Domaine Blain Soeur et Frere
100% Gamay Noir. Brouilly, Beaujolais, France 2018
Many French producers carry the suffix of 'fils' typically referring to the family name as the father, and fils for his son. This is a traditional nod to the business being passed down the generations. You rarely see soeur, or sister, and frere, brother. This sister brother team is all about breaking the norms: born and raised in the heart of Burgundy, surrounded by some of the top Chardonnay vineyards in the world, they jointly decided to bring a focus and recognition to something else: Gamay. When Marc-Antonin was finished with his winemaking travels and educations he immediately fell for the ancient volcanic soils of the Brouilly in Beaujolais. Problem is, back when they started in 2014, Gamay was not well regarded and this is where Lucie's business and marketing acumen came into play. Together they have shone a light on some truly incredible wines. The regions of Cote de Brouilly and Brouilly are unique in that they reside on top of a long dormant volcano. Whereas Cote de Brouilly is on the upper slopes of pure volcanic soil, Brouilly encircles it and the soils have layers of sand and clay from eons of run off and, being 50+ years old, these vines have established deep enough roots to reach the volcanic heart. The resulting wine is both brimming with juicy pomegranates and deep red fruit, yet still very approachable, with a backbone and chalky finished structure to either be aged or opened up over a couple of hours. A triumph of a wine.
Maison Chanzy "Le Trois"
100% Aligote. Bouzeron, Burgundy, France 2017
For the love of Aligote! This often forgotten burgundian varietal is usually seen as the affordable option from top producers - they'll make $300 Chardonnays and a small amount of $20-30 Aligote. Pretty cool deal, but still: this grape is typically an afterthought. In Bouzeron it is king. Aligote grown anywhere else has to be specified as to what grape it is on the label, but it became so prolific and exceptional in Bouzeron that in 1998 the law was if you produced a wine labeled the region Bouzeron it must be 100% Aligote - the man who pushed for this change? None other than the owner of the most famous winery in Burgundy: Domaine Romanee-Conti. It's extremely clear why too: the wines from the region are unlike any other Aligote out there, and this is the perfect representation being a cuvee from the 3 major growing subregions. We get a wine of incredible balance with both the bright and tart lemon, but layers of vanilla to give it some added depth. Think almost a lemon pot-de-creme. The finish just becomes endless with spicy Tahitian vanilla and baked lemon sweets. What a bouzy treat!
Grosjean
100% Cornalin. Vallee d'Aoste, Italy 2016
Cornalin is another one of those varietals that only recently made a resurgence from near extinction back in 2001. Decades ago in the Vallee d'Aoste the varietal was being replaced by much easier, and commercial, grapes such as Pinot Noir and Gamay - the only saving grace was that it so closely resembled Petit Rouge it was mistakenly interplanted and only recently has been cultivate and expressed as a single variety wine. But wait. It gets better. We may not have even known it as Cornalin if not for ancient records of it. You see in the 70's a Swiss winemaker was dissatisfied with the grape named 'Rouge du Pays' - he felt it wasn't a very appealing name for a good wine. Believing that Cornalin was extinct he petitioned to rename Rouge du Pays as Cornalin. Well that was all gravy until the true Cornalin resurfaced. Lots of commotion, lots of arguing, but ultimately Cornalin retained its name due to historical evidence and Rouge du Pays got it's old name back. Now here's the great part: after tracing the lineage of Cornalin they could tell it was a grandchild of Petit Rouge, but were mystified as to the parent grape. It was only recently that they discovered that Rouge du Pays, formally called Cornalin, is the parent. How incestuous is that?! All told: we get a wonderful wine that has come into its own after 4 years aging. We get plush, tart, crystalised raspberry fruit and hibiscus overlays that expands and elaborates to more red flowers and hard red candies that finishes long and smooth with notes of pink lemonade. So happy to have found you Cornalin. What a grand rediscovery.
Daniele Conterno
100% Nascetta. Langhe, Piedmont, Italy 2019
Nascetta! We've featured this wonderful grape a few times in the past, from multiple producers, simply because whenever we hear talk of a Nascetta we jump on the chance to try it, and ultimately buy it. The reason it is so hard to come by is due partially to the fact that some years the vines simply don't produce enough grapes to yield enough wine for export. It is not seen as a lucrative grape to plant due to the low to zero yields it provides and because of that is only grown around one town, Novello, in the Piedmont. The wines are always extraordinary, and we may be so bold as to say that this is the best one we've had yet! It carries the waves of ripe pears and lycees with undertones of lemon pound cake, but what sets this beautiful wine apart is it's salinity. It dusts the nose and the entry, and follows through with such a briny lemony finish that the imbiber is drawn in for another sip. Such a rare treat.
Clos Cibonne
100% Tibouren. Provence, France 2019
Clos Cibonne has become a house favorite producer here at Swirl. They are famous for being the only producer of Tibouren and make some of the most ageable rosés in the world (not that we will ever find out since we sell through/drink each release so quickly!) Now there is a wine that we've only seen released twice from this producer, this current offering being the second time, and that's a Tibouren made as a red wine only on exceptionally warm vintages. It's hard to say what a 'typical' Tibouren tastes like, but what we can tell you is how different this year is from the previous release! Where previously it was light and Gamay like, this year it's powerful and like a Trousseau had a love child with a Pinot Noir. It's incredibly spicy with loads of cracked white pepper with hints of thyme and oregano that all accentuates the bright cranberry and tart cherry notes that flows into an opulent ripe raspberry finish. This wine club month is all about trying rare gems, and this one does not disappoint!
Mending Wall "Mortar & Stone"
52% Zinfandel, 35% Syrah, 13% Petit Sirah. Atlas Peak, Napa Valley, Ca 2016
It is always a treat to have Zinfandel blends from high elevation Napa wineries that could hypothetically be torn out and replaced with the more profitable Cab Sauv blends. It's a mercy that this wine exists because you gain an unparalleled concentration and granitic minerality in these mountain Zins! We see a wine with such depth that is brimming with broodingly rich boysenberry concentrate and plush plumy notes that has a wooded, almost light roast coffee-like secondary flavor that gives further depth to an already complex wine all leading to that granitic, drying finish of creme de violette and cassis. Such a hedonistic wine. Try it with a slight chill!