November 2023 | Terroir Wine Club

Gerard Millet 2015 “Sur la Clos” Sancerre Rouge

A wine that performs best on day three when the wine is 8 years old is always a good sign. This Sancerre Rouge (100% Pinot Noir) is an incredibly dynamic wine that will benefit from being either decanted in its youth, or opened the day before you want to drink it. Gerard Millet is a fifth-generation winemaker and works alongside his wife and son to farm their 24 hectares of vineyards. Right off the pop, it is evident that this wine needs some time to unwind; there are aggressive (and lovely) low-tone aromatics of cumin, bacon, molasses, orange peel, and cinnamon. The wine starts to evolve from ~15 minutes open through to day three, touching every profile from red apples, raspberry, carob, leather, thyme, and rose petals.

Drink now – 2035, peak window 2025 – 2030. Serve in large bowl stemware at cellar temperature and serve alongside rabbit, boar, mushroom quiche, or soba noodles.

Il Carpino 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon

It would seem Il Carpino can do no wrong; I’m consistently impressed by every wine they produce every vintage. This is their take on 100% Cabernet Sauvignon – the grapes spend 15 days macerating on skins in open oak vats. Following, the wine spends 24 months in tonneaux (large oak) and bottled without fining nor filtration. The wine then spends 28 months of bottle aging before being shipped over to your loving dinner tables. The resulting wine is juicy and integrated purple and brown tones of plum flesh, leather, white pepper oil, violet oil, and desiccated strawberry. The body of the wine is akin to Cabernet Franc with the tonality of Cabernet Sauvignon. On day two, I feel like the wine begins to show a bit more umami and briney-flavors. I prefer the overall profile on day one.

Drink now – 2031, peak window now – 2028. Serve in all-purpose stemware at cellar temperature and serve alongside aged cheese, sirloin, or Yorkshire pudding.

Enfield Wine Co 2020 Haynes Vineyard Old Vine CH

Enfield has consistently impressed me with every wine they make – from Spanish varietals to California Chardonnay, it would seem they can excel at any wine. The 2020 Haynes Vineyard Chardonnay, from Coombsville, is no exception. On the pop the wine has a toasty warmth that is backed by a sunflower/pollen like florality. The palate has an oily viscosity that seems to be aided by a yeast driven supple mouthfeel. On day two, the wine becomes a tiny bit disjointed but has all the same characteristics of day one with perhaps more of a lemon oil lift carried by a brighter acidity. Overall, I prefer the wine on day one, though I’m not mad about having a day two glass…

Drink now – 2038, peak window now – 2032. Serve in all-purpose stemware just above refrigeration temperature, and serve alongside roast chicken, roast potatoes, moderate cheeses, or browned butter scallops.