Valentine’s Day Wines For Your Special Someone

Make your Valentine’s Day complete with the perfect wine pairing. Below we have hand selected and tasted 8 bottles we believe will pair perfectly with a range of meals. Looking for some prepared meals to go with these great wines? We have also selected some pairings from Market Halls special Valentine’s Day menu that would go great with our wine selections.

Red Wines

Domaine Charleux Bourgogne – $20 Bourgogne, Pinot Noir This village-level Pinot Noir is a fantastic value. Approachable and generous with its raspberry fruit and slight spiced note, it is enjoyable on its own and most certainly a versatile choice for chicken, pork, or game if you are cooking for your special someone.

Frederic Esmonin Gevrey-Chambertin 2014 “Les Jouises” Vieilles Vignes – $50  Gevrey-Chambertin, Pinot Noir   This is an old-vine offering from one of Gevrey’s top producers. It greets the taster with aromas of ripe black cherries and red currants, followed by crushed rock, damp earth, and strawberries on the palate. A bold and traditional offering with good acid and length. Pairs perfectly with duck.

White Wines

	Domain Pellé “Les Blanchais” 2017 – $33  Menetou-Salon, Sauvignon Blanc Ephemeral orchard fruits, subtle yet supple with real limestone minerality. Great with any kind of  seafood, vegetables, or salad, or just with a glass and a loved one…
	Mount Eden Vineyards 2014 – $64  Santa Cruz, Chardonnay  This cuvee is the epitome of richness and balance. Full-bodied, crisp golden apple and lemon chiffon on the nose, followed by vibrant acidity and a good weight on the palate. This is serious Santa Cruz Chardonnay that is grown, fermented, and bottled at 2,000 feet of elevation.

Rose Wines

	Chermette 2017 – $17  Beaujolais, Gamay  Pretty, red fruits with a crisp clean close. Excellent and drinkable Valentines Day pink from Beaujolais!
	Domaine de Terrebrune 2017 – $29  Bandol, Mourvedre  With high aromatics of honeydew melon and white flowers, this Bandol is on the lighter side, and arguably the most elegant rosé that we have in the shop. Chin-chin!

Sparkling Wines

Patrice Colin NV “Les Perles d’Anne Sophie” – $21  Sparkling Loire | Brut This bottle of bubbles is pure delight. A blend of Chenin, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay, we’re charmed by the atypical yet decadent aromas of Anjou pear and baking spices. This Loire sparkler is a little rich but has a clean, dry close.

Jacquesson 741 – $80  Champagne | Extra-Brut Based mainly on the 2013 vintage, but blended with 33% of reserve, this is a complex and finely-tuned champagne truly fit for a king or queen. The Jacquesson house has existed since the 18th century, and remains today one of the most unique and high-quality producers in the region. The grapes achieve optimal ripeness and are only sourced from Grand or Premier Cru plots. This graceful bottle showcases flavors of star fruit and lemon curd, but it is the wine’s lithe acidity and palpable minerality that make it an exceptionally balanced and beautiful Champagne.

Market Hall Valentine’s Day Pairings

Market Hall Foods will be featuring a special Valentine’s Day menu, to compliment their updated menu, we have selected a Red and White that will compliment most of the menu.

White: Domain Pellé 2017 Menetou-Salon “Les Blanchais”

This Sauvignon Blanc hails from Menetou-Salon, an appellation adjacent to Sancerre. In this single-vineyard offering, we encounter subtle orchard fruit and herbaceous notes highlighted by limestone minerality.

Valentine’s Menu pairing: Crab Croquettes with Lemon Caper Aioli, Beet-Cured Salmon with Horseradish Crème Fraîche, or Mixed Chicories Salad with Citrus, Mint & Green Olives.

Red: Frederic Esmonin 2014 Gevrey Chambertin “Les Jouises” Vieilles Vignes

This wine, from one of Gevrey’s top producers, opens with aromas of black cherries and red currants, followed by earth, strawberries and wet stone on the palate. Bold and traditional with good acid and length, this middleweight old-vine Pinot Noir perfectly complements the earthiness of braised duck and mushrooms.

Valentine’s Menu pairing: Braised Duck Legs with Wild Mushrooms & Cipollini Onions.

Champagne & Caviar Pairings

Caviar: Tsar Nicolai “Classic” – $38
Pairing: Xavier Reverchon NV Brut – $27
This “Cremant” (which is a sparkling wine made in the same way as Champagne, but from a different region in France), is broad and rich. The wine shows very subtle fruit, with bass notes of salinity and minerality, complementing the light brine and fruitiness of Tsar Nicolai’s “Classic” caviar.

Caviar: Tsar Nicolai “Estate” – $64
Pairing: Jacques Lassaigne “Les Vignes de Montgueux” NV  – $59
This Chardonnay-based Champagne has high-toned citrus and herbal notes, with plenty of acidity and brightness to complement the richer sea brine of the “Estate” level caviar, while the wine’s limestone minerality coaxes out its more subtle flavors.

Caviar: Tsar Nicolai Truffled Roe – $20
Pairing: Dehours & Fils “Terre de Meunier” – $53
This Champagne is made of a single grape variety, called “Meunier.” This is a grape which contributes body and richness to Champagne blends. In this Dehours bottling, extended lees contact provides toasted, brioche-like flavors that meld perfectly with the decadent and earthy flavor of truffles.

(Tasting notes by Heather Mills)