Wine Bar This Week

We are having a great class on Wednesday, April 13th, as Professor Todd Johnston hosts Cheese 101, a primer on wine and cheese pairing.  The class costs $20 and goes from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 14th: Domaine St. Préfert & Friends
Excellent high-scoring wines from Isabel Ferrando in Châteauneuf-du-Pape & other tasty French wines, all from H. Mercer Imports. $25, 4:30-8:30 p.m.

Friday, April 15th: So You Think You Don't Like Euro Wines? & Trivia Night with KissKissBangsBangs!  
Don't like Euro Wines? We will taste eight "modern style" wines from Europe that just might change your mind.  Trivia portion starts at 7 p.m. $25, 4:30-8:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 16th: Rosé Champagne
More popular than ever, we will sample 9 Rosé Champagnes including faves from Billecart-
Salmon, Laurent-Perrier, Andre Clouet, Gosset and Larmandier-Bernier. $30, 2-8:30 p.m.

Next Week:

Our monthly Sake Tasting is next Wednesday, April 20th, from 6-8 p.m., $20. Our guest host is Liloa "Loa" Papa from Young's Market Co. who will join our regular host and sake buyer Veronica Castro.

Thurs. 4/21: Sangiovese, $30
Fri. 4/22: Yalumba, $25
Sat. 4/23: Saint Cosme, $30 

Thanks for Tasting with Aurelien Suenen on Saturday! #Champagne

We had a great turn-out of Champagne and Suenen fans last Saturday (2/13/16) and just wanted to say thanks!  The Champagnes and crowd were fantastic... cheers!

This Week's Wine Bar at Hi-Time: February 10-13

We always have something going on at the wine bar and this week's lineup looks fantastic-- including our pre-Valentine's Day Deluxe Champagne tasting on Saturday featuring The Champagnes of Aurélien Suenen (hint: ladies love bubbles!).

Tonight (2/10) we start with our Wednesday Wine Workshop: "Under the Radar" Spanish wines with Connor Clarke. $20, 7-8:30 p.m. Come learn and taste!

Thursday 2/11, 4:30-8:30pm: Oregon Wine Trail
Oregon is on a hot streak of vintages, and we’re going to pour some show stoppers tonight! Mostly Pinot Noirs, but a few whites to start. $20

Friday 2/12, 4:30-8:30pm: Loire Valley, France
This French region along the Loire River is mostly known for white wines from the Chenin blanc, Sauvignon blanc and Melon de Bourgogne grapes, there are excellent red wines made (especially around the Chinon region) from Cabernet franc.  We will try a mix of whites & reds. $25.

Saturday 2/13, 2-8:30pm: The Champgnes of Aurelien Suenen
"...one of the up and coming stars in the world of grower Champagne." -John Gilman, View From the Cellar. Aurélien will be here (from 2 to 5 p.m.) to pour and discuss his Champagnes; we will taste seven in all. $25

About Aurélien
Semi-pro basketball player Aurélien Suenen made an about-face in the mid-2000s, leaving basketball and returning to the family estate to help his ailing father. And he hasn’t looked back since. He farms five hectares of Chardonnay vines in the Côte des Blancs (in grand cru AOCs Cramant, Chouilly and Oiry), and Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay in the St. Thierry hills, due northwest of Reims. Approaching sustainable viticulture with the same zeal as his athletic training, he has been seeing to the revitalization of his soils—implementing mostly organic practices.

Heavily influenced by Burgundian winemaking, as well as the savoir-faire of mentors Anselme Selosse and the Agrapart brothers, he seeks slow, gentle, temperature-controlled vinifications and a separation of cuvees by individual parcel to achieve rich, ripe, layered, vibrant and mineral-driven champagnes. Beyond those memorable traits, Aurélien’s wines are filled with a character that goes beyond mere taste. Seeing how ardently he directs his passion, it is clear that these wines are destined for greatness.

A Fabulous One and Only Champagne: Moutard Arbanne

by Jim Duane

MOUTARD 2008 CEPAGE ARBANNE VIEILLES VIGNES $79.98 [377623]

While researching our recent profile of the L. Aubry Fils “Le Nombre D’Or Campaneae Veteres Vites" which features four grapes (Arbanne, Petit Meslier, Fromemteau and Pinot Blanc) that were all but wiped out by the 19th Century phylloxera plague in Champagne, we came upon mention of a Champagne by Moutard that was made entirely from Arbanne. Arbanne is a fascinating varietal not unlike Grüner Veltliner and it has a long history of cultivation in the southern part of the Champagne region but its present plantings total a mere five acres.

The Moutard-Deligent family have been growers in Buxeuil, situated just southeast of Troyes in the Côte des Bar, since 1642. The family started making their own Champagne in 1927 and today they farm 52 acres of vines. Most of their plantings are to Pinot Noir but they do have a number of plots of “heirloom” grape varietals like Arbanne. Learning that the family’s “Cepage Arbanne” was the only one of its type produced today really piqued our interest and we immediately scrambled to get our hands on some. As luck would have it, we scored the last two cases from the importer. This 2008 was made from 60-year-old vines, fermented entirely in stainless steel and was aged four years on the lees before being disgorged in January of 2014. Thought-provoking and compelling, this Moutard is like no sparkler we have had, as it exhibits an exotic flavor profile that is somewhat akin to Vouvray combined with the structure and delineation that could only spring from Champagne. At first whiff, notes of Polenta emerge followed by fragrances of white flowers, quince and damp chalk. Its dense yet sleek Chenin-Blanc-like fruit (think Bosc pears) makes a pleasing initial impression and is quickly elaborated with hints of river stones and key lime while its racy finish morphs to deliver enduring red grapefruit impressions. As we sipped this fascinating bubbly we couldn’t help but wonder how much more diverse and interesting Champagne would be if the region’s heirloom grapes were in wider production. Limited.

A Top-Rated Champagne "Time Machine"

A TOP-RATED CHAMPAGNE “TIME MACHINE”
by Jim "Bubblehead" Duane

 

We have all been taught that French Champagne is produced from any combination of three grapes, namely Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. For the vast majority of Champagne this is indeed the case. It's rarely mentioned, however, that the AOC regulations allow exceptions to this tripartite formula, and permit the use of four additional “historic” varietals: Arbanne, Petit Meslier, Fromemteau (a.k.a. Pinot Gris), and Pinot Blanc. They say variety is the spice of life and over the years we have had some intriguing heirloom grape Champagnes from Laherte and Pierre Gerbais, but it is the Aubry twins, Pierre and Philippe, that have done the most with these arcane grapes.  “If the varieties were planted in the first place our forebears must have a reason!” they say. The distinctive and alluring flavors of their “Campanae Veteres Vites” (i.e. “the old vines of the countyside”) cuvee have been turning heads now for more than a decade. 2009 was a very warm vintage in Champagne and these conditions enabled the brothers to create their showiest and probably their best ever edition of “Campaneae Veteres Vites”. If you are curious to experience the exotic flavor spectrum of pre-phylloxera Champagne, this Aubry is a scintillating time machine. The notes below are those of respected Champagne authority Peter Liem (ChampagneGuide.net) who gave it his highest (3 Star) rating. Note that quantities are very limited.

L. AUBRY FILS 2009 “LE NOMBRE D’OR CAMPANEAE VETERES VITES” $55.95 [377884] 

“This is a blend of 25 percent Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris (co-planted and fermented together), 20 percent Petit Meslier, 20 percent Pinot Noir, 15 percent Arbanne, 15 percent Chardonnay and five percent Meunier. Its glossy flavors of passion fruit, mango, guava and cassis are forward and voluptuous, although while this is luscious in feel, it’s neither heavy nor overly sweet (especially not at 3 g/l of dosage). It’s unusually multi-faceted, blending its fruit flavors with a complex herbalness and a detailed minerality—there’s the sense that an immense array of components are coming together in perfect harmony, building towards a long and vibrant finish. As usual with this cuvée, the arcane varieties lend an element of originality and surprise, and it gives the impression that there’s a lot more waiting to be discovered here in future tastings. Last tasted: 3/14.”

Coming into the store for this Champagne?  It is stacked near the front of the Champagne Room on the left side.