Sopexa JoLynn Howe (right)

... so I will be in Bordeaux in a few weeks to attend En Primeur ... and so appreciated the snapshot of some of the 2009s showcased by Sopexa's Le Cercle Rive Droite today for journalists and members of the trade. The 2009s were showing remarkably well! At the same time, Sopexa showed "Today's Bordeaux 2010"  which is a selection of 100 Classic, Contemporary, Affordable wines. The wines were all under $30 and some delicious wines as low as $13.

Jeremy Benson of Benson Marketing Group

When I was in Bordeaux a few years ago, speaking to producers and the BIVB, the message they wanted to get out was that Bordeaux isn't some "fancy wine for special occassions" - it is to drink with dinner on Tuesday nights. And it really is true that when someone mentions "Bordeaux" the perception is that of the Grand Cru wines that could cost more than ten thousand dollars a case.

Daniel Marsteller

Luckily the wine store near me carries a lot of under-$20 Bordeaux by small quality producers, so I am a bit more familiar with this taste profile than the Grand Cru. The wines showcased today, mostly 2005s, were very well balanced and delicious, with many of the producers speaking with pride about their new sorting equipment or other machinery. If you are used to California cabs, you might appreciate the lower alcohol and more subdued and restrained flavors. Among the white Bordeaux I would like to call attention to Chateau Lamothe de Haux, 2009, a dry white blend of 40% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon, and 20% Muscadelle. Lots of delicious goodness for $13. On that 2008 trip I was invited to stay at the winery's gorgeous chateau in Entre du Mers. Click here to read about the drama that occured in their limestone caves.

Damien of Les Caves Du Chateau Lamothe

Some of the tasting, for me, was educational. It was quite a great opportunity to taste across the regions, finding similarities and differences. I found that most all of the Saint-Emilion had a curious clay-limestone type of element ... yet really didn't have enough regions to compare it to.

Helene Garcin Leveque of Vignobles Garcin

Among the notable producers was Chateau de Pressac in Saint-Emilion. I met the owner J.F Quenin who explained the method beyond the smooth flavors of their Grand Cru - almost unheard of in a barely out of the barrel 2009. We discussed pumping over vs. punching down and which is more gentle, with M. Quenin explaining they have a special machine that punches down very gently and evenly, and when the skins have given color to the must, then they pump over. Though the winery uses 100% new wood, the wine was so incredibly balanced I couldn't smell or taste any wood at all - it was very well integrated.

I was also impressed by Clos des Jacobins, which is a "Grand Cru Classe" - a wine that does not have the distinction of a Grand Cru by title, yet I found much better than its sister wine, a Grand Cru called Chateau La Commanderie. The producers explained that the Grand Cru classe wine sold for twice the price of the Grand Cru, and that they are applying to kick it up a noche in the system (an occassion that happens only once every ten years). To be successful in elevating a wine, producers must submit ten vintages for tasting, notes and studies on the soil, and incredibly, stacks of (hopefully good) publicity so the powers that be can see that the wine is getting good reviews, and even more incredibly, a hospitality program that sees the winery hosting tours.

Erwan Faiveley flanked by celebrity chefs

1st Cru winemakers and Michelin rated chefs from Dijon, the major city near Burgundy, gathered together in Manhattan this week to celebrate a week-long celebration of the creativity and vitality of Dijon.

Nuits saint georges

At a reception for journalists, winemakers set up tables with their best 1st Cru, and the famous chefs paraded about in their smart white uniforms, relaxing from what must have been a rather taxing week of cooking in strange kitchens for a variety of events.

For wine students and journalists, it was an opportunity to taste the best of the 2007 vintage. I enjoyed my conversation with Erwan Faiveley, the very charming and sophisticated head of the winery, and tasted his three 1st cru 2007 from "Les Damodes," "Les Fuees," and Les Cazetiers."  I also tried his 2007 whites from Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet.

3 Tiers of Burgundy from Domaine Gallois

I also tasted the wines of Domaine Dominique Gallois - Mr. Gallois was kind enough to bring a village wine from 2007, a grand cru, and a 1st cru so I could compare the differences. Recently I spent over $400 to do the same thing as an exercise in the Master of Wine program (the goal was to see the progression of quality). I have not yet done that tasting, and will report on it extensively on this blog. Yet right now, I'm seriously wondering if the exercise would be of real benefit as I did not taste much variation between the village level and 1st cru level of Domaine Gallois -- very possibly, because the wines were all so young. In ten years, the differences might be more remarkable. 

Dominique Gallois

Below are some notes on vinification from the Dominique Gallois web site


Each year requires its own wine, respecting the traditions and basic rules Whilst using technical progress. Most importantly, we must carefully sort the grapes.

Firstly in the vines each picker spells, then in the vat room was sorting table. Then scraping and cold pre-fermentation for 2 to 5 days according to the quality of the harvest. Fermentation for 12 to 15 days, depending on the year, using only the natural yeast of the grapes. Temperature control mainly by "pumping" and "piping". Whilst Devatting hot and barrelling in oak casks from the Allier for 14 to 20 months aging depending upon the year and the name.

In any event, I will be in Burgundy in a few weeks to taste the new vintage and will keep you up to date!
 

Antonio (standing)

One of the best things about being a wine writer is the opportunity to meet really great people. Wine producers always seem to be so genuinely friendly and nice. Of course, they are sales peole by necessity, yet every single wine person I've met has always been incredibly sincere and passionate about their product.

This past Monday night I had the occasion to meet producer Antonio Garcia Figuero, whose family owns a winery called Garcia Figuero in Ribera del Duero and goes back through several generations. The wines of Garcia Figuero are all 100% Tempranillo, which as you know is Spain's signature grape.

What is frustrating about tempranillo - to students of wine at least - is that it can take on so many personalities. In the "old days" one had better chance of identifying a Tempranillo, especially from Rioja, by its signature "American Oak" barrel aging which resulted in specific aroma. Today producers are experimenting with many different types of oak, and many different styles.

The Tempranillo of Garcia Figuero is smooth, elegant, and their very finest "Noble 2004" has been described (not by me) as akin to the finest Bordeaux. At $130 it is certainly equivalent in price, but I liked this wine for its smooth, elegant richness of fruit and complexity of flavors. It's not just the Tempranillo grape at work here, it's the soil of Ribera del Duero which has quite a bit of minerals, iron in particular. You can taste ripe jam, licorice, all very smooth and balanced and compex and rich.

For this wine, 70 year old grapes are hand harvested, destemmed, and put through gravity-controlled tanks (Antonio is very proud of these new tanks, as they improve the quality of the wine) it is macerated two days prior to fermentation. It is aged 21 months (15 months in American Oak, six months in French oak from the Allier and Troncais forrest). It then spends an additional 15 months aging in bottle before leaving the cellar.

Yet if this wine is too rich for your budget, you can choose a 'Crianza' which has spent twelve months in barrel. I liked this wine a lot ... rich concentrated flavor of spiced plum, vanilla, blackberries ... and a bit of new French oak shinning through. 85% of the grapes used for this wine come from 20-40 year old vines, with the remaining coming from vines older than a half century. After the grapes are hand harvested they are destemmed, go through gravity controlled tanks, and have five to six days of cold soak maceration prior to fermentation. $28.00

I also liked the Reserva (15 months in Barrel, $53.00) which was delicate with firm yet plush red fruit, quite silky and sensuous. Vines used for this wine are all over half a century, and after gravity controlled tanks have two days of masceration prior to fermentation. It is aged 15 months in new barrels (95% American, 5%French) and sees an additional 21 months aging before it leaves the cellar. Affordable for all at $19 is the Roble Four Month, which has a fresh dark berry aroma. Well balanced and delicious yet can not be compared to the rather coddled wines described above. 

Antonio, his siblings, and brother in law J. Felipe Martin Cabezon run the winery now as his father is mostly retired and they feel very positive about the future of the winery. Tasting the wines, I can see why.

Journalists at Symposium for Professional Wine Writers

... so on my previous post I mentioned I have been coming here for years to catch up with fellow professionals throughout the world.  Even the most jaded journalist can always learn something new, and of course new associations can always be made.

This year Tuesday kicked off with optional visits to To Kalon or Cade vineyards ...

yet our flight arrived too late for this, so arrived in time to hear Frances Mayes, author of "Every Day in Tuscany: Seasons of an Italian Life" speak about her book.

Every Day in Tuscany

This segued into a talk called "Sense of Place" by Louise Kiernan, writing coach from the Chicago Tribune. In the interactive writing exercise, I remembered writing about one of my favorite Languedoc wines I enjoyed by an ancient Roman structure in the Coteries de Nimes, where gladiators fought over blood and sand. (Something about the Carignan grape and its corporal quality).

Wednesdays events took place at the CIA in the famed Greystone building. Jeff Morgan, winemaker and author whom I interviewed many times, gave a fabulous brief on winemaking bore Karen MacNeil (author of The Wine Bible and now invited to the Hall of Fame from our Wine Media Guild) in New York and Eric Asimov, Wine Editor of the New York Times, gave a great presentation on tasting notes.

John Ash cooks lobster

Lobsters and Viognier were the theme of the day in the next presentation by John Ash, Chef, Author, and Instructor at the CIA and Antonia Allegra, founder of the Wine Symposium and creative writing expert, gave a talk on writing about food and wine pairing.

lobster dish

The highlight of this afternoon was a dynamic talk by Vic Motto, Chairman of Global Wine Partners, on the current recession and ideas of how the industry can dig its way out of a "recession mentality."

In the afternoon, Mark Krasnow, a post-doctoral candidate at the University of California at Davis, gave a talk on identifying flaws in red wine, followed by a "crash course" on red wine varietals in California Bordeaux style wine by Meadowood's Director of Wine Education Gilles de Chambure and Cain 5 Winemaker Chris Howell offered an enlightening lecture. The vines for all varietals are planted all over Spring Mountain, with Howell revealing that it many be many decades until it is known which varietals perform best in which plot.
 

That night, a friend arranged us to have dinner at Bottega in Yountville, a Chiarello restaurant that is quite popular. Chiarello produces wines and we tried his Cabernet Sauvignon Eileen (2006) as well as a reasonably priced Puglia red. The food was quite authentic -- appetizers and pastas are served family style which allowed guests to try various bites.

Thursday - today - was also very dynamic. Alder Yarrow was moderator of a social media panel, with the panel consisting of Doug Cook, Director of Search for Twitter, Steve Heimoff, California Editor for Wine Enthusiast, Joe Roberts, 1winedude.com, and Patrick Comiskey, Wine & Spirits. The theme was what bloggers could do to build brand and buzz, with the audience very keen on probing questions. The takeaway point of the panel was for bloggers to educate themselves on search engine optimization. 

Alder Yarrow by night ... (without jacket)

The Wine Writers, Ethics, and Income Streams panel was also quite controversial - Steve Heimoff moderated a panel including the S.F. Chronicle's Michael Bauer, Bon Appetite's Heather John, and Thomas Ulrich, of the Journalism Department of California State University.

I thought Christian Miller's report on "What Wine Drinkers are Reading" was fabulous. Miler is part of Full Glass Research and had some eye opening statistics. Following this was the The Luxury Media Panel revealed the "do's" and "don'ts" of the trade.

So tonight the conference is over - tomorrow is all about Premiere Napa Valley as we gear up for the sold-out auction!  Stay tuned!



 

Ana Laguna & Pilar Garcia-Granero

"Before there was wine, there was a thing called happiness ..." says an attractive, charming man standing in a circle of similarly well dressed, attractive Spaniards off the lobby of the Union Square W Hotel. Not quite sure the context of the quote, yet it appears to be a typical example of the cultural emphasis Spaniards place on being upbeat and charming at all times.

.... so I am here at the W to explore the mysteries of wine from Navarra, typically known for its bright, cheerful rose wine (typically the color of a cherry-colored life saver) and now eager to be known for its supple reds, elegant whites, and sweet dessert wines of various price points and quality. The Kingdom of Navarra has come to Manhattan for at least the past three years, always with an excellent showing of their wines for the trade and journalists, and a very educational seminar for the same.

Navarra

Terroir of Navarra

In previous years, the emphasis has always been on the terroir, which is enormously varied. Beyond the different soils you will find a variety of climates and microclimates which all have an impact on the flavor of the grapes. Robin Kelly O'Connor, moderator and Director of Sales & Education at Sherry-Lehmann Wine Merchants & Immediate Past President of the Society of Wine Educators, terrified the few Master Sommelier and Master of Wine students in the audience when he said to pass these intensive diploma programs one must know the five sub-regions of Navarra. Not just the names of the regions, but their individual terroirs, the grapes planted in each, the styles employed by the winemakers, etc.

They are:

Baja Montana (highest and wettest, with the latest vintage)
Ribera Alta (produces finest wine, one of two most important regions, white dominated)
Ribera Baja (hot and dry, the other important region, Garnacha centered)
Tierra Estella (fruity rosados from Tempranillo)
Valdizarbe (small region, dry climate)

International Varieties

If you see wines from Navarra in wine stores, you may wonder why the region has so many international varieties such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignan. They are bottled as single varietals, as blends with each other, and blended with the native grape Tempranillo.

Much of today's lecture served to underscore that international varieties have not been suddenly planted, but rather, have been brought to Navarra for centuries by a succession of invaders from the south and finally Rome. A cousin of Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, had been there for centuries.

Tempranillo and Garnacha (Grenache) still reign, yet you will find Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Vijura, Graciano, Moscatel, and others.

Tasting

Personality

Another focus of today's talk was to communicate that Navarra is very interested in having journalists and wine lovers appreciate its unique personality and style. Because it had been known for Garnacha and rosado wine in the past, many people still think of these wines when they think of Navarra. And though Navarra is part of Spain, its producers want to underscore that it has its own unique personality and style. 

Observations

White wine from Navarra is incredible. The Sauvignon Blancs as a whole are crisp, yet fuller bodied as they are aged on the lees. The Chardonnays are quite varied, yet the very best have an incredibly rich nose redolent of succulent ripe tropical fruit and a full, supple body. You will also find well-crafted 100% Merlot (a great example was the Bodegas Castillo de Monjardin Deyo Merlot 2005), the 100% Syrah (Bodegas y Vinedos Alzania 2005), and sweet white wines made from Moscatel (picked very ripe, with fermentation stopped to keep residual sugar) and a richer style made with botrytized grapes as is made in Sauternes.

Professor Attilio Scienza

Seminar Tasting

"The Italians seem so happy to be here in New York," says a friend, after the Friday night close of the Italian Wine Exchange Grand Tasting. "Why is  that?"

Yes, it's true - the Italians did really seem happy to be here and have the opportunity to share their wine and the love of their culture with top journalists, importers, and distributors in New York. Having attended many of the sessions, and met many of the producers, making wine is a way of life ... and not always a very generously rewarded way of life at that.

Most people in the wine trade realize that it is difficult to make a truly successful living making wine, so it really is a passion. And if the producers I met are any indication, many Italian wineries are several generations old. Their objective is to introduce their brand to the American market.

As a whole, Vino Italy 2010 was exceptionally well run and extremely well attended, with two grand tasting events supplemented by seminars (including first rate tutored tastings) and food and Italian wine paired dinners.

Among the highlights of the events I attended were the following:

Virtual Vino: Millenials and Social Media Decanted

This was a really fun and well attended panel as social media is a key buzz word of today. The usual suspects were up on the podium -- Alder Yarrow of Vinography fame who is the poster child of blogs, having established one of the earliest wine blogs and well known for his very personal style of interaction with his many followers. I hadn't met Doug Cook, Director of Search at Twitter, before yet he was also fabulous. Both men underscored the importance of blogs in today's media landscape, and especially the fact that blogs are search engine friendly.  Producers: take note! This means that when you send your wine to a blogger or a blogger writes up your wine, the world can access it quite easily!

A very charming speaker was Susanna Crociani of Azienda Agricola Crociana in Montepulciano (Siena) who gave a very sincere talk about how and why she started her blog early on and why it is important for a personal voice in a blog.

Susannah Gold of Avvinaire/Vigneto Communications spoke from the standpoint of a media specialists addressing Italian wineries, urging them to create rich, content filled web sites. As a journalist, i am constantly searching for information online, and Susannah's advice (I hope) will get more easily available winemaking content on the Internet.

Anthony Dias Blue moderated and Steve Raye of the Brand Action Team also gave some solid advice.

Terroir: Diversity and Complexity of Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

"Who is that fabulous speaker!" I found myself wondering. I was seated in the back here, and only heard the energetic voice of presenter Anthony Giglio, who deftly led the audience through a tasting of several wines from the region. The session was just about ninety minutes -- barely time enough time to understand the terroir of these classic regions - yet it was an excellent introduction to the Sangiovese grapes and its many expressions.

Tuscany's Etruscan Coastline: Bolgheri and Morelino di Scansano

Piero Selvaggio moderated this panel, consisting of the so called 'young generation" of producers in the region according to the handsome, white-haired Attilio Scienza, Professor of viticulture an adjunct professor at the University of Milan. In looking at the winemakers, however, one assumes Mr. Scienza was referring to young or "new" ideas in winemaking, especially with regard to biodynamic winemaking.

In any event, one of the key takeaway points was that Sangiovese vines near the coast (Bolgheri and Morelino di Scansano) produce different wine than inland vines, and Mr. Scienza had a long presentation about soils to prove it. I especially enjoyed this tasting, as it offered guests the opportunity to taste wine made from 100% Sangiovese and wines with Merlot and/or Cabernet Sauvignon added. Very happy to report that in this tasting at least, I was able to correctly identify which wines had more Cabernet, and which had more Merlot. Yet I liked the pure Sangiovese wines with their fresh forward fruity appeal the best.

The Evolution of Prosecco

Another well attended tasting and lecture by Antony Giglio, offering a variety of very exceptionally good Prosecco wine. Lucky audience members had the opportunity to taste many different examples of this wine, which is made in the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene region in Italy's Veneto. All the examples were excellent and delicious examples of this grape and region (it is a sparkling wine made from the Prosecco grape in what is called the Charmat or "tank" method of secondary fermentation). 

"Regione Toscana" dinner with Guest Chef Cesare Casella from Salumeria Rosi in the Waldor Astoria's Louis XVI room

Wine expert Kevin Zraly introduced wines of Tuscany with fabulous pairings from the region as well. Elin McCoy and Karen MacNeil were in attendance, as was Susanna Crociani of Azienda Agricola Crociana from the social blogging panel.
 

Vino 2010 Italian Wine Week

... so I am on my way to the opening of New York, February 3, 2010

I had spent the opening day (February 3) in the Napa Valley at a conference related to the Masters of Wine (though happily we did have an Italian wine seminar with many examples of great Italian wine).

One of the many things discovered at the conference is that Italian wine is very popular in Japan and the UK, and the number one source of wines imported to the United States with 30 percent of the market share in the first 11 months of 2009.

This year's edition is organized by the Italian Trade Commission with the support of the Italian Ministry of Economic Development in collaboration with four of Italy's most prominent and promising wine regions: Apulia, Calabria, Tuscany and Veneto, and with the first-time participation of VinItaly and Buonitalia under the auspices of the Italian Ministry of Agriculture. 

Among the highlights of VINO 2010: The Italian Wine Masters - a new collaboration among the Consortia Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Prosecco Superiore Conegliano-Valdobbiadene featuring focused seminars and a grand tasting of wines offered by 150 producers; more than a dozen other specialized seminars on recent market trends, indigenous varietals and many other hot topics; an Italian Wine Exchange Grand Tasting showcasing over 300 wines from Apulia, Calabria, Tuscany and Veneto; dinners hosted by each of the sponsoring regions on February 4 at the Waldorf-Astoria, with customized wine pairings and menus from the chefs of four notable New York restaurants: I Trulli, Il Gattopardo, SD26 and Salumeria Rosi.

I will let you know more when I am there!

Awaiting the Tasting

“Now this Volnay would go perfectly with salmon!” says Becky Wasserman, the vibrant American-born French wine importer and head of Becky Wasserman Selections who is giving a presentation to the eager young staff at London Lennie’s, a famous, casual, yet upscale high quality seafood restaurant in Queens that is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year.

Though it is three o’clock on a rainy Monday afternoon, the dining room is packed with a mixture of families, friends, and local business people who look delighted to be there. The fresh whole fish, attractively displayed on a bed of ice, look remarkably less so.

Few restaurants – especially in this economic climate – can afford to have three dozen or so employees participate in a mandatory lesson on wines of the world and how to pair them, let alone engage one of the most famous negociants to give the presentation. Yet successful wine and food pairing is important to Leslie Barnes, who manages the restaurant built by his parents Leonard “Lennie” Barnes and his wife Joan Barnes after they relocated to Queens, NY from London, England. And it’s especially important to keep the staff wine savvy, now that they were honored with the 2007 & 2008 Wine Enthusiast Award of Distinction and 2008 & 2009 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.

Wine Director Brad Haskel

Joining Becky in the presentation is her son and colleague, Peter Wasserman, Becky’s husband Russell Hone, and Michael Feuerstein of Pas Mal wines, whose wine we will be tasting and learning about today.

The servers, mostly attractive young women, look barely old enough to drink yet they listen with attention as Becky first explains the style of the wine, the region it is from, and then help the servers identify flavors and aromas in the wines.

First among them is a grower’s champagne, Champagne Jose Dhondt Blancs de Blanc NV, which is crisp, with a flavor of golden apples and the tiny bubbles that are a hallmark of good French champagne. We learn about the soil (Peter effectively gestures how deep the vines drill down through the limestone) and how it is made before tasting.
 

Muscadet is a wine few Americans know about, yet it pairs so well with fish with its aroma of fresh ocean spray and its racy high acidity. This one is Domaine Guindon 2007 and would be a great match for London Lennie’s seafood

Peter Wasserman

Next is the Fougeray De Beauclair 2007 Bourgogne Blanc – a wine that will pair very well with most of the white fish London Lennie serves. We learn a bit about the producer, his style, and his judicious use of oak (old barrels so you can taste the wine, not just oak).

Few Americans have tried a white wine from the Cotes du Rhone, but this Villages Blanc Saladin “Per EL” (named for the producer’s wife) 2007 is right on. The majority of the grape is Grenache blanc. For this discussion, Michael Feuerstein of Pas Mal wines jumps up and tells the assembled audience that the producer handed the winery to his two daughters, an unusual practice for many French producers, and shares many colorful anecdotes about their down-to-earth, feisty personalities.

Mrs. Barnes

Finally, we taste the only red – Volnay 2006 by Jean Yves Devevey. It is delicate and delicious, filled with light, sweet floral aromas that will enhance rather than overwhelm London Lennie’s deliciate fish dishes. I can see this pair well with a salmon served rare.

At the end of the tasting, both owner Leslie Barnes and wine director Brad Haskel thanked the speakers for their insight, and also for talking about wine in a way the young servers can understand. And the servers also thanked Becky and the others for helping them better serve the customers by tasting some of the more popular wines on the menu and being able to describe them accurately.

London Lennie’s
63-88 Woodhaven Blvd.
Rego Park, NY 11374
Tel : (718) 894-8084
Fax: (718) 894-5258
Hours
Mon-Fri 11:45 AM - 10:00 PM
Sat 4:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Sun 2:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Becky Wasserman Selections

Pas Mal
Michael Feuerstein

 

“Why is Barolo so expensive!” I remember asking a savvy clerk in my local wine store, fresh from my first class in Italian wines. As an exuberant young student I had been eager to taste the regions I studied, yet the upper-market wines from Piedmont seemed totally out of reach. Even the new vintages were over forty dollars.

Of course, I listened as the clerk explained these were complex, well-crafted wines made solely from the Nebbiolo grape are intended to age for decades, and then explained how he was “old school” in his taste for classic, traditional Barolos which often means the producers let the grape must ferment in large format chestnut barrels, sometimes for two months or more (traditional fermentation is closer to 10 days to three weeks). The result of these wines are long-lived, powerful wines high in acidity and tannins from extended skin contact.

In the 1980s, the so-called “modern style” producers wanted to create a new style that would be faster to produce and would suit the current international palate. This meant shorter skin contact, temperature controlled fermentation, and shorter aging in French barriques with new oak. DOCG law mandates that the minimum aging required for Barolo is two years in barrel and one in bottle. Barolo Riserva must be aged for five years.

The Grape

Nebbiolo is a thin-skinned, late ripening varietal that is capable of high potential alcohol that can balance its natural high acidity and tannic structure. It rarely grows well outside Italy, especially Piedmont, and is sensitive to soil and climate. It needs sun to ripen fully, yet hot conditions ruin its aroma. Afternoon fog during harvest shields the grape, and combined with the clay and limestone soils of the Langhe and Monferrato Hills, creates the perfect growing environment.

The Region

The Barolo DOCG is divided into five communes with two distinct soil types. Wines from the western communes of La Morra and Barolo are dominated by younger, magnesium rich Tortonian soil and serve to create a lighter wine.

Wines from older, iron-rich Helvetian soils of the eastern communes (Monforte d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d’Alba) are known for their power and longevity.

Tasting Barolo

At various tastings I’ve found Barolo to be an extremely powerful wine, often characterized by cherry fruit, sometimes chocolate, often a savory element, leather, tar, spice, roses – even in some cases something akin to sawdust! Overall, there is great depth and complexity and concentration of fruit and other flavors. Curiously, many of these wines are so powerful even 2001 come across as being too young to drink.

At a recent tasting of very young Barolos, I identified wines I liked yet have at least a decade to evolve but they are named below.

Favorites

2005 Barolo DOCG Einaudi
2004 Barolo Serralunga DOCG, Massolino
2005 Barolo Gallinotto DOCG, Mauro  Molino
2003 Barolo Margheria DOCG, Pira
2004 Barolo DOCG, Prunotto
2004 Barolo Cannubbio DOCG, Francesco Rinaldi
2001 Barolo Cannubi Boschis DOCG, Sandrone
2001 Barolo Le Vigne DOCG, Sandrone
2005 Barolo La Villa DOCG, Seghesio
2003 Barolo Riserva Bricco delle Viole DOCG, Viberti

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?