Le Beaujolais Nouveau Grolleau Pétillant est arrivé!

La Perlette Sparkling Grolleau
I know all the signs say the Beaujolais Nouveau has arrived, but screw that fruity banana-y crap. How about some real wine? Something that'll make you sit up and go "Whoa". How about some Sparkling Grolleau?

Pascal Pibaleau's wonderfully eccentric and deliciously different sparkling wine has finally landed, just in time for Turkey Day. Grolleau is usually made into innocuous still red and rosé, but in Pascal's hands it's turned into a sparkling jewel. This wine has character, is alive, and truly tastes unique. It certainly doesn't hurt that it's from a biodynamic Loire Valley producer in Azay-le-Rideau. After manually harvesting the grapes, Pascal halts the alcoholic fermentation partway through, then lets the wine sit on its lees until disgorgement, at which time no sulfur and no dosage are added. You end up with a lightly sparkling ("perlant" in French) wine that starts off fruity and ends with a super dry and rather nutty aspect. How cool is that?

And I know it's stupid, but I really do love that label. At first you see a grape vine with bubbles rising from it, but take a longer look and you see something else, something more whimsical. This reflects Pascal's character. Like me, he doesn't take himself too seriously, though he is dead serious about the quality of his wines.

So if you're looking for an affordable (under-$20) sparkling rosé for Thanksgiving or for the end-of-year holidays, uncork (or better yet, saber) a bottle of Pascal Pibaleau's Sparkling Grolleau La Perlette.

Man, I love this stuff.
Cheers!

Giddy Wines

 

Giddy wines? What are giddy wines? They are wines that make you sit up and smile, wines that are so lovely and well-made that they remind you why you like wines, and perhaps these particular wines, in the first place. If all wines did that the novelty of finding such a thing would wear off and instead we'd be living in a world where "everyone is special so no one is special." And that would be no fun.

Instead, wines, like life, have their highs and their lows. Luckily, I didn't just find one vinous high point last night (I did give a hint, "wines" in the title is plural), I didn't just find two, I found a whopping three, count 'em, three giddy wines. As you can imagine, I hit the pillow with a grin you could see from space.

I was celebrating a late Thanksgiving with Mom and a friend, and since I detest turkey (I've said it previously and it still holds true), I decided to roast a whole duck. I did this last Thanksgiving and it was a smashing success. Last night was no different, I am happy to report.

We began the night with a bottle of NV Veuve Fourny Brut Premier Cru. If you're looking for fruity, sweet bubbly, this ain't it. It's like drinking liquid steel in a mesh of fine bubbles. It makes your mouth pucker. This is masochistic Champage. I love it.

 

Next, as we sat down to dinner, I poured a bottle of 1998 Domaine Dujac Clos St Denis. One whiff of this and I almost burst into tears. This is the smell that proves the existence of God. Beautiful, muddy cherries wrapped in that underbrush smell (sous-bois in French), a real musk that envelops the senses and refuses to disappear. The wine in the mouth is the same, flowing over the palate and gripping you, refusing to let go, not wanting to be forgotten, a presence, a weightless weight that just seems to dance effortlessly on the tongue. Wow. I think I just fell in love with Burgundy again.

 

To say it went well with the roasted duck, sauteed wild mushrooms and roasted herb and garlic potatoes would be the understatement of the year.

 

Finally, a bottle open the previous night with some seafood pasta, a 2004 William Fevre Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume. That night it was a slightly honeyed, lemony and minerally wine that was quite delicious but nothing special. What a difference 24 hours in the fridge made... The moment I opened this, I was almost bowled over by the thickness of the aroma. It was like a velvet glove to the nose, full of cheesy scallops and almonds and citrus notes. Wow. At this point, I may have had actual tears streaming down my face.

Yeah, these are the moments we live for. These are wines that make me giddy. Giddy wines.
Cheers!

Shameless Plug: Turkey Day Wines

Well, everyone else is doing it, so I suppose I should throw in a few suggestions for what to drink with the Bird, right? I mean, I do have some ideas of what I'd pair with a big old turkey and stuffing. Even if I am not a big fan of the stuff (see HERE).

Leaving aside my personal preferences about turkey and the sides, I figured I'd do some shameless shilling as well. I know you're supposed to serve American wines on this holiday, but I do have some wines in the US, might as well see if I can sell them, right? Best of all they all retail for under $16, so here we go...

SHAMELESS SHILLING WARNING!!!!

Now, if I were to serve my wines on Thanksgiving, what would I pour, you ask? How kind of you to inquire, let me see...


While everyone gathers and the appetizers are served, I'd pour the 2007 Jean-Pascal Aubron Grand Fief de l'Audigere Muscadet de Maine et Sevre sur Lie, with beautiful aromatics, good fruit and crisp acidity. It's light enough to whet your appetite without filling you up.


Next, as the first courses appear, if you're in the mood for white, I'd pour the 2007 Felines Jourdan Picpoul de Pinet. It's also very aromatic, but heavier-bodied, and should hold up to the first dishes pretty well. Its acidity also lets it handle a ton of different flavors. I might even serve it with the turkey if you have a simple roast turkey.


If you want a red, I'd go for a light yet earthy red like the 2007 Chateau de Gaudou 1733, 100% Malbec. 2008 ain't bad either, BTW. This isn't your Argentinian Malbec, full of huge fruit and oak, this is light, earthy, and completely oak-free. It's got a darker fruit profile on a light frame, meaning it won't overwhelm lighter dishes.


Now the turkey arrives, and everyone's oohing and aaahing. If you're looking for an Old World-style red, you can reach for the 2007 Jardin de Bagatelle St. Chinian. Hitting the stores in NYC as I write, this wine offers deep, dark, earthy, funky red and black fruit with good heft and nice acidity. Assuming you don't have too many sweet sides, this should go nicely with the Big Bird.


But, you say, Thanksgiving is an American holiday, you want an American, or at least a more New World wine, to go with the Bird. OK, then try the 2006 Chateau La Bouscade's Septs Vents, a 100% Syrah from the Minervois. Big, bold, very fruity, with some hint of sweetness from the ripe fruit and slight oak, this wine should answer your request. Yet it also maintains the freshness that European wines can have from their higher perceived acidity than their American counterparts. And frankly, this well-balanced wine goes better with the foods on the table at Thanksgiving than most of its New World siblings.

So there you have it, a smattering of Vinotas Selection wines that should handle the vast flavor differences at the Thanksgiving table. But, honestly, whatever you choose to serve, have a wonderful holiday, enjoy your time with family and friends, and be thankful for what you have.
Cheers!

Thanksgiving in Florida

The pre-Thanksgiving lunch
Well, another holiday has passed us by. I hope everyone had a lovely time with friends, family, and the Big Bird.

But I have to admit something: I hate turkey. I really do. Luckily, since I am the one who cooks on Thanksgiving, I get to choose what we're eating. One year it was leg of lamb, but the family complained that it wasn't "Thanksgiving-y" enough, whatever that means. So I relented the following year and made Cornish Game Hens. However, it's nearly impossible to get good quality ingredients where my family is in Florida, so we ended up with Tyson birds. While they were moist and juicy, their flavor was, to put it mildly, vile. Every single bird had a nasty metallic taste to it. This alone should be proof that you must avoid industrially-produced foods at all costs.

So this year, in keeping with the holiday's avian theme, I wandered to the Whole Foods near my mother's place. I was looking for a bird, any bird, beside chicken, turkey, or Cornish Game Hens. To my delight, I found some whole organic ducks, which would satisfy my blood-lust for fatty meat and my family's desire for a bird of some kind.

The Beast awaits its fate
Following a recipe I'd had for a while, I rubbed it with salt, pepper and some herbs, then into the oven it went.


My mother made a lovely ratatouille with the few fresh vegetables she could find in the area. Which meant not too many but just enough for it to taste delicious and look great.

Flipping the bird
After 45 minutes, I turned Daffy over onto his back to let his sinfully delicious fat drain through the whole body, bathing the meat in it.

The duck is done!
Lunch rolled around while we cooked, so I grabbed a bottle of the 2005 A&P De Villaine Côte Chalonnaise La Digoine. I had stashed a few bottles here on my last visit, and good thing too: the store I bought it from had gone out of business! This wine was lovely, with crisp dark cherries balanced by earthy notes on a really silken frame. Just delicious. Happily I have one left for my next trip.


The next day, I grabbed the left-over duck meat, tossed it with some salad and olive oil, and popped a special bottle I'd been saving for our last day: a NV Feuillate Rose Champagne. Gorgeous, creamy cherries and toasty notes filled your mouth, dancing around the little bubbles, with some beautiful acidity to firm things up.

The last lunch
This went quite nicely while sitting on the terrace, overlooking swaying palms, with a soft breeze playing over us. You know, Florida's not that bad after all.
Cheers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy the Big Bird!

I will be with family in Florida, cooking the Big Dinner, and serving Champagne and Burgundy alongside it. If my wines were in this market I'd serve the Felines Jourdan Picpoul, as I think it's both aromatic and crisp enough to hold up to all the different flavors. Then again, I am biased, after all.

Cheers and Happy Turkey Day!