Some "feels good" wines

We went back home for 3 days and he was great to be in sunny Paris. After having lunch with a good friend, I realised how I missed the French bistrots where you can eat some simple but delicious food along nice wines without having to pay $80 for the bottle.

So to go along the kidneys, we choosed a 2008 Domaine Richaud Cairanne. Marcel Richaud is a famous name in the Cotes du Rhone appelation. A few times his wines have been refused by the INAO because of a lack of tipicity. Hum....lack of tipicity? I think they're were just too good and different from many crappy CdR so the INAO had to refuse them. Anyway, Marcel Richaud is a fantastic winemaker respecting the terroir and grapes. Manual harvest, indigenous yeast, no acididification or chaptalisation...you get the picture. This 2008, while young (obviously) was perfect along the kidneys and entrecote. Totally open and showing very well. Floral and mineral on the nose with garrigue and licorice. Mainly dark fruits and earthy notes. It's already balanced and will only improve with time. The 14.5% are well integrated. You want to taste where the wine comes from and with the 1st sip you know you are in Provence.

Along the turbo for dinner, a superb 2008 Francois Cotat, Les Monts Damnes was sacrificed. I say sacrificed because Francois' wines needs 10 years. But boy, it's too hard to wait that long! As predicted, this was really tight. Wet rocks and cassis leaf. Powerful on the palate. Not much fruit right now but I love the acidity and light mineral notes. As usual it is never a disappointment with Francois!This needs to go to sleep for a few years.

Different register the next day with a Jérôme Prévost La Closerie Les Beguines (LC07) and a 1999 Clos Rougeard.

Jérôme Prévost started doing his champagnes in Selosse's cellar because of a lack of...cellar! His 1st vintage is 1998 as he was previously selling his grapes.
He harvests at a high degree of ripeness in order to avoid chaptalization and fermentation takes place with indigenous yeasts in 450- to 600-liter oak barrels. While never a declared vintage champagne, he uses grapes from a single year and the code on the bottle (LCxx) indicates the millesime. The 2007 is a great extra brut. 100% pinot meunier from old vines, there's not really one fruit coming out but instead a complex array of aromas. Impeccable balance, it made me think of a white burgundy with a touch of cognac oak like.You can definitely see the Selosse influence here even though this champagne is not as vinous. Took a little time to open up. Might be a good idea to decant it for 20-30mn.

The Clos Rougeard was no surprise: it was just awesome. A little decanting was in order and this Clos Rougeard was in a soft spot. Intoxicating and complex nose with a touch of cedar, lots of tobacco, a touch of bell pepper. All that is backed up by a good and fresh fruit. Round, it shows more earthy notes on the palate with a long finish. The balance is where it should be with a nice acidity. It somehow reminded me a little bit of a Bordeaux with more acidity and earthy notes. Simply delicious and à point.

How can you not feel good after wines like this?!

Why oh why?!

Yes, that's the question I asked myself when we finished our latest blind tasting. I'm not sure why and how we came up with that theme, maybe we were drunk or high at the time but we decided to taste blind some Russian River Valley pinots against some Sonoma Coast pinots.
Well you heard it all: cool regions, micro-climate bla bla bla... This is total BS. It might be a cool climate if you compare it to Namibia but when you actually drink those wines, there's absolutely nothing cool about it.
Now I know I should not generalize with only the 5 bottles we had during the tasting but this goes beyond this tasting. Hardly do I remember any pinot from those AVAs that gave me goose bumps.

Anyway, we tasted blind the following 5 pinots:

1998 Martinelli, Martinelli Vineyard - Russian River Valley
Pale cherry core, hazy. Pretty nose with tobacco, red cherry and strawberry along earthy and light licorice notes.Full body, ripe fruits on the palate which matches the nose with additional violet notes. Coarse, some heat on the finish.

2008 Rivers-Marie - Sonoma Coast
Very ripe nose: cherry and a mix of quetsch and prunes. Med body, round and again those very ripe fruits on the palate. Very candy like. Really boring right now and is more similar to a cheap syrah (not shiraz) than a pinot noir.

2006 Freeman - Sonoma Coast
Lighter color than the Rivers Marie. Started pretty well with some enjoyable red cherry (also clafouti), herbs and licorice notes. Balanced, interesting cassis leaf notes. But with air, it became heavy with a sweet fruit in a wine lacking acidity. Another pass...

2005 Joseph Swan, Saralee's vineyard - Russian River Valley
Med cherry core. Smoke, grenadine and cherry, blood orange with a touch of oak and plum. Med body, round, balanced, good acidity. More dark cherry but the fruit is a little candied. Some heat on the tart finish. While OK and not over the top, this is boring and too easy. Based on this bottle, I don't see this bottle age very long.

2007 Merry Edwards - Sonoma Coast
Well, good I knew we were tasting pinot here cause it smells everything but pinot. Oh, and the palate as well. I was shocked to see this was Edwards. I always read good things on her, but this bottle was everything I don't want in my pinot. Oh well...

The verdict was clear for all of us: a big disappointment.
We had pretty big names of none of those pinot showed something attracting, at least to us.
Where is the sense of place? terroir? elegance? class?
It looks as the producer is definitely more important than if your pinot is from Sonoma Coast or RRV. They all show sweet fruit, lack acidity,
Among those 5, the Swan and Martinelli showed an interesting nose but then over ripe palate. The Swan being the only wine below 14%...

Well, let's go back to Burgundy, and fast!

A white that was not supposed to age...

Who said there are no wines good enough to age 15-20 years in the Languedoc? Well Mr Guibert would certainly not tell you such idiotic comments, that's for sure!

If you've seen Mondovino, you certainly know Aimé Guibert. Right after watching the movie, I loved this character, full of emotions and history. I honestly don't care to know the truth about the Mondavi affair in Aniane. What I know is I liked what transpired from Mr Guibert even if I'm conscious that there's much more to this story than what we will ever know.

Anyway, Mas Daumas Gassac, located in the Vallée d'Aniane in the Languedoc, vinified the white Daumas Gassac for the 1st time in 1986 with some Viognier, Chardonnay, Petit Manseng and Chenin Blanc as main grape varieties. The red had been released for the 1st time 8 years earlier in 1978.
It takes a lot of courage to settle in a relatively unknown region and terroir with the hope to make great wine. But it certainly paid off.

The vineyard benefit from a cool micro climate (500m altitude) with poor soil with a very good drainage.
The complexity of the white wine comes from the multitude of cepages used. If as I already mentioned, the Chardonnay, Petit Manseng, the Chenin Blanc and Viognier represents up to 90% of the wine, the remaining 10% are a patchwork of very old varietals from Madeira, Portugal, Yemen...

No machines used here of course for picking.
Macération pelliculaire at 10°C for between five and seven days, followed by fermentation in inox vats at 20/25°C for three weeks. It is then filtered through fossilised seashells before being returned to the vats.

So last Friday, we opened a 1996 Daumas Gassac Blanc.The Guibert describes the 1996 vintage as unique in the Languedoc: a tropical one. Picked from September 9 to 13th, the temperature being over 35C. The least we can say is you can totally read the vintage in the wine! A touch of RS, honey notes with hay, apricot and pear. Somehow it reminded me of a 20 years old Spatlese on the nose. Almost oily and very round, it still shows a perfect balance with enough acidity to lift the wine. Very long finish and very complex. A beautiful wine.

I have to admit that I love wines that shows the vintage, poor or good. I don't want the same wine year after year and thankfully Mas Daumas Gassac manages to integrate the millesime in their wines.

Can it get any better?

I've never been a big believer in pairings. While there are certainly some food to avoid with certain wines (or vice-versa) in general the wine works out pretty well with any food (yeah right, of course don't try a stupid 17% Zin with a delicate fish...but you get the picture).
Maybe on one or two occasions did I found the wine-food pairing really compelling. Like for example, that crazy 1959 Rivesaltes from Domaine Vila with a chocolate tart. In this case, all the flavors were in symbiosis. I remember thinking, wow, this is pure heaven. They are meant for each others ! But, really, how many times has it happened? Yes, exactly, not that often...
But this week, a Macle miracle happened...

Two months ago, while in New-York, we bought some 4 years old Gouda. So when I saw the 2005 Cotes du Jura Jean Macle at Crush, I immediately thought about that Gouda...and boy what a pairing ! The nuttiness and pungent flavors of the aged gouda completed the curry and oxidative notes of this spectacular Cotes du Jura. What I loved in this wine is that the oxidative notes are not over the top. The wine is fresh, nice fruit and very complex. To give you an idea of the acidity in that wine, the pH is 3.06 !!

This wine is made from 85% chardonnay and 15% savagnin grown on a calcareous clay soil. Rather young vines (20 years), no insecticides, pesticides...Totally natural...Both the alcoholic fermentation and the MLF are done in cuves. Then the wines are aged separately in pièces (i.e. 228l barriques) usually for a minimum of 2 years (even though the 2005 was raised for 18 months sous voile). The pièces are not filled to the top and develop the famous voile (thin yeast layer on top of the wine).

The chardonnay and savagnin assemblage (blend) is made after the Macles taste every barrels. It is very interesting to note that several bottlings (mise en bouteille) occur during the year. The code on the bottle indicates which bottling it corresponds to (on my bottle, code was L.07.05).

I'm looking forward to taste the 2007 version since Laurent (Mr Macle son) vinified the wine in a non oxidative style. But what will we drink then with our gouda? :-))

A dinner with a Master of Burgundy: Clive Coates

Clive was staying with us at home for 3 days in Chicago. I set up a dinner in his honor last Tuesday, even though it was a root day :)

Clive passed his Master of wine in 1971 and has been a wine merchant for a long time. The, as we all know, he wrote what is, in my opinion, The reference, the Bible of Burgundy: Côte D'Or: A Celebration of the Great Wines of Burgundy.


A revised edition, with a new section on Chablis has also been released: The wines of Burgundy.
Those 2 books are the only ones I need when I'm looking for any information on Burgundy.


We asked our friends who were joining the dinner to bring a bottle of Burgundy to share.

A few of the wines we had:

• 1990 Dom Perignon


• 1998 Pol Roger, Winston Churchill


• 1990 Clos de Tart


• 1998 Chambertin, Rousseau


• 1998 Chambertin Clos de Beze, Bruno Clair


• 1998 DRC Romanee St Vivant


• 2001 Confuron-Cotetidot, Gevrey Lavaux St Jacques


• 2001 Montrachet, M Coutoux


• 2002 Corton Charlemagne, Girardin


• 1996 Dugat Py, Petite Chapelle


• 1995 Chambolle Charmes, G Barthod


• 1999 Corton Renardes, M Delarche


• 1996 Chevalier Montrachet, Leflaive


• 2000 MSD, Dujac


• 1991 Gouges, NSG Vaucrains


• 2001 Chambolle, Mugnier


• 2003 Leroy, Savigny Les Ratausses


• 1997 Mikulski, Meursault Genevrieres


• 2006 Simmonet Febvre, Les Clos


• 2000 Corton Rognet, Ambroise


• 2003 Charmes Chambertin, N Potel


• 1985 Albert Morot, Beaune Bressandes


• 1988 Albert Morot, Beaune Bressandes


• 2007 Pernand Les Combottes, Rapet


• 2002 Chassagne Les Vergers, Jean-Marc Pillot


• 2007 Puligny Les Luzins, Marc Colin
  

It was a pleasure to drink with Clive and listen to his stories.

A great dinner with friends, bottles being passed around....exactly what wine is about.
Among Clive favorites, a pair of 1998s: Rousseau Chambertin and the Bruno Clair Clos de Beze and a wonderful and elegant 1990 Clos de Tart. Indeed, simply awesome wines!
But plenty of other wines showed very well, despite the root day: the 95 Barthod, the 2001 Confuron Cotetidot and a wonderful 1991 Gouges Vaucrains now at its peak.
2 big disapointments: a corked Dugat-Py and an unspiring Montrachet from Coutoux...oh well, even this was not enough to spoil a great evening!


The next day, Clive proposed to cook dinner for us. How can you say no to someone with culinary training?!!
A very good dover sole, enjoyed with Clive, my wife and 4 other friends. After the previous night fest and also to pair along our dinner, refreshing whites were in order.
We started with a perfect Michel Arnould Reserve Champagne.
Then we moved to a beautiful, balanced 2007 Clos des Briords VV Muscadet from Marc Ollivier. Mineral,refreshing. Very fine.

We quickly forgot a corked 2004 Raveneau MontMains (although I wonder why this has to happen with a Dugat-Py and Raveneau and not with an Argentinian malbec..). To replace it, we opened a great 1996 Chassagne Montrachet Les Champgains from Michel Niellon. At its peak now.
Also opened a 2002 Excelsior Clos du Poyet muscadet from Luneau-Papin. I have to admit that this wine did nothing for me.
A 2002 Deiss Engelgarten impressed me with its minerality and focus and a very good 2002 Dr. Bürklin Wolf Ruppertsberger Gaisböhl Riesling trocken.
Because no meal is complete without a red wine (not really but that's the only lame excuse I found), we opened a 1995 Dominique Laurent Volnay Caillerets with now the oak integrated and an absolutely wonderful 2004 Chambolle Musigny from Fourrier.

Beyond the wines which were very good, the company was even better. Really, what more can you ask than having good friends, good laughs when sharing good wine and food.
It was a delight to listen to Clive stories, parts of his life, Burgundian adventures...and much more!