Pairings for December — Grand Cafe
Wine Selections from France44
Clos Cibonne Tradition Tibouren Rosé (1.5L)
Patrick Bottex Bugey-Cerdon Le Cueille Sparkling Rose
Wine Selections from North Loop Wines
Bottex Bugey-Cerdon 'La Cueille'
The Bugey is one of the best-kept secrets of France. A geographical crossroads between Savoie and Jura, Burgundy, and Rhône. In La Cueille, one of seven high-altitude hamlets surrounding the historic medieval town of Poncin, Patrick and Catherine Bottex—recently joined by their son, Carl—farm the rocky limestone slopes above the Ain River. This lightly sparkling Gamay is a lovely rosé color, a true vin de plaisir. One sip and you’ll wonder where it’s been all your life. End result is wine that's delightfully refreshing with bright fruit, crisp acidity, a beautiful deep pink hue, and a tantalizing touch of sweetness that is the perfect way to start a luxurious meal.
Shop →2022 Clos Cibonne Tibouren
Never heard of Tibouren? It is a varietal indigenous to Provence and one that the family patriarch at this property, Andre Roux, believed in so strongly, he replaced all his Mourvèdre vines with it. Clos Cibonne thus takes great price in producing this dramatic and complex Tibouren rosé, which they hold back a year for additional aging. Stunning, salmon-colored pink, this exquisite rosé is spicy on the nose with hints of quince, fresh raspberries and roasted hazelnuts. The palate is bold and fresh with a captivating mixture of berry and melon flavors concluding with an exotic finish. Enjoy now with Provençal roast chicken and creamy French cheeses.
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Emilio Hidalgo Pedro Ximenez Sherry
Made from 100% Pedro Ximénez (PX) grapes that were sun-dried immediately after harvest to concentrate the sugar levels. Stored in barrels in a special open air porch just outside the bodega, the Hidalgo Pedro Ximenez is another example of a special, unique bottling that reflects the true terroir of its bodega. Sweet, but never cloying, this PX is classic and sophisticated. Aromas of maple, raisins and chocolate make this the ultimate after-dinner drink.
Shop →Wine Selections from Thomas Liquors
Chateau Du Hureau Saumur-Champigny Tuffe
The wines of Château du Hureau are dark, intense and sappy, with plenty of lovely fruit balanced by acidity and minerality from the underlying tuffe (limestone/chalk) soils. Since the implementation of organic viticulture, winemaker and proprietor, Philippe Vattan has found the wines to be more pure, transparent and texturally complex. The quality and intrigue of the Château du Hureau wines continue to soar, as does their following at home and abroad!
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Famille Hoppenot Beaujolais Blanc Chardonnay
The world of Burgundy and all its wonderful expressions are a true gift to the food and wine lover. This particular Chardonnay is coming from a wonderful estate bottler in the village of Fleurie. Grégoire Hoppenot now cultivates 9ha of vineyards, mainly the best crus in the village of Fleurie and beyond. Grégoire practices organic viticulture and minimizes the use of sulfur while showing talent in producing stable wines with faultless aromatic precision. This wine is from two vineyards that are right along the border with the limestone strata of the Mâcon region. The wine goes through malolactic fermentation and is in mostly stainless with a touch of oak barrel before bottling. This wine is not made every vintage and is a real treat, though quite limited.
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Landmass Heavy Glow Sparkling Rose
The world of PET-NATs and alternative sparkling wines is quite the wild jungle of different wines styles… from funky and explosive, to elegant, refined and energetic, there is something for everyone. This particular sparkling is the product of young female winemakers Melaney Schmidt and Malia Myers who gave up glittering restaurant and entertainment industry careers in Los Angeles to live in a barn in Dallas, Oregon and make these delicious wines. This bottling is 34% Pinot Noir fermented in stainless steel, 48% Chardonnay & 18% Pinot Gris in neutral French oak and is goes through one fermentation before bottling with light clarification and final carbonation. Producing sparkling wines is Landmass’s specialty and this wine is not to be missed. Fruit was grown between 1400-1800 feet elevation in the majestic Columbia River Gorge along the Oregon/Washington state border.
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