Coastal European Wine Tasting
Friday, August 9th
Le Petit Bijou
Soak up the sun
with these beautiful coastal inspired wines from Croatia, Canary Islands and Liguria!
Call 256-964-7980 to Reserve
Coastal European Wine Tasting
Le Petit Bijou
Friday, August 9th
4pm - 6pm, $20
With Special Guest, Beth Farris Of Grassroots Wine
256-964-7980 to Reserve
2022 Pomalo Debit Pet Nat, Dalmatian Islands Kozice, Croatia $22.99
The Debit grape had been stigmatized by locals in the early 20th century but has tremendous potential as a Dalmatian white grape, given it is cultivated halfway between the coastlines and the mountains. This microclimate offers plenty of sunlight for natural ripeness, while also getting cool winds at night to provide acidity.
The whole point of Pomalo is to take it easy and not take things too seriously. So nothing too technical here! This wine is a refreshing, fun, and zesty Pet Nat that captures everything about the pomalo lifestyle on the Dalmatian coast. Pair with fjaka (aka doing nothing).
The true meaning of ”pomalo” is rooted in the coastal and island lifestyle and the general state of mind of the Dalmatians. Americans can use more Pomalo, all the time.
2022 Bisson U Pastine Portofino Bianchetta Genovese, Liguria, Italy $28.99
The term U Pastine is from the Ligurian language, indicating a very special product, appropriate for this rare white grape found only in Liguria. Lugano has saved several parcels from extinction, from which he creates a truly unique white wine theat is delicate, lively, and satisfying. Filled with vibrant minerality, it is particularly delightful when married to the white-fleshed fish that frequent the shorts of this part of Liguria ... the bianchetti, the nasello and tiny, exquisitely flavored langostino.
2023 Los Bermejos Listan Negro Rosado, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain $32.99
Los Bermejos is owned and run by winemaker Ignacio Valdera, on the island of Lanzarote, the most challenging of the Canary Islands on which to produce wine. A mere 125 km from the African coastline, conditions here are extreme, earning the island the reputation of “vineyard of the impossible.” The terrain of Lanzarote resembles a lunar landscape more than a traditional vineyard, as very little vegetation can survive in the porous, black volcanic soil that only receives a few inches of rain per year. Adding to the challenging conditions are the fierce winds from the Atlantic Ocean and Sahara desert, resulting in the innovative winegrowing technique of planting each vine in a small hole, or hoyo, each protected from the elements by its own little stone wall.
The precious little wine produced is worth every drop of rain that fell: this rosé exudes texture and layered flavors that continue to amaze, sip after sip. Fairly full bodied on the palate, it combines the brightness of passionfruit and the depth of salty grilled peach with the savory mellowness of olive oil or tapenade. A unique rosé from a unique region. Sustainably grown.
2022 Los Bermejos Listan Negro Maceration Carbonica Red, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain $29.99
Impeccable harmony between the notes of ripe fruit and the aromas of carbonic maceration. Sweet, full-bodied and a long, pleasant finish.
An extremely fresh and bright wine meant to drink young and with a chill.
100% Listán Negro, 100% carbonic maceration.
2021 Fronton D'Oro Tradicional Tinto, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain $24.99
"The Tinto Traditional bottling from Frontón de Oro is made entirely from Listán Negro, with the wine raised in neutral American oak casks for three months. The wine comes in at 13.5 percent octane in the 2022 vintage and delivers a lovely bouquet of bitter cherry, pepper, volcanic soil tones, tree bark and a lovely array of sweet botanicals in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, elegant and nicely transparent, with a good core of fruit, tangy acids, modest tannins and a long, complex and beautifully balanced finish. Fine juice that could do with a handful of years in the cellar to soften up those backend tannins a bit more. 2028-2055+. "
92 points John Gilman,
View from the Cellar
Issue 105
2019 Atlante Listan Negro, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain $47.99
Atlante’s Listán Negro showcases its relatively cool microclimate of origin, with a fresh, lifted palate saturated with red fruits, cracked black pepper, and a cupboard’s worth of spices. There is a density of material and a juiciness here which speak to the Canaries’ plenitude of warmth, but the wine remains unabashedly brisk and scintillating.
Atlante’s pure Listán Negro bottling comes from a vineyard known as La Quinta, situated at 400 meters altitude in the Valle de la Orotava; this is the family’s longest-held parcel, and the winery sits right in the middle of it. Jesús’ vines here are over 150 years old—ungrafted, of course, and trained in the traditional braid-like Cordon Trenzado method. At harvest, bunches are brought promptly into the lagar (around which the vines are planted), where a portion are left whole-cluster and trod by foot in traditional horizontally oriented shallow cement vessels. Fermentation proceeds spontaneously, lasting for eight to ten days—a relatively quick fermentation facilitated by the large surface area of the horizontal vats—and after being pressed in a small vertical wooden basket press, the wine ages 12 months in used 600-liter French-oak barrels.
Winemaker Notes
From a selection of our best plots, Château Sainte Roseline is a is a top-of-the-range cuvée produced in a limited quantity. It meets the strictest production criteria to obtain the most perfect grapes that could in a very limited stock. Presented in a bottle named « la cuvée des sacres », the fine wines that are obtained have a finesse and a complexity that rivals with the biggest wines of France.