Staff Picks: What to Drink This Week
Things our staff wants you to drink.
2020 Est, Pét-Nat, Willamette Valley - $29.99
This wine is as 'natty' as they come: sustainably farmed, no added sulfur, unfiltered - all sealed with a crown cap! This delicious wine is fruit forward (cherry, oranges, and stone fruits) but more intriguing were the funky notes of lees, parmesan rind, and even creamy liquid smoke tones at the finish. Basically, this juice tells a million stories as it evolves in your glass. Pro tip: open this wine very chilled or you may find yourself with an erupting bottle of a wine - better served out of a glass!
-Katrina
2019 Francois Chidaine, Touraine Rouge, Loire Valley - $17.99
There's something about rainy early spring days that make me want to drink Loire Valley Cabernet Franc. The ground is finally thawing; everything smells like wet soil and green shoots are starting to pop up. There is something similarly earthy and herbaceous in Francois Chidaine's Touraine Rouge. The wine starts off with tart red fruit- cherry, raspberry, strawberry- and moves into fresh tarragon, bell pepper, strong iron minerality, leather, forest floor and white pepper. This blend of Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Pineau D'Aunis is not a heavy wine, but it has a beautiful concentration of flavor and bright acidity that pairs beautifully with lots of dishes. Drink it with beef tartare served on pan de mie. Do it now before it snows again.
-Claire
2016 Evolucio Blaufrankisch, Weinland, Austria - $12.99
If you enjoy drinking Gamay, from Beaujolais, but would like to broaden your palate, I would recommend trying a Blaufrankisch, from Austria. With more depth and funkiness (in a great way) and a very approachable price of $12.99 per bottle, this expression from Evolucio is a great option for exploring the pleasures of this native Austrian varietal. I believe that you will, actually, be hooked! Fresh, with notes of blueberry, spice, and raspberry jam on the nose, the flavors on the palate speak of earth ripe cherry and tangy red currant. The pleasing finish is very silky and velvety with just the right lingering spice. Try this wine with tangy BBQ spare ribs. Yum!
-Patrick
La Perdida, Valdeorras O' Trancado - $48.99
This is a passion project headed by Nacho Gonzalez in Spain. Gonzalez inherited a plot of very old vines from his grandmother igniting his passion for natural winemaking. We received a very limited quantity and are hoping to send them home with those passionate about natural wines! If you want more information on La Perdida, you can visit => http://www.josepastorselections.com/la-perdida.html
-Samuel
2016 Ramirez de la Piscina, Rioja Reserva - $25.99
Here is a Rioja winery making traditional wines with modern techniques. The transitional weather and impending holiday seems like a good time to feature it. I have long thought that Tempranillo makes a suitable and somewhat lighter substitute for Cab Sauv. It fills a similar flavor pocket. In any case this example starts out somewhat shy in the aroma department but shows good flavor concentration and an unctuous texture in the mouth. The mid palate and finish are redolent of the spice melange brought from oak aging. The silky fruit and spice certainly draw you back to the glass again and again. Include this in your Easter feast or any other feast you have coming up.
-David
Emilio Bulfon,Cianoros, Friuli - $21.99
100% Cianorôs! If you're unfamiliar with the Cianorôs grape, don't worry most haven't heard of it either. It was nearly extinct before winemaker Emilio Bulfon saved it from the brink and brought it back to become your new favorite light-bodied red. Intensely aromatic with wild cherry, pomegranate, dark spices, dried violet and a touch of earthiness. The name "Cianorôs" comes from a word in the local dialect that means to drink right from the bottle.. which I may or may not be familiar with.
-Nick Z.
Rhum J.M. White Rhum Agricole - $43.99
Few spirits in the world can claim to express terroir like rhum agricole. Fresh sugarcane juice (as opposed to molasses) forms the base of these spirits, and each distillate from across the island of Martinique is distinctive and unique to itself. This unaged expression from Rhum J.M. comes from a unique microclimate at the base of Mount Pelée, where they are able to harvest their estate-grown sugarcane less than an hour before they process it for a 36-48 hour fermentation. This, combined volcanic soils and oddly long growth cycle of their sugarcane, results in a complex and vibrant rhum, with loads of fresh tropical fruits, grass, and seabreeze jumping out of the glass. At 50% ABV, this bottling works excellently in tiki drinks and a seductive Ti' Punch when mixed with a little sugar & a few drops of lime juice.
-Nick S.
