Coming out of a 3-year hiatus, trying a big box of 14 wines.
What felt commercial was actually quite pleasant. The last time I tried a wine subscription the results were dismal. (So bad that I ended up dumping most of them or cooking with them.)
But not this one. This one was special. Every bottle shined in its own way. From the earthy Pinot Grigio (wait, good ones exist?), to the surprisingly complex Malbec (wait again, good ones of these exist too?).
It was the summer journey I needed.
Notes to follow!
(Not a paid promotion. Just a curious test of a wine subscription.)
(Husband likes to hand model for me. ✋🏻 🍷 )
Every Valentine’s dessert table deserves a great wine.
The Mephisto by @domainedelecu is a beautiful representation of Cabernet Franc. Sharp notes of cassis, tobacco, and raspberry jam, it pairs perfectly with pastries.
We paired with a Basque cheesecake, a pear and vanilla crème pastry, and strawberry chocolate pudding by @magnoliabakery .
It’s a Lambrusco kind of night.
And this one by Bugno Martino is lovely. It’s full-bodied, with rich dark fruit notes, an overall dryness, and an effervescence with tight bubbles.
It’s everything I want from Lambrusco; a bubbly slightly ripened plum.
Found at @liquidassetsbklyn for under $20!
Wow. What a strange wine. Initial notes of acetone, boysenberry, elderberry, and buckwheat yeast. There’s an illusion of jammyness. But this wine is NOT jammy.
On the palate, you can feel the astringency, but it doesn’t waiver the taste. The taste is reminiscent of a summer blackberry pie made in North Carolina, close to the ocean. There’s a brininess that encapsulates. A yearning to be effervescent, like its Pét-Nat cousins. The berries seep through vinegar; through stone; through dirt.
Overall: delightful, easy with a bit of funk, and can be paired with any dish— meat, fish, or veggie.
You can’t have a Christmas dinner without Burgundy.
This bottle is severely underrated.
Domaine Chandon de Briailles @chandon.de.briailles showcases the delicate notes of Pinot Noir: a lovely fresh raspberry note encompassed by a soft creaminess.
It is stunning. Who knew you could find a Premier Cru Burgundy for under $80!
Highly recommend.
An absolutely delightful sparkling Albariño from Carboniste.
Perfectly effervescent, with notes of toasted baguette, roasted pineapple, and kaffir lime leaves.
The biggest surprise? It hails from California.
Found at @liquidassetsbklyn .
Come Together by Old Westminster Winery.
I’m not usually the biggest fan of Piquettes, but this one is nice.
It falls a little apart at first, but don’t be fooled! Piquettes are lower ABV and usually need a moment to open up.
Decanted ~in bottle~ for an hour:
This wine has a subtle effervescence on the tongue. Delightful.
On the nose, rich red berry.
On the palate, a tartness that is a little confusing. I appreciate a good tart wine, but I have trouble enjoying it when found in a red wine. This is a tartness that ensues even passed the heavy ripened berry notes.
Overall notes of raspberry jam, kaffir lime, a reminiscence of Lemonhead sour candy, and an underlying note of buckwheat.
5/10 for wine. 10/10 for piquette.
This bottle was special.
Initial notes of dark red raspberries with a subtle astringency of cranberry sauce.
Youthful.
On the palate, the first sip is reminiscent of a freshly opened pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes and the feeling of maturity as a young teenager.
Round.
The mouthfeel is plush, with soft streaks of satin along the roof of the mouth.
Complex.
The flavor complexity is garnered by a heavy layer of salinity that balances the dark fruit and toasted tobacco aromas.
Not entirely affordable, but the truest delight.
Found at Little West Wine & Spirits for $109. For this quality of Burgundy, and in celebration of a special event, the cost was absolutely worth the experience of the bottle.
Self-Isolation during a time of quarantine is made of a lot of wine and a lot of books. So naturally, I’ve started pairing both works of art.
I started with genres:
Burgundy, red or white, pairs wonderfully with poetry.
With the dry astringency of Sauvignon Blanc comes biographies of the late and greats.
But now I’m taking down a stack of books from the shelf, and pairing the day’s bottle with a random book from the pile.
Take this rich Washington State blend for example. It’s a blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre; a series called Board Track Racer, The Shift, a 2016 vintage by Mark Ryan Winery. It’s bold, with notes of cassis, red cherry, leather, and smoked meats. It’s nearly a meal in a bottle. And at 14.7% ABV, it’s an all-nighter.
I paired it with a book by Albert Camus titled Notebooks 1935-1942.
This is the passage that struck me during the first glass: “November 1939:
Letter to a man in despair.
You write that you are overwhelmed by the war, that you would agree to die, but that what you cannot bear is this universal stupidity, this bloodthirsty cowardice, and this criminal simplemindedness which still believes that human problems can be solved by the shedding of blood.
I read and understand you.”
.
.
This is the line that struck me during the second glass: “Politics can never be the subject of poetry.”
.
Bold. Like the wine in the glass, the bottle from Washington, and the collective similarities between both works of art.
