The last day that my Sister-in-Law was in town we were going to go out for brunch, but there was about an hour or more wait, so she wanted to go see the wine shop that I had taken her husband to, when he was in town. So, we went to Elie Wine Company which was only about a ten-minute drive away, as we were going to go there afterwards, so we went before brunch and worked up more of an appetite. We were fortunate that Elie himself was there and he charmed the ladies talking about wines and his shop. While they were being entertained, I got a chance to meander around the shop and salivate about all the items that I would not be getting, but wouldn’t everyone like a vertical of Petrus?

I was looking for something interesting to add to the cellar, as if I have any room for any more, but that is the curse of a wine lover. Domaine Sylvain Langoureau Chassagne-Montrachet “Les Voillenots Dessous” 2015 fit the bill nicely. A nice affordable Red Burgundy. Domaine Sylvain Langoureau is a husband and wife team that are making wines in one of the most famous wine regions in the world and of course the French call them garagiste, but I think Le Pin was also considered that in the beginning. This is a couple who are completely hands on, and all the work is by their own toil and they are working with one of the most finicky grapes and Pinot Noir is the grape of Burgundy for red wines. Les Voillenots is another lieux-dits site or locality that some consider should get official recognition in Chassagne-Montrachet, but the wheels turn very slowly for change in that part of the world.

Elie touted me on another Rosé wine and this was from Spain and from a new region for me as well. The Bodegas Cesar Principe Clarete de Luna 2016 is a very pretty deep pink color in the bottle. I could not find much production notes for this wine, but I must presume that the skins were left after the pressing for a couple of days to get this deep color. The winery has been in production since 1982 in Cigales, which is just north of the Duero in Castilla y Leon and this wine had five thousand cases produced. The wine is eighty percent Tempranillo and then evenly split among Verdejo and Albillo. I am sure that we will try this one soon.
The last wine that piqued my curiosity was from the Jura and it is a Chardonnay, but not made in the traditional way for that area, as the wine is “topped off” instead of allowing the oxidation that the region is known for. It is more reminiscent of a Chablis from what I have heard and read. The Domaine Labet Fleurs Chardonnay 2014 is a blend of grapes grown in their five parcels of land, each with different aged vines. The wine has aged in old oak barrels for about fifteen months before bottling. It is always fun to try some new wines.