In a world made of stories, we are co-authors and main characters. Our days and lives play out alongside those of others, much like the days and lives of those who came before and those who will follow. At times, our engagement with events makes certain hours, weeks, or years feel pivotal to the action, the plot, our narrative arc. We are always building it, but we don’t know where it will take us. At my annual medical checkup this week, after touching on alcohol and exercise, my doctor asked: “How are you feeling mentally?” I let out a little chuckle, and said, “I think I’m pretty good.” “Yeah,” he said, “it’s a tricky question these days.”

Last week, at the Château of Angers in the Loire Valley, I saw what’s left of a Neolithic cairn with burial chambers built over four thousand years ago, and walked the grounds where, in the year 851, Viking leaders Ragnar Lodbrok and Bjorn Cote de Fer came after the French king Charles the Bald. I also viewed the Tapestry of the Apocalypse, an enormous, woolen wonder of medieval art commissioned by the Duke of Anjou in the late 14th century. Created at the height of the hundred years war and shortly following the Black Death, it relates the grim tale of the Book of Revelation, the final battle between good and evil, in a series of colorfully woven scenes. Pre-printing press, this elaborate rug was made to demonstrate the glory of the Duke and to illustrate the importance of faith to a broken populace. It seems to say, “Your choice: blessed beatitude or grotesque, eternal suffering.” Now, it also says, “We’ve been here before, or even somewhere worse,” and asks, “What have we learned?”

Well, for one, three hundred years later - from the French monk, Dom Pérignon - we learned to make sparkling wine by the Champagne method, with a second fermentation begun in the bottle. Prior to 1697, all vinous bubbles were made Methode Ancestrale, by capturing the CO2, a natural byproduct of fermentation. Also called Pétillant naturel, or Pet-Nat, methode ancestrale wines are bottled before they finish their primary fermentation and tend to have lower alcohol and sometimes a yeast-y, toastiness that complements their fruit flavors and acidity. What’s emerged as a ‘trend’ in small production sparkling wines is actually the origin of good bubbly. Come sample four fresh takes on this ancient style at our tasting bar this Saturday afternoon!

But first...TONIGHT: Thursday Night Flights - Italian Nebbiolo and Rhone Valley whites
2022 Elvio Tintero Langhe Nebbiolo
2022 Cavalier Bartolomeo Enfant Langhe Rosso
2021 Serio e Battista Borgogno Nebbiolo d’Alba
2022 Domaine la Cabotte Colline Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc
2021 Cave Cluzel Roussanne
2021 Domaine de la Grande Colline Bibendum Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc
Flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until close!

SATURDAY 7/20: Pétillant naturel AKA méthode ancestrale... A refreshing lineup of four dry, low-alcohol, organically farmed, sparkling Pét-nats from Croatia, Portugal, and France.
- Domaine Coteaux des Margots Vin Mousseux Aligoté Pétillant naturel
- Pomalo Debit Pétillant naturel
- Quinta da Raza Pet Nat Vinho Branca
- Lise et Bertrand Jousset Éxilé Rosé Pétillant
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm

And please note *** We will be closing at 7pm this Monday 7/22 for a special event***


Hang in there,
Max