French Wine Tasting
Thursday, January 5th, 2023!
Fresh new arrivals for a beautiful new year! We have curated a lovely selection of French wines from one of our favorite importers, Stork Wine Company ….and Rhonea!
(Rhonéa is a family of nearly 400 artisan winegrowers who decided to work together and pool their expertise to breathe life into a creative, and ground-breaking cooperative, based on their expert knowledge of Rhône Valley wines)
French Wine Tasting
Le Petit Bijou
Thursday, Jan 5th 4-6pm
*Our original location- 103 North Side Square*
$20 Per Person (Wine Tasting Only)
Reservations Requested. Call 256-964-7980
Presented by special guest,
Allaina Lawrence of International Imports
2020 Chateau Laubarit Entre-Deux-Mers Blanc, Bordeaux, France $16.99
This property has been in the Dumas and Simonneau families since 1780. In 1965, Pierre-Abel and Nicole Simonneau took over the estate and now manage it with their son, Florent, and their daughter-in-law, Isabelle. Their vinyeards in the Entre-Deux-Mers Haut-Benauge region of Bordeaux have been certified organic by Ecocert since 1965 and biodynamic by Demeter since 2003. The terroir here is thick, broken layers of limestone and clay, and has iron-rich topsoil loess, perfect for growing Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes as well as white grapes such as Muscadelle and Sauvignon Blanc.
Absolutely delicious everyday Bordeaux Blanc! This blend features the three grapes allowed for Bordeaux Blanc, but the percentages are a bit different. Of the 60 acres, approximately 18 are planted to white grapes. Our selection reflects this as it comprises 40% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% each of Semillon and Muscadelle.
2020 La Vigna Mouton Macon Brey "Le Mouton Blanc", Burgundy, France $18.99
"Mâcon Bray vinified without sulphites"
La Vigne Mouton's biodynamic domain is revealed in this Chardonnay, with a nose that develops fruity notes (citrus, stone fruits) and a full mouth-feel. Refreshing through and through with a tangy and beautiful mineral finish. You will love it! This wine generally goes well with rich fish (salmon, tuna etc), shellfish or mild and soft cheese.
2020 Manoir Tete Rouge Saumur "K Sa Tete' Pineau D'Aunis, Loire Valley, France $21.99
Our wines are above all the expression and the reflection of our terroirs which lie in a small village not far from Saumur in the Loire Valley. Mainly chalk tufa and Jurassic limestone, a plateau that is thin-stony.
Bio-certified since 1998 and certified biodynamically since 2010, he now has 18 hectares, including a parcel of Pineau d’Aunis, a grape that was forgotten and vilified in the Saumur region, but which is being appreciated more and more over the last couple of years.
2021 Nat & Sens Ventoux Rouge, France $13.99
Our Winery is certified "Sustainable Winegrowing" (Vignerons Engagés - 2018). This means that we make all our decisions taking a close look to their economic, social and environmental impacts.
We have developed lighter bottles made up of 80% recycled glass and eco-designed cases. The papers of our labels are coming from sustainably-managed forests and our "smartgreen" corks are made from renewable plant-based polymers.
Beautiful brilliand red colour. Hints of strawberry and violet on the nose. Soft tannins and very fruity on the mouth.
2020 Nos Terroirs Bio Cotes-Du-Rhone Rouge, Rhone Valley, France $31.99
Coming from selected terroirs, our organic wines are subject to the rigorous know-how of the Rhonéa craftsmen and winegrowers. The terroirs that produce our Côtes-du-Rhône consist mainly of limestone soil with claysubsoil, which accounts for the wine’s rich character. This wine is aged on the lees until bottling to retain its fresh fruity aromas and to soften the tannin.
A kiss of burnt caramel lends spice to rich, ripe flavors of black plum and cassis in this wine. Gloriously fruity and rimmed by soft, silky tannins, it's a juicy, easy-drinking red to enjoy young. ANNA LEE C. IIJIMA
2021 Chateau Les Croisille "Silice" Malbec, Cahors, France $18.99
Black plum, blueberry and black berry along with powerful tannins fill the palate on this sumptuous wine. Enjoy with a rib eye or a cheese burger this BBQ season.
100% Malbec. Sandy, ferrous red clay soils. A pure interpretation of its Malbec terroir, the wine undergoes a long maceration period and one year of ageing in old oak barrels.
The Croisille family’s adventure began in 1979 when Cecile and Bernard rented an abandoned domaine on the Causses de Luzech terroir. They cleared the land and brought it back to life, gradually creating vineyard parcels in which the Malbec varietal now reigns supreme.
2018 Manoir Tete Rouge Saumur "Enchentoir" Saumur-Puy-Notre-Dame (Cabernet Franc), Loire Valley, France $40.99
95 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
" From a lieu-dit planted in 1959 with sélections massales, aged in 300-liter barriques for one year plus another six months in béton cuves and currently aging on the bottle in a 20-meter-deep cave of tuff limestone, the 2018 Saumur Puy Notre Dame l'Enchentoir exhibits a deep black-red color and opens with a fascinating and elegant bouquet of perfect ripe elderberries, blackberries and cherries along with floral aromas. Silky textured and highly elegant on the well-balanced and seamless palate, this is a concentrated, refined and sustainable Cabernet Franc with fine and elegant tannins intermingled with the elegant mineral bass line of this stringent and grippy red that develops a long and intense as well as tensioned finish. Although this 2018 already drinks beautifully, I recommend cellaring it for some years. The 2018 Enchentoir is a substantial red and definitely a highlight of the appellation. No sulfur added during the aging process. Tasted in June 2021. (SR) " (10/2021)
K&L Notes
In 1995, Guillaume Reynouard purchased his first 4 hectares of cabernet franc alongside an old mansion in need of repair in the village of Le Puy Notre Dame. He began the restoration of the property and converted the vineyards to organic farming. Receiving Ecocert certification in 1998, the next hurdle was biodynamics. By 2010, the estate received biodynamic certification through Biodyvin. The l'Enchantoir is a single parcel planted over Turonian limestone. All native yeasts during fermentation, the wine is then aged in used barrique for one year before the final blending in concrete tank where it rests for an additional six months. The signature red from this winery, l'Enchantoir is a seamless and engaging cabernet franc that resides with the best from the region. *Biodynamic*
