< Tasting Notes

A Toast to Excellence : Celebrating Women in Wine
- March 2025

SUPERSTAR #1: 

SANDRINE HENRIOT ‘Lachat’ Régnié 2020 * Beaujolais, France
Sandrine Henriot produces biodynamic Regnié, Morgon and Beaujolais-Villages from her 3.3 hectares of hillside vineyards spread out over 4 different plots in the vicinity of Villié-Morgon. Having learned the trade in her native Burgundy, she moved in 2016, along with her husband and infant child, into a centuries old stone house up the valley from Villié Morgon on the outskirts of the tiny hamlet of Châtillons. She’d made the move in order to take over the biodynamic vineyards of Roland Pignard. A natural winemaking pioneer in his own right, Pignard had inherited his family estate in the late 1970s and immediately turned to organic farming. Those vineyards would go on to become biodynamic (certified Demeter) in 2010 and it was with Pignard’s guidance that Sandrine crafted her first vintage in 2017.

WINE NERD ALERT!! - The communes of Regnié-Durette and Lantignié were once only a part of the more generic Beaujolais Villages appellation. Years of lobbying by the region's growers saw the area confirmed in 1988 as the tenth Beaujolais cru. The viticultural area of Regnié is the westernmost of the Beaujolais crus, and the vineyards can be found high on the east and south facing slopes of the Beaujolais hills, overlooking the Ardières River in the south. Regnié wines are some of the lightest of the Beaujolais crus, and are fragrant and structured, with refined tannins.

Grape - 100% Gamay Noir

Flavors - Elegant high-toned aromas of blackberry and black raspberry with violet and citrus peel. The palate is supple and ripe, but not heavy, with lovely black raspberry, cherry and raspberry confit flavors backed by a long refreshing acidity.

Serving - Here you have a perfect aperitif wine. Charcuterie and cheese for days. If you’re feeling frisky, you could even sneak a little chill on this beauty. It won’t disappoint!

Album Pairing - LAKE STREET DIVE - ‘Obviously’ - 2021 * Sometimes it’s ok to just have unapologetic fun. Right now, more than ever, it feels completely necessary. So why deny yourself? This wine is fun. This album is fun. The world is dark - let this pairing bring you some light!

SUPERSTAR #2: 

CANTINA MARILINA ‘Sikelè’ Grecanico  2022 * Sicily, Italy
A 25 year veteran of Sicilian winemaker, Angelo Paternò arrived in Noto in 2001 and began the construction project of a cellar, completed in 2009, concretizing his initial idea shared with his daughter Marilina: the wines that he could finally produce were and are with a strong identity, with a vigorous link with the territory and come out of the natural process of the vital cycles, without any forcing. He handed the reins over to his daughters, Marilina and Federica, and still helps them in the cellar. They grow organically and favor strict minimal intervention and additives in the cellar, with an approach influenced by local natural winemaking master Frank Cornelissen. Almost half of the land is dedicated to polyculture in order to nurture the ecosystem. ‘Sikelè’ is a stunner of a single variety skin-contact (orange) wine made from the grecanico grape, known elsewhere in Italy as garganega. Harvested by hand, the grapes macerated for 13 hours, fermenting with indigenous yeasts in concrete tanks.

Grape - 100% Grecanico

Flavors - Meadow and almond on the nose lead to bright citrus backing elegant notes of ginger, honey and apricot on the palate.

Serving - Perfect for a board of tinned fish, grilled sardines, or citrus-marinated salads.

Album Pairing - RIHANNA - ‘ANTI’ - 2016 * ANTI is an album of palpable depth, layered intoxicatingly over addictive hooks. And a work of utter brilliance. Just like the amazing wines painstakingly and meticulously crafted by Marilina & Federica. Their orange Grecanico offers a deeply complex and layered profile balanced against an unmistakably drinkable elegance. Total Rihanna wine.

LEGEND #1:   

QUINTA DE SANTIAGO & MIRA DO O 'SOU' Tinto Vinha de Ramada 2021 * Vinho Verde, Portugal
Sometimes a little provocation can create an entirely new reality, as in the case of Quinta de Santiago. The wildly energetic Joana Santiago took up the challenge from her grandmother: to take their humble farm, which was only selling grapes to the local co-op, and present it’s unique soul to a wider world by bottling wines embossed with the family name. Her area was already known for quality grapes, specifically within Menção e Melgaço, so she knew the quality was in her vines to express excellence. Most in the region crank out casually-consumed spritzy Vinho Verde. She made one too, but used it as a first way to raise the bar. Given a few years of trial and error, guided by instinct (as there are still few local references) she believes now that she has made Mariazinha a very proud grandma indeed.

Grape - 70% Alvarelhão, 30% a field blend of Pedral, Borraçal, Cainho, Alvarinho, & Vinhão

Flavors - This juicy red is chillable and packed with crunchy red fruits alongside a unique, savory minerality and racy acidity that simply begs for a second sip.

Serving - Honestly (not just self-aggrandizing), this wine is begging to enjoyed with Bar Miriam’s paella. It would also be perfect for a wide variety of dishes, from fatty fish and poultry to well-seasoned curries and pastas.

** AUDIOPHILE LP OF THE MONTH CLUB VINYL**

Album Pairing - DEEP SEA DIVER - ‘Billboard Heart’ - 2025 * Quietly loud. Persistently chaotic. Am I describing the album? Or the wine? You tell me! ‘Billboard Heart’ was just released literally a couple weeks ago. Like literally. The way the word is actually defined. And Deep Sea Diver nailed it on this one. I can’t stop listening, and I hope that you’ll kick back with this bottle and join me.

LEGEND #2:

CHÂTEAU FALFAS Côtes de Bourg 2016 * Bordeaux, France
The beautiful Louis XIII-styled Château Falfas is one of the four great crus of Bordeaux’s Côtes de Bourg. Rebuilt in 1612 on foundations that date back to the Hundred Years’ War, this historic château is situated on the Right Bank of the Gironde River, amid picturesque slopes and hillsides that far outshine the flats of the famous Médoc across the river. Véronique Cochran farms 20 hectares of Merlot, Cabernet, Cabernet Franc and Malbec on the pedigreed calcaire à astéries, clay and silica soil over a deep limestone bedrock of fossilized oysters—the classic combination for growing great wines in Bordeaux. Véronique, along with her husband, John, began farming biodynamically in 1988, which stands to reason: she is the daughter of biodynamic pioneer, researcher, author and viticultural consultant François Bouchet. Sadly, John passed away in 2009, but Véronique continues to make some of the most compelling wines in the area.

Grapes - 55% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec

Flavors - Coming from the virtually perfect 2016 vintage, this wines’s linear, velvety red-fruit profile and deep ruby color carries scents of dark cherry and earthiness and flavors of cherry, berry and dark chocolate with a nice mossy flavor.

Serving - A hale and hearty red, this juice goes brilliant with your grilled meat dishes, stinky cheeses, and rich braises. Dry-aged NY strip and bleu cheese in a bordelaise, anyone?

Album Pairing - BILLIE HOLIDAY - ‘Lover Man’ - 1958 * This is a classic Bordeaux. It deserves a classic sound. And what could possibly be more classic than Lady Day? Just get a roast going, put this album on, and slow dance in your living room with a glass of Château Falfas. You’ll hit all your senses and be instantly transported to a place of tranquility & beauty.

REMINDERS

• To celebrate our valued club members we offer 20% off all food ordered on the day you pick-up. 

• If you can not pick up on the pick up dates please contact mckay@barmiriam.com and we will hold your allotment offsite and can arrange for a future pick up.

• Email mckay@barmiriam.com to buy more single bottles or a case with special club pricing.

• Queen Anne Bottle Shop is open Tuesday-Saturday from 3:00pm — 8:00pm.

• Wine pairs best with friends. Tell your friends.