Dylan here, hoping everyone had a lovely holiday season and was able to enjoy a good bottle of wine with the many feasts that are the hallmark of this time of year. We are happy to be back up and running and excited to share many more interesting wines with you for 2023.
I spent the holidays with family and friends, enjoyed some downtime with my girlfriend, and dove back into making more music, which always makes me feel connected and grateful. The act of producing music - just myself with a laptop - often makes me turn inward and seems to buffer the fast paced world around me. I find it’s a great way to slow down and meditate. In many ways making music is like making wine - adding layer upon layer of different elements, adjusting and refining them and making a thousand particular decisions along the way, finally resulting in a symphony of flavors, textures and sounds. What a poetic process indeed.
As a matter of fact, on New Year's Day I found myself recording a DJ set at home and popped open our Pinot Noir listed below to compliment my mood. To be honest, this lovely wine from Burgundy had been in our ‘maybe’ category when we first tasted it, but upon opening the bottle it really unfolded beautifully in the glass. I have to say, it was the perfect accompaniment to my ‘ambient techno rave’ (as Simon often calls my music). Simon’s humorous way of referring to any form of House Music - or any electronically produced sound for that matter, as an ambient techno rave never fails to make me laugh. Speaking of Simon, he’s recovering well and will be returning home on Wednesday before receiving further treatment. I know his family is very much looking forward to having him home, so please feel free to follow the process at Caring Bridge to arrange a visit, offer a helping hand or just to send good wishes. Now to the wines.
Our white this week comes to us from the town of Auxerre, in the very north of Burgundy, just outside Chablis. Auxerre shares the same cool climate and unique soils, imparting the distinct style for which the Chablis region is well known. Jean-Hughes Goisot, his wife Ghislaine, and their son, Guilhem, have established themselves as some of the best winemakers in the region. Their use of natural composts, sustainable farming, and incredible care in all facets of the winemaking process results in stellar wines time and time again. Their Côtes d’Auxerre Chardonnay is clean and crisp, with fresh citrus fruits, acacia, apple blossom and great acidity with a lingering finish. Goisot is one of our favorite producers, and this white Burgundy does not disappoint. It is like a breath of fresh winter air to start the New Year.
This week’s red (mentioned above) is one that took us on a journey indeed. We tasted this wine a while back and found it appealing, but rather closed off and slightly timid, reminding us of the importance of letting a wine breathe and fully open before drinking. When we sample wines, we often use devices that allow us to extract some wine from the bottle without removing the cork, thereby keeping the bottle fresh in case we want to come back to it later. In this case, this process proved beneficial.
When I pulled the cork yesterday and let the wine open up in the glass for about an hour, it transformed to show its true colors. The breathing process revealed a vibrant, elevated, fresh Pinot Noir with great complexity. This wine features expressive red fruit notes, dark cherry and hints of earth, with baking spices in the finish. It is an elegant wine, light on its feet and yet complex; a lovely pick for anyone wanting some relief from the rich holiday food and libations.
When our house Pinot Noir, the ALIT, is back in stock, you may want to compare these two as it will illustrate how versatile the grape can be and how every region imparts unique flavor and style.
Right! Back to my ambient techno rave! I hope you are all having an inspired start to the New Year!
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