Beer

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Brasserie Dunham Saison du Pinacle, Quebec, Canada $16.49

 

Founded June 1st, 2011, Brasserie Dunham is without a doubt one Canada’s best and most progressive brewers and barrel agers.  Located in the small town of Dunham, Quebec (a town founded in 1796 by Thomas Dunn) about 90 minutes from Montreal, close to the Vermont border, Dunham is part of a community of small, rural towns, apple orchards, and cheese makers. 

 

Saison du Pinacle is a bottle-conditioned hoppy farmhouse ale brewed with rye, oats, and wheat and generously hopped with Australian and American hops. Fresh, lively, and hoppy when young, this beer also reveals a delicious brettanomyces character and farmhouse funk.

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Rosé

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2015 IBY Blaufrankisch Rose, Burgenland Austria $28.98

 

If you have yet to explore the wines of Austria, perhaps you should consider it the next destination in your continued exploration into the world of wine. The quality of wine produced in Austria has drastically improved over the last twenty years and the value to be found in the country’s indigenous varietals is both fascinating and delicious. 

 

IBY Winery, located in the famous wine village of Horitschon in Mittelburgenland, Austria, cultivates approximately sixteen hectares of vineyard land and is considered one of the premier Blaufrankisch producers. Anton Iby (5th generation currently in charge of the estate) is a young and passionate winemaker with youthful energy and together with his father’s extensive experience produces wines of terroir, power, elegance and aging potential.  Unlike many producers cultivating Gruner Veltliner, a white Austrian varietal recently attracting a well deserved spotlight in the U.S., the IBY family focuses solely on red varietals. 

 

The 2015 IBY Blaufrankisch Rose, made from high quality estate grown grapes, is quite possibly one of the best rose’s of the season.  The continuity between the nose and the palate is remarkable; the delicate creaminess on the nose translating into a smoothness and finesse on the palate.  Strawberries, red apple, fresh pink and red roses, and crème fraiche aromas lead you to red current, green apple, watermelon, and a hint of white pepper on the palate.  A smooth silky body beautifully balances the wine’s fresh acidity. 

 

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White

 

2014 ColleStefano, Verdicchio di Matelica, Marche, Italy $28.98

 

The little town of Matelica is in the Marche region of Italy, just east of Umbria. This region produces fine, mineral driven wines crafted from the Verdicchio grape. Further inland and at a higher elevation than the more common Verdicchio di Castelli di Jesi, Matelica tends to produce brighter and more elegant wines whereas the Castelli di Jesi wines often have more fruit and heft. 

 

Prior to taking over the family estate in 1998, Fabio Marchionni pursued a well rounded path in his pursuits within the wine industry.  Marchionni obtained a degree in agriculture upon completing his thesis on Verdicchio di Matelica, labored in Germany where he learned to farm organically with minimal impact to the environment and briefly worked in wine bars and restaurants. 

 

Farming only 15 hectares, Marchionni’s ColleStefano is textbook for the Matelica style producing bright and crisp wines with floral notes and a hint of pine.  100% estate fruit, grown organically, ColleStefano Verdicchio is medium-bodied with crisp acidity and excellent structure. Apricots, peaches, minerals, mint, almonds and flowers all make an appearance in this delicate, expressive wine.

 

2014 Domaine d’Aupilhac, ‘Les Cocalieres’ Blanc, Languedoc, France $40.98

 

Located in the village of Montpeyroux in the Languedoc region of southern France, the eighteen hectare, Domaine d’Aupilhac has been farmed by the Fadats family since the nineteenth century with the vineyards dating even further back in time to the Romans. In 1989, Sylvain Fadat took over the estate and the process of converting the property to organics whereby he is fully credited with the wines we are fortunate enough to enjoy today.

 

Aupilhac is very a special parcel of land, sitting at a high altitude of 1,200 feet above sea level with southwest sun exposure, nestled below the ruins of the village’s chateau.  In addition, the single vineyard Cocalieres is planted on the site of ancient lake formed after the eruption of a volcano, resulting in a rich bed of limestone and basalt.  From this vineyard all of the grapes are hand harvested, vinified separately with indigenous yeast fermentation, and the red wines are aged for thirteen or fourteen months in older barrels.

 

A tasty blend of 30% Roussanne, 30% Vermentino, 20% Grenache Blanc and 20% Marsanne, this wine displays notes of white flowers, peaches, quince, dried fruit and white pepper on the nose accompanied by hints of honey, citrus, and minerality on the palate.

 

2013 Bedrock, Compagni Portis White Heritage Blend, Sonoma, California $51.98

 

Bedrock Wine Co. was founded in 2007 by Morgan Twain-Peterson in a 550 square-foot, former chicken coop with 8 foot ceilings and no fermentation space. After six years of Bedrock being a one-man-show, Morgan was able to talk his best friend, Chris Cottrell, into moving to California from New York to join him. They now happily have a little more space to move around in but share the same objectives that guided the winery at the start: to channel the fruit of ancient vines into powerful, elegant, and distinctly Californian wines.  Planted in 1954, the Compagni Portis vineyard is organically dry-farmed under the guidance of organic guru Phil Coturri. The head-trained vines are a palate of fascinating white varietals—Gewürtzraminer, Trousseau Gris, Riesling, Burger, and some that remain unidentified—producing stingy yields of under one ton per acre.   The resulting wine is exotic and aromatic, dense and totally unconventional. It is as unique as the vineyard from which it comes. – Brett Zimmerman

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Red

 

2013 Domaine de Fondreche, Ventoux Rouge, Rhone Valley, France $22.98

 

Domaine de Fondrèche is the premier producer of wines from Ventoux. Currently Sébastian Vincenti oversees all viticultural and enological activity. His mother Nanou purchased the property in 1973 - and since Sébastian’s return from apprenticeship at Domaine Andre Brunel, the estate has seen a meteoric rise to recognition. The estate is certified organic and practicing biodynamic. Among many a myriad of modern vinification techniques, the estate has introduced the use of concrete, ovoid fermentation tanks. The vineyards are located on the western slope of Mt. Ventoux, largely shielded from the Mistral. The blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah, 10% Mouvedre is hand harvested before a month long fermentation in tank. All wines are fermented with native yeast and aged in equal parts stainless steel, concrete eggs, and large oak foudres for one year. – Brett Zimmerman

 

2015 Abbazia di Novacella, Schiava, Alto Adige, Italy $28.98

 

Founded in 1142 by the Augustinian Order, the Abbazia Di Novacella is located in the town of Novacella within the Alto Adige region of northeastern Italy.  The estate is run by Monks that have taken vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to their superiors while also working to support themselves as part of their community.  The Abbey grows grapes for winemaking, farms apples and vegetables, and also maintains a small school devoted primarily to studies of viticulture. With a stellar reputation in the winemking community (2009 the Abbey’s enologist won winemaker of the year), the estate produces outstanding red and white wines. 

 

Schiava, also known as Trollinger, is an Italian and German grape varietal (Trentino-Alto Adige was once land owned by the Germans).  Cultivated on mineral rich soils at high elevation with a cool climate, the Abbey produces wines with intense aromas and flavors and bright, fruity acidity. 

 

A classic young Italian red, this wine has notes of thyme and nutmeg dust, a tart cherry core with crushed strawberry and orange zest and a delcious finish with hints of leather, tobacco leaf, and gentian. Great food pairing wine!

 

2014 Forlorn Hope, ‘The Kerrigans’ Carignan, Mendocino, California $41.98

 

As the winemaker, Matthew Rorick, writes on his website, “Rare creatures from appellations unknown and varieties uncommon, these wines are our brave advance party, our pride and joy – our Forlorn Hope.” Forlorn Hope, taken from the Dutch ‘verloren hoop’, meaning ‘lost troop,’ was the name given to the band of soldiers who volunteered to lead the charge directly into enemy defenses. 

 

Matthew may also have been considered a long shot in his youth. Born in Oceanside, California, he was your quintessential, weed smoking, skater, surf bum who became quite good at the sports and told his mother he was never going to college. As most young people do, he changed his mind but couldn’t admit to his mother his turn of thought, so he joined the navy to pay for his education.  His introduction to wine came from a lengthy amount of time spent with his grandfather, who had a fairly extensive collection and knowledge of wine. Eventually he made his way to UC Davis where he acquired a dual degree in viticulture and enology. In the proceeding years, he spent his time bouncing between the northern and southern hemisphere as a cellar hand and eventually came back to Sonoma to work as a winemaker where he was offered his first opportunity to make his own wine. 

 

Rorick is now one of the pioneers of California’s wine renaissance, focusing on old forgotten vineyards and odd varieties of California’s past. On offer for this dinner is his single vineyard Carignan planted in the early 1940’s and cultivated by the Kerrigans Family in Mendocino County. Layered with bright red fruits, dried cranberries, raspberry, and an earthy nose of baking spices, cured meat and tobacco leaf, this textured wine with a slight tannin presence will sing with fresh vegetables and meats. 

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