Around the tenth of the month, is when you will always find me for sure at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan as I always look forward to getting the wine club selections.  It is always a mystery and I don’t even look at the selections in the bag, until I get home.  It is like a treat to discover what I will be writing about in the future and read the notes that are inserted into the bag along with the wines. I enjoy the concept of the wine club, as it gets me into the shop for sure, I get to mingle with the owner, the staff and now many of the regulars that frequent the shop as well.  There is always a chance to taste something new and interesting, as well as seeing some one of the kind wines that may pop up, every now and then.  So, besides two curated wines, the club entitles me to case pricing anytime from one bottle to a case or more, and club members are also the first to be contacted if the shop gets a great buy from the varied suppliers that want to be part of the inventory. 

The first wine that I will discuss is from the Old World, which means the classic European wine production countries.  Vila Voltaire Je Suis Tombe Par Terre Coteaux d’Enserune IGP 2016 is named and dedicated the French freedom writer Voltaire and “I fell to the ground” to express the freedom of winemaking found in the Languedoc.  Vila Voltaire is a small personal passion project for winemaker Stephane Yerle, who is a traveling winemaker throughout Europe as his career is a consulting oenologist to both boutique and large production estates, such as Chateau Latour, Chateau Pibarnon, Famille Fabre etc.  Originally from the Basque region of France, he and his wife purchased property in the Languedoc to start his own personal winery.  He began with a little over one hectare and he is now farming twelve hectares all organically.  He is a leading expert in micro-oxygenation in wine, and uses different vessels (French Oak, concrete, and amphora) to produce his wines.  The wine is equal parts of Old-vine Carignan, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot grown on sandy-limestone soil.  Each varietal is fermented first in Stainless Steel, and then aged for one year in used 300-liter used French Oak. Then the wines are blended.  The wine is described as ruby colored and offers notes of black fruits, “ Sous-bois,” river stones and traces of wood.  On the palate the wine is described as rustic with spicy-wood, but not “oaky” with tones of ripe plums, blackberries, and black cherries with a fresh finish.  This spicy wine is suggested for beef, lamb, or pork roasts.   

Representing the New World is Toad Hollow Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2021.  While Toad Hollow conjures an idyllic place to enjoy wine, it is the story of two friends that weren’t quite ready to retire as they enjoyed wine too much.  Todd (Dr. Toad) Williams and Rodney (The Dancing Badger) Strong decided that they needed to create wines that are understandable and affordable to repay the world for all the fun that they had.  One was a restaurateur, and the other was a dancer, turned winemaker and they created their own world along with “Mrs. Toad.”  The two gentlemen have since retired their glasses, but the “Mrs. Toad” maintains the business venture, that was founded with the love of the grapes.  They began in 1994 with three-thousand cases of 1993 Chardonnay Russian River Valley done in Stainless Steel and grew from there, and are now also importers.  This wine is pure Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles, which is one of the largest AVA districts in California.  The fruit was hand-harvested, crushed, and initial fermentation in Stainless Steel and then aged in American Oak.  The wine is described as a red velvet hue with notes of carnations, hard cherry candy, and a tinge of mint.  On the palate tones of raspberry, cherry, blueberries, chocolate, and baking spice with a finish evoking fresh and warm berry pastry.  It is touted for grilled steaks and hamburgers.