Dashing through the…leaves, of fall, because, well, ok it’s October as I write this I suppose. But! At Swiss Cellars we’re already into the Christmas spirits…err…spirit*! We’ll have plenty of time for delicious concoctions crafted for the season, or blended into a great cup of eggnog but our focus begins on some of our favorite wines for this holiday season in our “12 Wines of Swissmas” for this year!
Lucifer Pinot Noir
The 1st Wine of Swissmas: Mathier’s Lucifer Pinot Noir Avg. Retail $30-35/btl ABV: 13.5%
We’ll be looking into one featured bottle each week through the end of our holiday season as we wind down 2018. Over the 12 weeks many of the wines featured will have a story, legacy or special attachment to the holidays or our staff. In any case, outside of a few really brand-created packaged examples, wine really is a year-round flexible beverage but coincidence lends to complement the calendar in the case of some wines. In such fashion, October ends with a celebration of fun costuming, and characters of ghosts, goblins and devils, so…in keeping form, we’re starting on the dark side with our first wine of Swissmas with Lucifer, Pinot Noir.
The Adrian & Diego Mathier estate (father and son) produces our delicious little devil from their vineyards of Pinot Noir in Salquenen in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. The Pinot Noir varietal of grape found this area to be a suitable home in the mid-1800s and since has been turning out the light-bodied fruitful juice with a hint of the rustic lands it has claimed. The vineyard from which this Pinot originates is listed in the local records as “Hell” and while most encourage shying away from such places and personae such as these…I’d encourage you to give it a chance for a special or fun occasion.
Lucifer needs a bit of breath time much like a “barnyardy” French wine to really get the red berry fruit apart from the sweet wood when going in the glass but the bright ruby juice produces ripe cherry and other red fruit on the palate with a touch of tannin. It has a delicate finish and is a pleasant Pinot Noir from the Mathier family, a recent Swiss Winemaker of the Year winner. This devilishly good wine can always be found at The Cambridge Cooler in Cambridge, WI or is available across Wisconsin from Swiss Cellars with advance or special order at any fine wine shop. Ask for yours today to have it in time for its most fitting of holidays.
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