Staff Picks December 2021
- Posted on
- By Murphy's Wine Staff
Here's what the Murphy's Wine Team is drinking this month...
NV Vouette et Sorbée 'Fidèle' Brut Nature
Lively and lush, Bertrand Gautherot’s Fidèle is a remarkable champagne made from 100% Pinot Noir. Alongside the familiar champagne aromas of lemon custard and almond croissant, notes of fresh raspberry and juicy strawberry gracefully leap out of the glass. Fidèle also has an impressive texture due to its fermentation in French oak barrels and 20 months spent on the lees. Additionally, Gautherot became certified organic and biodynamic in 2001. He uses indigenous yeasts for fermentation and all the grapes are hand-harvested. Fidèle is made thoughtfully from beginning to end with little to no alterations or dosage. This bubbly is perfect New Year's Eve, we even have magnums!
Hannah Myers
Wine Shop Manager
2019 Castellare di Castellina Chianti Classico
Castellare di Castellina makes absolutely beautiful Chianti Classico. The estate boasts some of Chianti's highest elevation vineyards that are naturally low yielding resulting in a pure expression of mostly Sangiovese with a touch of Canaiolo. The estate is home to several species of birds which live with protected status amongst the vines or in the adjacent olive groves. Each year a different bird is featured on its label, for 2019 it’s the red-backed shrike, as a reminder of their increasing rarity due to the use of poisons and herbicides at other vineyards in the region. No synthetic chemicals are used in the Castellare vineyards, out of respect for nature and to enable the production of organic wines. The 2019 shows beautiful red berry fruits and exotic spice on the nose. On the palate, the generous fruit is complemented by brown spice, mineral notes, and a touch of cigar box. The finish is long and luscious and brings the pure fruit back into focus.
JR Smith
Wine Director
2019 Bernard Baudry 'Les Grézeaux' Chinon
One of the most pleasurable red wines of the Loire Valley, the Baudry Chinon Les Grézeaux is from a unique parcel of sixty year-old Cabernet Franc vines near the bottom of the slope in Chinon. The grapes are harvested by hand of course and fermented with wild yeasts with zero SO2 added during vinification. Les Grézeaux always has an elegant silky texture and wonderful freshness, making it delicious as a young wine, combined with the ability to age beautifully for 20 years and more in good vintages. This vintage shows a dark black/purple color with quite floral blackberry and strawberry aromas, with a bit of earth, spice and citrus. Very silky and supple on the palate, great acidity with deep black fruits, a long finish and an undertone of chalk & graphite. This is a lovely "Les Grézeaux" and is highly recommended for early drinking or ten to twenty years of cellaring. Only a few cases came into the State!