{"title":"Bubbles, Burgundy, Pinot--oh my!","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"champagne-fluteau-coeur-de-cuvee-extra-brut-nv-magnum-1-5l","title":"Champagne Fluteau Coeur de Cuvee Extra Brut NV (Magnum 1.5L)","description":"\u003cp\u003eWith a history going all the way back to 1935, Champagne Fluteau is one of the pioneering wineries of the Côte des Bar – and this delightful MAGNUM of 100% pinot noir is a treat! For well under $80, it’s a delightfully robust, large-format Champagne worthy of your next soiree, large or small! 94 Points, too!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Côte des Bar is home to a new wave of avant-garde grower producers that are raising the bar (I had to…) of what it means to be Champagne, and yet, while Fluteau can stand proudly as a peer – it is nevertheless important to recognize that the region would scarcely have any grower producers at all if not for the pioneering efforts of the region’s early houses like Fluteau. This area wasn’t even considered a part of “Champagne” before 1927, thanks to the 1911 classification. When the great houses of Reims at long last acquiesced to include the region, they ensured that neither Grand Cru nor Premier Cru status was granted to the vineyards and villages of the Côte des Bar. It was a place to furtively source fruit for blending, sure, but no great wine could be actually produced there. My, how times have changed!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor four generations, the Fluteau family has crafted wines from their own estate vineyards, in their original winery. Neither rigid to traditional methods nor pompously seeking the newest fads, these under-the-radar wines have struck an impeccable balance. They experience a melding of time-honored techniques with the integration of the newest technological advances in an effort to make this spectacular portfolio of small production cuvees.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis remarkable bubbly is based on the 2018 harvest, with 50% of the estate’s solera-style reserves rounding out the blend. The fruit is all from the sloping parcel known as Les Evallons – where 60-year-old vines of pinot noir grow on the region’s famous Kimmeridgian soils. Bright and complex aromas of Meyer lemon, fresh hay, and golden apples mingle with a salty sea spray minerality, plus plums and pluots, with grassy herbs – like pineapple sage and lemon verbena, and a final kiss of fruity sweetness that evokes golden raspberries. Thank goodness the bottle is large because there’s so much going on here – and all of it is good! Only 4 grams dosage keeps this percolating and fresh, and perfect for a bite of food. We have extremely limited allocations, so grab yours while we still have some!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePAIRING IDEAS: I’d humbly suggest some vibrant and soulful bouillabaisse, a light but full-flavored French stew with seafood and tomatoes that will make this Champagne explode.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"First Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50657103151401,"sku":"AA17299","price":84.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0793\/2706\/8457\/files\/First-Bottle-Champagne-Fluteau-Cuvee-de-Coeur-Extra-Brut-NV-Magnum-15L-product-image-9171-large.jpg?v=1752684651"},{"product_id":"champagne-paul-dethune-blanc-de-noirs-les-crayeres-extra-brut-grand-cru-2015","title":"Champagne Paul Déthune Blanc de Noirs Les Crayeres Extra Brut Grand Cru 2015","description":"\u003cp\u003eLes Crayères is a vineyard of exceptional status that needs to be on your radar. This 100% Pinot Noir plot in Ambonnay produces some of the most powerful Champagnes around. Here, in the hands of one of our favorite growers, this is vintage, extra brut, Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs at an incredible value – easily competing with similar wines that fetch two to three times this price!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e100% Pinot Noir, aged in 205-liter Champagne barrels and bottled without filtration. Powerfully rich, impressively intense, and playfully elegant, this Champagne is exceptional even in its youth, but with the strength to thrive for years! Enticing aromas of honeysuckle, toasted brioche, spiced and roasted green apples, candied grapefruit, crushed oysters...and on, and on...this wine is nearly as much fun to smell as it is to taste. Luckily, you don’t have to choose, and the wine leads to a pure, expressive palate of lemon cream, cherry saltwater taffy, strawberries, toasted almonds, and more...all harnessed by rigid tension and penetrating minerality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePierre \u003cspan\u003eDéthune \u003c\/span\u003ecrafts this from one and a half hectares of pinot noir on Les Crayères'  powerful, south-facing, chalky slope planted to over 50-year-old vines. The \u003cspan\u003eDéthunes \u003c\/span\u003eare the second oldest Champagne family in Ambonnay, with an unbroken history of growing grapes in the region going back to 1610! History, pedigree, location…this wine has the resume that would rival any producer in Champagne. So yes, a $120 bottle of Champagne is a deal! Egly-Ouriet makes their non-vintage cuvee from an adjacent plot that goes for $260+ per bottle. We won’t even talk about the price of Krug’s Clos d’Ambonnay, just a stone’s throw away. Side note: the word “crayère” means chalk pit and is a common term throughout Reims, so beware of cheaper look-alikes that don’t actually hail from this tiny Grand Cru site!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLike each of his forebears, Pierre \u003cspan\u003eDéthune \u003c\/span\u003ehas created his own style of Champagne – rooted in tradition yet ever-evolving – the one constant being the grassy lands of Ambonnay. Over the past few years, the \u003cspan\u003eDéthune \u003c\/span\u003eportfolio has gradually lowered the total dosage – moving below the 6g\/liter allotment and transitioning the wines to Extra Brut or below (even when labeled as Brut). This bottling is a zippy 5g\/liter. The shift has produced an enhanced freshness and verve to the finished wines without sacrificing the purely ripe fruit orchard characteristics that are definitively Ambonnay.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNeighbors of legends like Egly-Ouriet and Billiot, this is ground zero for the world's best Blanc de Noirs. The vineyard practices natural and organic techniques such as integrated pest management, solar power, and a complete lack of chemical use in the vineyard. Ambonnay is arguably the center point of the grower Champagne movement and host to numerous small farmers following the path laid forth by the \u003cspan\u003eDéthunes\u003c\/span\u003e. We got as much as we could, so do what you must to grab a few before they’re gone!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePAIRING IDEAS: Steak. Seriously. The weighty bubbly is perfect for dinner! Get yourself a beautiful hanger steak simply seasoned with good salt, and sear in a cast iron skillet. While it rests, make classic bearnaise sauce...slice, season with some flaky salt, and be amazed.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"First Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50657104658729,"sku":"AA16130","price":159.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0793\/2706\/8457\/files\/First-Bottle-Champagne-Paul-Dethune-Blanc-de-Noirs-Les-Crayeres-Extra-Brut-Grand-Cru-2015-product-image-6450-large.jpg?v=1752684649"},{"product_id":"champagne-yves-ruffin-cuvee-racines-extra-brut-premier-cru-nv","title":"Champagne Yves Ruffin Cuvee Racines Extra Brut Premier Cru NV","description":"\u003cp\u003eFounded in 1971 in Avenay-Val-d’Or, Champagne Yves Ruffin has long stood out from the crowd for its strong focus on organic viticulture – which, at the time, was exceedingly rare. Yves and his wife, Odette Pitois – both born into grower families – were just one of four winegrowers, out of thousands, at this time to concentrate on organic practices in order to preserve their environment. They’ve never made enough to compete with the Grande Marque houses – but year after year, these are some of the most sought after Champagnes out there!\u003c\/p\u003e\n \n\u003cp\u003eThis 96-point 100% reserve wine is as deliciously impressive as it is a tale of a family’s perseverance and commitment to their craft. We love a family grower who looks at winemaking as more than just a job or paycheck. Yves Ruffin set out to make Champagne differently, exceptionally so, in the ‘70s – and his family has been carrying on the tradition ever since. This expansive and creamy 96 pt. Racines Extra Brut Premier Cru NV is an epic showing from this small but mighty family producer who continues to turn heads.\u003c\/p\u003e\n \n\u003cp\u003eAfter Yves’ retirement, the winery passed hands to Thierry, who continued forging a path for organic farming, oak barrel vinification, traditional pressing, and lengthy aging practices. Unfortunately, Thierry passed away prematurely, and his wife, Sylvie, and then son, Antonin, took the reins and continued the family legacy in Thierry’s honor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n \nThis “Racines” cuvee (which translates to “roots”) further exemplifies the gift of winemaking in this dedicated family. A celebration of the estate’s reserve wines, it pulls 74% chardonnay from 2016 and 2017, plus 26% pinot noir from vintages spanning 2012 to 2017. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation to round and texturize the wine, followed by vinifying on oak and acacia wood before disgorgement in February 2023 and an Extra Brut dosage of 3 g\/L.\n \nThe result is astoundingly terrific… rich and autolytic, with tons of mineral complexity that carries ample citrus notes of pomelo, lime, and blood orange. There’s a nutty, toasty characteristic that the 96 pt. review aptly describes as hen of the woods mushroom, and as that is one of my all-time favorite fungi – I’m here for it! The creamy mousse lingers impressively, and baked apples and pears develop in the glass over time. Fantastic stuff that will compete with the cult-y big boys and girls of Champagne’s greats. Our price got it from triple digits to double – saving you over $50 in the process – which, in our minds, absolutely grants the permission to order at LEAST two. Only a few cases of this are available… and with the holidays coming up, this is the special bottle of bubbly you’ve been looking for!!!","brand":"First Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50657107673385,"sku":"1006523","price":99.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0793\/2706\/8457\/files\/First-Bottle-Champagne-Yves-Ruffin-Cuvee-Racines-Extra-Brut-Premier-Cru-NV-product-image-9590-large.jpg?v=1752684655"},{"product_id":"champagne-franck-pascal-quinte-essence-extra-brut-2007","title":"Champagne Franck Pascal Quinte-Essence Extra Brut 2007","description":"\u003cp\u003eA rare biodynamic masterpiece, this 2007 vintage radiates complexity and life. Aromas of candied citrus, roasted hazelnut, and honeyed pear evolve through a silky, energetic palate. A Champagne of depth and purity, showcasing the soul of artisanal winemaking.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"First Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50819719037225,"sku":"1008769","price":119.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0793\/2706\/8457\/files\/FranckPascalQuinte-EssenceExtraBrut2007_1008769_Rack.jpg?v=1760771474"},{"product_id":"chapter-24-pinot-noir-last-chapter-willamette-valley-2012","title":"Chapter 24 Pinot Noir Last Chapter Willamette Valley 2012","description":"\u003cp\u003eOne of the estate’s early releases, this wine balances ripe cherry and raspberry with earthy forest floor. Matured gracefully, it shows soft tannins and savory complexity. A beautifully evolved Pinot Noir that highlights the promise of Chapter 24’s beginnings.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"First Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51208174240041,"sku":"1011898","price":79.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0793\/2706\/8457\/files\/Chapter24PinotNoirLastChapterWillametteValley2012_1011898_Rack.jpg?v=1758220857"},{"product_id":"domaine-sylvain-pataille-aligote-bourgogne-2023","title":"Domaine Sylvain Pataille Aligoté Bourgogne 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003eIf Aligoté (pronounced \"al-uh-GO-tay\") has a patron saint, it's Sylvain Pataille. This Marsannay legend has spent 25 years dragging Burgundy's most underrated white grape out of the shadows and into cult status – and his 2023 Bourgogne Aligoté even earned a whopping 93 points from Wine Review Online.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWine geeks, gather 'round – we’ve got something special waiting for you! Domaine Sylvain Pataille sits in Marsannay-la-Côte, just north of the Côte de Nuits, and has steadily become one of the most respected names in modern Burgundy. Sylvain made his first vintage in 1999 with a single hectare of vines while still working as an oenologist at a lab– and today the estate spans fifteen times that, all centered on his beloved Marsannay. The reputation is well earned… and if you ask any sommelier who does Aligoté best, Sylvain's name comes up first, every time. He's practically a magician with the variety.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is Aligoté Doré – the \"golden\" strain – from vines averaging around 50 years old, farmed certified organic with biodynamic methods. Fermentation takes place on indigenous yeasts after gentle pressing, with aging around 12 months to refine the wine without ever masking its purity. Sulfur is kept minimal, added only at bottling. Old vines matter enormously for Aligoté, as they lend the weight and texture that keep the grape's naturally electric acidity in perfect balance. In other words… this is not the thin, tart Aligoté of decades past.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt happens that 2023 was a sunny yet balanced vintage that ripened the fruit beautifully while holding onto that vibrant, signature acidity. On the nose and palate, this wine takes your senses on a delightfully scenic journey of candied lemon, crisp pear, and white flowers up front, threaded with the wine's characteristic quince-and-pear snap, a burst of pink grapefruit, and a whisper of ginger. Let it breathe, and roasted almonds and a delicate buttery-mineral tone emerge. It’s fabulously lively, saline, and shot through with crystalline minerality, carrying this luminous tension without a hint of aggression. It pulls your brain and your palate in a dozen directions at once, and every one of them is a good time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere isn’t much to come out of Burgundy with 93 points, this much prestige, a whole mountain of character, and an under $35 price tag… what’re you waiting for?!\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"First Bottle","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53401491734825,"sku":"1013588","price":34.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0793\/2706\/8457\/files\/DomaineSylvainPatailleAligoteBourgogne2023_1013588_FB_Rack.jpg?v=1787354723"}],"url":"https:\/\/firstbottlewines.com\/collections\/bubbles-burgundy-oh-my.oembed","provider":"First Bottle Wines","version":"1.0","type":"link"}