White Meat

VY Ancestral Sparkling White 2015

Partida Creus
Finely sparkling, lively and fresh, creamy and full-bodied on the palate, this is a superb natural sparkling wine made from Vinyater (a traditional Catalan grape variety) that should be enjoyed, especially now that this magnum has aged a little and gained depth, having had time to develop the full richness of its fresh notes – white flowers, almonds, white fruits – and its magnificent length. This festive vintage, classified as a Vino de Mesa (table wine), will shine as an aperitif, for any celebration, and at the table with seafood, grilled white meats, sweetbreads, or a beautiful vol-au-vent financier. The vinyater harvest is manual; alcoholic fermentation takes place on the skins and with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel vats. The wine completes its fermentation for ten months in bottles on fine lees.

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Partida Creus is an important estate, both from a winemaking and historical perspective – we are talking here about the history of the vine in Catalonia. Massimo Marchiori and Antonella Gerosa, originally from Piedmont – and even from the Langhe region, where wine is well-known – first pursued careers as architects in Barcelona. But the wine bug bit them, and they soon abandoned the big city and its sophistication for the vineyards of southern Catalonia, in Bonastre in Baix-Penedés. There they find a quantity of abandoned vineyards planted with a dizzying diversity of traditional Catalan grape varieties that they passionately revive to save these varieties – and their wines – from oblivion. For them, it is not just a matter of heritage rescue, no: it is a matter of taste and nature. Of natural wines, which they will never stop making from now on on these sandy, poor, clay-limestone or clay-gravel soils, poor and poorly irrigated, where the vines suffer to give their best juice. Massimo and Antonella practice organic, biodynamic viticulture, entirely manual and natural in order to give new life to these wines. Vinyater, sumoll, garrut, monastrell, ull de perdiu, ull de llebre, sumoll, queixal de llop, cariñena, trepat, subirat parent, maccabeu, parellada, pansé, vinel·lo, bobal, cartoixà vermell or xarel·lo: Partida Creus is a veritable conservatory of native Catalan grape varieties. It also grows moscatel, grenache, merlot and cabernet (among others). Few wineries can boast growing so many different grape varieties. The wines reflect this diversity, with the winemakers striving to best convey the signature of the soil and the grape variety: single-variety wines are common among them, alongside extensive blends, all in the styles dear to Catalonia: still wine, "ancestral" sparkling wine, and even vermouth. The bottles themselves are works of art: bare glass, simply marked with two large stenciled initials that denote the vintage. The wines, fresh, vibrant, lush but always straightforward and impeccably juicy and fruity, breathe life. The arrival of a Partida Creus at the table always elicits cries of satisfaction.

Magnum XL Ancestral Sparkling White 2015

Partida Creus
This beautiful magnum elegantly bears its eight years of age: that's called age, and the notes of evolution that can be discerned add to its charm. These few years further strengthen its character while polishing the edges. Xarel·lo Ancestral, a smoky, deep, full-bodied, mineral, and explosive sparkling wine, is a true invitation to celebrate. The nose offers aromas of ripe white fruits—apple, pear, white peach—followed by mineral notes on the palate that form a framework for yeasty touches reminiscent of buttery pastries and fresh bread. Beautiful, straightforward, saline acidity. Very elegant, XL Xarel·lo Ancestral is a Vino de Mesa (table wine) that is highly drinkable and enjoyable. Made entirely from the native Catalan grape variety Xarel·lo, it is the result of hand-picking and direct pressing. The must is fermented in stainless steel vats using indigenous yeasts and finishes fermenting in bottles on fine lees for a minimum of ten months, without the slightest addition of sulfites.

Find out more

Partida Creus is an important estate, both in terms of winemaking and history – we are talking here about the history of the vine in Catalonia. Massimo Marchiori and Antonella Gerosa, originally from Piedmont – and even from the Langhe region, where wine is well-known – first pursued careers as architects in Barcelona. But the wine bug bit them, and soon they abandoned the big city and its sophistication for the vineyards of southern Catalonia, in Bonastre in Baix-Penedés. There they find a quantity of abandoned vineyards planted with a dizzying diversity of traditional Catalan grape varieties that they passionately revive to save these varieties – and their wines – from oblivion. For them, it is not just a matter of heritage rescue, no: it is a matter of taste and nature. Of natural wines, which they will never stop making from now on on these sandy, poor, clay-limestone or clay-gravel soils, poor and poorly irrigated, where the vines suffer to give their best juice. Massimo and Antonella practice organic, biodynamic viticulture, entirely manual and natural in order to give new life to these wines. Vinyater, sumoll, garrut, monastrell, ull de perdiu, ull de llebre, sumoll, queixal de llop, cariñena, trepat, subirat parent, maccabeu, parellada, pansé, vinel·lo, bobal, cartoixà vermell or xarel·lo: Partida Creus is a veritable conservatory of native Catalan grape varieties. It also grows moscatel, grenache, merlot and cabernet (among others). Few wineries can boast growing so many different grape varieties. The wines reflect this diversity, with the winemakers striving to best convey the signature of the soil and the grape variety: single-variety wines are common among them, alongside extensive blends, all in the styles dear to Catalonia: still wine, "ancestral" sparkling wine, and even vermouth. The bottles themselves are works of art: bare glass, simply marked with two large stenciled initials that denote the vintage. The wines, fresh, vibrant, lush but always straightforward and impeccably juicy and fruity, breathe life. The arrival of a Partida Creus at the table always elicits cries of satisfaction."

Skin-Contact Rafling White 2021

Fréderic Cossard

Classified as a Vin de France, Skin Contact Rafling is a wine resulting from a fairly extensive skin maceration: hence the presence of "Skin Contact" on the label. "Rafling" is a play on words relating to the maceration on stems (whole bunches) and the name of the Riesling grape variety. It is a dense and robust wine that is both round and straightforward, elegant and full of personality. Our national Frédéric Cossard, as comfortable with Burgundian-style winemaking (but without additives) as with the multi-colored refinements of merchant winemaking, offers us here a Riesling from twenty-five-year-old biodynamic vines harvested in Alsace on clay-limestone soil. Maceration is three weeks in whole bunches. Don't worry too much about food and wine pairings, this one is made for all occasions and can even compete with dishes that we usually think are reserved for red wine. Its aging potential—at least ten years—is generous.

To find out more

Through his entirely natural work, Frédéric Cossard gives voice to the terroirs and Burgundy wines, undistorted by agricultural chemicals. Having observed, during his years of trading, the existence of harmful wine-growing practices, the winemaker used this counter-example to practice unadulterated viticulture. Thus, he produces vintages of purity and elegance without artifice which are among the most sought-after in Burgundy. Frédéric worked for a time as a wine broker before creating the domaine de Chassorney with his partner Laure in 1996: initially a few ares of vines in Saint-Romain, Auxey-Duresses and Savigny-lès-Beaune, and currently ten hectares spread across the Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard, Volnay, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune and Bourgogne appellations. In 2006, he created his own wine merchant house and purchased organic grapes to vinify, according to his style and convictions, great vintages such as Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Pommard, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée and several Beaujolais vintages. The practice is not limited to Burgundy since vintages are made from grapes purchased in the Jura or Languedoc. At his place, the work of the soil and the vines is done as naturally as possible: regular plowing by horse, no addition of chemical fertilizers or weedkillers. The vines are cared for according to the principles of biodynamics: homeopathic treatments based on essential oils, copper and sulfur in minimal doses. The harvest is entirely manual, carried out at full maturity, at the end of October. red or white, classic Burgundies or more atypical or less “regional” bottles, Frédéric’s vintages are rare and sought-after wines, which sometimes require waiting.

Saint Romain Sous Roche Qvevris Red 2020

Domaine de Chassorney

Plenty of fruit and roundness supported by sumptuous minerality; the blackberry and blackcurrant give free rein, and the palate reveals remarkable density and fullness. The Pinot Noir benefits greatly from the smoothness provided by aging in qvevris (Georgian-style terracotta jars). This Pinot Noir from the Qvevris series comes from a plot with a steep, south-southeast-facing terroir located between 280 and 400 meters above sea level in the Saint-Romain appellation. The soils are primarily marl, limestone, and clay. The grapes macerate in whole bunches.

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Through his entirely natural work, Frédéric Cossard gives voice to the terroirs and Burgundy wines, undistorted by agricultural chemicals. Having observed, during his years of trading, the existence of harmful viticultural practices, the winemaker used this counter-example to practice unadulterated viticulture. Thus, he produces vintages of purity and elegance without artifice that are among the most sought-after in Burgundy. Frédéric worked as a wine broker for some time before creating the Domaine de Chassorney with his partner Laure in 1996: initially a few ares of vines in Saint-Romain, Auxey-Duresses and Savigny-lès-Beaune, and currently ten hectares spread across the Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard, Volnay, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune and Bourgogne appellations. In 2006, he created his own wine trading house and buys organic grapes to vinify, according to his style and convictions, great vintages such as Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Pommard, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée and several Beaujolais crus. The practice is not limited to Burgundy since vintages are made from grapes purchased in the Jura or Languedoc. At his home, the soil and vines are worked as naturally as possible: regular horse-drawn ploughing, no addition of chemical fertilizers or weedkillers. The vines are cared for according to biodynamic principles: homeopathic treatments based on essential oils, copper and sulfur in minimal doses. The harvest is entirely manual, carried out at full maturity, at the end of October. Reds or whites, classic Burgundies or more atypical or less "regional" bottles, Frédéric's vintages are rare and sought-after wines, which sometimes require waiting.

Skin Contact Sous Roche Red 2016

Domaine de Chassorney

This Pinot Noir comes from a plot with a steep, south-southeast facing terroir located between 280 and 400 meters above sea level in the Saint-Romain appellation. The soils are mainly marl, limestone and clay. The grapes, from fifty-year-old vines, macerate in whole bunches. Aging takes place for about a year in barrels. Beautiful structure, well-rounded tannins, and lovely notes of black fruits.
Natural wine with no added sulfites.