Tirone & Weaver
Cheers to the New Year!
Maison Noir ‘Knock on Wood’
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Place: Dundee, Oregon
Process: All stainless-steel and no malolactic fermentation. Procured from hillside vineyards in Yamhill-Carlton AVA, reminiscent of the grand crus of Burgundy's Cote d'Or. It benefited from a very long and cold fermentation - almost two months - resulting in a lean and mean wine with perfume of honeydew melon and pear surfing huge waves of minerals, bringing a nice tide of racy starfruit to the finish.
Family: Founded by André Hueston Mack in 2007, Maison Noir incorporates a trademark attitude and personal perspective on wine subculture. The wines are unique and distinctive garage wines, initially created for some of New York City's best restaurants and now available nationwide. Mack is a zealous wine educator who has been invited to host seminars as well as conduct panel discussions at numerous esteemed food and wine events.
Bottle: $25 | Glass: $11
Ercole Rosato
Grapes: 65% Barbera, 35% Dolcetto
Place: Piedmont, Italy
Process: Following a soft pressing of the grapes, the juice is left in contact with the skins for only a few hours, lending the wine its light pink hue. Fun fact: Rosato accounts for a miniscule percentage of overall wine production in Piedmont, and 2021 marked just the fourth vintage of this Ercole bottling.
Family: The cooperative behind Ercole works predominantly with old vines ranging from 30 to 50 years old. All participating growers adhere to the European Union rule for sustainable farming known as lotta integrata, or lutte raisonnée, though many are now certified organic. None of these growers use systemic treatments or chemicals, employing only minimal copper and sulfur. Both vinification and bottling are certified vegan.
Bottle: $19 | Glass: $8
Pavette
Pinot Noir
Grapes: 100% Pinot Noir
Place: Central Coast, California
Process: Primary fermentation in open top tanks with 15% stem inclusion. Malolactic and aging in a combination of stainless steel tank (75%) & French oak barrels (25%) for 6 months.
Family: PEACOCK :: Genus name Pavo
páv (croatian) / pavón (galician) / pavone (italian) / pavo real (spanish)
LITTLE :: -ette (diminutive as in vignette, kitchenette or cigarette)
PAV + ETTE :: PAVETTE (little peacock)
“Keep on struttin!”
Bottle: $17 | Glass: $7
Monsalaia
Maremma
Grapes: Merlot, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon
Place: Tuscany, Italy
Process: Based on the Super Tuscan blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes. Maremma is Italy's Wild West. The coastline is a landscape of white sandy beaches, umbrella pines, strawberry trees, oak trees and heather that gives way as one drives inland to a classic Tuscan rolling hills covered in olive trees and magnificent vineyards. From this beautiful land the range of wines are produced from meticulously pruned grapes to get the most concentrated fruit looking for that elusive quality where sun, sand, clay, sea breeze and grape are united into wines of great character from an exceptional place: Maremma in Tuscany.
Family: The Castellani Family have produced classic wines in Tuscany since more than 150 years. Every generation continually experiments with their vineyards and cellars in order to select the best Tuscan wines to be bottled under the family brand. Exporters of wine since 1903, the Castellani family have founded their high-quality wines on the belief that "the quality of the wine starts in the vineyard."
Bottle: $19 | Glass: $8