Wine
Reviews:
2019
December 31, 2019
Abbazia San Giorgio - Lustro
Alright folks, here it is, sneaking in one last one before the new year comes around. We were kindly showed to this bottle whilst chatting with one of the team members over at Rimessa Roscioli in Rome a few months back. Some of you may know the island of Pantelleria just West of Sicily, where the ever illustrious Gabriel Bini of Azienda Agricola Serragghia (yes the big arrow) works his magic. Battista Belvisi farms his 3.5 hectares of vines biodynamically, and with the same intensity and respect as his fellow island winemakers.
This Catarratto smells like sweet elderflower and tastes like tea and honey. A sort of all-healing chamomile that will nurse any bad out of you. So if you’re feeling a little worn out from all that gravy (baby), grab your handy rare bottle of Pantellerian nectar and you’ll be right back to feeling 100 in no time.
🍷 Abbazia San Giorgio - Lustro
🍇 Catarratto
🇮🇹 Pantelleria, Italy
🚢 Imported by: Vadim?
🛒 Private Import
The process, in the words of the winemaker:
“The processing generally begins in the second ten days of September when the grapes that have reached the desired ripeness are harvested. The selected and cut grapes are transported in boxes in the cellar where destemming and crushing takes place. The fermentation takes place spontaneously by the indigenous yeasts present in the skins, inside steel tanks. The maceration fermentation lasts for a few days, depending on the degree of intensity of color that you want to give to the wine. During processing there is no correction or addition of other substances, not even sulfur dioxide.”
December 20, 2019
Cascina Tavijn - Bianca 2017
Set yourself down by the fire and open up a bottle of beatitude, also known as a Cascina Tavijn’s Bianca 2018. You deserve this moment. Peace during the holidays is a rare occasion. Take full advantage of it. Something this fresh and juicy will even have you singing louder than your aunt’s “special” eggnog recipe can. Golden grass and smooth notes of tea and bay leaf make for an elegant sidekick to your holiday moments of bliss (or whirlwinds of people and food).
🍷 Cascina Tavijn - Bianca 2017
🍇 Moscato, Cortese, Chardonnay, Sauvignon rosa, Vermentino
🇮🇹 Asti, Piemonte, Italy
🚢 Imported by: @oenopole
🛒 Private Import
Bianca is the result of an unusual blend of native varieties, Moscato and Cortese with Chardonnay. Made from spontaneous fermentation with a short maceration on the skins, it is a true representation of the bottled freshness Nadia Verrua and her family have been making for over a century. Ten hectares of organically farmed vines and hazelnut trees make up the estate. Wild yeasts and healthy grapes go into big old botti, fibreglass and cement tank for a pure expression of the local varieties.
December 12, 2019
Cascina Zerbetta - Shan Pan 2017
Who needs Champagne when you have Shan-Pan? A festive start to any evening, it’s a pet-nat that hits all the marks. From apples to pears, this bottle is debonair (shout out to googling “rhymes with pear”). Peachy zing for your yultide swing. It’s the perfect way to wet your palate before the holiday season.
🍷 Cascina Zerbetta - Shan Pan 2017
🍇 Sauvignon Blanc
🇮🇹 Monteferrato, Piedmont, Italy
🚢 Imported by: @agencelaqv
🛒 Available
Cascina Zerbetta is a small organic estate out of Monteferranto in the beautiful Piemonto region of North-Western Italy. Run by the great Paolo Malfatti, the estate farms seven hectares, of which only four are dedicated to vines, the rest is for hazelnuts to be sold locally. The vinification is all natural with little to no addition of sulfur. The grapes are destemmed, pressed, then fermented on their natural yeasts for 2 weeks in steel tanks. After 5 months in fine lees, the wine is refermented in the bottle by using must from late harvest grapes. And voila, natural bubbles, nothing added!
November 26, 2019
Cantina Indigeno - Vino Rosso 2017
Like a candied apple at the town's summer fair, one glass of @cantinaindigeno ‘s 2017 Vino Rosso in your hand will bring you considerable childlike joy. Joy only matched by cotton candy, roller coaster, warm breezes and perfect sunsets. And just like that exact moment when the sun is at just the right height for a picture, the bottle disappears ~real~ quick. So quick you just may miss it, and you won't have any more light to show off the shimmering-ruby-redness of the bottle and it will just show up as purple. But, that is beside the point. The point, is that this is some seriously electrifying stuff that will thoroughly thrill you. And a fresh batch just arrived from @martin_juneau (Volet Importation). You can get your hands on some if you act quick.
🍷 Cantina Indigeno - Vino Rosso 2017
🍇 Montepulciano
🇮🇹 Abruzzo, Italy
🚢 Imported by: #Voletimportation - @martin_juneau
🛒 Available at: #Voletimportation (Facebook)
Indigeno comes from the use of indigenous grapes in their wines. An effort to highlight the underused local grapes was the driving force behind their winery's creation and continued success of the four young guys behind the project. The 2018 Rosso is obtained from the spontaneous fermentation of 90% Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and 10% Trebbiano without temperature control. After 18 days of skin contact, the grapes are racked and pressed and transferred to fiberglass containers where they are aged on the lees for 8 months.
November 19, 2019
Lammidia - Anfora Rosso 2017
As we continue down memory lane through our honeymoon trip across the Southern Italy, we make it back to the Eternal City, Rome. We close our eyes and think back to our time on the rooftop of our apartment, and one wine comes to mind. The fresh bite of cranberry and cherry bursting at the seams, and mixing with the warm golden hues of last rays of sunlight bouncing off the stone walls of the homes around us. It’s just one of those magical wines that takes you to a far-away place. A place where time stops and there’s pasta all around and no one speaks English or French. And you feel alive drinking it. And the thing is alive itself too, alive with all the work and soul the winemakers breathed into it. That is what makes a good wine for us. And that is what you’ll find in Lammidia’s Anfora Rosso.
🍷 Lammidia - Anfora Rosso 2017
🍇 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
🇮🇹 Pescara, Abruzzo, Italy
🚢 Imported by: @lemoineechanson
🛒 Private Import
A young project from winemakers and old time friends (since they were 3 years old), Marco Giuliani and Davide Gentile located in the Gran Sasso National Park, about 600 meters from Civitella Casanova and Villa Celiera. The winery’s name comes from the Abruzzes dialect meaning the ‘mmidia: the envy, the evil eye. And tradition says that a wise woman would use the ancient ritual of mixing water, oil and magic formulas to get rid of them. When they made wine for the first time in 2010, fermentation would not start. Until Nonna came in with the ancient ritual, and fermentation began.
Ooooooh 🔮📿👵🏼 Nonna Power....
All the wines use little to no added sulfites, are unfined and unfiltered and represent the genuine natural grapes that grow in their vineyard.
November 13, 2019
Denavolo - Dinavolino Bianco 2016
Some wines take a hold of you, shake you and don’t let go as they corse through you. One sip of this 2016 Dinavolino threw us backwards, and we woke up on our backs, floating in the Adriatic sea, sailing our way to the shores of Monopoli, in the province of Puglia, Italy. As the waves crashed towards us, salty sea mist blurred sun rays bouncing off white Monopolitani walls. Bright notes of citrus and rosemary mixed with preserved apricot, produce one of the most electrifying wines we had in the South.
🍷 Denavolo - Dinavolino Bianco 2016
🍇 Marsanne, Ortugo
🇮🇹 Emilia-Romagna, Italy
🚢 Imported by: Primavin
🛒 Available at: Primavin.com
Behind the Denavolo name, is the man, the legend, Giulio Armani (great name, we know). Named after the mountain on which it lies, the winery has been in operation since 2005 and counts about five hectares of vines planted in the Colli Piacentini area. It‘s important to note that Giulio is a force of nature and has had a huge impact on the world of natural wine. Armani is a theorist and a scholar at heart, always experimenting: oak versus tank, parcel selection versus whole vineyard, long versus short maceration. Yet year after year, he manages to make some of the most sublime wine in the Emilia Romagna region.
Fun fact: the man is also behind the iconoclastic Ageno wines from the La Stoppa winery.
The 2017 Dinavolinos just came out and you may be able to grab a case from Primavin if you're quick. The 2017s do come with a warning though. 2017 was an extremely warm year in Emilia-Romagna and the grapes were affected quite acutely. Primavin informed us that the heat lead to early end to the alcoholic fermentation, before the grapes dried, which left more residual sugar (4-5 g/L). As a result, the malolactic fermentation took place on the sugars, which caused a rise in volatile acidity. All in all, it makes for a wild and ephemeral wine, which shouldn't be left open too long. So drink it quick!
November 5. 2019
Frank Cornelissen - Munjebel Rosso 2015 Terre Siciliane IGT
FROM THE FIERY HILLS OF MOUNT ETNA
*ahem*
(Sorry, it’s hard to contain the excitement.)
-
From the fiery hills of mount Etna, oozing down the steep volcanic slope is the deep and sumptuous one they call Munjebel.
*pause for effect*
Munjabel is truly a ‘vin vivant’, breathing and vibrating with life. The 2015 specifically (before the whole line of Munjebels was created for different parcels, ie. CS, VA, MC, etc.) brings a full arsenal of flavour. Actually — it comes in guns blazing, lock, stock and smoke-y berries, strong tannins shooting out its sides. Yet a clean acidity and soft notes of white tea and clove appear to smooth out its every move. And with a tip of its hat, it disappears just as fast as it was opened.
🍷 Frank Cornelissen - Munjebel Rosso 2015 Terre Siciliane IGT
🍇 Nerello Mascalese
🇮🇹 Sicily, Italy
🚢 Imported by: @vindamejeanne
🛒 2016 coming back to the SAQ?
The @frankcornelissen_winery wines are finally back (the Contandino briefly appeared a year and a half ago) at the SAQ. And to celebrate, we had to open one that we’d been holding onto. Frank Cornelissen is a huge deal in natural wine, let’s face it. People have different opinions about his wines but one thing is for sure, the man’s impact on the world of wine is undeniable. A purist and a perfectionist, he tends to every one of his Sicilian vines like one does a Bonsai tree.
Every bottle is another amazing discovery, and apparently always the first stand to run out of wine at a fair...
October 31, 2019
Le Coste - Rosato 2017
Seeing all that wine last week brought us back to our honeymoon trip through Puglia a few months ago, where — and this should surprise absolutely no one — wine played a key part. One of the gems we picked up in Bari (@est_vinerianaturaleconcucina )was this 2017 Rosato of the great Le Coste project. It seems like everywhere you go in Italy, Le Coste wines you will find. Gianmarco Antonuzi and Clémentine Bouvéron, the husband and wife duo behind the name, are a major part of Italy's natural wine movement.
This bottle’s tarty-peachness serenades made their way to us, carried by the warm winds of the hills of Lazio, all the way down to the ancient town of Matera, where we had stopped for a few days. We found the usual bite of Le Coste wine, but the blistering acidity could have used a little sweetness to round it out. So while we personally prefer to recommend one of their many whites, the Rosato is a treat in a region that normally goes for bigger wines.
🍷 Le Coste - Rosato 2017
🍇 Aleatico
🇮🇹 Lazio, Italy
🚢 Imported by: Agence sans nom
🛒Found almost only at restaurants: @noragrayresto & @elenamontreal
Le Coste Vineyard was founded in February 2004 with the purchase of three hectares of abandoned land known as ‘Le Coste’. What had once been a garden of vines and olives has now become a thriving and dense grape ecosystem made up of a dizzying array of indigenous varietals. And the sheer variety of wines they produce reflects that quite well. The wines are hard to come by in Quebec, but can be found in the restaurants mentioned above!
October 24, 2019
Frukstereo - Cider Revolution
As you all probably noticed, @rawwineworld is kicking off today in Montreal and guests will be expecting quite a bit of wine. But what most may not expect is that another player in the fermented beverage category (catchy, no?) may sneakily steal the show.
Enters: Frukstereo, the supernatural cider-making duo from Sweden. And if that description alone didn’t pique your curiosity, allow us to walk you through it.
Looks like an orange wine, smells and tastes like mead and sour beer, and feels absolutely fabulous in the mouth. Their “Cider Revolution” in particular is made from apples, specifically the Aroma, Gloster and Mutsu varieties, as well as Alexander Lucas pears. What they call a 100% fruit pet nat, is an energetic, fruit-driven concoction, sure to turn you onto the cider game.
🥤 Frukstereo - Cider Revolution
🍎🍐 Apple (Aroma, Gloster, Mutsu) Pear (Alexander Lucas)
🇸🇪 Scania, Sweden
🚢 Imported by: @wardetassocies
🛒 Private import
Fairly young, @fruktstereo have been at it since 2016 and have already made bigger waves than virtually anyone in the cider game. They will be at Raw Wine today and Friday and you can find us creepily hanging out by their booth. 🙃
October 20, 2019
Meinklang - Nacht
Like a deep red ruby fished out of shallow waters in the middle of the night, Meinklang’s Nacht glimmers back at you, almost sucking in the light. This stuff is dark. As in, it may be the darkest Pinot Noir we’ve ever held. Bewitchingly somber yet full of bright notes of fruit-forward tartness and spices out of something like Arabian Nights. Enchanting, sumptuous and raw, it’s a beautiful thing to behold.
🍷 Meinklang - Nacht
🍇 100% Pinot Noir
🇦🇹 Burgenland, Austria
🚢 Imported by: @agencelaqv
🛒 Private Import
Look, our love for Meinklang isn’t exactly a secret. But c’mon look at this stuff! And with the upcoming @rawwineworld this week, we thought we’d share this gem that arrived in Montreal at this time last year. Something like only 30 bottles made it over then and we were lucky enough to get our paws on one. With @meinklang making it back this year, we’re hoping for a bit more this time around.
And shout out to @alambika for the funky glass.
October 11, 2019
Anders Frederik Steen - The Artist Formally Known as Peach
The artist used to be known as Peach, yet no one knows her current name. One of the biggest mysteries to ever cross both wine and art worlds. What we do know is the work was certainly quite bold, peach fruit nudes to be exact. Tasteful shots of the fruit shedding its skin were her focus. Viewers said to have sensed sweet aromas of florals and citrus. Some, have even gone so far as to put it as feeling like "sunny drops of orangy heaven", whatever that means. But the pieces are meant to be interpreted in many ways, and there are no wrong answers, only peaches, nude peaches, everywhere.
🍷 Anders Frederik Steen - The Artist Formally Known as Peach
🍇 Shiraz/Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon
🇫🇷 Ardèche
🚢 Imported by: @deuxcaves
🛒 Private Import
We've mentioned many of Steen's wines, so you may know by now that his wines are made from “grapes and only grapes”. He’s been doing this since 2013, and quite successfully. The wines are bottled unfiltered, with no additions and are thoughtful, original expressions of the terroir. Steen practically never makes the same wine twice and seems to have an endless source of inspiration for the most creative names in wine.
August 19, 2019
Carriel Dels Vilars - Negre 2006
Its hard to describe Carles Alonso's wines. The man is a solitary mage, magically growing vines in some pretty arid conditions. As the vines all fight for the little water that flows in the foothills of the eastern Pyrenees, their roots delve deep into the earth, extracting what tastes like... life, truly raw life.
The vines are hardcore, and their grapes even harder. You seriously get the feeling that the wine really doesn't care about how you feel. And like needy wine drinkers that we are, it makes you want it more. It is unapologetically sublime.
🍷 Carriel Dels Vilars - Negre 2006
🍇 Garnaxta, Syrah, Cabernet S., Carinyena
🇪🇸 Catalonia
🛩 Imported by: ??
10 minutes from the French border, Alonso can be found petting his huge moustache as he stares quizzically at his jungle of vines. The only year-round resident of the small village of Els Vilars d'Espolla, he's been endlessly working at his vines since 1990. He even made his first Ancestral method sparkling wine (Petnat, for all the cool kids) in 1979. The man is way ahead of the game. He makes two wines a year: one red and one white or sparkling rosé. Obviously, they see no intervention and are fermented in stainless steel tanks, all to represent their true terroir.
So here's to you Carles, one of the true godfathers of natural wine.
August 5, 2019
Foradori - Lezèr 2018
"An attempt to convert a new market to natural wine" is how Foradori's Lezèr wine was dubbed when it first came out last year. When asked about how it came about, they said:
"2017 saw difficult vintage conditions, and a lot of hail. This resulted in a delayed vintage for some parts of the Foradori vineyards which, in turn, led to an opportunity for experimentation. Lezer is the product of around 20 different experiments from the home vineyards, of which three quarters went into the final blend. Some went into amphorae, some into oak, some into steel, some into cement, some with the floating cap method and others with direct press. The result is this juicy creation that is pure, zesty, light, unpretentious but with a degree of seriousness."
Our verdict: insanely drinkable, quaffable and yes, yes, chuggable. We've rarely tasted such fresh-tasting wine which gives you all the indications that it is simply pure grape juice. Think of fruit roll-ups or fruit-by-the-foot crossed with watermelon, but as wine. That is word for word our thought process as we were drinking it, and we barely had the time to get that sentence across before the bottle was polished.
🍷 Foradori - Lezèr 2018
🍇 Teroldego
🇮🇹 Trentino - Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT
🛩 Imported by: @oenopole
🛒 Private Import
No doubt a massively impactful name in the world of natural wine, Foradori has been championing the benefits of biodynamic principles in wine-making since 2000. Elizabetta Foradori took over the vineyard in 1985 at the age of 19 after her father suddenly passed away. 15 years later, the full switch to biodynamic farming was made. The switch to exclusively using different types of amphorae was made around the same time. They now use over 200. Elizabetta is considered one of the most influential female winemakers in the world. And beyond her gender, one of the most influential winemakers alive. She now looks over the winery while her two sons lead the wine-making process.
July 30, 2019
Ktimas Ligas - Lambda 2017 Cuvée Experimentale
From the birthplace of mathematics and all things Hydras and thunder gods, comes another underworldly Greek being in Kitma Ligas' 2016 Cuvée Expérimentale. It comes to us in the form of some sort of fruit centaur, with the body of a peach and litchi-like legs. Naturally, such a unique form has attracted the being a lot of fame around Greece. Its tropical notes and general chewiness even earned itself the name DJ Juicy Fruit. And you can catch the fruity gum-god in Mykonos spinning Tuesdays through Fridays around the island.
🍷 Ktimas Ligas - Lambda 2017 Cuvée Experimentale
🍇 Assyrtiko
🇬🇷 Macedonia
🛩 Imported by: @levindanslesvoiles
🛒 Private Import
Brimming with history, the region of Pella in Greece wasn’t known for its terroir. At least until Jason Ligas, along with Thomas and Melissanthe, took over an aging estate and made ‘common’ grapes shine again through natural traditional methods. Forgotten local grapes now shine bright again because of their work and we, the good people of the natural wine world, get to shine a little as well with every bottle.
July 24, 2019
Gut Oggau - Atanasius Rot 2017
Atanasius Rot, the James Dean of wines, is a young gun forever riding with the wind. Free as a hawk with thunder bolt tattoos down its wings, Atanasius beams down valley roads on his Speed Twin, catching bright berries and earthy cherries along the way. Drifting, his ride bursts with juicy acidity, yet always remains as gentle and cool as a Chimayo cucumber. And are Chimayo cucumbers really even a thing? Atanasius doesn't care, and neither should you.
🍷 Gut Oggau - Atanasius Rot 2017
🍇 Blaufränkisch, Zweigelt
🇦🇹 Oggau in Burgenland
🛩 Imported by: @lesvieuxgarcons.ca
🛒 Private Import
Started by Eduard and Stephanie Tscheppe in 2007, @gutoggau began with the purchasing of a vineyard that had been abandoned for 20 years. The great thing about this was that all those years had cleaned the solid from all signs of pesticide use, and Eduard and Stephanie were able to work biodynamically from the start.
Shortly after work began in the cellar, they noticed how different and unique each wine became, which gave birth to the iconic faces on each label (Drawn by @jungvonmattsthlm). We love the drawings and how they perfectly capture the idiosyncrasies of their wines, and of natural wines in general.
July 10, 2019
Le Sot de l'Ange - KVIDO
Someone is going to have to tell us how Quentin Bourse from @lesotdelange has managed to bottle up pure sunshine. Golden rays beaming out of us, we sipped a crisp yet well-rounded blend of melon and peaches. The wine was named after his son's favorite zoo friend, who happens to be a hippopotamus in a zoo near their home, which translates to us, drinking litres of this juice as happy as hippos taking a bath under the sweltering savannah sun.
🍷 Le Sot de l'Ange - KVIDO
🍇 Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Gamay, Grolleau, Melon de Bourgogne
🇫🇷 Touraine - Loire Valley
🛩 Imported by: Vinealis
🛒 Private Import
Kvido (name unique to the bottles in the Quebec market) was only made in a small batch and unfortunately isn't available anymore. It was part of the many experiments Bourse works on on his land. Bourse told us he may make it again, but no guarantee. Operating since 2013, he has made a name for himself in the village of Azay-le-Rideau, a town near Touraine in the Loire Valley in France, where organic viniculture isn't the norm. Bourse trained with both natural and conventional producer, his training included a stage at Domaine Huet in Vouvray in the same region.
Le Sot de l'Ange: we would drink their wine solely based on what we see on the bottles. And, when you do taste it, you know you'll remember and never forget it.
June 26, 2019
Koppitsch - Pretty Nats 2017
People talk about wine tasting like strawberries and watermelon, but they are most likely not talking about wines like the Koppitsch’s 2017 Pretty Nats. This truly, and whole-heartedly tastes like strawberries and freaking watermelon. Now we’ve talked about quaffable, gluggable and even chuggable wines, but this one takes the cake. It even tastes like cake. And we kindly accept it as a birthday cake of sorts because today, Beau Joe turns 1 🌈
🍷 Koppitsch - Pretty Nats 2017
🍇 Blaufrankisch (Lemberger)
🇦🇹 Burgenland
🛩 Imported by: @wardetassocies
🛒 Private Import
Alexander and Maria have been making wine un Burgenland since 2011, and have been making wine without additives like the generations before them. They have their vineyards in the Neusiedl am See, a small village situated at the shores of the Neusidl Lake and on the eastern end of the Leitha Mountains. We’re always impressed by the depth of flavors and the rainbow of colors that they achieve through their wines.
June 21, 2019
Olivier Lemasson - R18
Olivier Lemasson’s R18 takes you for a ride through the hills of the Loire Valley, through lush vines of Gamay, Cot and Cabernet Franc, the cool breeze brushing away the sun’s blaze. And on you go, through rows of berries, clouds of tart mist and waves of red spices. It is an honest ride that is as fun as it is contemplative. Vibrant and pure, silky and rhythmic, yet always, effortless.
🍷Olivier Lemasson - R18
🍇 VDF - 60% Gamay, 30% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cot
🇫🇷 Loire
🛩 Imported by: @oenopole
🛒 Private Import
The wine’s name, being as utilitarian as the label, means Red or “R” 2018 or “18”. No surprise then, coming from the pleasantly no-nonsense winemaker Olivier Lemasson. His wines always aim to be fruit-forward, acid-friendly products, that drink very (read: too) easily. Minimal intervention and natural winemaking practices make for a whole lineup of wonderful wines to try out.
June 12, 2019
La Stoppa - Ageno 2014
To take a sip of Ageno 2014 is to take a sip of pure sunshine, in all shapes and forms. From a bright beaming sun shining across cloudless blue skies, to a brooding sun, hiding behind overcast walls of grey, the sun is ~real~ moody and you just have to deal with it. To have this wine is to drink entire days worth of sunny capriciousness. With each sunrise bringing the sweet morning dew that covers bushes of wild gooseberries, ‘til each sunset, with its warm winds and washes of color over golden fields...
Essentially like time travel, but tastier.
🍷 La Stoppa - Ageno 2014
🍇 60% Malvasia di Candia Aromatica, 40% Ortrugo & Trebbiano
🇮🇹 Emilia-Romagna
🛩 Imported by: @oenopole
La Stoppa is run by the Legendary Elena Pantaleoni where she makes the Ageno alongside partner and all around wine mastermind Giulio Armani. Their story is worth writing a whole book about and so we encourage you to look them up. We wouldn’t do it justice but summarizing it here.
The Ageno is the product of 30 days of skin contact followed by 6 months of stainless steel and 6 more in barriques. The remaining 36 months are done in bottle. All to create what is easily one of the best wines we’ve ever had.
June 3 ,2019
Anders Frederik Steen - Oiseau de Mer 2015
As smooth and free as a bird flying low over the sea. Where light splatters of salty water and warm gusts of wind brush against its feathers, bright notes of green apple are revealed within the warm rays of golden sun landing on its back. And it probably has The Verve's Bittersweet Symphony on repeat as it just freaking glides above the waves. This seabird is living its best life, truly. And what about you?
🍷 Anders Frederik Steen - Oiseau de Mer 2015
🍇 100% Gewürztraminer
🇫🇷Valvignères, Ardeche
🛩 Imported by: @deuxcaves
Anders Steen rarely makes the same wine twice, so you'll be hard pressed (🥁) to find this one again (sorry). But it's part of what makes his wines and his philosophy so beautiful. The 2015 Oiseau de Mer was made with 100% Gewürztraminer grown by the Bannwarths, Steen's friends, in their vineyards in Alsace. The grapes, like all his white wines, are pressed directly in an old wooden press, and left to spontaneously ferment under open sky.
Also, yes, that is a board game version of Jeopardy in the background.
May 28, 2019
Le Gaminot 2016
Old school meets new school. Rocky meets Adonis Creed. Biggie Smalls meets
Kendrick. Julia Child meets Guy Fieri... Hey those frosted tips make for quality television.
Where classic Burgundian knowledge meets an unconventional approach, you find the love child that is AMI's 2016 Le Gaminot. A product of refined Pinot Noir, dynamic Gamay and under-appreciated Aligoté, the child may be young but it seems infinitely wiser than everyone in the room.
🍷 Le Gaminot 2016
🍇 VDF - Pinot Noir, Gamay, Aligoté
🇫🇷 Burgundy
🛩 Imported by: @agencelaqv
🛒 Producer available at: laqv.ca
AMI was started by two friends; Paul the farmer and Willy the winemaker. Paul was trained in tasting in London and Paris before escaping the bustling city life to go to the Burgundian country side. And Willy was trained all over the Côte de Beaune, from Clos du Moulin aux Moines to Auxey-Durresses. Together, they make wine that respects the region’s traditions while also breaking a few rules along the way.
May 9, 2019
Coëf 2015 - Sebastien David
You may know @hurluberluseb from his wild Hurluberlu, or any of his other iconoclastic wines. You may also have heard about him in the news lately. The French Administration wants to destroy all 2078 of his 2016 Coëf bottles. All because, they think to have found high levels of volatile acidity, even though those studies were disproved twice after.
Be it an attack against Sebastien personally, or an attack against wines that don't fit within industrial standards, the act goes against what we believe to be good and true in wine. We have the link to the petition in our bio. Go sign now, it will take 2 minutes, and you will help Sebastien through his court case. Also, it may keep him from potentially losing his business.
The Coëf itself is a sublime wine, galloping between green wisps of fresh field grass and savoury meatiness. Just as exhilarating as it was soothing, it took hold of our senses and wasn't going to let go. And we certainly did not want to let go either. Here's to you Sebastien, we all hope this ends with justice for you and your wines.
🍷 Coëf 2015 - Sebastien David
🍇 Cabernet Franc
🇫🇷 Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil - Loire valley
🛩 Imported by: @agencelaqv
🛒 Available (if they don't destroy it all): laqv.ca
More details about the incidents from Sebastien David:
"Sébastien David, renowned biodynamic winegrower in the Loire valley, produces great red wines without any additives and other winemaking inputs. He is clearly not up to industrial wines standard.
Coincidentally, the French administration came to pick up samples of his “Coef 2016” cuvee and detected a volatile acidity level above allowed threshold, even though the technician from the same laboratory found this level "satisfactory" after organoleptic examination. Sébastien then proceeded with two counter-analysis, both contradicting the results of the French administration.
Despite the results of the two counter-analysis, the administration sealed his batch of 2,078 bottles and the prefect of Indre and Loire, Corinne Orzechowski (pref-secretariat-prefet @ indre-et-loire.gouv.fr) asked via a decree, to destroy his batch of 2,078 bottles within a month. [...]”
April 28, 2019
Burja Estate - Burja Bela 2017
As you take your first sip, you are transported into a misty cave, floating around a pool of Primož Lavrenčič's Burja Bela, fragrant flowers and apricot trees growing straight out the pond. As your head brushes against a beaming flower, you think to yourself that yes, you are definitely biting into that. And as you do, you get a soothing crisp apple butter flavour, which is definitely not normal for a flower's flavour but then again you are floating around a pool of wine and apricot trees so it kinda makes sense and you fully accept this fantastic reality just as you take another sip from your glass.
🍷 Burja Estate - Burja Bela 2017
🍇Laski Rizling 30%, Rebula 30%, Malvasia 30% and other varieties 10%.
🇸🇮 Vipava, Primorski
🛩 Imported by: @agencelaqv
🛒 Available at: laqv.ca
Primoz is part of the third generation to cultivate grapes in the Vipava valley. Formerly, he worked on his family estate 'Sutor' until he left to start his own label, Burja, in 2009 to pursue more natural winemaking methods. The name Burja comes from the strong wind that blows through the valley influencing all aspects of life there, especially agriculture. Primoz choses to honour indigenous varieties to highlight the true potential of the region's terroir, rather than plant the international varieties the government almost forces winemakers to grow. And for this, we salute you Primoz.
April 17, 2019
La Mule 2016, Chahut et Prodiges
You wouldn't expect much from its label, but Chahut et Prodiges's 2016 La Mule is all about happy surprises. The very first sip comes to you like a big cozy hug for your mouth, with just enough squeeze to make you feel safe. Safe in the same way a great burger does — fries, cherry cola and all. And this, complete with the same burger layers of saltiness and sweetness, even the tangy goodness of a melted slice of American cheese. It blankets you in a summer barbecue's memory all the way down to the crispy burnt bits on the patty. Need we say more? La Mule really is as comforting as it is a beautiful wine.
🍷 La Mule 2016, Chahut et Prodiges
🍇 Gamay
🇫🇷 Loire Valley
🛩 Imported by: @deuxcaves
🛒 Available at: deuxcaves.com
You can find the man behind Chahut et Prodiges, Gregory Leclerc, milling about around the soft hills of Ambroise in the Loire Valley. Formally a wine journalist, he now makes mighty juice from Chenin, Sauvignon, Gamay, Côt and Grolleau. His reds, like this one, see carbonic maceration for 2 to 3 weeks, without racking or pumping. After being gently pressed without sulfur, they then chill in tanks for 6-8 months. And wow, are they ever juicy! No sulphur added at bottling, except for the whites. We are very excited to try out the other Leclerc wines waiting for us in our fridge.
April 9, 2019
De Mena - ワビ サビ Wabi Sabi 2017
Wild things hide in the thick of the jungle. Behind every leaf lie spooky critters and unknown fruits. And just like a beast waiting in the shadows, De Mena’s Wabi Sabi may surprise you with its nearly overpowering fruit and deep spice. And as its name implies (acceptance of imperfection), it will nonchalantly reveal itself without caring too much about your expectations. Opening up its secrets on its own time, means you’ll have to patiently stand by while it does so. But if you can resist its enticing aromas, for the hours it takes, you will find you’ll have tamed this spirited beast.
🍷 De Mena - ワビ サビ Wabi Sabi 2017
🍇 100% Cinsault
🇫🇷 Côtes Catalanes, Languedoc Roussillon
🛩 Imported by: @winoimport
🛒 (was) Available at: winoimport.com
Sébastien Angelet would sell all his grapes until he (thank the wine gods) started to make his own wine in 2012. Nestled near the village of Paziol in the Languedoc region, Angelet started De Mena, meaning “by nature”, to make wine which respected the vinicultural efforts of his father and grandfather before him. He uses only small amounts of sulfur at bottling and that’s about all that is added. All his vines were converted to be organic which, combined with his love for the grape, make for an increasingly impressive lineup of wines.
March 20, 2019
Alessandro Viola - Sinfonia di Grillo
Let’s, everyone, picture a can of peaches. Now, picture the juice in there, only the juice. Alessandro Viola’s Sinfonia di Grillo is as fragrant as the soft and sweet aromas of the best canned snack around, yet spiced with sprigs of rosemary. And sweet like lemon tarallucci yet salty like the sea. With this many notes of peaches, lemons and salt, it must be from Sicily 🔥
🍷 Alessandro Viola - Sinfonia di Grillo
🍇 Grillo 100%
🇮🇹 Sicily
🛩 Imported by: Agence Sans Nom
🛒 Bought at : @kingstonwineco
We first tasted it at @kingstonwineco, after it had been open for three whole days, and it was still unwrapping more layers of life and flavor. A testament to the complexity of @alessandroviolavini ’s wines. Running a small 7 hectar operation out of Alcamo, just Southern of Palermo in, Viola works naturally with little more than the grapes he cultivates. Now, of course, we’re suckers for Sicilian wines, but one sip of Viola’s idiosyncratic wines and you’ll be hooked too. (Still accepting members to the Sicilian Wine Cult®)
March 6, 2019
Rié and Hirofumi Shoji - Pedres Blanques Rouge
Standing on a rocky cliff, cool mountain breeze blowing across your face . Fresh flint and rich red spices waft through the wind with mineral bursts of fragrant flavors. Kinda (definitely) like a clove volcano in your mouth... It’s good stuff people, and you should seek it out. Go. Drink it. It will shake you to your bones.
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🍷 Rié and Hirofumi Shoji - Pedres Blanques Rouge 2017
🍇 Grenache
🇫🇷 Collioure, Côtes Catalanes
🛩 Imported by: @vindamejeanne
🛒 Available at: www.vindamejeanne.com
High in the Catalonian mountains, Rié and Hiro, two Japanese producers, make their wine in one of the most remote parts of the appellation. “Pedres Blanques” or white rocks in Catalan, represent the stoney terrasses that make up the steep mountain slopes of Collioure. Strong winds and an arid landscape make it difficult for disease and frost to take over making it easier for the couple to farm organically. This is their first vintage and we can whole-heatedly assure you, it is very promising.
February 27, 2019
Lammidia - Frekt Vino Bianco 2017
Like a good long walk through the forest with sunshine making its way through the branches. Bright and fresh forest air smacks you in the face with an earthy, bark-y gust. Also smoky with charred maple and its syrup with spot-on acidity. The perfect refreshment after a honestly-pretty-short-yet-worthy-of-a-drink afternoon hike.
🍷 Lammidia - Frekt Vino Bianco 2017
🍇 Pecorino d’Abruzzo
🇮🇹 Abruzzo
🛩 Imported by: Importations du Moine
🛒 Available at (they just sold out but have another orange by Lammidia): lesimportationsdumoine.com
Behind @lammidia ‘s impressive variety of different bottles are Marco Giuliani and David Dear, producing love potions in the Gran Sasso National Park and Monti della Laga. The approximately 15,000 bottles they produce each year are essentially just fermented grape juice, with little to no added anything. We’ve loved everything we’ve tried from them, and will diligently continue to explore their creations.
Meinklang - Konkret Weiss
If the volume of Meinklang’s hugely popular Graupert was set to 10, then the Konkret Weiss’ dial is turned all the way up to 11. It reaches a land of zingy citrus dreams, wafting florals and white spice. As you float back down to reality, you’re struck by sweet memories of your grandmother making you toast with abricot marmelade, cheddar and preserved lemon for breakfast. And as you float back down, you realize that this wine does in fact have all the right things to make up a perfectly hearty breakfast. And we ~all~ know what the most important meal of the day is.
🍷 Meinklang - Konkret Weiss
🍇 Gewürztraminer 50%, Traminer 50%
🇦🇹 Burgenland
🛩 Imported by: @agencelaqv
🛒 Available at: @lasaq
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Oh Meinklang, how can we admit this lightly... We love you. And we think the whole world slowly (very quickly) is too. Run by the Michlits family, the @meinklang_farm fonctions with biodiversity at its core with biodynamics being applied whole heartedly to the wine making process. This particular one had 21 days of skin contact in a concrete egg where it then spent 11 months fermenting. It is on the pricey side, but keep your eyes peeled and a much more affordable one of the red variety might be making its way to a store near you. 🤫
Borachio - Pash Rash 2018
Only koala love could have resulted in such a passionate mix of citrussy, zingy, grapefruity fizz. Electric like a tropical stormy night, magnetic like their furry attraction and palpable like their undeniable love — god just let these two koalas express their devotion to one another!! LET THE JUNGLE DRUMS BEAT TO THE RYTHM OF THEIR HEARTS!
... Ahem
It’s honestly pretty good wine.
A very solid pet-nat.
🍷 Borachio - Pash Rash 2018
🍇 Pinot Noir
🇦🇺 Adelaide Hills
🛩 Imported by: No one yet!
🛒 Available at: Nowhere yet!
Alicia and Mark have only been making wine on their own for the last several years but have already managed to make quite the splash with their “Australiana Disco” wines. After working under James Erskine of @jaumawines in South Australia for a few years, they decided to make their own wild creations. We, for one, are exceptionally happy to see that. And to top it all off, Alicia even designed the labels (with her sister, we believe?). Someone please bring this into Quebec now👇
Anders Frederik Steen - Il va, ca va Je vais, je sais 2016
Il va, ça va.
Je vais, je sais.
Je vois, je bois.
C’est bon, très bon.
This Steen, it gleams.
With tart berries, electric lemon
Soft cherries, rind of watermelon.
Joe goes, Joe knows.
Where the good wine is.
Where the good wine flows.
🍷 Anders Frederik Steen - Il va, ca va Je vais, je sais 2016
🍇 40% Carignan, 40% Vionier, 20% Chardonnay
🇫🇷 Ardèche, France
🛩 Imported by: @deuxcaves
🛒 Not currently available
Mr. Steen has easily become one of the wine world’s biggest rising stars in recent years. Former sommelier at Noma and founder of solid Copenhagen spots like Manfreds and Relae, he switched sides and starting making the wine that would be featured in the very same restaurants.
His wines surprise and delight with every new sip; a result of manually driven winemaking on organic land. Joe is in love with the wines and won’t stop till all have been tasted.
Villa Canlicantus - Chiar’Otto 2017
Kind of like taming a feral animal into being your friend, you have to take your time with Villa Calicantus’s 2017 Chiar’Otto. The first encounter proves quite volatile on the nose but comes with the sense of something truly great is hidden beneath it. Give it the time and this Rosato will begin to open itself up to you. Where it was first wildly biting back at you, it now has softened down to a smooth tart berry caramel. And just like that, beast becomes beauty.
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🍷 Villa Canlicantus - Chiar’Otto 2017
🍇 Corvina, Rondinella & Molinara
🇮🇹 Veneto
🛩 Imported by: @jackandglou
🛒 Available at: glou-mtl.com
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Villa Calicantus’s small winery has been running out of Bardolino,Lake Garda since 2011. The hot Mediterranean summer weather during the day combine with the fresh mountain air of the night to produce a well balanced grape. Total respect of the soils and the plants is imperative to change the image of the region and it’s grapes. In their words: “Villa Calicantus is a dream, a dream made of passion, respect and love for our land. Our dream is to demonstrate that, through a strict organic approach in the vineyards, it’s possible to produce a “vin de garde” in Le Bardolino, an appellation where typically only wines for immediate consumption are produced.”
January 21, 2019
Furlani - Rosato Sui Lieviti 2016
We’d love to make a witty comparison between the bubbles in this bottle and a hot jacuzzi but the truth is, it was way too cold this weekend to even think that far. Though, drinking it did manage to do a whole lot of good. A whole summer day’s worth of sunshine kind of good to be exact; cherry-rhubarb-fruit-by-the-foot goodness and all 🍭
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🍷 Furlani - Rosato Sui Lieviti 2016
🍇 Pinot Nero
🇮🇹 Trentino
🛩 Imported by: @lesvinsdejulie
🛒 Available at: lesvinsdejulie.com
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Matteo Furlani’s wildly colorful wines have made there way onto practically every wine Instagram page ~ever~ at this point. Yes, they are beautiful but they are also very good. High in the Dolomites, Matteo works his vines with traditional + natural methods with impressive results. The sparkling wines like the Rosato go through spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Frozen must is added before re-fermentation in the bottle during the spring with no added sulfur and no disgorgement.
January 14, 2019
Podere Pradarolo - Vej Bianco Antico 2017
Our first wine of 2019 comes to you from the Parma hills of the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. If it looks like Gatorade, it surely tastes like Gatorade, if Gatorade had a flavour called “Smoky-Ginger-Apricot Marmelade” (@gatorade, what are you waiting for?). Picture those 90s ads with the colorful sweat, except the sweat is sweet wine. And you hear that movie trailer voice saying: “Is it in you?” Yes. Yes it is. The entire bottle, thank you very much.
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🍷 Podere Pradarolo - Vej Bianco Antico 2017
🍇 Malvasia di Candia Aromatica
🇮🇹 Emilia Romagna
🛩 Imported by: @winoimport
🛒 Available at: winoimport.com
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Alberto and Claudia Carretti make big wines the way wine used to be made. Long maceration and aging periods make for hugely complex flavor profiles with enchanting perfumes on the nose. The 2017 Vej is macerated for a stunning 210 days (the 2016 had 270 days) to give you an example. No filtration, no additives, native yeasts and a lot of love.