Spring ’23 Wine Club

Hello and welcome (back) to the WCP Wine Club! Spring being our second release, I must first say that I’m so thankful for all of your support and the positive reception of the Winter wines. Many of these wines have been viewed as ‘risky’ by some of my colleagues around town and it’s amazing to see them so warmly welcomed by you all. I’ve been able to wrangle some really fun wines in the door this round as a result, so let’s get started!

Something must’ve been in the air (or shipping containers must’ve finally come in) because I have brought you three bottlings from the Anjou AOC of the Loire Valley in Western France. I’ve recently begun to fall in love with this area because there is just so much variety in the styles of wine coming from there, most of very high quality. Three of the world’s most famous varietals originated here: Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, and Cabernet Franc. Newer producers are exploring other varieties of grapes, planted in smaller amounts for centuries, giving them their comeback. All three bottles from here give us something a bit different!

Our other three bottles are some perennial favorites of mine that I’m so glad I am able to share with you. There are skin-contact, or orange, wines in this release which is an ancient style of winemaking, dating back to the beginning of wine as we know it. One is made by an icon, the other made by a newly-hatched winemaker finding his voice in the large scene of Oregon wines. The wine that has made the most ears perk up is a super funky northwest Spanish red made by an exciting young female producer. So without further ado, here are your Spring selections!

THE WINES

Agnes & René Mosse – Moussamoussettes VDF $30

Agnès and René, along with their sons Joseph and Sylvestre, farm these wines in the Anjou appellation of the Loire Valley, but declassify most of them as Vin de France, or wine of France, due to the Anjou having earned a bad reputation back in the 20th century. The Mosse wines are some of the most sought after bottles coming out of the region, and are immediately recognizable. Only 10 cases of this wine made it to Oregon, which dissolved within a week of its landing in the distributor’s warehouse. It’s a pet-nát made from direct-press Pineau d’Aunis and Grolleau, and there is no wrong time to open this bottle. It’s a jovial bottle of bubbles that will make every situation immediately more fun. We were also allocated miniscule quantities (3–12 bottles each) of a few of their other wines, keep your eyes peeled….

Patrick Baudouin – “Effusion” Anjou Blanc 2020 $32

Patrick’s another winemaker out to change the public perception of the Anjou through a slightly different lens. His Chenin blancs are celebrated widely for their translation of terroir, or “sense of place.” “Effusion” is his entry-level cuvée, an introduction to his style grown on his youngest vines in volcanic and metamorphic rock. His vineyards are certified organic and of his wines, Effusion is the one that performs its best melodies in its younger years so it’s always released earlier than the others. It’s 100% Chenin and is a beautiful white of rich concentration with layer after layer of complexity. I want to drink this with meaty fish, like yellowtail crudo or basted halibut with polenta!

COS – Ramí Bianco 2021 $39

COS was founded in 1980 by three friends, Giambattista Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti (uncle to Arianna), and Cirino Strano (the initials of their last names form the winery’s name). Their winery now sits at the pinnacle of quality in the Vittoria region, and one of the highest-regarded in Sicily. Their hard work and dedication showed the potential of Sicily’s terroir and drew attention to the island. Skin contact is incorporated into all of their whites, with Ramí being the lightest and freshest with just under 2 weeks of skin contact. All of the rest are measured in months! It’s 50/50 Grecanico and Insolia, raised in concrete for 8 months after pressing with 3 more months in bottle before release. It’s salty and herbal, begging for duck or pork with grapefruit marmalade. Or open it for your friends who ‘don’t like white wine.’

Cutter Cascadia – Heavy Water $38

Riesling is typically grown in cooler, wetter climates and is incredibly vigorous. And yet, here we have one grown in the Dalles, known for an almost arid heat in the summer. It shouldn’t work, yet somehow it really does. With careful canopy management, morning sunlight ripens the skins to an almost golden brown, which then macerate with the juice for 15 days. The Columbia Gorge is, in my opinion, the most compelling region of wine in the PNW. Due to climatic and geologic variability, there is the potential for growing some seriously compelling wines here. Michael Garofola is one of the talented new winegrowers championing this region, and is one worth paying attention to. Pair with bivalves fra diavolo.

Olga Raffault – Chinon ‘Les Picasses’ 2016 $35

Named for the matriarch of the family (pictured at left), the Olga Raffault wines are now made by her children and grandchildren, and ‘Les Picasses’ remains one of the quintessential lieu-dit (single vineyard) Cabernet Francs from the Chinon appellation. The vines of the Picasses vineyard are all at least 50 years old, producing fruit of stunning concentration and purity. It is aged in large format oak and chestnut foudres and then in bottle even longer before release (2016 is current release!). It’s an absolute benchmark Cabernet Franc. I opened a 2008 vintage of this wine for Valentine’s day this year, and I was offered this wine the next day… what a coincidence, eh?? I enjoyed it alongside a cast-iron roasted rib-eye cap with chimichurri, brown sugar and garlic caramelized carrots, and steamed and sauteed leeks with carrot-top pesto. It was a heavenly match-up. This wine is phenomenal now, but definitely rewards patience… The recipe for the leeks with pesto can be found on Instagram @adip_food.

Laura Lorenzo – Azos da Vila $41

Here it is, you’ve made it. Azos da Vila is one of the most engaging wines I’ve tried in a long time, I just couldn’t keep my face out of the glass. It’s made from a field blend of mostly red grapes produced by 80–120 year old vines in the wild hills of Northwest Spain’s Ribeira Sacra region in Galicia. Laura cut her teeth as winemaker at one of the region’s most ambitious wineries for nearly 10 years before striking out on her own project organically farming 11 acres of vines. Her wines speak loudly: she has masterfully harnessed the old world wildness we all love into beautiful bottles of funky magic. Pair this with something gamey and rich.