François Chidaine
Montlouis Brut NV
I have actually kept one New Year’s resolution. I am drinking more sparkling this year, just like I said I would!! My pick for the month of February makes it easy to do. This reasonably priced Champagne-method wine by Francois Chidaine offers a complex bouquet and a nuanced character on the palate. Montlouis-sur-Loire lies directly across the river from its more famous neighbor, Vouvray, growing the same grape, and this brut is distinctly Chenin Blanc in style, offering dried orchard fruit, a strong mineral undertone, and creamy rounded structure. A touch of toasted brioche adds depth to the dry, stony, precise finish. It will pair well with rich fish, poultry dishes, or as an aperitif.
Ar. Pe. Pe. Rosso di Valtellina
Nebbiolo 2007
While Valtellina lacks the reputation of Barolo and Barbaresco, it offers great value with many of nuances of our more regal cousins in Piedmont. This elegant alpine Nebbiolo has underlying tension, with a little bit of earl grey and sandalwood that add balance and complexity to the red fruits. Grown in steeply terraced vineyards that cling to the mountainsides near the Italian-Swiss border, this interpretation of Nebbiolo is perhaps not as dark or full bodied as in the Piedmont, but offers great accessibility and vibrancy that allows the wine to be a great pairing with a vast array of dishes. This is Nebbiolo at its most elegant, everything here is about refinement and a sense of place, delicious and, for me, Nebbiolo doesn’t really get any better – different, sure, but not better.
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