Friday, May 31st
Le Petit Bijou
Spanish Wine Tasting
Delicious small production wines from Jose Pastor Selections and Mary Taylor, featuring Basque Country, Galicia, Alicante and more!
Call 256-964-7980
Spanish Wine Tasting
Le Petit Bijou
Friday, May 31st
4pm - 6pm, $20
With Special Guest, Beth Farris of Grassroots
256-964-7980 to Reserve
2022 Bengoetxe Getariako Txakolina, Spain $24.99
Bengoetxe’s Txakoli is fermented with native yeasts in 3,000 liter steel vats and then raised on the lees for up to one year. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered and any residual CO2 is natural. It shows lush lemony fruit, notes of grains, smoke, petrol, and chamomile.
2022 Atalier by Raul Perez - Albarino 'A Cruz das Animas’, Rias Baixas, Spain $37.99
Atalier is the exciting new Rías Baixas Albariño project from the redoubtable Raúl Pérez, produced in conjunction with his friend and frequent collaborator Rodri Méndez of the Forjas del Salnés estate in the Val do Salnés subzone.
It leaps out of the glass with aromas of oyster shell and granite, and follows through with a palate rich in yellow and green fruits with a powerful surge of acidity.
Raul Perez was born into a winemaking family, Bodegas Castro Ventosa, the largest owner of Mencia plantings in Bierzo. Raul grew up developing his ideals and worked at the family winery until 2003. His reluctance to compromise has made him both controversial and popular.
Bodegas Raul Perez produces extra limited, handcrafted, artisinal wines from varieties such as Albarino, Mencia, Bastardo and Godello from northwestern Spain.
2022 Adegas Guimaro Tinto, Ribeira Sacra, Spain $22.99
Cultivated since Roman times, Ribeira Sacra’s steep terraced vineyards are some of the most picturesque and treacherous to work in the world of wine – think of the Douro, Cote Rotie, or the Mosel. Like those most dramatic terruños, winegrowing here is not for the faint of heart; it takes spirited determination, eternal optimism, a sense of tradition, and a willingness to collaborate. Pedro Rodríguez of Adegas Guímaro embodies all of these qualities.
They named their winery Guímaro (meaning “rebel” in Gallego) a term which has a special connection to history of this area. Local traditions honor an ancient revolt when armed brotherhoods, called Irmandades, challenged the local feudal nobility in the Irmandiño wars of the 15th century.
Tinto Mencía from many plots of vines around Ribeira Sacra with an average age of 40 years old. The soils are slate, granite, and sand and the wine is fermented and raised in stainless steel tank.
2022 Mary Taylor Navarra, Spain $16.99
Region: Ribera Baja de Navarra, Spain
Varietal: Tempranillo
Taste: On the nose, it shows a nice blend of ripe strawberry, raspberry jam, and juicy black cherry. The palate is enhanced by notes of rose, sweet black cherry, gentle baking spice, hints of licorice, and subtle oak, delivering a succulent, well-balanced, medium-full bodied resulting in a well-balanced, easy-drinking profile with soft structure, low tannins, and moderate acidity embodying a clean, modern approach that prioritizes drinkability.
2020 Mary Taylor “Manchuela” Rus Jimenez, Spain $16.99
Manchuela has been a free standing DO since 2004, previously being an IGT in the Castilla-La-Mancha region. Here we have a micro-climate situated between 2 rivers, which is very sunny and dry, so striking the right balance between alcohol and polyphenols is a balancing act. Everything cultivated on this farm is certified organic. Yields are just 50 hl/ha and sulfur is kept to a bare minimum. Whole clusters get cold soaked for 4/5 days and the wine is made semi-carbonic.
"The 2020 Manchuela from Rus Jimenez (and selected by Mary Taylor) is crafted from the Moravia Agria grape, which I have never previously had the pleasure to taste. The wine is made from forty-five year-old vines, fermented with native yeasts and raised in stainless steel. The 2020 version offers up a deep and complex, black fruity bouquet of cassis, dark berries, tree bark, coffee bean, dark soil tones, a touch of sweet botanicals and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and complex, with fine soil signature and grip, tangy acids, moderate tannins and a long, well-balanced and nicely soil-driven finish that closes with a note of bitter cherry. I have never drunk a wine from Manchuela before and find its style quite compelling, with some similarities to Canary Islands red wines, but with a bit more black fruity personality and warm weather character. This is an excellent wine and a ridiculously good value! 2023-2040." John Gilman, View From the Cellar Issue #105
2019 Curii "Una Noche y Un Día" Tinto, Alicante, Spain $24.99
The province of Alicante is known mainly for Monastrell and Moscatel, but Curii is
focused on the local clone of Garnacha called Giró, along with obscure white grapes Trepadell and Merseguera. Here in Xaló (Jalón) about 5 miles from the Mediterranean Sea in southeastern Spain, Violeta and Alberto are championing their local Giró vines to produce a red wine of finesse, structure and complexity. Una Noche y Un Día is 100% Giró harvested by hand, partially de-stemmed and foottrodden in open vats. Fermentation is with native yeast and short, daily pump-overs and the juice stays on the skins until alcoholic fermentation has completed. The wine is then racked to tank without pressing and raised 6 months on fine lees, and bottled with a light filtration and small addition of SO2. It is a fresh and vibrant vino tinto, true to its Mediterranean roots, with soil-driven and uplifted aromatics of citrus flowers, scrub brush, anise, blue and red fruits; the palate is medium-bodied and elegant in structure with a chalky sensation, spice, and aromatic fruit in the finish. Serve cool and perfect to pair with the local Paellas of the region, pasta with tomato sauce and herbs, stewed meats, and dishes with saffron. 3,500 bottles produced.
