Wine Offering for an Already Earlier Setting Sun, Delivered to your Door!
Good morning!
Would you call this mid-summer already? Th
e sun rises just a little bit later and all week there has been a marine layer that doesn't burn off until the afternoon
We are past the sun's seasonal zenith,
Solstice, the shadows begin to lengthen, the light begins to change its hue from brilliant white to a more gentle amber.
With that thought in mind . . .
I have five refreshing offerings for you this week! These wines and cider, offer succor and slake your thirst for a better world . . .
That's a hefty claim, I know . . .
Two whites, two reds, and a cider! Let's start with the cider, (third from the left in the picture).
#1- Jerome Forget, Cidre Paysan, Normandy $14
Jerome Forget gathers his apples for this cider, off the ground, where they've fallen from the tree. The trees themselves are 150-200 years old. A completely natural cider, with no added sulfites, it is off dry and so refreshing and so low in alcohol and so reasonable in price! You could practically let your kids drink this as it comes in at about 5% alcohol. Naturally sparkling with soft effervescence and a palate that bids you drink! and drink again! This is an extremely accessible bottle of love that, if you're a Basque fan of the super dry and super funk cheese rind style, you'll need to recalibrate, sorry! Basque will have its day soon, in these releases.
#2 Fabien Jouves, Les Agudes, 2020 $23
The latest edition of this cuvée from Jouves, the madman! If you're unfamiliar, he produces down in the southwest of France. His reds are variations on malbec and often sport an AOP Cahors designation. They are true to the Cahors designation, but not in the pull-your-teeth-out tannic structure of yore. Like the man himself, they are playful but serious takes on terroir. His whites come from the same area where there is no white wine designation and even if there were, would still most likely be bottled under the Vin de France label. Focus? Yes, and longevity on the palate, this is a blend of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, and a bit of Chardonnay. Intense with mineral and aromatics with the softening melon of Semillon and the vibrance of Sauvignon Blanc. Grapes are pressed into stainless steel for fermentation, with elevage taking place in used barrels for six months before bottling.
#3 Krontiras 2020 $21
Krontiras Malbec was on offer in the last release. This is their Chardonnay! I hesitate to put that on the page! Chardonnay! How often do I hear it? "I don't like Chardonnay". It's a polarizing grape that has gotten a bad rap. My take is this: that most people who say they don't like Chardonnay are drawing their taste lines from the buttery, creamy style that came to be emblematic of the Napa California style, decades ago. But! Fact is, Burgundy's take on the grape, which is the standard most producers either pay homage to, or rail aainst, is one of the most beautifully elegant wines one might come in contact with. Krontiras blows all of this out of the water and it is Chardonnay in name only as this interpretation spends seven months macerating on the skins. They take their cue from the Caucasus of Georgia and its six thousand year old tradition of skin contact wines. The result, is a salty, apricot jam, with caramel highlights that coat the tongue in a tapestry of woven loveliness. So good!
#4 Kobal, Blaufrankisch, 2019 Stajerska $21
Blaufranisch? Yes! from the birthplace of the varietal, Styria in Austria, and Stajerska in Slovenia. Kobal is a small producer in the town of Ptuj in a subregion of Styria, on the Austrian border. This is beautifully dusty blueberry on the palate with sprinklings of granite dust. The style ranges toward a Pinot Noir elegance, on the other side of the spectrum from the darkly tannic Bull's Blood, of its Hungarian iteration. Kobal's vinification method is no intervention, no added sulfites, and whole cluster fermentation that allows the tannins to show through but not overpower the wine. In the range of the varietal that I've tasted, this one is on the lighter side of the spectrum.
#5 La Petite Odyssée, 2019 Langue d'Oc $27
This is a blend from a small farm just outside of Toulouse! Not much information do I have on them, as they are just getting going and this is their first cuvée. My notes say:
"Grippy as Fuck, salty and dense . . ." a blend of 40% merlot, 35% Abouride and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is super focussed with mineral and black fruit, all contained in a pillar of rock! There is much in the bottle that says, wait! Decant? Open a few hours before drinking? The bruiser of the offering this week, It will be lovely come the autumn, so let's say that this is a precursor to that smokey, amber time of year, when things cool off and the scent of dried blackberry stalks, grass and bracken are in the air.
That's the wrap-up for this week!
Get in touch with me here:
Cantina Sauvage
With any questions and/or orders!
4 bottles brings me to your door
6 bottles outside Seattle
Much love to you!
Marc