Sunday School

WINE

Grenache/Syrah “Lâcher-Prise,” Coteaux de Peyriac, Le Clos des Jarres, ’23

Languedoc, France

At the foot of the Montagne Noire, a rugged mountain range in the Languedoc, winemaker Vivien Hemelsdael of Le Clos des Jarres is proving that Minervois can be about grace as much as power. His cuvée Lâcher-Prise, meaning “to let go,” is a gentle rebellion against the region’s reputation for big, burly reds. Instead, Vivien crafts a wine that’s bright, lifted, and full of life.

Made from Grenache and Syrah grown on limestone, gravel, and clay soils, the grapes are hand harvested and fermented naturally in fiberglass tanks to preserve their fresh, lively character. The wine then rests for six months before bottling, unfined, unfiltered, and with just a whisper of sulfur. The result is a red with delicate tannins and wild energy, offering notes of crushed raspberries, violets, and wild herbs carried on a cool mountain breeze.

Certified organic and biodynamic, this is Minervois with a lighter touch, a whisper rather than a shout. Vivien calls it “letting go,” but it feels more like tuning in to the soil, the season, and the quiet confidence of a winemaker reimagining his homeland.

$12 glass   •   $8 glass

CHEESE

Chällerhocker

Lutisberg, Switzerland · Cow–R

What the Chällerhocker, there’s a boy on my cheese! Use your imagination (or your smartphone) and envision a wheel of today’s cheese. It’s about 15 lbs whole and the size of a fat cat. The name translates to “Cellar Sitter” and that’s exactly what’s printed on the rind—the grinning face of an eager boy, sitting above his cellar, waiting for his cheese to ripen. Take a cue from this eager beaver and eat this cheese.

Chällerhocker is cheesemaker Walter Rass’s riff on famous Alpine-style cheese Appenzeller, but made with better milk, aged for a few months longer and washed with a different mix of wine, herbs and spices on the outside. It’s firm, butterscotchy, sharp and delicious. Chällerhocker is a complex yet approachable cheese with notes of almonds, sour cream, onion and a perfectly delicate crystaline crunch. We recommend pairing this snacker with a bold red wine or seasonal Oktober Fest-Märzen.

$9  •   $6