Shamrock Selections is a monthly subscription service that brings you the best wines from around the world. Each month’s selection is carefully chosen by sommelier Keegan Sparks and his team. He keeps a keen eye out for wines that are unique, rare, and new to our market. Shamrock Selections is ideal for enthusiasts and explorers who delight in finding hidden gems and trying new, exclusive vintages. Each month, you can join us on a journey of sampling and learning about some of the greatest wines in the world. Each selection of wine comes with detailed tasting notes and food pairing suggestions from our team.
This month we’re highlighting exciting new wines that have never been available in Arkansas until now. For the first time, O’Looney’s was able to order wine directly from France specifically for Shamrock Selections. This has allowed us to deliver some really knockout wines to you that we just couldn’t get any other way.
2015 Eric Chevalier Clos de la Butte Muscadet Côtes de Grand Lieu Sur Lie
The nose is subtle but complex white pear, white flowers, chamomile, fresh melon and a hint of ocean brine are all there. At first, there is a lot of tension on the palette. The body is light with racy acidity, but there is also a round creaminess to the texture. The wine is very tart, but give it time to breathe and warm up a bit and that tension is relieved and it becomes really sublime. When it comes to pairing a wine like this I like to go two ways. First is to match the intense acidity with similar dishes like oysters with lemon or sushi. The second path is to pair it with heavier cream sauces. Fried catfish with tartar sauce comes to mind as a uniquely southern pairing. When it comes to serving a wine like this I recommend chilling it ahead of time then decanting it and leaving it out of the refrigerator to warm up just a bit.
2015 Catherine & Pierre Breton Bourgueil "Les Galichets"
The Bretons are one of the most interesting families in wine. They have been farming their twenty-seven acres of vineyard organically for over two decades. The “Les Galichets” is one of their single vineyard wines named for the gravel soil in the vineyard. The nose is bright with expressive notes of green pepper, tart cherries and a hint of smoked meat and spice. On the palate, it is quite dry with light body and refreshing acidity. The tannins are surprisingly fine for Cabernet Franc which can often be very rough and rustic. This will be the wine I pour at my family’s Thanksgiving celebration. It is perfect for pairing with the huge diversity of flavors on a Thanksgiving table. No need to get fussy with this wine. Just pull the cork and enjoy.
Want to learn more about Shamrock Selections? Click here.
