January Wines 🍷

🍇 Sylvaner
🇫🇷 Alsace, France
Phillipe Brand and his father Charles joined forces in 2006 to bring a fresh take to the family domaine. They focus purely on low-intervention farming and winemaking. They use pickaxes to prevent unwanted plants in the vineyard from taking over. This is their Sylvaner, a blend between the 2018 and 2019 vintage. This is a unique Sylvaner with a touch of cashew, gingerbread spice, apricot, and white pepper balanced by a beautifully oily texture.

🍇 Friulano
🇮🇹 Collio, Italy
At Gradis’Ciutta, Collio’s unique terroir is reflected in outstanding wines, through both indigenous and international varietals. Winemaker Robert Princic got his start in wine at a young age, spending time in the vines every harvest with his hardworking parents, Isidoro and Ivanka. Their Friulano, a grape native to North East Italy, is consistently one of our favorite white wines…if we can get our hands on it! The texture is so beautiful and complex, with tons of aromas of citrus and spice.

🍇 Macabeu, Grenache Blanc, Muscat à Petits Grains
🇫🇷 Roussillon, France
François-Xavier Dauré, F.X. for short, claims that he was born on a tractor. Given how delicious his wines are, we believe him! F.X. works in the vineyards hours before sunrise, using a headlamp to see his work. People would joke that he looked like a lampyre, firefly in French. His Point Triple Blanc is a blend of 55% Macabeu, 25% Grenache Blanc, and 20% Muscat à Petits Grains. This wine sees 5 months in fiberglass tanks on its fine lees. The result is truly bombastic with extreme complexity. Bursting with tropical fruits, salinity, structure, grip, and finesse. Wowzers.

🍇 Noble Muscadine
🇺🇸 Pittsylvania, Virginia
This is what we love about local wines. Our good friend Peter Szilagyi is part of a team making these wines down in Virginia and they strive to make wines out of grapes that grow comfortably in Virginia’s warm, humid climate. The grapes we are used to (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for example) are from the vine species Vitis Vinifera, which has trouble growing in Virginia. Noble Muscadine is a grape native to the United States, and it grows well in Virginia. The resulting wine is absolutely delicious. Fall candies, cinnamon, maple syrup, and clove come together with great acidity.

🍇 Blaufrankisch + Sankt Laurent
🇦🇹 Burgenland, Austria
Meinklang is an all-around amazing example of farming. Each family member specializes in a different aspect of farming, all certified Biodynamic. This is part of a series depicting the different times of day through wine—Abend means evening. A blend between Blaufrankisch from 2018 and Sankt Laurent from 2016, there is almost no intervention here and the resulting wine is wild. Balsamic earthiness, smoke, deep dark fruits, and juniper jump out of the glass.

🍇 Gamay
🇫🇷 Beaujolais, France
Nestled in the heart of the village of Juliénas in Beaujolais, this estate has been in the Granger family for over 200 years. They practice organic farming. Some of their wines, including this one, are vinified in the basement of the former church in Juliénas which has been in disuse since 1868. This wine is intense, with more structure and dark fruits than expected in most Beaujolais. It is extremely expressive, balancing savory earthiness and fresh bright fruits.

Mix and match half glasses of wine to create your own flight! Choose 2, 3, or taste the rainbow (the full line up!).

Choose a bottle from the shelf or cold fridge to share with friends in the shop or on the patio. Enjoy here and then take home any leftovers.