October Wine Club
WINES
Wine Club Selections, October 2023
• Bruno Giacosa, Spumante Extra Brut 2019, Lombardy, Italy
• Domaine du Pavillon de Chavannes, 'Cuvée des Ambassades' 2020,
Côte de Brouilly, Beaujolais, France
• Giovanni Manzone, Langhe Nebbiolo 'Il Crutin' 2020, Piemonte, Italy
Bruno Giacosa, Spumante Extra Brut 2019, Lombardy, Italy
In Piemonte, the names Conterno, Mascarello, and Giacosa loom over all others for their long history of incredible wines and adherance to tradition. The estate of Bruno Giacosa has produced perhaps the most important wines in Barbaresco since the 1960s. The family was making wines decades earlier, and when Bruno took over, the estate became famous for its breathtaking single vineyard and red-label Barbarescos. Bruno Giacosa died in 2018 and the estate is now in the extremely capable hands of his daughter, Bruna.
While nearly all of Giacosa's production focuses on the prestigious wines of Piemonte, they also produce a spectacular vintage sparkling wine from the nearby province of Lombardy. Made in the traditional Champagne method, this wines comes from 100% Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir) grown on the hills around Pavia. The wine was bottled in May of 2019 and rested on its yeast for 30 months. Disgrogement took place in December of 2022. It is extremely floral and complex on the nose. Fantastic almond and brioche notes followed by a lovely mix of tart red fruit, citrus, and crisp acidity. Extra Brut is the term indicating very low Residual Sugar, and as such the wine drinks quite dry. As a vintage sparkling wine, this is a wine that can be enjoyed now or age for 5-7 years.
Drink this wine in a standard white wine glass or tulip-shaped glass – not in a coupe or flute! The larger glass will allow the aromas to open and express more clearly.
Drink: Drink now and over next 5-7 years.
Serving Temperature: 40º-43ºF - fridge cold
Food Pairings: Yes - Sparkling wine is not just for celebration but is a brilliant choice for food pairings. Pinot Noir-based bubbles like this are fantastic with fish, white meat, and tart cheeses. Desserts such as fruit tarts and crème brulée also are lovely!
Domaine du Pavillon de Chavannes, 'Cuvée des Ambassades' 2020, Côte de Brouilly, Beaujolais, France
Of all the wines for the Thanksgiving table, there is perhaps no wine that fits this meal better than Cru Beaujolais. Not the vapid, bubble-gum flavored Beaujolais Nouveau, but the complex, spicy, fruity wines from any of the 10 Cru villages in the Beaujolais region. These wines are made from 100% Gamay grapes that grow on the mostly granite hills that make up the best terroir of the region. On the bottle, these Crus are always listed, and are essentially the names of the primary villages: Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chenas, Moulin-a-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly. Grapes for Cru Beaujolais must come from inside the boundaries of these villages. Beaujolais Villages or regular Beaujolais are wines from much less ideal soils and altitudes that produce simple wines without the complexity and depth of Cru Beaujolais.
The Côte de Brouilly Cru is situated inside the larger Brouilly Cru in the southern portion of the Beaujolias Region. Here, the granite is a special 'blue' volcanic granite that is found in some of the most prestigious single vineyards in the region, such as the Côte de Py vineyard in the Morgon Cru. The Côte de Brouilly is at higher elevation which helps support fine, silky tannins and bright acidity that helps these wines to age. Often, the wines here take a few extra years in the bottle to fully express their potential.
Domaine du Pavillon de Chavannes is a brilliant, singularly-focused producer that puts all of their energy into this singular wine. The winemaking is traditional, with fermentation in cement vats and aging in old foudres. The wine comes from just 12 acres of vines located at the highest point of Mont Brouilly—nearly 1,600 feet. Beautiful, classic Beaujolais notes of raspberry, sour cherry, and spice with a persistent stoney minerality.
Drink: Drink now and over next 10 years.
Serving Temperature: 55ºF - It's okay to chill this down a bit as well.
Food Pairings: Beaujolais is amazingly food friendly. All poultry, duck, fish, cheese, even lightly grilled protein (especially lamb) and vegetables.
Giovanni Manzone, Langhe Nebbiolo 'Il Crutin' 2020, Piemonte, Italy
Another wine from my friends at the estate of Giovanni Manzone! In Piemonte, Nebbiolo is the grape of the 'King and Queen' (Barolo and Barbaresco). However, producers can only make these wines in the very small areas designated for Barolo DOCG and Barbaresco DOCG, and typically only from their oldest vines on the absolute best hillside locations. That leaves a lot of other terroir for not just Barbera and Dolcetto, but to plant more Nebbiolo for a younger, fresher version of the 'big ones' often referred to as 'Baby Barolo'. These wines are given the more broad DOC identifyer of either Langhe Nebbiolo DOC or Nebbiolo d'Alba DOC.
'Il Crutin' is an historical house located in the heart of the Gramolere cru where the Manzone's make one of their top Barolos. While Barolo would typically undergo a long fermentation and maceration (30 days), in order to preserve the freshness of these wines and allow them to drink when young, the Langhe Nebbiolo typically undergoes a much shorter fermentation and maceration. Manzone's Il Crutin undergoes a 7 day fermentation followed by 15 days of maceration in steel. The other way winemakers turn Langhe Nebbiolo into an early drinking wine is the ageing process. In Barolo, wines must age in oak for a minimum of 2 years. As a DOC, the 'Langhe' heading covers a range of grapes and has far fewer specific guidelines. Winemakers have a lot of flexibility in how they age these wines. For Manzone, the Langhe Nebbiolo ages for 6 months in large neutral oak casks and then moves into stainless steel tanks to settle. The wine is bottled under a waning moon and released 18 months after harvest. Just a few thousand bottles of this wine are made each year.
'Il Crutin' is a beautiful example of Langhe Nebbiolo that is ready to drink now and will continue aging over 5-10 years. More delicate than Barolo, the wine presents lovely red fruit, classic Nebbiolo tannnin, albeit softer, a spicy finish, and elegant rose notes. This is a gorgeous wine with food, like all Nebbiolo, but is easy enough to drink on its own. Drink this while you wait for your Barolos to come of age!
Drink: now and over the next 10 years
Serving temperature: 58º-62ºF
Food pairings: Red meat pasta sauces, cheese, roast chicken, Thanksgiving!
