French Wine Tasting
Friday, July 19th
Le Petit Bijou
Special Importer Guest, Steven Graf!
Steven Graf imports focus on small, family run projects, with a passion for production and pursuit of the ‘new’ without omission of tradition.
“So much of what we are about in "natural" wine is breaking from form and tradition to tell new stories from new spots on the globe; [...] this is never more powerful than with a new variation of an old theme.”
Call 256-964-7980 to Reserve
French Wine Tasting
Le Petit Bijou
Friday, July 19th
4pm - 6pm, $20
With Special Importer Guest, Steven Graf & Beth Farris of Grassroots
256-964-7980 to Reserve
"Artisans and visionaries (...) doing the work and suffering through the maelstrom of the market and nature, all the while always making the anti-economic decisions in virtue of beauty, respect for nature, and respect for their consumer.
French Wine Tasting
Le Petit Bijou
Friday, July 19th
4pm - 6pm, $20
With Special Importer Guest, Steven Graf & Beth Farris of Grassroots
256-964-7980 to Reserve
"Artisans and visionaries (...) doing the work and suffering through the maelstrom of the market and nature, all the while always making the anti-economic decisions in virtue of beauty, respect for nature, and respect for their consumer.
2022 Julie & Bainbridge Les Jongleurs, Loire Valley, France $28.99
Chenin Blanc • 2022
Grape: Chenin Blanc
Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Certified organic, uses biodynamic treatments; grapes two different plots, with one planted on sandy soils, and the other on quartz; the two sites ripen at their own pace but are harvested simultaneously to balance the acidity and soft creaminess of Chenin; fermentation and aging in concrete; bottled, unfined/unfiltered, by hand, under crown cap with no added So2; zero-zero; 11.5% ABV
Winemaker: Julie + Toby Bainbridge
Woman co-winemaker + co-owner -- Julie Bainbridge!
Small natural wine project of British expat Toby Bainbridge and wife Julie, a native Oklahoman
All their white wines are bottled in clear Champagne bottles (so you can see the color of the wine) and crown-capped (to eliminate cork taint)
This cuvée is blend of two sites situated in the Coteaux du Layon, where Chenin Blanc is Queen
Bright, textured and mineral-driven, refreshing and palate cleansing, for long oyster lunch and Sunday brunch
Zesty pear, apple, chamomile and stone fruit
2022 Clos des Mourres Pompette Blanc, Rhone Valley, France $28.99
Varietal: Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc
The wines are vinified to express their original fruitiness. To do this, we do not use any chemical product (yeast, enzyme, tannins, etc.). The material and the fruit are extracted by light punching down and pumping over. Naturally balanced and fruity, the vinification gently reveals the aromas of the fruit thanks to a minimum of handling. These wines are matured on Malo lees without racking for 8 to 10 months. Bottled unfined, filtered and with no added sulphites. Total sulphites - 25g/l. The wines are only lightly filtered. A slight natural deposit may appear: it in no way affects the quality of the wines
"Tipsy"
Pompette: slight state of drunkenness, on the respectable border of this "moderation" so promoted ... These cuvées¨Pompette "are to wine what this slight state of drunkenness is to well-being: a little lightness and ease!
2020 Domaine la Taupe "Nicole" (Skin Contact) Sauvginon Blanc, Loire Valley, France $34.99
Bert and Nicole are two winemakers after my own heart. For starters, they are wine importers! Bert and Nicole come from Amsterdam where they import a lot of our favorite natural wines. One domain in particular that struck their fancy as it had ours was that of Bruno Allion in the Loire Valley. So much so that 4 years back, Bert and Nicole started collaborating with Bruno with aims to take over part of the domain.
Bert being an epicurean and a fanatic brings a strong perspective on the types of wines he wants to produce, but it's Nicole, a psychologist, who makes all the blends, and all the biodynamic preparations. The duo have truly come into their own with the series we have today. Each wine is fully realized and developed with a lot of love and care.
VARIETY : Macerated Sauvignon Blanc TERROIR : Parcels from Monthou-sur-Cher, Paradis and Poira, all near Thésée planted between 1961 and 2001. HARVEST : hand picked, earlier beginning of harvest for this vintage that continued through mid September. VINIFICATION : 2 weeks on the skins and 18 months in tank. Blend of all the Sauvignon parcels, vinified separately in barrels. Unfined, unfiltered.
2022 Julie & Bainbridge "Crush" Cuvee, Loire Valley, France $25.99
Grolleau Noir • 2022
From a site very nearby to the Bainbridge cellar, this parcel is planted where the schist soils of Anjou meet the soft, chalky tuffeau of Saumur. A top layer of marine fossils snakes through the vineyard where fruit was harvested at just 10% potential alcohol before coming into the cellar for a quick 4 day maceration. An immediately rewarding wine with just enough plump fruit and crunchy acidity to make it the perfect reach for a relaxed, sunny afternoon.
2021 Maxime Troncy "Sourire au Naturel", Beaujolais, France $21.99
Monsieur Troncy favors minimal intervention in his winemaking and bottles this wine without the addition of sulfur. It is classic Gamay: juicy red fruits dominate, vibrant acidity keeps you coming back for more. A clean, fruit-forward, uncomplicated natty Beauj to make you sourire.
2021 Domaine de Taupe AK400 Gamay, France $37.99
The first sip is a mouth full of juice, red, fruity and ripe. This wine has a refreshing tint of acidity and a very nice touch of tension and volatility, every sip is an adventure. It is young and is very much still alive in the bottle, opening bottles on different days will end with different tasting experiences. During the vinification process, the grapes are partly destemmed and the wine is put into old oaken barrels.
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Situated on the ancient riverbed of the Cher River between Thésée et Monthou in the Loire et Cher valley, we are dedicated to creating natural wines that bring out the terroir and the subtle notes of the Loire Valley. Bertjan Mol is our chief winemaker, he works together with his family and a team of dedicated wine-lovers help to make the best wine the Loire Valley can offer.