We probably won’t see snow like the picture above in Portland, but if we do, we want to make sure you are stocked up on wine. We have a few wine packs for you today, to help lift the spirits and bring a bit more joy to the season.
First off we have our Holiday Sipper 6-Pack. 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 are great to share. Each are approachable, but also have a twist, be it an elegant sparkling wine 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.
Next up is a duo of Bubbly wines abounding in value. Great sparkling wine is made not just in Champagne, but all over France, and across the globe in fact. This duo of wines is incredibly well made and super delicious. They are worthy of big celebrations, but are not so dear that you need to think twice about popping one before New Year’s.
Finally we have a 6-pack we are calling “A Grand Winter Dinner.” This is a selection of bottles from our cellar that really speak to us this time of year. This pack will surely help bring on the celebration!
For other Holiday Gifts, Wine and otherwise, check out our pop-up shop at Canard!
TO ORDER select your wine bundle of choice, follow the steps to securely order your wine. All payments will be processed ahead of time through our website.
Once you order they will be available for pickup at Le Pigeon Tuesday through Saturday, beginning on Wednesday, December 16th, from 12:00pm to 4:00pm. You can pick them up from our front door, or we can bring them out to your car. If those times do not work for you, please let us know and we can arrange an alternative. Shipping is available as well. Please call after placing your order.
We are all in this together, and when you’re drinking good stuff, well hey, you’re keeping it classy.
Holiday (Christmas) Sipper 6-Pack, $125
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 sparkling wine 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.
Bubbly on a Budget Duo, 2-Pack, $50
At holidays and celebrations Champagne is often the go to beverage, but it’s the bubbles that set it apart and make the celebration! Great sparkling wine is made not just in Champagne, but all over France, and across the globe in fact. This duo of wines is incredibly well made and super delicious. They are worthy of big celebrations, but not so dear that you think twice if you pop one before New Year’s. Pop the corks and let the sparkles pour!
Bugey Montagnieu Brut, Méthode Traditionelle, Famille Peillot, (’17), Savoie
Franck Peillot is the fifth generation to work the vines and make the wines on his estate in Bugey, which lies about 60 km northeast of Lyon. The Montagnieu appellation is only about 65 acres, and is mainly known for sparkling wines. Though not vintage-dated, it is always single-vintage (in this case 2017). The blend is 40% Altesse, 30% Mondeuse, 30% Chardonnay. The vine age for all three varieties averages 30 years, with some plots of Altesse and Mondeuse up to 60 years old. Made in the traditional (AKA Champagne) method, the wine spends almost 2 years in bottle before being disgorged. It exhibits complex herbal aromas, nice lemony ripeness on the palate, and a long, dry finish that is redolent of spring flowers and mountain herbs.
Rosé Pétillant, Turbullent, Domaine Sérol, NV, Côte Roannaise, Loire Valley
This wine hails from near the headwaters of the Loire Valley nearer to Beaujolais, then to Sancerre or Vouvray. Accordingly, Gamay is the grape variety here. This wine is made in méthode ancestrale, in other words, it’s a Pet-Nat. The wine is bottle before fermentation is complete and the gas produced as the wine becomes dry gets trapped producing the bubbles. The nose is immediate and inviting with aromas of rose petals, cinnamon, red apple, and strawberry tart. Fruity on the palate, with weight and body, it’s balanced by refreshingly high acidity.
A Grand Winter Dinner, 6-Pack, $665
Back in the spring when we started doing these wine packs, we did one on a lark that was actually pretty popular we called “Wines for a Great Meal.” Now that we are in the season of big meals, we figured we would do another. We looked through our cellar and put together this 6-pack of wines that would make a great wine progression for a meal. Of course, they don’t need to be enjoyed all on the same evening, but if they were it would be quite a party – one we’d love to attend!
Extra Brut, Les Couarres, Chartogne-Taillet, 2015, Champagne
Puligny-Montrachet, 1er Cru Clos des Folatières, Domaine Paul Pernot, 2018, Burgundy
Rioja Blanco, Viña Tondonia Reserva, R. Lopez de Heredia, 2007
Charmes-Chambertin, Grand Cru, Domaine Gérard Raphet, 2015, Burgundy
