Natty: December 2025
Parigot
Monochrome NV
Pinot Noir
Cremant de Bourgogne, France
Bubbles! What a way to bring in the new year. It’s the way we want to kickstart 2026 which is what we did at our Oysters and Champagne event. However, to be frank, bubbles always take up a decent size of our cortices regardless of the time of year. Onto the effervescent beverage we have selected for you!
This wine is made in the Champagne Method meaning it follows the same procedure used in Champagne proper. Residing in burgundy, Parigot still makes some good juice. 100% Pinot Noir made in a rose style. The wine is rested on its lees, dead yeast cells, for 30 months which far exceeds the minimum standard that is set in Champagne. This gives the wine a bread-like and toasty flavor and makes the bubble quality a bit more creamy. The fruit used in this wine is of very good quality so fruit still drives the show.
Parigot follows a farming method called Lutte raisonnée (loot rez-on-nay) which translates to reasoned struggle. Meaning a minimal intervention approach allowing nature to do its thing with a bit of coaxing from the farmer. They also decide to not filter the wine which is believed to keep more flavor in the final product. All of this boils down into the bottle of wine sitting in front of you. We are excited for what this year entails and we couldn’t do it without you. Cheers to 2026!
Pairing: Vegetarian Mushroom Wellington
Fun fact: The Parigot website has a Snoop Dog quote on their History tab.
danilo thomain
Enfer d'Arvier 2023
Petit Rouge
Valle D’Aosta, Italy
The Valle D’Aosta is home to some remarkable sights, steep mountains, alpine forests, and beautiful rivers. Skiing is prevalent here with 199 different lifts scattered all over the mountains. It’s kind of starting to sound like Washington. It also happens to be in the upper left of Italy. There just happens to be phenomenal wine here too.
Danilo Thomain’s Enfer d’Arvier is situated in an amphitheater shaped vineyard that also happens to be the second highest vineyard in this region of Italy. The curved shape of the vineyard concentrates the heat of the sun allowing the grapes to fully mature. It’s also how it got its nickname “hell of Arvier”. Which explains the colorfully designed label. The high elevation also means more direct sun exposure which thickens the skin of the grapes and gives a substantial tannic grip to the wine. Made of Petit Rouge, which already has a brooding nature, makes this wine a rigid and rustic gem.
All the fruit is hand harvested and carried down to his house just down the road for fermentation where the Thomain family allow spontaneous fermentation to take place. Only a few hundred cases of this wine are made. Knowing that only makes us more excited that we have the privilege of sharing this wine with you.
Pairing: Pasta with Venison and Porcini
Fun fact: The Thomain family is the only independent producer of wine in the Valle d’Aosta. All the rest are co-ops.
Infantado
Palhete 2024
75% native red varieties, 25% native white varieties
Douro, Portugal
Portugal is a country with rich history, culture, and wine. Portugal has been assigned (perhaps unfortunately) the narrative that the main wine styles produced here are sweet ports or dry crisp and refreshing vinho verdes. The association of Portuguese wine styles has been changing over the past few years and that is in no small part due to producers such as Infantado. A small family owned winery that up until the 1970s sold all of the fruit they grew to large port houses. They made the life changing decision to keep the fruit for themselves and make their own wine. A decision that was most definitely the correct one.
Situated further inland than most in the Douro valley, they have the most quality vineyards one could dream of. Portugal uses an A to F grading system of vineyards, and Infantado only has grade A vineyards. Akin to the idea of only owning Grand Cru Vineyards in Burgundy. Something only the rest of the wine world could dream of. Even though wines don’t reflect burgundy prices, they can easily reflect Burgundian quality.
This wine is popping with fruit and concentration. Lively on the palate yet unyielding in persistence. Fine tannins and solid acid. This wine lives a long life in the glass and benefits from a short decant. Or, pop and pour and enjoy the full journey this wine offers.
Pairing: Caldo Verde (Potato and Greens Soup With Sausage)
Fun fact: Infantado was the first house to break tradition and bottle their own family grown port wine in 1979 rather than sell their fruit to larger producers.