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Asheville’s Best Wine Tasting

November 13, 2019 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Can Sumoi Xarello

Can Sumoi is the new farm for natural wines by Raventós i Blanc. Once they left D.O. Cava in 2012, they decided to find the most suitable place to make this type of wine. In Can Sumoi they found the best location. A 400-hectare farm located at 600 metres of altitude. It is planted with 20 hectares of vineyard, with native varieties Parellada, Sumoll and Xarello. This last one is in the process of being recovered. The farm also has 3 country houses from the 18th century and an old winery. Here, Pepe Raventós, oenologist and winemaker, wishes to make natural wines with origin, extracting the true reflection of the land where they are born, and its landscapes. To achieve this, he cultivates the entire farm biodynamically. He makes his wines recovering rural traditions, and without adding any kind of oenological additive. Can Sumoi Xarel·lo is a white wine made with Xarello, from vineyards located at 550 metres of altitude on clayey-calcareous soils, planted in vase-shape. After the manual harvest, the grapes are destemmed and stomped gently in an inert atmosphere. Fermentation is carried out in stainless steel deposits at a controlled temperature, 16ºC, for with yeasts that are native to the vineyard. Once the alcoholic fermentation has ended, the wine goes through the malolactic fermentation spontaneously. It rests with its fine lees for 3 months, with 2 weekly batonnages. It is bottled without stabilising nor filtering, and no oenological products are added to it. Can Sumoi Xarel·lo is a crunchy, deep and honest wine. On the nose, the fresh white fruit stands out, with notes of flowers and Mediterranean grass. In the mouth, it is unctuous and easy to drink with a long and refreshing finish.

Cristom Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Pinot Noir

From a historical perspective, the wines of 2016 bear more than a passing resemblance to two other highly-acclaimed Oregon vintages: 2012 and 2008, years known for producing low yields of small, concentrated berries. Three separate heat swells in early spring of 2016 resulted in three distinct bloom periods, creating small amounts of millerandage, (“chicks and hens”) within individual clusters – which we welcome with open arms, as we firmly believe this only adds to the character and complexity of our wines. The Cristom Mt. Jefferson Pinot Noir brings red berry and fruit flavors, nice acidity, and subtle earthiness to the table. We’re thinking the first glass would only be elevated by mushroom caps stuffed with sage, garlic, bread crumbs and a little bacon. After that, roast pork with a cranberry glaze will bring out the red fruit in the wine beautifully. Grilled salmon with a dijon, brown sugar crust is another delicious option. Feeling French? Coq au vin will bring out the earthiness of the wine, and it’s lovely acidity is perfect for the rich ingredients in the dish. Refill your glasses and serve up a nutty Gruyere cheese with toasted walnuts, dried and fresh strawberries.

Idlewild The Bird Red Mendocino

39% Dolcetto, 13% Nebbiolo, 48% Barbera
Majority of the fruit comes from Fox Hill Vineyard. Located southeast of Ukiah on Mendocino’s Talmage Bench
well drained with high concentrations of gravel and sandstone Organic farming All three of these varieties have structure and at the same time a joyous side. The focus in fermentation was to build enough structure for a very versatile food wine but also to emphasize the exuberant and delicious elements of each grape. To do this, the wines were left largely whole cluster and all fermentations started with carbonic maceration. That being said, none of them were pushed to be fully carbonic wines. Instead, the initial lift in aromatics and push on frothy fresh fruits was achieved, and then Sam fully treaded the wines to allow fermentation to switch to a more standard flow. This gave a backbone and savory qualities to act as bass notes to the carbonic high tones. All of the wines were pressed a touch early to ensure that that tannic structure was appropriate for a shorter time in barrel. Aged in neutral French oak for 4 months In Italy, the house wine is often light, fresh, aromatic, and firmly structured so as to pair beautifully next a wide range of foods. That is the inspiration for The Bird. Black cherries, anise, fresh strawberries, freshly turned soil, and spicy floral tones highlight the aromatic profile. The mouthfeel is fresh and bright, leans towards a touch of mouth filling richness, and then quickly moves to a clean and firm food driven finish.

Arnaud Lambert Saumur Champigny Rouge Terres Rouges

Yves Lambert, Arnaud’s father, founded the Domaine de Saint-Just in 1996. He was 47 and decided to change his life going back to his roots in the “Terres de Saumur”. From the beginning, his aim was to give the best expression to the two individual terroir of Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg (in the heart of Saumur Champigny denomination): the Cabernet Franc and the Chenin. Arnaud joined his father in 2005, sharing the same objectives. In 2009, they started the conversion to organic farming in the vineyards, together with the “fermage” of the eight different Clos, which were previously cultivated by the Château de Brézé. After eight years of separate management of the two Domaines, Arnaud decided to take a step forward promoting mainly the vineyards managed by himself. Then he decided to melt “Domaine de Saint-Just” (the original name decided by his father) together with “Château de Brézé” under the single name of Domaine Arnaud Lambert. Arnaud’s motto is “Making progress means leveraging the past, without being overwhelmed by it and developing a sensibility towards the future”. Arnaud considers the vigneron as an important expression of the terroir: his wines, produced in the municipalities of Saint-Cyren-Bourg and Brézé and vinified with respect for individual terroir, have great characteristics and fully represent the wine tradition of the Loire.
100% Cabernet Franc Vine Age: 45 years on average Terroir: St.-Cyr-en-Bourg, west-facing, some clay and silty chalk soil on limestone bedrock Viticulture: Organic (certified) Vinification: 100% de-stemmed, indigenous yeast fermentation in tank. Aged for 5 to 8 months in tank. No sulfur added during vinification or aging, just a small dose at bottling (35 mg/L total SO2).

 

 

 

 

Our Wine Wednesdays, include one *free sample from each of our hand selected fine wine features (up to four wines). New wines are chosen each week.

*tasting free with purchase of $10 or more per guest