Part I, A Couple Killer Whites
We recently restocked some of our – and, based on the sales, your – favorite wines since our opening back in January. These are wines which cover the spectrum; white to red, lite to full, easy going to complex. But the one thing they all have in common is their uncanny ability to wow! Each time I’ve suggested one of these smashing bottles, you’ve come back with high praise and re-purchased. And that’s the sign of a great bottle. Not the scores from critics, but whether or not YOU like ’em. Based on the sales, like I said, these are all big-time hits!
I’m gonna break this update in two – save your reading time – and offer out the whites today with the reds going out on Thursday…
2018 Pierre Henri Saint Fiacre Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie
SO much going on here in this serious and seriously dry wine. First, the grape type: Muscadet is not actually the grape – the wine is made from the noble, local white grape known as Melon de Bourgogne. In the right hands, it produces a round, minerally, bone dry and very citrusy wine. Pierre Henri is definitely one of those with the right hands. His winery, Saint Fiacre is planted atop a bed of decomposed seashells, which impart that breezy, minerally component to the wines. Taking things further, he ages his wine on their fine lees, which give off the slightly creamy note while adding weight to the wine. It’s not a stretch to say you’ve never had Muscadet Sevre Maine this good, as Pierre’s is considered by all in the region to be the standard bearer. Back in stock and still only $15.99
2018 Chateau La Rabotine Sancerre
This beauty takes top honors ‘round here as the most requested white wine – not just Sancerre, mind you – but white wine of any type. As for Sancerre, no matter what else we stock, this one beats ‘em, hands down, price be damned. One thing you need to know is that the owner, Alban Roblin, lives in Sury-en-Vaux, Smile of the Valley, and counts as his neighbors Reverdy and Riffault: pretty nice company! Alban makes his Sancerre Blanc from 4 lieux-dits. The Sauvignon Blanc vines average an age of 45 years, grown on a bed of broken limestone mingled with flint. He ferments in steel by way of natural yeasts, no malo and no acidifying agents; organic to-the-bone. The wine spends almost 8 months on its lees in the highest quality German steel. His Sancerre is a toothbrush of wet stones cutting through lemon-lime citrus with a dust of smoke and white flower; there’s enough texture and weight to connect the big aroma to the lime-green pucker finish. A dynamite wine, a perfect Sancerre, and still only $29.99