pair with all kinds of everyday dining. He is also driven to create a brand that is affordable, and this rosé is a wonderful example of a simple wine that is easy to sip and even easier on the wallet.  It is pressed juice from all red grapes.  That’s right direct to press at a modest mid teen price point.  I like its fruit aromatics and berries on the front palate.  It has a touch of spritz which comes from the acidity for which Vinho Verde has gained its reputation for refreshing.  Vinho Verde is a place, in Portugal, where many different grapes are grown, but the wines are universally very refreshing and ripe with loads of acidity.  It is a wonderful wine for stir fry, or pan seared salmon. 

2021 Vaeni Xinomavro "Naoussa" comes to us from a small wine region within Greece that has been family owned for many generations.  This wine region was first recognized in Greece in 1971 with the PDO Naoussa designation, but the region has been producing wines much longer than that!  The designation is reserved for wines that are produced from select Xinomavro grapes, grown in a very specific way and with a specific yield in the approved-growing Naoussa zone, all according to the traditional Naoussa methods.  They are steeped in tradition. The wine is ripe, plump and intense.  You will note the oak on the nose with a cedar note that blends with the ripe berry and to give the wine a juniper berry note that is reminiscent of Cab Franc for me. There is a a swirling storm of complex aromatics from floral, to red fruits, berries cherries, cedar, tar, and smoke.  This is a wine that will pair with that grilled cheese sandwich like a charmer, but it would make a lamb chop get up and dance! 

2016 Martinez Alesanco Crianza is not a new wine to the club or my store, on the contrary, it is a perennial favorite.  This new release should be your house wine.  It is Tempranillo, 100%, from Rioja, dark and brooding in color, and after 1-2 years in oak, it is intense.  Red and blue fruit, tomato paste, vanilla, dried herbs, cocoa, clove, and licorice.  Rioja is wow factor wine, and Martinez Alesanco is no exception.  There is still a freshness to the wine, so fear not, you can enjoy it with food.  It likes tomato, spice, and rich fatty dishes.  Slow cook come meat if you have time or get a pepperoni pizza and just chill out! 

2021 Tourelles Bekaa White is a blend of four grapes-- Viognier, Chardonnay, Obeidi, Muscat, which results in an aromatic wine.  If you wonder about what that means, open this wine, pour it in your glass, swirl, and inhale deeply through your nose.  You won’t wonder again.  I like aromatic whites a lot.  These are all grapes that would qualify as “aromatic,” meaning only that they give off more natural aroma than other grapes. It doesn’t always mean that the wine is also more full-bodied, but in this case it is. Loads of flavor, too, like toasted almond, honey, stone fruits, some tropical fruit flavors, too! It is a cool wine, delicious with roasted salmon on raw or sautéed kale, use a nice pomegranate molasses on that and it will stand up to that, too. 

Select Wines 

2019 Grandchamp Bordeaux, Merlot & Cabernet Franc from Montagne Saint Emillion.  I am surprised by the fact that Bordeaux is quietly returning to the conversation.  Yes, plenty of light bodied reds are still selling, but now I am being asked for Bordeaux again, as well as a wide variety of more full-bodied, intense reds.  Curious, and admittedly also enjoying a glass of red more frequently, I am open to change.  This Bordeaux blend is more Merlot, 90% in fact, so soft, rounded fruit of Merlot with all its vibrant flavor (can you tell I am a fan?) balanced with Cabernet Franc intensity, dark fruit, brambly flavors, earth and tobacco, smoke, and licorice.  This wine wants steak frites to pair up with, but a burger would do the trick, too. 

2022 Chateau Mourgues du Gres Costieres de Nimes Blanc is another example of a lesser-known region given a fresh life by passionate wine makers with the goal of making honest wines that represent a place.  In 1993 after many generations of providing grapes for the coop, Francois Collard decided to start producing his own wines under his own label.  The wine has received numerous accolades, and rightfully so.  Francois is joined by his wife Anne, and they work organically and believe in biodiversity, and together they work their vineyard with meticulous care for nature and their vines.  This cuvee is a blend with majority Grenache Blanc 75%, which gives the lush texture and flavors like pear, honeysuckle and brioche, blended with a little Rousanne 20% and Viognier  5%, both of which give complexity, acidity, and aromatics both floral and fruity. One of neutral oak gives the wine depth and enhances that brioche character. Perfectly executed, this is one I will emulate! This is a show stopper for me, and I would like a simple dish so the wine can shine.  I may just roast a chicken for this one and some sautéed greens.  Don’t forget that crusty loaf!  

2022 Borell-Diehl Saint Laurent Rosé, Saint Laurent comes to us from a family owned and operated estate adorned with a timbered home bult in 1619 in Pfalz , Germany, where Annette Borell and Thomas Diehl fused their families and began making wine together.  They have a unique soil combination of loess, limestone, and red sandstone with limestone deposits, which results in powerful wines of great intensity.  This rosé is bright and delightful with all the power that the region promises.  It also has some subtle, compelling flavors of cherry and melon, vivid acidity that provides a wonderful tension with the fruit.  I suggest egg dishes, lighter meats, and a little spice for this dark, dry, wonderful rosé. 

2020 Bitouzet-Prieur Passetoutgrains is back in our club because the new vintage is as irresistible as the last.  Often disregarded as an inferior wine, Passetoutgrains has come into its own. Bitouzet’s version is classic in style and elegant in expression.  7-% Pinot Noir and 30% Gamay from the Grande le Duc vineyard adjacent to Volnay.  The vines are from 50 year old plus wines, and the complexity of the wine reflects that maturity.  It is a juicy red, as one would expect from these two grapes, but it is balanced with earthy character, mushrooms and earth, texture from neutral oak aging.  You can enjoy this one on its own, and I suggest you have a glass that way first before introducing food.  Then, I suggest regional pairings.  Francois is classic in his approach to wine making, so think about coq au vin, beef or mushroom bourguignon, and the like.  

2020 De Martino Carménère will satisfy those of you seeking a bit of warmth and bigger flavor this month.  Carménère originated in France, but later found its home in Chile where it truly shines.  It is a fruity, full bodied, dark red with medium tannin and high acidity.  Yes, that is a balanced wine, no doubt, and this one gives us that same balance with both red and blue fruits, some green pepper, cocoa powder and a little heat that is smoky like a paprika.  I want to make a hearty bean stew for this one and get comfortable! 

2021 Trefethen Riesling is a DRY Riesling, and I emphasize that because all too often people presume that all Riesling is the same.  Most often that description is cloyingly and unpleasantly sweet.  First, that preconceived notion needs to be replaced with a knowledge of beautiful wines like this Trefethen Riesling that is dry, fruity, fresh, and delicious with white peach and papaya, apricot layered with orange blossom and wet stone.  It is fermented dry intentionally and the result is a versatile food friendly wine that pairs really well with those roasted vegetables that we are enjoying this time of year.  It is also great with Sushi, Indian spices, egg dishes, and spicey cuisines.  Trust me! 

Collector Wines—Burgundy! 

2020 Chateau de Garnerot 1er Cru Mercurey is a relatively new project by Caroline Fyot and Alexia Russo in the village of Mercurey.  These two woman decided to leave corporate jobs behind to pursue a shared love of wine, and they invested in a beautiful domaine in Mercurey in the Cote Chalonnaise where they are making classic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  This cuvee is 100 % Pinot Noir, not surprising, and it bespeaks the quality of Mercurey, which for this wine drinker is a deeper expression of Pinot, if a bit wilder or rustic, or at the very least a bit more chewy.  The cherry flavors typical of this grape from this region are a mix for me of dark, fresh, black cherry, and a tart, dry cherry, and the texture coats the mouth with abundant ripe fruit followed by a satisfying earthy, minerality, and just enough acidity to cleanse the palate.  I may do the work to make a caramelized leek tart for this one.  It deserves my time. 

2022 Cheveau Pouilly Fuisse "Aux Combes" is made in the hamlet of Solutré-Pouilly in the heart of Pouilly-Fuissé. Their soils are classic composition of clay and limestone, and the wines refelct that terroir.  Now run by brothers Nicholas and Julien, Cheveau has been in the family since inception in 1950.  The brothers are dedicated to growing and producing elegant and classic Chardonnay.   

From Rosenthal, “Pouilly-Fuissé “Aux Combes” formerly constituted half of the “Trois Terroirs” cuveé, which is no longer in production beginning with the 2020 vintage. The vineyard borders “Vers Cras” (newly upgraded to Premier Cru) in the commune of Solutré-Pouilly—with an exposition that consistently fares very well in today's warm summers. Nicolas employed a single 40-hectoliter foudre (2013 origin) in the raising of this 2020 “Aux Combes,” and the wine shows all the clarity and mineral precision we've come to expect and cherish in this domaine's wines.” 

All work is done by hand, fermentation in neutral oak barrel, which gives Chardonnay just enough oxygen to develop its aromatics and flavors of apple, brioche, citrus (curd and zest), and yes a little creaminess, too.  All of whihc comes together in this spectacular white that would pair well with your spring table, handling the vegetables with its acidity and minerality and roasted fish or light meats with all of its abundant fruit. 

I hope there is something in these selections that inspries you to eat, drink, and think. 

Cheers, Maria