Vive la France! Even before our Declaration of Independence, the Kingdom of France secretly shipped supplies to the Continental Army, and two years after July 4, 1776, that alliance was solidified with a treaty in 1778. On July 14, 1789, the French followed suit in declaring their independence from the monarchy, and here in the US, we often think of Bastille Day on July 14th as “France’s Independence Day.”  But in France, Bastille Day is known as La Fête Nationale. Just like our July 4 Independence Day, celebrations include speeches, military parades, and fireworks to mark the anniversary of the fall of the medieval fortress, Bastille, in Paris, on July 14, 1789. And wine of course! Lots and lots of wine!

Of course you could celebrate with French sparkling wine from Champagne wine — or scroll down and check out Sosie Wines, which twins French sensibilities and style to grown French grapes in California terroir.

For a summer time celebration, it’s grill time! Sue paired four meats — fish, beef, pork, and chicken–with different sauces, and Marshall grilled them. Continue reading for all of the details! 

1. Champagne Louis Roederer, Collection 242 – This blend of champagne is rich and ripe with notes of sweet fruit and complemented by subtle oaky notes. The luxurious textured sparkling wine has an energetic finish that is perfect for celebrating. $59. We’ve written about Champagne Louis Roederer here with a delicious camembert pairing., adn we love that they are committed to biodynamic practices!

2. Bollinger, La Côte aux Enfants, Côteaux Champenois Red – The one and only produced red by Bollinger is packed with red fruit notes, such as cherries and raspberries. With an aroma of toast and earthy scents. $189. Here’s a Bollinger post!
   
   
3. LeClerc-Briant Biodynamic! 

5 Sosie Wines

• Sosie Wines “Bare Necessity” Sparkling Rosé, 2019 
• Sosie Wines Pinot Noir Spring Hill Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, 2016
• Sosie Red Blend, Rossi Ranch, Sonoma Valley
• Sosie Wines Red Blend, Cavedale Vineyard, Moon Mountain, 2017
• Sosie Wines Charlie Smith Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, 2019 

Menu: Summer time grilling favorites!

• Grilled whole snapper with honey mustard apricot sauce 
• Grilled chicken with Cherry Rosemary Glaze
• Instant pork ribs then grilled with Sue’s homemade plum BBQ sauce
• Marin Bavette Steak with hickory smoke BBQ sauce
• Grilled corn on the cob
• Homemade Nasturtium Pesto artichoke olive sundried tomato pasta salad 
• Green salad with mozzarella, basil, and cherry tomatoes 

Sosie’s 2019 “Bare Necessity” Sparkling Rosé

ABV: 13.2%
SRP: $36
Grapes: 100% Syrah
115 Cases produced

Fruit sourced from several sites in Sonoma and Napa, and made with minimal intervention in the cellar. The name underscores the “bare necessity” to living well today and every day! 

Color: Salmon, delicate bubbles, copper

Aroma: Potpourri, strawberry, baking spice, dried citrus, sulphur, 

Palate: Tart cherry for Sue, indecisive fruit for me. Sue could feel iron on the back of the throat, the minerals hide a bit of the fruit, the wine is not super acidic leaving it to be smoother on the palate, it is heavier on the palate, lingering in the finish is pepper and spices along with a bit of dried blueberries, 

Pairing: We paired this with snapper over the grill with apricot mustard sauce. The apricot in the glaze brings out apricot fruit in the wine, this wine is very nice without food, but as we state over and over, wine with the right food is so fantastic. The fish is rich and fatty the apricot sauce brings a sweetness that elevated with the wine. 

Recipe:

The sauce was composed of apricot jam, cider vinegar, whole grain mustard, garlic, and salt and a bit of butter reduced for 15 to 20 minutes on low heat over the stove. 

Grill whole fish back side first for 5 minutes, brush with glaze and turn on the grill. Cook an additional 5 minutes  turn to caramelize glaze and remove from the grill. Serve with a side of apricot sauce for dipping. The apricot glaze works well . Perfect pairing with both the chicken and the fish. 

 

2016 Sosie Pinot Noir Spring Hill Vineyard, Sonoma Coast

ABV:14.0%
SRP: $45
Grapes: Pinot Noir
Native Yeast 20% whole cluster – no amendments

Located on the western side of Petaluma, close to the Pacific, Spring Hill Vineyard is “wet and windy with soils that are on the brink of being un-growable. Among the seven different clones of Pinot Noir grown here, Sosie chose three for this magical wine: Swan, for its intense aromatics – raspberries, strawberries, cranberries; Calera for its velvety texture, pronounced acid and earthy aromas; and Pommard for its weight and dark plummy flavors.”

Color: Garnet, translucent, brown sugar rim

Aroma: Strawberries, raspberries, violets, smells so lovely, evocitavie of life and memories and introspection and reminiscence, 

Palate: Pleasure in the palate, raspberry, strawberry, dried rose potpourri 

Pairing: The plum BBQ sauce works so well with the wine, The wine becomes so rich when paired with the chicken and the sauce. Both the food and the wine is elevated. We glazed the ribs half with plum sauce and half with the cherry rosemary sauce. The quality of the meat is also so important to the quality of the dish. 

Sosie Red Blend, Rossi Ranch, Sonoma Valley

ABV: 14.5
SRP: $43
Grapes: 51% Grenache, 34% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah

Accidentally, we tried this wine in a Pinot Noir glass and it was not that great, when we switched to a proper glass for the wine, it was very nice, it is amazing how much a glass can make a differencewCo-fermended in Stainless Steel 19 days on the skins

15 months 100% neutral oak

Color: Rich ruby jewel toned, 

Aroma: This is what I want a wine to smell like. Strawberry, raspberry, violet, no barnyard but a hint of earthiness, very juicy, fresh fruit, sandalwood, the nose is everything on this wine. The earthiness of the mouvedre, the floral components of the grenache, and the spiciness of the syrah are all evident in this wine. 

Palate: Bold tannins, bright acidity, light lingering fruit, layers of complexity with the fruit lingering for a nice long time on the finish with a splash of baking spices.

Pairing: The smoke flavors of the food are perfect with the complex wine. Beautiful with the pesto pasta salad. The pork ribs and the wine were fine friends together. The pork ribs fell off the bone, but had a flavor that was so simpatico with the wine. 

2017 Red Blend, Cavedale Vineyard, Moon Mountain 

ABV: 14.5%
SRP: $45
Grapes: 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
10 barrels produced

Sonoma’s renowned Moon Mountain sits at an elevation of 2,000 feet, and they say “the vineyards here produce hardy mountain fruit that yield tiny but intense berries, resulting in a structured wine that is bottle aged for over a year before its release.”

Color: Very dense, very dark garnet, 

Aroma: Root beer, Cherry cola, Dr. Pepper, the nose is lively and complex, mint when it is first uncorked, which recedes but is still present, eucalyptus, a bit of green bell pepper, green bean, 

Palate: Smooth mellow and at the same time tannic, beautiful minerality, On the palate this wine is very complex, there is a smokiness which adds a layer of complexity of the wine, an element that expresses the time and the place. (Just a hint) oxygen is interactive, it is subtle and recognized and appreciated not to be disdained. 

Pairing: This is a fantastic wine that is open to so many foods. It loved the ribs with the plum sauce. The pasta salad also works with the wine. The bold vinegar and pesto flavors are enhanced by the wine. The wine loves the herbs in the pesto and the creaminess of the fresh mozzarella. This wine also loves the hickory smoke that is in the grilled beef. Also a great companion with our pasta salad. It is tames the salty richness of the kalamata olives and the fresh mozzarella cheese. 

Sosie Wines 2019 Charlie Smith Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 

ABV: 14.9%
SRP: $75
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon

Color: Deep and dense, maroon, ruby rim, 

Aroma: Very cherry, Sue got the bell pepper qualities of Cabernet Franc. 

Palate: Quite bold, balanced tannins, lots of cherry on the palate, some herbal aspects on the finish, with minerality 

Pairing: The ribs are nice with the wine, because the wine is a bit bigger than the ribs. The wine, however, works perfectly with the grilled beef. It loves the hickory smoke and the big bold flavors of the meat. Until we tasted this wine with the grilled beef we did not feel it was any more special than the cab blend,