Domaine South
French Wine Tasting
Featuring Becky Wasserman & Co.
Special Guest, Perry Riddle of International Wines
Friday, July 31st, 4pm - 6pm
$20 per person
256-759-9952 to Reserve
Becky Wasserman & Co. was founded in 1979 by Becky Wasserman-Hone, an American expatriate who has lived in Burgundy since 1968. Our company exports wines from small domaines and shippers in Burgundy and other regions who honor their terroirs.
The Wines
2025 Chai De La Dive Les Moulin Saumur Blanc, Loire Valley, France $24.99
This Chenin is drawn from vineyards on the Loire-standard mix of sand and limestone soil. Aged only in stainless steel for a wine with pristine lines and clear-eyed acidity. Intense notes of pear and lemon curd mix with limestone soil, all the flowers in a spring garden, and a kiss of salt on the finish.
Variety: Chenin Blanc
Vine Age: Average of 20 years (as of 2024)
Terroir: From multiple sites in Berrie and Epieds. Berrie: clay-sand soil over Turonian limestone, south and southwest-facing, 76 m elevation, early-ripening. Epieds: calcareous, shallow 60-80 cm-deep silty-sand soil over Turonian limestone, north and northwest-facing.
Viticulture: Domaine-farmed and purchased grapes, organic (not certified).
Vinification: Pressed with whole clusters, settled for 24 hours and racked, 3-week ambient yeast fermentation in stainless steel, full malolactic conversion, aged for 6 months in stainless steel, tangential flow filtration, 20-30 ppm SO2 added after pressing and adjusted after fermentation and before bottling if needed.
With the 2024 vintage, Romain Guiberteau, Brendan Stater-West, Camille Guiberteau (Romain's daughter) and her partner, Alex Crochet, have launched a new négociant project: Chai de la Dive. This initiative reflects a growing commitment to the local organic farming community by purchasing high-quality fruit from neighboring vineyards.
2025 Chai De La Dive Saumur Rose, Loire Valley, France $25.99
100% Cabernet Franc, bone-dry. The 2025 shows what serious Loire rosé looks like: red currant, wild strawberry, crisp citrus, and chalk minerality, with a taut, saline finish. No residual sugar, no softening — this is a wine for the dinner table rather than the deck. Serve well chilled at around 48 to 50°F and give it ten minutes in the glass to open.
Chai de la Dive is a collaborative project born from Saumur's tightest circle of serious winemakers. The fruit comes from organically farmed Cabernet Franc vineyards in three southern Saumur communes — Berrie, Puy-Notre-Dame, and Montreuil-Bellay — on a mosaic of limestone-rich soils with clay, sand, and silt influences. These are the same tuffeau-underlain grounds that produce the Loire's most compelling Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, worked by growers who share the project's commitment to organic viticulture. The rosé is not an afterthought but a deliberate expression of what Cabernet Franc does on this limestone when handled with precision.
2023 Chateau Du Plaisance Sur La Butte Anjou Rouge, Loire Valley, France $32.99
Equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, from the bottom of the famous Chaume hill in Anjou. Famous for Quartz de Chaume Grand Cru, and almost exclusively sweet wine made from Chenin, this area produces only a handful of dry wine. Vanessa Cherruau purchased this biodynamically farmed estate before it was sold to the local co-op, and kept its legacy for producing dry, honestly farmed, Anjou wines. She is unable to label her wines Chaume because they are dry, opting for Anjou Blanc and Rouge instead. She does however name an Anjou Blanc 'Ronceray' in recognition of a 17th century monastery that was well known for making dry wines on the Chaume hill. This wine is special, because it is made from the only red grapes on the hill - and is really delicious. Coming from the south-facing bottom of the hill, or butte, it is a juicier and riper expression of both Cab grapes, without being too weighty or tannic. Red and Black fruit, a touch of bell pepper, herbs, and a slight minerality make this easy to drink, and pair with red meat, like a short rib chili.
2024 Chai De La Dive Saumur-Champigny, Loire Valley, France $32.99
100% Cabernet Franc
Medium Body. Aromas of fresh dark cherry and cranberry with subtle earthy, herbal, and mineral layers. Bright and food-friendly. Practicing Organic
Vine Age: Between 10 and 25 years (as of 2024)
Terroir: From multiple sites in Berrie, Brézé, and Montreuil-Bellay. Berrie: clay-sand soil over Turonian limestone, south and southwest-facing, 76 m elevation, early-ripening. Brézé: sandy-clay soils over Turonian limestone, south and southwest-facing, 80 m elevation. Montreuil-Bellay: clay-sand soil over Jurassic limestone, west and northwest-facing.
Viticulture: Domaine-farmed and purchased grapes, organic (not certified).
Vinification: De-stemmed, 4-6-day maceration and ambient yeast fermentation in concrete and stainless steel tanks, aged for 6 months in stainless steel, tangential flow filtration, 20-30 ppm SO2 added during vinification and adjusted after pressing and before bottling if needed.
2023 Domaine Les Carmels Les Caprices Cadillac Cotes De Bordeaux, France $29.99
A Bordeaux red blend from the Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux region, composed of two-thirds Merlot with descending proportions of Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard is situated on a hillside featuring a multicolored patchwork of clay, limestone, and gravel soils, with vines reaching at least 30 feet deep. This wine represents a different approach to Bordeaux, utilizing soft extraction, no new oak, short tank aging, and very low sulfur to emphasize the finesse and freshness of the terroir. The result is a fruity, quaffable wine with robust tannins and exceptional aging potential, moving away from traditional ripe, heavily-oaked styles.
2023 Famille Ogereau Cote De La Houssaye Anjou Rouge, Loire Valley, France $43.99
The Côte de la Houssaye expresses the extraordinary balance of a northern Cabernet Sauvignon on a terroir of schist. It is a wine of very great depth by its grape variety, almost wild, with a dense texture and crafted by its terroir, carried by a freshness from the Loire that brings depth and length to the palate. The wine develops aromas and flavors of great aniseed finesse with intense notes of graphite, humus and undergrowth. Thanks to its freshness and structure, this wine has great ageing potential for 15 to 20 years.