WINE CLUB | CHEESE CLUB

This month, we’re headlining stunt double wines — wines that give us big ol’ action but normally sit in the shadows of more classic go-to wine varieties. And while we of course love the classics, July’s lineup is all about B-side varietals that deserve their moment in the sun. We think you’ll follow in love with these perfectly summery gems.

Cheers!
The Halfseas Team

ALL CLUB MEMBERS GET TO ENJOY THESE 3 BOTTLES:

Naveran Brut Nature Cava

Grapes: 40% Macabeo, 30% Parellada, 20% Chardonnay, 10% Xarello
Region: Penedès, Spain
Retail: $22
Stunt double for: Champagne

Naveran Brut Nature is a vintage dated, estate-bottled organic Cava with zero dosage. Proprietor Michel Gillieron Parellada's goal with this Cava is to show the purity and mineral character of Penedès’s special terroir. Xarello and Chardonnay contribute body, Macabeo gives aromatic intensity and Parellada lends acidity to the wine.
The Naveran family legacy began in the 19th century, when the family emigrated from France as growers. Today the Estate has 110 hectares (272 acres) of vines in the town of Torrelavit located in the Alt (high) Penedès sub-region, about 30 minutes outside of Barcelona. Cavas are produced utilizing the same methods as in Champagne and have remained Spain’s best kept secret. Cavas Naveran is a premium Cava product that exclusively uses the organic grapes they farm on their own properties. Naveran Brut Nature spends at least 12 months on its lees after fermentation in the bottle to achieve greater depth, complexity, and elegance. With no dosage, the Brut Nature is a bone-dry, mineral driven expression of Cava with balancing weight to round out the beautifully persistent acidity.

La Pasajera

Grape: Verdejo
Region: Rueda, Spain
Retail: $22
Pronunciation: “verr-DAY-ho”
Stunt double for: Sauvignon Blanc

Verdejo is a rare, light-bodied white wine primarily cultivated in Spain. It offers a delightful alternative to popular wines like Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. When planning pairings, leverage its citrusy and lime notes to complement dishes. A good rule of thumb: if lime would enhance the meal, Verdejo will likely be a perfect match!

From sustainable female winemaker Victoria Ordóñez, Pasajera originates from the 25-year-old La Secca vineyard near Valladolid, renowned as the finest terroir in Rueda, where the most exquisite Verdejos flourish. Hand-harvested Verdejo, fermented solely with free-run juice, undergoes gravitational racking and ages on its lees for 6 months in stainless steel. It boasts remarkable acidity, with aromas of passion fruit and citrus. Crisp and persistent, it offers vibrant citrus acidity and a finish reminiscent of lime, orange peel, and minerals—an invigorating experience akin to savoring a juicy, citrus-infused rock.

2023 Contact Chillable Red

Grapes: 82% Cabernet Franc, 18% Grenache
Region: Milton Freewater, Washington, USA
Retail: $22
Stunt double for: Any crushable red blend!

Contact, a project by Gard Cellars, is a playground for low-intervention, intentionally made estate-grown wines that push the boundaries of what it is to make wine that is “natural” and sustainable. We hope to challenge your palate with a wide range of unorthodox flavors that are unexpected and meant to delight. Created by a young Chilean winemaker that studied martial arts, ‘Contact’ refers to making contact while practicing these arts as well as skin contact while producing the wine.

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

2022 Colleleva Verdicchio dei Castelli de Jesi

Grape: Verdicchio
Region: Le Marche, Italy
Retail: $20
Pronunciation: “vair-DEE-kee-yo”
Stunt double for: Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio

This Verdicchio comes from vineyards on east-facing hillsides cooled by Adriatic Sea breezes, protecting them from summer heat. Refreshing and delightful, it has a captivating quality that suggests something special. While its secret remains elusive, I can't help but suspect it might be magic :)
The vineyards of Colleleva (Colle "hill", and si Leva, "rises") lie on the heights of the Marche: about halfway between the Apennine mountains and the coastline of the Adriatic Sea. The combination of eastern sun exposure and the cooling winds from the Adriatic provide an optimal microclimate for balancing ripeness with fresh acidity in the grapes. Verdicchio, also known as Trebbiano di Soave, has been cultivated in the Marche for many centuries. It is capable of making vibrantly fresh and crisp white wines that are a wonderful accompaniment to seafood.

2021 Uva Non Grata

Grape: Gamay
Region: Vin de France
Retail: $20
Stunt double for: Pinot Noir

As a stunt double for Pinot Noir, Gamay was literally outlawed in Burgundy in the 1300s. Winemakers had to hide the vines amongst the noble pinot vines to make forbidden wine. Gamay did the dirty work while Pinot had the spotlight.

Bouncy, crunchy Gamay, this is an irresistible fruit bomb packed with fresh, primary fruit aromas and the delicious soft red berry flavors of gorgeous Gamay at its best.

Gamay loves the granite / siliceous soils of the vineyards in the hills to the north west of Lyon in eastern France. Grapes were hand picked deliberately early to maintain freshness. In the cellar, they are vinified using traditional carbonic maceration techniques (where fermentation is started by the weight of berries in the vat, crushing those below). Exactly the sort of Gamay the textbooks tell you to expect: All joie de vivre crushed red berries with the scent of peony and violet.

Fun fact: Uva Non Grata – meaning unwelcome grape – is an oblique reference to Philippe The Bold of Burgundy’s famous expulsion of the vine from his kingdom.

2022 Vignobles Arbeau Le Temps des Fleurs

Grapes: 70% Negrette, 15% Syrah, 15% Gamay
Region: Fronton, Southwest France
Retail: $18
Stunt double for: Gamay and Pinot Noir

Fresh and juicy, this chillable red wine is bursting with aromas of just-ripened black fruits and notes of violet flowers balanced by savory nuances that hint at forest floor, river rock, and licorice. On the palate, you’ll get more fresh goodness that’s both smooth and pleasant, those very same savory and mineral notes reigning in the fruit & giving you a wine that’s balanced and delicious. If you’re a fan of Beaujolais or Gamay in general, you’re going to go wild for this charming buddy.
Now in its 4th generation, it’s run today by sister and brother Anne and Gérard Arbeau, who have converted to organics in order to better express the unfiltered, unique terroir and grape varieties of Fronton. Their focus is firmly on the terroir, because that’s what determines the kind of wines we will be drinking. In the cellar they believe that less is more where their aim is to avoid all undue intervention on the grapes that nature offered them. To preserve the fruit, born out of the complicity between Mediterranean sun and cool Atlantic air.

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, across the street from Brimmer & Heeltap in Ballard. Open daily 3-9pm.

• Wine pairs best with friends. Tell your friends.