Sometimes it is just too hard to wait.  Usually when a new wine arrives we like to give it a few weeks to settle down and then try it and then see if we want to put it in our Saturday tastings.  But we are so excited about a new arrival of a Corsican producer that we couldn’t wait.  These wines are just off the boat and we are braving bottle shock to pour them right away.  The Corsican wines come from Domaine de Granajolo a 20 hectares estate of organically farmed vines tended by Gwenaele Boucher.  Their vineyards are found on the stark granite hillsides lying around Sainte Lucie de Porto-Vecchio in the southeastern corner of the island These wine-lands are mostly planted with local varieties Niellucciu (related to Sangiovese), Sciaccarellu and Vermentinu (aka Vermentino or Rolle). Like many simple grape growers in their time, Gwenaele’s parents were members of a co-op, followed by an interim stint where someone else made the wines; and it wasn’t until after she took over the estate in 2003 that they built their own cellar.  We are excited to try the new vintage (the notes are from the last vintage).  We’ll also be showing two new wines from the Loire.  Come and join us.

2014 Domaine de Granajolo, Corse Porto-Vecchio Blanc $15
Vermentino
The Corsican white shows juicy banana-scented fruit, a concentrated & crisp palate with aromatic fruit and a rounded texture.

2014 Domaine Curot, Sancerre Blanc  $21
Sauvignon Blanc
This 23 acre family estate started in 1860.  150 years later they are still making classic Sancerre and a great price.  The Curot is crisp and complex with gooseberry fruit and a good mineral backbone surrounded by crisp dry notes of salt and a limey finish.

2014 Domaine de Granajolo, Corse Porto-Vecchio Rosé$14
Sciaccarellu
This indiginious rosé has lovely juicy fruit and mouth-feel with elegant touches.  It is a tasty quaffing rosé yet serious enough to go with a variety of foods.

2014 Domaine de la Rablais, Val du Loire Pinot Noir $13
Domaine de la Rablais is located in Touraine, not far away from the Sancerre region of France.  This VDP Pinot comes in at half the price of Sancerre rouge, so we are excited to try it.

2013 Domaine de Granajolo, Corse Porto-Vecchio Rouge $16
Niellucciu
Granajolo’s red shops great contrasts of delicious licorice & savory notes, very ripe with ‘tar’ like tones too with  wild herb edges It is an enticing sweet/savory combo to finish.

Merchants offers free wine tastings featuring 4-5 selections on a theme every Saturday from 2 until the bottles run out and on Sunday we offer a mini-tasting of two wines all day from 11-5.