What time is it? It's cassoulet time!

Well of course I could have answered It's Boss time! Any Sprinsgteen fan would have understood but this time, cassoulet was the subject (evn though I'd suggest listening to Springsteen while having cassoulet, can't beat that!).

Rumor has it:
During the siege of Castelnaudary during the “100 years” war (1337 – 1453) was cooked the very first beans “estofat”.
Gathering all the leftovers available, the cooks from this ancient time prepared a unique dish made with beans and various meat pieces in order to give strength and power to the warriors defending the city. After that marvelous lunch, …and a bit of wine too…, the warriors charged the British army who immediately left in panic and, according to legend, did not stop running until they arrived to the coastal line of the Channel.

The Recipe, straight from the official website of Castelnaudary (which is between you and me the BEST place to eat cassoulet)

Ingredients

-350 to 400g of dry Haricot Lingots
-2 legs of duck or goose confit, cut in two pieces each
-4 pork sausages of 80g each
-4 pieces of pork meat, 50g each. Preferably leg, shoulder or belly
-250g of pork skin, of which half will be used after the cooking for the final assembly
-A little of bacon
-1 spoon of concentrated tomatoes
-1 poultry carcass, or few pork bones
-Onions
-Carrots
-Garlic

You see where I'm going: we decided, before Spring/Summer arrive in Chicago to fest with a home made cassoulet.

You start with covering the bottom of the dish with fat

Then you add more pork belly because you can never have too much


Gaetano home made duck confit


The final result

Cassoulet has nothing fancy and is not supposed to. On the opposite, this is a dish to be shared with friends and family.
Great evening with friends, food and wines.


We started with 2 champagnes although totally different. The Pierre Peters is simply great, vibrant, mineral, balanced. All you can ask for. The Jean Vesselle Reserve is easy to drink, not overly complex but crisp and balanced.

A nice mix of quite different wines followed to pair with the cassoulet.

The 2005 Eddie Feraud Châteauneuf-du-Pape was a nice surprise after trying a 2006 that I did not like.Nice nose with plenty of garrigue, prune and light, fresh licorice.This is certainly ripe but manage to stay balanced despite a rather low acidity. Nice fruits on the palate with rich strawberry and cherry with prune and other dark fruits. Interesting earthy notes. Hint of minerality as well. It drinks very well right now.
The 2004 Domaine Laffont Madiran Erigone had a masculine nose with meaty notes along leather, plum and chocolate. Full body, firm tannins, this is a wine which needs food. Plenty of burlat cherry (somehow reminds me a little bit of bandol). Nice wine, not overly complex. No rush to drink.
A very good 2006 Chateau de Mayragues Gaillac, 50% Duras and 50% Syrah, very peppery and bright juicy fruit. Balanced and fresh. Almost gamay like fruits.
Also interesting to try a 2001 Bodega Catena Zapata Nicolás Catena Zapata (blend of malbec and Cab Sauv). Very young but also very ripe and very simple. Not really my cup of tea but it is always interesting to try some "older" wines from regions you're used to drink only young wines.
To go with a very, very, very good dessert made by Mary, we had a really nice 2001 Jurancon from Lapeyre. Balance, not very sweet with plenty of white peach skin and orchard fruits.

A great evening and for a moment, Castelnaudary was really not that far away from Chicago...

Scotch Garglers Blind tasting: Riesling

Theme of our blind tasting was Riesling from Germany and France.

As soon as we decided to do Riesling, one thing came to mind. No it was not Mosel or petrol or acidity...it was choucroute!! Hell yeah !
Yeah yeah, ok I will also talk about the wines we had but boy the choucroute was good !

First time we were doing a home made choucroute, it is actually pretty easy but my wife really rocked (although I did my part of cooking: I poured the beer over the cabbage...hum)!!



Cabbage, polish sausage, german wiener, onions, garlic, cloves, bay leaves, potatoe, smoked ham and beer. How can you possibly go wrong with all that?!


As part of our ritual we started with our mistery wine of the evening, tasted double blind: nice mineral notes, spices, cinnamon and ginger bread. Almost full body, round with a hint of licorice and yeast. ....... 2005 Domaine de la Louvetrie, Jo Landron, Le Fief du Breil.

I was way off on this one, having had the 2004 not long ago this was a different beast, much bigger. Still nice, this should be put in your cellar and be forgotten for years.


Then on to the show (with a Silvaner introduced by mistake!!).



1993 Hans Wirsching Iphöfer Julius-Echter-Berg Silvaner Spätlese trocken
Germany, Franken - 13.5%
Right away showed some age on the nose. Elegant honey, pineapple and hay.
Some RS on the palate but not as much as you would expect from the nose.
A slight herbal bitterness on the finish and diesel notes along a subtle minerality.
Very interesting and I don't think it will improve anymore.
13.5%




2005 Hans Wirsching Iphöfer Kronsberg Riesling Spätlese trocken -
Germany, Franken - 14.5%
A lot of tropical fruits on the nose along honey on the sweet nose.
Palate shows high acidity with an oily mouthfeel. A nice refreshing bitter grapefruit on the finish. Interesting raspberry note on the mid palate.
On day 2, this was completely different: much more mineral, smoky with lime and pear with always that great bitterness. The evolution this wine showed makes me think that even though this has a screwcap, this should be cellared a few more years.
Well made.

2007 Selbach-Oster Riesling Kabinett -
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer - 9.5%
Nose was screaming Mosel with lemon, lime and intense minerality. Maybe a touch of honey.
Palate is not as elegant as the nose with much more exotic fruits (mango) along apple and apricot.
Very high acid which, on this bottle, did not seem integrated. Almost wondered if this was acidified. Definitely some RS, off dry.
Overall not bad but really simple.


2007 Weingut Robert Weil Riesling Estate Riesling Dry -
Germany, Rheingau - 11.5%
Very light straw. Somewhat shy nose.
Lime, lemon and minerals. Dry, elegant, austere with very good acidity and green apple on the palate.
Really enjoyed it.






2006 Weingut Geschwister Schuch Niersteiner Pettenthal Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Rheinhessen - 10%
Hint of vanilla on the nose along honey and lots of tropical fruits (mango, pinapple, papaya).
Thick texture, candied pineapple on the finish. Reminds me of a Sauternes, less sweet of course.
Much less acidity compared to the other wines tasted along.


2006 Kruger-Rumpf Münsterer Kapellenberg Riesling Kabinett -
Germany, Nahe - 10%
Nice petrol notes along green apple and lime.
Off dry, rich and full body but still balanced.
A little sweeter than its peers. Simple.

2004 Dirler-Cade Riesling Bollenberg -
France, Alsace - 12.5%
Spices, peach and smoky mineral notes emerged from the nose.
A little more lemon and grapefruit on the palate. Dry, med body and balanced.
I like this wine but some strange buttery notes on the finish distract me and I would have liked a little more acidity.

My favorites were the Weil, the Franken riesling and the Dirler (save for that weird buttery note).
The 2005 Hans Wirsching was perhaps the most promising and really, in my opinion, a perfect example of what I expect and want to find in a German Riesling. Thanks Sheila for bringing those 2 Wirshings.

Overall a nice tasting. No bad wine but a few were really simple. Kind of wines you just drink without thinking about it too much and there's certainly nothing wrong with that.
The 2006 showed up a pretty big with less acidity than the 2007.
Nicest thing maybe was to see the wines showing the typicity of their regions. Always great to see a certain sense of place.
Also great to try other producers than the usual suspects (Prum Donnhoff etc...).

It would be nice if the producers could indicate the RS on the bottle. Indeed, even though you have the Kabinett mention on the label, you don't really know how sweet it is since each anbaugebiete has different levels for the different Qmp appelations. Same for Alsace. Save for Zind-Humbrecht and his stars rating, how do you know the sweetness level?

A glimpse of 2007 in Burgundy

The following notes are not super detailed as I don't really like spending time writing a lot of notes during a trade tasting. I prefer talking to the winemakers.
Those are more impressions on the style, balance of the wines.

Blain -Gagnard
Classic, rich and round Chassagne.

2007 Blain-Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot
Top soil is 100% clay on the Morgeot.
This Chassagne was more masculine than the Caillerets.
Round and rich, med acidity, earthy notes with a touch of mint. Lacks zip but nice.
Needs time.

2007 Blain-Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets
More limestone on top soil with clay underneath.
More acidity and minerality than the Morgeot, nice lime notes.


Bruno Colin
Good wines and good values here.

2007 Bruno Colin Chassagne-Montrachet
25% new oak.
Serious Chassagne village. Round with good acidity, the oak is well integrated. Light hazelnut notes with lemon.
Nice finish.

2007 Bruno Colin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers
Limestone-clay soil.
The Vergers shows more Puligny character with usually more acidity and minerality than other Chassagne.
Very good Vergers here with lemon and citrus notes, wood spices and high acidity.
Needs time.


Philippe Colin
Good Chevalier.

2007 Philippe Colin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes
25% new oak.
Les Chenevottes lies next to Les Vergers with a soil which is more heavy in Chenevottes.
This is actually showing with a creamy and round texture.
Quite simple and a little boring (not enough acidity for me).

2007 Philippe Colin Chevalier-Montrachet
50% new oak, 50cm of terre rouge with limestone underneath.
The oak is already well integrated and the wine shows a beautiful elegance and depth. Mineral notes along lemon and pear.


Michel Niellon
Also tasted the Les Chaumees, Clos de la Truffiere (awesome)

2007 Domaine Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs-Gain
More clay than limestone in this parcel which usually makes a more masculine and burly wine.
But here, Niellon's touch is evident with a great wine, focused, high acidity with obvious flint notes.
Very fine.


Ramonet
Typical....Ramonet ! A style on its own.

2007 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Boudriotte
Boudriotte is the last 1er Cru on the slope, next to the main road. Lots of clay.

A weird showing for this wine. Very creamy (althought batonnage is only made once a month), peach yogurt and flabby on the nose/palate.

2007 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers
More elegance and acidity than in the Boudriotte. Nice mineral and lemon notes.
A little simple now but simply needs time.

2007 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos St. Jean
Very good. Bright cherry with earthy and leathery notes.
Balanced, good finish, drinking very well.
A wine to consume within 7-9 years.


Marquis d'Angerville
Impressive

2007 Domaine Marquis d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru
Pure, bright red fruits on the nose and palate with beautiful floral notes. Elegant, focused with a good structure.
Very Volnay like.

2007 Domaine Marquis d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Champans
Some iron in the soil and less rocks.
What a great wine.
Smoky, meaty nose with beautiful mineral and violets and cherry.
Perfect acidity, balance and structure.


Domaine de Courcel
Classic Pommard, very good but needs time.

2006 Domaine de Courcel Pommard 1er Cru Grand Clos des Épenots
A little more clay in this parcel.
Tannins are quite firm and abundant in this big, meaty but balanced Pommard. Very good fruit.
Needs serious time!


Pierre Gelin
Very good Fixin here.

2007 Domaine Pierre Gelin Fixin 1er Cru Clos Napoleon
Very good Fixin here.
Rustic, a touch of green but with bright red fruits underneath adn well structured and balanced.
Well done.


Christophe Roumier
Christophe was here and what a great, accessible person. Super interesting to talk to.

2007 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Chambolle-Musigny
20% new oak here but this is impossible to tell.
Great texture with juicy red fruits and light mineral notes.
Needs time.

2007 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Clos de La Bussière
Clos de la Bussiere lies at the border of Chambolle.
A lot of ripe red fruits with a hint of raspberry. Easy and simple but the finish is actually very interesting with more complexity which makes me hopeful on this one.

Kyle and I with Christophe



This was a great occasion to try more 2007 Burgundy (with one 2006 in the mix).
I was already in love with the vintage and this only confirmed what my impressions. Super vintage in my opinion for the whites with a lot of acidity.
Easy and supple for the reds with bright fruits (a little less than 2008) and acidity.

Where is that chalkboard?

Temps are rising fast here in Chicago. Don't get too excited though, the way the weather goes here we might get some snow next week.


Anyway, enjoy the things while they last they say, so we decided to open a little Muscadet: 2004 Claude Branger, Terroir Les Gras Moutons (Domaine de La Haute Févrie).



Claude Branger is a member of Terra Vitis, an organization that sets guidelines for sustainable farming and monitors its members' practices to ensure quality control.
Unlike most growers he harvests by hand and ferments with native yeast.

Old vines (40-70) with a lot of granit, gneiss, this wine is pure chalk. If you could solidify it, you could write with chalk sticks..

Good fruits (think pear, lemon and green apple), almost full body by Muscadet standards, nice refreshing bitterness through floral notes, it finishes strong and is quite luscious. Interesting hazelnut note as well. Superb.
Now, where's that chalkboard?