A couple of weeks after my surgery, we went to see the surgeon for a follow up, I still should not lift anything heavy, we decided that a bottle of wine was fine, but a magnum was too heavy; this caveat was to continue at least until the end of the month.  It was the first time that I had been out of the house, we celebrated by going out for breakfast and then a trip to my local wine shop, The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.

We went to pick up the January club selections, and to let them know that I was still among the living.  The first wine represents The Old World and was La Bioca “Daje Mach” Verduno Pelaverga DOC 2021.  This was the second wine from La Bioca which is a small winery in Serralunga d’Alba in the Langhe zone.  The word “Bioca” is a Piedmontese local word to describe a decisive person with a “tough head.”  “Daje Mach” is also a local Piedmontese idiom which translates to “Go for It,” or in today’s parlance “May the force be with you.”  The winery began in 2012 and now has two spacious warehouses, an underground cellar, a large tasting room and terrace and an “agriturismo” with six rooms, along with their large production facility.  Verduno Pelaverga DOC was elevated in the 1990s to promote Piedmont’s lesser-known varietals.  The entire area is tiny acreage at the northern edge of Barolo DOCG.  Pelaverga is a rare red grape, also known as Pelaverga Piccolo, Carola, Cari, Fra Germano and Taddone.  This wine is pure Pelaverga Piccolo and is manually harvested, destemmed and undergoes cold maceration for seventy-two hours with two pump-overs daily in a temperature-controlled Stainless-Steel tank.  Ther fermentation lasts for about nine days, followed by fifteen days of maceration, followed by Malolactic Fermentation and aging in Stainless-Steel for six months.  I have had this wine, and my notes are that it is a red colored wine offered notes of red currants, violets, and freshly ground black and white peppers.  On the palate this dry medium-bodied wine displayed savory tones of fruit, spices with velvety tannins, and ends with a medium-count finish of fruit and spicy peppers; this wine served slightly chilled, could easily be an aperitif with a charcuterie board.

The wine representing The New World was Séance Cabernet Sauvignon California 2021.  Christophe “Chris” Legrandjacques is the Director of Winemaking; born in Champagne, raised in Africa and trained in winemaking in Burgundy and Bordeaux, he now calls California his home.  He has named his wines Séance with the traditional French meaning of “to sit for a theatrical performance.”  The fruit is selected from various vineyards across California.  The fruit is harvested at night, destemmed and gently pressed.  A twenty-four-hour cold soak, followed by warm fermentations with limited punch-downs, to extract rich fruit flavors.  The wine is then racked and undergoes aging and Malolactic Fermentation in American Oak for ten months.  It is described as a deep red colored wine that offers notes of red and black cherry, red and black plum, roses and violets, and milk chocolate.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displays tones of red and dark fruits, and black currant jam blending with silky tannins and ending with a medium-count finish of dark fruit, hazelnuts and tobacco.

It was truly a pleasure to get my sea legs again, and the owner showed me some of the special orders he fulfilled for clients including Domaine de la Romanée La Tache 1986, Chateau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 2000, and Chateau Latour Pauillac 1986.  There was also an eye-catching display of Harlan Estate Napa Valley Red Wine 2018 in a three-pack wooden box set, as well as individualized wooden boxed magnums.  In fact, right after I took the photo, a customer grabbed a couple of the magnums for his collection.