< Tasting Notes

F*** Tariff Wines : EU Import Edition
- April 2025

SUPERSTAR #1:  (**NOTE - Links are embedded in each winemaker’s names to direct you to their respective websites. Know thy vintner!**)

ESCHENHOF HOLZER ‘The Natural Orange’ Grüner Veltliner 2022 * Wagram, Austria
The Eschenhof Holzer winery, located in the Wagram wine region, is the stomping ground for the young and innovative fifth generation winemaking artist, Arnold Holzer, who passionately draws on the unique bounty of the region’s natural abundance to create a distinctive style and delicious creations. Born in 1987, Arnold took over the winery from his parents in 2010 (at the age of 23 - if my calculations are correct). Since he was very young, he has helped at the winery and familiarized himself with the handed-down knowledge of viticulture and the richness of the terroir. Wines from the Wagram region, known for its rich loess soil, are distinguished by particularly characterful, long lasting and delicate fruit. And ‘The Natural Orange’ is no exception.

This Austrian gem, made from grüner veltliner, is pure natural goodness—and a total gateway orange. Do you have skin-contact skeptic friends? Invite them to try this utterly approachable juicebox of a wine. Converts will be made!

WINE NERD ALERT!! - What is loess? - A wind-blown type of silt soil, loess has a finer texture than sand and is moderately porous. It has a good water retention property which is due to the small particles of soil. The wines are smooth and round with lesser acidity. Although some silt soils can be too fertile for quality winemaking, Loess is one good variety. Not many people seem to address its impact on their wines, but loess seems to increase a wine’s quaffability, richness and soft, agreeable aromatic lift.

Grape - 100% Grüner Veltliner

Flavors - Generous with a well-felt tannic structure, it will seduce you with its scents of orange peel, tangerine, peach, mint, and white pepper. Easy breezy in mouthfeel, with mild aciditity and a quaffable softness.

Serving - Thank the good lord it’s a full liter! Perfect for sharing and introducing friends to the magic of orange wine. Or don’t share and hoard the magic yourself. Seriously. This is a judgement-free zone. Pairs beautifully with salty snacks, firm nutty cheeses, and gyoza or other umami driven Asian flavors.

Album Pairing - THE WOOD BROTHERS- ‘The Muse’ - 2013 * “Last night / I got loaded / On a bottle of wine / A bottle of wine / But I feel alright”! This album is pure auditory bliss. Recorded old school style, with the band circled around microphones and all in the same room, ‘The Muse’ has warmth and analog coziness with a loose-limbed, ramshackleness to it that is delightful. Cozy auditory bliss, meet cozy grüner veltliner bliss.

SUPERSTAR #2: 

OLIVIER COSTE ‘Illégal’ Mourvèdre  2023 * Languedoc, France
This has to be the perfect tariff rebellion wine. Disagree? We are open to your candidates. Please send along submissions! In the meantime, enjoy this beauty. The wine comes from a small appellation, but one where producing 100% Mourvèdre wine is illegal. To let you discover it, Olivier had to downgrade it to “Vin de France” and hide its provenance. Et voilà! You can now taste this wine from Olivier’s ‘Languedoc Stars’ range designed to allow you to (re)discover traditional varietals from the South of France. Covert wine from the European Union in 2025?? Très bon!!

Since his childhood, Olivier’s favorite places to play have been the vineyards and the family wine cellar at Domaine Montrose, his family’s wine estate founded in 1701 in Pézenas. With this upbringing, Olivier developed a profound attachment to the Languedoc’s terroir and landscape, and later to its wines. Deeply committed to the environment and biodiversity preservation (more than 2000 trees planted and counting), Olivier and his team work organically and diligently strive to produce carbon neutral wines.

Grape - 100% Mourvèdre

Flavors - Aromas of candied black fruits and spices. Tight and crunchy plum, boysenberry, wild blueberry flood the bright palate, with fine, sticky tannins, and a persistent freshness all the way through.

Serving - Fire up that grill! Invite friends, throw some sausages on, open a bottle and forget about the world. If only for a moment.

Album Pairing - DANGER MOUSE- ‘The Grey Album’ - 2004 * You know what pairs with ‘illegal’ wines … ‘illegal’ bootlegs! Danger Mouse created ‘The Grey Album’ as an experimental project to mashup an a cappella version of rapper Jay-Z's ‘The Black Album’ with samples from the Beatles' self-titled ninth album, commonly known as ‘The White Album’. The impressive effort (the album is AWESOME!) gained notoriety when the Beatles' record label EMI attempted to halt its distribution despite approval of the project from Jay-Z and the two surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. So gangster. I’m guessing that Olivier Coste would approve.

LEGEND #1:   

DOMAINE LES GRANDES VIGNES Pineau D'Aunis 2021 * Loire Valley, France
Domaine Les Grandes Vignes encapsulates a history that dates back to the 17th century, an impressive chronicle of family-owned lands passed down with pride from generation to generation. Today, this invaluable legacy is entrusted to the capable hands of three Vaillant siblings: Laurence, Dominique, and Jean-François, who have wholeheartedly embraced the art of winemaking. Located in Thouarcé, at the heart of the Loire region, the estate spans an impressive 55 hectares of vineyards. These vineyards are cultivated without the use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or insecticides, proudly holding certifications for both organic and biodynamic farming practices. While it undoubtedly involves hard work, the Vaillant family benefits from having a large family and a reliable team of farmworkers who are employed year-round. Each year, herbs and perennial plants are carefully planted alongside hedges and shrubs, contributing to a rich biodiversity. Vineyard treatments incorporate various biodynamic preparations, herbal infusions, manure, and compost. Small quantities of copper and sulfur are used in plant infusions to combat mildew. The pruning and soil cultivation activities are meticulously scheduled in harmony with the lunar cycle. Intervention with the wines is kept to a minimum, with no external additives or invasive processes. All of their wines are proudly crafted without the addition of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and remain unclarified and unfiltered.

What you have in your hand is a bottle of the beautiful and rare Loire Valley grape varietal Pineau d'Aunis, hand-harvested from vines grown in clay-silt soil. The grapes undergo whole-cluster maceration over the course of two weeks before they are pressed into barrel where both alcoholic and malolactic fermentations spontaneously take place (ambient yeasts, no temp. control). After 3 months in barrel, the wine is once-racked and bottled shortly thereafter.

WINE NERD ALERT!! - ‘Zero-Zero’ Wines - In the natural winemaking world, the precise and limited use of sulfur to increase stability is permissible. But some are made without sulfur dioxide at all (SO2). In nerdy slang, you’ll sometimes hear these referred to as ‘zero-zero’ wines. As a sub-section of natural wine, ‘zero-zero’ commonly refers to two styles of winemaking. The first is specific to wines made with the addition of zero sulfur (a commonly used preservative) and zero commercial yeast. The second is a broader reference and is most often the case for wines categorized as ‘zero-zero’. In this instance, nothing is added or removed during the winemaking process that is not naturally present in the wine. This means no acidification agents, no color enhancers, no filtration, and no sulfur or commercially made yeast.

Grape - 100% Pineau D'Aunis

Flavors - This wine is WILD! Lighter-bodied, borderline effervescent, with woodsy red and blue fruits and a notable pencil-lead minerality on both nose and palate (an unmistakeable signature of this grape). After the electric and fruity entry, savory olive notes creep in and the wine rounds out on soft tannins and umami notes. **Please note - because of its unsulfured nature, this wine is alive, so you are encouraged to enjoy it in one sitting. Fret not, it shouldn’t be too hard.

Serving - Great pairing for bitter greens and grilled veggies. Do you like cacio e pepe? Dive right in. Just a flat out great, vibrant, unique, and surprising wine for all the flavors of spring.

** AUDIOPHILE LP OF THE MONTH CLUB VINYL**

Album Pairing - SPOON- ‘Kill The Moonlight’ - 2002 * This wine is so classic and yet so insanely quirky. THis album, yeah, it’s exactly the same. Every song is oddly perfect. Just banger after banger. ‘Kill the Moonlight’ is a complex and simple, emotional and playful; sometimes vibrant, sometimes morose, but usually in a frighteningly anxious limbo. And it sounds oh so good with this Pineau d'Aunis; a wine that seems to be ever-evolving but is somehow always shockingly brilliant!

LEGEND #2:

CASCINA ALBERTA 'Giacone' Barbaresco 2021 * Piedmont, Italy
Not by chance, soil is the undisputed protagonist of Cascina Alberta’s label. The elegant layers of the typical white marl of Treiso guarantee quality and refinement in their wines, and therefore set in a place of honor on their bottles. From the very beginning, they have strived to convey how the territory they are in represents a perfect example of balance between hills, vineyards, and woods; and a passion for the Langhe land has guided their recovery of old vineyards through sustainable viticulture. The goal is for the vineyards to be lush gardens, and minimizing human intervention and maintaining that balance allows the vines to grow strong and flourishing. Protection the soil remains Cascina Alberta’s main objective. Cover cropping and the practice of green manuring allow the soil to absorb more water during the rainy season while simultaneously combating the small erosions that occur in steep vineyards.

For this beautiful Barbaresco, the harvest is carried out by hand in October. The grapes, once in the winery, are gently pressed, and fermentation takes place using indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, with daily pump-overs for 30 days. After racking, the wine is placed in large Slavonian oak barrels, where malolactic fermentation occurs.

WINE NERD ALERT!! - What is marl? - An earthy material, marl is characterized by a mix of clay and calcium carbonate, often found between layers of rock and soil. Clay soils tend to stay cooler and retain water. There are several types of clay soils, including marl, a limestone-rich clay that is said to be even cooler. These soils are famous for producing some of the boldest red and white wines in the world. Apparently this is the month of soil disclaimers.

Grape - 100% Nebbiolo

Flavors - The color is a deep garnet red, and on the nose, it expresses a wide complexity of aromas of violet and rose, with spicy notes of leather, licorice, mint, and tobacco. On the palate, it is full and intense, with a great tannic structure that gives it elegance and length.

Serving - This beauty pairs best with rich sauces, braised dishes, roasts, and aged hard cheeses.

Album Pairing - DUKE ELLINGTON & IVIE ANDERSON - ‘Duke Ellington Presents Ivie Anderson’ - 1973 * Barbaresco - a special growing sub-region that puts out nebbiolo of such classically sultry depth and timeless brilliance that I could only choose an album imbued with comparable gravitas. Take a sip of this beautiful wine while Ivie croons ‘It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)’ backed by DUke’s band, and let a moment of tranquility wash over you. Then repeat.

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.