Wine, Through a Nomadic Lens
Come with us as we jump through three countries and even more wine varietals.
Now that we’ve finally slept off our Thanksgiving food comas, we’ve been eager to catch up with all of the new offerings that have arrived in the shop, just in time for the holidays. For this week’s tastings, we’ve wanted to pick out some of our more demanding offerings. By which we mean wines from the Czech Republic, the Alpine region of Eastern France, and coastal Catalonia. From the electric lemon jolt of Nestarec’s 380 Volts sparkling wine to the decidedly nutty, salty Coufe Chien from Domaine du Perron, we’ve had our palettes tested and excited in the best possible ways. Come with us as we jump through three countries and even more wine varietals.
We admittedly love most everything Nestarec does out of the Czech Republic but it was his 2016 vintage Pet Nat that really caught our attention with its electric label. Once we poured it, it looked like lemonade in the glass. First impressions were, “WOW that’s tart!” but the acidity seemed to settle into a lightly sweet Meyer Lemon note. What was particularly noticeable was a long dry finish that tasted overwhelmingly like prickly pears. As far as sparklers go, this is up there as one of the most wild ones we’ve tried. Despite this wildness, however, we couldn’t stop drinking it and think it would be the perfect accompaniment to any luxurious meal to wake up the palette.
Few wines are hotter in Spain right now than anything made by Partida Creus. The grape they use for this rosé-ish skin contact white is the rare Catalonian Cartoixa Vermell (better known as red Xarel-lo). A vibrant orange in color, this wine smells dank and herbal out the glass, but tastes nothing like it smells. Immediate acid and orange peel notes evolve into drier, cinnamon spiced, saline and soft strawberry notes. However, at 10% it has enough delicate lift to keep it from veering into the traditional orange wine category. The overall package is unusual but delicious all the same.
Domaine du Perron – Coufe Chien (2015)
This wine is a gorgeous example of Jacquère, a rarer grape from Alpine regions of France that is known for producing lower alcohol, vibrant wines, most often consumed within the country. Though it’s not intensely aromatic, the grassy notes reflect the pale straw color as you pour it into the glass. We were impressed with the balance between tartness, lemon and green apple notes with a gorgeously bitter almond and saline quality on the mid-palette and a long, waxy and wet stone finish. Though it clocks in at 11% ABV, it offers a lot and reminds us, in a great way, of some whites produced further north in Jura.
Join us next week as we try an electric orange wine from Ambiz and other surprises. In the meantime, if there’s anything we can do to help you get prepared for the remainder of the holiday season, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re happy to help!
