Pressed for thought
I love autumn, and September could be my favorite month. It is for the tension between the seasons. There are still days that feel like summer, abundant with sunshine and the impulse to dip into the water. Then, there are cool days that call for a soft sweater and a book on the couch. There are not nearly the same social commitments, the return to school schedules set us all to a new rhythm. Even if we don’t have kids to drop at the bus, I hear the brakes squeal with delight as they carry the neighborhood off to school. I always loved going back to school, so perhaps that is part of it, but it is more than that. I welcome change, and the shift from summer to fall is detectable by all senses. The color of the sky changes as leaves start to color yellow, orange, red. The smell of the garden start to hint at decomposition. The sound of leaves scrapping along the sidewalk delights me, as I feel my shoulders relax down my back, in acknowledgment that the mania of summer is over.
Naturally, I want different things to eat. The flavors of fall is a shift from the grill back to the oven, roasting is my culinary happy place. Yes, grilling is wonderful, but it adds a layer of flavor, where roasting draws out the depth of flavor, getting at the essence of the ingredient.
It is with that tension in mind that we chose the wines for the September selections. I am thrilled to have Lianna’s input on few, and you will note her personal touches. Together with my staff, we completed the notes, so you will hear new voices and get fresh perspectives on the wines. I am certain you are grateful for that after nearly eighteen years of my notes. Yes, embracing change, and it feels good.
RESPONSIBLE INDULGENCE
SEPTEMBER 2025 WINE NOTES
Value Wines
2024 Encostas do Lima Vinho Verde “Xisto.” This Vinho Verde is grown near the northern part of Portugals Lima River. The roots of these vines reach through a sedimentary rock layer called Schist which is very similar to slate. This adds a nice crisp minerality to this wine that has fruit flavors of peach, green apple and honeysuckle.This is the perfect "porch pounder", you can really drink the Shist out of it! Enjoy it with some seafood and a sunset and you'll be glad you did!
2023 Bacchus Ginger's Cuvée. Bright, elegant and inviting, this Bacchus Pinot Noir is bursting with flavor! Ginger's Cuvée has captured the essence of California with its brightness and touch of spice! It has juicy notes of red cherry, pomegranate and raspberry with complimenting notes of baking spices and earth. It would pair wonderfully with a mushroom pasta, risotto, or even some grilled salmon or chicken! Grab your glass and settle in with this wine and let it bring you to the land of grapes and sunshine!
2024 Mesclances Rosé is classic Provençal rose with a soft energized burst of summer berries on the front palate, a long smooth mid-palate rush and then a crisp citrus finish that sings with blood orange and candied lemon peel. It is fresh but has the complexity to carry us into the fall menus. It is just early fall, so take it to the beach and get in that water, refresh yourself after that swim with a glass and some salty crackers and fresh goat cheese.
2021 Owen Roe Abbott’s Tale, is a true crowd pleaser.If there was one wine I could recommend for any table it would be this. Owen Roe's Abbot's Table is an ode to ancient hospitality traditions where good food and wine would bring people together. That is just what this wine will do. Abbot's Table is a rich blend of Sangiovese, Blaufrankish, Zinfandel, Grenache and Merlot with notes of dark fruits and baking spices making it the perfect pairing for whatever you're serving! If it were me I'd dive deep into the German side of this blend and pair it with a delicious and hearty goulash. But don't forget this wine does have a combination of grape varietals that originated from many other European countries so you really can't go wrong with anything!
2022 Majas Catalanes Rouge offers us a richer style wine with intense flavors. If fall had a flavor, this would be it! That mixture of apricot and almond, honey flavors with beeswax and toasty notes. This is a white wine that can handle a lot of flavor, so bo boldly into your menu plan, knowing that she will stand up to anything! Not surprising, the Catalan landscape is complex and varied. I sip this wine and envision a place that Miro painted in an effort to distill the complexity of a land that embodies the mixture of cultures. The wine is at once rich and refreshing, it will pair with anything from a salad to roasted duck, and it will invoke the warmth of its region.
2022 Immich-Batterieberg "Detonation" The Detonation is an explosion of flavor! It is from the Mosel region which is famous for producing some of the top Rieslings in Germany. It has a nose of flint and wet stone typical of rieslings for this area. It is a very zippy wine with a slight effervescence with notes of grapefruit, white peach, and hints of salinity and minerality. You should run down to your favorite ramen spot and grab a spicy noodle dish, or to your favorite oyster bar for some fresh oysters and local seafood to enjoy this wine! It is bursting with flavor and begging for a good time!
Select Wines
The 2023 Kings Ridge Chardonnay is the perfect Chardonnay for those people "who don't like Chardonnay.” It has a very fruit forward nose with tropical fruits that will fool you into thinking "hey, this might be a Sauvignon blanc", but its got that restrained acidity and toasted almond flavor we all love from our Chardonnay (champagnes)! Bring this wine to the table and you've got yourself a crowd pleaser that will make a perfect pairing with whatever is being offered!
Lianna is spot on with this description. The Kings Ridge Chard shows a lot of restraint and it is the tension that emerges because of their judicious winery work that makes the wine so special. Enjoy it with a clear broth chowder!
The 2022"Sentinelle" Minervois is an ode to where it is from and how beautifully it was grown! This estates deep rooted vines from the sun drenched Languedoc region of France are rich with flavors from this area. There is a nice soft lushness from the black berry flavors that are complimented by a nice herbaceous undertone that give this wine a rich earthiness. It makes me want to grab a crock of the Herbs de Provence from the gourmet and roast a chicken and some delicious root vegetables.
2024 Gavote La Cigale Rosé is all Provence with a little added muscle from some Cabernet Sauvignon, which also gives the wine a little extra depth of color and a touch of tannic structure and texture. This is a food rosé, calling for easy Sunday meals, like minestrone with some rustic bread. It gives you the excuse to sit and relax in the days of fall as we transition from summer’s busy bustling days to the cooler relaxation that we can look forward to as the leaves turn. It has loads of berry and cherry notes, a touch of tropical fruit and wonderful aromatics.
2024 Orlegi de Luberri Cosecha Rioja. This Rioja is fresh, lively, juicy and food friendly! It has a nice dark purple color and a nose of leather and licorice which leads you into the nice fruitiness of its palate. Jam packed with flavors like dark cherry, plum and blackberry, you also get hints of some herbs like fennel and oregano. This wine would pair perfect with a nice juicy burger or even a greasy cheesy pizza. Grab some napkins, your glass and enjoy!
The 2024 Dufaitre Beaujolais Nouveau is one of the few nouveau’s that I let in the building. Nouveau is a tradition in France to drink the early Gamay wines at the end of harvest in celebration of the abundance of harvest, the work done, and the wine that has been made. It was a brilliant marketing effort that first brought it to the US in the 80’s, and somehow it then became the wine of Thanksgiving tables across the nation. I generally discourage, as the wine simply isn’t ready, but then there are only exceptions to the rules. This is the only truism that sticks for me. This Gamay has also now had some time in the bottle and it is drinking great. French, light, with depth of flavor that will make it hard to put the cork back in the bottle. Enjoy it with a regional classic like roast chicken or duck, or even on its own.
2021 Herve Villemade Cheverny, 70% Sauvignon Blanc 30% Chardonnay. Looking for a wine you can drink with or without food? Look no further. This Cheverny by Herve Villemade is a nice vegetal white that you can enjoy at any point of the day. It has a nice grassy nose with hints of green apple and straw. On the palette it has a very strong green pepper (jalapeño in my opinion) flavor that is so interesting i just can't get enough! This wine would be good as a porch sipper with conversation, in a glass while your cooking dinner to arouse your appetite, or with the dinner its self! I'd say you can't go wrong having this with a Caprese salad and some grilled chicken and grilled veggies. Who doesn’t love to grille with wine? The quintessential summer pass-time!
Collector Wines
2012 Foradori Teroldego
There is perhaps no wine on this list that bespeaks the tension of fall better than Elisabetta Foradori’s Teroldego. This is a grape that few people have heard of, and it comes to use from the Dolomites in the Alto Aldige region of Italy, a place that most wine drinkers don’t think of or perhaps even know about. The land is rugged and the climate is intense. It is strikingly beautiful, and it produces wine of elegance, subtlety and grace.
I met Elisabetta many years ago at a tasting in New York City, and I had the good fortune that her table was not surrounded by people. This is rare, as she is a cool cat in the world of wine, so having a moment alone with her is good luck. I wanted to know everything, but simply told her that I admired her wines and wondered how she arrived at making them the way she did.
She smiled. She has a balance of warmth and coolness. Not to seen as unfriendly at all, quite the contrary, but she is very calm. She considered my question and explained that the wine arrives naturally, but she had to arrive at that philosophy. The wines of the region had been largely mechanically produced, and she did the same when she came out of school. It was only after she began wine making that she felt an impulse to shift to organic and then biodynamic production to achieve the balance of wine that she wanted.
She expressed this in an interview with Joe Dressner, “The most important thing is to be a good farmer. You need to interact with nature in order to make a wine that symbolizes a region. And to do this you have to be proud of what you do. For me this is working the right way: with respect and knowledge of your land and your roots.”
This Teroldego has intensity of flavor., berries and earthy notes come together in an elegance wine that is delightful and serious. A lot like the woman who makes it! As for what to enjoy with it, I would like to make a mushroom pasta, simple with butter and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
2020 Tedechi Amarone Classic Marne 180
In selected wines each month, I am challenged to find new things to include, and it is the best part of my job. This wine surprised me. Amarone is made by drying the grapes on the vine after harvesting them, allowing the grapes to dehydrate before macerating. This makes for very intense, dark, and often quite heavy wines. Admirable, but particular. The Tedechi Amazon surprised me with its freshness and lightness that balances the intensity of flavor that results naturally from the process.
From the winemaker, “The name “Marne 180” recalls the typology of the land (marl) on which the vines were planted as well as the south-west to south-east exposure expressed in degrees (180). The wine is produced with grapes that come from various vineyards from the hills of Valpolicella and dried for approximately 4 months in a controlled environment. The wine is aged in barrels of Slavonian oak for 3 years and is left to refine in the bottle for at least 6 additional months. The wine is characterized by aromatic freshness. It is a vertical wine with great structure and balance as well as good acidity, making it a great match for food pairings such as moderately spiced foods, red meat and game as well as aged cheeses.”
Enjoy our September selections and take a breath and relax into fall,
Cheers, Maria