THURSDAY NIGHT TASTING 6-8 PM: KATE NORRIS IN THE HOUSE!!!!
We are always so excited to have a visit from Kate and/or Tom from Portland-based Division Winemaking Company! And even better, Kate is here with brand new wine hot off the press... or should I say truck? Either way, you don't want to miss tasting the 2017 vintage of some our very favorite wines in the world! Plus cheese and bread, cuz DANDY LOVES YOU!!!!
L'ISLE VERTE 2017 CHENIN BLANC, COLUMBIA VALLEY
CHENIN CHENIN CHENIN! WE LOVE CHENIN. LET'S MAKE THIS SUMMER 'THE SUMMER OF CHENIN'! Can we please? Let's start tonight with this one...
L'Isle Verte (The Green Island) is made from old-vine Chenin farmed in the Yakima Valley where the wild mix of soil types make for complex flavors. Tom and Kate learned how to make wine in France, so this isn't a fatty flabby Chenin we're talking about. Remarkable freshness, snappy acidity, and an elegance that makes you wonder where that last glass went. You may want to stock-pile this wine, as one of these is never enough. A beautiful collage of yellow fruit (peach, white plum, lemon, quince) and a subtle beeswax-y finish keeps the balance in check. Drink with a rampy spring pasta dish with piles of parmesan or chicken and broccoli take-out. Don't matter what it is, L'Isle Verte will make your meal better. $27
LES PETITS FERS 2017 GAMAY, OREGON
GAMAY ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. That's what we say, anyway. Ha!
Kate & Tom studied winemaking in Beaujolais, where Gamay is KING and their deep understanding of these wines are on full display here. Sourced from several different growing regions scattered around Western Oregon, this gorgeous Gamay is created using a mixture of carbonic and traditional fermentation techniques to create a rare and beautiful balance. A real winemaker's wine. That BBQ pork sandwich wants to go on a Tinder date with this beauty.
Division tasting notes: "This wine demonstrates classic Gamay sensibilities, with intense strawberries and raspberries, black pepper, and dark earthy warm earth tones. The palate is mineral rich and intense in mixed berries, with funky exotic spices tea notes and a lighter and ethereal texture. Designed to be a drink earlier wine, the 2017 “Les Petits Fers” is roaring out of the gate and ready for quaffing. $28
And then what we've all been waiting for... the second-ever vintage of Dandelion Wine's very own rosé made for us by Division Winemaking Company. ROLLING SUMMER 2017 GAMAY ROSÉ was a result of Lily wanting to make a rosé (or at least collaborate with an awesome winemaker or 2, enter Tom and Kate) for Dandelion Wine exclusively. When coming up with a name for it, it was pretty simple. The previous year she found herself at a Rolling Stones bar in Paris ('Some Girls Bar' on Rue du Lappe) with Dandelion's beloved Tom and Meg... they brainstormed an idea of opening a wine bar in Greenpoint that ONLY played the Rolling Stones or Donna Summer. Silly idea maybe, but the bar's name was decided on Rolling Summer! That bar never happened, and neither Tom nor Meg work at Dandelion anymore, but that memory of us together in the city of lights will live forever. And this wine is a symbol of that moment. That said, this Gamay Rosé is lip-smacking love juice with wonderful lively acidity and gobs of strawberry and rhubarb fruit. Come taste the love. $25
**This is a preview tasting tonight as we only have a case of this wine on hand until next week...when we will be pouring it again...and selling it to the masses!
