Nice: November 2025

Celler Pardas

Negre Franc

Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon

Penedes, Spain

There is much excitement to be had when a producer has such a connection with the land they cultivate that it shines through every sip of their wine. Celler Pardas is a producer like that. Cultivating many local varieties such as Sumoll and Malvasía de Sitges and classic varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc.

Located on the southern coastal part of Spain, Penedes is known for mostly cava production. While cava from this area is great, the still wines are quite attractive as well. Celler Pardas focuses on a holistic approach to wine making creating an ecosystem around the vines through use of ground vegetation to support the vines. Work in the cellar is approached very similarly to vineyard work with just enough support to coax out the terroir and nuance every grape has to offer. Utilizing various aging and fermentation vessels best suited to each variety.

This wine is a blend of 76% Cabernet Franc and 24% Cabernet Sauvignon. A blend typical to the right bank of Bordeaux. This wine is a great example of the Penedes region and the styles of wine that can be made here. Ultimately, we think it’s delicious and knew it was a wine to be featured at the first sip.

Pairing: Lamb and White Bean Chili

Fun fact: Everyone who works at Celler Pardas are avid Foosball players.

Arnaud Lambert

Tue-Loup

Cabernet Franc

Loire, France

Although the name of the producer is Arnaud Lambert, this domaine was started by his father, Yves Lambert, in 1996. As with all quality oriented wine makers, the goal of Lambert is to feature the terroir of his vines. The domaine focuses on the two main grapes that are produced in this area of the Loire, being Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc.

This wine is a single vineyard wine all from Clos Tue-Loup in the subregion of Brézé. Notes of red bramble fruit and violets are prominent in this wine superseded by lovely acidity and well integrated tannins. This wine loves food with a bit more fat to really balance out the tannins even more and show the texture of the wine and reveal more characteristics of the wine.

The domaine went biodynamic in 2018 meaning all the fruit that goes into this wine is of high quality and has recieved extreme care. With such attention to land, vines and the winemaking process, we are thrilled to still be able to serve and drink these wines. Cheers.

Pairing: Sweet and Sour Pot Roast

Fun fact: Another winery that Arnaud manages is Château de Brézé, a UNESCO World Heritage site and historically, French royalty used to exchange Château Yquem wines with wines from Brézé.

MARCEL LAPIERRE

Morgon

Gamay

Beaujolais, France

What more can be said about the now legendary Beaujolais producer Marcel Lapierre? The talent, the attention to detail, the willingness to take a step back and only offer a guiding hand to the wine. Marcel was a pioneer of quality and the reestablishment of Beaujolais as a serious winemaking region, but unfortunately passed in 2010. The estate is now run by his son and daughter Mathieu and Camille Lapierre.

Morgon is one of the ten crus of Beaujolais. It tends to be one of the more robust crus and Mathieu and Camille let that shine through the wine. Finesse envelopes the robust nature not allowing unbalance to stain it. This wine being 100% Gamay is usually thought of as a wine that can’t age or get better after a bit of a decant. However, with this wine, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Some aeration or age really melts all of the flavors together for an even more pleasant drinking experience. This wine is a perfect pairing to Thanksgiving dinner, or whatever celebration you decide to have.

Marcel Lapierre has been touted by Kermit Lynch as one of the best domaine’s in Beaujolais, and Marcel himself was deemed one of the Gang of Four. The Gang of Four is a Beaujolais wine making group that focuses on on quality and terroir driven wines. They inject a sense of Beaujolais typicity and uniqueness, a feat not easy to attain. Drink and enjoy.

Pairing: Braised Flanken with Pomegranate

Fun fact: The four members of the Gang of Four, Marcel Lapierre, Jean Thevenet, Guy Breton, and Jean Foillard used to meet frequently to taste each others wines and discuss what worked well in their wines and what did not, further pushing quality and attention to detail.