| TASTING EVENTS Cru Beaujolais, specific sites that have consistently produced distinct wines, will be featured in two tastings one week apart. We will taste seven of the ten Crus during those events. If you’re already a fan of Beaujolais, we have lots of new additions to show you; if you’re unfamiliar with the wines, these are both great opportunities to taste a wide range of styles and decide for yourself. It should come as no surprise that we love Beaujolais and are excited to showcase some exciting versions; after all, Gamay is a relative of Pinot Noir and Beaujolais is part of Burgundy! Wine Tasting: Château des Jacques Wednesday, March 27th 4:30-6:30pm $34 per person The first of our Beaujolais tastings focuses on Château des Jacques. This estate was once a stop on the pilgrimage to Compostela. The Château traces its history to the 18th century and has cellars that date as far back as the 17th. When the Thorin family took over in the 20th century, they consciously decided to continue producing “a noble Gamay” at a time when many others chose an easier route with a simpler style. They achieved this through long macerations, barrel aging and by avoiding carbonic maceration. Maison Louis Jadot purchased the property in 1996 and has maintained the style as well as keeping this as a separate operation. These are great examples of why Beaujolais is considered part of Burgundy. For this tasting, we will be opening six wines from Château des Jacques, plus a bonus wine which we will pour blind!  These are the wines we’ll be opening for the Château des Jacques tasting:-Moulin-à-Vent ‘La Rochelle’ 2019 -Moulin-À-Vent ‘Clos de Rochegrès’ 2021 -Moulin-À-Vent ‘Clos des Thorins’ 2021 -Moulin-À-Vent ‘Clos du Grand Carquelin’ 2021 -Moulin-À-Vent ‘La Roche’ 2021 -Morgon ‘Côte du Py’ 2021 Plus the aforementioned bonus wine! Wine Tasting: Cru Beaujolais Tour Wednesday, April 3rd 4:30-6:30pm $31 Our second Cru Beaujolais tasting is designed to be more of a regional tour, as opposed to the single producer focus of the first. This will allow you to get a better sense of the varying styles of the Crus, and of course help you hone in on which work best for your personal preferences.For this tasting, we will be featuring eight producers from around Beaujolais, with wines from five of the ten Crus and four vintages! There will be both juicy, easy drinkers that love a slight chill (and a porch!) and others that present with a bit more structure and are more at home at the dinner table. While this is not a complete tour of Beaujolais, we will cover a lot of ground!  These are the wines we’ll be opening for our Cru Beaujolais Tour Tasting:-Clos des Poulettes Juliénas 2019 -Sébastien Besson Juliénas 2019 -Sébastien Besson Chénas 2019 -Domaine Les Gryphées Fleurie 2020 -Domaine Chignard Fleurie ‘Les Moriers’ 2021 -Château de Corcelles Brouilly Vielles Vignes 2020 -Château Cambon Brouilly 2022 -Pavillon de Chavannes Côte de Brouilly 2021 -Nicole et Romain Chanrion Côte-de-Brouilly 2022 HOW WE CONDUCT OUR UPCOMING BEAUJOLAIS TASTINGS These events are not seated. Reserve your spot and join us during the appointed times up to 30 minutes before the event ends, and you will be able to taste through the full lineup. Cheese & charcuterie will be offered to pair to the wines. Additionally, as an incentive to fully commit to exploring Beaujolais we are offering a small discount if you sign up to attend both events! While they are $34 and $31 respectively, the pair are available for $60 per person. Call 504-227-3888 or stop by the store to reserve your spot(s)! NEW ARRIVALS: As always, we’ve got some new wines that we’re excited about, perfect for springtime!  Domaine Lelièvre ‘Leucquois’ Sparkling NV A lot of the time, when we get the chance to taste a sparkling wine that is not made from grapes we’d expect to sparkle, we find that a lot of the character of that grape is sacrificed in the process of turning it bubbly. This wine did nothing of the sort! The Lelièvre family farms vineyards in the Côtes de Toul, a young AOC in Lorraine’s Meurthe-et-Moselle département. They make a delightful, ever-so-slightly pink-tinged sparkling Gamay that delivers all the bright fruit you expect from the varietal, and finishes dry, minerally, and refreshing – gorgeous as the weather gets warmer!  Colli di Catone Frascati Superiore 2021 While Lazio is known more for its culinary contributions, there are some terrific wines made around Rome! Frascati is a white from the hills southeast of the Eternal City, typically a blend of Trebbiano and Malvasia di Candia. Colli di Catone champions the ancient Puntinata clone of Malvasia, however, which gives their Frascati Superiore more character; scents of jasmine and basil leap out of the glass, and vibrant acidity keeps your mouth watering for more. This wine is perfect for this time of year, whether you’re indulging in spring vegetables or sitting on the porch with a glass!  Jose Antonio García Valtuille ‘Unculín’ 2021 As a varietal, Mencía can have different expressions that make it difficult to figure out what exactly you are getting. In the Galician region of Bierzo, though, new classification systems are smoothing out that confusion; they are focusing on site-specific appellations, almost akin to Burgundy! Jose Antonio Garcia and his wife Julia are on the front lines of the new wave in Bierzo, smoothing out this Mencía with small amounts of other grapes so tannins don’t take over. Juicy berry fruits balance with purple flowers and graphite, making a wonderfully versatile addition to our Spanish section!  Château Bernadotte Haut-Médoc 2016 We are always on the lookout for a great value Bordeaux to put on our shelves, particularly as it seems that we can never keep one in for long before all the bottles tick out the door! This new Haut-Médoc from Château Bernadotte decidedly delivers great value – the vineyards are in Le Fournas, just outside of Pauillac – and their 2016 vintage is in a perfect place to drink right now, with no decant needed. The wine offers ripe red fruits and leathery notes balanced with a fresh minerality and a touch of herbal wildness, and would do as well with burgers on the grill as with your favorite cut of steak! |
| A Fond Farewell from AJ As many of you have already heard, I am leaving New Orleans at the end of this month. I’ll be relocating to Boston; I grew up in western Massachusetts, and I’m excited to be headed back up north. The bittersweet side, of course, is that this means my time at NOLA Wine Merchant is coming to a close; my last day will be Saturday, March 30. This shop has been a wonderful part of my life here in Louisiana for the past several years – first as a happy (and frequent!) customer, and then as a part of the team alongside Geoff, Aurelia, Mazie, and Anne. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all of you, whether through tastings and classes, or stopping in to geek out about wine for a little bit! I’m certain I’ll be back in town for the occasional visit, and I would also be thrilled to see some friendly NOLA faces should any of you find yourselves in New England (feel free to reach out on Instagram if you’re planning a trip: @_ajmaro). So rather than an outright goodbye, I’ll go with “I’ll see you next time” – whenever and wherever that may be! -ajm |
