Domaine South
Grower Champagne Tasting
Friday, February 13th, 4 pm - 6pm
Special Guest, Allaina Nielsen of International Wines
$50 per person
256-759-9952 to Reserve
It's Valentine's weekend, so what better excuse to drink Grower Champagne!!!
and a dreamy Pet Nat from Loire Valley!
The Wines
NV Domaine Serol Turbullent Sparkling Rose, Saint-Romain, Loire Valley, France $26.99
This wine displays a vibrant, pale pink hue with a lively, frothy mousse. The nose is bright and playful, showing crushed strawberry, crunchy cranberry, and raspberry, accented by hints of pomegranate and subtle florals. On the palate, it is fresh, delicate, and fully dry, with vivid acidity carrying crisp red-berry fruit underscored by nuances of allspice and citrus zest. No evident sweetness appears here—just pure, lifted freshness.
Pét-Nat Gamay’s vibrant red-fruit profile, gentle sparkle, and refreshing acidity make it especially suited to casual, flavorful dishes with freshness or a touch of spice. Its combination of juicy cherry and berry tones, soft effervescence, and light herbal nuance complements picnic fare, fried bites, and vegetable-driven plates, while its playful structure keeps salty or mildly spicy foods lifted. The wine pairs best with charcuterie, fried chicken, bánh mì, fresh salads, and outdoor-friendly dishes where brightness, fun, and easy versatility highlight its lively, unpretentious character.
“This eastern region, known as "The Volcanic Loire" boasts soils of granite and volcanic basalt that give gamay both minerality and drive. The best producer in this unique, small appellation is Domaine Sérol, led by Stephane Sérol and his wife Carine. They produce a range of distinctive wines marked by elegance, freshness, and, of course, granitic minerality, hence their bottling name of "Eclat de Granit".
Domaine Sérol famously produces a cuvée exclusively for the neighboring Michelin three-star restaurant ‘Troisgros’. The Sérols are great friends of the Troigros family: Michel Troigros co-owns the "Les Blondins" Vineyard with them. The Sérol property dates back to the 17th century and was passed from generation to generation. When Stéphane and Carine took over in 1998, the domaine totaled 12 hectares; with the Sérol/Troisgros partnership, they are now farming 28 hectares and have converted the domaine to organic/biodynamic viticulture.”
2021 Guiborat Tethys Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru Extra Brut Champagne, France $65.99
This wine is made of 60% Clairette and 40% Ugni Blanc, vinified in stainless steel, producing a wine with bright aromatics, richness and freshness. It sees a light skin maceration and is aged on its lees for 5 months. We would pair it with a seafood bouillabaisse and some crusty sourdough on the side. The Domaine is in the heart of Bandol, between the villages of La Cadière and Le Castellet, just east of Marseille, and west of Saint-Tropez. The Domaine encompasses the site where famed French painter Marc Chagall called home after moving away from Paris in the 1950's! Organic olive oil is also grown on site.
NV Laherte Freres Blanc de Blanc Brut Nature, Champagne, France $70.99
93 points Falstaff: "Pale golden yellow, silver reflections, fine, persistent mousse. Delicate notes of mango and fresh yellow apple, some blossom honey, a hint of candied orange zest, mineral touch. Taut, tightly woven, white pomaceous fruit, fresh acidity, salty-lemony finish, a crisp food companion, versatile. (Deg. 1/23) (10/6/23)"
92 points Claire Nesbitt (JamesSuckling.com): "White peaches, lemons, raw hazelnuts and lightly salted butter. Saline and tangy, but also sleek on the palate, with just-ripe white fruit flavors and soft bubbles. Chardonnay from Coteaux Sud d’Epernay. Base is 2021 with 50% reserve wines. Disgorged October 2024. Drink now. (7/17/25)"
92+ points Sarah Mayo (The Wine Independent): "Based on the 2020 vintage, the Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature NV is a delicately textured champagne fermented for seven months in foudre and barrel with regular stirring of the lees and partial malo-lactic. Fragrant and fresh aromas of quince, star fruit, candied ginger and honey lead into a finely knit, light to medium-bodied palate with a pinpoint, chalky mousse that delicately amplifies a ripe citrus mid-palate lifted by brisk acidity and a long, thirst-slaking finish. Disgorged April 2021 and finished with zero dosage. Drink: 2023-2033. (11/26/23)"
92 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The current release of Laherte Frères’ Blanc de Blanc Brut Nature is from the base year of 2020 and was disgorged in January of 2023. The vins clairs are all barrel-fermented for this wine and aged seven months in cask prior to bottling up for secondary fermentation, with partial malo. The bouquet is beautifully pure and precise, wafting from the glass in a mix of apple, pear, raw almond, chalky soil tones, bread dough and a topnote of white flowers. On the palate the wine is brisk, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a lovely core of fruit, fine soil signature and grip, elegant mousse and a long, young and very nicely balanced finish. To my palate, with zero dosage, this wine still needs several years in the cellar to allow the acids to back off a bit more. For Brut Nature purists, it is already very tasty. 2028-2045. (Jul/Aug 2023)"
91 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The NV Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs is bright and finely sculpted right out of the gate. The blend of 50% 2021 and 50% 2020/2019 comes across as a bit austere, but that’s not surprising given the base 2021 vintage. Crushed rocks, mint, citrus, white flowers and sage all take shape. As always, the Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs is a Champagne of great character. It's a terrific value, too. Disgorged: January 2024. Drink: 2024-2030. (Dec 2024)"
91 points La Revue du Vin de France: "The Blanc de Blancs Nature seduces with the patina provided by the reserve wines. The palate is full-bodied, supported by a beautiful acidity that structures the whole. (2026)"
NV Laherte Freres Ultradition Extra Brut Champagne, France $62.99
Aurélien Laherte’s Ultradition non-vintage Extra Brut is composed from a cépages of sixty percent pinot meunier, thirty percent chardonnay and ten percent pinot noir. Sixty percent of the vins clairs are barrel-fermented, go through partial malo and the cuvée includes forty percent reserve wines. The current release is from the base year of 2018 and was given three and a half years aging sur latte prior to its disgorgement in September of 2022 and finished with a dosage of 4.5 grams per liter. The wine delivers a refined aromatic constellation of white peach, apple, bread dough, chalky soil tones and a delicate topnote of meunier flowers. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied and complex, with a lovely core, excellent balance and grip, refined mousse and a long, focused and classy finish. I love Aurélien Laherte’s wines and regret I do not get to taste the full range of his cuvées anymore.
NV Guiborat Prohibition Blanc De Noir Champagne, France $66.99
100% Pinot Meunier with zero dosage—a purist's Champagne that celebrates this often-overlooked grape variety in its most unadorned form. Richard Guiborat sources from old vines planted between 1954 and 1960, bringing the depth and concentration that only mature plantings can deliver. The "Prohibition" name nods to the cuvée's uncompromising style: no added sugar masks the wine's true character. Expect apple and pear notes, subtle brioche from extended lees aging, and a bone-dry, mineral finish. A Champagne for those who want to taste the grape, not the dosage.