Back To The Origin

Mas del Serral de Pepe Raventós
Ancestral
Viñya del Mas 2018
100% Xarel·lo
Natural sparkling wine
No. Bottles 1863
No disgorging, no dosage, brut nature, organic/biodynamic, vineyard work all by hand or horse
Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain

Hazy yellow gold with a little sheen of green (kind of IPAish) with fine bubbles & deepens over time from the bottom up. Sniffing and it’s creamy at first like an Oreo center and later turns into a tiny drizzle of honey on top of sourdough, lovely pears (reminds me a bit of Poire Williams), white peaches, apple pie, and a light citrus blend (like Valencia oranges smooth & Mandarin). Tasting all of the scents are there…especially the pears with a twist of lemon & lime tingle/sizzle on my lips and tongue, there’s even a little Key lime pie, pinch of salt & mineral lick, and smidge of hay that fades fast. Very bright and full of life.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: just don’t

When you see Pepe’s last name you know he comes from a long line of winegrowers and the prestigious winery Raventós I Blanc (documented since 1497 & one of the oldest wine producers in the world). His grandfather Josep Maria championed the creation of DO Cava and passed the torch to Pepe’s father Manuel who was joined by Pepe who like his grandfather had a dream and withdrew from the DO Cava in favor of a being recognized for their Conca del Riu Anoia that would rise to a higher standard. To be included there would be a higher min. paid to growers, vineyards must be at least 10 yrs old, native & organic, smaller yields, and a longer time on the lees (18 month min). Pepe’s project Mas del Serral is a plot within the Raventós vineyard (Clos del Serral) where they return to the ancestral farming traditions. It brings together humans, vines, and animals living & working together in harmony to tell the story of their and their land’s origin. As he is quoted, “What I love is to taste a wine and that it takes us to the place where it was made”. ❤️🥂

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #cava #sparklingwine #winelover #winetasting #winetime #organic #naturalwine #biodynamic #Spain #raventos #masdeserral #vinewine #vinewinenyc

Always Time For More Wine

Nicolas Carmarans
Fer De Sang 2021
VDF
100% Fer Servadou
Organic, hand harvested, unfined & unfiltered
Aveyron, France

Shining garnet with a bit of ruby depth. Let this breathe a little. Sniffing in honeysuckles & white spring blossoms that mingle with cherries, bell peppers, cayenne pepper, white pepper, a then comes plums, raspberries, and cranberries. Tasting tangy cherries, raspberries, and again that bell & white pepper, plums, cranberries, young Turkish fig, an iron lick (or if you’ve face planted after tripping over a flattened bike lane guard that the city should have replaced….a slight taste/smell of blood), blackberries, boysenberries, and red currants.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: brings out some more assorted berries

This bottle just called out my name while I was browsing. Maybe it was the font, the name “Iron Blood” or “Iron from Blood” (my French is rusty 🤣), the fact I have never tried Fer Servadou before, or maybe it’s all three? No matter what, it brought me to learn about Nicolas and his trail from being an owner of Paris’ Café de la Nouvelle Mairie (natural wine bar), heading to beautiful & enchanting Aveyron, juggling his time between the café & starting to make wine, finally acquiring his own vineyard, and now solely focus on his vines & wine. Oh and the land had been abandoned for years and needed a heck of a lot of work to dig out, rebuild & go organic. In the end that must have been pretty satisfying to look out and know this was all his…now’s the time to make more wine, and boy is it darn delicious & elegant! Cheers and looking forward to the next Carmarans’ bottle that falls in my path. 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #FerServadou #winetime #organic #naturalwine #Aveyron #redwine #France #stevengraf #nicolascarmarans #vinewine #vinewinenyc @nicolascarmarans @vinewinenyc

Jump On The Train

Ruhlmann
Signature Jean Charles NV
Brut Sparkling
Crémant d’Alsace AOP
Pinot Blanc 60%, Auxerrois 30%, Pinot Gris 10%
Dambach-la-Ville, Alsace, France
Ruhlmann-Schutz family

Gold with tiny active bubbles. Floating up to my nose are pears, winter/dark apples, apricot, a smidge of Spanish peanuts, a light citrus blend, and teensy funk that fades. All of the scents are in the taste with a depth I’m trying to figure out along with salt, again a touch of good fading funk, and everything is dry, crisp & delightful.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Everything becomes more alive so perfect!

The Ruhlmann-Schutz family has over 300 years of history in Dambach-la-Ville that started with one Hungarian knight planting a few vines. Over the years, their family grew and so has their expanse from a few hectares in Alsace to now around 40; and then in 2015  added a new winery (30 ha) in Corbières, Château Valmont. This family is filled with enthusiasm for their wines and Dambach-la-Ville, They even have a “petit train” that will start in the town where they’ll teach you about it and their history, the vineyards, why each grape is special, and then to a tasting in their cellar. What a lovely way to spend a day. 🥂

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #wineislove #winetime #winetrain #brut #sparklingwine #Alsace #France #worldbyglass #cognacone #ruhlmannschutz #docwinebar #docwineshop @cognacone @ruhlmannschutz @docwineshop @docwinebar

Allô, Wine Calling

Domaine Les Foulards Rouges
Octobre 2023
VDF
Syrah, Grenache
Organic, indigenous yeast, hand harvested, unfined & unfiltered
Montesquieu-les-Albères, Rousillion, France
Jean-François Nicq

Shining garnet stained glass. Breathing in a big bowl of mixed fruit like raspberry, cherry, blueberry, blackberry, smidge of figs, plums, and next up are irises, white pepper, a tiny puff of smoke/earth & tomato leaf. Taking a sip and wow! All of the aforementioned is there including tomato leaves, now joined with green tomato (fresh not fried) & tart young cherry tangy, a little sizzle on the back, and it’s light, bright, fresh and obviously young in a good way.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: more flowers emerge

When I first saw this label, my brain went straight to Pet Shop Boy’s “My October Symphony”, but it actually refers to the month it’s released each year. The Domaine’s name was a what I should have been paying more attention to…Jean-François Nicq and Bijan Mohamadi (childhood friends) originally bought the vineyard property back in 2001, and decided to dub it with the name of the Prix Maison de la Presse winning historical/thriller/adventure novel “Les Foulards Rouges” (The Red Scarves) by one of their favorite authors, Fréderic Fajardie (also known for his political leanings, works of noir, and screenplays). Let’s just say learning about him took me down a rabbit hole this past weekend. Then I stumbled into another one or should I say a whole prairie dog burrow, when I found out about the documentary “Wine Calling” that includes Les Foulards Rouges along with other like minded natural winemakers. Check it out, there’s a Bourdain soundtrack vibe, it’s free on Tubi, and also it’s “Un film produit sans sulfites.”

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #organic #naturalwine #winecalling #France #worldbyglass #winecalling #lesfoulardsrouges #docwinebar #docwineshop #LesFoulardsRouges @zevrovineselections @docwineshop @docwinebarny

Rescued From The Sun

Chateau d’Issan
Margaux AOC 2018
Cabernet Sauvignon 60%, Merlot 40%
Hand harvested
Cantenac, France

Deep purple of the most dark metal band feel with a cherry/maroon rim. First sniff and there’s cherry, plums/prunes, oreo cream, a little cola, and after that it’s off to the races with all the berries…blueraspstrawboysen, black currants, pinch off light cinnamon, touch of myrtle, and an oak whiff. Sipping and there’s cherry (fresh & dried), same goes for the plums, cassis, blackberries (pits & all), cedar & oak shave blend that is waaaaay in the back and hide and waves and hides again, smidge of juniper, and a touch of darkness but not scary…like that sexy brooding bad boy from college that has that wry smile. It’s still fresh and continuing to morph…over time that berry jumble emerges blueraspstrawboysen, dried figs, a little forest floor, slight puff of smoke, and then the sweet part I’m tasting reminds me of chewing sugar cane….so pure. This is a smooth operator with a welcome teeny tiny burn in the back and pairs great with Good Omens Season 2.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: actually pretty good

I had no idea what to expect with this bottle. It was originally found in an abandoned shopping cart in a parking lot and had been there for hours in the blazing summer heat 🥵. Can someone please tell me how anyone can forget and leave a wine behind especially one with a pedigree and history as Issan? It was supposedly poured at the wedding of Eleanor of Aquitaine & Henri Plantagenet, enjoyed by Thomas Jefferson & many other illustrious figures, dubbed 3rd Grand Cru Classé en 1855, and as their motto says, “Regum mensis aris que deorum”(For the table of kings and the altar of Gods). Anyway since no one ever came to claim, it was rescued, delivered to me, and ended up on my table where it was greatly appreciated by this humble wine lover who is neither a king or a deity. Oh and as you can tell it didn’t get a sunburn. 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #sparklingwine #pairswithcheezits #France #Margaux #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #chateaudissan

Sailing Into Love

Château Frédignac
Coince Ta Bulle
Pét-nat 2022
Merlot 100%
Organic (Nature & Progrès), unfined, unfiltered, indigenous yeast
Saint-Martin-Lacaussade, Blaye Gironde, France
Vincent L’Amoulier & Ludivine Lemaitre

Deep electric magenta streaked with a touch of orange sunset and teeny white bubbles. Scents start flowing out of strawberries, raspberries, cherries of all sorts, a touch of good natural deep funk, balsamic reduction, blackberries, spring flowers, cherry blossoms, orange & zest, shake of salt, and pinch of white pepper. Taking a sip and there’s such a lovely bright citrus combo sizzle, all the before mentioned berries along with cherries, a natural depth, smidge of balsamic, pinch of cinnamon, pineapple gummy bear, salt kick, and it’s all just delightfully fresh and crisp.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: fabulous so just do it

Château Frédignac is a winery built on love. Several generations ago in 1919, a sailor (Jean-Marie L’Amouller) while visiting Blaye liked what he saw in both the area & a young lady. As love for both bloomed, he decided to put down roots on dry land and a farm was born (cows, grains, & vines). Over time it became all about the grapes and how they thrived due to the Gironde terroir. The current couple/generation (Vincent & Ludivine) stepped up to the helm in 2012, and achieved organic farming certification on 2014. They look to the future and how they can shape, respect, and grow together with their environment & biodiverse flora & fauna (they planted 100 olive trees in 2023 too). They also remember the past & their estate founding great grandfather, and as a tip of the hat to Jean-Marie they have named “Cuvée La Favorite” after the ship that brought him to the land & family they all love then & now. ❤️

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #organic #wineislove #winetime #Pét-nat #Pétnat #petnat #gironde #France #merlot #worldbyglass #boivinselection #châteaufrédignac #docwinebar #docwineshop @fredignac @docwineshop @docwinebar

 

Everything Everywhere All At Once

Maison Marchand-Tawse
Morgon AOC 2021
113/3998
Sustainable
Nuits-Saint-Georges, Bourgogne, France

Pascal Marchand & Moray Tawse & team

Shining garnet ruby. There’s scents growing of red currants, a little earth & puff of smoke/peat, cherries, boysenberries, a raspstrawberry combo, and a blend of tomato leaves & tobacco. Sip and there’s raspberries, cherries, pomegranate, boysenberries, blackberries (seeds & all), strawberries, blueberries, a tiny twangy orange zest, and a tobacco tingle.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: better without

After reading the background on Pascal Marchand, my head is spinning. He’s originally from Quebec but became quite a traveler before landing in Burgundy, taking a viticulture & enology course (Beaune), and started learning from & working for the best. As he, his talents, and grape intuition grew, so did his acclaim & desire to work more natural, organic & sustainable with the wineries where he was working/consulting. That spilled over into his own “garagiste” wines where he developed good relationships with growers that were of a natural like mindset. Oh and before I forget he’s one of the “flying winemakers” who work with wineries all over the world. I swear with all he has his hands in, it was like he’s everywhere everything all at once minus the hotdog fingers. Now back to the wines he was personally making…not far down the road, his friend Moray Tawse (also Canadian & of Tawse Winery in Canada) joined Pascal in his wine venture and Maison Marchand-Tawse was born. Working together they could expand their winemaking spaces in Nuits-Saint-Georges and pick up plots for their own vines, albeit they still work with the previously mentioned trusted growers. The two men also let the grapes speak of their terroir and recognize how “each wine is different and must be nurtured in a different way, so as to help it express its full personality” which is very cool, smart, and delicious. 🍷

To my dear friend who gifted me this bottle, THANK YOU! You’ve started me down a new wine path.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #winetime #organic #naturalwine #Burgundy #Bourgogne #France #tedwardwines #vinewine #vinewinenyc #MarchandTawse @tedward_ws @vinewinenyc @marchand_tawse

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Domaine Pélaquié
Côtes du Rhône
Rouge 2021
Grenache noir 50%, Syrah 50%
Sustainable, HVE certified
Rhône, France
Luc Pélaquié and team

Stained glass garnet with a bluish rim. Sniffing and at first creamy followed fast by cherries, dark plums, raspberries, a little oak & smoke that I bet will fade & it does, next up is cranberry, boysenberry, and a light mandarin orange zest. Everything I’ve been sniffing is right there in the taste along with dried Sumatra figs, blueberry, very ripe strawberries, pomegranate, and a fruity, delicious & happy zing.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: absolutely delicious

The Pélaquié’s have worked with the vines since 16th C, passing down traditions, embracing modernity, and breaking free from the coop in 2008 to claim their full independence. This leads me to their icon of the cigale/cicada which as some know I’ve had a great affection since childhood. My grandfather (mom’s dad) used to help me collect their husks/shells post molting. They absolutely fascinated me with their cycles of “rebirth/resurection”. He taught me just where to find the staggered broods and await (imagine a little pigtailed girl running around with a plastic loaf bread bag full of them). They’re noisy little things but the weirdo bug girl I was, quite like that chorusing. From what I read in France, there’s a tale that they were given by God to tell everyone to “WAKE UP!” from their afternoon breaks and get back to work. Check out their beautiful sounds here.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #Rhône #Rhone #France #cigales #cicadas #wineislove #winetime #worldbyglass #bowlerwine #docwinebar #docwineshop #Pélaquié @bowlerwine @docwineshop @docwinebar @domaine_pelaquie

A Borrowed Planet With Living Wines

Domaine Frederic Brouca
L.A. Picturale 2019?
Languedoc AOC
Grenache 45%, Syrah 30%, Mourvèdre 25%
Organic (certified since 1997), unfined, unfiltered
Faugères, France

Deep shining ruby with even deeper purple points. Breathing in cherries, deep plums, a vanilla cream moment that is ever so gentle, raspberry & strawberry jamming together, a warmth of spice blend like nutmeg, cinnamon, etc, and a touch of earth or small good masculine funk. Sipping a smooth blend of all of the scents with more of that strawberry/raspberry blend with blackberries & blueberries joining in along with some jolly rancher medley roaming in, a small bitter bite of earth and maybe a little iron. As time goes by everything heightens…becomes stronger (like as in will step up for you with the schoolyard bully but instead of punching them out will outwit them verbally) and more delicious yet so silky and carries a lilt in its step.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: Nah, pass

Globetrotters, farmers, and winemakers…Frederic & his wife Elaine, as many other natural winemakers are dedicated to looking back to the past, and following the steps of forefathers in growing & vinification. Quoted from their site, “In his modest winery in the village of Laurens, Frédéric is creating a new vision for Faugères wines; fresh, vibrant and made without artifice. Nothing revolutionary, simply returning to our grandparent’s ideology of farming and winemaking to craft ‘Vins Vivants’.” They also make steps to protect their earthy wormy beneficial friends which always makes me smile. They have another endearing quote that stood out to me from first glance, and made me know this is a wine for me. “We do not inherit the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children”. – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. So, so true and I wish more people took that into consideration in all walks of life.🍷❤️🌍

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #winetime #organic #naturalwine #France #DomaineFredericBrouca #vinewine #vinewinenyc @vinewinenyc

Beaujo-Burned No More

Dufaitre
Beaujolais Village Nouveau 2023
Gamay
Natural wine
Burgundy, Beaujolais, France
Laurence & Rémi Dufaitre

Shiny, shiny red & maroon dancing in the moonlight. Sniff and first off is butter that later turns to Oreo center, then all of a sudden a bramble & blueblackraspberry tumble, and a touch of cherry, cranberry & red currants. Sip and letting it roll around a bit and what a delight. There’s sweet Canadian wild strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, oh just so many berries! Followed by honeysuckle, light plums, boysenberry grows with a black currants zip, and it’s all just light, smooth, satiny & festive. Don’t think I’m crazy, but I’d love to be drinking this on a snowy day in a hot tub.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: boosts all the fruit especially black currants

Yeah, yeah I’m late with the Beaujolais post, but I’m making up for it now. This one is fun. Will admit I have been Beaujo-Burned for a long while with some I’ve had in my youth (they were like bad stale movie popcorn theater butter), With age comes if not wisdom at least more sense to pick a good wine and not follow the crowd. Oh and I have to mention the label because these characters remind me of a certain South Park inhabitant, and by the way this bottle paired very well with their, “The Streaming Wars” & “Joining the Panderverse”. If you haven’t seen them, take a break for a good long laugh. We all could use one right now. 🍷

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #Beaujolais #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting  #wineislove #southpark #winetime #worldbyglass #France  #docwinebar #docwineshop #Dufaitre @jennyfrancois @docwineshop @docwinebar