< Tasting Notes

Wines for Feasting
- November 2026

Tis the beginning of the season for feasting.
For spending time with family and friends; as the days get short and the nights get interminable.

A good feast starts with bubbles.

And the main course almost always loves a beautiful wine from Beaujolais of Burgundy.

These wines were selected with an epic meal in mind.

Enjoy and Salud!

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

RAVENTÓS I BLANC 'Blanc de Blancs' NV * Conca del Riu Anoia, Catalonia, Spain
Winemaker - Pepe Raventós is the 21st generation of his family to run the estate, which has been growing grapes in Catalonia since 1497. An ancestor, Josep Raventós Fatjó, made what the family considers the first Cava in 1872, from Xarel.lo grown on their own land. The family's path matched Codorníu's until 1984, when Josep María Raventós i Blanc and Manuel Raventós set out on their own and built a winery around an ancient oak. The estate covers 90 hectares of vineyards and forest. In 2012 they left the Cava DO and helped create the Conca del Riu Anoia appellation, with stricter rules on grapes, farming, and aging. This is a family that cares more about the place than the label on the bottle.

The Wine - This is the entry-level Blanc de Blancs, a traditional blend of Macabeo, Xarel.lo, and Parellada with a little Malvasía de Sitges for perfume. The fruit comes from the estate's youngest vines and from trusted growers in the Anoia Valley. It spends at least 18 months aging, which is where the toasty, bready depth comes from. It's a bright, dry sparkling wine that drinks like it has more money in it than it does.

NERD ALERT!! - Cava at its best gets its texture from time on the lees, and this bottle has plenty of it. Xarel.lo brings the structure and a little savory edge, Macabeo keeps things fresh and floral, and Parellada adds lift. Because the appellation rules are stricter now, the family has more say over every step, from the vineyard to the bottle. Eighteen months is the minimum here, not the target.

Grape(s) - Macabeo, Xarel.lo, Parellada, with a little Malvasía de Sitges

Flavors - Green apple, lemon peel, and white flowers come up first. As it opens you get toast, brioche, and a little almond. The bubbles are fine and steady, the finish is dry and bright, and it lingers longer than the price suggests. Serve it well chilled.

Serving - Fried things. Potato chips with flaky salt, croquetas, a bowl of Marcona almonds, and anything that came out of the sea. This is the bottle for the start of a long meal, when everyone is still standing up and talking over each other. Sparkling wine is the easiest yes at a table, and it doesn't make anyone choose between red and white.

Album Pairing - VAMPIRE WEEKEND - 'Contra' - 2010 * Contra is bright, quick, and full of sunlight. Vampire Weekend released it on XL in 2010, and the band folded African guitar patterns, preppy wit, and sharp pop hooks into songs that barely sit still. Ezra Koenig sings with a clever, lightly ironic energy, and Rostam Batmanglij's production keeps every layer clean and springy. "Horchata" and "Cousins" are the kind of songs that make a patio feel like it's moving. The record is lively without being loud, and it sounds like a group having fun with precision. That's a lot like a good sparkling wine: crisp, bright, and built with real craft under the bubbles. The Raventós family's first Cava dates to 1872, and they still make a bottle that feels fresh and celebratory. Put Contra on before the guests arrive, pour the Blanc de Blancs into tall glasses, and let the first song set the pace for the night.

DOMAINE FRÉDÉRIC SORNIN 'La Ronze' Régnié 2023 * Régnié, Beaujolais, France
Winemaker - Frédéric Sornin runs the domaine out of Les Ronzes in Régnié, one of the ten crus of Beaujolais. He farms organically, ploughs his vineyards, and keeps his yields low by choice. His son Victor has been learning the trade alongside him, with stints in Brouilly and with Quentin Perroud. The family makes a point of working the land by hand and letting the vineyard speak, which is exactly what you want from a Gamay this honest.

The Wine - This is La Ronze, a Régnié made from Gamay grown on the estate's own organic vines. It's the kind of Beaujolais that shows you the village and the vintage without any heavy makeup. The domaine's approach is traditional, with low yields and gentle handling, so the fruit stays front and center.

NERD ALERT!! - Régnié is one of the ten crus of Beaujolais, the top tier of the region's appellations. That means the wines are meant to express the place more than a style. Gamay in a cool, granite-based setting keeps its acidity and its fruit at the same time, which is why a good Régnié can be serious and drinkable at once. Low yields and organic farming concentrate the flavor without weighing the wine down. It's a red that wants to be cool, juicy, and easy in the glass.

Grape(s) - 100% Gamay

Flavors - Red fruit, a round, juicy middle, and bright freshness that keeps the whole glass lively. There's a salty finish that makes you reach for the glass again. It's light to medium in body with soft tannins, and it's best slightly cool, not warm.

Serving - Roast chicken, a board of charcuterie, mushrooms on toast, and a bowl of grapes on the side. Gamay is the wine for the dinner that doesn't need to impress anyone. Open it a little before you eat so it has time to breathe, and let the conversation run long.

Album Pairing - NEIL YOUNG - 'Harvest' - 1972 * Harvest is about the country, small towns, and the slow turn of the seasons, and Neil Young made it with a mix of Nashville session players and his old friends from Crazy Horse. It's one of the warmest albums of the era, with "Heart of Gold" and "Old Man" sounding like they were written at a kitchen table. Neil wrote about people who work the land and about wanting to be part of something simple. Harvest became his best-selling record and it still sounds like a cool autumn evening. That's Frédéric Sornin in a nutshell. He's out in the vineyard keeping his yields low and his hands busy, and he's making a wine that's honest, rooted, and generous. Put on Harvest after dinner, let the fire burn low, and pour another glass of La Ronze.

CA' DEI QUATTRO ARCHI 'Unknown' Pet Nat 2020 * Imola, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Winemaker - Rita Golinelli and Mauro Mazza started Cà dei Quattro Archi in 2000, out of a shared love of wine and of nature. The estate is certified organic by ICEA, and they describe their wines as an expression of Romagna: fertile, generous, and made for sharing. Rita and Mauro let the land and the fruit lead, and the winery's whole approach is to keep the intervention light and the character honest.

The Wine - This is the Unknown, a pétillant naturel that's 70 percent Trebbiano Romagnolo and 30 percent Biancone, two white grapes rooted in Romagna. The vines grow around 550 meters up, in clay and sand soils near Imola, and are trained on the Guyot system. The grapes get three days on their skins, and then the wine ages for about twelve months in steel. It comes in at 12 percent alcohol. It's a playful, lightly textured sparkler, the kind of wine that tastes like a warm evening in the countryside rather than a formal occasion.

NERD ALERT!! - Three days on the skins gives the wine a little color and grip without tipping it into orange-wine territory. Trebbiano Romagnolo is a local grape with real character, and Biancone adds its own lift. Keeping the wine in steel for a year keeps it fresh and clean. The organic farming and light hand in the cellar let the Romagna landscape come through in the glass.

Grape(s) - 70% Trebbiano Romagnolo, 30% Biancone

Flavors - Bright citrus and orchard fruit, a savory thread from the skin contact, and a fizz that's playful rather than polished. The finish is dry and refreshing, and the whole glass feels easy and a little rustic. Serve it at 8 to 10 degrees Celsius, around 46 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Serving - Pour it into tavern glasses on a warm evening, with fresh pasta, salami, grilled vegetables, and good bread. Tavern glasses are the right call here. This is a wine meant to be passed around the table, not studied in a quiet room.

Album Pairing - PAVEMENT - 'Slanted and Enchanted' - 1992 * Slanted and Enchanted is a scrappy, witty, joyful record that made indie rock feel casual and clever at the same time. Pavement released it on Matador in 1992, and it sounds like a band having a great time figuring out what it sounds like. Stephen Malkmus sings with deadpan cool and a sense of humor, and the guitars wobble, slide, and crash in the best way. It feels lo-fi on purpose, which is the same spirit as a pét-nat: unpolished, a little rough, and better for it. The songs are full of ideas tossed in the air, and the band never tries to be the grown-up in the room. This bottle doesn't either. Put the record on loud on a warm evening, with the windows open and a few friends in the kitchen. Pour the Unknown into tavern glasses and let the album go a little off the rails. It's supposed to.

DEVEVEY 'La Chaume' Rully 2022 * Rully, Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy, France

Winemaker - Jean-Yves Devevey makes his wines at the domaine in Demigny, in the Côte Chalonnaise. The La Chaume vineyard in Rully is the family's showpiece, made in both red and white. The reds are made with whole-cluster fermentation, which adds stem spice and structure, and the whites spend around 18 months in barrel. It's a careful, classic approach, and it shows in every bottle.

The Wine - This is the red La Chaume, a Pinot Noir from Rully, the village that gives its name to the appellation. It's a Burgundy from the Côte Chalonnaise, which means real Pinot character at a more approachable price than the Côte de Beaune. The fruit is pure, the tannins are grainy in the best way, and the wine has a lot of depth for its level.

NERD ALERT!! - Rully is one of the appellations of the Côte Chalonnaise, just south of the Côte de Beaune. The region gives you the texture and structure of Burgundy with a little more room in the price. Whole-cluster fermentation is a big part of the story. The stems add a spicy, earthy note and a firm backbone, and they help the wine age with grace. Devevey's reds are known for finer tannins as they get older, which is why this bottle is worth a little patience and why it's just as good now.

Grape(s) - 100% Pinot Noir

Flavors - Red cherry, wild strawberry, and forest floor, with a little spice from the stems. The tannins are fine but grainy, and the acidity keeps everything fresh. It's medium-bodied and earthy, the kind of Burgundy that tastes like it was grown in the woods.

Serving - Roast duck or chicken with mushrooms, a pork chop with fresh herbs, a soft cheese like Brie or Comté, and a bowl of cherries to finish. Serve it slightly cool, about 60 degrees, so the fruit stays bright. This is a wine that rewards a slow meal and a good conversation.

** AUDIOPHILE LP OF THE MONTH CLUB VINYL**

Album Pairing - IRON & WINE - 'The Shepherd's Dog' - 2007 * Sam Beam started Iron & Wine as a one-man project, recording quiet, close songs that feel like they were made in a room with the lights low. The Shepherd's Dog, released on Sub Pop in 2007, is one of his most textured records. It mixes whispered vocals with shimmering arrangements, and the songs unfold slowly, rewarding the kind of attention you give a good glass of wine. The record is earthy and intimate, full of images of the natural world and of the people who live close to it. It's an album for a long evening with the door shut and nobody in a hurry. That's the feeling of this Burgundy: quiet, layered, and better the more time you spend with it. Pour a glass, put the record on the turntable, and listen for the details. The wine and the album both reward patience.

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.