We couldn’t have chosen a better venue for our first Napa Valley area tasting than TORC on Main Street in the town of Napa in late June. The high ceilings and airy space helped to accommodate a sizable crowd of sommeliers, retailers and winemakers. Napa may be synonymous with American wine production but there are plenty of people who still love their French wines. While at first we endeavored to showcase all the new producers we have recently added to the portfolio, we soon found ourselves including all the new release Burgundies, Champagnes and core items in the line up. By the time the day arrived, it looked more like a mini Portfolio Tasting, one that really presented the breadth and quality of Martine’s Wines.
I set up camp at our New Wine table for the day featuring Garnier et Fils (Chablis), Buisson-Charles (Meursault), Domaine de la Bergerie (Loire – Anjou), Jean Gautreau (Bordeaux), Monthelie-Douhairet-Porcheret (Burgundy – Côte de Beaune) and Domaine des Ardoisieres (Savoie). Everyone loved the freshness of the Chablis, as I anticipated, and were amazed at the singularity of the Ardoisieres wines, but I think the biggest hit of the day was the line-up from Domaine de la Bergerie. Again and again people pointed to these wines as the bottles they were most excited about, which warmed my heart – I always like to see the Loire get some love.
And where did the crowd spend the most time? The Champagne table. Must have been the Stephane Coquillette Carte d’Or…
