Happy December Wine Clubbers! The theme this month is all things Merry, Bright and Bubbly. While we hold it as a certain truth that sparkling wine is not merely a beverage reserved for toasts and speeches and gifting, it can’t be denied that when it comes to celebrating and being cheerful, nothing does it quite like a bottle of bubbs. 

CRUSH CLUB

To make sure everyone is getting in as much cheer as possible during these short days and long, cold nights, we’ve packed in 2 sparkling wines for our Crush club members. These wines are part of an effort to showcase amazing bubbly wines which are a wonderful alternative to pricier bottles (lookin’ at you, Champagne...even though I love you very much) and a delicious addition to any holiday celebration or perhaps, opening day at the mountain? We leave the occasion up to you, and simply wish you and yours a happy end to 2021 and best wishes for the next one. Keep drinking good wine!

Caneva da Nani 'El Vin Col Fondo'
Glera

Started in the 1970’s by Giovanni “Nani,” Canello, Caneva da Nani creates prosecco which defies expectations and exemplifies the best, most pure, expressive, terroir-driven winemaking in their little corner of the Veneto. Some of the best proseccos hail from Valdobiadenne, where care is taken to harvest and process 100% Glera for gentle pressing and vinification to create balanced sparkling wines of tremendous character and racy minerality. “Nani” and his wife and two sons create harmonious proseccos which are incredibly delicious and certainly do not belong mixed with orange juice at a breakfast buffet. They stand on their own. Of no exception are their wines made in a natural “pet-nat” style, where fermentation completes in the bottle, leading to a more “rustic” frizzante style wine, which goes unfiltered and unfined. Expect biscuity crumb notes, surrounded by stone fruit and apple flavors, highlighted through coursing acidity and refreshing powdery minerality. ( And...Ok, you can make a mimosa from it, I understand. It’s really good.)

J. Brix 'Cobolorum'
Petillant Naturel  
Riesling

Jody Brix Towe and Emily Towe are curious folks who like to explore. After sharing a locally-made San Diego pinot noir and wondering...what else is possible?...the couple took it upon themselves to learn to make wine, in a hands-on full internship with said winemaker. From there, with Jody’s horticultural background in play, they took matters into their own hands and began J.Brix winery. Their mission? Stay true to California flavors and styles while trying as many different cuvees and interpretations of their wines as possible. This playful and experimental nature has paid off time and again, most recently and relevantly to us with their Coloborum Riesling Pet-Nat. As with all of their wines, this is a minimal-intervention project, with no added preservatives, no fining, no filtering, and no cold-stablization. Their sparkling riesling is closer to a traditional method sparkling wine, being bottle fermented and then disgorged to ensure a fine bubble and low sediment amount (and prevent potentially explosive overflow upon opening), and shows zesty notes of citrus and baking spice. An easy go-to with a plentiful charcuterie board. I want it with prosciutto and figs.

RAW CLUB

Our Raw Club selections this month continue our exploration of “Champagne-but not Champagne” for all of your December celebrations. Here, we focus on wines of incredibly high quality and craftsmanship by some of our most beloved winemakers. Sparkling wine is a decision-intensive product; vintners must determine how and when to capture lightning (or, C02) in a bottle and ensure the ideal balance of texture, flavor, acidity, brightness and fizz that makes you wish you could stowe away the bottle and bring out the cheap stuff for your guests. By all means, feel free to not share. We won’t tell.

Peter Lauer

 'Sekt’
Riesling

Sparkling Riesling is just...one of the best things in the world. And in the world of German Sekts (sparkling, traditional method wines) no one does it like  Lauer. In the stretch of the Mosel river valley of Germany known as the Saar, few match the sheer quality and expressiveness of Weingut Peter Lauer. Fifth generation winemaker Florian Lauer’s stuff is just insanely delicious; if possible for riesling to be forward-looking, bold, dry, and full of vivacity, then this is pure progressive poetry. The care taken in his sparkling wines is absolutely stunning. This vintage sekt is always hand harvested and vinified with minimal intervention. The date of vintage, riddling, and disgorgement is right there on the bottle so you know the decisive moment and intention of every step in the process. Smoked honey, candied citrus peel and asian pear come to mind at the first sip of this exceptional non-Champagne Champagne. It’s just, so good. And, if you can bear to let it stay unopened, it promises to age amazingly well. We’ve got a ‘92 of the stuff on hand to prove it. 

Domaine Grosbot-Barbara 'Brut Zero'
Gamay

A sparkling gamay from Saint-Pourcain (in Central France) may either be entirely up your alley or something which at first glance, holds little appeal for the traditional sparkling wine lover. However, be assured that this brilliant little bottling holds its own against classic cremants from far more famous regions (Burgundy comes to mind) and remains one of our all-time favorite unexpected superstars of sparkling wine in the shop. Maybe because it’s an underdog, maybe it’s because of the weird, Mannerist-style label, or maybe it’s just because Wine Traditions always finds off-piste producers in France who over-deliver on authenticity and quality, but something about this “Brut Zero” has us coming back time and again. Here’s the breakdown. M. Denis Barbara makes wine in Saint-Pourcain, a region in the central Loire which used to be real famous (in the 14th century) but now is only home to 600 hectare of land under vine with a very young AOC to its name (2009 status). Barbara holds eight of those hectares, which he farms using careful permaculture practices and never uses chemical pesticides in the vineyard. The Brut 0 is made using gamay grapes, pressed off their skins to create “blanc de noir” must, which is fermented in tanks, bottled, rested, and disgorged after 15 months. Then, it is finished without any dosage, hence the name Brut 0. For a methode champenoise sparkling wine, made in as dry a style as possible, the wine retains tremendous balance, finesse, concentration of autolytic and fruit notes, and ease of drinkability. Like, really easy. Here’s “Champagne for people who don’t like Champagne,” in all of its warmth and depth of toasty, buttery, citrusy notes. An ideal pairing with anything fatty spread on crusty bread. I’m thinking rillettes.