Welcome to the first Curated Wine Packs email directly from us at Flor Wines.
Le Pigeon & Friends were kind enough to send out the last one for us, but now we have our email system all squared away. We are settling into our new space (see above) and hope you’ll come by soon to check it out. Perhaps, when you pick up a wine pack! This month we have 4 Curated Wine Packs for sale. A 6-bottle sipper pack focused on entertaining, and entertaining the hosts, too. We also have three sparkling 3-bottle packs. First is a trio of incredible ‘non-Champagne’ Sparklers, then a trio of our favorite Champagnes for the holidays season, and finally a trio of extra special Champagnes for next level celebration.
All the wine packs can be picked up from Flor Wines (825 NW Glisan Street) Tuesday through Saturday from 11am to 7pm. Local delivery is also available. Packs will be ready beginning Thursday the 9th.
December Holiday Sipper (6 bottles, $125)
Celebrating well, entertaining, and hosting guests all require some planning, prepping, and imbibing, and we have a pack in mind for that. This collection has a little something for everyone; a refreshing white to cool the hot kitchen, a tasty Bordeaux for traditional Uncle Frank, and a wild Malbec from a winemaker shaking up the norm in Cahors for his hipster son. Another richer white and red for the chilly nights, and finally a deep red dessert wine from Banyuls for drinking while you ignore the fruit cake that no one really wants anyway. Happy Holidays!
Touraine Sauvignon Blanc, Le Petiot, Domaine Ricard, 2020, Loire Valley, FR
Grapes have been grown on the property for 5 generations, but it’s only this generation that has been bottling the wines themselves instead of selling to the co-op. 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Hand harvested from 30-year old vines, aged mostly in stainless-steel tanks with about 20% is aged in neutral barrels. Bright citrus aromas (grapefruit, lemon) along with a savory herbal touch. Great balance of fruit and acidity.
Côtes Catalanes Blanc (Macabeu/Grenache Blanc & Gris) Mon P’tit Pithon, Olivier Pithon, 2020, Roussillon, FR
Olivier began tending his family’s vines at the young age of 14 in the Loire valley. Craving broader winemaking knowledge, Olivier left the Loire for Bordeaux four years later, which led him to other internships in Jurançon and Beaujolais. In 2000 Olivier settled in Calce, a small village in the Pyrénées-Orientales in southern France. Vines grow in limestone and schist soils. The juice is fermented in steel and aged in large neutral demi-muids (big old barrels) for 8 months. This fruit-forward and palate-coating white wine shows flavors of juicy pear, stone fruit, verbena and wet rocks.
Graves (Cab Sauv/Merlot), Château de Janicon, 2018, Bordeaux, FR
We often forget that Bordeaux is more than super expensive 1st growth Château and cheap wine for French supermarkets. There is a ton of interesting wine there, and a lot of it represents a ton of classy value. This area of Bordeaux’s name points to its terroir strength: “graves” describes a gravely terrain. This wine is 52% Cabs Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, and 4% Petit Verdot. The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed, and fermented (by grape variety and parcel). Aromas of black cherries and plums, ripe cassis and herbal notes. Full-bodied and smooth ripe tannins, and a lightly spiced finish.
(Cahors) (Malbec), Haute Côt(e) de Fruit, Fabian Jouves, 2020, Sud-Ouest, FR
Fabien Jouves has been shaking up Cahors with the wines he makes from his meticulously farmed vineyards in the Cahors region of Southwest France since 2006. His focus is making wines that are fun to drink and terroir driven. He’s not constrained by past traditions for the region of Cahors or the Malbec grape. The primary grape varietal of the region is Côt, otherwise known as Malbec, hence the playful name of the wine. This wine is neither like the familiar Malbecs or Argentina, nor is it akin to the bold, tannic, earthy wines traditional to the Cahors appellation. This wine is packed with crunchy juicy fruit and savory spice. Just damn yummy!
Puglia Rosso (Montepulciano/Sangiovese/Nero di Troia), Nellamiaterra, Antica Enotria, ’19, IT
This is a wine for a chilly night. The name Nellamiaterra, translates into ‘in my land’ and this wine blends the estate’s main red varieties for a rich, but vibrant, expression of their land. Deeply fruited with a sun baked goodness. Hints of savory herbs and spice. Full bodied, but with approachable tannins.
Banyuls, Thérèse Reig, Domaine de la Rectorie, 2017, Roussillon, FR 500ml
Banyuls sits just north of Spain near France’s Mediterranean coast. The vines grow on terraced slopes soaking up the warm sun. Lightly fortified to 16.5%, made from old-vine Grenache with a bit of Carignan. Fruity with dark notes of red berries and plums, cocoa and dark baking spices. A killer pairing with rich desserts from chocolate, to toffee pudding, to the season’s fruit cake. Really good with blue cheese too. We don’t often include sweet wines in the packs, but December is the month for it, if ever there is one.
A Rose by Any Other Name…Sparkling Trio (3 bottles, $75)
These are not all pink sparklers, rather this trio is meant to highlight the incredible quality and deliciousness you can find in sparkling wines beyond the borders of Champagne. Even if you can’t call it Champagne, it’s still a stellar Sparkler.
Cava Reserva Brut Nature, Mirgin, Alta Alella, 2017, Catalunya, ES
When we first tasted this wine, we put our glasses down and stared at each other. We could not believe the complexity and grace it presented, and then when we heard the price we were floored – no pun intended. Alta Alella is right on the outskirts of Barcelona and is a family run, completely organic winery. The grapes are the traditional ones; Xarel-lo, Macabeau, and Parelleda. The wine spends over 40 months aging on its lees, which is an incredible length of time for a Cava. These bubbles will help usher in the celebration with aromas of white peach, flowers, hay, and almonds.
Méthode Traditionelle Extra Brut, Quartier Libre, Parigot & Richard, 2018, Burgundy, FR
Crémant de Bourgogne, or bubbly Burgundy, is usually an extra wine that wineries make for fun and variety, but for Parigot & Richard it is all about the bubbles, it’s all they do. This wine is made from 100% Aligoté from vines that are 20 to 50 years old. Fermented in steel and in the bottle for 18 months on the lees. Great orchard fruit tones, and mid palate texture, followed by lively acidity and minerality.
Brut Rosé (Pinot Noir/Chasselas), Spark, The Eyrie Vineyards, NV, Dundee Hills, OR
Eyrie Vineyards is one of the, if not the, trailblazing producer of the Willamette Valley. Well known for their Pinot, Chard, and Gris, there’s a bunch more popping up at Eyrie, Chasselas, Trousseau, and other new grape varieties and styles. This one may be the wildest. A blend of mostly Pinot Noir, with Chasselas Doré, and a touch of Pinot Blanc. The wine is powerful with red fruit, orange peel, and a real dry presence. Marvelous with a lot of dishes, and even meatier ones.
Straight to the Bubbly Source…Champagne Trio (3 bottles, $160) Extra Brut, Blanc de Blancs, Grand Cru, Téthys.18, Guiborat, (2018)
This winery has really been on our minds lately…. maybe because we popped one of these bottles two nights ago, and again last night, so damn tasty. Guiborat wines are chock full of energy and elegance. This cuvée is 100% Chardonnay. Sourced from 4 parcels in Grand Cru villages in the Cote de Blancs. Chalk is the dominant soil type in all his parcels. Aged for a minimum of 30 months on the lees in the chalk cellars beneath the winery. Tethys – named after the Greek goddess of the sea and the name of the ancient ocean which previously covered Champagne. The wine is based on the 2018 vintage. Lovely bright apple and citrus, with incisive minerality. A stellar start to an evening.
Extra Brut, Blanc de Noirs, Francis Orban, NV
Careful, this one disappears out of your glass quickly. Note too that this Orban is of no relation to the autocratic Hungarian leader, sorry Tucker Carlson. From a very early age, Francis Orban knew he’d follow in the family tradition of tending Pinot Meunier vines on the sandy, clay-rich soils of the Marne Valley. This is the part of Champagne where Meunier reigns supreme. 100% Meunier fermented in steel, and undergoes malolactic fermentation, then 3 years on lees. Aromas of orchard fruit, light herbs, brioche, and exotic spice. Fruity and juicy, with ripe citrus notes. Vibrant and very long.
Brut Nature Rosé, Grand Cru, Shaman 17, B. Marguet, (2017)
Benoît Marguet’s wines always express elegance and purity. A big believer in biodynamic farming, his focus is the vineyards. He prefers to ferment the wines in neutral oak and allows malo, employs very little sulphur, and believes in long healthy rests for the wines on the lees in bottle. The ’17 based wine is 59% Chardonnay and 41% Pinot Noir, and spends 28 months on the lees. Labeled Extra Brut but this is actually Brut Nature with 0g dosage. Aromas of sweet berries, spices, orange and dried flowers. It is medium to full-bodied, pillowy and charming, with bright acids, chalky structure and an elegant mousse.
Up to the Next Level…Champagne Trio (3 bottles, $245) Brut Nature, Blanc de Blancs, 1er cru Terre de Vertus, Larmandier-Bernier, 2012
This is one of the most respected grower-producers of the Côtes de Blancs region of Champagne, and while well-known among Champagne cognoscenti, they are not as broadly known as some other houses…. And that is a-ok for us. This is our favorite bottling they produce. The Terre de Vertus is only made in certain years and is always a vintage wine and made with no dosage. Words will hardly do this wine justice, but try we shall. Notes of both fresh citrus and citrus oil, a pronounced sea shell chalkiness, and the slightest notes of brioche, more from the age than anything else. Mineral-laden and bright on the finish, the midpalate first coats the palate in suave bubbles.
Brut, Blanc de Noirs, Grand Cru Ambonnay, Eric Rodez, NV
Combine organically farmed grapes from the Grand Cru village of Ambonnay with a precise and creative mind that blended for Krug before setting off on his own, and you have Champagne Eric Rodez. Interested? All Pinot Noir blended from 5 to 6 vintages vinified in 70% in small barrels. This champagne has a sustained gold color. The powerful nose is marked by red fruits with hints of dried fruit, and orange peel; there is a touch of delicate flower-like chamomile as well. The palate is long and rich, but with vibrant freshness on the back end. Each sip is new to the last.
Extra Brut Rosé, 1er Cru Vieilles Vignes, Bulle de Rosé, Frederic Savart, NV
Frédéric Savart comes from a long line of winemakers and has been in charge of the domaine since 2005. Savart works almost exclusively with Pinot Noir in the Montagne de Reims. This ‘Bulle de Rosé’ is approximately 2/3 Pinot Noir and 1/3 Chardonnay with a small amount of still red Pinot Noir added. Aromas of sliced strawberries and cherry pith, rose petal, wet stones, and phyllo dough. Compact and lively bubbles, vinous texture and a persistent mouth-watering acidity. Racy, mineral forward, opulent and elegant. Our favorite rosé this season.
