JANUARY 2022 FEATURED WINES
WINE ONE: CANTINA MARILINA CUÈ MOSCATO
About: This wine is made from Moscato grown on brilliant white calcareous soils. The grapes are macerated on skins for a short time before being pressed off into concrete tank for fermentation and élevage. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered after five months on lees.
Taste: This wine is medium gold in the glass. It is exuberant, powerfully aromatic, packed with lush notes of marmalade, heady tropical flowers, squishy mangoes, wildflower honey, lemon meringue, cinnamon, and terracotta. It smiles from ear to ear. The palate is expansive, stretching out into a superbly long finish. It has moderate tannins and an unctuous texture. Fortunately, there’s also enough acidity to maintain balance. It is dry, with gentle phenolics. You’ll find flavours of banana, black cardamon, praline, chamomile, lime peel, cinchona bark, and tapioca pudding. Flabbergasted.
Pairing: Naam Phrik Plaa Thuu is a Thai dip made from grilled chiles, garlic, shallots, and sardines. Seasoned with lime and cilantro, the rich smoky flavour is the perfect condiment for crunchy vegetables and pork cracklings. This wine goes beautifully with those earthier fish flavours and potent aromatics. Alternatively, Kaeng Khiaw Waan Luuk Chin Plaa, a green curry with bouncy fish meatballs and tender eggplant, would adore this wine. The aromatics of coconut milk, lime leaves, and Thai basil will make this wine pop.
WINE TWO: LAURENT CAZOTTES RACKHAM JURANÇON NOIR
About: This wine is made from biodynamically farmed Jurançon Noir (Folle Noire) planted on limestone and clay. Laurent has reduced his maceration time to three days to limit extraction. The wine undergoes fermentation and élevage in concrete before being racked the following summer and bottled.
Taste: This wine is deep ruby in the glass. The nose is robust with aromas of black cherry, rooibos tea, red apple skins, talcum powder, balsam, figs, and dynamite. The palate is rich and supple with velvety tannins, bevelled acidity, and a round mouthfeel. It makes you feel warm, wrapped in the hot sunshine of southern France. You’ll find further flavours of dried rose, baked earth, red currant jam, cherry wood, and craisins.
Pairing: I love terrines. The silkiness of foie gras mousse, the chew of duck rillette, and the bounce of anything preserved in jelly; it’s all fair game! Pâté en Croûte is a special treat. The skill required to properly encase these delicate meat creations in a layer of flaky golden crust is beyond me, but I’m always willing to indulge. I can’t wait to see which one you pair!
WINE THREE: PINARD ET FILLES VIN DE JARDIN
About: This cuvée features all three expressions of the Frontenac Grape: Rouge (40%), Blanc (30%), and Gris (30%). The grapes were partially whole-cluster fermented for semi-carbonic maceration, partially direct pressed into amphora, and partially foot-trod and fermented on skins. After a short élevage, the wine is bottled without fining, filtration, or SO2.
Taste: This wine is a deceivingly intense purple in the glass. Nothing but mischief here! You’ll find aromas of red beets, aronia berries, gunpowder, dewy roses, cranberry, sumac, and red liquorice. It is saturated and inky yet delicate and lifted. The palate is equally energetic with tingling acidity, imperceivable alcohol, a prickly texture that will kick you into overdrive. The tannins are crunchy, adding an extra dimension to this imminently drinkable wine. You’ll find further flavours of pomegranate, cocoa nibs, cascara, crunchy carrots, charcoal, sweet sage, and currant leaves.
Pairing: My Grandmother’s Tourtière recipe is simple: ground veal and pork with a little bit of sage and onions. My Grandfather worked in his family’s bakery yet still opts to make pie crust using the directions of the back of the Crisco shortening package. I think this simple, rustic, cozy dish is perfect for this wine. Its vivaciousness will cut through the pie’s fat.