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Gravity’s Pull

Nicolas Arnou
Chouette! 2020
VDF
100% Chenin Blanc
Organic, natural wine, no filtration or pumps, gravity cellar, and following lunar patterns
Les Champ-sur-Layon, Pays de la Loire, France

Deep gold warmth. Scents of apples, oranges, pops of hay, all spice, hazelnut hints, and honeycomb (my great-grandfather was a beekeeper and oh how I love those bees…nothing like chewing the comb). There’s also an underlying funk that fades. First sip and dang that’s natural! Here comes hay, apples, apricots, green pluots, orangina and a light taste of circus peanuts…hmmm. Just lively moon-dappled vibrance!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: mmmmmm crisp

Turning from the life of an electronics engineer to winemaker, now that’s a nice career change. Nicolas definitely doesn’t have bats in the belfry, but he sure does in the cellar. When he took on his 10 hectares of vineyards (part of Domaine de la Raimbaudières) there was also an old 3 level gravity cellar housing his new bio beneficial friends. More new buddies can be found inhabiting (and assisting in) the organic grounds from the small ladybugs to the haunting owl on the label. So, I have to say this is a first for me, another of Nicolas’ wines “Le Canon à moutons” makes an appearance in a comic book (“Sauvages!!!”). Ok, this isn’t like L&R or Deadpool, but the artist Otto T. depicts Thomas Ferrand collecting wild edible wonderments and what is better to pair with a foraged finds menu than natural wine? 🥂

#wine #naturalwine #winelife #perfectpairing #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #CheninBlanc #Loire #France #cheezit #organic #owls #Chouette #bats #loveandrockets #deadpool @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram #nicolasarnou @terrestrialwine @nicolasarnou @vinewinenyc @cheezit

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Elbow Grease Guarantee

Julie Karsten
Métaphysique des Cuves 2019
AOP Côtes du Rhône
Grenache, syrah, cinsault
Organic
Castillon-du-Gard, France

Deep dark rubylicious. Plum and cherry scents weave their way out followed by something a little buttercream frosting that blends in citrus and cedar. Slowly sipping those cherries and plums again along with prunes, Fig Newtons, raspberries, cranberries, tangerine and orange peels, and a mixed bag of spice like cloves, anise, cardamon and more. This is going to be a beautiful binge worthy paring. Yeah, I’ll admit, I’m finally getting around to watching all of “The Closer” and this is a wine I could see Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson pouring post case. “Yoohooooo! Please pass me those chocolates. Thank yooouu, thank you so much!”

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: brings out a lot of dried fruit like raisins, prunes, and blueberries and also pine sap. I like it better without but I have to admit “with” is quite fun

Julie’s wines come with an “elbow grease guarantee” and “100% happy vines”. Just take a gander at her IG account for proof. Alert roses stand guard at the end of the rows. There’s also all sorts of critters enjoying and roaming the fields and farm from spiders, snakes (and their skins), toads, sheep, praying mantis, a beautiful black cat, dogs, and a majestic horse. Her passion for her “living soil for living wines” is all there captured in perfect snapshots of “work in progress” from vine to cellar. 📸

#wine #naturalwine #winetasting #perfectpairing #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #Grenache #syrah #cinsault #CôtesduRhône #CotesduRhone #France #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram @julie.karsten @vinewinenyc @cheezit

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It Don’t Mean A Thing, If It Ain’t Got That Swing!

Domaine des Terres Dorées
FRV 100
Sparkling Gamay Semi-Dry Rosé NV
Organic, sustainable, hand harvested, indigenous yeasts, méthode ancestrale
Charnay, France
Owner and winemaker: Jean-Paul Brun

Electric rose colored glasses with fine white bubbles. Nose tickling light pops of raspberries, strawberries and clean fresh breeze. Raspberries tumble out first on my tongue quickly followed by strawberries (fresh and preserves), a little cherry juice, and in the back there’s a tiny bit of dark plums that fade and blend back in with this fruited cocktail. Thankfully it’s off-dry, so the sweet is just right and doesn’t hit you over the head with a mallet. Fun and fresh and delightful and has me craving goat cheese or even a spicy pimento cheese sandwich which we all know needs to be made on Sunbeam bread.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: whoa it deliciously works

Just check out the sparkly label and it spells out what is in this bottle: Finese, Funny, Rebelle, Rire, Veritas, Vinification d’Art, Sans Mentir, a splash of Fellini, and much more. After your first glass you’ll want to smooch Jean-Paul Brun firmly on the lips. His Gamays just sing and this one has that jazzy “swing”! Doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah!

#wine #TerresDorées #terresdorees #sparklingwine #Rosé #bubbly #rose #jeanpaulbrun #gamay #FRV100 #Charnay #France #ladygaga #tonybennett #jazz #naturalwine #winetasting #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram @louisdressnerselections @vinewinenyc @cheezit

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Picpoul Party Perfection

Domaine Julie Benau
Chichois à la Baraquette 2019
VDF
100% Picpoul
Organic, sustainable, skin contact
Languedoc-Roussillon, France
Winemaker: Julie Benau
Painting “Julie” by Brandon McQueen

Orange tinted gold that changes from top to bottom of the pour like a blended paint roller. Breathing in orange rind, tangerine, lemon, very very ripe Kirby cucumber, salt, and grass. Taking a swish of crisp pears, honeysuckle nectar, light peach/melon mix, and at first hay that runs away, a little of those first cuttings of grass from the weed wacker, a squish of lime & lemon, a shake of salt and even a spice like hmmm, oh yeah, mace. So luscious yet fresh and vibrant! There’s layers that surprise me like how an artist builds up an oil painting. I don’t want oysters or anything, I just want this solo.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Well who would have thought…I like it. Everything just ramps up more

Julie Benau, champion of Picpoul, and evidently a lot of fun if Brandon McQueen’s depiction of her is accurate. “Chichois à La Baraquette” kind of says it all, as it sort of translates into “wild stuff that went down at the party”. With all seriousness though, everything I’m finding about her makes her one really cool, creative and inspiringly dedicated person. Her family used to sell their grapes to a co-op, but in 1999, she changed all that by returning home and taking on bottling her own wine. This little wild party child is only one of her creations. Another is her “Robot Cochon” (also a cool label) Tempranillo, and then there’s one I bet I will never get to ever try but greatly intrigues me…“Libéro”. This Picpoul didn’t only benefit from the oyster shell fed terroir, it also got to age for 6 months in barrels while hanging out in an oyster bed “under the sea”. Oh lord, now I have Sebastian stuck in my head singing that tune.

#wine #winetasting #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #Picpouldepinet #Picpoul #Languedoc #languedocroussillon #France #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram #juliebenau @vinewinenyc @winemc2 @jbcreyssels @cheezit

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Listening to the Vine

Domaine Les Hautes Noëlles
hého le Rouge 2019
Val de Loire IGP (PGI)
45% Cabernet Franc, 45% Grolleau Noir, 10% Gamay
Organic, hand-harvested, indigenous yeast
Saint-Léger-les-Vignes, Loire, France
Owner & winemaker: Jean-Gabriel Tridon and his wife Juliane

Ruby pool with garnet rim. Delightful strawberries and raspberries greeting my nose, and as it warms citrus zest, black pepper & a warm spice like a bit of nutmeg (which I found the hard way, I am allergic to… It’s not pretty. It sucks because I love that holiday flavor), and a puff of vanilla. Those strawberries and raspberries are back in the sip and they’ve brought along cherries, and something a little dark rugged edgy, then a vanilla droplet appears, orange rind shave liveliness with a grind of pepper. Try it chilled, or try it slightly chilled. Either way pick up two because you’ll not want them to end.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: smoooooth yeeeesssss

Juliane & Jean-Gabriel Tridon embarked on what looks like a second act or new adventure in life with Domaine Les Hautes Noëlles. I love the fact they committed themselves fully to wine and Jean-Gabriel went back to the books and hands on experience and education (especially on working and growing organic). I’m just going to let their words from their site speak for them because there is no way I could do it better. “In a world where Man seems to want absolute control of everything, the vine gives those who dedicate themselves to it a wonderful lesson in humility. There is what we understand about Nature. There is what we know about it without being able to explain it. And then there is the great unfathomable unknown. The vine demands constant attention. In particular, it requires us to think ahead and even to prepare, today, for the generations of tomorrow. As for the wine quietly and slowly developing in the silence of a vat, it takes its time. It takes the time it needs. This is now our lives, our daily lives within this unspoilt setting; this is what we wish to share with you.” 🍷❤️

#wine #winetasting #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #hého #heho #CabernetFranc #GrolleauNoir #Gamay #Loire #France #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram @vinewinenyc @skurnikwines @domaineleshautesnoelles @cheezits

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A Dashing Waltzing Partner

Val de Mer
Sparkling Non Dosé NV
100% Chardonnay
Sustainable, hand-harvested & no dosage added
Sourced from Tonnerre, France
Co-owned: Patrick Piuze & Moutard-Diligent

Golden with a little warm glimmer and tiny bubbles popping all over. Those bubbles send my sniffer some apples, a smidge of apple brandy that walks out the door but closes it gently, toasted brioche, a little vanilla, and  an Oreo cream center. Smooth sipping ripe apples of all sorts, lemon lime twist, crisp like seltzer but not salty, touch of toast, and some mellow limestone. She’s a polished accomplished lady that I recommend keeping well chilled and she’ll shine through the evening.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: really good! Sharpens everything

Before this sparkler came into existence, Patrick Piuze, had a winding, globe trotting road to wine. Hailing from Quebec and 3rd son of a blue collar family, the vines called to him from what I’m reading when he was 18. With guidance and inspiration he worked with wineries abroad before returning to Montreal to open the wine bar “Le Pinot Noir”. Drawn back to France for studies and more experience he opened his own winery and became a Chablis master, or as it is said on Bowler Wine’s site, “Patrick has become walking encyclopedia of the terroir of the area.” Now with Val de Mer, he has joined up with Moutard-Diligent for a 2nd wine venture. The grapes for the Sparkling Non Dosé are from 25 year old vines and the winery (& above ground cellar) is in Tonnerre which is 10 miles from Chablis. He’s still all about minimal intervention and letting the land speak, and in this bottle it says celebrate and take an elegant waltz with your dashing partner under the stars.

#wine #sparklingwine #bubbly #Chardonnay #ValdeMer #PatrickPiuze #MoutardDiligent #winelover #vino #vin #organicwine #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram #Tonnerre #France @bowlerwine @cheezits

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Sunshine on a Rainy Day

Domaine Bertrand et Axelle Machard de Gramont
Bourgogne Aligoté “Le Chêne du Court” 2017
AOC
100% Aligoté
Organic, hand harvested
Nuits-St. Georges, France
Winemaker: Axelle Machard

Pale glistening gold. Fragrances of apples, peach, smoke, light tangerine, and wet rock or limestone. As the glass and I are both sweating due to the evening…rolling this around in my mouth and there’s fresh apple, pear, light peach, salt, a lemon lime swirl ting of tart, and something herby but I can’t quite place which. I should have my Penzeys’ card revoked. It’s just so crisp, refreshing, elegant and so welcome. Henri is knocking on the door and this glass brightens this rainy grey day. Unfortunately it has me craving mussels and super salty frites which I have neither, and am not about to make a delivery driver come out in this  rough weather.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: delicious and sweeter

Coming from a distinct wine lineage, Axelle, Bertrand’s daughter is at the helm of Domaine Bertrand et Axelle Machard de Gramont, and is who brought it into organic certification. I’m glad she came back from a 15 year stint in Paris to rejoin her father in wine. Her parcel of Aligoté is pretty darn special residing behind the Abbaye de Saint-Vivant which is now a historic site and had been going through restoration when a discovery took place. I got pretty intrigued about the Abbey and with some really bad Google Translate of different papers and posts, I found that a bottle was unearthed from under debris and a slab near the apse and altar. It could date back to 1772 or possibly 1810-60 and it was opened and tasted in 2011. I would love to know how that turned out, and I’m sure one of you probably knows.

#wine #winelover #vino #vin #winelife #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit #organic @worldbyglass #Aligoté #Aligote #pairswithcheezits #wineinfluencer #winestagram #France #Bourgogne #burgundy #axellemacharddegramont @axellemacharddegramont @docwineshop @docwinebar @apwineimports @cheezits

 

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Rouge Rebel

Domaine No Control
Délire du Désordre 2019
Vin de France
Gamay
Converting to organic, biodynamic practices, hand harvest, and unfiltered
Auvergne/Beaujolais, France
Winemaker: Vincent Marie (he also has exceptional taste in music 🤘🎸)

A swirl of dark ruby & purple. Before we get any further let it breathe. Decant this baby and out will pop and crack some leather, bright cherry, vanilla whiff, then here come the flowers. There’s roses, lilacs, lilies, and everything just keeps exploding and also some barny (not the dinosaur) funk. On with the show…sipping cherries & dried cherries, olive pits, smidge of leather, and a whole bunch of juicy goodness of cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries laced with balsamic. Is it rustic…is it punk or is it a mix of all with funk?

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: smooths it all out

This bottle intrigues me like the silent bad boy with the leather jacket and motorcycle that did doughnuts in mom’s flower patch but still manages to pick me a bouquet. Maybe our 2nd rendezvous with this rebel tonight will let me see a bit more his soft sensitive side. Or maybe I’ll just roll with this Gamay Auvergne/Beaujolais fusion mix and crank some “Rage Against The Machine”.

#wine #vinho #vino #vin #Gamay #rageagainstthemachine #pairswithcheezits #worldbyglass #cheezit #vinewinenyc #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winelife #naturalwine #organic #Auvergne #Beaujolais #France @vinewinenyc @vincentnocontrol @steven.graf.imports @cheezits

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Immortalized Affection

Famille Sumeire
Château Coussin
L’Orangé
Vin de Macération
100% Ugni Blanc
Sustainable agriculture
Trets, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France
Winemaking siblings: Olivier and Sophie Sumeire

Color shining shimmering golden orange. That orange keeps on coming with scents of orange and other citrus blossoms, and after a while Orange Julius hence my I’m getting a hint of vanilla. Next are tangerines, mandarins, salt, with a familiar green smell of just whittled branches or fresh buds pre bloom, and at last a tiny smidge of anise. That was delightful! Sipping tangerines, mandarins, and of all things a pinch of those Valentine’s Day “Conversation Hearts”. That was a surprise that faded and then enters pears, crab apples, and grass. It’s just darn fresh and lovely and I would say very picnic friendly. Yeah, get outside, spread that blanket and relax back and stare up at the tree branches with that clean blue sky peaking through.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: nice and friendly and weirdly snuggly.

Château Coussin (one of Famille Sumeire’s 3 estates) and has a splendid view of Monte Sainte-Victoire. Maybe this is a better place for a picnic…I can see why Cézanne captured these landscapes time and time again. Another famous artist, César Baldaccini, known for his compression sculptures and being one of the Nouveau Réalisme pack (side note: I used to work for one of his contemporaries and that movement was truly revolutionary) was also affiliated with the area and  a family friend of the Sumeire’s. In 1987, as a symbol of affection for the family, he designed a special wine case from their labels, and part of that art now graces two of their wines (rosé & red) immortalizing his name and signature. As we all know, wine and art are a perfect pairing.

#wine #vin #frenchwine #Provence #France #winelife #vino #葡萄酒 #ワイン #cheezit @worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #winestagram #UgniBlanc #Cézanne #Cezanne #cesarbaldaccini #nouveaurealisme @docwineshop @docwinebar @famillesumeire @cheezits

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Bottled Memories

Lindenlaub
En Équilibre 2018
100% Riesling
Organic, unfined, unfiltered
Dorlisheim, Alsace, France
Winemaker: Christophe Lindenlaub

Yellow gold with a little unfiltered treat. There is a lump at the bottom of my glass that reminds me of  a mini version of what you find in the bottom of a bottle of mezcal. Right from the get go there’s beautiful aromas of honeysuckle, wisteria, and apricot. It’s very fragrant. Then of all things a soft hint of Chanel #5 🤔 and then a squeeze of lime, smoke, and a poof of gas, like for your car…but that is not a bad thing (it’s just a Riesling thing). After all that, here comes tastes of lemon, lime, smoke, and apricot. A whole lot more than I was expecting! Also a tang zing keeping it so lively. It’s bright and happy like chirping birds gossiping.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: smooth operator

Say what if a Riesling and Chenin Blanc had a little wild baby. Well, this is what this wine would taste like…the lovely and then the lovely funkilicious. I’m going to be a bit honest, the C#5 has sent me down a rabbit hole of memories. My grandfather brought a bottle back from WW2 for the love of his life, my grandmother. I spent my young years huffing that empty bottle full of fragrance and am still hanging on to that scent filled with so much history. Now on to another glass, and back to an evening of warm recollections of years past.

#wine #vinho #vino #vin #Riesling #chanel #pairswithcheezits #worldbyglass #cheezit #vinewinenyc #葡萄酒 #ワイン #naturalwine #organic #Dorlisheim #Alsace #France @vinewinenyc @christophelindenlaub @super_glou @cheezits