Patrick Comiskey, journalist for Wine and Spirits magazine moderated this panel featuring several producers from Roussanne. Patrick kicked off the panel with his interpretation of Martin Luther King's speech "I have a Dream" cleverly reworded to match the panel's theme.

First speaker was Pierre Gaillard and his daughter Elise from Domaine Madeloc in Banyuls sur Mer. The pair showed gorgeous pictures of their winery overlooking the sea. Their white wine, 2009 Collioure Tremadoc Blanc, is fabulous, a golden color and palate of roasted pineapple with fresh acidity. Their 2006 Collioure Magenca Rouge is a blend with grenache, mouvedre, and carignan - all old vines.  The wine is very well balanced with solid minerality, aged 14 months in wooden barrels. Schist is extremely important to this domaine. The terraces on the steep hillsides have been there since the 11th century.  Everyone laughs when she shows a picture of a horse plowing, with the sea glimmering before it. "The horse is working, enjoying the sea ..." Elise says.

Jean-Roger Calvet from Domaine Thunevin-Calvet in Mary, France is next. He is fourth generation from his winery.  He grows Carignan, Syrah, Mouvedre and Grenache. Schist is 90% of the soils they owned, so for the purpose of seeking more freshness he bought a small vineyard with granite soil. The 2007 Les Dentelles is a blend of 50% grenache and 50% Carignan Noir (80 years average age). This is Jean-Roger's first vintage with wine from granite and wine from schist. It is a deep, dark wine with lively acidity and an incredible sense of minerals/earth. Aged in barrels for 18 months. The next wine is the 2007 Hugo ... it is very well balanced with med+ acidity and good tannin (80% grenach and 20% syrah from shale soils). The last wine is 2007 Les Trois Maries with 80% grenache, and 20% syrah from granite soil. They choose the best parcels in Maries to make this wine as they wanted a wine with more elegance, It is a very fresh wine with elegance resulting from the granite soil.

The next panelist is Marjorie Gallet from Domaine de Le Roc de Anges Montner. We start with her 2009 Vielles Vignes Blanc. The wine is a scintillating gold. Roussanne is not known for white wines, yet increasingly it is becoming famous for white wines due to the soils and climate.  It is a blend of old parcels, including macabeo. Very rich concentrated on the nose with a floral minerality, On the palate, the wine is dry yet has a floral sweetness, medium acidity, and a fresh juicy quality. You can also find a sense of salt, from the minerality.The wine is biodynamic and Marjorie enjoys the link to nature in her work. The soil is schist, which looks like schiest from Cote Rotie and is very friable. The roots can go deep and the vine can find water in the rock. The vines are over 65 years, which give the wines their concentration. Marjorie admits she is obsessed with deep roots. Low pH for sensation of freshness. The 2nd wine is 100% Carignan planted in 1903. Very concentrated and gamey on the nose, Very balanced and elegant wine with structure. Though from a hot region, the wine is not massive, just a sort of faded gaminess. "This wine is like a man who has a great personality, yet not handsome," says Marjorie. "Yet you can't stop looking at him!"

The next panelist is Herve Bizeul from Le Clos des Fees, in Vingrau, France which has 400 habitants. Soil is limestone, the oldest in the world. The first wine is 2009 De Battre mon Coeur. Syrah on granite soil - normally a pure syrah is forbidden, yet he was able to get away with it. It is delicious! I respond to the smokiness, curious if it is from the soil or a wood element (yet certain it is an expression of that ancient limestone). Along with the smokiness I get intense concentrated fruit. On the palate, very juicy with fresh acidity and layers of flavor from the textured yet smooth tannins. The finish is long with flavors of black licorice. He says he is a "tactile man" and bought the vineyard because of these grapes. It is stainless steel fermentation and bottled quickly, the following April. The 2006 Vielles Vignes is 60% grenache and 40% carignan. As a former sommelier, he thinks it important to think about the consumers. The wine is fresh and lively.  2006 Clos des Fees is aged in new oak, 15 months, and in this wine he has made it for aging. It is almost black, very opaque, and scintillating. On the nose, a deep rich black cherry, intense minerality and fruit n the palate. It still seems too young ... in five years can't wait to see it. Right now, it has a great balance, intensity of fruit, concentrationand structure.  Herve gives a little talk about finding terroir ... and finding terroir find you.

The final wines are fortified wines from Banyuls and Maury, owned by Domaine Madeloc and Domaine de Le Roc de Anges Montner There are three appelations: Maury, Banyuls, Rivesalts.  Domaine Madeloc 2007 Banyuls Cirera is a dark purple wine from grenache, with a raisinated nose. They keep 90 grams per litre with the total alcohol being 17. They keep it in a big wooden tank for 1.5 years. The name means "cherry" in catalan. The palate has rich sweet luscious fruit, and long finish with refreshing acidity.

Marjorie Gaillard introduces the 2009 Les Terres de Fagayra Op. Nord, matured in tank then bottled early. The wine is from Maury and Marjorie says the marketing department suggests pairing this with chocolate, but she likes to eat baby pigeon, or red meat. I can see pigeon .... she feels that this wine is less heavy than some red wines because of soil. She also suggests cheese and yes, I can see this, depending on the type of fromage.
 

An absolutely fabulous panel, and excellent enthusiasm from the panelists and moderator.

So have you ever been in the position of blind tasting a lighter bodied, rather fruity wine, with bright red fruit flavors, minerals, and in some cases, a vertical structure? As a student in various wine educational programs, yes, I have – and when faced with several wines fitting this description, it can often be choosing between Pinot Noir, Gamay, and Cabernet Franc (assuming it is traditional old world varieties).

As is increasingly the case, I asked a local wine store (who understands the demands/requirements of the programs) to send me four bottles (wrapped to taste blind) from the Loire and Beaujolais. I would not know if they were Gamay, Pinot Noir, or Cabernet Franc.

When poured, all the wines had the same purple/garnet color even though they ranged in age from 2007 to 2009. They had a similar nose too … a vibrant red fresh fruit profile, in some cases a deeper sense of soil/minerals/earth than others.

One in particular was darker, suggesting more extraction. Yet without interviewing the winemaker, or tasting other wines from the village, I could not comment if the color was from more extraction/masceration or soil.

Below are some tasting notes from the above, with the conclusion being that the central difference between the Gamay and Cabernet Franc was that that Cab Franc had more structure, and to my mind, the Gamay (all very good quality from known producers and famous importers) had a deeper sense of terroir, in particular, the soil that marks both Beaujolais and the Loire (Tufo, limestone, clay).

2008 Domaine du Vissoux / Pierre-Marie Chermette Brouilly Pierreux
color: purple
nose: shy
palate: med+ dry, acid is med+ tannin is med+ (rough) body med alc est 13 finish is of raspberry, oak, med+

Style: This is a rustic example of gamy from Brouilly which displays some depth and complexity at a very simple level and superior to others. Fresh red fruit, tempered by some older oak, good soil, all add up to a well balanced rustic wine that would pair well with salmon or lamb.

Domaine de la Charmoise 2009
color: fushia
nose: med+ intensity, rustic strawberry, berry fruit with nibs
palate: med intensity, dry, acid med () tannin low+ body med alc est 12.5 length med

Style note: Lots of earth and minerality in this light hued wine which color and weight reflects the soils. Extremely rustic yet can pair well with lamb roasted or charred. (29 views)

Domaine Guion Bourgueil Cuvée Domaine 2007

color: bright purple fushia, transparent, looks younger than 3 years
nose: med+ intensity, green notes ... spice, bell pepper,
palate: med+ intensity, dry, acid is med () tannin med+ body med alc est 13 length med+ ...

Style note: very rich and well balanced Cabernet franc from Bourgueil, elegance dressed in its traditional rusticity.

Compared to the 2009 Baudry Chinon, (also given it is 2 years older) it has more depth, complexity, and finesse while still fitting in the drink early style. The flavors are brighter red fruit with dramatic undertones of black tea.

Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Les Granges 2009

deep dark muted purple, tears stained
nose: med+ intensity, clear "char" of oak yet may be older oak,
palate: med+ intensity, dry, acid is med + tannin med body med alc est 13 length med+

Style note: A well balanced yet characteristically rustic Chinon displaying juicy fresh fruit, some black tea, and typicity for the region. This vintage seems especially rustic.

Chanrion Côte de Brouilly Domaine de la Voute des Crozes2009

color is purple with fushia rim
nose: just opened, shy -- detect a "flowerbox" aroma, fresh dirt mixed with barely opened flowers
palate: med intensity, dry, acid is med tannin med body med alc est 12.5 (13) finish med

Style note: Considering this is a young bougoulais, it is extremely well balanced and both refreshing on the palate and satifying on the finish. Extremely smooth with concentration of fruit and as much as its class allows, complexity of flavors

Have you tried a themed tasting? In studying for my MW (Master of Wine) program, I typically ask wine stores to send wine blind (wrapped in bags) to try them with a friend before dinner and deduce what they are. Just recently, I decided to ask the stores to create "themed" tastings, which is more similar to the MW program in which students are given 12 wines grouped into "themes" and asked what the wines are.

A psychic would have little luck on these tests, as naming the correct answer will gain few points. It's all about the argument of "why" a wine is believed to be a certain varietal from a certain region.

So tonight we had one of our first themed tastings of three Pinot Noirs. The clerk wrote that one is from California, one from Oregon, and one from Burgundy. They were labeled A, B, and C and in the end A was Clairborne & Churchhill 08 from the Edna Valley (CA), B was Montinore Estate 09 from Wilhamette Valley, and C was Bourgogne "Les Charmeux" 07 from Henri Prudhon and Fills.

We are cautioned against making an assessment before taking careful notes on the wine, so I repressed my thoughts until the final analysis, and took the extra step of comparing them against one another.

I am pleased to say that I made the correct choices, with "C" chosen for Burgundy because of several reasons yet mostly the way the light translucent color belied the incredible power and muscle, with the wine also having a certain finesse and elegance the others didn't.

"B" was chosen for Oregon because of its dark color and assertive nature, and also a "tobacco" sort of characteristic I associate with Oregon, along with other factors too technical to mention.

"C" was California because, though very delicious, seemed as if it had been a bit "overdone" with slightly too much oak, too much intensity, too much of whatever the producers did to "enhance" the grape's natural flavors.

Structurally, the framework of my visit began with François Millo, director of the CIVP/Provence Wine Council Leadership. Mr. Millo is a Provence native who has been with the CIVP since its formation in 2004. He welcomed me into his office and gave me an overview into the region, its extensive history, and why rosé from Provence is unique in the world. 

Francois Millo

The CIVP/Provence wine council promotes the Provence brand and the wines of the region’s top six AOCs through efforts in four areas:

- Economic and market research and analysis

- Technical research, including sponsorship of the Center for Rosé Research in the town of Vidauban, the only center of its kind in the world

- Quality control and testing/tasting

- Marketing, communications, and public relations in France and in its countries of export, including sponsorship of the biennial International Congress on Rosé Wine

The Rosé story

Phoenicians brought the grape vine to France in 600 BC and produced rosé wines, possibly because its light refreshing style suited the climate. Later, the Romans improved vinification methods to the point that by the Middle Ages, they became the favorite wine of French Kings. Yet it wasn’t until 1977 that the Institute National des Appellations d’Origine (INAO) awarded "Côtes de Provence" the Appellation d'Origine Controlée classification.
Whites and Reds.

Everyone knows the story of rosé wine, yet Provence is increasingly becoming famous for its whites and reds, with many of the reds full bodied and meant for long term aging. Perhaps the biggest surprise of my visit to the various wineries was the discovery of grape called Tiboren for rosé, and the popularity of Rolle (Vermentino) in white blends. Some producers had the word “Vermentino” on the label, perhaps thinking that the name would play better in the international marketplace.

After my visit with Mr. Millo, I was invited to La Maison des Vins “Cotes de Provence” – a formal tasting room where visitors can try a revolving selection of wines from different producers and different regions.

Provence is an enchanting region with warm, welcoming people. I had read the Peter Mayle book about his year in Provence, and had seen the film A Good Year, yet didn’t really believe the villages could be so quaint. Yet every village I visited was so much like the film in terms of the warm, friendly people.
We experienced too our share of Michelin rated restaurants, yet the simple cafes were excellent values and served delicious food – especially a seafood salad on a hot day served with chilled young red wine.

Below is a list, and links to stories about the producers we visited, virtually all of whom offer guest rooms, with some offering elaborate meeting rooms and others cooking and produce shopping classes that can be customized to suit your needs.

The Wines of Provence web site is a terrific source of information when it comes time to plan your visit. Happy Travels.

Domaine du Clos d’Alari

Domaine de la Sanglière

Domaine de Sulauze

]]> http://awinestory.com/2010/07/my-week-in-provence.html/feed 0 http://awinestory.com/2010/01/how-to-train-yourself-to-memorize-varietal-characteristics.html http://awinestory.com/2010/01/how-to-train-yourself-to-memorize-varietal-characteristics.html#comments Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:18:22 +0000 Marisa D'Vari http://awinestory.com/?p=1815
White Burgundy Tasting

Imagine yourself at a very elegant restaurant, hosting an important client, or trying to impress a date. You both decide on white fish as an entrée, so you are leaning toward a white wine. And since Chardonnay is such a popular grape, and Burgundy, France, such a respected region, you decide to go in this direction.

Yet as your eyes scan the enormous wine list, you see the various regions: Chablis, Meursault, and Puligny-Montrachet (and dozens of others). Maybe you remember ordering wines from these regions before, maybe you don’t, yet either way you feel frustrated that you can’t remember the differences between them.

Of course, you could always call over the sommelier and at the moment, it is probably your best option. Yet in the future you could help recall tasting notes from these wines with some practice.

Recently, I had to taste and compare three white Burgundies from the above-named region in the same vintage for a Master of Wine related exercise. So for this tasting I choose 2007 Philippe Chavy Meursault (from the village of Narvaux), the 2007 Louis Carillon Puligny-Montrachet, and the 2007 Jean Collet Chablis Vielles Vignes The idea was to open label taste the wines, then bag them and see if I (and a friend) could detect the correct wines.

2007 Jean Collet Chablis Vielles Vignes

Before tasting the wines, I did as much Internet research as I could. I had been to Burgundy before and remembered Chablis (mainly because it was February, freezing, and could not find a coat to buy in the charming tiny Chablis village),

So having been there, I could imagine the high acidity, the clean citrus flavors, and other elements associated with very cool climates. The Chablis was as I expected it to be: very high acid, sharp citrus (lemon, a hint of grapefruit), some mild apple, some fresh butter (as opposed to melted), and minerals.

On the Internet, I read Chablis producer Jean Collet’s family began producing wine in the 17th century, and his vineyards are parcels locate on the best hills on both the left and right banks of the river Serein in the village of Chablis. Soil is limestone and marl from (Kimmeridgian and Portlandian). The age of the vineyards is 25 years, and they do a mechanical harvest and use a pneumatic press. The wines are fermented and aged in stainless steel under controlled temperature.

Now I am going to discuss the other wines, yet will compare them to one another and leave the Chablis out of the comparison. True, these wines are all from the Burgundy region, but because the Chablis is stainless steel only, and the others have oak, it is very easy to detect the differences (even by sight, as the above wine is very pale lemon).

2007 Philippe Chavy Meursault & 2007 Philippe Chavy Meursault (from the village of Narvaux)

In terms of sight, you might guess that the Meursault would be darker because of a tradition of oak aging, and you are right. Open label tasting the Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault it was “easy” to detect the subtle differences. The Meursault was characterized by butter, ripe apple, subtle spice (from oak), vanilla, and very rich, ripe, generous, concentrated fruit. It seemed ready to drink, and would not necessarily benefit from additional bottle age. In terms of quality, it seemed very much a premium wine. The Puligny-Montrachet was a little lighter in color, with a medium plus nose of butter and very ripe fruit in addition to aromas of hazelnut and saffron. One could almost detect a pastry cream type of aroma and the biscuit aroma often a result of decomposed yeast cells. On the palate, the “texture” was opulent, rich, generous, supple, and concentrated while the acidity was still medium plus. Very good quality again.

Though the Puligny-Montrachet was $60, it was only a village level wine. The two grand cru vineyards in Puligny-Montrachet are Chevalier-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet, and two which are shared with neighboring Chassagne: Le Montrachet itself and Batard-Montrachet. I read that the village wines are “less impressive” than the village wines of neighboring Meursault because the water table is nearer the surface. This means that village producers can not dig the deep cellars ideal for aging and they can not prolong barrel maturation for more than a year.

The Carillon family traces their lineage in Puligny Montrachet to 1520 and it is comprised of 12 hectares of vineyards. The holdings in Puligny (8 ha total) are various parcels located on the Chassagne side of Puligny, within “Enseignere.” On his web site Mr. Carillon writes that the grapes are harvested manually, with the whites barrel fermented and aged in a small percentage of new oak and that some of the Village wine is aged in larger foudres rather than small barrels. Battonaged is practiced. The wines are assembled in stainess steel prior to bottling (which occurs in early spring) 18 months after harvest.

Now the Meursault terroir consists of marl and chalk soil, and the kind of high water table that allows producers such as Phillipe Chavy to carve deep cold cellars. No Grand Cru in Meursault, yet the Premiere Cru vineyards are Les Perrieres, Les Genevrieres, Les Charmes, Le Poruzot, Les Boucheres, and Les Gouttes d’Or. M. Chavy writes on his web site that he cultivates 8 hectares of splintered holdings comprising 30 plots. The various cuvees are vinified separately and may be blended later depending on his objectives. The grapes are harvested by hand as the vines are old and the rows very narrow. It takes 30 harvesters ten days to pick the grapes. Though his father and grandfather used mechanization and sprays, Mr. Chavy decided to revert to ploughing his vineyards, and no longer uses herbicides or insecticides so as to preserve the environment.

In the cellar, Mr. Chavy uses a pneumatic press (ideal for gentle, slow pressing of the must) and stainless steel, temperature controlled tanks.The final phase of vinification and maturation is conducted in oak barrels of various ages and provenances. The wines are aged for 11 month with regular stirring of the lees. M. Chavy writes that he recently purchased a special hi-tech filter so as to avoid stripping the wines of flavor before bottling. A small producer, Mr Chavy has two full time employees and his wife Graziella looks after sales.

So after tasting the wines open label, the idea was to bag them and the next day, pick out the correct wine. Though it was easy to tell the difference open label, the 24 hour lag seemed to have made the comparison between the Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault more difficult. The darker color of the barrel aged Meursault was the best tip.

And there you have it!

Which of the above villages are your favorite, and why?

As a wine educator, one of the most pleasurable aspects of my profession is choosing a theme for a class and introducing students to exciting wines or wine regions I have discovered. And here in Manhattan, this is a special challenge, because in this jaded city most everyone dabbling in the world of wine has tasted pretty much everything the world has to offer.

So I first decided on a theme of Aromatic white wines, and decided that this class should be called “Discovering the ABCs of Wine.” Now in this context, the word “ABC” can mean “introduction to wine” – which is also an intention of the class. Many people have enjoyed wine for decades without really understanding how to analyze wine and appreciate the opportunity to formally learn this skill. Yet for me, ABC also means “Anything But Chardonnay.”

Now there is nothing wrong with Chardonnay. It is an international variety produced almost everywhere on the planet. It can grow in warm and cool climates. It can smell and taste like hot buttered popcorn, apple pie a la mode, or like mineral water with a squeeze of lime or lemon. And the reason it has so many expressions is because for the most part it is a neutral grape, with its expression and style coming from the choice of vinification.

Now for this tasting I chose three aromatic white varietals considered very unusual and hard to find. The first was a 2007 Domaine de Cezin, a wine made from the Chenin Blanc grape that grows in a tiny AOC region called Jasnieres in Touraine in the Loire Valley (France). What’s interesting about this appellation is that it was created in 1938, about a half century before the ‘frenzy’ AOCs are today. Almost every day, it seems, a new AOC is granted.

Given this 1938 AOC designation, one has to ask what is so special about this wine that it was distinguished from all the other regions in the Loire? First of all, Jasnieres is a tiny appellation … just 128 hectares under vine and a dozen producers making a living off their wine. The wine is named after the “terroir” so Domaine de Cezin is the name of the plot, now owned by the Fresneau family since 1952. In doing research on this wine, I saw many family photographs dating even earlier than 1952 – it is very much a family operation. This was likely the case in the Middle Ages, when wine from Jasnieres was drunk and celebrated by Kings (possibly, I’m assuming, with oysters from the mouth of the Loire). If you know Chenin Blanc, you know that it can be dry, sweet, or off-dry, depending on the mood of the producer and the vintage. In good vintages, Chenin Blanc is almost always sweet. This 2007 vintage borders that difficult area between dry and sweet … technically, I believe it must be under 9 grams of residual sugar to be considered “dry” yet sometimes searing acidity can make a technically off-dry wine taste dry by contrast.

In any event, when you taste this wine (a class favorite) you will find very high acidity that is a perfect match with seafood, good mouthfeel, racy acidity, minerals, and notes of lemon and citrus. The soil here is called “tuff” and is made of soft chalk, decomposing clay, with flint – very difficult to work. Vineyards face the south for sunshine and protection from the north winds. The forest of Berce also helps te vines resist the wind. On the web I read that some visiting journalists stopped by for tasting and M. Fresneau revealed that he recently tried a wine from the turn of the century left on the property from previous owners – and that it was still fresh and lively. I can believe this given the soil, acidity, and fifty year old vines.

Now the next wine ws Vin de Savoie Apremont Les Rocailles. I loved this wine in the 2007 vintage (no longer available). I first experienced it in a blind tasting, and with its delicate white and gold flowers, seemed possibly a Muscat. Actually, the grape is the Jacquere and it ONLY grows in the Savoie area of France, which is between the Italian and Swiss Alps. Unlike the Chenin Blanc from the Loire, this wine is meant to “drink now.” The 2008 had less flowers, and more minerals and fruit, which seems mostly citrus (tangerine, orange pith) with some minor CO2. The producer is now Pierre Boniface, who inherited the vineyard from his father when it was twenty hectares producing only this varietal. Now, I read that Mr. Boniface also makes red wines, has increased his hectares, and has succeeded in conquering the export market. In conducting research for the tasting, I see that a handful of blogger/tasters have written notes on this wine, with their readers so excited about it they are demanding to know where they can buy it. If you are reading this outside NYC, you might check out the web site for Hand Picked Selections, its importer.

The last wine in the tasting was the 2007 Finca y Bodega Carlos Pulenta Torrentes Tomero Valley de Cafatyate, which is a favorite among the ladies who lunch crowd. People – mostly women – who rarely drink love this wine because of its intense floral nose. It is like being at a bridal shower in terms of that light, white floral aroma. The grape is indigenous to Argentina (Salta) where it is sunny 360 days a year. Irrigation is mandatory. Despite the sun, the wine keeps its acidity because despite the warm days the nights are cool. The Torino brothers started the winery in 1898, twenty years after the Cafayate Valley became confirmed as a quality wine producing region.

So there you have it. Three very interesting white wines, none of them a Chardonnay!

Please try these wines and use the comment feature to share your thoughts.
 

As a wine educator, one of the most pleasurable aspects of my profession is choosing a theme for a class and introducing students to exciting wines or wine regions I have discovered. And here in Manhattan, this is a special challenge, because in this jaded city most everyone dabbling in the world of wine has tasted pretty much everything the world has to offer.

So I first decided on a theme of Aromatic white wines, and decided that this class should be called “Discovering the ABCs of Wine.” Now in this context, the word “ABC” can mean “introduction to wine” – which is also an intention of the class. Many people have enjoyed wine for decades without really understanding how to analyze wine and appreciate the opportunity to formally learn this skill. Yet for me, ABC also means “Anything But Chardonnay.”

Now there is nothing wrong with Chardonnay. It is an international variety produced almost everywhere on the planet. It can grow in warm and cool climates. It can smell and taste like hot buttered popcorn, apple pie a la mode, or like mineral water with a squeeze of lime or lemon. And the reason it has so many expressions is because for the most part it is a neutral grape, with its expression and style coming from the choice of vinification.

Now for this tasting I chose three aromatic white varietals considered very unusual and hard to find. The first was a 2007 Domaine de Cezin, a wine made from the Chenin Blanc grape that grows in a tiny AOC region called Jasnieres in Touraine in the Loire Valley (France). What’s interesting about this appellation is that it was created in 1938, about a half century before the ‘frenzy’ AOCs are today. Almost every day, it seems, a new AOC is granted.

Given this 1938 AOC designation, one has to ask what is so special about this wine that it was distinguished from all the other regions in the Loire? First of all, Jasnieres is a tiny appellation … just 128 hectares under vine and a dozen producers making a living off their wine. The wine is named after the “terroir” so Domaine de Cezin is the name of the plot, now owned by the Fresneau family since 1952. In doing research on this wine, I saw many family photographs dating even earlier than 1952 – it is very much a family operation. This was likely the case in the Middle Ages, when wine from Jasnieres was drunk and celebrated by Kings (possibly, I’m assuming, with oysters from the mouth of the Loire). If you know Chenin Blanc, you know that it can be dry, sweet, or off-dry, depending on the mood of the producer and the vintage. In good vintages, Chenin Blanc is almost always sweet. This 2007 vintage borders that difficult area between dry and sweet … technically, I believe it must be under 9 grams of residual sugar to be considered “dry” yet sometimes searing acidity can make a technically off-dry wine taste dry by contrast.

In any event, when you taste this wine (a class favorite) you will find very high acidity that is a perfect match with seafood, good mouthfeel, racy acidity, minerals, and notes of lemon and citrus. The soil here is called “tuff” and is made of soft chalk, decomposing clay, with flint – very difficult to work. Vineyards face the south for sunshine and protection from the north winds. The forest of Berce also helps te vines resist the wind. On the web I read that some visiting journalists stopped by for tasting and M. Fresneau revealed that he recently tried a wine from the turn of the century left on the property from previous owners – and that it was still fresh and lively. I can believe this given the soil, acidity, and fifty year old vines.

Now the next wine ws Vin de Savoie Apremont Les Rocailles. I loved this wine in the 2007 vintage (no longer available). I first experienced it in a blind tasting, and with its delicate white and gold flowers, seemed possibly a Muscat. Actually, the grape is the Jacquere and it ONLY grows in the Savoie area of France, which is between the Italian and Swiss Alps. Unlike the Chenin Blanc from the Loire, this wine is meant to “drink now.” The 2008 had less flowers, and more minerals and fruit, which seems mostly citrus (tangerine, orange pith) with some minor CO2. The producer is now Pierre Boniface, who inherited the vineyard from his father when it was twenty hectares producing only this varietal. Now, I read that Mr. Boniface also makes red wines, has increased his hectares, and has succeeded in conquering the export market. In conducting research for the tasting, I see that a handful of blogger/tasters have written notes on this wine, with their readers so excited about it they are demanding to know where they can buy it. If you are reading this outside NYC, you might check out the web site for Hand Picked Selections, its importer.

The last wine in the tasting was the 2007 Finca y Bodega Carlos Pulenta Torrentes Tomero Valley de Cafatyate, which is a favorite among the ladies who lunch crowd. People – mostly women – who rarely drink love this wine because of its intense floral nose. It is like being at a bridal shower in terms of that light, white floral aroma. The grape is indigenous to Argentina (Salta) where it is sunny 360 days a year. Irrigation is mandatory. Despite the sun, the wine keeps its acidity because despite the warm days the nights are cool. The Torino brothers started the winery in 1898, twenty years after the Cafayate Valley became confirmed as a quality wine producing region.

So there you have it. Three very interesting white wines, none of them a Chardonnay!

Please try these wines and use the comment feature to share your thoughts.
 

Ah, the Malbec grape! In Argentina, Malbec forms the basis of a rich, ripe wine with flavors of sun-warmed plum and a velvety texture. In its hometown of Cahors in southwest France, Malbec can take on hundreds of guises, from tender and fruity to feisty and powerful to intense and complex.

Today at New York’s Astor Center I enjoyed a rare treat in that I was able to sample the three main “types” or “quality levels” of Cahors (in France, it is typical to order a wine by naming the AOC, instead of the varietal) in a tutored tasting led by author, columnist, and wine expert Elin McCoy. I had met Elin several times before yet I was particularly impressed by the way she orchestrated the tasting and her poetic choice of words about the wine and the region. As she spoke, gorgeous pictures of the region and the cuisine of the city of Cahors flashed across a sleek monitor above.

Before the talk the audience – an assembly of people from the trade and journalists – heard Alain Janicot, Co-President of the Cahors wine negociants, speak about the history of the region through a colorful translation courtesy of fellow Wine Media Guild member Peter Hellman. Cahors became an AOC in 1971, with its wine having achieved worldwide fame in the Middle Ages as the “Black Wine” of Cahor. I have never found the wine to be particularly “black” – it is somewhat of a violet-ruby color when young – so perhaps the “black” refers to the typically strong, sometimes astringent tannins or its often masculine nature.

In any event, with Elin’s poetic words and the gorgeous scenery I was curious to start tasting the wine arranged before me, which represented the three basic categories of Cahors. Inexpensive (under $12) wine is tender and fruity, the medium range (under $21) is described as fiery and powerful, and the more expensive category is described as intense and complex.

After sampling the young and fruity wine, I could see that they could have their place with dishes like pizza or maybe chilled in a refrigerator and served outdoors on a hot summer day. I found several favorites in the feisty, powerful, intense, and complex category, especially the older wines in the walk-around tasting that followed. The most complex of these wines could hold their own against the Chateauneuf-du-Papes of the world at a five-star restaurant. The challenge is tasting enough Cahors so that you can become familiar with the producers. Happily, magazines and newsletters offer tasting notes to help you mentally “try before you buy.”

As you may imagine, one of the reasons for this tutored and walk-around tasting is to bring Cahors to the attention of the world. The region wants to increase exports during this five year period, perhaps more of a challenge today than ever before as so many wine regions around the world have the same self-described mandate. One key element in the region’s favor is that a new generation of Cahors winemakers have come of age, and unlike their predecessors, have attended enology school and are keen on maintaining a high standard of quality. They are lowering the average yield in the field and are refining the winemaking traditions of the region while conserving Malbec’s fresheness and terroir typicity.

Even before attending this lecture, I’ve always liked this wine and found it to be a great value on many wine lists, both of the five-star restaurant variety and French bistros. Though you will find sophisticated Cahors with subtle complexities, to me an everyday Cahors is the kind of wine that confidently announces itself with a joyful shout, not a subdued whisper. So look out for Cahors the next time you go to your local wine shop. It may be just the thing for steak grilled on your summer barbeque.

Now that summer is in the air, and the (red) Gamay grape that is the basis of Beaujolais makes such a delightful picnic wine, please regard this as your very basic introduction to Beaujolais 101. Beaujolais is a region in France just below Burgundy, yet while Pinot Noir (for red) and Chardonnay (for white) rules in Burgundy, Gamay rocks in Beaujolais.

Unlike America, the French name their wines after the region, not the grape. If a server asks a Frenchman what he would like to drink, he would answer a “white Burgundy” rather than a Chardonnay, for example.

Now that we’ve established that Beaujolais is both a region and a wine, here is yet another quirk. Many Americans are familiar with “Beaujolais Nouveau,” which is released the third week in November with much fanfare, publicity, and parties. This young wine (it is meant to drink two months after harvest and not age), undergoes carbonic maceration to keep the fresh berry taste and alcohol low.

The grape berries just ferment under the influence of the wild yeast in the air, and the winemaker adds little art to the final product. If you’ve tasted Beaujolais Nouveau, you might recall a fresh, fruity wine, perhaps with hints of bubble gum and banana (a telltale sign of carbonic maceration).

On the opposite end of the spectrum you have the “royalty” of Beaujolais, and these are the ten Cru quality wines. These wines are typically made in the traditional way in terms of fermentation and maturation from the Gamay grape.

What separates the ten Cru regions, and their wines from one another, is the different “terroir” in each region. In each of the ten Crus, you will find different elevations, topography, climate, and soil.

I often ask experts if they would be able to blind taste and guess the origins of the ten cru wines. Some say they would be able to do this, providing they had the opportunity to practice and study. I can agree with this - and delightfully had the opportunity to test out my palate at a recent event held at NYC’s excellent Astor Center (which has a state of the art wine tasting facility).

The event was sponsored by George Duboeuf (all wines labeled George Duboeuf, though not all Crus were offered), and held to honor the introduction of the 2008 Beaujolais Crus. Mr. Duboeuf, a living legend, was also in attendance with his son, and gave tasting notes.

Our first red Cru was Georges Duboeuf Chiroubles ($12.99), with the Cru noted for his high altitudes. It is said to be a feminine wine with red fruit and flowers.

Next came the Brouilly ($13.99), a Cru known for being the largest in terms of volume and surface area. Flavors include jammy plum and red currant.

Julienas ($17.99, Chateau des Capitans) came next, which was one of my favorites of the lot. I found the wine mouth filling with a shy, soft nose hinting at licorice and soft raspberry. On the palate, the wine was smooth with moderate tannin and acidity and a finish of more raspberry and licorice.

Morgon ($12.99) is often referred to as a “classic” Beaujolais Cru with its soft fresh fruit flavors. This particular vintage struck me as offering a great deal of cherries and cranberries.

Fleurie ($15.99) is said to be one of the most imported of the Crus, especially in America. When I visit my wine store, it is the Cru they have on the most consistent basis. I really liked this wine, with its seductive nose of raspberry and a mysterious purple velvet aroma and fresh cherry finish.

Moulin-a-Vent ($16.99) typically is identified by its bright ruby color and complex bouquet of wild berries, black currant, chocolate, candied cherry, and spices.

Between the fun and fruity Beaujolais Nouveau and the more serious Cru, you will find the “middle” element, which is Beaujolais-Villages. These are grapes grown in any one of 30 designated villages said to produce higher quality grapes than the rest of non-Cru Beaujolais.

So what are you waiting for? Pick up a bottle and take it with you for a picnic this weekend!

“After my visit to Miami, I think I am going to start producing wines in a Magnum,” jokes handsome French wine representative, Francois Pages of Chateau du Campuget. “Everywhere I went, people seemed so oversized and built-up, like superheroes!”

Yes, in Miami everything seems slightly larger than life. Yet here we are, at a French café in midtown Manhattan and the world seems smaller and much more intimate. And though it is spring – the traditional start of the rosé wine drinking season – the weather is freezing. Yet as Francois pours me a glass, I try to pretend I am at Club 55 in St. Tropez, watching celebrities like P. Diddy scamper in the cool blue waves.

“Quite nice,” I pronounce the wine, which is a gorgeous baby pink rose color, and is scented with raspberries and strawberries. One the palate, the wine is pleasantly assertive in a way that belies its pretty color and can pair with much more robust cuisine than a typical rosé with its rich berry flavors and charmingly bitter finish, somewhat akin to Campari liqueur or a fresh pomegranate seed. I am not surprised when Francois tells me this is his best selling wine.

If you are new to rosé, or if you have not had a glass in a while, this is an appropriate time to explain that in America, we have two basic types of rosé: dry and sweet. In Europe and other regions, rosé was traditionally only dry. So if you have had sweet pink wine and have yet to experience the pleasures of dry, Chateau du Campuget traditional rosé is a great place to start.

I also try Francoise’s traditional white – very good, but the white that stands out for me is the Viognier de Campuget. If you are a wine geek, you probably already know that the Viognier grape receives its finest expression in the northern Rhone, though it is also very popular in Austria. Both are relatively cool regions, unlike the hot Costieres de Nimes at the most southern area of the Rhone valley. When tasting wine blind, I have been fooled by a Viognier from a hot region because the fruit is so ripe. Imagine how a sun-warmed peach would taste and you have an idea of the ripe, rich, intoxicating flavors of this wine.

All things considered, I am a red wine drinker and really enjoyed the Traditional Rouge (made from the area’s key grapes, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Carménère). The Traditional red is pleasant and surprisingly unoaked – it is aged in stainless steel tanks. Yet it tastes so rich I ask Francois about it. In his typical French way (well, actually, virtually all French people wax philosophic like this in my experience) Francoise tells a colorful story about how a beautiful girl doesn’t need to really pack on the make-up to be attractive. In other words, when it comes to his wine, simplicity is best. No need to gild the lily. More complex than the Traditional are Prestige Rouge, which sees some oak aging, and the Chateau de Compugent “1753” which is intended to be cellar aged, both excellent.

Today “value” is the word on everyone’s lips. Starting at under $10, Chateau de Campuget’s wines are delicious, well crafted, and affordable. It may still be cold outside, yet when you sip this winery’s rosé, you will feel the warmth of a quaint French summer.