Member Special Access: Founder’s Favorites

One of our favorite cuvées year after year, 2022 is a wholly unique expression for the Frey Pinot Noir. Beginining with faint notes of ripe cherry, and more pronounced strawberry notes, the palate is assertive yet bright, with lush red fruit, and a delicate mineral finish.

A cool-climate Pinot like this is going to be hard to beat next to a plate of sausage and sauerkraut, although it will shine beside more delicate preparations like Chicken à la Blanquette, or even a fish dish like Cod with Parsley sauce.

In the wine world, nothing is more synonymous with bistro wine than Chinon. An appellation for exclusively Cabernet Franc for reds, the wines are always full-fruited with plenty of charm and absolutely lovely when chilled. This 2021 from two of our favorite growers in the Loire is layered and complex with a chocolatey nose and sweet dark fruit on the palate, followed by a vibrant, grippy finish.

A bistro wine deserves some bistro food! Enjoy the Chinon alongside a classic Steak Frites au Poivre, a pan-seared chicken breast or thigh with sauce chasseur, or even escargot in plenty of garlic butter. If you're making something with big flavors but done simply, the Chinon will stand up.

Blaufränkisch is quite possibly THE quintessential Austrian grape, and this is a fabulous example of its attributes. Opening with a peppery nose with notes of blue and purple fruits, the palate is full and mouth-filling with notes of black cherry and blackberry, but with a tight, earthy finish.

Try this alongside the Austrian classic, schnitzel, or beside other pork or chicken preparations like cordon bleu or a grilled chop. It will also do very well beside heartier veggies and mushrooms.

Fief Noir are one of our most trusted growers - Alexis Soulas and Dominique Sirot have made some of our favorite wines vintage after vintage, but this year, they've done something truly extraordinary. They have crafted three delicious Pinots for us, all made a bit differently. This wine underwent Carbonic Maceration, meaning the berries weren't crushed before they were fermented, resulting in a fruitier wine, with lots of charm and character. Opening with a touch of ripe cherry, but also clay, the palate is super vibrant and juicy, with a long, extended finish.

This fruitier Pinot is going to play very well with all kinds of game meat - duck à l'orange will be pitch perfect, as well as venison with a cherry reduction. It will also do very well beside a plate of simply roasted wild mushrooms with a poached egg.

There's a very pleasant rustic, savory quality to the nose here that's immediately appealing, leading to a palate with dark fruit, a whiff of earth, and long, lingering tannins.

A great barbecue wine, this will be superb beside a slow-roasted pork shoulder, a classic carnitas taco, or roasted mushrooms with herbs.

If there's a word that most typifies Austrian reds, it might just be, "elegance." The nose on the Cool. begins with appealing, ripe plums and violets, while the palate opens with a lovely, weighted richness, and a silky-smooth palate with a long, harmonious finish.

A very food-friendly red, this wine will play with classic red pairings or even some richer white ones. It will be fabulous beside a plate of grilled salmon with a deeply-flavored beurre blanc, blackened chicken, or a pork chop with mustard sauce.