Friday I attended a wine lunch at Zely and Ritz in Raleigh. Lunch, $15 a person, included family-style plates/bowls of salad with cucumber, jicama, greens, turnip, etc., a spring risotto with peas and carrots, and pizza squares with pesto and mushrooms and spicy sausage.
We started with a sparkling wine--GERARD BERTRAND CREMANT DE LIMOUX ROSE. Chardonnay 70%, Chenin Blanc 20%, Pinot Noir 10%. Although I usually prefer sparkling wine with a higher percentage of Pinot Noir, I did like this one and ordered a bottle for later pickup. Limoux vineyards have an altitude of 650 to 1300 feet above sea level which offers a cooler climate than that typical of the Mediterranean. The appellation is in the high valley of the Aude close to the Pyrenees Mountains, south of the walled city of Carcassonne. The second fermentation takes place in the bottle (methode traditionelle or methode champenoise.) Soft salmon color to the wine. 12.7% alcohol. Strawberry notes in the flavor profile with sufficient minerality to mak it refreshing on the palate. Others at my table seemed to enjoy it as I did. The sparkling wine paired nicely with the salad.
The remaining three wines were all Robert Kacher Selections. I didn't realize that the handouts don't give the vintage so I apologize for not recording that information. We had a white wine, DOMAINE DU TARIQUET CLASSIC, a blend of Ugni Blanc and Colombard from Southwest Armagnac . Tariquet is owned by the Grassa family which also produces Armagnac. The citrus-flavored wine is recommended as an aperitif or for drinking with shellfish. (Ugni Blanc is also known as Trebbiano.)
The first red wine was MAS DE GUIOT SYRAH/GRENACHE from Costieres de Nimes--60% Syrah and 40% Grenache. This was a hit with three of the four people at my end of the table. I ordered two bottles for later pickup. Producers are Sylvia and Francois Cornut, Sylvia being the winemaker and Francois and the sons tending to the vineyards. "The small chateau is located near the town of Saint-Gilles, 15 miles from the Mediterranean Sea and just west of the Rhone River. Fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged in old barrels, low yields, hand-harvested, sustainable agriculture.
Recommends drinking over the next 1-2 years as the exuberant fruit and soft tannins show best in its youth. Quite delightful. I liked that the Syrah percentage was higher than the Grenache.
Our final wine was DOMAINE DES CANTARELLES CABERNET SAUVIGNON. Michael at my table saw the label and said it was 2010 vintage which is surprising considering the soft, supple texture. Producer is Jean-Francois Fayel in Costieres de Nimes. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The area is considered part of the Rhone Valley as opposed to its neighbor, the Languedoc. The region has a warm climate and cailloux-based soils similar to that of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. I liked the wine and might have considered purchasing some had I not prefered the Mas de Guiot Syrah/Grenache blend. It was the most expensive of the four wines at I think only $16.
Quite a bargain having four different wines with lunch for a total of $15. This was my second wine lunch at Zely and Ritz and now that I am retired I plan to attend more of them.