French Wine Tasting
Featuring Vineyard Brands
Elegant expressions of Loire Valley, Rhone Valley, Beaujolais & Bordeaux!
"In a world increasingly dominated by vast sums of capital and multinational firms, it is difficult for a small wine importer to survive unless that company has considerable expertise and an unwavering commitment to quality rather than quantity ... 'Imported by Vineyard Brands' is as close to a guarantee of quality as the consumer can expect."- The Wine Advocate
Friday, September 26th
4pm-6pm
French Wine Tasting
Featuring Vineyard Brands
Special Guest, Phill Oreh of Alabama Cown
Domaine South
Friday, September 26, 2025
4pm - 6pm
$20
256-759-9952 to Reserve
2023 Domaine Pichot Vouvray, Loire Valley, France $21.99
The aromas are honeydew, peach and a hint of spice. The palate is juicy, fresh and long, and the acidity balances the fruitiness.
Jean-Claude Pichot's family is one of the oldest in Vouvray, with origins as viticulturists and restaurateurs dating back to 1739. The family cellars are located in the charming village of Vouvray, in caverns hewn from the rolling hills which were once quarried to provide stone to construct the grand châteaux of the Loire. In fact, the Pichot home is itself part house and part cavern, with a dramatic hearth carved from the rock. Jean-Claude is one of six sons, but the only one to continue the family tradition of vigneron.
2023 J. D. Villebois Menetou Salon, Loire Valley, France $24.99
Fresh aromas of forest floor, bruised white peach, dried field grass and bosc apple open on the nose. Green fruit is framed by cool-stream-covered wet stone that is dusted by dried white blossom and an underlay of lemon citrus. — Reggie Solomon
A rarity, the appellation’s terroir is very homogeneous (100% Terres Blanches)!
To add complexity to our Menetou-Salon, we select plots with different exposures, varied plant
material and differing ages. This substantive work combined with a management respectful
of the environment (mechanical weeding, setting up beehives...) allows us to obtain varied and
complementary styles!
Following its never ending quest of the Great Loire Sauvignon Blanc, with the addition of the Menetou Salon, J. de Villebois welcomes another prestigious appellation within its Loire Sauvignon Blanc family. Menetou-Salon is a natural link between the Touraine and the Sancerre wines. For the second year, our J. de Villebois Menetou-Salon concentrates all the values of the J. de Villebois winehouse : aromatic intensity, cleanliness, zingyness, tailor-made ageing…
2023 Grosbois Extra Ball Chinon Rose, Loire Valley, France $22.99
A rich and luxurious direct press of Cabernet Franc. Juicy tang, candied oranges, strawberry syrup, and ripe apricot. Fresh fruity fun.
For the pinball enthusiast you may not be, Extra Ball is the extra ball that is offered to you when you earn lots of points. For Sylvain and I, in our winemaker jargon, Extra Ball Rosé, comes from a direct pressing (no maceration with the skin), for more fruity, fresh and appetizing wine. It’s a real fruit ball!!!
GRAPE VARIETY: 100% Cabernet Franc
TERROIR: Extra Ball grapes come from a plot of 4.5 hectares (11.1 acres)
where the soil is claystone and sand.
AVERAGE AGE OF VINES: 25 years
2022 Liger-Belair Moulin-à-Vent "Les Vieilles Vignes", Beaujolais, France $36.99
The Liger-Belair family has passed down the tradition of winemaking from generation to generation for the past 250 years. In 2001, Thibault Liger-Belair took over the vines as the winemaker and created Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair.
Gamay 100%
The cuvée of Moulin a Vent Les Vieilles Vignes is a blend from nine plots
covering around seven hectares or half of the Pierres Roses estate.
This is our estate’s most emblematic wine given that it covers half of the
total area under vine. The vines were planted between 1910 and 1955 and are located in a band encircling the hill of Moulin à Vent. The northerly wind brings great freshness to this wine.
The soil is shallow and mainly comprises white and pink sand from the decomposition of rose granite and quartz.
This wine always offers lovely purity and aromatic finesse with a fine structure
that gives it good keeping potential.
2022 Stephane Ogier Le Temps Est Venu, Rhone Valley, France $23.99
A juicy, aromatic and fresh blend of 60% grenache and 40% syrah. The nose shows notes of dark cherries, cassis, black pepper and dried thyme. Medium-bodied with fine tannins. Juicy and well-driven with blue fruit at the center and a spicy finish.
We've been waiting for years to feature the superb wines of Stéphane Ogier, whose wines have become reference-point bottlings for the northern Rhône, especially Côte-Rôtie. However, his entry level red, the Temps Est Venu cuvée, hails from points south. Its 70% Grenache, 30% Syrah blend is a precise, strawberry-and-pepper-scented delight, substantial enough for hearty fare but lifted with more than adequate acidity. Sustainable viticulture.
2020 Chateau Armens St. Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France $36.99
An estate in the east of Saint-Emilion has produced this structured, finely textured wine. Juicy acidity and hint of spice bring shape and succulent fruit. Drink from 2026. — Roger Voss
Friendly, with a forward profile of plum and cherry compote notes lined with light vanilla and sweet tobacco. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. - Wine Spectator
Vinification by parcel in stainless-steel temperature controlled tanks. Alcoholic fermentation with pumping over. Malolactic fermentation in tank aging in stainless steel tank, 30% in one barrel for 13 months.
AREA: 25 hectares (61.7763 acres) Vineyard
SOIL: Gravel-limestone/ Limestone / Clay-limestone