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Sparkling wine from across Burgundy.

Region-specific.  In Burgundy, it’s unusual to find a wine that seeks to represent the region as a whole. Winemakers here understand and highlight the differences between wines from adjoining plots of land. Some vignerons bottle six or more different wines, all from vines within a mile of each other.

The Louis Picamelot family, sparkling wine producers in Rully, make different wines in both of these styles – terroir-specific and region-specific. Today we’re focusing on their region-specific style: Picamelot’s Crémant Blanc de Blancs Brut.

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All three grapes.  With this cuvée, winemaker Phillipe Chautard has set out to create a wine that represents the region of Burgundy as a whole. He draws from Burgundy’s three main grapes, grown across three different sections of Burgundy: blending Pinot Noir from the Côte de Nuits, Chardonnay from the Côte de Beaune, and Aligoté from the Côte Chalonnaise.

The result is a wine that is balanced and floral, showing faint exotic fruits and clean lemon in the nose. Soft bubbles and a light acidity make this wine dangerously easy to quaff on its own. It should pair well with vegetables, including the ever-hard-to-match asparagus. And at nearly a quarter the price of good grower champagne, this is as easy on the wallet as it is to drink.


PICAMELOT BLANC DE BLANCS
Ansonia Retail: $22
offer price: $18.5/bot

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Grapefruits and Gourmands: Sancerre

A wine for gourmands.  Wine writer Lettie Teague describes Sancerre as a wine about “pleasure and not profundity.” And though we’ve certainly had memorable bottles of Sancerre, it’s true that the wine shows a certain joie de vivre – more gourmand than gourmet.

For us, a glass of Sancerre calls to mind a large bowl of mussels in a Parisian bistro rather than a Michelin-starred white tablecloth. It’s a wine so easy to like that sommeliers often avoid offering it by-the-glass, for fear it will outsell everything else. And our favorite Sancerre comes from the Domaine Bellecours.

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A hint of Chablis.  Sancerre is from the Loire Valley, but geographically it is closer to Chablis than to many of its fellow Loire wines. Though Sancerre calls to mind more grapefruit than lemon, the same unoaked purity and clarity can be found in both places; and both wines echo the rocky visual landscapes of their origin.

This is an elegant wine of pure Sauvignon Blanc – lots of roundness but with brisk acidity as well. It is a fantastic food wine (thus popular among our sommelier clients), and would be at home next to anything from a bowl of mussels, to a plate of sushi, to a grilled fish.


BELLECOURS SANCERRE 2012
Ansonia Retail: $28
offer price: $25/bot
case price: $22.95/bot         use code “GOURMAND”

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