The Connoisseur - July 2024
Hhhhmmm. Is summer here? Seems like 2024 is a bit unsure of itself. Oh well, we forge ahead with a mix of optimism and sangfroid and a good bottle of wine. This month’s selections will give you some options so you can always stay one step ahead of the weather: plenty of crispness and freshness but a little bit of body and warmth just in case.
Wine descriptions below, and if you run out, you can order more from The Cellar.
Don’t forget, you can look up past boxes in The Archive.
Geographic Wines, "Lento" Branco
[grape/vintage] Rabigato, Viosinho, Gouveio, Códega de Larinho, Síria, Folgasão / 2022
[region] Douro
This smells like Devil Went Down to Georgia wrapped in fresh wildflowers, cut peach and cool mountain breezes – funky, deep, delicate and dangerous. It’s what old old vines sound like when they don’t have anything to apologise for. It’s the sound of a terroir that found its voice a hundred years ago and is still singing long and rich and beautiful.
Our sommelier describes it thus: Cloudy, rich chartreuse colour. Intense, expressive nose with wild flower and wet stone. Good acidity, minerality and freshness. Natural fermentation and yeasts fully express the sandy soils and granite bedrock of its origins.
Pairs well with a creamy truffle pasta dish, spicy stir fry or a simple plate of strong olives with a rich soft cheese.
The wines of the Douro Valley are known for their depth, complexity, and aging potential. The soil is predominantly schist, a type of metamorphic rock that retains heat and helps to ripen the grapes. The region’s unique terroir, combined with the use of indigenous grape varieties and traditional winemaking techniques, create wines that are rich, complex, and full of character.
Check it out in The Cellar.
QM, Rosé
[grape/vintage] Alvarinho, Sousão / 2022
[region] Vinho Verde
Listen to Chuck Berry’s “No Particular Place to Go”. Fresh, crisp, tight and bouncing. I challenge you to NOT nod your head and tap your foot. The words full of humour and innuendo and youthful optimism. Now put all that in a bottle and you’ve got an idea for how this delicious, dry and subtly fruity rosé from Quintas de Melgaço will make you feel.
Our sommelier’s thoughts: Salmon coloured. Intense nose with strong red fruits and hints of strawberry from the Sousão. On the palate, smooth, dry and refreshing with berry, peach, citrus and a good finish.
We suggest pairing this with a Galician sardinhada, a tomato and feta salad, pepperoni pizza or a blackberry pie with double cream.
Vinho Verde is known for its light, refreshing wines, known for their low alcohol content and slight effervescence. The soil is predominantly granite, which helps to retain moisture and gives the wines a unique minerality.
Check it out in The Cellar.
Casa da Atela, Petit Verdot
[grape/vintage] Syrah, Petit Verdot / 2018
[region] Alentejo
A black cat on a Paris rooftop. A bit of style, a bit of panache, a bit of danger. A whole lot of cool. This wine is smooth and has bite. It’s balanced and poised and bright eyed and intense. It’s sat on the vine all summer along the banks of the Tejo, soaking up the heat and humidity, then waited nine months in French oak plotting its attack, and now it’s ready to strut its stuff, ready to steal over the rooves and pinch a diamond necklace or two from some unsuspecting countess.
Our sommelier’s thoughts: This wine has an intense ruby color, aromas of red fruits and some notes of ripe peppers. It shows up firm and intense in the mouth with good tannins and freshness providing a long-lasting, intense finish.
We suggest pairing this with a succulent filet mignon on a white tablecloth or a pepperoni pizza at a roadside stand; or go full creamy with a soufflée or fondue or gourmet cheese platter.
Tejo (until 2009 called Ribatejo), is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in Portugal, the first vines here dating as far back as Roman times. The region is strongly influenced by the River Tejo which keeps the climate temperate, and along whose alluvial plains most vines are grown. White wines tend to have high acidity with floral and tropical notes; reds are aromatic with smooth tannins.
Check it out in The Cellar.