A Little Birdie Told Me To Give This A Try

Domaine Brana
Ilori ‘Les Jonquilles’ Blanc 2016
Irouléguy AOC
Gros Manseng, Petit Manseng & Petit Courbu
Biodiversity, HVE level 3 certified (and that means a lot)
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Irouléguy, France
Spirits and winemaking family: Jean and Martine Brana (brother and sister)

Spring flower (daffodil) yellow with a green glimmer. Oh this is lovely. Breathing in pears, musky honeydew but the musk fades and honeydew is still hanging around, just rained on sidewalk/concrete ( I love that smell), a light citrus blend, and pineapple. Sipping and here’s those pears again, honeysuckle nectar, pineapple, a tiny citrus (grapefruit) back pop, and it’s a glass of grace and joyous laughter all at once.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: eh…why ruin a good thing

At Domaine Brana, it’s not just wine but spirits too. Jean and Martine’s father, Etienne, first planted their pear orchard back in the 70s, and embarked on setting up a distillery. By the 80s, he saw the potential in this gorgeous steep diverse terroir to plant vines and a build a winery. Sadly Etienne passed in 1992, and his wife and children carried on his dream. I love their passion for nature and biodiversity, and putting in all the hard work to be HVE level 3 certified. With their 110 nesting boxes, they’ve brought back birds (and buggies) that hadn’t been seen in the area for ages. You can find these feathered friends gracing some of their labels too (just not this 2016).

#wine #naturalwine #whitewine #perfectpairing #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #eaudevie #spirits #Irouléguy #irouleguy #France @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram @brana_officiel @vinewinenyc @cheezit

Best Present Ever!

Domaine de la Charbonnière
Côtes du Rhône AOP 2019
Grenache, Syrah
organic, sustainable, hand harvested and sorted twice
Rhône Valley, France
Family run winery
Winemaker: Veronique Maret

Shining ruby star. Give the glass a little personal time out and then scents of earth climb out along with cherries, blackberries, a bit of strawberries, black pepper, and a pinch of dried sage. First sip and it’s cherries and pits, then poof a big ol’ mix of berries (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries with caps & boysenberries), pepper (black & white), fresh farm grown red apple skin bite, prunes, and a little smoke exhale. This may be a medium but it’s as comforting as a plush robe. Fall has fully kicked in and it’s time to start snuggling up. Anyone want to join me?

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: smoooooth

Back in 1912, Eugene Maret bought what I think is one of the best presents ever for his wife which is this Domaine. How do you even put a bow on something like this! Sure beats out a Lexus (I’m sure you’ve seen their “December to Remember” ads) and so much better to pass down through the generations. Veronique and Caroline (4th generation) are managing the winery, and Veronique after working with her father, took over as winemaker in 2012. She also breathed in new life by initiating going organic and it sure looks like the critics approve.

#wine #winelover #whitewine #vino #vin #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #Grenache #Syrah #Rhône #Rhone #RhoneValley #France #naturalwine #pairswithcheezits #winetasting #winestagram #DomainedelaCharbonniere @baronfrancois.ws @docwineshop @docwinebar @cheezit