THURSDAY NIGHT TASTING 6-8PM
Join us and Piper from Bowler Wine from 6-8 tonight for some truly remarkable wines... we've got off-the-charts whimsy and incredible value, you really don't want to miss this one. Killer tunes, cheese from Eastern District, and She-Wolf bread are also on the menu! Bring your friends or meet a date.
BUCHEGGER 2017 ROSÉ TERRASSEN, KREMSTAL, AUSTRIA
Dandelion has carried this Austrian rosé made by 6th generation winemaker Walter Buchegger for several summer seasons now. It's a beautifully balanced blend of Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Merlot. The 2017 is open at my house right now (drank it with carrot curry soup!) and I can tell you it's wonderfully soft and creamy with bright but subtle notes of strawberry, peach and grapefruit. An easy breezy wine that I can't imagine anyone not loving. Certainly one to think about buying a case of for all the warm weather parties coming your way. $15! ($13.50/bottle with case discount)
FRENCHTOWN FARMS 2016 "THE PEARL THIEF", CALIFORNIA
THIS WINE! Besides the great bunny label (it's actually named after "the wild hares that pilfer the grapes overnight on Slope 23"), this wine is the color of a creamsicle, the prettiest shade of pale orange. It also smells like a creamsicle, and it tastes like a creamsicle (not as sweet). I know what you're thinking, "I don't want my wine to taste like a creamsicle!" But you do. Just this once. 60% Viognier and 40% Sauvignon Blanc, others get notes of apricot, herbs, wax, melon, lemon... It's delicious and it's a tiny production made by our friends atFrenchtown Farms in the cellar of our other friends at Clos Saron. Come and experience this whimsical wine from North Yuba tonight, it won't be around for long. $35
TERRES DORÉES 2015 FLEURIE, FRANCE
Dinner at FAUN on Vanderbilt this past fall happily reminded us of Jean-Paul Brun's Fleurie. A Cru Beaujolais that is as generous as you'd want it to be but not over the top as some other 2015s can be... perhaps it's Jean-Paul's almost 40 years of experience making wine. He makes wine naturally, though not because of any current trends but because he is "deeply committed to purity of expression of fruit and site". Come taste this wonderful expression of Gamay from Fleurie. Drink it with anything from borscht to spiedinis, it'll dance with just about anyone. $27
CHÂTEAU COMBEL LA SERRE 2016 CAHORS LE PUR FRUIT DU CAUSSE, FRANCE
Certified organic Malbec from a hand-harvested, family-owned estate in Cahors. Julien Ilbert took over his family’s vineyard in 1998 and went from selling grapes to the local co-op to making his own wines by 2005. Less rustic, yet more structured than most. A really well-made, natural wine from a region that isn't necessarily known for them. Our favorite wine critic Jancis Robinson says this: "a youthful style with brilliant acidic lift, bright black fruit and lovely violent scent". A steal at $16!
