Kermit Lynch was raised in San Luis Obispo, but his name has become synonymous with French and Italian wines. In 1972, with a $5,000 loan and maybe a bit of gumption, this writer/musician opened Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant with thirty-five cases of wine stacked on the floor. Attracted by the Old World wine cultures of Europe, Kermit became a retailer, distributor, and national importer for authentic wines that express their terroir.
Kermit Lynch Wine Tasting
Thursday, April 21st 4-6pm
*Our original wine bar location- 103 Northside Square*
$35 Per Person (Includes Personal Charcuterie Pairing)
Or
$20 Per Person (Wine Tasting Only)
Reservations Requested. Call 256-964-7980
Presented by special guest, Allaina of International Imports
Absolutley Spectacular New French Arrivals from Loire Valley, Savoie, and Corbieres!
The Line-Up
NV Quenard Cremant De Savoie Brut Nature, Savoie, France $29.99
With the taste of a fresh mountain spring gurgling through an alpine meadow, this sparkling Jacquère is the ultimate introduction to the stony, mountain-born Quenard style.
2020 Pascal Janvier Coteaux Du Loire Blanc, Loire Valley, France $25.99
The sloping banks of the Loir, a tributary of the Loire, are home to the northernmost vineyards of the entire Loire Valley. Notwithstanding the apparent laziness of France’s River Naming Committee, this area produces fantastically undervalued Chenin Blanc that bears a unique aromatic signature. Exotically perfumed with hints of guava, musk, and clove, it finishes dry and quite flinty.
2019 Pascal Janvier "Jasnieres" Blanc, Loire Valley, France $28.99
It must be the fragrant peach and pear perfume, and the agreeable balance and texture that have attracted such a dedicated following to Pascal Janvier.
The once proud appellations of Jasnières and the Coteaux du Loir are now all but extinct, with less than one hundred and two hundred hectares still respectively under vine. Pascal is doing his part to remind everyone what Jasnières is capable of.
The Janviers rent sixty-six different parcels (a total of nine hectares) of land and farm it entirely themselves. Jasnières produces some of the best dry Chenin Blanc (Pineau de la Loire) in the world, and its wines are said to reach their peak ten years after the vintage. The soils of their parcels are
comprised of clay, limestone, sand and silex (flint), and are planted primarily to Chenin Blanc.
2020 Quenard "Les Roches Blanches" Chignin-Bergeron, Savoie, France $37.99
When you think of Roussanne, the Rhône Valley’s white-wine blends might come to mind first, but this blanc from Savoie—where the grape is called Bergeron—could change that.Throughout much of the nineteenth century, Bergeron enjoyed an exalted status in the Savoie.Then, around the turn of the century, phylloxera decimated the region’s vines, leaving Bergeron to languish in relative obscurity until the 1970s, when André Quenard played a significant role in its resurrection.
Even though the grapes achieve full ripeness, Les Roches Blanches is racier than many of its regal, fuller-bodied Rhône cousins largely because Chignin offers a cooler, alpine climate. This medium-bodied white evokes peaches, honey, and pine resin. Perfect for winter nights and dishes like Chris Lee’s hearty, Savoie-inspired fish chowder, it is mouthwatering and refreshing on its own, too.
2020 Fontsaint Gris De Gris, Corbieres, France $18.99
A crystalline salmon color with superb amethyst tints. Expressive and particularly tonic, the wine immediately gives off notes of raspberry, cherry and freshly picked strawberries - followed by exotic aromas such as pineapple and mango. A direct and considerable freshness - the density and richness of the fruit mingle with the superb acid vitality giving a wine with a frisson and a magnificent persistency. Stunningly balanced, this is an extremely appetent wine!
2020 Pascal Janvier "Cuvee de Rosier" Coteaux du Loire Rouge, Loire Valley, France $29.99
Made from the lighter-bodied and elegant indigenous redgrape, Pineau d’Aunis.
One of the Loire’s rarest red grapes, Pineau d’Aunis is downright obscure compared to the region’s golden child, Cabernet Franc. As with many of France’s grape varieties, Pineau d’Aunis was nearly wiped out by phylloxera in the 1860s. In the Coteaux du Loir appellation, Pascal Janvier dutifully tends his vines to craft a 100% Pineau d’Aunis cuvée—the only bottling of this extraordinary grape in our entire portfolio.
In the glass, his Cuvée du Rosier looks (and often drinks) like young Pinot Noir. Its bright strawberry and sour cherry notes lead into a spicy finish recalling cracked pepper. Juicy and lively thanks to a palate-tickling hint of effervescence, it is best served slightly chilled, as you would a Beaujolais, and can be paired with anything (or nothing at all), but goes especially well with tricky-to-pair dishes that have a kick.
2018 Fontsainte "Reserve La Demoiselle" Rouge, Corbieres, France $23.99
The wine above is labeled “old vine,” but the vines that go into this Demoiselle make Diochon’s look like tender, young things. Made mostly from Carignan—much of it planted in 1904—this rouge showcases the soul, depth, and polish that often come from century-old vines. Evoking strawberries and blackberries, stones and garrigue, and the faintest hint of black olives, La Demoiselle is a late afternoon in the south of France.
The Domaine de Fontsainte is made up of several plots, each with its own personality. The best known is the Demoiselle (official cadastral reference) which gives its name to the wine “La Demoiselle”; His Carignan vines celebrated their 100th anniversary in 2004.