Wines of the week for Valentine’s Day

Flowers and chocolates are always nice, but a bottle of wine with the coating around it – the moment, the atmosphere, the meal – is even better! It can be simple, like bubbles with chips as an aperitif or in front of a good movie, a dashing Beaujolais with a platter of charcuterie after returning from a walk in the snow, or a great Bordeaux, at the table, with a meal. prepared with four hands.

Classic

Of freshness and breadth

Owned by the Raventos family since 1497, the Raventos i Blanc estate in Catalonia is a model of sustainable and responsible agriculture. In the valley of the Anoia River, the family makes some of the best sparkling wines in Spain. True local wines, which are unique and singular expressions of this magnificent place. This blanc de blancs is made with xarello, parellada, maccabeo and a little malvasia from Sitges, an ancestral grape variety that the family has recovered. It opens with a fine, complex nose, with notes of apple, pear, citrus, white flowers and hay. Dry, light and very fresh, it is also full-bodied. A delicate mineral impression underlies the whole and stretches on a finish with saline notes. Perfect as an aperitif or with oysters, fresh or au gratin, potato chips with sour cream and fish eggs, tempura vegetables.

Raventos i Blanc Blanc de Blancs Conca del Riu Anoia 2020, $24.15 (12097946), 12%, organic

Aging: 3 to 5 years

Classic

Delicious !

2021 has been a difficult year in Beaujolais. Marked by serious episodes of frost, cool weather and lots of rain, this year nevertheless produced very good wines, focused on fruit and freshness. And that’s a big part of the pleasure of wines from this region. This one, Jean-Claude Chanudet La Cuvée du Chat Vin de France 2021, is a perfect example! Aromatic, it offers a juicy and appetizing nose, all in small red fruits: currant, raspberry, strawberry. Notes of pepper and flowers add complexity. The palate is incredibly charming: greedy, fruity and tonic, it calls for a second glass. Light and dapper, the wine also shows consistency, and light tannins bring just the right amount of roughness and will allow it to evolve for a few more years. Serve chilled with charcuterie, beef tartare, roast chicken, beetroot risotto.

Jean-Claude Chanudet La Cuvée du Chat Vin de France 2021, $24.95 (13184224), 12%

Aging: 2 or 3 years

Discovery

All in finesse and elegance

The wines of Château Le Puy are in a separate category, and proof that it is difficult to generalize the style of wine produced in a region. Established since 1610 in the Côte de Francs, the estate cultivates vines there with the greatest respect for the environment and produces very natural wines, of great purity, which can indeed disconcert those who have a fixed idea of ​​what what a Bordeaux wine should taste like. The 2019 Émilien cuvée, made mainly with Merlot, offers a suave and bewitching nose, with notes of red fruits, spices, tobacco and undergrowth. The palate is velvety, the tannins very silky, and the finish long and complex. Everything is melted, very harmonious. It will accompany grilled or braised red meats, game birds, pan-fried wild mushrooms.

Château Le Puy Emilien Vin de France 2019, $34 (709469), 13.5%, organic

(This wine was $28 a short time ago, but even at $34 it’s still a bargain. It sells for more in every other market, even France!)

Aging: 8 to 10 years