My Bride and I had a daily double of wine tastings, first at the restaurant Vertical Detroit and then afterwards at my local wine shop The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  She gets more salutations compared to me, at either location, and I guess that is good; she is more pleasant than I am.  

We started off with some sparkling wine “a la Volée” Brut Nature Zero Dosage Cremant de Limoux 2018.  Cremant de Limoux is an appellation that was created in 1990 for “modern” style sparkling wines as opposed to the classic Blanquette de Limoux and Blanquette de Limoux Methode Ancestrale wines of the region that were historically reliant on Mauzac (Blanquette) grapes and also Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay.  The Chardonnay vines here are some of the oldest in the Languedoc-Roussillon region and southern France.  “A la Volée” translates to “on the fly” and this wine is his only product made by winemaker-negociant Pierre (a former Champagne producer) who is considered an energetic and entrepreneurial young man who found some vines near his hometown.  He is an ecologically responsible farmer and tries to keep things simple, eschewing “designer” yeasts or new oak and uses a downtown cellar in the historic city of Carcassonne.  The wine is a blend of sixty-three percent Chardonnay, twenty-five percent Chenin Blanc and twelve percent Pinot Noir and is produced in the tradition Champagne method.  The fruit is hand harvested, destemmed, and gently pressed and then allowing the juice to settle.  Initial Fermentation occurs in temperature-controlled Stainless-Steel vats for about six weeks.  The wine is then bottled awaiting Secondary Fermentation and aged for eighteen months, after that the bottles are disgorged and topped with wine, but no dosage liquor (sugar).  A nice golden colored wine with fine bubbles an offering notes of fresh baguettes, butter, and jam.  On the palate tones of apple compote, candied almonds, melon, and finishing with a kiss of butterscotch, lemon, vanilla, and orange zest on a biscuit. From my research, this wine has only a few outlets in both Europe and in America, so it was a pleasure to have it, and knowing The Fine Wine Source, he may have bought all that he could.                   

We followed with another sparkling wine Jean-Noel Gagnard and Caroline Lestime Cremant de Bourgogne “Grand Lys” Extra Brut 2018.  Domaine Jean-Noel Gagnard is a Burgundy wine producer based in the village of Chassagne-Montrachet in the Cote de Beaune, and produces over ten Premier Cru white wines.  The domaine began in 1960 and in 1989, his daughter took over, and did several significant changes, as in planting new Chardonnay clones and abandoning chemical fertilizers and herbicides.  Cremant de Bourgogne may be white or rosé, and from brut to sec.  There are almost four-hundred parishes in Burgundy, including some less-favored sites from famed communes, so terroirs are varied.  “Grand Lys” or Big Lily is pure Pinot Noir from the “Clos Bortier” site in the Haute Cotes de Beaune on soil that is limestone with marl slopes overlooking the village of Saint-Aubin.  The wine is aged for three years on its lees and is made in the traditional method with low dosage after maturity. A soft golden-yellow wine with fine bubble and offers notes of white fruits, pastries, toasted almonds, and touch of honey.  On the palate there are tones of green apples, almonds, with some bright acidity and finishing with delicate mousse.

We then enjoyed Domaine de Coste Chaude Cotes du Rhone Villages Visan Trilogy 2017.  The commune of Visan became a named Cotes du Rhone Villages designation in 1966 and is known predominately for its Grenache and Syrah based wines, but it also covers the rosé and white wines.  Visa is one of twenty-two favored locations that may append their name to Cotes du Rhone Villages; which would be two steps up from the generic Cotes du Rhone, but a step below “Cru” status.  The village of Visan forms part of the ancient Papal enclave formed in the 14^th Century when Pope Clement V moved his seat to Avignon (Chateauneuf-du-Pape).  Domaine de Coste Chaude was founded in the 1960’s and encompasses twenty-three hectares of gravel and clay covered with rolled pebbles at an altitude of 360 meters.  The vineyard was taken over by Marc and Marianne Fues in 1994, and they converted it to organic agriculture certified by Ecocert. In 2018, the domaine was acquired by Vincent Tramier.  The wine is one-third Roussanne, one-third Viognier and one-third Grenache Blanc. The fruit is hand harvested in the evenings, and undergoes gentle and progressive pressing.  The juice then is clarified by natural sedimentation before cold Initial Fermentation.  Twenty percent of the wine is aged in double barrels, and eighty percent remains in Stainless Steel tanks probably for about nine months.  A shiny golden wine that offers notes of white fruits, white florals, wet stones, and dash of grapefruit zest.  On the palate, tones of grapefruit, off set with some sweet lemony acidity in a well rounded and fresh wine that has a medium-count finish of fruit and terroir.