WINE CLUB | CHEESE CLUB

Can you feel the love? This month we’re celebrating dynamic wine duos — partners in wine, life partners, siblings. Meet some passionate makers of wines that we love to love, and read their sweet stories.

The Halfseas Team

ALL CLUB MEMBERS GET TO ENJOY THESE 3 BOTTLES:

2022 Landmass Wines ‘All Eyes’ Sparkling Rosé of Tempranillo (500ml)

Grape: Tempranillo
Region: Aeolus Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
Retail: $22
Farming: l.i.v.e practicing

Notes of waxy strawberry, pastry dough, mint and citrus peel on the nose are matched with white peach and tarragon and a persistent fizziness on the palate. 100% stainless steel fermented and aged.

HELLO! WE’RE MELANEY AND MALIA, THE DUO BEHIND LANDMASS WINES.

We make energetic wines in the majestic Columbia River Gorge. High-elevation sparkling wine is our passion and main focus, but we also produce a small but thoughtful amount of dynamic still wines that highlight unique vineyards in Oregon and Washington.

Our name Landmass is an homage to the significant sites our fruit is grown, each with its own unique climate, soil, and elevation. These conditions are the natural forces that shape our winemaking approach. Every bottle of wine is a marker of that relationship and the culmination of what we have learned about ourselves and about the land. We hope you enjoy one of these markers and continue to grow with us throughout our journey.

Drinking & pairing ideas: This bright, bubbly 500mL dry sparkler is the perfect companion for picnics, hikes, and patios, and the perfect amount for two.

2022 Got Grapes Red

Grapes: 35% Barbera, 32% Syrah, 23% Carignan, 10% Dolcetto
Region: Berkeley, California, USA
Retail: $22

This is a great go-to red that smartly walks the tightrope of pensive structure with lighthearted fruit. The Got Grapes Red emerged from an extra bountiful 2022 harvest.

Broc Cellars was established in 2002 by owner and winemaker Chris Brockway natural winery that makes refreshing and approachable wines for everyday drinking.

Chris Brockway’s winemaking journey began with California Zinfandel. The spicy, brambly fruit style drew him from his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska all the way to California. What he found, however, was that California wines had changed to fit the “bigger is better” mold of the time. Personally, he felt it was all too much – high alcohol, too big, too much everything.

Chris believed California wine could be different. From a single barrel in 2002 to now over 20 different wine releases a year, Broc Cellars makes fresh California wines to enjoy and for your table. In 2023, we extended our vision of simple and ethical winemaking into the vineyard as new owners of Fox Hill Vineyard. Bridget Leary, Chris’s partner in life, officially joined Broc Cellars in 2015 as general manager to help grow the vision for Broc Cellars as a winery and tasting room.

Drinking & pairing ideas: Charcuterie. And give it a lil’ chill first.

2020 Domaine du Pesquier

Grapes: 56% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 14% Carignan
Region: Côtes du Rhône, France
Retail: $20

Domaine du Pesquier is a family-owned wine estate for four generations, situated in the heart of the Gigondas appellation. Guy and Mathieu Boutiere, a father and son duo, now cultivate 24 hectares of vines.

The history of its vineyards goes as far back as 1556, when they belonged to the Princes of Orange. The actual estate has been created in the 1950s, producing olive oil as well. After the strong frosts of 1956, destroying almost all olive groves, Domaine du Pesquier was restructured.

The vineyards and the wine became an important part of it, but it was only in 1971, when Gigondas obtained its proper AOC status, that wine became the leading product of the domain.

Drinking & pairing ideas: A very juicy burger

6-BOTTLE MEMBERS ALSO GET TO ENJOY THESE 3 BOTTLES:

2020 L'Archetipo

Grape: Greco Bianco
Region: Puglia, Italy
Retail: $22

Greco Bianco by L’Archetipo is a delicate, slender and slightly aromatic white wine. With a great drinkability and flavor, it moves sinuously in the mouth and is able to conquer the most diverse palates. A wine exemplifying the fine and precise style of L’Archetipo. When you go to dinner with your in-laws, whether it’s the first or the hundredth time, Greco can be your ally. With its versatility, in addition to accompanying any type of home cooking, it will win over the hosts, making you feel at ease. Pure saline elegance.. Enticing nose, and a complex, lean, fresh, textured palate with a finish that lingers. Perfect for the dinner table.

Made by Valentino Dibenedetto and his four kids, who together run the project L'Archetipo. Rooted in the concepts of synergistic agriculture, they are at the forefront of Italy's no-till regenerative viticulture movement. Farming vines alongside ancient grains, the aim is proper soil health, which ultimately leads to grapes and wines of insane balance and energy.

Drinking & pairing ideas: Your favorite fresh seafood

2020 Famille Arbeau On L'Appelle Braucol

Grape: Braucol
Region: Southwest, France
Retail: $20

Vignobles Arbeau was started in 1878, when Anne Arbeau's great-great-grandmother purchased the estate. 

About 50% of the estate is planted with Negrette and the remaining vines are a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, and Fer Servadou (an alternative name in Gaillac for Braucol!). The Arbeau family practices sustainable farming and hopes to gain organic certification in the near future. They use native yeasts and there is no filtration.

Braucol is a native grape of the Southwest, and the Arbeau famille cultivates it along the Tarn River. In their neck of the woods of southwest France, Braucol is the common name for the little known Fer Servadou grape. This wine with spicy blackberry flavours is fresh with acidity and gentle with tannins. Light smokiness adds interest. It is ready to drink.

Today the estate is run by siblings, Anne and Géraud Arbeau. After farming sustainably for decades, they took the steps necessary to become fully certified organic.
“On L'Appelle Braucol” translates to "We Call It Braucol".

Drinking & pairing ideas: Saucy braised short ribs

2020 Domaine Girard Malepère Le Pic des 3 Seigneurs Bordeaux Blend

Grapes: 60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc
Region: Pays d’Or, France
Retail: $20

Philippe Girard learned to lead Chardonnay and Pinot in Burgundy before taking over Domaine Girard in the 5th generation. Domaine Girard is managed by Philippe and his wife, Marine. In 1980, Philppe’s parents, Andre and Marie-Helene, expanded the property and remodeled the cellar, which as they describe it, was a labor of love, but like any love story,was full of uncertainty and risk. They still work at the property, but have provided the tools for Philippe and Marine to bring the family tradition into the 21st century. Their goal is to pass the property down to their children, who are 5 and 8 years old.

The Domaine in the Côte Malepère in western Languedoc at the foot of the Pyrenees, with its high altitudes and cool Atlantic and mild Mediterranean influences, has been steeply uphill ever since. Year after year, the wines get better, more passionate, more refined, with astonishing freshness, like the Le Pic de 3 Seigneurs wines.

Drinking & pairing ideas: Beef stew, crusty bread

Looking for past lineups? We got you.

REMINDERS

• As always, our food suggestions are just starting points. Wine is nostalgic and we’re big fans of making what you like, drinking what you like, and not giving a damn if they “go” together.

• Email us at info@halfseaswine.com to buy more single bottles or a 12-bottle case with special pricing.

• Come see us at Halfseas, your charming little neighborhood wine shop tucked inside Brimmer & Heeltap. Open Wednesday through Sunday 12 - 9pm.

• Wine pairs best with friends. Tell your friends.