Tasting Notes (9.16.22)

​Domaine Cauhaupe L'Eclipse ($16.99)
Jurançon​, France

From the producer:
"Cauhapé’s wines express the specificity of Jurançon grape varieties. Petit Manseng is our main grape variety. It is a vine with small bunches of grapes under the leaves. The thick skin is a great asset. It allows us to push the harvest very far and to obtain a very high level of maturity. Gros manseng and Courbu bring finesse and fruity aromas. For several years, Cauhapé has also been exploring the forgotten grape varieties Camaralet and Lauzet, which have ennobled the dry Jurançons, producing wines that are more authentic and expressive than ever.

Aware that the earth is not enough to produce great wines, that it also needs 'breath and spirit,' Henri Ramonteu has succeeded in bringing together earth and sky. The wine coalesces the character of a climate, the influence of a land, the expressions of a grape variety, and the man’s hand and instinct. In other words, the vineyard expresses a soil through a history, a way of life, a culture, and a grape variety. This is the true definition of a 'wine of terroir.'

With a  beautiful intensity, the nose reveals aromas of white fleshed fruits and delightful notes of citrus and spice. In the mouth, the round and supple attack develops a magnificent palate of fruity and exotic flavours. A wine of conviviality and pleasure to be appreciated as an aperitif or at the beginning of a meal. Tapas, Sushi, Brunch."

Husch Pinot Noir 2019 ($37.99)
Anderson Valley, California

From the producer:
"​Husch Vineyards is a small, family owned and operated winery. When Husch started growing grapes in Mendocino County's Anderson Valley, little was known about the growing prospects for this remote region. The climate of the Anderson Valley feels a strong cooling influence from the nearby Pacific Ocean. 

In the world of winemaking, the keys to success are the grapes and people that you work with. Thus the land, climate, and farming input are the most important factors for making high quality wines. Some of our fields are farmed organically. Most of our fields have a permanent cover crop. All of our fields are certified "Fish Friendly." And we take pride that our farming practices, as a whole, require a minimum use of diesel fuel for each acre we farm.

Expressive and inviting, our Anderson Valley Pinot Noir is happiness in a bottle. As soon as you pull the cork aromas of pomegranate, sweet cherry, currant, rose petal, forest floor, blood orange, and wild herbs grace your nose. On the palate the wine expresses flavors matching the aromatics and is held together with sustained richness and bright acidity. Lovely on its own and will pair exceptionally with meals such as coq au vin, pork tenderloin, mushroom pasta, or creamy cheeses."

Bodegas DiamAndes Perlita Red ($13.99)
Mendoza, Argentina

From the producer:
"In 2005, the Bonnie family, owner of the renowned Château Malartic-Lagravière (Grand Cru Classé de Graves) and of the Château Gazin Rocquencourt (Pessac-Léognan), decided to leave France in search for new horizons in the world of wine. It all began with the acquisition, along with their partners, of a single 130-hectares (321 acres) block of land in the heart of the Uco Valley, to the south of the city of Mendoza.

By the Andes Mountains, at 1100 masl, Bodega DiamAndes boasts an ideal terroir: temperate climate due to the altitude and that together with its sandy-clay soils with large amounts of rock, allow Malbec, Argentina’s king varietal, to fully express itself. Vine care is based on sustainable farming for a global environment care. It is respectful of the soils which are ploughed. Several measures are environment-friendly: use of natural fertilizers, biodegradation of pests with rational use of chemical products. 

80% Malbec - 20% Syrah. 8 months in French oak barrels, of one use at least.
Attractive and bright violet color, with aromas of plum and dark berries. In the palate is fruity, silky and velvety, medium-bodied with refined tannins and a flavorful finish."

Mas Becha Classique 2018 ($18.99)
​Roussillon, France

From the producer:
"A bit of a winemaker, a bit of an artist, a bit of a boss and high standards. Charles Perez is a jack of all trades whose career and wines, elegant and modern, denote an assertive character worthy of a local child. Since 2008, he has led the 25 hectares of MAS BECHA according to the principles of organic farming, concerned with preserving and one day passing on this exceptional vineyard. Respect for the terroir and the search for wines of pleasure, here we awaken the senses and the conscience.

Charles has also been able to take advantage of the limestone subsoils and arid lands of the Aspres terroir to bring together vines, olive trees, almond trees and cork oaks. And it is here, in the heart of this protected bio-diversity and this typically Mediterranean climate, that our neo-winemaker produces Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre in a modern style and surprisingly fresh.

60% Syrah, 20% Grenache Noir, 20% Mourvèdre"

Rozelieures Single Malt Whisky ($54.99)
France

From the producer:
"Rozelieures is the slightly crazy story of a visionary family who transformed the family business into the spearhead of French whisky. Better than that, today it is one of the few whisky brands in the world that owns and controls 100% of its production. Grain, malting, brewing, distillation and ageing, everything is done in-house – energy autonomy included – in a rare and unique model of vertical integration.

All Rozelieures whiskies are single malt, and we are the first distillery in France to work with peated malts. In keeping with the ancestral tradition, we double distil all our whiskies. This process offers greater finesse and an unrivalled aromatic intensity. After distillation, we age our whisky in oak casks from our local forests but also in casks that have contained wines and spirits from Kentucky, Sherry, Burgundy, the Rhone Valley and the South West.

This Rare Collection whisky, produced in limited quantities, is distilled from a finely peated malt. It has been aged in oak casks containing wines from the South West of France. These casks give the whisky roundness, fruitiness, mellowness and notes of ripe fruit on a sherry background."