Winemaker Spotlight
Very often we come across wines that don't fit neatly into traditional categories but are no less worthy of our attention. Bottles that stop us in our tracks and make us remember why we love wine. Each one represents a new experience for the senses. During the busiest parts of our year the staff tastes anywhere from 20-40 wines each week. Year after year it becomes more difficult to impress us, it’s a tough life we know. But that’s why the outliers are so special. The wines we continue to think about when we leave work, the wines whose pairings garner debate, the wines we sit around and talk about finding new flavors sip after sip. Those are the wines that excite us.
As 2023 comes to a close I’m going to make more of an effort to highlight some of these bottles with you. If you visit our Fenway shop regularly you might recognize some of them. But even I can’t remember to point out each one when I speak to our regular customers. There are simply too many. And I frequently forget to recommend wines too far off the beaten path when people arrive with specific requests.
So I’m starting here. A French pét nat, a little California Muscadet, and a Nebbiolo blend from one of my favorite winemakers. When customers walk into our store they often ask, of the hundreds of bottles we sell, what my favorites are. My response changes depending on the season. But right now, here’s my answer…
Jean-Pierre Robinot, Fêtembulles
Jean-Pierre first discovered his love of wine when he was 22 years old with a bottle of Cheval Blanc 1964 and from that moment on he became incredibly passionate, even obsessive about wine. In the late 1980s, Jean-Pierre met Jules Chauvet and Marcel Lapierre which offered him a moment of wine revelation.
Soon after, he opened L’Ange Vin, which became one of Paris’ first natural wine bars. He then went on to create the magazine “Le Rouge et Blanc” with critic Michel Bettane vin his early 30’s. “Le Rouge et Blanc” has become an internationally renowned, “bible” of information on natural wine growers in France.
Robinot’s wines can take a long time to ferment, generally 2 to 4 years, but often even more. He believes in letting wines stay in their old oak barrels until fermentation is complete. Robinot operates under a “no rush” mentality and is fascinated by the changes the wines go through during this time. To the outsider Robinot’s process may seem like total chaos, but he is certainly the master of chaos knowing exact information about every barrel and bottle. -Zev Rovine Selections
Fêtembulles is a clear but sharp pét nat that shows off its brilliant salinity incredibly well. For a naturally sparkling wine it is wonderfully complex but still approachable. Asian pear, jackfruit, and sea salt are what we get in our glass. It’s an ideal apéritif but would be a lovely pairing for wild mushroom risotto or a Gruyère grilled cheese.
I. Brand & Family, Graff Family Vineyard, Melon de Bougogne
Ian Brand, the San Francisco Chronicle’s ‘Winemaker of the Year’ in 2018, produces brilliant and distinctive wines that offer terrific value for California – a state famous for wines that are either incredibly expensive or mass produced.
Founded in 2008 by Ian and his wife Heather, I Brand and Family Wines focuses on vineyards in the under-appreciated regions surrounding Monterey Bay – a stretch of the California Central Coast hugely influenced by the Pacific Ocean. Ian quickly established a reputation for seeking out excellent organic and sustainably farmed vineyard sites with the right mix of soil, aspect, variety, and microclimate.
In the winery, Ian looks to be hands off, harvesting quality fruit so that little needs to be done during fermentation. Native yeast, gentle maceration, and minimal oak are all part of the winemaking process.
Initially producing wine under their Le P’tit Paysan label with characterful and expressive ‘village’ wines, they went on to launch the I. Brand label, with elegant and refined single vineyard wines from exceptional sites. - I Brand & Family
At first swirl you’d think you were smelling Burgundian Chardonnay but upon sipping you are met with clean, mineral driven Melon de Bourgogne. It is smooth and delicate on the palate thanks to the eight months it spends on its lees. But it’s not overly round, it maintains a very elegant profile and continues to evolve glass after glass. It would be lovely with delicately poached eggs or even a little Yellowtail sashimi. You might also fire up the fondu pot alongside it as we move into the colder months.
Rebellious Nature, Vino Rosso 2021
Rebellious Nature is a new label and collaboration with one of our favorite importers, Vine Farmer. It was created by Renato Vezza of Bricco Ernesto. For those unfamiliar with Bricco Ernesto, it is both a vineyard and the name of the grower. Bricco Ernesto is two people - Renato and Elisa - crafting an Arneis based Bianco and Nebbiolo based Rosso in miniscule quantities (fewer than 4 thousand combined bottles per year).
Bricco Ernesto is the only address in Roero that has truly transcended the appellation, reputation-wise. Also imported by names such as Becky Wasserman and Noble Rot, the wines are allocated a few years in advance and are known for their energy and emotional signatures. Renato and Elisa also bring a deeper meaning to a "vineyard driven" approach - fascinatingly, only he and Elisa touch the vines during the growing season to preserve the connection and vibrational energy they share.
Due to the pandemic, Renato had the unexpected chance to farm and vinify wine from a parcel owned by an elder neighbor. He made another wine in 2021 - this time from other plots of the land and also blended with Chiara Condello's Sangiovese from Predappio.
Rebellious Nature explores the intersection of human influence and terroir - as different people come together for a shared wine that reaches to be something meaningful. - Vine Farmer
Lovers of Barolo and Chianti unite. This wine is full of sun dried tomato and tobacco. It's bright and savory with wonderful acidity and perfectly integrated tannins. It's quite special. And something about it reminds us of freshly sliced salami. Steak frites, tartare, or some really nice aged gouda is what you’re going to want with this wine.
