French Wine Tasting
Featuring New Arrivals from Kermit Lynch (2023 Rosé Magnum Alert!) along with some fantastic new wines from the South of France!
Friday, March 29th
Le Petit Bijou
Call 256-964-7980
French Wine Tasting
Le Petit Bijou
Friday, March 29th
4pm - 6pm, $20
With Special Guest, Allaina Nielsen of International Wines
256-964-7980 to Reserve
2023 Domaine de Fontsainte - Gris de Gris Corbières Rosé, France $19.99
Mourvedre, Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache
Always great and just stupid good in 2023. It's at once concentrated and lithe, with outstanding focus and vibrancy to the strawberry, raspberry, and blood orange aromas and flavors. As well as the Honeydew melon, red cherry, and watermelon one - there's a whole fruit basket here! But also a touch of herb and plenty of refreshing zip that arrives late the pulls you back for more. A direct press blend of 70% Grenache Gris plus Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Cinsault from a great estate in Corbieres. Definitely refreshing enough to drink solo, but you really should try it with something garlicky or even salmon.
For You If: You love classic French rosé that delivers big fruit flavors with a dash of wild herb and finishes dry, crisp and mouthwatering
2022 Moulin De Gassac Grand Terroirs `faune` Blanc, Languedoc, France $16.99
Having believed in making wine in what was a farming county many decades ago, their belief in the region paid off with them proving the soil and terroir could make outstanding wine. Now generations on, they are well regarded as the ‘first growth of Languedoc’ with their flagship, complex Estate wines and now a much more affordable everyday range.
The “Faune” cuvée is one of the parcel selections of the Moulin de Gassac, wines made in small series from unique terroirs. Pale gold in colour, it has a powerful, expressive nose with an explosion of aromas of apricots, pears and white flowers. In the mouth, the wine is rich but carries minerality from the limestone-grown Chardonnay. Tons of stone fruits, creamy almond, waxy fruits and lemon give a well-balanced and full, smooth profile. This wine will go wonderfully well with white fish, veal, pork and salads.
50% Viognier, 50% Chardonnay
2022 Mas De Daumas Gassac Rosé Frizant, Languedoc, France $25.99
This sparkling rosé is made from 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Manseng. Bled Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from the younger Daumas Gassac vineyards. The “free-run” grape juice is fermented in a closed tank so as to retain all the fermenting gas. Aged 3 to 4 months in closed stainless steel tank.
2022 Kermit Lynch Cotes Du Rhone-Villages Rouge `cuvee Kermit Lynch`, Rhone Valley, France $16.99
56% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, 7% Carignan, 2% Cinsault
Here it is: the very first edition of an exciting southern Rhône red! Our brand-new Côtes du Rhône Villages is a collaboration with Les Vignerons d’Estézargues, a co-op cellar located just across the river from Avignon. Founded in 1965, Estézargues has championed sustainable and organic viticulture and natural winemaking for decades, making it a rare exception in the world of co-ops. They work closely with their growers, emphasizing organic farming, and manage their cellar with a judicious use of low-intervention techniques: nothing is inoculated, sulfur is kept to a bare minimum, and the wines are bottled without filtration.
2022 Trotereau Quincy, Loire Valley, France $27.99
Southwest of Sancerre, on the banks of a tributary of the Loire River, the Cher, lies the small Quincy appellation. France’s second recognized AOC in 1936 after only Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Quincy is home to sandy, silex-ridden topsoil with an undercurrent of pink limestone. Its terroir is truly unique, unlike any other Sauvignon Blanc appellation in the world, and gives a very particular wine. Sauvignon is able to ripen more fully here while retaining an intriguing aromatic profile, and the wines are capable of aging quite gracefully.
2021 Mas De Daumas Gassac Red, Languedoc, France $62.99
Cabernet Sauvignon 84%, Pinot Noir 5%, Merlot 2%, Petit Verdot 2%, Tannat 2%, Cabernet Franc 2%,
Rare varieties 3 %: Nielluccio, Montepulciano (Italie), Saperavi (Géorgie), Carménère (France), Tempranillo (Espagne) Abouriou (France).
Slow extraction, delicate pump-over and soft infusion vinification, long fermentation and maceration, no filtration.
ÂGES MOYEN DES VIGNES 43 years old
MATURING: 12 to 15 months in oak barrel (1 to 7 years old barrels)
To be drunk in its youth (in the first 3 years from release) to enjoy its superb fruit aromas. Or to be open from the 5th year to 20th year to appreciate its amazing aging potential.
Perfect with complex dishes, red meat, game (especially venison and wild-boar) and cheeses.
Dark berries, leather, pencil lead, roasted meat, dried herbs, bell peppers, cumin, bay leaves and some stones. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins and crisp acidity yet it has more intensity to deliver on the mid-palate. It’s poised with a restrained power. Harmonious and agile with great balance and vitality. Long, crunchy and developing finish. 84% cabernet sauvignon, 5% pinot noir, 2% merlot, 2% petit verdot, 2% cabernet franc, 2% tannat and 3% rare varieties. Try after 2026. 94 points James Suckling
