Club Little House - April

Bourgogne Blanc – Fanny Sabre (2014) 

Grape Variety(s): Chardonnay Style: Dry White
Region: Burgundy, France
Winemaker: Fanny Sabre Soil: Limestone, Clay
Age of Vines: 25 – 40 yrs

  With only a handful of solo vintages under her belt, Fanny Sabre is already breaking a few rules in Burgundy and turning the region’s notorious old-boys’-club on its head. When her father passed away in 2000, Fanny’s mother wanted to continue running the property she had been working with her late husband since the 1980’s. Then only 16 years old and without any formal training in enology, Fanny began to work under the guidance of natural winemaking visionary Philippe Pacalet, who had come on board to assist the family. Her trial-by-fire paid off and spun the vineyards and wines in a whole new direction.
Fanny ferments in stainless steel, older wooden foudres, and tronconic Austrian vats and she allows most cuvees to mature in older casks. With barely enough space to vinify and age her wines, she has stacked her ancient cellar full while maintaining an impeccable hygiene necessary for successful natural vinifications.
We enjoy the bright acidity and green apple notes of the 2014 Bourgogne Blanc. It’s fabulous with paté and cream sauces!!

Cheverny Rouge – Domaine Tessier (2014)

Grape Variety(s): Gamay, Pinot Noir, Cot Style: Dry Red
Region: Cheverny, Loire Valley, France
Winemaker: Philippe Tessier
Soil: Sand, Poor Clay and Limestone Age ofVines: 15 yrs

 As a reminder...Domaine Tessier was founded in 1961 by Roger Tessier, with his son Philippe taking the reins 20 years later in 1981. They are located in the heart of the Cheverny and Cour Cheverny AOC’s and currently have 23 hectares of vines. This producer should be familiar to you, since we included his Cheverny White in last month’s club!!
The Cheverny Rouge 2014 is a real fruit bomb and just simply delicious. It’s serious and complex enough to be sipped, but so delicious and drinkable that you’ll want more than a glass. This wine is composed of 60% Gamay, 30% Pinot Noir, and 10% Cot (Malbec). The gamay fruit undergoes carbonic maceration, a whole-cluster fermentation aimed less at tannin extraction and more at juiciness. However, the Pinot and Cot are both destemmed and add a nice structure. After fermentation, the wine was aged in tank for about 8 months. 2014 was a nice vintage! This wine was made for a pork chop!