Walter's World, Edition No. 2

Oh, Cabernet Franc! This Bordeaux variety comes in so many styles, it can makes one's head spin. When made in Bordeaux, we classically see it blended with Merlot and/or Cabernet Sauvignon, then aged in lots of new oak to make a monolithic wine that needs time in the cellar to come around. Yet, travel a couple hundred miles to the north, and you'll find crunchy and fresh expressions of the same grape. Here we've chosen a vibrant and iconic example of Loire Cabernet Franc made by Thierry & Marie Germain who bought this historic estate in the early 1990s. They converted all the vineyards to biodynamics in the early 2000s (before the natural wine movement made it cool to do so) and have been champions of both Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc. They were ahead of their time, making extremely elegant examples of these classic Loire varieties that continue to set the bar for the region. This wine spends its elevage in stainless steel to highlight the varietal characteristics and is a perfect foil to lamb kebabs, baba ganoush, and roasted beets.

The wines of Alsace are superbly underestimated, and while we realize it can be a confusing category due to the varying levels of residual sugar from bottle to bottle, the amount of sheer flavor contained in these wines is nearly impossible to find anywhere else. This is in part due to the perfect conditions that the Vosges mountains create by consistently shielding the vineyards from any hazardous weather later in the season. This results in longer hang times for the fruit and superior phenolic development creating wines that are both dense and ethereal at the same time. A field blend + co-ferment of the usual Alsatian suspects, the Fleur de Lotus has a lot going on that is a bit hard to describe - honeysuckle, lime candy, orange marmalade, and peach compote come to mind. Drink it with green curry, a banh mi, or a papaya salad. (It can take some heat! 🌶)

 

The majority of us Americans don't often drink South African wines, which is a shame because most of them are just so darn delicious. Steen - aka Chenin Blanc - is probably the best known grape from this insanely beautiful wine country [you should definitely seek some out - or ask us to do so for you], but for this release we're featuring a crystalline example of Pinot Noir from the Hemel-en-Aarde region. Located just inland from Walker Bay, this area is perfect for Pinot Noir since it receives significant cooling influence from the Bay. Add to that a bit of elevation and a south facing site, which mitigates the heat and light exposure, and the Pinot Noir here never gets too ripe. Remember that in the southern hemisphere the north facing site would get the most ripeness, but with a delicate variety like Pinot Noir, it's advantageous to slow down the ripening. Crystallum also uses a small amount of new oak with this wine, around 25%, to keep the expression clear and vibrant. Drink with seared Puget Sound salmon or borscht.