June 2025 Wine Club
Josmeyer ‘Mise du Printemps’ Pinot Blanc 2023
The vibe: We love a Pinot Blanc and Josmeyer keeps blowing our minds with this one. Hailing from Colmar in the Alsace region of northern France, Domain Josmeyer benefits from being in a microclimate uniquely suited for winemaking in one of the lowest annual rainfall regions in the whole of France. Alsace is one of our favorite regions for crispy whites with lots of acid and mineral structure, and this wine is no different. Fun fact, Alsace has strict labeling rules and requirements like much of the rest of France but in the case of Pinot Blanc, what you’re usually drinking is blended with Pinot Auxerrois, and it’s actually legal under AOC Alsace appellation rules for a 100% Auxerrois to be labeled as Pinot Blanc. Make it make sense. All you have to know about this wine is it’s delicious and exactly what you want when the temperature outside would get you a speeding ticket on i5. It’s straight up hydrating, just drink it!
The winemaker: Cushioned between the rolling vineyards of Wintzenheim in Alsace, Domaine Josmeyer has been making wines for five generations dating back to 1854. The 25-hectare estate is spread across 90 plots, spanning several Grand Cru sites. Today sisters Céline and Isabelle run the Domaine and have been practicing biodynamics since 2000.
The geeky details: Pinot Auxerrois & Pinot Blanc, hand-picked; whole bunch pressing; fermentation with indigenous yeasts in century-old tuns; aging on lees until bottling in spring.
Serve: With a chill.
Food pairing: Shellfishhh! Or hit it with a soft cheese. Lighter dishes with subtle flavors is the name of the game here.
Album pairing: Tour-Maubourg - Floating on Silence
Folicello ‘Buffo’ Rosato Frizzante 2023
The vibe: Everybody loves a good Lambrusco. While sometimes hard to come by, we like to consider ourselves somewhat of a fine Lambrusco purveyor here at Petite. We’ve got our favorites, and in the ranks is Folicello, a producer in the heart of Lambrusco country, Emilia Romagna in northern Italy. What makes a good Lambrusco? Plenty of fruit, a just-off-dry demeanor, brambly depth and a viney untamed quality that is hard to put into words. Being a wild varietal, the best Lambruscos embrace this foxy character. And boy are they refreshing. This ‘rosato’ is actually a direct-pressing, meaning the juice comes out closer to white rather than a red. What you get in the bottle is ever so light and has this tangy and tart one-two punch with heaps of thirst-quenching acid.
The winemaker: Folicello is a husband and wife team, Marco and Antonella, who started their winemaking journey in the early ‘80s with the intent of giving light to a healthy, joyous glass of wine for themselves and their friends. Today, their cellar is accompanied by a small lab where they make jams and other organic grape products, and a smaller cellar for vinegar production, a staple of Emilia Romagna. They embrace native varietals to the region, and practice regenerative and self-sufficient farming and energy usage. There is no sulfur usage at any stage of production, even at bottling.
The geeky details: Blend of two Lambrusco varietals, Sorbara and Salamino, planted to clay and limestone. Direct press juice followed by bottle fermentation. No S02 additions at any point during farming or winemaking.
Serve: With a chill.
Food pairing: With its fantastic acidity and bright red fruit, pair this bubbly up with some salumi or prosciutto or a gnocchi pasta with grape tomatoes and heaps of Parmigiana. These are all produced in the Emilia Romagna region and as we know, what grows together (everyone say it) goes together!
Album pairing: Mestizo Beat - Jaraguá
Little Crow Vineyards ‘Picker’s Red’ 2023
The vibe: Popping with red fruit and some cheeky tang underpinned by crunchy, leafy underbrush notes, this “Picker’s Red” could only be the product of farmer-first approach to winemaking. You see, Jess Miller is a vigneron, being that she is a winemaker who spends her days working with plants in a vineyard. In exchange for her labors, Jess is given a little bit of fruit sourced from a half-acre organically farmed parcel of Pinot Noir in Eola-Amity Hills. This Pinot Noir is high elevation and achieves full phenolic ripeness while retaining fresh acidity and crunch. This ultra high quality red juice is then blended in barrel with rosé from Pinot Noir organically grown in the coastal Chehalem Mountain range. Originally an accident, this ‘Picker’s Red’ blend of red and rosé Pinot Noir is immensely refreshing and chill able and it’s right here in front of you just in time for the incoming heatwave. Glug glug!
The winemaker: Little Crow Vineyards is a one-woman operation started in 2016 square in the middle of the Willamette Valley. A farmer first, Jessica Miller does all the biodynamic farming herself, taking great care in cultivating the fruit that goes into her wines. She learned winemaking firsthand from friends in Europe, and it shows in this delightfully bright expression, feeling more like a Beaujolais than a Willamette Valley Pinot.
The geeky details: A blend of Pinot Noir from two vineyards, Hollow Oak and Coast Range. This vintage spent a little more time in barrel giving it a little more body and “oomph’.
Serve: With a light chill.
Food pairing: Drink with a steak, chill and drink with a salad. Or drink it on its own, just drink it now!
Album pairing: The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble - Out on the Coast
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WHAT THE FUNK?!
Oyster River Winegrowers 'Morphos' Pét Nat 2024
The vibe: Cloudy pét nat party juice from Maine! The heck?! This is one funky bottle for are you adventurous guys and gals. A blend of two hybrid varietals, Cayuga and Seyval, this wine is very much a product of its place. These varietals were developed to ripen early and remain rot resistant, perfect for a cold, wet climate like Maine. And because of this cool climate, less acid converts to sugar on the vine, lending higher acid in bottle as well as a crushably-low ABV. This drinks like our favorite Alsatian white wines, with its acid, flinty minerality and touch of floral, peachy notes.
The winemaker: Brian Smith makes pre-industrial wines and considers himself “nature’s assistant’ rather than winemaker. There is no refrigeration use during the winemaking process, and most fermentations are spontaneous, playing out over the course of several months. In addition to French-American hybrid varietals, they also have apple orchards which they harvest to make natural ciders.
The geeky details: A blend of Cayuga and Seyval grapes from Fingerlakes region in New York. Certified Organic farming, white clay and limestone soil with a lot of flint. 50-year old vines, hand harvested, no added S02. Bottled during the end of active fermentation, this wine continues to ferment in the bottle leaving it dry, cloudy, yeasty, and full of life, with a natural effervescence.
Serve: With a chill.
Food pairing: Refreshing and tart like an apple, the zingy acidity here will cut through fat and would be amazing with seafood, soft cheeses or practically anything fried.
Album pairing: Reykjavik606 - Divorce From New York Presents This Ain’t Jazz No More
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EASYYYY
Human Cellars 'Sayar Mah' 2023
The vibe: In Myanmar, ’Sayar Mah’ is a term given to highly respected women who are kind leaders and innovators. Bryan, the winemaker at Human Cellars, met Mah Nwe Nwe Lwin during his 9 years in Myanmar, a small-scale rice farmer who inspired the name on this bottle. This is just one of many stories Bryan has from his years traveling countries like Thailand, Africa and Latin America, and speaking with him you understand the thoughtful approach he takes with each of his wines is learned from his experience working with farmers across the globe. This Pinot Noir Gamay Noir blend is svelte and easy, but not at all one dimensional. It prickles with tart red fruit and a distant but lingering spiciness. It goes great with a chill and it’s one of our favorite Willamette Valley light reds at the moment.
The winemaker: Bryan and Emily created Human Cellars after more than 20 years of wandering the earth. Firstly working with underprivileged farmers in Africa, Asia and Latin American and later in wineries in France and Germany, they crossed paths with exceptional people who overcame adversity through uncompromising perseverance and passion.
The geeky details: 55% Pinot Noir, 45% Gamay Noir. Aged in neutral oak barrels and crafted with bare minimum intervention, in respect of "Sayar Mahs" around the world.
Serve: With a light chill.
Food pairing: Mannnn this would be so good with so many dishes. Charcoal chicken skewers with peanut sauce. Neapolitan pizza with blackened crust. Spiced chicken mole enchiladas?? Anything with a char or salty/savory/spicy element. Let us know what you whip up!
Album pairing: Sunbörn - Sunbörn