Thanksgiving

On the eve before Thanksgiving it is obvious that we sit thinking about food, oh , glorious food. For me the best movie ever that focuses on food and its transcending power is: 

Babette's Feast

Enjoy this Thanksgiving

'tis the season (November tasting season)

After the harvest is done winemakers from all over France descend on Paris to push their product.  There is a wine tasting nearly every monday and three-day events starting each Friday during the month of November.  On top of the vente des vin des Hospices (Burgundy) and Beaujolais Nouveau, these tastings make November an important sales month for the domaines and for a lot of work for the trade.

Last Friday was Le Grand Tasting at Le Louvre, hosted by Bettane and Desseauve, and is one of the splashiest events of the year.   For €20 you get to drink all the great wines from France and beyond; Valandraud, Dom Perignon, great Burgundies, Ch Climens, Ch Rayas, etc.  It is also a time for the established new stars; Nicolas Rossignol of Volnay (too extracted for my taste but imported in the US by Martine's wines), Vergnon of champagne, Dom Richaud (Rhone), etc.

Monday there were two tiny (by comparison) tastings, a Montlouis then a Savoie tasting.  At SYDR (a hip and modern bar near the Arc de Triumphe) some of the best producers from the Vourvray's sister village (Montlouis) were on hand.  F Chidane and his biodynamic chenins was the most notable, among 20 or so young and dynamic producers.  A mostly trade event the movers and shakers of the industry were there to taste including Jacqueline Friedrich.

Next was the Savoie tasting at Les Fines Gueules, and tiny and progressive wine bar next to the Banque de France in the 1er arrondissement.  The bar in itself reminded me of a bar in Cambride, MA the Miracle of Science, in it's triangular shape and the wines...mondeuse, mondeuse and more mondeuse.   All organic producers and one rebellious biodynamic producer who, instead of using copper sulfate on his wines, treated them with essential oils...Here we have the true pioneers (sic) of winemaking, and with yields all under 20 ha/hl....tough way to make a living.

Later this week is the salon des Vigneron independants in Paris so stay tuned.....

Beaune 08 re-cap

Although I did not join the party at La Paulée, I felt like I tasted as much over the 4 days in Beaune.  The most remarkable were the following, in no particular order:

• 08 Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru "Les Clavoillon", Leflaive
  
• 08 Le Musigny, Drouhin
• 76 Meursault 1er cru "Poruzots", Buisson-Charles
• 05 Latricières-Chambertin, Rossignol-Trapet
• 07 Le Montrachet, Drouhin

La vie est belle.....

Sunday (16 November)

Sunday Thomas and I meet at Dom Buisson-Charles in Meursault for our rendez-vous at Dom Drouhin. The Drouhin winery is a nondescript building from the '70s w/o a sign, in the outskirts of Beaune. This is not where their receive guests, it is where they make their wine.

Patrick's buddy is the chief oenologist at Drouhin and we are his guinea pigs as he walks us through the massive winery (for burgundy standards) and the tasting of their 2008 reds and whites. Mr Thunevin has good fun playing aloof but we are all feeling very privileged. Rully blanc, Clos des Mouches (red and white), Meursault Pucelles, Chambolle les Amoureuses, Volnay Clos des Chenes, Bonne Mares, Griottes-Chambertin, Musigny, Batard-Montrachet, etc... We are standing next to 40 (!) barrels of 2008 Le Montrachet. The Musigny is true success.

Before he lets us go we finish with a handful of '07 whites. A Puligny-Montrachet, a Meursault 1er cru, and to top off the morning, the '07 Le Montrachet (still in barrel). Rich and red wine is structure (like many great white wines) with a persistent kiss of mandarin orange. 8 hours later, I'm still tasting it.....

Back at chez Buisson for lunch Patrick and his wife spoil us with their food and wines; a '95 Jobard Genevrieres and a 76 Meursault Pucelles (Buisson) start off things. A 2006 Chassagne rouge is "interesting", and "good for the vintage"but very bourgogne, while a Buisson 05 Volnay Santenots is a try at new-world pinot. Patrick pulls out the big guns with a 05 Rosignol Trapet Latriceres-Chambertin (Thunevin is finally impressed). We say or good-byes over "interesting" 97 Clos Windsbuhl and enjoy the view over the vineyards of Meursault. Spoiled indeed. Thank you Patrick!

Saturday (15 November) - Beaune

I meet up with exporter Thomas Calder. At 8:15 we are in line for the tasting of the Hospice de Beaune 08s. An hour and a half later we enter the old cellars of the Hospices.

The harvest was late this year (end sept) so the fermentations and development are a little behind schedule....whites are still fermenting and reds are all over the place...lots of sulfur or reductive notes...tasting is hard going. It's a limited tasting with only half of the cuvees. We are done in 45 min due in part to the chit chat between tasters and winery staff.

At 1:30 we go the the Beaune expo for 4 hours of rapid-fire tasting of 2008s '07s and '06s. There I meet Patrick Essa of Buisson-Charles (Meursault) and he introduces us to his '08s as well as his compatriots.....Tasting is tough going because many wines are still fermenting their sugars...good material and extraction, especially his Goutte d'Or. Delicious stuff from Sylvain Dussort and Sebatien Magnien (Meursault). The Remi Jobard and Ballot Meursault Genevrières are also of note. Patrick Essa invites us to a private tasting with his buddy at Domaine Drouhin Sunday morning and then lunch at his place, with his other friend Jean-Luc Thunevin. We can't refuse...

We move to the Gevrey-Chambertin table as the wines are self serve and we happily do a horizontal of all the Gevrey Chambertin grand crus :) Over at Puligny-Montrachet I taste a Leflaive P-M 1er cru Clavoillon (holy s*&t!)

We hit nearly all of the appelations (even the crémant de Bourgogne!) and or mouths are sore with acid and our backs tired.....but hey, somebody has to do it. At 5:30 I crawl out of the Palais de Congres.

Hospices de Beaune 2008 

Just back from Beaune and putting my feet up after 3 days of marathon tasting.  

I arrived in Chassagne-Montrachet Thursday afternoon for annual, but soon to be more frequent, visit with Laurent Pillot of Dom. F&L Pillot.  A good hour and a half going through

2007 whites and 2006 reds.  High quality and consistency in his whites for '07 with nice definition between the terroirs.  The reds are showing well too with the Pommards (Charmots and Rugiens) the stars.

Next a visit with A Chopin in Nuits St Georges, we taste 2007 barrel samples.  Arnaud is smiling at the result.  Good concentration, gently colored, and great terroir definition.

Friday a visit with Pascal Clement, winemaker at Domaine Belleville and I continue to learn more about the potential of Rully whites....a great chardonnay terroir.

The weather in Beaune is perfect, a light frost friday morning but the skies are crystal blue and at night the stars are shining.  The wonderful smell of fall (decaying leaves, crisp air, and fires burning) stirs the soul.

Vacation in Flanders...

The school vacation corresponded to an out-of-town consulting gig for my wife so we all drove up to our old town of Geel.  I took the trip as an opportunity to revel in some delicious beers (Westmalle tripel) and classic Belgian dishes like moules-frites. 

As for some wine....I recently started representing Domaine Fernand et Laurent Pillot, of Chassagne-Montrachet, to the trade in Paris so I took the opportunity to show off their wines to my wine-loving friends in Belgium.  Today we had a 2002 Puligny-Montrachet "Noyers-Brets".  A crystaline deep yellow color with a steely nose of apple, vanilla, and apricots.  Creamy yet focused with lively acidity, this is drinking at its peak at 6 years of age (6 years already!?  My kids are 6??  Egad.)   

Le Noyer Bret is designated vineyard in Puligny but classified as a villages wine.  It lies down hill from the grand cru vineyard Batard-Montrachet.  The wine shows a nice contrast between the more steely style of Puligny Montrachet and the rounder wines from Chassagne.  An honest value as it sells for around 20€ a bottle.