Weekly Saturday Tasting

Boutique Domestic Wines

Saturday, March 22nd
1:00 - 3:00

For this week's tasting, we are going to explore some wines that we are classifying as 'Boutique Domestic' wines. What we mean by that is that these are wines that come from smaller American wineries, that are often family owned and operated. They can often be from lesser known regions, and utilize many grapes that will be new to a more casual wine fan. We will start with lovely sparkling wine made of the Malvasia grape, in a style called Pétillant Naturel. Also known as 'Pet-Nat', this is a style of sparkling wine made using the méthode ancestrale, a very old, natural method where wine is bottled before the first fermentation is complete, trapping the carbon dioxied and creating gentle bubbles. Next we'll move on to our only non-California entry, with a Picpoul our of Walla Walla Valley in Washington State. Picpoul is a zesty, refreshing white grape normally only found in the Langeudoc region of France, and this unique bottling is the only example I can remember tasting from outside that area. Moving on to reds, we will sample a California example of Gamay, the grape that is most famous out of France's renowned Beaujolais region. Our sampler comes from El Dorado County, a rugged area to the east of Sacramento, and made by a winemaker famous for producing Syrahs with a a cult following. Finally, we'll have a fantastic blend of Barbera and Merlot from Sonoma's Moon Mountain, made to emulate the delicious European table wines that the winemaker enjoyed at family feasts growing up. This will be a fun and off the beaten track tasting, and we hope you can join us!

Birichino Malvasia Bianca Pétulant Naturel
Monterey, California, 2022

Gramercy Cellars Picpoul
Walla Walla Valley, Washington, 2022

Pax 'Alpine Peaks' Gamay Noir
El Dorardo County, California, 2023

Gail Wines 'Doris' Red Blend
Sonoma Valley, California, 2022