Category: French Wine

Turkey Time = Wine Time

On By sandysoloIn French Wine, Portugal, Storytasting, Wine, wine reviewLeave a comment

This is going to be one very different Thanksgiving. If you’re adhering to CDC advice to stick to your immediate family due to the mad increase in Covid around the country, your gatherings are bound to be much smaller, spent with the same people you see each and every day. This could be a good or bad thing depending on your family. My “bubble” consists of me and my dog and my wine stash. After picking up take out Turkey, I’ll be eating it at home alone, thankful my family across the country is healthy (at least from Covid…) and I have plenty of wine to get me through the season.

 Most people tend to pair Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with a holiday meal of such great variety. I mean, in my family at least, it usually involves several different types of potatoes, regular stuffing in the bird, sausage stuffing in a pan, a few types of vegetables coated in butter, crusty rolls, and some surprise dish someone decided they wanted to cook that year.

This is the perfect Thanksgiving to ditch your usual wine pairings and try a new one. It might be the biggest risk you take this Thanksgiving. Feel the rush of living on the edge.

If opting for a white wine, ditch the Chard and try another full-boded varietal instead: Viognier. I “Coravin’d” glass of a Viognier I brought back from Portugal last year: Dona Maria Amantis Reserve 2016.  My initial gut reaction was “I can’t wait to drink this with my turkey.” The nose was delightfully rich, of tangerines and mango with some minerality buried under the fruit. This was also this wonderful buttery pie crust note, and finally some delicate honey-dusted flowers. On the palette it was full bodied with an oily texture, and sang of dried mango, tangerine rind, and this hit of white pepper that was a spectacular bite.  You can find this exact wine in the states at limited places like this: Binny’s  But if you can’t, look to the Rhone in France.

If opting for a red, ditch the lighter bodied Pinot Noir and try something with a little more oomph and some dried herb notes that will marry with the sage and thyme in  your meal. Go with Grenache  – or a blend like this one that I wrote about last month: Zaca Mesa Z Cuvee.  On the tongue, this was fresh, fruity and savory.  Raspberries and fresh blueberries coated in a dusting of sage. Medium bodied with some flashy tannins and an herby savory finish. If you can’t find this, again, head to the Rhone for their famous GSM blends – although I would make sure it is in fact heavier on the Grenache so you definitely get those herby notes.

Cheers!

Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2017, Domaine de la Solitude

On By sandysoloIn French Wine, Wine, wine reviewLeave a comment

Well, the name of this is fitting for these Covid times: Domaine de la Solitude. This basically describes my Covid living situation. In solitude. With wine. 24/7.

This is a typical southern Rhone Blend of the typical GSM- Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre.

The nose is dark and interesting. I can literally get something from each varietal and something different in each sniff. Dark red fruit and candied plums, smoke, game, and something floral at the top of the glass. Dried herbs the second go around. Then chocolate. Then dry earth.

On the tongue is smooth but not in an absent of tannins kind of way, rather in a way that all the aromas meld together harmoniously. It’s a smooth criminal. It’s chocolate and caramel covered cherries. There’s enough acid to keep it from becoming jammy but it’s still very rich. It’s decadent without being dessert-like.

Domaine de la Solitude is the place to be. I’d stay in solitude a little while longer for another bottle.

Salut!

Domaine Yannick Amirault Bourgueil

On By sandysoloIn French Wine, Wine, wine review1 Comment

I purchased this Loire Valley rosé last summer in Paris at this little wine shop with the friendliest owner. I got the last bottle he had in his shop of this unique wine.

It barely looks like a rosé. It looks more like a white that has a quarter of a tablespoon of rosé added to it.

It smells of honey and strawberries and a teeny weeny bit if lime down deep. It also has a tiny vegetal scent like the mildest green pepper you ever smelled.

It confuses your pallate in the most delightful way. You’re not sure if you’re drinking white or rosé. It has features of each. You taste peaches and strawberries and green pepper. That sounds gross but it’s an absolute delight. I could drink this on a sunny afternoon or with a light meal.

This is a 4.495 in my book. It’s so unique. I’ve never tasted anything like it. I wish the store had more. If I’m wishing things though, I wish I lived in France so I had easy access to the Loire Valley.