Finally got the chance to visit @verjus _sf wine bar in San

Finally got the chance to visit @verjus _sf wine bar in San Francisco. An old friend came to town and wanted to drink good wine. I had heard great things and they were all true. Simple, but well made food. The wine list is deep and loaded with hard to find minimal intervention producers· We opted for this reserve (R09) bottling from Vouette et Sorbée Fidéle Extra Brut. This is 💯 Pinot Noir and a Blanc de Noirs. 5% of the wine is reserve wine that is essentially a mini-solera. The reserve denotation is on the back label and very subtle. The fruit is mostly from 2009 and is disgorged later, compared to the regular non-vintage bottling. These wines are from the Côte des Bar. The soils are dense Kimmeridgian and Portlandian limestone clay soils just like those of Chablis· Bertrand Gautherot’s plan either, as initially he continued to farm his family’s parcels conventionally, and he sold his grapes to large Champagne houses in the north. With an evolving respect for his terroir and concern for his young family, Bertrand set about declaring independence from the outdated echelle system and the negative pressure it places on growers. Inspired by friends Jérôme Prévost and Pierre Larmandier, he converted his vineyards to biodynamics and he received certification from Demeter in 1998 and released his first Champagne in 2001· Bertrand’s range of wines are made from grapes that are harvested by hand, and fermented with indigenous yeasts in French oak barrels. Nothing is chapitalized, filtered or acidified. There are no cold macerations and a small amount of SO2 is added right after the grapes are pressed. Bertrand prefers to make wines as transparent as possible so he doesn’t use liqueur de l’expedition· 🍾 A great grower Champagne that is more akin to an aged white Burgundy with subtle bubbles. Thoroughly enjoyed definitely worth seeking out.