The weather is warming, lilacs are finally lining the bike path on the Westside highway, and we’re setting up for a busy few weeks on the terrace; spring has arrived! Chef Dan and I went to the farmer’s market together last week, and we’re excited about the pairings we chose for the last week of April!
We’re pouring all Burgundy all week; a comprehensive tour of the region. We’ll start with Athénaïs de Béru’s home Chablis, a vibrant, electric Chablis that balances a beautiful texture with a deep mineral core. Béru is fascinating for several reasons, but maybe the most obvious being her evangelical devotion to biodynamics and organic farming (which is not an incredibly popular trend in Chablis).
In the middle of the week, we’ll open up a Jéroboam of Foillard’s Morgon-Côte du Py 2019 I’ve been excited about. After a warm (almost tropical!) 2018 that produced (almost flamboyantly!) ripe wines, 2019 proved qualitatively more attractive and fresh Gamays. Foillard proves rusticity and spice can both lead to super elegant Gamay; if you’ve never experienced Foillard, I’d highly recommend this little education-in-a-glass.
For the weekend, we’ll pour a classic Côte d’Or Pinot Noir—Gérard Seguin’s Gevrey-Chambertin « Terroir du Domaine » 2017. I’ve loved the wines from Jérôme Seguin for a while, and only recently learned of their ancestral roots in the region—an uncle who served as the mayor of Gevrey-Chambertin and a great-great-grandfather who pioneered vine-grafting in the region in response to the 19th-century phylloxera crisis which saved not only his domaine from complete devastation but his neighbors, as well. Jérome continues the manual vineyard work in a small area of only 6ha around Gevrey; this “Terroir du Domaine” parcel sits right in the center of the appellation and shows lush, elegant fruit and a bit of maturity now, after a few years.
Monday – Tuesday
Château du Béru, Chablis « Clos Béru » 2017
poured out of 1.5-L Magnum
$23/glass
Wednesday – Thursday
Jean Foillard, Morgon-Côte du Py 2019
poured out of 3-L Jéroboam
$19/glass
Friday – Saturday
Gérard Seguin, Gevrey-Chambertin « Terroir du Domaine » 2017
poured out of 1.5-L Magnum
$25/glass