INSIDER'S PICK: 2019 PHILIPPE GRISARD MONDEUSE NOIR 'CONSTANCE' ARBIN $26.99

Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We will be returning to doing just the one wine on Thursdays and Fridays until further notice. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.

This is a callback to when we first got this winery in back in July, available thanks to the tireless efforts of one of our great local importers (get well soon, D!). Savoie has been more known historically for their white wines, and deservedly so as they are such a large part of their production. In recent years the reds from their local grape called Mondeuse have grown in interest, especially as more wine drinkers start looking for less aggressive or alcoholic options. The cool climate and relatively compressed growing season doesn't allow the grapes to develop as much sugar as those in other areas, so the final alcohol tends to run in the 12%-%13.5 range, even when the grapes reach their best potential and are fully ripened. If pushed to compare it to something else, Mondeuse exists somewhere in the theoretical Venn diagram between Pinot Noir and Gamay/Beaujolais, carrying a lot of the textures of the former and the savory fruit profile of the other. So if you're a fan of those two types of grapes, this should definitely be on your to-do list. Youthful and plum colored in the glass, the first aromas are mostly savory dark berry and forest floor, but build to dark cherry skins and wild game with some much needed air. The palate is polished with some firm tannins that need some air to soften out, so patience definitely is needed with this wine, but well rewarded. Excellent with lamb, cured meats or savory pot roasts.

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