Staff Picks - What to Drink this Week
Try these special, staff-selected libations!
2022 Red Car Rose of Pinot Noir - $29.99
It seems appropriate to enjoy some rose from our side of the pond this long holiday week and a favorite that we love around here is Red Car Rose. Red Car is a boutique winery that focuses on Pinot Noir, Syrah and Chardonnay from cold-climate vineyards in the West Sonoma Coast. Their rose is a flagship and highly coveted so we are lucky to get what we can. The '22 is absolutely stunning; made as "intentional" rose in the vin gris style where the grapes are harvested at very low brix and fermented in stainless and wood. Watermelon, strawberries and pink grapefruit with racy acidity in the glass makes this a perfect companion to fresh Summer salads and grilled chicken.
-Angie
2020 Forge ‘Freese Vineyard’ Riesling - $31.99
This wine represents a real opportunity to change your perception of what Riesling can be. This small production (580 cases) is made with an eye toward Burgundian table wines and uses the unique qualities of it’s site and climate to push the boundaries of style. Up front, the wine achieves remarkable ripeness, showing a viscous, silky texture and flavors of nectarine despite its cool climate origin. It maintains a relatively light alcohol presence and bone dry residual sugar level. The finish veers back toward its cool climate roots with a lengthy dive into flavors of saline and mineral. Overall the Freese Riesling is intensely flavored yet fresh and zesty making it a fantastic food companion.
-Dave
2020 Chateau Yvonne Saumur Blanc - $65.99
This is truly one of the greatest Chenin Blancs and white wines in the market. The estate is located in the Loire valley and the vineyards are farmed organically and biodynamically. This is a Burgundy lover's Chenin delivering great richness and masterful oak integration. The nose shows pretty aromas of honey and apple and the medium plus palate has rich peach fruit with great mineralty. Try this special wine with a lobster roll or a nicoise salad.
-Rob
2022 Forlorn Hope 'Queen of the Sierra' Rosé, Calaveras County, California - $22.99
Time to enjoy a bottle of refreshing Rosé for the 4th of July weekend! We have loved the wines of Natural wine maker extraordinaire Matthew Rorick, of Forlorn Hope, for years here at North Loop Wine. His Queen of the Sierra wines are a celebration of the steep limestone and schist slopes of Rorick Heritage Vineyard in the Sierra Foothills. Made from 100% organically farmed estate Grenache, Zinfandel, and Tempranillo, the Queen of the Sierra Rosé is hand harvested and fermentated with ambient yeasts in stainless steel. The wine is unfiltered and unfined with no oak involved. All is about fruit and terroir. It has a dynamic tension between roundness of fruit and zippy acidity. Aromas of citrus blossom lead to bright salty watermelon, strawberry, and cherry.
Refreshing and unique. Enjoy alone on a warm summer evening outside or matched with salmon and a crisp salad.
-Patrick
Portage Lost 40 - $16.99
What would happen if you shoved a bunch of hops and some alcohol into a glass of orange juice? Well, you'd end up with something like Lost 40, a double dry hopped New England IPA from Portage. That's a bit of a crude comparison. Lost 40 is delicious, light(ish), and packed with notes of orange. It's a fantastic pick for a hot day if you love tropical hazies. Get yourself some Lost 40 and get lost (but be sure to tell someone where you're going before you leave).
-Nick N
