Lou

July

Natural wines from near and far. In preparation for our 2nd annual festival of natural wine, we'll be trying out quite a few different wines from winegrowers both familar and new.

May-June 

We'll be featuring a plethora of rosés throughout the summer, typically three or four at a time. Look for some wine geeky stuff (organic Beaujolais rosé from our friend Pierre-Marie Chermette [surely you have enjoyed his Beaujolais vielles vignes at Lou], only 12 percent alcohol; delicate, aged Lopez de Heredia rosato from Rioja) as well as some delicious old standbys (Domaine Tempier Bandol rosé).

March
Red wines from Roussillon

Roussillon is located in the very south of France, hard by the Spanish border. The territory was part of Catalonia before the treaty of the Pyrenees ceded the territory to France in the mid-17th century, and you can see the traces of this history written in the grape vines that grow in the region—this is the French heartland for the old Catalan grape varieties carignan (and arguably) grenache.

It was also, until fairly recently, possible to purchase derelict old vineyards in the region and restore them to health, which is exactly what a number of passionate young vignerons did in the 90s and early 21st century (I think those land grab days are now gone).

Historically, this was not a region known for producing very interesting dry table wines, though it is justifiably famous for superb, muscat-based vin doux naturel.

Stay tuned for more details...

February
Beaujolais bash

Beaujolais is a wine that I never tire of drinking. It's really better for me if I do not have a bottle of good Beaujolais around too often. On a day I do not feel thirsty for a glass of wine, I might find my right hand autonomically guided to the bottle of Pierre-Marie Chermette's (Domaine du Vissoux) Beaujolais vielles vignes inside our bottle cooler here at the wine bar.

If you only know Beaujolais as nouveau, to be enjoyed (if that's the word for it) strictly during the autumn of its release, please, I beg you to stop by and have your papilles slapped awake. Expect to find delicious, exemplary juice from all levels of the AOC, including picture perfect Beaujolais blanc and a couple of surprises for the initiated.

This week, our flight includes Jean Foillard's 2005 Morgon Côte du Py. Foillard is a member of the "gang of four," four vignerons who have returned to producing Beaujolais using traditional techniques (little or no carbonic maceration, meticulous vineyard work, indigenous yeast, & etc.). This exemplary cru shows just how rich and complex the gamay grape can be when it's tended to and vinified with care. In addition, the Côte du Py is a unique terroir within the Beaujolais appellation, a hillside vineyard with unusually high deposits of magnesium. The presence of this element in the soil adds additional structure and finesee to the wine.

Here are a few of the wines we're pouring during our Beaujolais bash:

Vissoux Beaujolais Vielles Vignes '06 

Cheveau Beaujolais-Villages '06

Foillard Morgon Côtes du Py '05

Diochon Moulin-a-Vent '06

Forthcoming Tastings

Towards the end of July we will explore the grape variety mencia, which is indigenous to Bierzo and Ribeira Sacra in northwest Spain. As usual, we'll focus on old, sometimes very old (pre-phylloxera) vines, vinfied in an honest, pure fashion.

Stay tuned for our 2nd annual festival of natural wine—sometime in August.