The wine for this month's toast, "i Clivi RBL Brut Nature 2017", was delivered to us by one of the special people from behind the bar at Select Oyster Bar, Gabe Bellegard Bastos.
In discussing wines in the months before the shutdown, he learned that our theme for our 2020 Sparkling Resolution wines was terroir. As we sheltered-in-place, Gabe brought us a favorite from his wine rack that happens to be a perfect fit.
The best bartenders and servers often have wonderful stories to go with the wines they recommend. We asked Gabe how he discovered this wine. He texted:
"That wine was a by-the-glass pour at my very first restaurant job, back when I was still writing for Eater and going to school and I had not yet decided to fully commit to working in restaurants forever. The name of the restaurant was Ribelle, which means rebel in Italian, and wine service/ education were both very important there so this was the first wine I really *learned* and understood. And then years later, we ended up pouring it by the glass at Bar Mezzana too so it feels like an old friend, and between serving it to guests, and the infinite times I brought that out to a party, or opened it with friends at my place, I just feel a special connection to it."
Great Bartenders Have Been Our Wine Mentors
Much of what we know about wines has been the result of bar stool classes conducted by knowledgeable bartenders in fine restaurants. These men and women were happy to share what they knew about the wine in our glasses. They cared enough about their customers to remember what we liked and didn't like in wines and have been wonderful guides through this complex world of grape magic. Here is a bit more Gabe shared with us about this wine:
"On a more wine note, as you know I love bubbles. And, I love how unique that bottle is. It does not use the Champagne or the Charmat method, it uses a rather unusual grape, and it is from a region of Italy that isn’t particularly known for great wines. But, that wine is just so dry, and vibrant, and all those things give it such a distinct personality. I hope you enjoy it."
Gabe knows we love bubbles too! Part of our enjoyment of this wine will come from Gabe's kindness and thoughtfulness in sharing this with us and delivering a perfect wine for our June 1st toast.
Here's a link to more about how this wine is grown and created.
And, you can download a PDF fact sheet here: Download RBL - eng
Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!
This wine was a gift. Yes, we mark those as well with Sharpie metallic markers
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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino
