Le Petit Bijou
Ole & Obrigado
Pop-Up WIne Tasting
Wednesday, May 31st
4pm-6pm, $20
W/ Special Importer Guest, Nick of Ole & Obrigado
2018 Alvaro Castro Quinta De Saes Tinto $18.99
This is an authentic, unmitigated Dão red – an archetypal expression of the elegance and minerality of this terroir. Explosive aromatics and freshness of fruit are the hallmarks of this entry level red.
25% Touriga Naçional, 25% Alfrocheiro, 25% Jaen, 25% Tinta Pinheira. Sustainably grown vines planted between 1997-2002. Tended in granite-based soil with lines of clay sand at 500 m (1,640 ft) elevation.
2021 Navaran Cava Brut Rose, Penedes, Spain $18.99
Naveran Brut Rosado is an estate-bottled vintage organic Cava made from Pinot Noir and the traditional Parellada grape. The Naveran family legacy began in 1901. Today the estate has 110 hectares (272 acres) of vines in the town of Torrelavit located in the Alt (high) Penedès sub-region, about 30 minutes outside of Barcelona. Cava is produced utilizing the same methods as in Champagne and has remained Spain's best-kept secret. Bodegas Naveran is a premium Cava producer that exclusively uses the organic grapes they farm on their own properties. Naveran Brut Rosado spends at least 12 months on its lees after fermentation in the bottle to achieve greater depth, complexity, and elegance. The Pinot Noir character in this wine is apparent throughout, with beautiful bright red fruit and a compelling vinous character and texture.
2021 Nortico Alvarinho, Minho, Portugal $15.99
Creamy citrus oil, lime and yellow apple notes are nicely spiced and detailed with saline mineral and floral underpinnings through the long finish.
2021 Torremoron Tinto, Ribeiro Del Duero, Spain $16.99
Torremorón, made in the hamlet of Quintanamanvirgo in DO Ribera del Duero, is an example of how much can be done when you start with beautiful raw material. Walking up the hill to the town square here is a trip back in time; fewer than 100 people live in this tiny village, and 85 of them work at the winery ... the rest of them work at the bar. This is the extent of the commerce in this town, where every family still maintains subterranean cellars for wine that go stories beneath the ground into the cool limestone and winemaking centers around the 100+ year old, bush trained Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) vines that are the lifeblood of this area. The high desert climate has enormous diurnal shifts, which combined with the limestone soil and elevage in stainless steel, make for a wine of intense freshness and purity. When you taste Torremorón, there is no “makeup” - just the unadulterated expression of old-vine Tempranillo that lets you drink like the locals do.
2021 Vera Vinho Verde Rosado, Douro, Portugal $13.99
Vera Rosé launched with the 2011 vintage. Our ambition was to produce a vinho verde Rosé, taking advantage of the local red varietals available at the property, Vinhao and Rabo de Anho. The same principals as the Vera Branco applied: estate fruit only, less residual sugar and less carbonation; all of which all of which runs against the norm for other offerings from the region. A little known fact about Portuguese winemaking history is that in the 50s and 60s, the Portuguese government, under pressure from the wine industry, resisted the arrival of Coca-Cola and soft drinks. Vinho Verdes, with their light alcohol and slight carbonation, were the soft-drink du jour, the drink people could have for lunch or when meeting with a friend. The Vinho Verde DOC is in northwest Portugal, just north of the warm Douro River Valley. It is rainy, mountainous and intensely green. The Basto sub-region where Vera is located is primarily granite soil, planted inland with vines that are between 10 and 35 years old. Cold damp winters are followed by a mild spring and summer.
2021 Xisto Limitado Branco, Douro, Portugal $29.99
For nearly two decades, Luis Seabra has been at the center of a cultural shift in Portuguese winemaking, leading a movement of young, independent winemakers making history by reclaiming historical vineyards, grape varieties, and techniques. Seabra is dedicated to proving that fresh, elegant, terroir-driven still wines can be made in the Douro Valley. His fundamental understanding of soil coupled with his philosophy of minimal intervention in the vineyard and winery have launched him into the international eye as a leader of the New Portugal; according to Eric Asimov, he “is now making some of Portugal’s most compelling wines, both white and red.” Luis Seabra works with old vineyards because he believes that mature vines are more resilient and well-equipped to handle the region’s intense weather; this makes them the best candidates to faithfully communicate special terroirs. When he started his solo project in 2013, he created the “Cru” series of wines, which revolve not around grape varieties, but vineyard sites. In Seabra’s own words: “we did this to show how we can put the place in the bottle.”
2020 Xisto Limitado Varietal Tinto, Douro, Portugal
Xisto Illimitado is a Portuguese analogue to the idea of a “village” level Burgundy. A field blend of 7 varieties planted across 3 subzones in the Douro, Illimitado is a survey of the schist-driven terroir in the appellation. Bright, focused and fresh, Xisto Ilimitado is a great introduction to the new Douro.