BTG Selection for 12/20 F and F Flashcards
(22 cards)
Methode Ancestral, Xarel-lo, 13 to 83 yrs old on fossilized limestone. 35 Ha, Manual harvest, Spontaneous yeast. Based in Torrelles de Foix.
Cava (Catalonia) Pregadéu, Brut Nature 2017, Els Vinyerons (Xarel-lo) $14
Demeter Certified Biodynamic, 7 ha with vines averaging 35 yrs. Clay and limestone, on the banks of the Marne. Slow, labor-intensive methods of gentle extraction with use of a Coquard Press (retrousse technique). 36 to 48 months on lees before disgorgement.
Crouttes-sur-Marne (Champagne) ‘3C, Extra Brut NV, Bourgeois Diaz (Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir) $26
Pet Nat. Practicing Organic since 2000. 16.5 Ha of Pineau d’Aunis, Grolleau & Menu Pineau on sand & clay, with flint.
Touraine (Vallée de la Loire) What’s Up 2018, Hervé Villemade (Pineau d’Aunis & Grolleau) $16
Chenin Blanc from Saumur. Protected by rain shadow effect of Muage Hills. Vineyards on chalk, peppered with limestone and schist from Saumur and Anjou.
Saumur (Vallée de la Loire) Billes de Roche 2015, Domaine Mélaric (Chenin Blanc) $18
60% Petit Manseng/40% Gros Manseng. Vineyard at 185 and 225m of altitude, looks out onto the Pyrenees. The domain is in the process of converting to organic viticulture, establishing a self-sustaining ecosystem that doesn’t rely on fertilizers. Generous nose and dry on the palate.
Juraçon (Sud Ouest) Le Sec 2014, Domaine Guirardel (Petit & Gros Manseng) $21
Alsace AOP (Bas-Rhin). Blend: Riesling, Pinot Auxerrois, Gewurztraminer; 60/30/10%. Seventh generation, Certified Organic, and known for experimental production methods in addition to this field blend.
Domaine Rietsch - Tout Blanc au Litre 2018, $16
Castilla y Leon VdlT. Grape: Verdejo. Pre-phylloxera vines (140 to 280 years old) growing high-altitude sandy soils in Nieva, (part of Rueda), in Castilla y Leon, near Segovia. 0/0, No added SO2. Winemaker Ismael Gozalo reopened his family’s 400 year old cave in 1998, while making his mark as winemaker at Ossian (2004).
MicroBio Correcaminos 2018, $17
Ecocert Organic since 2008, vinified without intervention or manipulation. Fermented in large wooden vats, and are aged 12-18 mo in old barrels, which differs from the vast majority of Touraine wines, which get released in the early Spring. Intentionally declassified as VdF, to side-step AOP politics. This Sauvingon single parcel is on alluvial soil, quite different from neighboring flint and clay of Touraine.
Touraine (Vallée de la Loire) Chez Charles 2018, Noëlla Morantin (Sauvignon Blanc) $19
Bodega created in San Fernando, Cadiz, by two winemaker brothers Miguel and Jose. Their first collaborative vintage was 2011. The main idea of the project is to express, in their wines, the soil, climate and the local grapes varieties. The winds of Levante (east) and Poniente (west) play a big role in the climate and affects the vintages every year. The Levante is warm and dry that comes from Sahara Desert and the Poniente brings the humidity and the freshness from the Atlantic Ocean. The soil is mainly Albariza, well adapted to Palomino. Practicing biodynamic, and no additives. The vineyards are located in Chiclana, Sanlucar and Jerez de la Frontera with a total of 5 hectares. They are independent from any DO appellation.
Cádiz (Andalucia) Mahara Dorada 2018, Mahara Viticultores (Palomino) $19
Vin de France. Grapes: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (70/30%) from the nearly extinct vineyards of Champlitte. Limestone at 250 m elevation. Santini Collective (winemaker Christopher Santini) is part of the larger Auxey-Collective, which has used only native yeast for the past 100 years. Austere on the nose, purple flower pastilles, with vivacious red and blue fruit on the palate. Santini dubs it a ‘Vin de Soif’ (wines made to quench thirst and be consumed with fervour). The village of Champlitte overlooks the border of three regions: Burgundy, Champagne, and Franche-Comte
Santini Collective, Champlitte 1L 2017 $16
Vin de France (Languedoc near Souvignargues and Nimes). Blend: Cinsault and Grenache. Thierry Forestier, 12 ha, practicing organic, est. 2002.
Domaine Mont de Marie - Salve Ager 2018 $14
Bizkaiko Txakolina DO. Grape: Hondarrabi Beltza. Produced in stainless steel. Youthful character. Lightness of body and tannin makes it versatile in pairing. Based in Baiko, Bizkaia in Golfo de Viscaya (Bay of Biscay). Winemaker Itziar Insausti - one of three original pioneers in the revival of txakolina production, spearheading the creation of the Bizkaiko Txakolina DO in 1994.
Doniene Gorrondona, Txakoli Beltza 2017 $20
Castilla VdlT (Castilla la Mancha, near Manchuela): Grape: Bobal. 4 months on lees, in tinajas. Sustainable Ag. Avg vine age 30 yrs. Namesake translates in Valencian dialect to “glass”, as in “have a glass”
Bodegas Gratias - GOT Tinto 2017 $15
Côtes du Rhône AOP. Grapes: Grenache, Mourvèdre and Carignanan (50/40/10%). 60 year old vines, vinified in concrete vat. Based in Cairanne, Sud de la Vallée du Rhone. Hilltops with alluvial sand, looking east over the plain between the Aigues and Ouvèze rivers, an elevation which ensures slightly cooler growing temperatures. Raspberry, pepper, prune, anise… bright fruit with notable tannic structure.
Domaine Marcel Richaud, Terre d’Aigles 2018 $15
AOP Morgon. Gamay, avg age 70 years, on 4.5 ha of granite and sand. Practicing organic and bio-d. 15-25 day cool ferment for longest skin contact possible. Aged on lees 6-8 months in old oak. Unfined/unfiltered.
…In the early 1980s Beaujolais was flooded with mass-produced, over-commercialized wine, pushing winemaker and viticultural prophet Jules Chauvet to invoke a return to more traditional practices. Jean-Paul and three other local vignerons, Marcel Lapierre, Guy Breton, and Jean Foillard, soon took up the torch of this “natural wine” movement. Kermit Lynch dubbed this clan the “Gang of Four”, and the name has stuck ever since. These rebels called for a return to the old practices of viticulture and vinification.
Jean-Paul and Charly Thévenet - Morgon Vieilles Vignes 2018 $22
Ribera del Duero DO. Grape: Tempranillo on clay and limestone at 860 m elevation. Destemmed. 0/0 NoSO2. Organic since 2003. Joven de Vinas Viejas is a word play, translating to “Young wine from old vines”. Red and black fruits, with spice and violet, taut acid, long finish.
Goyo Garcia Joven de Viñas Viejas 2018 $18
Rioja DOCa. Grape: Tempranillo, from 157 parcels in three small valleys. Fermentation in stainless steel, then aged in foudres and French (barrique being a pre-modern style choice) barrels for 20 months. Organic viticulture, with Bio-D practices. Unique microclimate of Sierra de Toloño in (Basque) Rioja Alavesa (South facing elevation with direct Atlantic influence, and notably cool nights). 2012 vintage noted for high concentration. Monastery vineyards date to 14th century, maintained by a community co-op until 1967, and now by winemaker Telmo Rodriguez. Balance of power and finesse, the tannin structure has begun to soften slightly, giving way to red and black berry, dried flower, cherry compote and smoky minerality.
Remelluri Reserva 2012 $27
Gaillac AOP. Grape: Mauzac. Practicing biodynamic. 120 g/L residual sugar, late harvest / botrytized. Vines from clay soil, with élevage in concrete. Winemakers, Jerome and Natalie Galaup are also known for hosting biodynamic agriculture classes on their farm.
La Ferme du Verte L’Amoureuse Doux 2008 $14
TBD
Ténarez (Sud Ouest) Vin Muté de Gascogne Ambré 1997 Solera, Chateau de Leberon (Colombard) $24 [ BRIEF TBD]
TBD
Ténarez (Sud Ouest) Vin Muté de Gascogne Tuilé 1997 Solera, Chateau de Leberon (Merlot) $24 [ BRIEF TBD]
TBD
Madeira (Região Autónoma da Madeira) Sercial 10 Year, Henriques & Henriques $14
[ BRIEF TBD]
TBD
Madeira (Região Autónoma da Madeira) Terrantez 20 Year, Henriques & Henriques $22
[ BRIEF TBD]
