You can also listen to this wherever fine podcasts are cast.
THE CIVIL WARS by the band The Civil Wars - their second and final album, as they underwent their own civil war in the making of it! While they were not in a romantic relationship, this is nevertheless considered one of the great "breakup" albums alongside Fleetwood Mac's "Rumors" (Stevie Nicks is on record as listening to this album and saying "Oh, that's us.")
We're joined by San Francisco-based Sommelier and music-trained vocalilst MARIA BANSON, writer of the BRUNELLO BOMBSHELL Substack and podcaster of THE WINE PRESS news.
In Part 1 we tell you all about Maria, why she chose this album, give a not-so-brief history of the band, and then tell you which wines we paired with it.
Part 2 drops tomorrow where we’ll go track-by-track through the album! So listen to it before then!
The Wines
Maria’s Wine Pairing
A wine that contains a complexity to match the album. A wine that ends sweeter than it begins. (As does the album, heartbreakingly.) A rush of red berries, raspberries, and red currants is wrapped by a layer of sweet spices. The mouthfeel opens with a gorgeous balance, great energy and refined tannins, and the aftertaste echoes the aromatics with lingering complexity.
Dave’s Wine Pairing
2020 Heritage de Saint-Mont Saint Mont
An interesting wine from the little known Saint-Mont region (only 1250 hectares, about 1/6th the size of Santa Barbara County!), composed of 65% Gros Manseng (for fruit), 30% Petit Courbu (for body) and 5% Arrufiac. Pear and crisp green apple, a bit of oily body, with a hint of gunflint (thanks to the arrufiac).
Dallas’ Wine Pairing
2020 Napa Valley Ribolla Gialla, Matthiasson Vineyard
The 2021 is available to order direct from the winery, but the 2020 can still be found online at various stores willing to ship! An "orange wine" made in the ancient style of Northern Italy. A rich textural mouthfeel, flavors of hazelnuts, baking spices, Meyer lemon curd with a stony minerality that is a hallmark of the Ribolla Gialla variety.
