Burgundy in Bandol?

It's been pretty hectic those past days so not many posts but that's the way life goes...

Recently I had the luck to drink many great wines but one in particular stood out: a 1997 Château Sainte Anne Bandol.

The domain has been family operated for more than 5 generations and the wine is now made by Françoise Dutheil de la Rochère. Saint Anne is among the 1st ones in Bandol to operate towards the natural movement (native yeast, organic etc...). They have the luck to be on a rather cold terroir, north oriented. Yes, indeed this is a luck in Bandol where it is hard to keep the freshness needed in the wines.
A high percentage of cinsault (20%) is completed with grenache (20%) and mourvèdre (60%). Harvest is done manually and all grapes are destemmed. Following the cuvaison (around 12 days), a long elevage takes place in large oak foudres (50 Hl).



This 1997 was reduced at first and needed to be decanted. It showed plenty of red and dark cherry, old leather, mineral and floral notes. More fresh licorice, sweet violet and tobacco. Very complex and very Burgundian. You can close your eyes and see Beaune even though you have your feet in the Mediterranean...
What a great Bandol.

A Sans Soufre with age

I've always been a fan of Stephane Tissot. Red, white or even sparkling (his Cremant is excellent) all are worthy of buying them. His style is very Burgundian but I think he always manage to keep a sense of place in his wines even with this Burgundian style.
Conducting biodynamic practices in his vineyards, Stephane vinifies 2 cuvees without any sulfur. The 1st one is his Arbois Trousseau Singulier. The 2nd one is the Arbois Poulsard Sans Soufre. The Poulsard usually benefits from 3-4 years to fully develop. So when I got the chance to get the 2005 Poulsard Sans Soufre, I was relly excited to try it.



This Poulsard comes from different vineyards: Les Bruyères, La Vasée and La Mailloche (Clay soils). All have a South east and North West exposition. The oldest vines were planted in 1942 and the most recent were planted in 1972.
As for the vineyards, they are all in biodynamic agriculture, certified by Ecocert and verified by Demeter. The vineyards are worked without weedkillers, chemical fertilisers, or other synthetic products.To treat the vines sulfur, copper and plant concoctions are used. They make and use their own compost. The soil is worked manually.
Hand harvested in small baskets,the grapes are destemmed and macerated for 17 days in stainless steel tanks with little pumping over, then aged in foudres and demi muids for 12 months. Bottled without filtration and no added SO2.

This 2005 seemed to be at its peak. The nose was great, very Burgundy like, earthy with some funk and some violets and cherry. There's also some herbs and olives. Pretty similar on the palate, med body with rustic tannins. Long finish. Nicely balanced. All in all, a quite complex Poulsard, fresh and pure and very easy to finish the full bottle! After all, this is the destiny of great bottles of wine.

Muscat Queen

Anne-Marie Lavaysse does everything her own way. She created Le Petit Domaine de Gimios 10 years ago and is now being helped by her son Pierre. Located in Saint Jean de Minervois, in the Languedoc, Anne-Marie keeps lettuce, leeks and other fruit trees on her vineyard. Certified Demeter (bioD), she doesn't add any sulfur or copper on her vines. When she started, she was doing like everyone else she admits, and was using sulfur from harvest to bottling. But rapidly she could not stand the smell and the lack of energey in her vines. She, then, stopped using sulfur and never looked back.
Very low yield, between 10 and 14 Hl/ha, she always harvests early in the morning to avoid having the picked grapes exposed to the hot Languedoc sun.




After trying her 2 reds, Rouge Fruit and Rouge de Causse, I finally got to try her dry Muscat Le Muscat Sec des Roumanis, 2008. Just like for her reds, I'm amazed by the balance and freshness offered by her wines, espcially when you consider this is Languedoc.
This Muscat may simply be the best muscat I have ever had. Very complex nose,with a lot going on: tea, rose, mandarine, orange skin, hint of minerality. There's also a tiny spritz. Very similar palate with maybe more apricot notes. Lively, fresh, really delicious.

Sarah Hwang from Domaine Huet and Kiralyudvar

Last March, I got the chance to seat down with Sarah Hwang from Domaine Huet and Kiralyudvar. A dynamic, charming young lady, Sarah was kind enough to let me bug her with a few questions on the domains and her journey in the wine world. She’s now in charge for the US market for both Huet and Kiralyudvar while at the same time keeping an eye on the UK market.

So Sarah, how did your father get involved at Huet and Kiralyudvar?

My father is a physicist by training. I always knew him with a passion for wine. He’s always been reading books on wine trying to learn more and develop a better overall understanding.
One summer back in 1997, my brother and I took a family trip with my parents to Budapest in Hungary.
Of course, my dad convinced us that we had to go and visit the Tokaj region. At the time they were no highway so he took us quite some time to reach Tokaj (nowadays the trip is much faster thanks to a brand new road). This is a beautiful region but not developed at all back then and which was in a recovery process. But my dad fell in love with the place. By chance, some land was for sale and he decided to go for it. After looking for a place to vinify, we found the Kiralyudvar estate and bought it. So the birth of Kiralyudvar for us is 1997. We farm about 75 hectares, 50 of which we cultivate for winemaking and my father had in mind to make the opposite of what was being made at the time. Indeed the majority of the wines were coming from high yields and were over extracted.
So Kiralyudvar is really my dad’s baby and the domain is such a peaceful place. We love the house so much so you can actually see it on the label: indeed, on the front label is an original floor plan (late 15th century).

Not so long after that, my dad made the connection with Robert Chadderdon (who later became to importer).
Robert had been working with Gaston Huet for over 30 years. In 2002 Gaston became really sick and was looking for help since none of his 3 children wanted to take over the full responsibilities. Ironically, one of his kids, Jean went to wine school, worked about a year in the winery and then realized it wasn’t his passion. He is now a successful photographer, very talented.
Marie-Françoise, Gaston daughter, married Noel Pinguet in 1968. After they moved to Paris for Noel’s job, Gaston asked them to move back so he could mentor Noel in the winery. They both accepted. Noel started as harvest worker and in 1978, he got the full winemaking responsibilities. So a few people realize that Noel, now in his mid sixties, has been in charge for a long time now.
Chadderdon introduced my father to Gaston. They got along very well and with both of them having a scientist background, they had a very similar vision on many things. In 2003 we took control of Domaine Huet.
Many rumors at the time said because of new ownership that the style would change, that a new winemaker would be in charge etc… but we never wanted to change anything. Domaine Huet is so rich in history that we had too much respect to impose changes and we’re happy to have the same talented team still with us.
My father now spends time in Hungary and in the Loire every year and for every harvest. He wants to learn and loves to be involved.

How did you, Sarah, get involved in the wine business?

I was born and raised in New-Jersey. I went to psychology school and worked in the health industry in NY. It was very intense and I started to have 2nd thoughts. Was it really what I wanted to do? I took a break and in 2006 and went to harvest at Huet first and then at Kiralyudvar.
2006 was really difficult, I remember they started to pick the Clos du Bourg first. On the 2nd day, when I got there, it started to rain and I remember getting out of the car and then starting immediately my first ever harvest! On the very same day, I cut my pinkie very bad. I did not want to stop since I was here to work and wanted to show and lead by example. And I did not want to have a special treatment because of my name. Unfortunately, the rain did not stop and my pinkie never got time to heal. Indeed, it stayed wet for all the harvest time. So even until now, I did not get my feeling back in my finger! The harvest was tough physically because in Vouvay the vines are pretty low to the ground. In Tokaj, it is quite different. The vines are higher which makes it easier but the rows are very long and it’s cold ! It can even get icy in October and of course you cannot wear gloves because you have to pick specific berries (in the case of the sweet Tokaji). So someone drops you in the middle of nowhere at 5 in the morning and you do 2 rows a day, by yourself.
But to me, I had to do it and I wanted to learn.
I came back to NY with the will to learn and explore the wine business. I got a job at Acker Merrall. My primary involvement with Acker Merrall & Condit was with their wine brokerage, though I did help with the auction house quite a bit and got to understand how the industry works.
I worked there over 1.5 year and loved the experience (07-08). I was lucky because I was there when the market was at its peak.

I then wanted to learn French so I moved to France. I thought it was the next logical step. I learned French in Tours, while living there for 9-10 months. I also spent 1-2 months in Kiralyudvar (which is the family true baby. My brother takes care of the web site, we design the label etc…)
I came back home and got involved into the US market for both Domaine Huet and Kiralyudvar.
I still go to France every couple of months and when I go I stay with Noel and Marie-Françoise. I feel like at home, it’s a true family for me. We are really involved, we’re always exchanging at least an email a day. This is far from being a corporate operation.

What do you see in your future? Would you like to make wine?

I just try not to think about it, everything happens for a reason. We now have Benjamin Joliveau being trained by Noel. He’s 29, born raised in Vouvray. Noel knows him since he’s a baby. He went to wine school in Aix en Provence and did internship in South Africa, Australia and Hungary. For the last year and a half, Noel has been training him. Nevertheless, Huet is Noel’s life and he will stay involved forever. But it’s nice to see the new generation coming while the history and style being highly respected.

What was the reaction of the locals when you bought Huet?

At 1st people were skeptical, maybe even more in Hungary. People were questioning our intentions. But we went into it knowing we were not going to change everything since the wines were great. It was an investment to boost the company. The team remained the same and we’re happy with that.

Is your father interested in buying other domains?

Well, we have our hands full !! I’m sure the rest of the family would tell him to calm down. But to invest in such not so popular regions was a testament to his passion about wine

Do you have the same palate as your father?

I’ve been lucky enough to be exposed to many different wines but I’m not sure my dad has the same palate as mine. He certainly knows what he likes and when offered a red Burgundy, he can’t say no!
In my family, we all have different tastes. Dinners are fun, wines are coming from everywhere and we surprise each others.
But we got from him the desire to try new things, to be open.
And talking about trying new things, in 2007, this is the 1st year we’re doing a sparkling. Furmint is very similar to Chenin Blanc, the terroir is great and the acidity is there so we thought: let’s try to do this. We called it Pezsgő meaning sparkling in Hungarian. We liked the wine, we thought it was cool. Release coincided with the new importer in the US so it was nice little treat. We made 200 cases only and the response is great. Great thing is that They’re easy to pair with food.
Every year, my dad tries to do something new. We’re now looking at biodynamic practices. The test parcel in Henye (same vineyard used for the sparkling). Surprisingly, we saw differences even in the 1st year. We have a more even ripening. We got certified last January.
Domaine Huet is also certified biodynamic since 1990! They were among the very first with Nicolas Joly.

So what do you usually drink?

Well I try not to drink everyday but it’s hard ! I love having a glass of wine though, see which one is matching the food I’m going to have. I don’t like to drink the same wine over and over. A good friend who works in a wine store here, picks wines randomly and send me mixed cases. I learn a lot and it’s a lot of fun. But it’s hard to give any favorites, it depends on my mood, food etc…
Of course I love Kiralyudvar, especially the Ilona, named after my mum. Fully botrytised grapes, aged 6 months in barrels (28 months for 2003). It creates a totally different style from the regular Tokaji.
I also like the Aszú which is always at least 6 puttonyos (a minimum of 150 grams per liter of residual sugar).
Noel always says the demi-sec is the perfect expression of chenin and terroir of vouvray. The marriage of acidity and sugar is perfect.

Naturally from the Czech Republic

If you never heard of Andrea Calek, well hopefully after this post, you'll want to go out and buy one of his wines. A native from the Czech Republic, he decides to travel through Europe, to reach France and then go to Brazil. Well, it did not exactly go as planned as he met the future mother of his children in Nice and decided to stay in France. After a few jobs such as picking olives, he knew what he wanted to do and that was making wine. After a viti BTS (French diploma), he gets a job at Domaine Hauvette in Provence. He learns about biodynamic practices before working with Sylvain Rohel in the Rhone valley. Because of his friendship with Gerald Oustric, Andrea decides to settle down in Valvignères, Ardèche. He made his 1st wine in 2007.


This 2008 Babiole from Andrea Calek his 2nd vintage, is declared as Vin de Pays de l'Ardèche and is a blend of syrah, carignan and grenache. No sulfur is used here. The wine is almost opaque. Very funky, barnyardy on the nose. Definitely a sensation of naturalness both on the nose and palate. Plenty of dark cherry (Burlat), old leather. Garrigue, violets and a touch of red fruit in the background. Good acidity, palate pretty much matching the nose, slightly grainy tannins. A lot of fruit. Well done !

A deep dive into the Mediterranean

Our blind tasting theme for this dinner was wines from Mediterranean Islands with Greece in the mix. Interesting as the varietals mix is all over the place. As usual, wines are tasted blind first then enjoyed over dinner.

2007 Domaine Vico Vin de Corse - Corsica (13.5%) A lot of fruit on the nose, a little stewed but never syrupy. Nice garrigue and olives notes as well, very Mediterranean nose. Balanced and tannic, again a lot of fruit on the palate, blue fruit and cherry, a touch plumy (2007). Even if this is a rather simple wine, it's really enjoyable. Quite Corsican as well.

2008 Boutari Kretikos Red - Greece, Crete (13%) Blend of Kotsifali and Mantilaria, indigenous from Crete. Iodine and seaweed notes. Jammy fruit on the palate with plenty of strawberry on the finish. Lacks structure and dry tannins.

2008 Azienda Agricola Cos Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico - Sicily (13%) A lot of purity on the nose. Slightly plummy. Med body, tannic, high acidity that gives the wine plenty of energy while retaining its southern profile. Lovely floral notes, violets and cherry. A touch of licorice. Long finish. This wine really improved over the last few months.

2007 Domaine d'E Croce (Yves Leccia) Vin de Pays de l'Île de Beauté Cuvée YL - Corsica (13%) Has a Provencal nose with garrigue notes and green olives. A lot of fruit. Maybe a touch of heat. Full body with lowish acidity, firm tannins, it manages to stay balanced. Some licorice as well. Needs time. 80 % grenache and 20 % Niellucciu, grown on schist soils.

2006 Olympus Hellas Agiorgitiko Haggipavlu - Greece, Peloponnisos, Nemea (12.5%) Super oaky right off the bat. Lactic nose. I just can't go past the oak. Undrinkable to me.

2008 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Il Quadro delle Rose Feudo di Mezzo - Sicily (14%) Surprisingly light color. Beautiful nose with earthy and olive notes. A touch of plum as well. Hint of pencil lead. Dark fruits. Good structure and needs time for the tannins to resolve. Very nice wine and it's nice to see more finesse, vintage after vintage.

2004 Planeta Merlot Sicilia IGT - Italy, Sicily (14%) The oak shows more and more as the wine is open. There's a touch of green on the nose wrapped in plenty of ripe blue fruits. Hint of raspberry on the back palate. Full body and quite tannic. Finished on sweet oak notes. Somewhat tiring to drink.

2006 Sella & Mosca Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva - Sardinia (13.5%) Funny how this wine changed. Initially I found it pretty enjoyable with some interesting tobacco notes and cherry notes. A little funky but jammy on the palate with a short finish. But on the 2nd day, the oak was all over the place...

Overall a rather disapointing tasting. Not many wines stood out with a lot of them rather uninteresting and not balanced. Maybe a proof that this is not so easy to make good wines in such hot climates but even more kudos to the people who manage to make beautiful wines all over the Mediterranean such as Occhipinti, Arena, COS, Sigalas etc....

Comte Abbatucci, another Corsican gem.

Jean-Charles Abbatucci is the winemaker for the Comte Abbatucci domain. Located in the southern part of Corsica in the Taravo valley, the domain is spreading over 18 ha with a lot of granitic soils.



At an altitude of 100m, the varietals are typical for the region: Vermentino, Sciacarello and Nielluccio plus a few other obscure varietals (Barbarossa..).
Since 2000, the domain is in a biodynamic farming mode. No machine harvest here and only native yeasts are used. Just like Barral, animals are living in the vineyards. Here, ewes are at home during the winter.
Wines are made in 3 all colors: red, white and rosé. Kermit Lynch decided recently to import the wine (only the white so far I believe) and I'm thankful for that !

The white cuvée Faustine (AOC Ajaccio) comes from an old parcel, 40 years old, of vermentino. Yield is only 25 hl/ha and the grapes is picked only in the morning and pressed immediately after to keep its freshness. No barrel is used here, only stainless steel tanks.
The 2009 Faustine is an outstanding wine. It shows superb aromatics and is fresh and vibrant. Citrus and honeydew with some white flowers and a touch of flint. Rich but with very good acidity. Focused. A hint of anise on the palate. I'm just surprised by the energy of this wine.
This is simply the best vermentino I ever had, so far.

Languedoc is full of surprises

Theme for our blind tasting tonight was Languedoc. A vast area with plenty of different AOP, soils and varietals. It was pretty difficult to identify with certainty a Corbieres from a Minervois or a Languedoc from a St Chinian. Anyway, a very good lineup paired with oven cooked hanger steak and eggplant flan.
A lot is happening is Languedoc, maybe because the price of the land is not crazy yet allowing young or new winemakers to settle there. Also, a lot of natural winemakers found a home in those regions.
10 main areas for this vast production land:

-Languedoc (from 2008)
-Coteaux du Languedoc (includes Pic St Loup)
-Picpoul du Pinet (white only)
-St Chinian
-Faugeres
-Minervois
-Fitou
-Corbieres
-Muscat de St Jean de Minervois and Muscat de Lunel
-And of course many Vin de Pays/Vin de table

2008 Domaine Léon Barral Vin de Pays de l'Hérault - Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
Golden color, cloudy. Incredibly complex nose. You would think the wine is sweet based on the nose but not at all.
There's so much going on. Floral, apricot, perfume, basil, honey, rose, hint of salt.. I could write a book of aromas. Palate is round with a low acidity but completely balanced and not heavy. Very long finish.
Overall a very surprising and delicious wine meant for food. WOW. Total natural, no SO2 added during vinification or bottling.

2008 Le Petit Domaine de Gimios Vin de Table Rouge de Causse - Vin de Table
Natural wine, vinified without sulfur. Impressive complexity on the nose with aromas which are quite unusual. Grand-ma powder like at first, then it was an explosion of dried herbs, oregano and Worcestershire sauce. Salty tang with also some paprika. High acidity, fresh. Some barnyard notes as well.
I loved this wine but this is a wine that I think you either like or don't, no middle ground. Impressive freshness for the region. Anoter natural wine from the Minervois region.

2009 Château Saint-Baulery Saint-Chinian - Saint-Chinian
Dark cherry core, almost opaque. Lactic nose which did not change with time. A lot of fruit, borderline jammy.
Very simple, soft. Overall boring, too forward and a little too ripe. The grenache showed a lot.
40% Carignan, 30% Syrah and 30% Grenache.

2007 Château Grande Cassagne Costières-de-Nîmes "G.S." - Costières-de-Nîmes
A lot of blackberry and herbs on the nose. Then more plum and hint of ripe strawberry. Overall, it shows a dark profile, low acidity and smooth tannins. It was a little more balanced than the Baulery but still too ripe, flabby and boring.
A shocker when the wine was revealed. We loved the 06 which was all about red fruits, balance and an underlying acidity. The warmth of '07 completely, in my opinion, ruined this wine.




1992 Mas de Daumas Gassac Vin de Pays de l'Hérault -Vin de Pays de l'Hérault
Mature Bordeaux like nose. Smoky, cedar and cassis. Developing in the glass and showing more tobacco and a hint of redcurrant. Med body at best, the finish kicks back and is long.
A light and somewhat austere version of Gassac, very good with food and still very much alive.




2007 Domaine Faillenc Sainte-Marie Corbières - Corbières
Interesting nose of dirty socks with plenty of cassis as well.
The palate is also showing plenty of cassis with a slightly grainy texture. Tight at first, it needed time to open. Nice and surprising acidity when the vintage was revealed.
Tremendous value at that price.





2001 Prieuré Saint-Jean de Bébian Coteaux du Languedoc - Coteaux du Languedoc
Pretty consistent with the previous bottle. Big nose. Oak and dark fruit. Again too much oak for my taste on the palate. Full body. With air, some meaty and olives notes appear but the creamy texture along with the oak bother me. Definitely modern.




2007 Domaine Léon Barral Faugères - Faugères
Garrigue with olive notes on the nose with a lot of licorice, fennel and fruit, dark cherry and plummy. Tobacco and leather comes along with air.
I had the chance to follow the evolution of the wine over 3 days and the last day was without a doubt the best for this Faugeres. The touch of heat had disappeared and the wine showed much more balance, complexity and depth. Still, it always showcased Barral's usual purity. Good acidity.
A very good wine which needs a few years.
50 % carignan, 40 % grenache, 10 % cinsault grown on schistes. Only cement and stainless tanks.




2004 Mas Jullien Coteaux du Languedoc - Coteaux du Languedoc
This wine fooled me as I thought it was a cab blend when in fact it is carignan, syrah and mourvèdre. Smoky nose with cedar and light oak. Blackberry and cassis notes with a very light floral lift.
Tight and shy, hard to evaluate. On the 2nd day, the wine showed too much oak to finally calm down on the 4th day and become more interesting and civilised. Still, it was always balanced with a good acidity.
I have no doubt the oak will integrate and this is a wine which will be very good in 7-8 years. Olivier Jullien is a talented winemaker on the terrasses du Larzac and his wines, both whites and reds, demand patience.


Languedoc has gone a long way since the 50s-60s when many producers from other areas where using grapes form this region to add color and alcohol to their wines. Countless winemakers are now working consciously and express the different terroirs.

Serious Mondeuse

Enologist, Jean-Yves Péron started his little domain in 2004 in Chevaline in Savoie, just a few mile south of the Lac d'Annecy. After 7 years now, the domain consists of 2ha in total including 1.5 ha of mondeuse and the rest being the typical white varietals of Savoie (jacquère, altesse and roussanne).

Jean-Yves who worked and learned with Thierry Allemand has a very natural approach towards winemaking. Minimal sulfur is used (inferior to 2mg). The 2005 Côte Pelée is a special selection of very old mondeuse vines, some of them over 100 years old. Interesting to note the appelation, Vin de Pays d'Allobrogie. This was a 1st for me and had never heard of this AOP before. While this was a little early to open this wine (yes, not all the wines from Savoie are meant to be drunk within a year after skiing), I could not resist. This was superb. Lovely nose, barnyardy with violets. Plenty of pure dark red fruits with a hint of green olives. Balanced, with a medium body with a slightly grainy texture, lacking a little on the mid palate at first, it then develops nicely in the glass. Red cherry with some blackberry as well. High acidity, some tannins on the finish. Really a lovely wine.
It was crazy how this was reminding me of a syrah. I closed my eyes and found myself in Cornas, with maybe more acidity than in the Northen Rhone. Well, not really a surprise since apparently the Mondeuse is the grand mother of syrah !
Anyway, syrah or not, go out and try Jean-Yves wines.

A transparent Chablis

Alice and Olivier de Moor are both enologists from the enological school in Dijon. While still working for another estate, they began replanting plots in Chablis (Bel Air, Clardy and Rosette). It was not until 1994 that they produced their first wines (a ridiculous small amount). They tried
and experimented a lot at the beginning . They have now been working their vines organically since 2005.
Only indigenous yeasts are used and there is no SO2 used at harvest or during the vinification. The elevage is done in barrels of different ages for the Chablis.



Alice and Olivier went a little further in this 2008 Chablis, L'humeur du Temps. Indeed, there is absolutely no sulfur, not even during bottling. This Chablis is their entry level.
The wine, surprisingly had a lot of weight at first with a touch of butter both on the palate and nose. But then, after a few minutes, it is an explosion of minerality which cuts through the ripe fruit. This is a delicious Chablis, pure, full of lemony notes backed up by a tremendous minerality. Really good right now. A thirst wine.




You can only respect the work winemakers like Alice and Olivier de Moor when you drink a bottle like this.

2005 Dard & Ribo Crozes-Hermitage

René-Jean Dard and François Ribo started their winery back in 1984. They met at the Lycée Viticole de Beaune in Burgundy. From the start they worked in a natural way, using no or very little sulfur and no entrants. René-Jean Dard father, a winemaker as well, was already working this way so it seems natural for his son to follow the same philosophy even if they were told the opposite at school.
Located in Mercurol, they make Crozes-Hermitage, St Joseph and Hermitage in both colors.
Their Crozes-Hermitage red is made from plots located mainly in Larnage, on red clay with gravel and alluvial stones.

This 2005 Dard&Ribo Crozes-Hermitage was damn good ! This was textbook Crozes and have this sense of place. Olives and red fruits with some bacon notes. Very floral. Mouthwatering, high acidity, surprising for 2005, making it perfect with food. Fresh, a little darker on the palate, it is really delicious.
I read that René-Jean and François think their Crozes is to drink young, a wine to enjoy in its first years. I have to admit, after trying the 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 that they are indeed really good in their youth but needs around 3 years to develop (the 08 drunk in October 2010 was really tight).

The fact that they have minimal doses of SO2 may also make them a little more fragile than other wines, especially when they have to be shipped overseas in, sometimes, less than ideal conditions.
That said, I would be intrigued and happy to try one of their wines with some age. To be continued then....!

Juralicious !

Everytime we go back home to Paris for a little while, we try to bring back a few cheeses that can't be found here. So after a mad shopping at Aleosse, one of the best fromager in France, we had a few friends home to share aged Comté, aged mimolette and aged gruyere. Of course, no jam, fruits, peanuts or other crap: just fresh bread and cheese, the way it should be.


Comté has its own AOP, Appelation d'Orgine Controllée, and the production area is spread over 3 departments: Jura, Doubs and l'Ain. 2 breeds of cows are permitted for the milk: Montbéliarde (95% of the cattle) or Simmental française (5%) and only fresh grass is allowed as food. The fruitière is the place where all the farmers bring and gather the milk. Close to 160 fruitières are spread out over the 3 departments. The comté is then made, all year long, based on a traditional process.





The mimolette is basically Edam cheese (Dutch) but is using a coloring powder to give it its famous orange color. The other name for mimolette is Boule de Lille as it is assumed that Lille was an important production area. Now Normandy is also producing a lot of mimolette. The holes of the cheese are made thanks to small mites who are introduced in the ageing cellars. Those mites are also responsible for the complexity of the mimolette and are brushed off the cheese when done. Unlike the comté, mimolette is best around 2 years old as it loses its flavors if aged longer.


Lastly, my favorite or close, the Vacherin of Haut-Doubs: le Mont d'or. Just like the comté, Mont D'or has its own AOP. It has been named after the highest mountain of the Doubs and was already on Louis XV table. During fall, the cows are returning to the cowshed after spending the summer outside in the mountain. As the milk production was lower, this was not enough to make comté so the farmers got the idea of producing a small cheese who was named at the time (and still now): fromage "de boîte" after the wooden box holding the Mont d'Or. The cheese is seasonal and is available only a few months (around Christmas) and made with raw milk from the same cows used for comté. You will need close to 7 liters of milk to make 1Kg of cheese.
The affinage usually lasts 21 days, minimum, on spruce planks and then placed in one spruce ring, slightly smaller than the cheese itself, giving its wrinkled rind.


In order to get ready for those cheeses, we started with a beautiful blanc de blancs Jacques Lassaigne, Les Vignes de Montgueux. Usually a pinot noir terroir, the chardonnay here benefits from the chalky soil. Very low sulfur, expressive nose, white chocolate and pear. Plenty of chalk as well. This Champagne is rich but with elegance thanks to the acidity and minerality. Pure with a long finish, discreet leesiness. Very good.


On to the cheeses. I tried to pair the different cheeses with a few wines. I though the aged mimolette would work with an old claret and the aged comte and gruyere would do well with some white Jura which would also cut though the creaminess of the Mont d'Or.


First to go was the 1986 Laurel Glen cabernet from Sonoma with the mimolette. Pairing was ok, not the best ever but not the worst either. I said that on the'91 but have to say it again: I wish more Cali cabs were done this way. Really gorgeous nose with earthy and smoky notes along cassis and violets. Riper and a little bigger than the '91 and not showing the bell pepper notes, this is a nice expression a cabernet from Sonoma. Palate confirms the nose with some cedar notes with again a lot of cassis and interesting sour cherry on the finish. Balanced. Tannins are a little rustic but based on this bottle, this wine has more years in him.




The 2 Jura wines, the 2003 La Mailloche from Stephane Tissot and a 2002 Puffeney Arbois Savagnin were simply outstanding.
The 2003 La Mailloche did not show any over ripeness or flabbiness. The clayish soils and eastern aspect helped to manage better the 2003 heat and the wine was beautifully balanced. Nutty with some green apple and a touch of honey and smoke. Floral. An apparent minerality links everything together. The palate is an example of balance, coating your palate with no lack of acidity and no sign of heaviness. Tasting this blind would take you on a top Meursault. Intoxicating, complex and stunning.
This Puffeney Savagnin was fantastic. Iodine and a lot of spicy curry notes on the nose. Light walnut as well. I was expecting a more oxidised style but this is mildly oxidised. Wine is flowing on your palate, superb acidity with more lemony notes on a medium body. Awesome comté rind notes as well.Long finish. Complex and fresh.

Those whites Jura were clearly a very good pairing with the pungent flavors of the cheese. Thanks to their complexity and lenght, they were abble to stand out to the cheese and play with it all the way.

Mama Mia, it's Brunello !

Brunello di Montalcino is a pretty "recent" creation, having been invented by Biondi-Santi in 1888. Indeed he was the 1st one to bottle it and give it a distinctive name. The production area is a rather small one, delimited by the valleys of the Orcia, Asso and Ombrone rivers. Its shape is almost circular with a diameter of 16 Km. One of the most important features is the climate around Montalcino (110km south of Florence): warmer and drier than the Chianti zones, leading to a hefty alcohol level.
The production zone can be split in two. The Northern part, on galestro (friable rock, marl like) soil, has higher altitude vineyards when the southern part is warmer and heavier soil (clay). As a result, wines from the southern part are fuller and more forward than the northern wines which are usually more delicate (everything is relative though) and aromatics.

Brunello really exploded in the of the 20th Century. Until 1960, there were only 11 bottlers. In 2010, they are over 200 ....Yes, Brunello is trendy and selling, especially here in the US.
2 different Brunello can me made:
-Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
-Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG

Because of the economic pressure, the time the wine must spend in wood (which is the same for the regular and Riserva) has been reduced to 2 years (42 months in 1980) . Ironically, many producers felt obliged to use small barrique to mark even more, and faster, their wines with disgusting oaky flavors. Well, at least, it seems to work for Suckling.

Of course, the only grape the allowed is the Sangiovese Grosso but apparently some producers forgot about it in the famous brunellogate when many of them were caught blending some cabernet sauvignon in...Why? I guess they did not think their wines were dark and big enough...Ha, isn't beautiful to sell more crap....

Anyway, before this tasting, I was a little scared to get only beefed up versions, oaked to death and with Port like aromas... Well, at the end, it did not turn out so bad.

All wines tasted blind then enjoyed over some nice duck confit and oeuf cocotte a la truffe.

2001 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia
Classic Italian funk on the nose with some cocoa and oak. Some dark cherry and prune. This is quite tight but powerful and on the palate there's not one fruit standing out in particular. Rather lowish in acidity, this is shutting down quickly. Too forget in the cellar for years.
The pirate in our tasting and totally Brunello like. The estate is located in the most south-eastern part of the Chianti Classico zone, very close to Siena and therefore very close to the Brunello zone. It also shares the same galestro soil. All this could explain its Brunello like profile.
2004 Collemattoni Brunello di Montalcino
First thing jumping at your nose is oak. A lot of it. Then, classic dark cherry with licorice and a hint of earthiness.
Full body, low acidity. Very nutty. Some heat. Tannins are smoother than in the Felsina Rancia but I guess that's because of the oak treatment.
I don't know where this is going. Will the fruit still be alive when the oak is integrated? Right now, this is an oaky mess and heavy.
1995 Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino
Right off the bat a different style than the Collemattoni and Rancia.More red fruits and more acidity. This is more about finesse than power.
Still, this bottle was showing some TCA signs. Too bad...

1982 Il Poggione (Proprietá Franceschi) Brunello di Montalcino
Very savory nose. At some times, I felt I was digging my nose in a bloody mary with all this celery salt, worchestire sauce. Different on the palate with sweet fruits. Bacon on the finish.
Still very much alive!
1999 Giovanna Ciacci Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta di Collosorbo
Licorice with some cherry, floral and earthy notes. Still a touch of oak (not obtrusive but still there). Ripe fruits, darker than red, with blackberry, burlat and some strawberry. Tannins have started to smooth out but this wine will benefit from a few more years. Absolutely no rush to drink. Overall a well balanced wine and very Brunello like. A good compromise of modern/traditional producer.
2005 Podere Loreto (Mastrojanni) Brunello di Montalcino
Very good. Nice elegant nose with plenty of red fruits, cherry with a touch of savory note (salami). Good acidity, intense on the palate but maybe the more feminine Brunello of our tasting. Firm tannins. Needs a few more years. Very good.

Good to see that in such a small appellation, size wise, there is a lot of different styles. Of course, our tasting was a very small batch of what's available but except for the Collemattoni, the oak was somewhat restrained and wines showed different faces.

To me, Italian wines have that "Italian Funk", that smell that leads you to Italy right from the first sniff. Luckily, most of those Brunello has this funk, wrapped in a light oaky licorice sweetness. But that's what Brunello is about: burly, more often masculine than not, full body with plenty of dusty cherry notes that screams for venison.

The next years will be interesting to see if the market, especially the American, is still hot for those over oaked and over ripe versions or if a shift in style, just like it happened for Chardonnay, will take place. And hopefully it will !

Wines under blizzard

Spending a week in NYC during the holidays was fun. But what was even more fun was the stupid amount of snow that fell over that big blizzard, paralysing the city. I've been many times to NYC during the winter but never witnessed that mess in a city you would expect to react much quicker...anyway all that snow, wind and buses in the middle of the road deserved some hearty wines. Luckily we did not forget the wine in our cab



Frank Cornelissen Munjebel Bianco 6 (2009)


Natural winemaker from Sicily on the slopes on Mount Etna, many Cornelissen profiles have been written and I will not repeat what has already been said. Check http://www.wineanorak.com/magma.htm for a good one. You will not find any vintages on those Munjebels (he also makes a red version) but only numbers because of Italian laws. This number 6 is the 2009 vintage. Made from a blend of Carricante, Grecanico Dorato and Coda di Volpe, world famous grapes, at least in Frank's village, this wine is vinifed as a red wine: with a long skin maceration which gives the wine its cloudy orangy, golden color (no filtration at all here). No CO2 is used during fermentation hence the advise to keep it under 16C...


This wine is disturbing as you have to forget the way to drink and taste "normal" wines which is often the case with natural wine: you learn to think differently and open your mind to new aromas and texture.

Nose is somewhat reminiscent of an Ale mixed with cider. Once passing this stage, delicate floral components and orchard fruit appear. Fresh, especially for Sicily, the palate is similar and the tannins from the long skin maceration are kicking back on the finish. Really an experience that I totally enjoyed and I felt lonely on this one ! But I can understand people being put off.

Because a little of bit of sunshine was needed and because anything from Provence is great (there, I said it!), we uncorked a 2006 Le Galantin Bandol. Located in the Plan du Castellet, 4 miles away from the sea, this cuvee is close to 90% Mourvedre with the rest being grenache.
Organic practices, this wine was showing very young but still very Provencal. Plenty of garrigue with a lot of fruit. A little angular, time will help.

Domaine Barmès Buecher

Last November François Barmès was in Chicago and took some time to explain us his philosphy and taste with us a few of his wines. I've always been a big fan and meeting François was a treat.

The domain was created in 1985 by Geneviève (born Buecher) and François. The vineyards had been in their families since the 17th century. Ten years later, they converted the domain to biodynamics. At harvest, each varietal is harvested separately and picked by hand. Of course, only wild yeasts are used and absolutely no additives is permitted in the wines. François is a hard core and passionated for biodynamics and fully dedicated towards it. Wines are racked when the moon is descending and then bottled after a very light filtration.
The domain has been certified as biodynamic since 1998 and member of Biodyvin since 2002. They also are member of the "Renaissance des Appelations" (created by Nicolas Joly) since 2007.

While listening to François you could sense his passion. I did not have time to go through all the wines as I discussed with him for quite some time (he does not speak English and I was the only French). His father was not happy at all when François decided to convert to biodynamics and the magic thing was when he admitted that whenever he does not feel good, he just goes for a walk in his vineyards and resource himself.

All the wines shows a tremendous acidity and droiture.

2008 Pinot Noir Vieilles Vignes Hengst

54 years old vines on marly limestone soil. 24 months in new barrels. The white marl helps to retain some acidity and the southern exposure of the Hengst vineyard gives the ripeness to the pinot. The vines here come from the Angerville Clos des Ducs parcel in Burgundy (Geneviève nanny was related to the Angerville or something like this...can't remember exactly!) . A lot of spices and strawberry. Slightly candied.

2007 Riesling Clos Sand

Young vines (9 years) on granitic soil. Delicious. Rock water with some lime and citrus. Totally dry and an apparent minerality and high acidity. Love it.

2008 Riesling Grand Cru Hengst

30 years old vines and marly limestone soil. Higher yield than the Clos Sand. Shows more ripeness than Clos Sand (southern exposure) with some honey notes. Again those mineral notes and high acidity. The finish is exotic but always fresh and energetic. Dry.

2008 Pinot Gris Rosenberg

21 years old vines. François says that because the PG is usually a round with butter notes, relatively neutral varietal, he uses barrels here for the oxydation of the pinot gris and develop the aromatics. Botrytis is also always present.

Some honey, lime and wood on the nose. Exotic fruits. Rich and sweet with more mango on the palate. Nice floral notes to add complexity. Needs time but already not heavy and digest.

2008 Gewurtztraminer Grand Cru Steingrubler

30 years old vines, marly limestone with granite as well.
Rose Turkish delight and violets. Sweet and a little forward right now. Some orange notes. The wine avoids showing too much of the grape usual exuberance which is a good thing. This is not another varietal caricature.

Merci François !