Tasting notes, December 13, 2025, Wines for entertaining

                    Wines for Entertaining

2024 Girard Garenne
On Sale for $28
Sancerre / Loire Valley / France
100% Sauvignon Blanc
From the tiny village of Chadoux Girard’s Sancerre Garenne is fermented using only native yeasts. The wine is aged briefly in neutral oak vats  prior to bottling. As classic as an example of Sauvignon Blanc as one can find.
2021 St Innocent Freedom Hill
On Sale for $28
Willamette Valley / Oregon / US
100% Chardonnay
The portion of Freedom Hill dedicated to St Innocent’s bottling was hand selected by Vlossak, as he was particularly interested in the ancient sedimentary soil present. These types of soils aid in acid retention as well imparting a stony quality to the resulting wine.
2017 Pavelot Dominodes Vieilles Vignes
On Sale for $60
Savigny-lès-Beaune / Beaune / France
100% Pinot Noir
The vines employed for the Dominodes Vieilles Vignes bottling were planted in 1935. The wine is fermented using native yeasts and  aged for 12 months in French oak of which about a third is first use.
2019 Grand Veneur Les Champauvins
On Sale for $20
Côtes-du-Rhône / Southern Rhône Valley / France
70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre
“Les Champauvins” is an 84 acre vineyard located just outside the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation dutifully farmed organically by the Jaume family of Domaine Grand Veneur. 
2021 Pupille Poggio Valente
On Sale for $30
Scansano / Tuscany / Italy
100% Sangiovese
Sourced from a single vineyard planted in 1995 in sandy soils, this 100% Sangiovese is full, rich example of the varietal. The wine was aged for 18 months in 50% new large oak casks.
2021 Brendel Cooper’s Reed
On Sale for $25
North Coast / California / US
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Owned by the Karl Lawrence wine group (Burgess, Heitz, Stony Hill), Brendel was first produced in the 2019 vintage with an aim to create “post-prohibition” style wines from the group’s vast Napa Valley holdings. Cooper’s Reed is the product of 100% organic Cabernet Sauvignon grapes harvested from the valley floor and subsequently aged in enormous, neutral upright casks as was customary many years ago.