Gift Ideas for Rookies

Fontana Blanc 2022,

La Vinicola di Antonio Gismondi
Fontana is a rare, organic, biodynamic, and natural white wine made by Antonio Gismondi in his Benevento terroir (Campania, Southern Italy). Classified as Vino da Tavola (the equivalent of our Vin de France), it is made entirely from the local falanghina grape variety. It is, in short, a falanghina beneventano, or a falanghina wine from Benevento. Falanghina is a very old variety that, in ancient times, formed the basis of the famous Falerna cru (falernum).

In the vineyard and in the cellar
The thirty-year-old falanghina vines grow on stony (limestone) and clayey soil at an altitude of around 350 meters, facing southwest. The harvest is directly pressed and all vinification is done in stainless steel vats. No sulfites are added, no filtration.

Tasting
On the nose, white flowers, exotic fruits, Mediterranean plants, garrigue, maquis: Fontana is a fragrant, sapid and generous white wine. The retro-olfaction is very fruity. Opulent and powerful, round, slightly acidic, very aromatic: the quintessence of Campania white wines, through the talent of Antonio Gismondi. With a very smooth and opulent finish, Fontana offers good aging qualities. It can be drunk now, but it will also age well. Pair it with fish, seafood, and oysters. It will also pair well with Asian and lightly spiced dishes, as well as canned fish, as well as sardines in oil and smoked fish. In fact, anything goes when it comes to pairings.

Learn more about La Vinicola di Antonio Gismondi
Antonio and Anabel Gismondi's winery is located in Campania, in Cerreto Sanita, in the Benevento region. A microclimate cools the land in this area: humid winds from the Tyrrhenian Sea collide with the first ramparts of the Apennine mountain range, causing condensation in the air. Add to this a thermal inversion phenomenon between day and night, and the freshness of the Antonio Gismondi wines is easily explained.

A family estate
For generations, the Gismondi family has cultivated vines here and made wine using the most traditional and natural methods, to which are added those of biodynamics. For a long time, of the fifteen tons of grapes produced each year, one ton was reserved for on-site winemaking for family consumption, the rest going to the local wine cooperative. It was the meeting with Massimo Marchiori and Antonella de Partida Creus that decided Antonio and his wife Anabel to start producing natural wines on site for the entire harvest.

Clay, pebbles and local grape varieties
The vineyard, two hectares, is located between 350 and 380 meters above sea level, on clay, loam and pebbly soils, with two-thirds facing due south, planted with vines around six years old. The rest faces southwest and corresponds to the Pietre and Cerreto cuvées, with vines thirty years old. The grape varieties are Merlot, Freisa and Sangiovese for the reds, and Falanghina and Malvasia di Candia for the whites.

Chateau Roulant Red 20/21

Benoit Camus
Château Roulant is a Beaujolais red wine, organic and natural (Ecocert certified), made from Gamay. Classified as a Vin de France, it is produced by Benoît Camus at his Pierre Dorées estate, in the south of the appellation. Its name evokes the itinerant life once led by the winemaker, a former seasonal agricultural worker.

Vinification
The Gamay vines of Beaujolais grow on clay-limestone soils. The very steep plots prohibit any mechanized work. The harvest, carried out by hand, undergoes a three-week semi-carbonic maceration. The wine is aged in concrete vats for fifteen months.

Tasting
The Beaujolais wines from Pierre Dorées are structured, long-lasting, and beautifully fruity. Here, after admiring a bright garnet color, we find strawberry, raspberry, red cherry, and cranberry, with a beautiful acidity in the mid-palate giving way to a rich and voluptuous finish. Freshness and acidity, leather, earth, and some animal notes. Wonderful richness in the mouth that we will enjoy accompanying with cold meats and cured meats, poultry such as pigeon or duck. Or even Red Meats .

Learn more about Benoît Camus
You might think he's itinerant, with his vintages called "Château roulant" or "Vagabond", but for Benoît Camus, it's a memory of his previous life, when he was a seasonal farmer in the Rhône Valley and as far as Roussillon. Since 2003, he has settled in Southern Beaujolais, in the Pierres Dorées terroir, to make organic (Ecocert) and natural wines.

Nature before, nature always
Before purchasing his seven-hectare estate from an old winemaker, the vines had not yet seen pesticides or chemical additives. Many in Beaujolais worked this way. He made his first vintage in 2006, "natural without knowing it," he says. A brief attempt at chemical spraying to treat grape worm definitively dissuaded him from adding anything to the vineyard or the cellar. He acquired Ecocert organic certification and continues to make natural wines.

The Pierre Dorées terroir
The southern Beaujolais, with its clay-limestone soils, produces wines that are more structured and powerful than those from the granite soils of the North. This is the profile presented by the reds of Benoît Camus, natural wines that are straight, dense and long-aging, with good acidity and well-integrated tannins, not forgetting abundant, rich and seductive fruit.

Cyprès de Toi Blanc 2022

Fond Cyprès
Cyprès de Toi Blanc represents—in our opinion—the classicism of Languedoc white wine, a pure expression of Chardonnay grown on marl-limestone soils using natural and traditional vinification. Fresh, crisp, and aromatic, it offers a fruity yet dry balance, revealing itself as an excellent all-terrain white wine for all occasions. The apple and pear notes of previous vintages are now followed by citrus notes, yellow fruits (mango, apricot, peach), and the same southern herbaceous signature typical of the estate's whites: garrigue, thyme, fig leaf, and fresh lemon peel. The grapes are directly pressed, and the must settles in the cold. Fermentation, using indigenous yeasts, and aging take place in stainless steel vats. A very light filtration is carried out before bottling, and no inputs or additives are reported.

Find out more
This Corbières estate is built on solid foundations: its two winemakers, Rodolphe and Laetitia, are also descendants of winemakers. Even before planting their first vine, they already had a clear objective: "to produce southern wines that reflect us, wines with character attached to our soils, with freshness and refined tannins." They want to obtain entirely natural wines, concentrates of terroir. In the heart of the old Corbières massif, they are taking over an old heart of the estate already planted with abandoned Carignan and Grenache, which have seen neither fertilizer nor pesticides for years: these clean and living soils are an ideal condition for launching into natural wine. Around this historic heart, they first planted Grenache Noir and Syrah, then a plot of white grape varieties: Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne. The estate has been Ecocert certified since 2010 and also complies with the Nature & Progrès charter. The vinification is done without the addition of sulfites or exogenous yeasts. "We make wines for pleasure," say Laetitia and Rodolphe. For them, natural wine is first assessed by taste, from the harvest. The vintages closely follow the plots, the musts are fruity, fluid, and complex. The wines of Fond Cyprès poetically evoke the estate's ecosystem and the vegetation that protects the plots: the pine forests, the shady springs, the beauty of the natural environment that brings freshness to the wines and leaves the soil's signature. Deliciously balanced between mineral imprint, vegetal environment and expression of fruit, the wines of Fond Cyprès reflect the South: the caress of its sun, but also the freshness of its shadows.

Pietre Blanc 2021

La Vinicola di Antonio Gismondi
What a wine! A pure pleasure in the glass, heralded by a beautiful, pure, innocent yellow color. The nose offers a gentle whiff of yellow flowers, a hint of blooming dandelion, and sun-warmed spring nature. These lovely sensations are confirmed on the palate, with one of the loveliest mineral nuances one could dream of: heated limestone, clay, wild herbs, and white fruits. Pietre is remarkable for its balance, its ease on the border between freshness and Mediterranean warmth. The freshness of the Apennine climate and the clay soil, elegantly carried by all the wines of this estate, certainly has something to do with it. Made from a blend of Malvasia di Candia and Falanghina directly pressed, Pietre Blanc evokes by its name the pebbles of its native province. The skin maceration is one or two days depending on the vintage, in stainless steel vats, as is the aging of six to ten months. Unfiltered, no sulfites at bottling. This well-balanced, floral and fruity white will harmonize with many dishes.

Find out more

The azienda of Antonio and Anabel Gismondi is located in Cerreto Sanita, in the Benevento region of Campania. A microclimate gives this area an almost continental feel: humid winds from the Tyrrhenian Sea collide with the first ramparts of the Apennine chain, causing condensation in the air and lowering temperatures, which are significantly cooler and more humid than on the coast. If we add a thermal inversion phenomenon between day and night, common in the Apennine climate, the freshness of the wines from the Antonio Gismondi estate is nothing mysterious in this southern Italy, which is nevertheless known for its very hot climate. The estate is family-run: for generations, the Gismondi family has cultivated vines and made wine using the most traditional and natural methods, to which are added biodynamic techniques. For a long time, of the fifteen tons of grapes produced each year, one ton was reserved for vinification on site for family consumption, the rest going to the local wine cooperative. It was the meeting with Massimo Marchiori and Antonella of Partida Creus that led Antonio and his wife Anabel to start producing natural wines at home, using the entire harvest. The two-hectare vineyard is located between 350 and 380 meters above sea level, on clay, loam, and stony soils, with two-thirds facing south, planted with vines around six years old. The remainder faces southwest and corresponds to the Pietre and Cerreto cuvées, with vines thirty years old. The grape varieties are Merlot, Freisa, and Sangiovese for the reds, and Falanghina and Malvasia di Candia for the whites.

Vino Rosato Rosé 2021,

Corva Gialla
The pretty light pink color of this Vino Rosato heralds the pleasure of floral notes on the nose and palate: rose, red fruits, citrus, lovely acidity, and a touch of bitterness on the finish, reminiscent of grapefruit peel, which gives it great charm. To obtain this Rosato, a blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese, the Montepulciano harvest macerates for 48 hours on the skins before being pressed, while the Sangiovese is pressed directly at the entrance to the winery. The musts are then fermented together in fiberglass vats where they continue to refine until bottling in March. Rosato will suit everything you want from a rosé, and more: its purity and balance raise it above the standard image of summer rosés.

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Azienda Corva Gialla ("yellow crow") is a winery in Lazio, Italy, located on the edge of Umbria in the Alta Tuscia Viterbese. A volcanic region considered one of the most beautiful in Italy and characterized by its calanches, tall tuff rock formations delineating deep valleys carved by numerous streams and torrents. Corva Gialla is located in Lubriano, opposite Civita di Bagnoregio. Alta Tuscia is proving to be a breeding ground for young winemaking talents devoted to nature who are enhancing these lands deprived throughout history. Founded in 2017, the estate comprises four hectares cultivated by Beatrice Arweiler, originally from another wine-growing region, between the Rhine and the Moselle. The new owner also planted an olive grove (Frantoio and Leccino varieties) and developed the estate into a mixed crop and livestock system. The vines were planted with the help of Gian Marco Antonuzzi of the Le Coste estate. The friable volcanic soil lends itself beautifully to viticulture and the planting of grape varieties such as Grechetto d'Umbria, Trebbiano, Vermentino, Sangiovese, and Ciliegiolo. The estate's wines are quintessentially Italian, meaning they are crafted primarily for enjoyment. They are straightforward, deep, and easy to drink, expressing the strong minerality of their soils.

P'tit Grobis Blanc 2020,

Nicolas Chemarin
As expected, all-granitic Chardonnay, the white counterpart to the P'tit Grobis cuvée, classified as a Vin de France, offers a pale, opalescent yellow color. The sensations of this white Beaujolais-Villages are complex and difficult to summarize: first, on the nose and palate, the lactic, yeasty note is present. The fresh acidity is accompanied by flint, notes of white flowers, and a youthful expressiveness. Drinking young, it expresses its youthfulness well, and a little age reveals white fruits, a slight richness, and sweet notes. The harvest is directly pressed, followed by settling during which the winemaker takes care not to steal all the fine lees from the wine.

Find out more
Nicolas Chemarin, nicknamed "P'tit Grobis" as a resident of Marchampt (Beaujolais), is the fourth generation of winemaker on his family wine estate in the Beaujolais-Villages appellation, on stony land where he crafts wines of surprising depth and sincerity. In 2005, he took over two hectares of vines from his father and in 2006 he produced his first vintages. In 2008, he acquired other vines and decided to devote himself solely to his estate, whose very steep terroir consists of poor, rocky soils on gray granite rock. The vines rest on the bedrock through very thin soil, and their roots plunge deep into the rock. Depending on the configuration of the soil, the vines are pruned in goblet or raised on stakes. Their average age is eighty years. The grape varieties, Gamay and Chardonnay, are classically Beaujolais. Nicolas also cultivates two other terroirs in the Régnié appellation: Les Bullats, with light, filtering sandy soils, and La Haute Ronze, very close to Morgon, whose deeper, clayey soils produce full-bodied wines. The vintages undergo long macerations (from 18 to 30 days) with punching down and temperature control (Nicolas works cold, around 20°C). The aging is done partially in thermoregulated concrete vats for a third, the remaining two thirds passing into barrels of four to ten wines in order to provide oxygenation but little or no woody sensation. Nicolas Chemarin is already very well known in the natural world for his sweet and fruity vintages, wines of pleasure, and for vintages from difficult and magnificent terroirs, provided with admirable and complex mineral, aromatic and spicy notes.

Cyprès de Toi Blanc 2020,

Fond Cyprès
This Languedoc estate is built on solid foundations: its two winemakers, Rodolphe and Laetitia, are also descendants of winemakers. Even before planting their first vine, they already had a clear objective: "to produce southern wines that reflect our style, wines with character, rooted in our soils, with freshness and refined tannins." They want to create entirely natural wines, concentrated terroir. In the heart of the ancient Corbières massif, they are taking over an old estate already planted with abandoned Carignan and Grenache grapes, which have seen neither fertilizer nor pesticides for years: these clean, vibrant soils are ideal conditions for launching into natural winemaking. Around this historic heart, they first planted Grenache Noir and Syrah, then a plot of white grape varieties: Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne. The estate has been Ecocert certified since 2010 and also complies with the Nature & Progrès charter. The vinification is done without the addition of sulfites or exogenous yeasts. "We make wines for pleasure," say Laetitia and Rodolphe. For them, natural wine is first assessed by taste, from the harvest. The vintages closely follow the plots, the musts are fruity, fluid, and complex. The wines of Fond Cyprès poetically evoke the estate's ecosystem and the vegetation that protects the plots: the pine forests, the shady springs, the beauty of the natural environment that brings freshness to the wines and leaves the soil's signature. Deliciously balanced between mineral imprint, vegetal environment and fruit expression, the wines of Fond Cyprès reflect the South: the caress of its sun, but also the freshness of its shadows.
This all-Grenache shaped by the limestone and blue marl soils of Escales, vinified and aged in stainless steel vats, is a seducer, dazzlingly fresh and delicious enough to evoke the most diverse culinary pairings. Wonderfully balanced, taut and yet affable, it first overturns on the table a basket of white fruits - ripe and crisp nashi pear, cottage garden pear - which quickly give way to exotic notes on the mid-palate: a fine touch of mango and apricot. In the background, wild thyme, thyme, garrigue, a breath of fig leaf and fresh lemon. A broad and generous palette that lends itself to all moments.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.

P'tit Grobis Blanc 2019,

Nicolas Chemarin
Nicolas Chemarin, nicknamed P'tit Grobis as a resident of Marchampt (Beaujolais), is the fourth generation of winegrowers on his family estate in the Beaujolais-Villages appellation, on stony land where he crafts wines of surprising depth and sincerity. In 2005, he took over two hectares of his father's vines and produced his first vintages in 2006. In 2008, he acquired additional vines and decided to devote himself solely to his estate, whose very steep terroir consists of poor, rocky soils over gray granite rock. The vines rest on the bedrock through very thin soil, and their roots plunge deep into the rock. Depending on the soil configuration, the vines are pruned in goblet or raised on stakes. Their average age is eighty years. The grape varieties, Gamay and Chardonnay, are classically Beaujolais. Nicolas also cultivates two other terroirs in the Régnié appellation: Les Bullats, with light, filtering sandy soils, and La Haute Ronze, very close to Morgon, whose deeper, clayey soils produce full-bodied wines. The vintages undergo long macerations (from 18 to 30 days) with punching down and temperature control (Nicolas works cold, around 20°C). Aging is partially done in temperature-controlled concrete vats for a third, the remaining two-thirds being spent in barrels of four to ten wines to provide oxygenation but little or no oaky sensation. Nicolas Chemarin is already well-known in the natural world for his delicious and fruity vintages, wines for pleasure, and for vintages from difficult and magnificent terroirs, endowed with admirable and complex mineral, aromatic and spicy notes.
All granitic Chardonnay as it should be, the white counterpart of the P’tit Grobis cuvée offers a pale opalescent yellow color. The harvest goes through direct pressing, followed by settling that does not rob the wine of all its fine lees. The sensations are complex and difficult to summarize: first, on the nose as on the palate, the lactic, yeasty note is present. The fresh acidity is accompanied by flint, notes of white flowers and a youthful expressiveness. Drink young, it expresses its youth well, and a little age reveals white fruits, a light fat and delicious notes.
Natural wine without added sulfites.

P'tit Grobis Rouge 2019,

Nicolas Chemarin
Nicolas Chemarin, nicknamed P'tit Grobis as a resident of Marchampt (Beaujolais), is the fourth generation of winegrowers on his family estate in the Beaujolais-Villages appellation, on stony land where he crafts wines of surprising depth and sincerity. In 2005, he took over two hectares of his father's vines and produced his first vintages in 2006. In 2008, he acquired additional vines and decided to devote himself solely to his estate, whose very steep terroir consists of poor, rocky soils over gray granite rock. The vines rest on the bedrock through very thin soil, and their roots plunge deep into the rock. Depending on the soil configuration, the vines are pruned in goblet or raised on stakes. Their average age is eighty years. The grape varieties, Gamay and Chardonnay, are classically Beaujolais. Nicolas also cultivates two other terroirs in the Régnié appellation: Les Bullats, with light, filtering sandy soils, and La Haute Ronze, very close to Morgon, whose deeper, clayey soils produce full-bodied wines. The vintages undergo long macerations (from 18 to 30 days) with punching down and temperature control (Nicolas works cold, around 20°C). Aging is partially done in temperature-controlled concrete vats for a third, the remaining two-thirds being spent in barrels of four to ten wines to provide oxygenation but little or no oaky sensation. Nicolas Chemarin is already well known in the natural world for his delicious and fruity vintages, wines for pleasure, and for vintages from difficult and magnificent terroirs, endowed with admirable and complex mineral, aromatic and spicy notes.
P’tit Grobis rouge is a wine of incredible vitality, capable of converting even the most refractory to Beaujolais. It is Nicolas’s most personal vintage, which he named after his nickname in the country. One hundred percent Gamay in the Beaujolais-Villages appellation, it is delicious, fruity, mineral and taut. Gamay noir à jus blanc at its most enjoyable, gurgling but with elegance.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.

Goes with: Game birds, Furred game, Red meats, Roasted meats

Melocoton Beer 2020, Cyclic Beer Farm

Cyclic Beer Farm
Packaged in 75 cl bottles so that everyone can satisfy their thirst, the beers from the Barcelona-based brewery Cyclic Beer Farm play between classicism and flights of inspiration, in a contrasting and creative way, in the Catalan style. Based on classic principles and a Belgian fermentation model, the two brewer-winemakers Joshua and Alberto play with ingredients, aromas, and macerations, including cereals, fruits, vegetables, and grape skins from Catalan grape varieties, to achieve flavors reminiscent of an unidentified drinkable object (OBNI). Whether they assert themselves through balance or a certain controlled dissonance, these beers will never leave you indifferent and will reveal their full potential in the summer heat, served well chilled.
Melocotón, with an alcohol content of 5.5%, is a limited edition beer, a work of craftsmanship, and indulgence. Six hundred grams of organic peaches from the orchards of Ordal (Catalonia) very ripe (“we like them like that,” say the two brewers), scrupulously selected, in maceration per liter of beer, who can say better? The brew is based on barley and wheat, a mix of funky saison and sour saison. The acidity is very pronounced, and gives a very refreshing whey flavor, the bewitching aroma of peach unfolding in the background with a particular force in retro-olfaction. Another experiment from the Cyclic Boys that was worth trying and which we predict will be a hit on the terraces this summer.

Volta Beer 2020, Cyclic Beer Farm

Cyclic Beer Farm
Packaged in 75 cl bottles so that everyone can satisfy their thirst, the beers from the Barcelona-based brewery Cyclic Beer Farm play between classicism and flights of inspiration, in a contrasting and creative way, in the Catalan style. Based on classic principles and a Belgian fermentation model, the two brewer-winemakers Joshua and Alberto play with ingredients, aromas, and macerations, including cereals, fruits, vegetables, and grape skins from Catalan grape varieties, to achieve flavors reminiscent of an unidentified drinkable object (OBNI). Whether they assert themselves through balance or a certain controlled dissonance, these beers will never leave you indifferent and will reveal their full potential in the summer heat, served well chilled.
Volta is a pilsner-style beer with an alcohol content of 4%. It was created in homage to a classic competition in Catalonia, the Volta Catalunya cycling race, which is celebrating its hundredth edition this year (2021). The brew is made from organic pilsner malt and malted wheat flakes. The infusion is then made with organic lemon juice and zest as well as Ceylon black tea. The color is pale yellow, slightly cloudy. On the nose, a great freshness is immediately evident. On the palate, we perceive a very nice lemony acidity where the sour bite of the lemon juice is felt more than the aroma of the zest. The slightly tannic and floral note of Ceylon tea plays in the background. A very nice, expertly balanced success from Cyclic brewers, whose name, for the occasion, matches the one they gave to this beer.

R Riesling Blanc 2019,

Patrick Bouju
Vinified in Auvergne by Patrick Bouju, is Alsace Riesling becoming volcanic? In any case, it benefits from the expertise and talent of a great winemaker. It is a fresh, straightforward, and distinguished white, perfect for all occasions.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.

La Gouyate Sweet White 2019,

Château Barouillet
40% Chenin, 30% Sémillon, 30% Muscadelle on clay-limestone soils, the partially botrytized harvest is done at dawn for optimal freshness. It goes directly into a pneumatic press and the must is fermented in stainless steel vats using indigenous yeasts to preserve the typicity and originality of the terroir. When the desired alcohol-residual sugar balance is achieved, the wine is filtered and bottled immediately, without aging in vats. This technique preserves the crispness of the fruit but also greatly limits the amount of SO2 without any risk of refermentation. Freshness and length on the palate are the beauty of this sweet wine with a fresh, mineral nose, offering notes of citrus zest and tropical fruits. The attack is frank, tangy, round, ample: an explosion of fruit. A hint of honeyed sweetness marks the mid-palate. The wine is as if straddling two sensations, sweetness and freshness, which makes it adaptable to many dishes. Serve chilled but not iced (9-11 °C)

Goes with: Desserts, Cheeses

SPLASH! White 2020,

Domaine Le Barouillet
This is a natural sparkling wine made entirely from Sémillon, a white grape variety typical of northern Aquitaine, grown on the clay-limestone soils of the Bergerac region. It is produced by direct pressing followed by fermentation in stainless steel vats using indigenous yeasts. When the sugar balance is reached, a light filtration on earth is performed to avoid disgorging. After this filtration, as soon as the wine begins to ferment again, it is bottled to complete fermentation, followed by a five-month aging process. This wine is drunk like a chilled white champagne, and its range of action is very broad: to be enjoyed alone or at a party, with friends, at any time of day or night, for any occasion, large or small. Excellent with oysters or raw seafood.

Goes with: Oysters and Shellfish