December 2024 | Terroir Wine Club

David Moreau 2022 Santenay Clos des Mouches 1er Cru

Santenay comes from the very base of the Cote d’ Or in Burgundy and is often one of my favorite terroirs for red wine in Burgundy. These wines have a balance of generosity from being so far south, but some tensity from the iron-rich topsoil atop limestone bedrock. This wine is made from a 0.9ha parcel and fermented with 15% whole cluster work followed by aging in 30% new French oak for 12 months and a subsequent 5 months in stainless steel. Right off the pop the wine floats with dried violets alongside light cranberry and currant tones. The base of the wine is juicy blueberry and marionberry with a silky palate upfront finishing to an oily and mouth coating conclusion. The oak integration comes through nicely with notes of light brown sugar and no overbearing sense of high toast new oak. After an hour or so has passed the wine develops more to a more mineral driven texture that comes across as riverbed rocks, hard mineral water, and fresh sourdough bread. On day two the wine is relatively the same with slightly less fruit tones and slightly elevated warm notes of sandalwood and dried flowers. For food pairings I might suggest a chicken and rice casserole, roasted butternut squash, or fruit spreads and Camembert cheese with freshly baked bread. Drink now – 2032, serve in large bowl stemware and serve at cellar temperature.

Chiquet Cuvee de Reserve Brut NV Champagne

This is a stellar showing for older Champagne at a remarkable price point. The fruit for this cuvee comes from three 1er Cru terroirs (Hautvillers, Dizy & Mareuil-sur-Aÿ) as well as fruit from Aÿ Grand Cru parcels. The blend is 40% Pinot Meunier, 35% Chardonnay, and 25% Pinot Noir with ~80% of the fruit coming from the 2014 vintage and ~20% of the fruit coming from the 2013 vintage. The wine spends ~80 months en tirage and is finished with a dosage of 8g/L. The resulting wine is powerfully dense with notes of walnut oils, lemon skins, and fresh brioche. The palate has a vein of unwavering minerality that presents as freshly baked bread and unwavering minerality that has a line of salinity. And while I doubt most folks will have a Champagne on day two (but you should try it; they’re delicious!), on day two the wine shows incredibly well still with a lemon curd and freshly baked cracker note – so good! For food pairings I would suggest roast chicken, toasted brioche and rillettes, or crispy roasted potatoes. Drink now – 2034 and serve in all-purpose stemware at refrigeration temperature.

Domaine du Clos Naudin Foreau 2019 Sec Vouvray

What a knockout wine, wowza. This wine made from 100% Chenin Blanc comes from south/southeast parcels in the Vouvray area of the Loire Valley and is fermented dry to craft a supple and concentrated wine without the impact of any new oak (all their wines are aged in old barrique, some upwards of 30 years old). The regions classic tuffeau limestone soils give rise to a wine of prevalent minerality, and the age of the vines and the care of the wines intersect to create a wine of immense character. Immediately upon opening the wine is waxy, forward, almost petrol (don’t be scared), golden apple, and chamomile. The mid palate is supple and round with a marzipan finish that transitions to freshly baked whole grain bread. On day two the wine is somehow better (or maybe I just missed it) with generous tropical notes of guava and ripe pear. The wine is more saline today and the acidity slightly more apparent, though still in wonderful balance. This wine could stand up to some pretty rad dishes, think caviar with crème fraiche, poached swordfish, or fresh pasta with hard white sauce. Drink now – 2034/6 and serve just above cellar temperature in all-purpose stemware.