Pairings for July 2 at Pachamama Farm:

Bubbly

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NV Jo Landron ‘Cuvee Atmospheres’ Extra Brut Cremant, Loire Valley, France $32.98

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Famously photogenic thanks to his extraordinary mustache, Jo Landron is the creative and hard working man behind the farming and winemaking at Domaine de La Louvetrie. The domaine located in La Haye Fouassiere, a tiny town in the heart of Muscadet Sevre et Maine near the city of Nantes on the Atlantic coast of France, focuses on the production of distinct Muscadets from diverse parcels. Jo took control of the domaine in the 1990’s after working for many years with his father, Pierre, and in 1999 began converting the estate to organic and biodynamic practices, earning certification in both.  Jo is well known for his decades long devotion to elevating the status of the Melon de Bourgogne grape grown almost exclusively in the region of Muscadet in the far western Loire Valley.  The estate is located close to the part of the Atlantic defined by cold, salty waters, perfect for the production of oysters, coupled with rich grasses seasoning local lambs as they graze, and the cultivation of the Melon de Bourgogne grape.  

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While the majority of Jo’s vineyards are devoted to Melon de Bourgogne, he also plants small quantities of Folle Blanche, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay for his sparkling wine, Cuvee Atmospheres, because he found Melon de Bourgogne to be unsuitable for sparkling wine.  Brilliantly crafted in the methode traditionnelle (same production method used in Champagne), the 100% estate biodynamically grown fruit from 18-30 year old vines is hand-harvested, naturally fermented using wild yeast with secondary fermentation in the bottle, and finished with a low dosage of 5g/l (extra brut) after which it spends 24 months on its lees. 

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The list of attributes accompanying this wine rivals some of the great growers of Champagne, and with no surprise Cuvee Atmospheres delivers impressive depth and a graceful style. This cremant would not be mistaken for a wine from anywhere but the Loire Valley, with its racy citrus, fresh peach, yellow and green apple, honeycomb, musty floral character, toasted brioche, and plenty of rocky, earthy complexity. On the palate the wine has a delicate petillance and an attractive acidic grip with delicious white stone fruit and bready texture. 

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Rosé

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2015 IBY Blaufränkisch Rosé, Burgenland Austria $28.98

 

If you have yet to explore the wines of Austria, perhaps you should consider it the next destination in your continued exploration into the world of wine. The quality of wine produced in Austria has drastically improved over the last twenty years and the value to be found in the country’s indigenous varietals is both fascinating and delicious.  

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IBY Winery, located in the famous wine village of Horitschon in Mittelburgenland, Austria, cultivates approximately sixteen hectares of vineyard land and is considered one of the premier Blaufrankisch producers. Anton Iby (5th generation currently in charge of the estate) is a young and passionate winemaker with youthful energy and together with his father’s extensive experience produces wines of terroir, power, elegance and aging potential.  Unlike many producers cultivating Gruner Veltliner, a white Austrian varietal recently attracting a well deserved spotlight in the U.S., the IBY family focuses solely on red varietals.  

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The 2015 IBY Blaufrankisch Rose, made from high quality estate grown grapes, is quite possibly one of the best rose’s of the season.  The continuity between the nose and the palate is remarkable; the delicate creaminess on the nose translating into a smoothness and finesse on the palate.  Strawberries, red apple, fresh pink and red roses, and crème fraiche aromas lead you to red current, green apple, watermelon, and a hint of white pepper on the palate.  A smooth silky body beautifully balances the wine’s fresh acidity.  

 

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White

 

2014 Cantina Produttori Bolzano, Müller Thurgau, Alto Adige, Italy $25.98

Formed in 2001 following a merger between two historic wineries, Gries and Santa Maddalena, established in 1908 and 1930 respectively, Cantina Produttori Bolzano rapidly became a top winery in the Alto Adige, northeastern region of Italy. The winery sources grapes from 220 local growers and focuses on a wide range of wines of selected quality and regional character.   

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A notable producer of Muller Thurgau, a white grape producing lively, aromatic white wines, Bolzano has lifted the pedigree of the bland white table wine produced throughout Germany after the Second World War.  Created in 1882, Muller Thurgau is a Riesling and Madeleine Royal hybrid, named after a vine researcher and its cultivator, Prof Hermann Müller, from Thurgau, Switzerland.  

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Aromas of nutmeg, elder blossoms, nuts and stone fruits are accompanied by white peach, lemon, mandarin orange, quince, and jasmine on the palate. A light body and delicate acidity makes this wine a wonderful introduction to the evening.

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2014 Goisot ‘Exogyra Virgula’ Sauvignon de Saint-Bris, Burgundy, France $31.98

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In a list of recent wine discoveries, Domaine Goisot is without a doubt one of the most fascinating. Saint-Bris, where the winery is located, makes for a very interesting exception to the rule of French wine. Part of Burgundy (where white wines are almost exclusively made from the Chardonnay grape), its wines were once labeled as Chablis.  When phylloxera devastated vineyards across Europe in the mid 19th century, the region abandoned their vines and the area was declassified.  It was not until the 1970’s that the region was once again recognized under the French AOC certification.  By this time much of the area was planted almost exclusively to Sauvignon Blanc.  The Goisot family’s dedication to this black sheep appellation has resulted in the production of crisp, electrifying whites not failing to impress.

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The father and son team of Guilhem and Jean-Hugues Goisot, farm exclusively using biodynamic principles, hand harvest, and ferment only in stainless steel using native yeast.  Vines are grown on the famous Kimmeridgian limestone soil shared in France not only between Saint-Bris and the rest of Chablis but parts of Champagne and Sancerre.  The wines are deep, racy and soil driven with an underlying expression of chalky minerality.  The Goisot wines crafted of Sauvignon Blanc share attributes with some of the top wines of Sancerre.

 

‘Exogyra Virgula’ (referencing the oyster shells and fossils in the soil) Sauvignon de Saint-Bris displays fresh floral and citrus aromas with focused minerality and herbaceous notes.  Gooseberry, melon, pear, apple blossom, lemon grass, and a hint of bay leaf and fresh grass on the nose moves you to a palate bursting with texture and mouthwatering acidity.

 

2013 Nigl, Grüner Veltliner ‘Rehberger Zwetl’, Kremstal, Austria $49.98

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While the Nigl family has been farming in Kremstal, Austria for over 200 years, Martin Nigl is a first generation winemaker. Nigl convinced his family in 1985 to keep the fruit from their twenty-five hectare vineyard rather than sell to a local co-op. 

As importer Therry Thiese writes, “Weingut Nigl, tucked deep in the Krems Valley on the edge of the Senftenberg Mountain, often evokes feelings that one has traveled back to medieval times; the wines Martin Nigl creates are as ethereal as the vine lands that they come from.”  Soil layered with gneiss and the cooling influence of the forested mountains surrounding the valley, create wines of amazing depth and spiciness.  

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Martin practices sustainable farming, never using herbicides or insecticides, and plants cover crops of herbs and legumes to naturally maintain soil vitality.  In addition, he does not de-stem the grapes before pressing, uses only native yeast during fermentation, and never fines before bottling. As a result, his wines have beautiful texture and a lingering finish.   

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With classic aromas of yellow apple, citrus zest, white pepper, and snap pea, this wine is the perfect complement to spring greenery.  On the palate, this wine offers notes of herb pesto, spicy arugula, sprouts, honeydew melon, green pear,  and white peach. 
 

 

Red

 

2014 Mas de Libian Bout d’Zan, Rhone Valley, France  $20.98

 

At the time of purchase in 1670 of Mas de Libian by the Thibon family, the property served as a gentleman’s hunting lodge and manor house.  Upon the sale, the family moved in and began working the land as farmers.  In 1970, it was decided that the sole focus at Libian would be wine. Set on a plateau in the rocky terrain of the Ardèche, in the western hills of the southern Rhône, Mas de Libian is an exceptional biodynamical farmed estate, where vineyards are plowed by horse and hoed by hand in the spring. 

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Hélène Thibon (a member of the 4th generation whose father, Jean Pierre, set in motion the estate’s devotion to making wine) has worked the soil since she was a young girl and has a passion for her vineyards that is admirable and infectious.  Her wines are fresh, brightly fruited with a rustic texture clearly reflecting the stony terroir and gnarly old gobelet vines. 

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The 2014 Bout d’Zan is roughly a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah, with one-third of the blend aged for approximately ten months in old foudre, the remainder in cement vats. The name Bout d'Zan references a traditional style of French licorice (Zan), but it was also the nickname of grower Hélène Thibon's father in his childhood.  The wine, like all from the Libian estate, is bottle unfiltered. Full of delicious red cherry, raspberry, violet, lavender and light cinnamon aromas with red current, blackberry, dried herbs and licorice on the palate, this medium bodied, fresh, juicy wine is dangerously gulpable. 

 

2014 Francois Crochet, Sancerre Rouge, Loire Valley, France  $38.98

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Sancerre is a tiny bucolic French village, steeped in history, situated in the far western region of the Loire Valley. Almost in the middle of the country, it has been the center of the French resistance since the Middle Ages.  While considered one of the best appellations in France for the cultivation of Sauvignon Blanc (~2,200 hectares under vine), creating beautifully flinty and savory wines with bracing acidity, it also produces a small amount of high quality red and rose wines of Pinot Noir (~620 hectares under vine). 

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Following in his grandfather and father’s footsteps, Francois Crochet and his wife, Carine, took over his family’s estate in 1988 located in the commune of Bué, just outside the town of Sancerre proper. Francois was formally schooled at the Lycée Viticole in Beaune after which he worked for several estates in France and abroad.  Francois tends 10.5 hectares of vine divided into 30 plots with the lutte raisonnée method, considered a happy medium between conventional farming and stricter demands by organic certifying agencies.  Biodiversity in the vineyards is encouraged through the planting of cover crops, plowing of the soils and the use of manures and natural composts to fertilize the vines.

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As a young winemaker, Francois has made quite a name for himself both in France and abroad.  His Sancerre Rouge is a handsome expression of Pinot Noir with personality and depth.  An intense bouquet of red fruits, cranberries, cherry and pomegranate, with violets, hibiscus and a hint of clove, transports you to a palate with generous raspberry, blood orange, tobacco leaf and soft smoky notes.

 

2013 Whitcraft, Syrah Clover Creek Vineyard, Santa Barbara, California $53.98

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Chris and Kathleen Whitcraft founded their waterfront winery in Santa Barbara, California in 1985. An owner with an independent spirit, unique location, and desire to craft wines from small lot vineyards, Chris worked with some of the best winemakers in California - Joe Heitz (Heitz Cellars), Dick Graff (Founded Chalone Winery and its AVA) and Burt Williams (Williams Selyem & Morning Dew Ranch) to name a few.  Chris passed away in 2014, but his passion and creation live on through his children. Drake Whitcraft began working with his father in his early 20’s and took the helm in 2007.  While he has great respect for his father’s traditions, Drake’s inventive spirit has taken the winery to new heights. 

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The 2013 Whitcraft Syrah, comes from what he refers to as “My friend Matt’s Vineyard”, also known as Clover Creek Vineyard in Santa Inez Valley AVA. Fermented with 100% whole cluster, never racked off its lees, and aged in neutral François Frères French oak for 23 months, this wine is clean and impeccably well balanced.  Overflowing with dark fruits, blackberry, mission fig and black current, as well as black pepper, lavender, and earthy herbaceous notes, this Syrah is vibrant and textured.