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Returning To A Sparkling Nest

Domaine J. Laurens
Le Moulin
Blanquette De Limoux AOP
Brut
Mauzac, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay
Sustainable agriculture, HVE 3
La Digne d’Aval, Graimenous, Languedoc, France
Jacques Calvel and team

Very light yellow-gold with a green sheen and very fine white bubbles. Breathing in and it starts cool, clean and creamy smoothness (or a poof of meringue). Next up are pears (fresh & baked), green apples, lemon blossoms, light white peaches, and toasty brioche.  Sip and there’s green apples again with a few crab apples thrown in, firm green pears, apricot, a lemon/lime spritz, and mineral lick. It’s lovely, dry, crisp, and very lively.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: absolutely delicious

I always love stories of being able to reboot your life and return to your roots, just like Jacques Calvel. He grew up near Limoux and learned the satisfaction of a good day’s hard work from childhood. As often happens a person will leave the nest or in his case even France to venture to Switzerland, build his expanding venture and then after success, sell the business and return back to his homeland. Sparkling wine was his calling, and his business acumen & exporting knowledge were a perfect pairing. When he purchased Domaine J. Laurens it had a history of making sparklers, he just needed to rethink how they (he & his team) would work to better the lands, the winemaking process, and quality which is very important to all of them over quantity. They’ve achieved the 3rd level of HVE, and are working constantly harder to achieve organic. As Jacques says on his site, “Our next goal, which is not a small one, is to become organic. We are just at the start off our organic conversion; however, I am excited to work hard to provide a cleaner environment for the next generation.” Cheers and raising a glass J. Laurens caring enough to plan for the future of the next generations. 🥂

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #sparklingwine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #France #blanquettedelimoux #worldbyglass #cynthiahurley #cynthiahurleyfrenchwines #jlaurens #docwinebar #docwineshop @cynthia_hurley_french_wines @domainej.laurens @docwinebar @docwineshop

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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

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Intersecting Generations

Guidobono
Langhe Nebbiolo DOC 2022
100% Nebbiolo
Sustainable
Canale (CN), Piedmont, Italy
Faccenda family

Deep ruby with a garnet rim. Give this bottle a little breathing room, inhale and there’s tart cherries, cranberry (fresh and dried), plums, jumble of blueberries, raspberries & blackberries, violets, the more it opens a warm spice, and on the back orange zest. Tastes swirl on my tongue of all of the scents joined with pomegranate and a little cedar.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: smooooth

The Faccenda’s purchased their winery just over 20 years ago and have proceeded to celebrate their love for the land and vines(30 to 40 years old). They sum it up best on their site, “The vineyards of the Rorero are our family’s home, where we both live and work. In keeping with our respect of nature, we use the ‘integrated farming’ agricultural practices set by the EU. Our winery is also a proud participant in Piemonte’s ‘Vino Sicuro’ project, aimed at keeping our region’s wines free of harmful pollutants.” Now onto their branding/labels which piqued my curiosity. Kept wondering why the clean lines forming an X or cross & also a metallic diamond/square (each wine has a different color) at their intersection. Turns out they worked with a very cool art director, Derrick Lin. He used the crossing lines to symbolize, “the generational bond between grandmother Velia (the vineyard’s first owner) and her children who have carried on the business; as well as the meeting point between the dedication of her grandchildren — both winemakers — and the generosity of extraordinary regions such as Roero, Langhe, Barolo. Guidobono wines emerge from this “intersection” of lives, affections, people and territories.” Perfect packaging and an even more perfect wine. 🍷❤️

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #Italy #Nebbiolo #worldbyglass #jandamorewines #Guidobono #docwinebar #docwineshop @docwinebar @docwineshop

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Sharing Traditions

Cantine Su’entu
Su’aro 2018
Marmilla IGT
Bianco
Native grapes
Sustainable, hand harvested
Sardegna, Italy
Pilloni family (currently Valeria, Roberta & Nicola are running the winery)

Bright gold with almost a light touch of orange/amber and gets deeper the more it breathes. Sniffing and there’s a citrus mix of tangerine, lemon, touch of grapefruit, hibiscus, honeysuckle, honeydew & more blossoms swirl, an apricot/peach blend, salt, and as it’s been open a good while caramelized sugar cane. Taking a swig & swish and here’s that citrus blend & honeydew again with orange zest, touch of smoke, a little honey & honeysuckle, smidge of sweet mellow pears, and salt shake. Bright & luscious all at the same time, and makes me dream of warm night outside under the stars just sipping and enjoying good company.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: so darn good!

“Working the land and making the best use of its fruits is a family tradition, and we’re delighted to have given new life to this value set, with regard not only to wines but also to our small olive oil output and the raw materials for the Estate’s Restaurant, Arieddas” – Salvatore Pilloni

I ❤️ Su’entu for so many reasons, and finding out about their restaurant Arieddas has me wanting to pack my bags. They work with what they have within the estate and if they don’t they source from other artisans/farmers. It’s a celebration of Marmilla’s (Sardinia’s) food, wine and culture which has a special place in my heart and belly. One pasta (on their menu & btw each dish comes w a wine recommendation) I have never had a chance to try are handmade lorighittas originating from the women of Morgongiori in the 16th century. They would gather to prepare the braided pastas formed into circular or O shape ahead of All Saints Day. It was also a chance to catch up on news, gossip, and camaraderie. It’s truly an art form that I hope doesn’t get lost in the hustle and bustle of modern times. Check out the Pasta Grannies to see how it’s made. They make such a hard task look easy.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #Italy #worldbyglass #pastagrannies #arieddas #winetwist #cantinasuentu  #docwinebar #docwineshop

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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

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Mediterranean Answer To Happiness

Curii Uvas y Vinos
Una Noche y Un Dia 2021
100% Giró
Organic, hand harvested
Xaló, Alicante, Spain
Violeta Gutiérrez de la Vega & Alberto Redrado

Ruby with garnet gem rim. Let this baby breathe a bit and floating up are aromas of cherries, tomato leaves (I swear this trend is a coincidence), red apples, blackberries, raspberries, boysenberries, lilacs & violets, and a pinch of anise. Taking a few sips and all of the above (especially the tomato leaves) and it’s smooth over time with a little twang, bit of peat smokiness, pit of a cured Moroccan olive, grassy wild flowers, and it keeps growing so much over time and still has a rustic flair but a vibrant juicy vibe. Delicious!

Pairs with Cheez-Its: meh not really digging it

Just reading about Violeta & Alberto’s family backgrounds it’s no wonder their wine project was born and is smashing. Violeta’s comes from growing up & working with her father in her parents’ winery Bodegas Gutiérrez de la Vega (known for celebrating traditional wines of their land), heading off to enology studies & work in France, and return to Alicante where she will take the reigns of the family winery. Alberto’s family also took him down a tasting route with their Michelin starred restaurant L’Escaleta as a sommelier and in 2010 was honored as Spain’s Premio Nacional de Gastronomía al Mejor Sommelier. Together they keep a tight focus on local grapes and working traditionally, especially like in this bottle of Giró which is an Alicante clone of Garnacha (one of my favorite 🍇). Actually it is their main focus uva, which Violeta is also implementing back at Bodegas Gutiérrez de la Vega. All in all, these two are creating & nurturing bottles of rare magic. Stealing a quote from de la Vega’s site, they are making “Mediterranean wines capable of making the unhappiest of mortals happy”. ❤️ Now that’s a gift for the world.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #redwine #winetasting #winetime #naturalwine #organic #Alicante #Spain #josepastorselections #curiiwine #vinewine #vinewinenyc

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Smell Everything

Inconnu
Kitsune 2019
Red blend
Hand harvested, indigenous yeast fermented, unfined & unfiltered
Grapes sourced from organic & regeneratively farmed parcels
Napa, CA
Laura Brennan Bissell

Deep maroon with a glowing ruby rim. Pouring and dark cherry scents float up mingling with a little oak/cola (RC to be precise) but not overpowering (oak & I have a complicated relationship but this is a welcome one), blackberries & raspberries, dried cherries, plums/prunes, and touch of earthy depth that includes a growing mishmash of juniper, a comforting warm spice, zest and a tad of cedar. All of the above scents are in the taste that has a lively bright tang and smooth glide at the same time.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: hard to describe on how it heightens everything but it is delicious

The sense of smell for all of us is so important, easily taken for granted, and can touch every one of us in different ways. In my dad’s case, sometimes I wonder if his works…my schnoz is ultra hyper which is a good thing most of the time unless you are on a sweaty NYC subway in the heat of July. Reading about Laura’s (on her site’s bio) and as she says, “Smell has been the driving force for many decisions in my life…I want to smell everything.” Smelling everything hits home with me & I’m sure does too with all y’all wine lovers out there.

As I read more about Laura’s personal wine world, I feel like I did her a disservice by doing exactly what she didn’t wish. “Just like my life, I wish for my wines to be distilled into a poetic form, and not to have their entrails spread apart on a surgical table. There is pain and suffering, there is joy, chaos, recklessness at times, but more than anything, a quiet optimism that every day of our time here is yet another chance to experience something beautiful.” Sorry, if I pulled out a scalpel and diced Kitsune into singular scent & flavor notes, because this bottle is a performance of Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch (strength, beauty, grace, wonder) & an encapsulation of a time in your life that I’m so happy to have now experienced.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #winetasting #winetime #organic #naturalwine #Napa #california #Kitsune #Inconnu #vinewine #vinewinenyc @vinewinenyc @inconnuwine

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A Grape Spa Treatment

Azienda Agricola Pasquale Petrera
Fatalone
Bianco Spinomarino
Greco 2022
100% Greco
Puglia I.G.T.
Gioia delle Colle, Spinomarino, Puglia, Italy
Organic, dry farming, sustainable, green manure, and zero emission
Winemaker: Pasquale Petrera

Shining yellow straw. Delightful scents of creamy lemon curd, honeydew, irises, lillies with some roses thrown in, pears, pinch of baking spices, over ripe cucumbers, and a salty breeze. Sipping crisp pears, crab apples, white peaches, and a bouquet of lilacs, roses, irises & honeysuckle. There’s also a shake of salt, lick of granite, and over time a sprig of thyme. 

Pairs with Cheez-Its: a full on NOPE

Fatalone has been around since the 1800s but didn’t starts bottling till 1987. In the old days, it was bring your own bottle and fill’er up. Spinomarino is their only white wine, and those vines were not planted till 1990. Such a beautiful exotic heady and very unique wine. Kind of fits their name Fatalone. Filippo Petrera (2nd generation of this family) had the nickname of Il Fatalone which pretty much translates to “Lady Killer” or seducer. Kind of perfect for a romantic Valentine’s Day gift which will be here before you know it, so get to ordering! Back to the winemaking team who are an essential part nurturing this bottle of love. They go above and beyond in making sure the grapes have the utmost care throughout the whole process. They even went as far as soundproofing the cellar and piping in classical music and nature sounds. Now that’s quite a spa treatment. ❤️🌹

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #winelover #winetasting #wineislove #winetime #winetrain #puglia #italy #organic #Spinomarino #bonvivantimports #docwinebar #docwineshop #Fatalone ##Fatalonewines @bonvivantimports @docwineshop @docwinebar @FataloneWines

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Drink Life Slowly

Esporão
Monte Velho Tinto 2021
Vinho Regional Alentejano
Aragonez 40%, Trincadeira 35%, Touriga Nacional 20%, Syrah 5%
Alentejo, Portugal
Winemkaers: Sandra Alves & João Ramos

Deep goth dark ruby with a light ruby rim. There’s scents of cola, prunes, dark plums & cherries, mission figs, raspberries, over time blueberries wave hello, a pinch of earth & iron. Sipping raisins, prunes, dark plums, tart & dark cherries, dried mission figs, also some rustic tangy young cherry, and a welcome burn that fades and smoothes.

Pairs with Cheez-Its: everything goes more rich and smooth so YES

When I took my first few sips, my hands just took over and typed, “I want to be on vacation”. Well, Esporão wants that for us too, or actually more than just a quick break but to learn to move forward slowly, to breath deeply, to care for our environment, enjoy silence, and live in the moment. Here’s their manifesto and it’s definitely worth a read.

The world moves at a faster pace than ever.
But to many of us, it looks like we’re going nowhere fast.
Fast is surrendering our privacy for instant access to memes.
Fast is downing a double espresso while rushing to work.
Fast has us watching five seasons of a show on Netflix in one gulp.
Fast has made the week speed by because we were too busy
to stop and look around.
Fast isn’t forward.

We’re from the slow country.
We have a different pace of life.
And it makes life look pretty good.
Slow is smart. Slow is a skill. Slow is progress.
So if you’re in a hurry, drink wine slowly.
Drink life slowly.

There are many ways to move forward. This is ours.
Esporão.
Slow Forward.

#wine #vin #vino #vinho #wein #葡萄酒 #ワイン #winestagram #instawine #winelover #redwine #winetasting #winetime #naturalwine #portugal #Alentejano #Alentejo #slowforward #thisisEsporão #Esporão #Esporao #vinewine #vinewinenyc @esporaoworld @vinewinenyc

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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