4/6/18 French Wine Friday Sips


FRIDAY SIPS
Fabulous Frogwater Friday
Special Guest - Chad Zimmerman
Today, April 6 from 1:30 - 6:30
French wines highlighted by Two Rhone Valley Releases. The Sancerre Slayer and a favorite Cru Beaujolais will also be poured. Come join us and say hey to our friend Chad who will be on hand to chat about the wines as well. Chad arrives around 3:30, wines will be available to taste at 1:30


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2016 DOMAINE DE CABASSE
SABLET COTES-DU-RHONE VILLAGES
$16.99 BTL./$203.88 CASE

The name Cabasse is from Italian, casa bassa, which means house under the village. Situated just beneath the picturesque, Provençal village of Seguret, Domaine de Cabasse's roots date back to the 14th century. Along with having a fine hotel and restaurant, superb wines also come from this 33-acre estate that owns land in 3 southern Rhone villages, Seguret, Sablet and Gigondas.

If there were a wine that would the house flirt at Cabasse it would be the Sablet. As the name indicates, there are sandy soils which always make this wine a very flattering and endearing choice. Both 2015 and 2016 are extremely scintillating vintages for the Rhone and this wine follows suit. 70% Grenache, 27% Syrah & 3% Carignan this wine is the epitome of Provencal beauty. Aromatic, finely tuned with scents of violets, peonies, underlying plum and white pepper. The texture here is fabulously full with succulence, balance and engaging depth. Nice expansion and mineral aspects on the fine finish that shows beautiful fruit and terroir.



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2016 DOMAINE DE CABASSE
SEGURET COTES-DU-RHONE VILLAGES
$19.99 BTL./$239.88 CASE

Jump to Seguret and the wines get a bit more compelling. Known as Cuvee Garnacho, this is one of two Seguret bottlings. Here we have a bit more presence of dimension and depth but typical to Cabasse, there is polish and an excellent core of generous fruit.

The epitome of the Southern Rhone Valley and blended with 75% Grenache, 10% Carignan, 8% Counoise & 7% Syrah. Serious depth here. Ethereal yet dense strawberry, blackberry, rosemary, smoke and Egyptian spices. A lovely presence of earth, hot stones and spice adds another level. Caressing, full palate that spreads out on the palate and picks up lift. Excellent flavors, persistence and vintage character while never becoming burdensome. Given the pedigree of the land as well as the vintage, this one can be consumed over the next 6-8 years.



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2016 CLOS DE LA BROSSE
SAINT-AMOUR
$17.99 BTL./$215.88 CASE

One of the finest Cru Beaujolais that we have tasted in the last year has been deservedly noticed and has a 91-point score from Vinous. Saint-Amour has a reputation as being the wine of love and the majority of the appellation's wines could be sold in France for Valentine’s Day. Gerard Lebeaupin is one of the last holdouts to vinify his wines in old wooden vats, using a large wooden grill to submerge the grapes allowing for better extraction, color, aromatic complexity and structure. Named after one of the region’s prime sites, Clos de la Brosse, Lebeaupin has a mere 4 acres of ancient vines (90+ years old) and makes between 300-600 cases per year. We loved this 2016 and sadly we are getting down to the end.

Old vine hedonism at its best, this seamless Gamay delivers a luminous presence of creme de framboise, smoked violet, anise and undertones of strawberry and cinnamon-stick. Resoundingly vivacious, this gem is a total eruption of flavors that cascade through the mouth. Finishes lengthy and full of spice, but fills in beautifully with sultry fruit that coats the throat as it goes down. The classic pairing would be roasted chicken with mushrooms. We also recommend going outside the borders and having it with Indian or Moroccan cuisine as well as grilled fish. Now with a fine score – 91 POINTS – VINOUS



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2016 JACQUES ROUZE QUINCY
'VIGNES D'ANTAN'
$19.99 BTL./$239.88 CASE

Located about an hour west of Sancerre, outside the city of Bourges, Quincy (pronounced can-see) is a white wine made with 100% Sauvignon Blanc and Domaine Rouze is without a doubt, the appellation's most important producer and his fierce and flavorful white wines however, are anything but difficult to understand.

Vignes d’Antan, meaning vines of yesteryear are from a little over 8-acre parcel of vines planted between 1920 and 1940. Since we were first introduced to this wine in 2006, we have consistently referred to it as The Sancerre Slayer, especially since many are now selling for north of $25 and this wine will smash so many of them. While Mother Nature decided to repossess many of the grapes for 2016 vintage early on, what remained on the vine proceeded to grow well and deliver sheer magnificence for this region. Equally as exciting as the 2014 and better than 2015, this kicks serious ass once again and unfolds with mandarin, gooseberry, fine herbs and prominent, piercing smoke and powdery rock aromas. In the mouth, the old vines deliver depth and penetration while the minerality brings about spine-tingling nervosity and dimension. Moreover, did I mention the finish, yes; it seemingly goes for what seems an eternity. A beautiful match with grilled salmon or scallops, this wine also will cellar beautifully.