These wines came home with me this week: Episode 2
A few weeks ago I shared the round-up of the wines we brought home to sip on that week. It was a smattering of newer bottles to the shop and there was a lot of positive reaction to it. I also had a lot of fun bringing you into the “home office.” The line-up I ended up bringing home over the last week was equally neat, so I decided to send Episode 2 of “what I’m drinking at home” for this week’s email.
I know I mentioned this last time, but as a wine buyer, I’m constantly tasting wines, and every bottle you see on the shelf is chosen for a specific reason. “Always be Tasting” is the motto, but there are always those bottles that you don’t want to just taste – you want to drink until it’s gone.
As was the case with the first home line-up, the only common two thematic threads holding this lineup together are that the wines are new to the shop as of the last couple of weeks, and they were bottles we were excited to drink outside of just tasting for the store. Note, this week’s line-up ended up being a slightly higher than average price point than the last group, so if there’s something you see that you like, but want to spend a little less, please let me know and I’ll find you something comparable.
So let’s get to it, in no particular order:
Domaine Agnes et Didier Dauvissat Chablis, 2021: $33
Started by husband and wife team Agnes and Didier, their son Florent is now at the helm of the 35-year old estate. Because name-dropping sometimes helps us understand a “younger” estate within the larger context of a particular region, I’ll mention that Didier’s cousin is legendary Chablis producer Vincent Dauvissat, and Didier spent years fine tuning his craft at his cousin’s domaine. These wines are classic terroir driven wines that see no wood. They are lively and fresh and absolute steals if you’re looking for killer Chablis - especially from a 2021 vintage which saw hail and frost cull a lot of fruit from the vines and reduce output dramatically that year (read: there’s not a lot of wine from this vintage so get it when you can).
Sylvain Pataille Bourgogne Aligote, 2021: $43
Growers like Pataille excite me, this wine excites me.
Like the Dauvissat Chablis, this wine and its importer are brand new to the shop, but I’ve been working with both for years in the city. In short, the importer has one of the best Burgundy books out there, and Sylvain Pataille has quickly ascended from a person to watch in Burgundy to a bonafide star. Part of what draws me to Pataille is his devotion to Aligote, Burgundy’s other, non-Chardonnay, white varietal. As the white wines from the Montrachets and the Mersaults got more wine-critic and points focussed – more expensive – fewer growers saw the economics of making wine from Aligote. Sylvain, though sees the incredible potential to make serious wines using Aligote. This wine is Sylvain’s “entry level wine,” which I find somewhat amusing as the fruit here comes from vines that are 50+ years old! This wine has all the textural and tension components that make white Burgundy wines great. I have a tiny amount of this wine until the next shipment arrives in the late summer/early fall, so email, call or come in soon to secure yours.
Domaine Anne-Sophie Dubois Fleurie “Alchimiste,” 2021: $35
This wine is NOT Beaujolais Nouveau (a wine category that I don’t particularly enjoy), yet is somehow incredibly serious and incredibly crushable at the same time. This wine is classic Fleurie in that it’s got all sorts of bright lifted red berry things happening, but there’s also some earthy darker and herbal things working here that plays off some pretty crispy minerality. This is what I would call a Burgundian style Gamay that is on the shelf and timed perfectly for spring and summer. If you’ve been scared to drink wine from Beaujolais because of a bad experience with Nouveau, please try this wine!
Clos de Caveau Vacqueyras “Fruit Sauvage,” 2020: $32
Looking for something slightly more serious than your usual bottle of Cotes du Rhone, but a wine that comes in at half the price of a Chateauneuf-du-Pape? Start here, please. When I drink southern Rhone reds, this is the type of wine I look for – it’s got depth of flavor and texture, but isn’t overdone. It’s a wine that you can drink all year, and at all times, and on all occasions, or on no occasion. As a neat fact, the fruit here comes from vineyards purchased from Steven Spurrier (he’s the guy who created the famous Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 that saw a couple of California wines best their French alternatives in blind tastings). If you like Southern Rhone reds, give this a try ASAP!
Walter Scott Chardonnay “La Combe Verte,” 2021: $44
More domestic Chardonnay? Yes please. At least when it’s made like this. This is not the butter-bomb that rose to popularity in the 1990’s. While the Willamette Valley is no longer an afterthought for those of you who enjoy domestic Pinot Noir, the Chardonnays being made in the valley are becoming awesome. If we were to describe Oregon’s style of Chardonnay in broad terms, we’d say they generally see less wood than your 1990’s California bottle, but definitely get a bit riper than white wines from Burgundy. Walter Scott – while not a single person – is the product of husband and wife team Erica Landon and Ken Pahlow (the estate is named for Ken’s Grandfather, Walter and Nephew, Scott). This wine is packed with classic Chardonnay notes of crispy citrus, apple, and pear, but has astounding texture and length owing to its aging in neutral wood. Been curious about Oregon Chardonnay, or maybe just realizing now it was an option? This is the wine to get you started.