Congratulations to GW Law’s Class of 2011! It was a pleasure to have attended school with you these past three years.
For those of you who have graduated, you will now be moving on to bigger and better things—after the bar. Before you get too much into studying, however, you should be sure to relax and have fun. I don’t think there’s any better to do those than to have a few glasses of wine.
Speaking of wine, heck, there’s a lot of it. The latest DC Wine Buyers Collective deal will be fulfilled by the District’s very own Ansonia Wines (1828 18th Street NW), which specializes in Burgundies and French wines. (It’s also the wine shop that I’ve been fortunate to work at for the past year.)
Because I will be leaving DC for the near future on Saturday, this wine deal will be a bit different. If you are interested in purchasing from the deal, please fill out the attached spreadsheet as you would normally. However, you will pay for and pick up your wines at the store.
If we order 12 or more bottles as a collective, we will get 10% off.
a tasting at Ansonia Wines wherein I am a creeper
Without further ado, here are the wines for this deal (prices already reflect the discount and DC sales tax)!
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WHITES
2009 Domaine Bonnet Huteau “Gautronnieres” Muscadet de Sevre et Maine | $11.77
PAIRING IDEAS: Shellfish, shrimp, and other seafood or as an aperitif or palate refresher.
This is some seriously delicious wine. No, scratch that: it’s not a serious wine at all. This is probably the most useful, all-purpose wine of any color out there, but despite its utility it is more playful and joyous than serious. It’s perhaps the Socrates of wine: it’s joyous but, if you sit with a glass and ponder it, you begin to see that it has nice citrus notes, a clean no-frills finish, juicy acid, and solid mineral backbone. I have singlehandedly gone through about two cases of this wine, and if you buy a few of them you will be able to see why.
(Note: we offered this wine in our first Wine Collective deal last summer, and it was a huge hit. Now’s your chance to stock up before summertime rolls back around.)
2009 Domaine Gautheron Petit Chablis | $17.66
PAIRING IDEAS: Roast chicken, seafood, and cream-based pastas.
“Chablis” might look familiar to you. After all, it’s often plastered on huge jugs of white wine you can get for $3.00. I assure you that real Chablis is absolutely nothing like the plonk you can find at supermarkets; it’s wine that is tremendously evocative of its chalky, minerally terroir. It’s Chardonnay, but it’s also nothing like the big butterballs they often (and unfortunately) make in California. Chablis is pure, lean, racy, and chalky. It’s elegant and refined. It’s also not nearly as pricey as Chardonnay from other, more prestigious parts of Burgundy. Petit Chablis is to Chablis what Bourgogne is to Burgundy: wine vinified from the same grape but drawn from a larger area of land. This particular example, the Domaine Gautheron, will not be as precise or refined as top-level Chablis, but you’re not paying $50-$60 for it either. It’s a great introduction to Chablis and to white Burgundies in general.
REDS
2009 Jean Marechal Bourgogne | $17.99
PAIRING IDEAS: Steak frites, roast chicken, pizza, and all manner of picnic foods.
Nothing gets me more excited than very good-value, easygoing basic Bourgogne, or Burgundy. I love basic Bourgognes because they’re unassuming but delicious. They want nothing more than to please the drinker and to complement all manner of food. Too often during meals I find myself worrying about how good a top-pedigreed wine is doing rather than simply relaxing and enjoying myself. The Jean Marechal, with its medium weight, fresh acid, and sour-cherry fruit, will let you let your hair down. (You might need someone to hold your hair back up if you don’t watch yourself with this wine, just saying.)
2007 Roger Belland Santenay-Beauregard 1er Cru | $32.37
PAIRING IDEAS: Steak frites, salmon, chocolate cake, and sweet lovin’.*
This has to be my favorite Burgundy at Ansonia Wines. It beat out a number of more expensive wines (the most expensive being $85+) at a wine tasting I held a few months ago. I like this wine because it synthesizes all of what I love about Burgundy: it opens with wonderful floral aromas and the initial impression of strawberries. However, this resolves to a deeper, earthier funk on the finish. It’s a graceful, feminine wine, and one that you can pair an entire meal around. Try it with salmon and finish it off with chocolate cake or a fruit tart.
If you’re not sure about Burgundies, this is the one you need to buy. It makes a fantastic gift as well!
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As always, the wines are first come, first served. I will only purchase if we have 12+ bottles in the collective order. Please let me know if you have any questions!
* Sweet lovin’ is always good, with or without wine. The DC Wine Buyers Collective cannot guarantee there will be lovin’, sweet or otherwise, after purchasing and consuming this wine. All things considered, however, your chances will probably be pretty good should you bust out a bottle of the Santenay-Beauregard.
