Easter in Alsace
Over the Easter weekend we traveled to Holtzheim, a small village 15 min west of Strasbourg, France. LOTS of outdoor activities were planned, including easter egg hunts and family fun in the vineyards of Alsace....Unfortunately, the family time in the vineyards was not to be as the weather turned cold and it snowed. Dad DID get a chance to take a day with another wine lover along the wine route, however...

Holtzheim is in the Bas-Rhin, or lower Rhine. Lower, because it’s near the end of the river, not because it’s the northern part of the river. As for wine growing the Bas-Rhin has been the underachieving part of Alsace but because of this reputation you can find some good bargain in the great Reislings, Gewurtztraminers and Pinot Blancs of Alsace.

Almost due west of Holtzheim is Molsheim, the first town we checked out for producers. Molshiem, is famous for cars as well. It’s the home of Bugatti, and you can tour the factory that today make the world’s fastest and most expensive production car, the Veyron....

My friend tried to find Domaine Klingenfus, as he had had good luck with this small domain and their 2005 Gewurtz grand cru bruderthal received one star in the 2008 Guide Hachette. But no luck. We instead knocked on the door of Dom. G. Neumeyer. A lovely surprise as his 2007 riesling was alive and fresh with good ripeness (€7). The grand cru brunderthal Riesling and gewurtz were also lovely (€15).

It was a luck guess, because not only were his wines the best we tasted all day but he gave us free passes to the Wine expo in Paris this weekend; and it just so happened that I planned on going. See you in Paris Mr Neumeyer!

Tasting with the Belgians part 3

Reds (part 2)

...continuing with the Languedoc...

1. Wine 20:  Deep purple, stinky and woody in the nose, and so much structure in the mouth I thought it was never going to leave.  Overpowered.  Some thought it ws young with potention for aging, I didn't.  2005 Ch. La Liquiere (AOC Faugeres) "Tucade".  70% Mouvedre and 30% syrah.
2. Wine 21: Red purple color with mint, oak, and sappy fruit. Wonderful balance on the palate with soft tannins. "A Parker wine", was one comment heard at the table. I don't know but this "Dans la Peau", 90% syrah, 10% grenache (AOC Faugeres) from Les Amants de la Vigneronne was outstanding. 35€.  I'm a big fan of what they do.

On to the Roussillon...

1. Wine 22 was a saturated purple-blue, with an inky oily and blueberry nose.  Stone.  Very carignan (reminded me of Roc des Anges) in its unique sweet and sappy style.  2005 Eternelles "Elsa"  (grenache/carignan blend).
   
2. Wine 23:  Purple blue (again), with stinky blueberry and spicy nose.  Super rich in the mouth but with a fresh acidity.  Inky and palate staining, with a rich and sappy finish.  2005 "Ascencio" (aoc Cotes de Roussillon) from Domaine Singla.  100% syrah and delicious for 15€.
3. Wine 24:  Red purple robe with mushroomy nose.  Bitter blackberry and cherry, tar andtannins on the palate..  The finish was medium short with tannins.  A complex and mouth-watering blend of grenache, carignan, and syrah.  2005 "La Pinede" Domaine Singla (AOC Cotes de Roussillon)  11€
4. Wine 25:  Red-purple robe.  Spices, blackberry, volatile and perfumed on the nose.  Young and tight in the mouth and finish but the nose was amazing.  100% Grenache 2005 "Passe Temps"(vin de pays des cotes de catalans) Domaine Singla.  11€.  Amazing quality for the price.  I was bowled over with the QPR of these last three wines.
5. Wine 26:  Blue-purple, with an intense nose of blackberry, medicine and oak.  Cool and minty in the mouth, with flowers, cream, tar and blueberries. Pepper with sweet tannins.  Pepper dominates the medium long finish.  A tad volatile.  Another stellar wine:  2005 "El Moli" (vin de pays des cotes catalanes) Domaine Singla.  13€
6. Wine 27:  Inky black color with mushroom and oaky nose.  Power and class in the mouth with red earth but very closed.  Yup, 2005 "La Crinyane" (aoc Cote du Rousillon) Domaine Singla.  17€.  Amazing quality at this price level.
7. We finished with two more wines but I was too distracted by the Dom Singla.  Time for a visit the the Roussillon

Tasting with the Belgians (part 2)

The Reds (part 1):

After  the whites we moved on to 30 different reds from the Languedoc-Rousillon.  As with the whites, they were served single-blind, going from lighter in style to heavier.  Leading off were two wines made by carbonic maceration, a technique that promotes primary fruit flavors and was popularized in Beaujolais. (I'll save the details for another time.)  

1. Wine three from Domaine Mas des Agrunelles (seen earlier with a delicious white), this time their 100% carignan from 50 year-old vines, "La Carino" (I did not get the appelation but it might well have been a vin de pays).  Super saturated blue/purple color.  Leather and coffee (along with a bit of funk).  Acidic and tannic with as short finish.  Young and simple but good with saussicon sec.  A bistrot wine for sure (about 5€).  (The wines were going fast and I didn't get all the names..only those that I really liked for quality and price)  
2. Wine seven then stuck out (in a good way).  From Puech Auger, their "Les Faisses de Jean" a blend of syrah, mouvedre and grenache (AOC Coteaux de Languedoc), a barrel sample, was purple-ruby in color, very ripe with tar, mint, smoke and red fruit flavors.  A closed in finish was not surprising considering it still needs time before bottling.    A fair price at 8.5€.
   
3. Wine eight was faulty, nine was dull, then 11 got interesting again...  Domaine Mas des Agrunelles,...again!  "Carmin," their blend of syrah grenache, carignan and cabernet sauvignon for 10.5€.  Red purple color with an expressive black fruit nose.  Ripe black fruit on the palate with sweet round tannins for the finish.  One of my favorites of the night.  
4. Wine 12 was pleasing, a Faugeres (AOC) by Ch. La Liquiere.  Good stink in the nose (dirt, mushrooms, decaying matter) with a cool and minty finish.  
5. Wine 13, 2006 Valjulius, was a hit with the table in general (but I was slow to come around).  Made of syrah, grenach and cab sauv., deep ruby color with wood, red fruit, spice and cheese rind on the nose.  Spicy wood, tar blueberries and medium bodied in the mouth, it showed its tannins on the finish.  Too woody I thought, but definitely stylish.
   
6. Wine 14, 2004 Puech Auger (AOC Montepeyroux) syrah grenache mouvedre and carignan (oak aged) deepr ruby with a "classic" southern French volatile nose, pure and sappy on the palate, raspberry, with a sappy finish.  Poised. Around 12€
7. Wine 15 was a head turner.  Dom. Les Amants de la vigneronne, " Le Rouge aux Levres" (AOC Faugeres) like Mas des Agrunelles, these guys are spending more time on their wines than on their web site.   Dull purple but ripe blackberry, smoke and mint on the nose.  Ripe and spicy but medium bodied (a bit thin??), with a spicy, smoky, nutty and blueberry finish.  As you will see, I liked several of their cuvees...So did the Guide Hachette (2008) and they gave their "De chair et de sang" 2005 one star.
8. Wine 19, 2003 Mas de Perry, (AOC Coteaux de Languedoc) from the winemaker of Mas des Agrunelles (crazy how this blind tasting showed my consistency).  Only 1,000 bottles produced of this syrah mouvedre blend (22€).  Deep ruby color with dirty blueberries on the nose.  Tight and intense blueberries on the palate too.  A super Languedoc.
9. Wine 20 was overdone.  Ch La Liquiere "Tucade" (AOC Faugeres) was stinky and woody with WAYYY too much structure for too little fruit.  27€
10. to be continued....

Tasting with the Belgians

Languedoc-Rousillon tasting at the Kempisch Wijnhuis:

The whites

Lutgard and her husband gathered about 10 of her best customers to help them evaluate "a few" of their latest finds discovered at this year's Vini Sud in Montpellier, France.  

All wines were served single-blind and most of the discussion was in Flemmish, but I soldiered on!  Ik spreek een weinig nederlands!

We started with a lemony and acidic Cava that didn;t leave many impressed but quickly moved on to the 13 whites.  Whites from the Languedoc (and southern France in general) are typically made from grenache blanc, rousanne, marsanne and clairette with chardonnay and sauvignon-blanc playing lesser roles in this region; it's just too hot down there for these very popular grapes.  The styles fall in two catagories, heavy and a bit bitter-sweet and very dry light and acidic.  Most ofthese wines had very little color.  Only the odd barrel-aged chardonnay showed much color.

One of the favorite  whites was from Domaine de la Bouysse (vin de pays d'Oc) made of grenache blanc and macabeo for 5€.  Very pale green in color that was very aromatic (lychee, clove, and resin) and medium bodied with fresh spicy pineapple flavors.  The finish was delicious fresh, long and spicy.  For 5€ a bottle this is one for to stock up on for the summer.  

An example of a sauv-blanc/chardonnay blend came from Domaine Gourgazaud.:  "Gourgazaud jr" (vins de pays, Minervois)For 6€ the color was a pale yellow, with a muted nose, golden raisins and low acid in the mouth.  Uinteresting.  Their normal 100% chardonnay was a bit better with a nose of lime and flavors of bitter almond, it wasn't bad but not your typical chardonnay...I'll stick to Burgundy, thanks.

A stunning white came from the rather well-known Chateau La Liquiere (A.O.C. Faugeres).  "Les Amandiers." 

 Made of rousanne, grenache blanc and clairette, it was pale green (crystal clear)  and had a beautiful yet delicate nose of flowers and stone.  In the mouth it was lime, almond with refreshing acidity and balance.   A medium-light bodied wine that was extremely pretty to smell and a joy to drink.  9€  (great web site too!)

The Chateau La Liquiere "Cistus" blanc was also delicious and more refined. Made of Rousanne and grenache blanc, the color was brilliant and deeper (yellow straw) and the nose was restrained but concentrated lime/apple notes.  The taste was complex and intense with a lovely fresh acidity to keep it in balance.   The chateau is well distribbuted in the US and i've seen it in Mass as well.

Another favorite  was from domaine Mas des Agrunelles, and their "Fleur Blanche" (A.O.C Cot. de Languedoc) 

A newcomer, indeed, they started in 2000, but not without the right mindset: to produce at low quantity but high quality.  The result of their dedication is to have their wines listed at two 3-star restaurants Jardin des Sens and Michel Bras as well as the newly opened Alain Ducasse "Dorchester" restaurant in London.  Their organic vineyard techniques and natural practices in the cellar are paving the way.... Again, a pale-yellow color, here the nose is of delicate flowers and almond.  In the mouth it's big and rich with lime, apricots and chalk.    It finishes round with limy chalky flavors.  Lip smacking delicious.

On to the reds....

I'm off tonight to an industry only tasting in Belgium, in support of my favorite little wine store in Flanders: the Kempisch Wijnhuis. The owner asked me to help her go through 50+ wines she wants to consider for her catalog. I hope I find some stars to bring back to my customers in Mass. I'll post the report tomorrow.

2005 Burgundy...more good press

I mentioned in a recent newsletter that 2005 Burgundy was an acclaimed vintage.  A vintage to buy, cellar and drink.   It seems that the Wall Street Journal is the latest to heap praise on it.  Their article in the 7 March 2008 Weekend Edition tasted 2005 wines from the famous (and expensive) villages of Gevrey-Chambertin and Volnay.  Large and small producers were represented and the high quality could be seen across villages and producers.  Me too, I would love to drink all of the wines they tasted, but not one of them was under $37.  For high quality Burgundy and a more palatable price, remember the quality producers of the Cote Chalonnaise.  Like Domaie Ragot, from Givry, that I profiled in a video on this blog and a photo essay on monkscellar.com.  The wines are pure and well structured and provide more pleasure for your buck, and are under $30.  At a time when the buck keeps falling in value, we need the likes of the Cote Challonaise to help with our Burgundy habit!  Wanna find some??  Call Bottle N Cork in Grafton, MA.  They have the 1er Cru "Les Bergers"

Monks Cellar wine tasting.

On the Friday, 29 Feb. at Bottle N Cork in  Grafton, MA, Monks Cellar hosted a wine tasting of the "utterly distinctive wines" of Vineyard Research Imports.  David Raines, founder, poured for about 35 people who came for the tasting.  Among the wines were two recently profiled on Monks Cellar:  Domaine Belleville (Rully) and Domaine Ragot (Givry)

Those in attendance took home a copy of a winemaker recipe that you can find on this blog here.

 

Thanks to Vineyard Research and Bottle N Cork for coming together for this tasting.  And thanks to all the wine lovers who made the trip.  I hope you enjoyed it.

Monks Cellar hopes to  bring you more exciting wines, like those of Vineyard Research, and plans more tastings across MA with different retailers.  Stay tuned to this space so you'll be the first to know!