October 23 Wine Share

This month we felt there would be no better way to fully usher in the Fall than with a thematized Share that captures two idyllic autumns: New York & The Loire. Voilà: From New York to The Loire is our charter for the share this month, showing off the various terroirs of our home state and arguably one of the ancestral homes of the Natural Wine Movement (the Loire). For the selection, we start in the Northern extent of New York in the state’s most well-known wine country, the Finger Lakes. Nathan K’s “Green Label Riesling” is the precise, granny-smith-apple, supremely refreshing and low-alcohol expression of Riesling the region has long made its name on. Next is Malou Despoux’s vision of Long Island Merlot that will have you re-thinking everything you thought you knew about a phrase like that: “Long Island Merlot.” Semi-carbonically macerated from expertly tended organic Merlot from the North Fork, her “Knee Deep” is delightful, blue-fruited and fit for any autumn dinner table. The final New York selection is the Barbichette “Le Blanc” from 2021. César Vega & Louisiane Rémy have quickly made a name for themselves in the natural wine world with this project originally born in the literal space of their roastery in Bushwick which housed their first business together – the illustrious Café Integral. This is 100% Riesling sourced from organic vineyards on Seneca Lake and it is smoky, saline, and recalls Chablis or Anjou Chenin Blanc more than anything else. Which leads us to the Loire! More specifically, which leads us to a literal Anjou Chenin Blanc from Nicolas Reau with his “Attention Chenin Méchant,” a perfect example of this style of wine – a bistro-y white if such a phrase can exist. Next is the “Gamay Toujours” from Domaine Landron-Chartier, a supremely cold-climate (Coteaux d’Ancenis) north of Muscadet – juicy, red-fruited light-red laced with hardy herbaceous aromatics. Two wines from Les Vignes de Yavanna – a young couple working also in this western end of the Loire, running squarely in the same circles as people like Francois St. Lo & Autre Chose – feature in their rosé sparkler & their bright as can be red “Reggae Wine System.” Rounding out the share is a real stunner in the form of P-O Bonhomme’s 2018 “Monsieur” a wine that recalls the original natural wines of the Loire, those of Thierry Puzelat, Courtois, Cousin, etc. Delicious light to medium-bodied cold-climate red of otherwise bigger grapes often grown in warmer environs: Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc.
October 23 Wine Share