| We’re nearing the end of summer; vacation season is winding down, kids are back in school and hopefully we’ve seen the last of this brutal heatwave. Time for us to gear up for a busy fall! Coming up this month, we’ll have a tasting hosted by AJ, and our first-ever wine classes led by Geoff! Read on for more. TASTING EVENTS & WINE CLASSES While we love our more informal tastings as much as you do, we’re wine nerds at heart and love a chance to go on a deeper dive than those events allow! Inspired by the back-to-school season, this month we’re conducting our first-ever wine classes. These classes will help you not only find new favorites, but also understand what exactly it is that makes you love these wines so much! Here’s what we have coming up in September: Red Burgundy Regional Tour Wednesday, September 13th 6-7pm – $45 Do you want to learn more about red Burgundy? The region’s wines can offer unparalleled pleasure but they can also frustrate. Our specialty is learning both the producers and the wines, and we would like to share some of that knowledge with you. We will explore Burgundy at the more affordable ‘regional’ level from the Mâconnais in the south, to almost Dijon in the north, by tasting 10 wines that are simply labeled Bourgogne Rouge and Côte-de-Nuits Villages. Five vintages will be represented among these wines so you will leave with a greatly enhanced understanding of red Burgundy and what you prefer. Although you may not suddenly be an expert after the class, you will be able to shop more effectively to find wines that delight you!  These are the wines we’ll be opening for the Red Burgundy Regional Tour:-Marillier Père & Fils Bourgogne ‘Clos Saint Germain’ 2020 $17 -Jean-Jacques Girard Bourgogne 2022 $26 -Bouchard Père & Fils Bourgogne Réserve 2020 $30 -Philippe Gavignet Bourgogne 2020 $42 -La Galopière Bourgogne ‘Cuvée Perle Rare’ 2021 $29 -Regis Bouvier Bourgogne ‘En Montre Cul’ 2020 $37 -Gachot-Monot Côte de Nuits-Villages 2020 $44 -Victor Fagon Côtes de Nuits-Villages 2017 $36 -Poulleau Père & Fils Bourgogne Côte d’Or 2021 $24 -Nathalie Richez Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise ‘Petites Combes’ 2019 $38 Please note that some of these wines are in very short supply and may be sold out apart from the tasting itself. Exploration of Puligny-Montrachet Wednesday, September 20th 6-7pm – $145 Puligny-Montrachets have power and finesse at the same time. They also have a nearly electric energy in them but they are expensive — and there never seems to be enough to go around! Why then would we bother hosting a class for these wines? Because we love Puligny, and wine is meant to be shared! We will focus primarily on the marvelous wines of Alain Chavy, with other producers represented to offer a more thorough picture of the appellation. The Chavys trace their roots in Puligny back more than 200 years. He and his brother split the family property in 2003 and Alain makes precise, age-worthy Puligny-Montrachet. We will taste a total of nine wines from two vintages — ranging from village to lieu-dit (single vineyard) and even 1er Cru — all to better understand the nuances of one of the world’s premier Chardonnay appellations!  These are the wines we’ll be opening for the Exploration of Puligny-Montrachet:-Alain Chavy Puligny-Montrachet 2019 $98 -Alain Chavy Puligny-Montrachet 2020 $100 -Alain Chavy ‘Charmes’ 2019 $105 -Alain Chavy ‘Charmes’ 2020 $108 -Raymond Dupont-Fahn ‘Charmes’ 2020 $90 -Alain Chavy 1er Cru Champs Gains 2020 $130 -Alain Chavy 1er Cru Pucelles 2020 $180 -Louis Jadot 1er Cru Folatières 2020 $135 -Génot-Boulanger 1er Cru Folatières 2020 $200 Please note that some of these wines are in very short supply and may be sold out apart from the tasting itself. HOW WE CONDUCT OUR UPCOMING WINE CLASSES These events will be seated, and limited to 10 people per class. Please arrive at the shop by 6 in order to allow us time to fully explore the wines. Appropriate pairings of cheese and/or charcuterie will be offered as well. Call 504-227-3888 or stop by the store to purchase your ticket! The New Spain Thursday, September 28th 4:30-6:30pm – $27 Spain has more land planted to wine grapes than any other country in the world, and is the third largest producer of wine by volume. Despite that, we find that many of these wines are still poorly understood — if not outright unknown. Luckily, an influx of EU agricultural grants has led to more and more fantastic Spanish wines coming to market over the past several decades, and AJ adores them! Whether you’re already a Spain fan or you’re curious to broaden your horizons, join us for our next tasting and AJ will take you through eight wines that showcase the direction our Spanish selection is heading. With everything from crisp, racy sparkling to rich, luscious red open, there will be a wine for everyone on the table, and of course cheese and charcuterie to pair!  These are the wines we’ll be opening for The New Spain:-Biutiful Cava Brut Nature NV $16-Do Ferreiro Rías Baixas Albariño 2022 $33 -Eira dos Mouros Ribeiro Treixadura 2021 $19 -4 Monos Vinos de Madrid ‘GR-10’ Blanco 2021 $27 -Costers del Priorat ‘Petit Pissarres’ 2020 $22 -Antídoto Ribera del Duero 2021 $24 -Ostatu Rioja Crianza 2019 $20 -Remelluri Rioja Reserva 2015 $48 HOW WE CONDUCT OUR UPCOMING TICKETED TASTING This event is not seated. Buy your ticket and come during the appointed times up to 30 minutes before the event ends, and you will get to taste all the wines. Call 504-227-3888 or stop by the store to purchase your ticket! NEW ARRIVALS: Here are a few wines we’ve added recently and want to share with you!  Marc Portaz Vin de Savoie Apremont 2021 – $20 This is a new vintage of a wine we’ve worked with in the past; once upon a time it came with a caveat that it was an off-the-beaten-path kind of a wine. This vintage needs no such introduction! This Apremont is 100% Jacquere, a light white grape from the French Alps close to the Swiss border. The resulting wine is crisp and refreshing as a cold mountain stream, with notes of mountain flowers and Alpine herbs to transport you away from the Louisiana heat!  Nanclares y Prieto Albariño ‘Dandelion’ 2022 – $27 One of our favorite Albariños is back! This organic collaboration between Alberto Nanclares and Silvia Prieto is in the Val do Salnes subzone of Rías Baixas. They are dedicated to pure expressions of their fruit, and the results speak for themselves. The wine is citrusy, salty, and floral, with an elegant spine of acidity even the staunchest Loire fan will love. Give it a try with shrimp, scallops, or octopus, and we’re sure you’ll have a new favorite seafood wine!  Clos de la Roilette Fleurie 2022 – $26 The return of another shop favorite! Clos de la Roilette was named for the former owners’ prized racehorse, and despite changing ownership to the Coudert family in the late 60’s, the horse is still the face of the operation. Especially by Fleurie standards, this is a structured, intense Beaujolais, even with notes of raspberry and violets. It opens up to a juicy and playful bottle of wine with a little time to breathe. Terrific with food or without!  Belpoggio Brunello di Montalcino 2016 – $52 “New vintages” seems to be the theme for our new arrivals section this month. This wine was a hit when we carried the 2012, so when the even-better 2016 vintage hit the market we were thrilled! This is a remarkably accessible Brunello — soft, fruit-forward, with just the right balance of earthy vanilla and mineral notes. No need to decant this one; it’s silky and luxurious right out of the bottle, and at a terrific price. What better bottle for your next Italian night? |
