Bird Box Menu December 5th + Holiday Boxes On Sale Sunday
New Bird Box Menu Alert!
Introducing a brand new menu from the Le Pigeon kitchen, available for pickup on December 5th. We are preparing a limited number of Bird Box meal kits for two each week! Order yours and fly over for pick up, Saturday from 12 to 4 p.m.
This week’s menu features a Butter Lettuce Salad; Cassoulet; Citrus Glazed Carrots; and Pumpkin Spice Cake for dessert ($80 for two people).
The Bird Boxes will open for ordering beginning this Sunday at noon (available until sold out) for a Saturday, December 5th pickup, between 12 and 4 p.m. at Le Pigeon.
Andy’s Wine Pairings
Add a bottle (or two) of handpicked wines from our wine director to your Bird Box meal.
Grenache Blanc & Gris, D18, Olivier Pithon, 2018, Roussillon $46
Olivier Pithon has a small Domaine in the Roussillon of Southern France. The climate is Mediterranean and the grapes are given a little relief during the hot summers by the powerful Tramanote wind; the influences of which are similar to the mistral in the Rhône – a cooling influence. This cuvée gets its name from the road that runs next to the vines. The biodynamically farmed Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris are fermented in large foudré with minimal sulfur use. This wine has lots of texture and minerality and smells of grapefruit, pear, and fennel. Very unique and delicious, and a white that has the power to match Cassoulet.
St. Julien en St. Alban — Serine — Dom. de Pergaud (Eric Texier) — ’12 N.Rhone $45
From 70-year-old vines of Serine, the oldest ‘clone’ of Syrah, on the west bank of the Rhône at the southernmost edge of the Northern Rhône Valley. The soils are granite and have been farmed exclusively by a protestant religious order known as D’Arbistes for ages. There has never been a chemical introduced into this vineyard. The wine shows complex, earthy aromas of blackberry, rose, black pepper and graphite with animal and smoky notes. The palate is dense and sapid with blackberry, prune, citrus and earth with a long finish with black fruit and mineral flavors. This is a bold and earthy Syrah reflecting the granite terroirs and M. Texier’s superb farming and natural vinifications. Bring on the Cassoulet!
Holiday Bird Boxes – On Sale Sunday
We’re bringing the cheer a little early this year. Announcing a very special Holiday Bird Box! This four-person box has everything you need to celebrate in style. You can order yours beginning Sunday and pick up on December 23rd from 12 to 4 p.m. Plus, we have several exciting Holiday wine packs for sale.
The Holiday menu features a Sear at Home Duck Breast; Duck Leg Confit; Black Truffle & Maple Glazed Yams; Chestnut & Mushroom; Wild Rice Gratin; Duck Liver Parfait; Radicchio Salad; and Chocolate Cherry Buche de Noel for dessert ($250 for four people).
The Bird Boxes and Holiday wine packs, will open for ordering beginning this Sunday at noon (available until sold out) for a Wednesday, December 23rd pickup, between 12 and 4 p.m. at Le Pigeon.
Holiday (Christmas) Sipper 6-pack, $125 (Available for pick up beginning 12/15)
The holiday season is upon us and drinking and sharing wine (just not with too many people, ok) just feels right. The 6 wines we selected for this seasonal sipper are wines that great to share. They each are approachable, but also have a twist be it an elegant Blanc de Noir Sparkler from Beaujolais, a Loire inspired white from the Willamette Valley, or a Bordeaux blend from northern Italy. Light a fire, pop a cork, breathe, and relax.
Brut Dentelle, Blanc deNoir, Méthode Traditionelle, Franck Besson, NV, Beaujolais
Franck Besson is an ex-history and biology professor who took over his father-in-law’s estate located in town of Julié in Beaujolais-Villages at the foothill of Cru Juliénas. He decided to innovate and produce Rosé and Blanc de Noir sparkling wines to prove the potential of Gamay grapes on the granitic slopes of Beaujolais. 100% organic and hand harvested, and employing Méthode Tradtionnelle, as they do in Champagne – they will change your opinion of Gamay forever. Dentelle” means “Lace” in French and it’s probably the best description for this wine. The granite-based soil gives the wine a mineral backbone that shines through on the pallet. The delicate flavors of white flowers and pear bring a lot of intensity and there is a dry and crisp finish balancing it all nicely.
Melon de Bourgogne, Deux Vert Vineyard, Timothy Malone, 2018 Yamhill-Carlton
Timothy Malone is a one-man operation, and his passion and hard work shows through in his wines. This wine is his ode to the Muscadet wines of the western Loire Valley, and is one of the most impressive new world examples of the Melon grape that we’ve tasted. The fruit is sourced from the Deux Vert vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA of the Willamette Valley. The wine is fermented in stainless steel and spends 13 months on its lees which adds some creamy texture to compliment the crisp nature of the Melon grape. It smells of fresh pear, lemon zest and wet rocks, with a bright and persistent finish.
Mâcon-Fuissé, Le Moulin du Pont, Vins Auvigue, 2019, Burgundy
The Auvigue family has been making wine since the 1600s, and are true specialists in Chardonnay production. Mâcon-Fuissé, located in the southern part of Burgundy, is one of few villages allowed to append their name to “Mâcon” because of the superior wines produced in the region. The fruit for this wine is sourced from vineyards with very high proportions of limestone in the soil. We think that this bottling is a true “goldilocks” Chardonnay. It’s approachable for every palate because it has power and weight, but is also chiseled by prominent acidity. It smells of green apples, lemon curd, crushed sea shells and a touch of flint. Sure to please all from the novice to connoisseur.
Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills Cuvée, Crowley Wines, 2018, Dundee Hills
Tyson Crowley brings 25 years of Willamette Valley winemaking experience to the table. He crafts wines in an elegant fashion, emphasizing freshness and purity of fruit in the finished wines. Tyson only sources dry-farmed vines, and believes strongly that long cool fermentations and aging in neutral barrels are keys to complexity. This cuvée is sourced from 3 different vineyards in the Dundee Hills and smells of black cherry, red currant, 5 spice, a touch of fall leaves. You can’t not love this wine.
Vinos de Madrid (Garnacha) Camino de Navaherreros, Bernabeleva, 2018, Spain
In 1923, Dr. Vincente Alvarez-Villamil bought land about 75 miles east of Madrid at the foot of the Sierra del Gredos mountains and planted Garnacha as part of his dream of producing great wine in the area. The next decades were not kind to the good doctor and his dreams of producing wine were sidelined. Fast forward to 2006 when two of Vincente’s great grandchildren restarted the project with the goal of eschewing trends and producing pure and mineral-driven Garnacha with the 80-year old vines their ancestor had planted. They hired Raul Perez, possibly the most respected winemaker in Spain as their consultant. This Garnacha bottling is aged in neutral oak to preserve the delicate aromatics has notes of baked strawberries, tobacco, and forest floor it is fresh and crunchy Grenache at its finest!
Vigneti delle Dolomiti, Terre di San Leonardo, 2015, Trentino-Alto Adige
Carlo Guerreri Gonzaga heads the estate, and early in his career he worked for Bordeaux legend Émile Peynaud where he developed an appreciation for fine Bordeaux. His family had been growing Cabernet Franc and Merlot for decades, popular grapes in the area from the early 19th century, but in 1974 Carlo decided to plant Cabernet Sauvignon with the goal of producing one of Italy’s great Bordeaux style wines. There is a twist though….it turns out that what was believed to be Cabernet Franc was actually Carmenére (the lesser known 6th Bordeaux grape). This bottling is a blend of 50% Cabernet, 40% Merlot and 10% Carmenére and bursts from the glass with aromas of blackberries, plum, pink peppercorn, and tobacco.
Holiday Champagne Trio 3-Pack $170 (Available for pick up beginning 12/9)
One need not wait for a celebration or holiday to drink Champagne. We always encourage some bubbles any time of year. However, if you need a calendar based excuse to drink Champagne, surely December is it. We’ve assembled 3 sparklers here that together show the breath of what the region can do. From a classically stalked Blanc de Blancs, to a Blanc de Noir that is representative of the edgy wines of Champagne’s newer class, to a rich vinous Brut Rosé. Grab a white wine glass, or even a Burgundy stem, leave your flutes in the cabinet (don’t even mention coupes), and enjoy.
Extra-Brut, Blanc de Blancs, Latitude, Larmandier-Bernier, NV, Champagne
Pierre Larmandier is one of the most meticulous vigneron in all of Champagne. He treats each vineyard differently in the cellar every year based on the conditions of the vintage. Pierre moved to organic farming when he took over the family estate in 1988 and went fully biodynamic in 1999. In the past, this cuvée was known as “Tradition”, a name chosen in the 1970’s by Pierre’s parents. The name “Latitude” was chosen to as this wine is made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes which all come from the same “latitude,” vineyards south of Vertus in the southern part of the Côte de Blancs. A generous terroir and grapes picked fully ripe: The Latitude cuvée is the festive Champagne par excellence. This non-vintage cuvée contains 40% of wines coming from the estate’s perpetual reserve started in 2004.This Champagne is broad and mouth-coating with flavors of lemon pastry and stone fruit, and the finish is bone-dry and full of chalky minerality.
Brut, Blanc de Noirs, L’Ouverture, Frederic Savart, NV, Champagne
The 10 acre domain is in the Premier Cru Village of Ecueil in the Montagne de Reims. He farms organically and treats each of his vineyards differently based on vine-age, orientation, and exposition. This cuvée is produced from 100% Pinot Noir which undergoes primary fermentation in mostly neutral oak barrels and some steel. A key component of Savart’s style is that he stops his wines from undergoing malolactic fermentation which gives them electric energy and brightness. He also chooses to age his wines under cork as opposed to crown cap which is practiced by only a few vigneron in the region. This process is more expensive but he believes it helps preserve the purity of his wines. A strong sense of minerality balances the prominent fruit tones of Fuji apple, pear, and the pretty floral notes.
Brut Rosé, Grand Cru Ambonnay, H. Billiot NV, Champagne
Laetitia Billiot is the fourth generation to helm her families’ winery that owns 5 hectares exclusively in the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay, which is known for the supreme quality of its Pinot Noir fruit. Nearly all of the 18 vineyard parcels are located in the mid-slope which are the most coveted vineyard sights in the village. This bottling is comprised of 70% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay both of which are fermented in stainless steel, the remaining 10% is still, red, Pinot Noir which lends color and body to the final blend. This is a great Rosé to drink in the winter time, it is rich and vinous with lots of depth. The fruit smells of black cherries and raspberries and is lifted by bright citrus notes.
All of the meals will include 3-courses, a fancy salad for assembling at home, a protein with sides packed ready for re-heating, and dessert. Each box is designed to be heated at home and will generously feed two humans.
Dishes will vary each week.
All boxes are nut free, but we are unable to accommodate any further dietary restrictions or modifications at this time.
Le Pigeon will be following strict safety procedures, and will offer curbside pickup or will bring the meal to your car.
Please visit www.lepigeon.com or order and follow along on social media for the latest information @lepigeonpdx.
Pick up will occur at Le Pigeon, located at 738 E Burnside St. Portland, OR 97214 on Saturdays between 12 and 4 p.m.
