BostonZest

We'll Toast November with Raventós i Blanc de Blancs

For all your small, safe celebrations this month, we suggest a budget-friendly sparkling wine from an outstanding producer Raventós i Blanc de Blancs. Like many of our favorite sparklers, this Spanish offering is a low 12% alcohol by volume, better for a small gathering, or even a solo diner in a time when we have to keep our heads clear.

Raventós i Blanc de Nit Took Us to Spain for Our February 1st Toast this year.

When shopping for last month's wine, we discovered another wine from this winemaker. Pepe Raventós represents the 21st generation of his family at a vineyard in operation since 1497.  

Since this is our year of terroir, we added a couple of bottles to our delivery and look forward to tasting it today.

While this Blanc de Blanc is new to us, we have a feeling we'll like it because two of our favorite wine mentors, Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli from Alcove and Michael Serpa from Select Oyster Bar, Grand Tour, and Atlantico are both fans of this winemaker and vineyard.

We'll let the folks at Raventos tell you about the terroir of their vineyard where this wine begins:

"The Vinya del Llac is a vineyard that faces north. The clay soils release water slowly throughout the vegetative cycle and, deep beneath the surface, we find calcareous bedrock with incrusted pebbles, which limit the water reserve, giving the grapes in this flagship plot more structure. The influence of the lake in this symbolic vineyard moderates the climatic conditions, avoids heatwaves and favours long ripening. It is a Blanc de Blancs due to its three native white grape varieties: Macabeu, Xarel·lo and Parellada."

We found tasting notes on the wine here:

"The Blanc de Blancs 2016 of Raventos i Blanc shows off a bright straw yellow color in the glass with a stream of fine bubbles flowing continuously to the top. In the glass, this Spanish sparkling wine displays a complex blend of white fruits (peaches and apricots) with Mediterranean herbs, dried fruits and hints of citrus. On the palate, this wine reveals itself to be very powerful and full of flavor, with the carbonation expertly integrated and beautifully balanced."

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!

We purchase our bottle at Gordon's Wine for ~$23.00

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast...

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

We'll Toast October with Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé

It's been twelve years since we featured Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé. We have a birthday to celebrate in October and decided to splurge and treat ourselves to this old friend of a wine. Perhaps one day we may be able to again raise a glass of wine with friends the way we once did. For now, all we can do is wishfully set out a few extra glasses and set up a virtual toasting session.

Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé Champagne also happens to fit our year of terroir. It has been made by the same family since 1818, and two of the grapes in our bottle are from particular family vineyards. Here is what the house is posting in the current blend notes:

• 40% Chardonnay sourced from the best Crus in the Champagne region
• 30% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and the Grande Vallée de la Marne
• 30% Pinot Meunier from the Vallée de la Marne and the southern slopes of Epernay

They are proud of the high use of Pinot Meunier, saying that it gives the wine a creaminess and structure if appropriately grown and fermented. We will be looking for this in the glass as we do our toasting.

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!

We highly recommend this article on Wine Searcher about this month's wine.

10 Things Every Wine Lover Should Know About Billecart-Salmon

Our bottle was delivered to us on sale for $74.99 (generally about $100.) from Gordon's Fine Wines and Liquors.

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast...

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

 

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

We'll Toast September with Cabernet Franc! It's Louis de Grenelle Saumur Rosé

We are year-round rosé fans and Louis de Grenelle Saumur Rosé is a 100% Cabernet Franc sparkling rosé from the Loire Valley. We've enjoyed this wine in many fine dining restaurants over the years. This bottle came from our "local" (as in favorite local pub) Cornwall's in Kenmore Square.

We added a bottle to a recent take-out order. We were looking for a well-loved sparkling wine for September and recalled this one that Penny has sipped so many times at the bar at Cornwall's. One of the reasons this place is a favorite is that Ed can enjoy their many draft beers and Penny will still have a choice of very nice wines. (We also enjoy the warm welcome and fun we have with the Cornwall team.)

That 1859 on the label is the year the family began making wines in Saumur. 

Today, Françoise Flao heads the company and as they say, "With passion at the heart of her work, more than ever she cultivates her knowledge of the terroirs and the diversity of their grape varieties. Her knowledge of the land and the vine strengthens her links with the winemakers and enables her to control the quality of the grapes which give these wines their typical style."

In past writings about this wine, we've said:

"Like many rosés, this one always brings on a smile." 

“It’s a very pretty pink, touched with just a little peach, with a light effervescence.”

"We could detect a little almond on the nose, maybe some strawberry. It has a nice dry background. To really appreciate this sparkler, don’t over-chill it!"

Here's the back label to let you know this wine comes from a very good importer, European Cellars, and is just 12% ABV.

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!

We purchase our bottle to go at Cornwall's for $22.00

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast...

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2012-2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

We'll Toast August 1st with Happy Memories of Bollinger Champagne

Thanks to a great assist from some very nice people, we'll toast August 1st with a favorite – Bollinger Special Cuvee Champagne. This is our year of terroir and Bollinger, for us, is the center point for the flavor, aroma, balance, and everything else we want from a champagne. When we enjoy other wines from this region, it's the memory of this wine we use for comparison.

While we'll be raising our glasses at home with friends on computer screens, in our minds we'll travel back to the many times we've enjoyed a bottle of this wine on the deck in Provincetown. Today's photos are all from another time and place.

Another type of terroir brings a distinct note to the wine in these bottles. Namely, the years of reserve wine from the same land that is blended to give us that Bollinger Special Cruvee style.

On their site the vineyard explains:

"The Bollinger vineyard covers 178 hectares, most of which are classified Grand or Premier cru. Pinot Noir predominates, a demanding grape variety with an intense character which forms the backbone of the Bollinger style. Continuity of style is ensured by an exceptional collection of over 700,000 reserve magnums, making Bollinger the only champagne House with such a wide and precise palette of aromas for their blends. As a guarantee of supreme quality, the best crus are vinified in wood thanks to a stock of 3,500 small, aged casks. The House lets its wines mature for twice as long as the appellation requirement. This is not out of vanity, but because a great wine needs the luxury of time to develop its full character."

We'll do a special toast this month to the excellent team at Gordon's Wine in Downtown Crossing (39 Temple Place) who helped Penny put together (and keep us safe by delivering) a box of special bottles as a gift for Ed. Here's to Tyler, Val, Jack, and our delivery driver.

We purchased our bottle at Gordon's on sale: $54.99. If that sale is still on, this would be a great time to stock up and be ready for your next special occasion.

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast...

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2012 Penny Cherubino 

Pouring from On High to Toast July with Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina Rubentis Rose

Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina Rubentis Rose is comfort food for us. (Yes, wine is food!) Since this frizzante wine comes from the Basque Country and because of the area's climate and soil conditions it fits our 2020 year of terroir, we are featuring it this month

We are longtime fans of Txakoli wines. We discovered them many years ago at Jose Garces restaurant Tinto in Philadelphia. On our return, Howie Ruben of Bauer Wine & Spirits ordered it for us and kept us supplied with this summertime favorite. 

Then came Select Oyster Bar where we found a new wine mentor Michael Serpa who shared our love of Txakoli. He educated us about the speed pourers that made pouring this wine on high to activate the bubbles a bit easier.

If you would like to learn more about the terroir and special way the grapes for Txakoli are grown, here's a video of chef and humanitarian Jose Andres visiting a vineyard from his TV series Made in Spain.

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!

We purchased our bottle at Bauer Wine and Spirits for $22.00

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast...

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2015- 2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

A Gift of "i Clivi RBL Brut Nature 2017" to Toast June 1st, Great Bartenders and Wine Mentors

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 because you simply enjoy a bottle of wine more when someone gifted it to you!

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast...

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

We Celebrate Oregon Terroir with the 2013 RMS Brut from Rollin Soles' ROCO Winery

This month's wine, selected for its specific terroir, is the 2013 RMS Brut from Rollin Soles' ROCO Winery. We have a long-running resolution to toast each new month with a glass of sparkling wine. In recent years we've tried to set a theme for each year and 2020 is our year of terroir.

We're still sheltering in place so we were happy that our wine rack contained another great example of a winemaker who knows and uses the terroir of a specific place to create a great wine.

We've had the distinct pleasure of meeting Rollin Soles and years of pleasure drinking the wines he masterminds. (We borrowed this photo below from the ROCO Facebook page. We suggest you follow them to learn about their wine, their art gallery, and the many important causes they support)

When you go to the ROCO website and click on the vineyards tab, you'll find this at the top of the page:

"Every vineyard has its own microclimate, soil composition, slope, and relationship with the sun. When people speak of “terroir,” these unique attributes are what they’re talking about—the essence of a place captured in wine. At ROCO, we are keen on delivering the pleasure of place through the prism of vineyard-designated wines."

We first wrote about this wine last year. Click on the link below for more information and to read Rollin's winemakers notes.

Our November Sparkler Is 2013 RMS Brut from Rollin Soles' ROCO Winery

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!

We purchase our bottle at Bauer Wine and Spirits for $29.99. If you want to keep track of what you paid for a bottle of wine and where you purchased it, we suggest writing on the bottle with these Sharpie Metallic Fine Point Permanent Markers. It works for us!

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast...

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino

The photo of Rollin Souls is courtesy of ROCO Vineyards.