Thursday November 12, 2020
.. dining out for the foreseeable future.
This Week: Election results are in and we're all breathing a little easier without that suspense hanging over our heads. Time to think about Thanksgiving, what to drink with Thanksgiving, decorating for the Holidays, what to drink while decorating and just trying to stay warm. Pray for a Polar Vortex-free winter!

Anyways, on our campaign to get everyone to drink more Beaujolais.. we take a look at the Crus and all of the best options on our shelf. Nouveau Day is a week from now.. and whether you're drinking Nouveau or the serious Cru stuff, it'll be a good excuse to celebrate and pop a bottle. More education - Mary goes 101 on Riesling and understanding sweet vs. dry.

Back to reality - COVID! Yes, you know. But unfortunately in these times, especially with cases on the rise, we cannot stop with the reminders. Try not to touch the bottles, wash your hands, call for curbside or delivery. Please please please. Stay safe.

Cheers,
The Team at NL Wine & Spirits
Beaujolais, Part II of a Short Series:
Nouveau, Villages & Crus, Oh My

So, a quick rehash: Beaujolais is the southern end of Burgundy. The star of the show is Gamay. Nouveau Day, the celebration of the harvest, is on November 19. Nouveau is that super juicy, freshly fermented crushable wine that really put Beaujolais on the map here in the US. Many only associate the region with Nouveau and don't realize the quality and greatness of the other wines made here. So basically, we have a few levels.

There's plain old Beaujolais AOC. This is the designation that covers the whole region. Wines might be a blend from across a large area or may be from a single vineyard that falls outside of the more niche designations. Beaujolais-Villages AOC, about 25% of production, covers a more terroir specific tract of land, in the northern end of the region where the terrain is hillier with predominately schist and granite soils, as opposed to the lighter, sandier soils of the south.

And then.. we have the Crus. This is highest echelon classification - unlike the rest of Burgundy, the word "cru" refers to a village or broader area instead of a specific vineyard. The Crus will only carry their own names and not the "Beaujolais" - 7 are named for villages, 2 for areas around Mont Brouilly, and 1 for a windmill. From north to south: Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly. Wines from the Crus are typically deeper in fruit character, more complex and structured, with more aging potential. Production can be smaller but the quality-to-price ratio is here is generally in your favor. Can you tell.. we love these wines! On our shelf:

2018 Domaine Diochon Moulin-A-Vent ($27.99)
2017 Famille Dutraive Clos du Chapitre Saint-Amour ($52.99)
2019 Chateau Thivin Cote-de-Brouilly ($33.99)
2018 Domaine des Breves Régnié ($21.99)
2018 Clos de Roillette Fleurie ($26.99)
2018 Lapierre Morgon ($42.99)
2016 Jean Foillard 'Eponym' Morgon ($53.99)
2017 Jean Foillard Cote du Py Morgon ($54.99)
2018 Jean Foillard Cuvee Corcellette Morgon ($66.99)
2015 Domaine Chignard 'Les Moriers' Fleurie ($26.99)
2017 Thevenet 'Grain & Granit' Régnié ($32.99)
2017 Domaine Ruet 'Les Bois' Régnié ($20.99)
2017 Clos de la Brosse Saint-Amour ($24.99)
2018 Domaines des Terres de Chatenay Régnié ($18.99)

What to pair? Think classic French country cuisine - coq au vin, andouillette, boeuf bourguignon, Lyonnaise potatoes. Lighter styles like Nouveau and the basic Beaujolais can be served slightly chilled as an aperitif and alongside lighter fare like salads or poultry. Think stews and fattier dishes for the Crus. Cheers!
Riesling - Sweet or Dry? A perfect wine for the Holidays!

Contrary to popular belief not all riesling is sweet! Some of my favorite rieslings are bone dry. However, with labeling laws being vastly different around the world for riesling it can be frustrating and difficult to navigate. When it comes to German riesling the confusion is even more frustrating. Kabinett, Auslese, Spatlese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese..... Seriously, what does it all mean? Never fear! I have some simple pointers to help you navigate.

ABV - Generally speaking, the ABV (alcohol by volume) is a great way to make an educated guess as to the sweetness of the wine.
12% ABV and higher the wine will taste dry.
11-12% ABV the wine will taste off dry or lightly sweet.
ABV which are lower, think 8-9% will be even sweeter.

Trocken - Wines labeled trocken from Germany are dry. These wines can not have more than 9 grams of RS (residual sugar) per liter by law. Also if the wine doesn't have enough acidity to balance the sweetness the amount of allowable residual sugar drops to 7 grams per liter. However, be aware that if the word Trocken is attached to another word, such as Trockenbeerenauslese it means something entirely different.

Feinherb and Halbtrocken - Wines labeled Feinherb or Halbtrocken from Germany are off-dry to medium sweet. The amount of residual sugar can range from 9-18 grams per liter.

Grosses Gewachs or GG - Probably my favorite category! Any wine labeled Grosses Gewachs, or GG for short, from Germany by law is dry. In addition the grapes are sourced from the finest vineyards (Germany's equivalent of a Grand Cru). 

There is a lot more information out there for anyone who wants to learn more about all the ways German wines can be labeled! Hopefully this will inspire you to drink some riesling and explore which level of dryness or sweetness works for you!

New Riesling's on the Shelf
2018 Georg Breuer, Rauenthal, Nonnenberg (Monopol), Riesling Trocken, Rheingau - $112.99 - R.P. 95
Fantastically complex, austere minerality, apple, citrus, exotic spice and floral notes. 
2018 Georg Breuer, Rudesheim, Riesling Trocken, Rheingau - $37.99
Beautiful entry level expression, red apples and fresh herbs. 
2019 Selbach Oster, Graacher Domprobst, Riesling Spatlese Feinherb, Mosel - $36.99  
 Mosel Fine Wines - It offers a superbly refined and perfumed nose of fine almond cream, vineyard peach, pear, candied grapefruit, and smoke. 
2019 Selbach Oster, Riesling Feinherb, Mosel - $24.99
A fantastic entry level offering from this producer. Tropical and orchard fruit show beautifully here. Well balanced and delicious!
2019 Muller Catoir, Gimmeldingen, Riesling Kabinett, Haardt/Pfalz - $37.99
Winery Tasting Notes - After red vineyard peach and oranges balsamic notes such as caramel and flower honey follow. You won't get enough of smelling this wine. Enchanting sweetness, the wine flows through your throat a little oily. We think of the Provence and lavender cookies. Try it with pear tart with cream topping. Hearty with farmhouse bread and ripe cheese. When you come home frozen to the marrow this Riesling will warm your soul!  

Cheers,
Mary K.
STAFF PICKS
Things our staff "taste tested" this week. Tough job, but someone's gotta do it.

2016 Garage Wine Co. Cabernet Sauv San Juan de Pirque Maipo Valley Chile ($42.99)
Here's one for the adventurous wine drinker. Not that this Chilean cab is overly cerebral but more that it's a solid wine made with an eye toward 'transparency'. Derek Mossman, along with his wife Pilar Miranda and Dr Alvero Pena, not only founded Garage Wine Co. but also founded MOVI, an association of independent winemakers in Chile. His winemaking is essentially non interventionist. He uses the simplest methods with top quality fruit and ages it in neutral oak. The 2016 is especially expressive as vines had to be harvested slightly early to avoid intense rains during harvest. The result is an endlessly unfolding parade of typical Cab family flavors supported with fine tannin and juicy, red fruit freshness. The wine definitely shows the pepper and graphite notes that place it in Chile but quickly evolves into floral, herbal and fruit tones that keep you dreaming. Like most of the wines I suggest, this one continually engages your senses while remaining deeply satisfying on a basic level.
-David M.

2019 Christina St. Laurent Austria ($25.99)
Austrian winemaker Christina Netzl was born into a family of farmers and winemakers. After studying oenology in London she gained an international perspective on winemaking, which she brought back to Carnuntum - the wine region East of Vienna where she currently practices organic farming and winemaking. 'St. Laurent' grapes are native to Austria, and they make wines most often compared to Pinot Noir. Christina makes her 'St. Laurent' with whole-bunch/carbonic cold fermentation, and the result is a light bodied red wine best served with a slight chill. 'St. Laurent' has beautiful acidity, soft tannins, and lively flavors of cherry and forest berries. In my opinion, this natural St. Laurent wine outperforms almost every Pinot Noir at its price point! 
-Katrina B.

2017 Clos de la Brosse Saint Amour Beaujolais ($24.99)
Fall is here and there's no better wine for the cooler temps and the Thanksgiving table than cru Beaujolais. Saint Amour is Beaujolais' northernmost cru and one of the smallest of the 10 crus. Clos de la Brosse is a small, 4 acre parcel surrounded by a crumbling wall and boasts complex limestone and granite soil and 90 year old Gamay vines where Gerard Lebeaupin crafts a classic and uncompromising old-school Bojo that is full of violets, wild raspberry and cloves in the glass and that tell-tale whiff of potting soil that I love so much from Gamay done right. With the crispy air moving in I can't think of a better bottle to share with loved ones.
-Angie H.


ALSO VERY IMPORTANT...
Just some good dogs that visited us recently.
(We hear dog photos are a great way to spread cheer)
Cheers everyone!
-The Team at North Loop Wine & Spirits