Sparkling

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2015 Renardat-Fache Bugey-Cerdon, Savoie, France $37

 

Bugey, an  appellation in France very close to the Swiss border, is a small but diverse region producing wines from grapes shared by the surrounding regions of Burgundy, the Jura and the Savoie.  Many still wines are produced here but the area’s star, coming from the even tinier commune within Bugey, Cerdon, is a Methode Ancestrale sparkling wine.  

 

A respected vigneron in Cerdon, Alain Renardat along with his son Elie, craft a delicious Bugey-Cerdon sparkling rose from Gamay and Poulsard grapes.  To make this Methode Ancestrale sparkling wine (also known in the market today as a “Pet Nat”) the grapes are picked by hand, pressed and partially fermented in cold vats.  Then, after a light filtration that leaves most of the active yeast in the unfinished wine, it is bottled and continues its fermentation in the bottle, reaching about 7.5 or 8 degrees of alcohol and retaining a small amount of its original sugar. It has softer bubbles and more primary grape aromas than most Champagne, since there is neither dosage, addition of yeast nor secondary fermentation.

 

Renardat’s Bugey-Cerdon sparkling rose is delicate, berry-scented, refreshing, and makes for a delicious aperitif or dessert wine.  

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Rosé

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2016 Il Poggione, 'Brancato’ Rosato, Tuscany, Italy $26

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One of the original three Italian wine producers of Brunello di Montalcino, Tenuta Il Poggione was founded in the late 1800’s by Lavinio Franceschi, a man whose dedication, to the land, and the Sangiovese grape, is still admired today.  One of Montalcino’s largest wineries, Tenuta Il Poggione covers an area of 600 hectares, 125 planted under vine, 70 planted to olive trees and the rest open space and woods.
 
‘Brancato’ Rosato (Rosé in Italian) is one of the newest wines from Il Poggione crafted from 100% Sangiovese. It is crisp and fresh on the palate with a pleasant roundness that pairs perfectly with fresh produce.  A delicate floral and red berry bouquet brings you to a palate full of red cherry, citrus, raspberry, strawberry and spice.

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White

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2014 Ferdinand Albarino Luna Vista Vineyard, Borden Ranch AVA, Lodi, California $32

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Evan Frazier started the Ferdinand label in 2010 with just 56 cases of Albariño. Introduced to winemaking in 2006 by Abe Schoener of the Scholium Project, that year Evan worked his first harvest, in the Roussillon (Maury, France), with ancient Carignan and Grenache vines. Ferdinand is made in the Kongsgaard cellar on Atlas Peak (Napa, CA) where Evan is the General Manager and Assistant Winemaker for Kongsgaard Wines and has worked with John Kongsgaard since 2008.
 
2014 Ferdinand Albarino is sourced solely from the the Vista Luna Vineyard, owned by Markus Bokisch.  Markus, probably the foremost authority on growing Spanish varieties in California, decided to plant the vineyard after beginning his career carefully farming some of the best vines in Napa. Markus, whose family is from Spain, looked to those roots when he decided to plant Albariño, Tempranillo, Garnacha Blanca, Verdelho, and Graciano (he even smuggled in a special massale selection of Albariño from its native Galicia, Spain.) Vista Luna's site, far to the north-east of Lodi, is in the rolling bench-land at the edge of the Sierra foothills. What makes it really unique is its cobbled, rocky soil and the cooling breezes which blow from the Delta to the Sierras.
 
A light gold color, balanced and attractively fragrant, this wine is savory and floral with orange peel, lime zest, lemongrass, quince and grapefruit aromas and flavors. Lees aging in neutral oak gives the wine finesse, sophistication, and a hint of nuttiness – a pleasing complement to the variety’s balance of natural acidity, slight bitterness, and salty finish.

 

2016 Ryme Cellars "Hers" Vermentino, Las Brisas Vineyard, Carneros, California $37

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Ryme Cellars is collaboration between husband and wife, Ryan and Megan Glaab. The couple met and fell in love in Australia working as seasonal cellar hands at Torbreck Winery. Between the two, they have worked at wineries such as Pax Wine Cellars, Peay Vineyards, Sin Qua Non, and Marcassin. They started Ryme in 2007 with one ton of Aglianico and have continued to focus mostly on esoteric Italian varietals.   The couple strives to make wines of distinctive character, tasting terrific on their own, however, truly shining with full expression when coupled with fresh cuisine.  All of the grapes used to make Ryme’s wines come from conscientiously farmed organic and sustainable vineyards. Moreover within the winery itself, they use no cultured yeast, temperature control, or fining or filtering.

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Vermentino is a delicious light bodied white wine most commonly produced on the island of Sardinia, northern Italy and areas around the Mediterranean. “Hers” Vermentino is Megan’s interpretation of Vermentino, pressed, settled and bottled early. Ryan likes to pick later, ferment on the skins and age longer. “Hers” is a fresh, zippy wine with aromas and flavors of pear, melon, lime, pink grapefruit, citrus zest, fresh green almond and rocky minerality.

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2016 Domaine Sigalas Assyrtiko, Santorini, Greece $49

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Paris Sigalas began Domaine Sigalas out of his home in 1991. Widely considered to be the top producer in Santorini, Sigalas masterfully crafts wines that are bewitching in their expression of terroir and minerality.  Furthermore, Sigalas is a pioneer in organic viticulture and universally praised for his skill with Assyrtiko, a white varietal indigenous to Santorini.
 
The island of Santorini has one of the most unique terroirs in the world formed in part by one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in human history. Around 1600 BC, a massive volcanic eruption took place on the island creating a tidal wave of magma claiming the lives of millions around the Mediterranean crescent. Thought to be the most powerful volcanic event in the last 10,000 years, the eruption is estimated to have been fifty thousand times as powerful as the Hiroshima bomb. As a result, the soil of Santorini, known as aspa, is comprised of pumice stone, volcanic ash, lava rocks, and sand. The high content of sand found in the soil makes Santorini one of the rare winemaking areas in the world not attacked by phylloxera allowing the vines to retain their original rootstock.  Strong winds and persistent sun are another characteristic of the terroir of Santorini and in order to protect the grapes, vines are trained in low basket shapes called “ampelies” locally forming a unique pruning system.
 
Domaine Sigalas Assyrtiko is straw blond in color with light shades of green and a delicate nose bursting with citrus fruit and white blossoms. Excellent depth of flavor and acidity, the wine is fresh and light with high mineral tones characteristic of grape and place.

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Red

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2015 Dacapo, Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato ‘Majoli', Piedmont, Italy $39

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Dacapo was established in 1997, following the restructuring of an old wine estate in Monferrato by two colleagues with a history in the wine trade.  Monferrato is located in Piedmont in northern Italy and is the primary location for the production of the rare, intresting grape varietal, Ruche.

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Grown on a small plot on the hill of Majoli in Castagnole Monferrato, Ruche produces a spicy aromatic wine with depth and finess.  It is bright ruby red in color and displays delicate floral and wild red berry aromas. Medium bodied with hints of dried herbs and white pepper, this wine has soft tannins and pleasant acidity perfect for a delicate, fresh farm to table meal. 

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Despite the brief details on this wine, Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato is a wine that surprises and delights reminding you that wine is a forever engaging subject with the ability to keep even the most seasoned wine drinker on their toes.

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2016 Division Wine Co, 'Beton' Red Blend, Willamette Valley, Oregon $41

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Division Winemaking Company was founded in 2010 by Thomas and Kate Monroe, after a wonderful and educational period living at Kate's family cottage in the Loire Valley, studying winemaking and viticulture. Together Tom and Kate produce small batch wines focused on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Gamay Noir from sustainably farmed vineyards in the northern Willamette Valley of Oregon. Influenced by the couple’s passion for old world wines and inspired by the wineries of Loire, Beaujolais and Burgundy regions of France, the wines have higher acid structure, less extraction and modest alcohol.

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Tom and Kate founded the Southeast Wine Collective in August 2012 in the vibrant Division-Clinton neighborhood of metro Portland - an emerging hub for the area's food and libations culture. They thought it fitting to name their brand after landing on Division Street: "It's the French thing to do - name your business with the piece of land you're from."

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The 2016 Division-Villages “Béton” is a blend of 60 % Cabernet Franc, 30% Gamay Noir, and 10% Cot. The Cabernet Franc, which received considerable hang time this year, is complex, mineral driven and classic. The wine shows notes of anise, pyrazine, raspberry and distinct black tea, red currants and wet leaves. The palate is brooding yet fresh and mineral rich, like a wet dark rock. The wine has a beautiful fruity character and is medium bodied.

2012 Petrussa, 'Rosso Petrussa' Merlot, Friuli, Italy $59

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Gianni and Paolo Petrussa, 4th generation of the Petrussa family,  both had the opportunity to work jobs with salaried positions upon coming of age.  Throwing caution to the wind, the brothers declined these jobs and instead followed in their parents’ footsteps. A decision initially not supported by their parents as they remembered the hard life spent in the fields and the economic difficulties they faced, the brothers set out to prove to their parents that they too had perseverance.   With passion, determination and investment, the brothers updated the winery equipment, replanted the vineyards and added the use of French oak barrels.  Today Petrussa is a leading producer in Friuli. 
 
Merlot has been cultivated in Prepotto, Friuli for many years, and exhibits an exceptional adaptability in this valley. Considered indigenous to the territory, Merlot, perhaps more than any other, conveys the peculiar characteristics of the land. Merlot of Prepotto is not only full bodied, but also rich in spices. Its intense aroma and delicate palate of red apple skin, black cherry, plum, and graphite reflects the uniqueness of the terroir.