French Wine Tasting
Thursday, April 6th
4-6pm, $20
256-964-7980 to Reserve!
We'll be featuring some of the region's best from a variety of producers, in additon to an absolutely phenomenal Canary Island White premium pour (Hey White Burgundy Lovers, You gotta try this one!)
French Wine Tasting
Le Petit Bijou
Thursday, April 6th
4-6pm, $20
With Special Guest, Robert Gunn of Pinnacle Wines
2020 Jacky Prey Fie Gris Vielle Vignes, Loire Valley, France $22.99
Slowly making a comeback, Fié Gris, or Sauvignon Gris as it is also known is a near extinct grape variety that is a relative of Sauvignon Blanc. Jacky Preys is personally responsible for identifying an old plot of this beautiful grape in the 1980's and working to restore its place in the Loire Valley as a native variety. This is absolutely beautiful and for the Sauvignon Blanc lover, a perfect match. Wonderfully aromatic and complex, refreshing and crisp, filled with citrus, flint and minerality while remaining restrained enough to reach for a second taste.
2020 Jacky Prey Chenin Blanc Vielle Vignes (Orange), Loire Valley, France $30.99
Hand-harvested. Macerated full cluster for five days intemperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks; pressed then fermented on indigenous yeasts in tank, with no added sulfites. Aged in a combination of terracotta jars and “dolia” (large amphora), plus a portion in tank, all on fine lees for six months. Combined in tank before bottling, with no added sulfites. Unfined and unfiltered.
TASTING IMPRESSIONS: Aromas of white flowers, light honey, orange peel, herbs, Mirabelle yellow plums. White and yellow peaches, stone fruits, more citrus zest; bright acid, long.
2021 Pierre-Marie Chermette "Griottes" Beaujolais, France $21.99
Red wine. Beaujolais, France. Sustainable. 100% Gamay. "Offering up aromas of cherries and plums, the 2021 Beaujolais Griotte is medium-bodied, with a pretty core of fruit girdled by tangy acids. It derives from 40-year-old vines in the commune of Saint-Vérand."
2021 Chermette Origine Vielles Vignes Beaujolais, France $22.99
Red wine. Beaujolais, France. Sustainable. 100% Gamay. From 40-100 year-old vines, this has much more structure than your typical Nouveau, while still retaining the easy-drinking quality of Chermette's classic Primeur. Red fruits still dominate the nose, but there's a more complex mid-palate and longer finish.
2019 Damian Coquelet "Kes Ki Dit" Beaujolais, France $24.99
Kes Ki Dit roughly translates to what's he saying? and is local slang for "what's going on?"
Lovely Gamay grown in granite soil from the step-son of Beaujolais legend Georges Descombes.
Whole cluster press, 10-12 days semi carbonic maceration, fermented and aged in concrete, lightly filtered.
Organic farming, hand harvested, spontaneous fermentation, minimal intervention, barely any sulfur (at bottling). Damien debuted with the 2007 vintage when he was just 20 years old.
Exactly what you want it to be: light to medium bodied, floral, bright notes of cranberry and bing cherry, low tannin, refreshing acidity - enjoy with a slight chill.
2019 Kewin Descombes Morgon, Beaujolais, France $29.99
Kewin Descombes has de-throned his step-brother Damien Coquelet as the youngest vigneron we work with!
At the ripe old age of 21, Kewin produced his first vintage in 2013. He currently rents 1.15 hectares within the Beaujolais appellation along with 1.6 hectares of Morgon from a retired vigneron who'd previously rented the vines to his father Georges (whom we also import). In addition, Kewin purchased 1.2 hectares of 85 year old Morgon vines in 2013 to produce his Vieilles Vignes.
If you're wondering why father and son (not to mention Damien) do not work together as a family, the answer is two-fold. The first is economic: inheritance laws in France tend to be intensely costly for the benefactor, not to mention an insane amount of administrative paperwork.
And if you've ever dreaded family get-togethers during the holidays, you can all too easily relate to the second reason: getting along with family is not always easy, and in some cases impossible. While Georges, Damien and Kewin get along, the three have very strong personalities; having their independence gives them the breathing room necessary to avoid butting heads.
2017 Puro Rofe "Rofe" Vino Blanco, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain $43.99
Malvasía, Diego, Listán Blanco. Hand harvested, crushed by foot in stone lagars, short maceration, natural yeast fermentation in stainless steel tanks.
Malvasía Vulcanica and Diego are the most prized white varieties at Puro Rofe and their Vino Blanco comes from a blend of these two varieties from various sites (along with about 5% Listán Blanco), exposures and microclimates. All the vines are around 100 years old (if not older) and are rooted in the deep, black, volcanic sands that are a hallmark of the island of Lanzarote. Malvasia provides the aromatics and depth of mineral flavors while the Diego provides the freshness and acidity.