MAY 2022 FEATURED WINES
WINE ONE: LE GRAPPIN MACON VILLAGES
About: South of Uchizy and North of Pouilly-Fuissé, this plot of thirty-year-old Chardonnay is in the town of Azé. Soils here are a combination of limestone and clay. In early September, the grapes were harvested and pressed into stainless steel without any added SO2. After a short cold settling to eliminate the gross lees, the juice was moved into 350L and 400L barrels. After seven months on fine lees without batonnage, the wine is lightly filtered and bottled.
Taste: This wine is medium gold in the glass. The nose is comforting, wrapping you up in fleece and merino wool. You’ll find aromas of yellow apple, steeped chamomile, macadamia nut, tahini, angelica, yellow plums, brioche, and nectarine. The palate is supple and fresh in equal measures. You’ll find citrusy acidity balanced by a gentle creamy finish. It is properly medium-bodied with warmth from its modest alcohol. You’ll find further flavours of lemon shortbread, silver needle tea, sun-warmed limestone, egg tarts, and white peach.
Pairing: This is one of my top-rated breakfast wines of all time. The perfect combination is probably a quiche with caramelized onions and leeks, but I’m sure it wouldn’t shy away from a traditional eggs benny either. If you’re a little slower moving in the morning, I’d suggest a simple croissant or sourdough toast with a big oozy slice of Crémeux du Jura.
WINE TWO: MILAN NESTAREC OKR
About: This wine is named after Ochre, an orange pigment made from earth - a perfect personification of what’s in the bottle. Although Milan has moved away from skin contact for the bulk of his portfolio, he wanted to remain faithful to his roots with this new orange wine. It is made from Chardonnay, Gruner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc, and Gewurztraminer. The fruit was fermented as whole berries in tank with minimal cap management for about a week before being pressed off into stainless steel and large neutral barrel for élevage. The wine is bottled unfined, unfiltered, and without SO2.
Taste: This wine is medium orange in the glass. The nose is explosive with aromas of ripe peach, orange blossom, steeped clove, passion fruit, clementine, papaya, dried ginger, and rambutan. I’m overwhelmed with joy; it reminds me of the laughing gas they give you at the dentist - you can’t help but feel fabulous. The palate is bright with the roundness of freshly squeezed fruit juice. It’s got oolong-like tannins and a modestly savoury edge. You’ll find flavours of licorice root, caracara, candied carrot, sea buckthorn, and tamarind on the finish. An absolute thriller!
Pairing: I recently ordered from Rajdoot in Calgary and was reminded why I love this place. Every dish is so aromatic and unique, providing endless pairing opportunities. Their Daal Makhani Bhukhara, in particular, would go sensationally with Milan’s Okr.
WINE THREE: DORMILONA TINTO
About: Jo wanted to make a Nouveau style Shiraz from organic grapes from Osmington. She harvests the grapes early in the morning, fermented whole-cluster in open-top tank, then basket-pressed before full dryness. After malolactic conversion in tank and a short settling period, the wine is bottled, unfined, unfiltered, and with minimal SO2.
Taste: This wine is an intense, translucent purple in the glass. The nose is flamboyant, gregarious, and zany. You’ll find outlandish caricature-like aromas of wild blueberry, mission figs, boysenberry, cassis, spearmint, candied violets, and pink peppercorns. The palate is just as bouncy and playful with no real sign of tannins, dangerously integrated alcohol, and a supple, velour texture. I dare you to find anyone who isn’t immediately infatuated with this wine. You’ll find flavours of grape jelly, sarsaparilla, peony, and black plum skins.
Pairing: There’s something about juicy shiraz that makes me desperately want a burger and some French fries. I’m not even asking for anything fancy here, make something from Shake Shack? Even though this wine has zero grams of sugar, its fruitiness makes it the ideal foil for classic condiments like ketchup, mustard, and relish - all of which balance sweet and sour.