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Wine Tasting Note of the Month!
In my efforts to avoid working, I look in at some of the wine internet boards.
My congratulations to John Blackwood, someone I've never met, for the following tasting note:
Verget 2002 Saint-Veran, Hauts de Leynes. A relatively inexpensive delivery system for chardonnay-flavored alcohol and not much more.
Not bad!
Louis/Dressner Selections Now Working with Oratoire St-Martin
We've been selling wine from Marcel Richaud in Cairanne, off and on, for almost ten years now.
We are now adding to our portfolio the great wines from Marcel's good friends and neighbors Fréderic and François Alary at the Domaine Oratoire St-Martin. We now have the agency for New York/New Jersey.
Oratoire St-Martin's wines have been in this area for years now and we are deeply gratified to be working with the Alary brothers.
All Our Thanks to Arrowine!
Arrowine of Arlington, VIrginia, has just come out with their Thanksgiving Newsletter.
We want to thank Doug Rosen and Vicki Reh for the fabulous job on the newsletter. We rarely appear in such slick circumstances!
Take a look at newsletter by clicking below:
Fabulously Done Arrowine Newsletter Featuring Louis/Dressner Wines,
Off to New Orleans!
Denyse and I are off to New Orleans on the 22nd to spend Thanksgiving and Mardi Gras in that jazz-enchanted city.
We haven't been there for a few years, so please feel free to let us know any restaurants or sites we should not miss. All recommendations are appreciated and should be duly noted in the comments section below.
Denyse and I during our last trip to New Orleans
A leading New York sommelier has told me that you can't find Muscadet in New Orleans. Apparently, the entire city does not have any dishes that Muscadet would match well with. Too much gumbo.
I might have to bring a few bottles with me.
Name that Confrérie!
You heard of the Conférie du Tastévin.
Then there is La Chaine des Rotisseurs.
In the Southwest they have the Confrérie du Cahors.
And even the Beaujolais has the Compagnons du Beaujolais.
Name the Confrérie pictured below and win a free bottle of a good wine from Louis/Dressner Selections (assuming it is legal for us to ship you the wine). Please enter your response in the comments section of this post or call me on my cell phone.
New Distributor in California
I want to thank Estate Wines Ltd for taking on the burden of distributing our wines in California. We have had weak distribution in California in the past, but after spending last week out in California, I am certain that we are finally in good hands.
Incredibly, Estate Wines Ltd. has a strict policy that suppliers are not allowed to pay for their lunches or dinners when they are doing work-withs. A work-with is the industry name for the odd ritual of having a vendor/supplier drive around in a route salesperson's car all day. The vendor/supplier tries to extract information out of the salesperson dealing with byzantine political maneuverings at the wholesaler. That being done, the vendor/supplier incites the salesperson to sell more product. If both are men, the day degenerates into vulgar commentary about women and sex.
At lunch, the salesperson plots how to extract the maximum meal ouf the supplier/vendor. This usually involves going to the salesperson's most expensive restaurant account and ordering a major meal. The salesperson is certain to order an impressive wine, usually from Robert Chadderdon (who dines nightly at the same restaurant), in an always vain attempt to impress the sommellier. The check arrives at the end of the meal, and without saying a word, it is understood that the supplier/vendor is paying.
This has always been the way of the Wine Industry. But EWL's position is that if the supplier spends the money and takes the time to come out to California, the least the wholesaler can do is make them feel at home and take care of bills for meals. As far as I know, this is the only company in the trade with this policy.
I found this policy confusing and was disoriented during a good part of my trip. I am used to salespeople who not only expect you to pay for them, but who often do not say thank you at the end of the meal. It was a strange experience.
EWL is a class operation and I want to thank them again for their investment of time, money and their confidence in our vignerons.
Things I Don't Understand About the Wine Industry
I spent most of October visiting various Americans trying to convince them to buy our wines. Although I have been a member of the Wine Industry for 16 years now, many things about the industry continue to battle me:
- How can a top restaurant not have a top Muscadet on their wine list?
- How does Robert Chadderdon run a multi-million dollar, successful business with only one person working for him?
- How can Mr. Chadderdon eat out at a top restaurant nightly and still remain fabulously healthy?
- How can Sherry-Lehman run the exact same ads in the New York Times, only with vintage and price changes, for the past 16 years?
- Are the owners of Sherry-Lehmans really good friends with Jean Sauvion, the Wizard of the Loire Valley?
- Does Sherry Lehman's good friend Georges Duboeuf, the Wizard of the Beaujolais, really makes special bottings for Sherry-Lehman?
- Are Jean Sauvion and Georges Duboeuf also good friends?
- Did the ownership of Sherry Lehmans introduce Jean to Georges?
- Who picks up the check if Jean Sauvion, Georges Duboeuf and the owner of Sherry Lehman go out to dinner together?
- Who set the industry-wide profit margins for wholesalers, restaurants and retailers? Is there a secret committee somewhere?
- How many Vin de Pays Merlot can the Costieres de Nimes region be producing?
- Why does no one talk about Heidi Barrett anymore?
- Why does no one talk about Russell Herman anymore?
- Where does Michel Rolland find the time to consult to so many wineries all over the world? I barely have time to run my business, see my wife, talk to my children and walk my dog Buster. Let alone write this blog. Perhaps Michel Rolland does not have a dog?
- Who are all these PR agents in the Wine Industry? Since there are only two or three journalists who sell wine, what accounts for the existence of so many pr people? How many events can Robert Parker attend a week? I know for a fact that Robert Parker also enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter and dog.
- Why are Gris du Toul sales flat? Is there still so much anti-French sentiment out there?
- Why would anyone in their right mind want to make Marquis Philips or Yellow Tail?
- Why would anyone in their right mind want to drink the above?
- Is it possible that there is not a single bottle of Romorantin in the entire state of California?
Jean Paul Brun Says his 2003 Beaujolais Nouveau's are The Best He Ever Made!
Jean-Paul Brun of the Domaine des Terres Dorées, just told me that the 2003 Nouveau is the best he ever made.
The old vines tastes like a finished Burgundy, the young vines are fruity and supple.
I told him that I was going to quote him on the internet.
Jean-Paul seemed a bit hesitant, after all he could be wrong, but then told me to go ahead.
Jean-Paul Brun will stake his reputation on the 2003 Beaujolais Nouveau!
you too can be a selector
Several people have recently come to our office unannounced to offer their services as Selectors. Additionally, every week we receive e-mails and written résumés from other prospective Selectors looking for work.
Selector is a new job category. As best as I understand, they are the people who Select wines for fashionable small import companies. The nation is filled with Selectors and every week a new one seems to come on the market. New York is now welcoming David Bowler Selections, the lastest addition to the Selector scene.
Of course, I'm also a Selector. Over here, we have three Selectors, which makes us Selector heavy. There are twelve people working at our New York office, and 25% of them are Selectors.
This is an unusually high Selector ratio for the wine industry. Many firms have only one Selector, at most two. But 25% is perhaps overkill, as the administrative and selling side of the wine trade is perhaps every bit as important as the Selecting side.
One recent Selector applicant, who currently works at a wine store in Houston, asked me if UC Davis or any other university offers Selector academic preparatory work. Unfortunately, there is no clearcut path into joining the Selector profession and it is not apparent how a potential or pre-Selector would find gainful employment.
We're about to have another wine tasting. Have to run!
Bob Luchesi, Ambience Selector at Inlumino Lighting Designs
Big Day in the Wine Trade!
Everyone should be getting their new issue of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate today.
Some people in the trade got it yesterday, because they pay a premium to have The Wine Advocate delivered by Federal Express. We don't, so should be getting our issue today or tomorrow.
I always enjoy reading Mr. Parker's periodical and am anxiously awaiting the postman.
Multiple Choice
Name the winery pictured below and win an exciting prize!
a) Clos du Tue Boeuf in the Touraine
b) Domaine Peyra in the Côte d'Auvergne
c) Pascal Cotat in Chavignol
d) Yellow Tail in Australia
e) None of the above
DC and Maryland Market Rock!
Just got back from Maryland and DC. I took some great pictures of members of the wine industry down there. More to come.
The Mid-Atlantic Wine Industry awarded me a mongrammed Yellow Tail wine bottle carrying case, to thank me for all my work promoting Australian wine.
Thanks guys! It's been my pleasure!
My only concern is that almost all the Australian wine I love, like Yellow Tail and the Marquis Phillips Shiraz 2002, appear to be impossible to find in Australia.
This seems inexplicable and one can only hope that the American market calms down a bit and allows the Australian wine loving public to drink some of these beauties.
Of course, the other possibility would be that wine lovers in Australia drink something else and are not interested in the Yellow Tails and Marquis Phillips.
But this would be just too cynical a world view. Even for me.
Major Opportunity for DC and Maryland Wine Industry to Meet Me!
Don't miss out!
Our distributor, Wines Ltd., will be taking me around to meet key accounts in DC and Maryland the week of October 13th.
As is a tradition in DC, all tastings will be conducted using little, transparent plastic cups. The retailers in DC will brag about how they are circumventing the three-tier system and importing vast quantities of wines no one has ever heard anything about directly from Europe. This is perfectly legal in DC.
They will then tell me how much they like my wines, but not buy any as they owe too much money to their direct sourcing in Europe. Unless, some of our wines have big Parker scores. Of course, none of them have big Parker scores.
With all these direct purchases from Europe, these DC retailers have huge inventory problems. So, they are very prudent when considering anything from Pierre Breton. We usually end these discussions by talking about the golf games of the retailers or their imminent retirement in Florida.
DC has some great restaurants and I hope to be taken to some of them. I also hope to eat a delicious Ethiopian meal.
Baltimore and Maryland are more dynamic and there has been an explosion of interesting boutique wine shops there over the past couple of years. They even use stemware!
Any wine industrialist who would like to see me this week should contact Wines, Ltd., our distributor, or call me on my cell phone. Wines, Ltd., I should add, has transformed itself from a moribund player to a dynamic company. They even carry Kermit Lynch wines now, although I don't think they are handing out complimentary copies of Kermit Lynch's rocking CD.
I will be touring with Bob Luchesi, Mid-Atlantic Regional Manager of Inlumino Lighting. Bob will be talking to customers about ambience for retails stores, home and garden while we taste wines in plastic cups.
Fabulous Loire Valley Wine Dinner at Café Rouge in Berkeley, California
The fabulous Café Rouge in Berkeley will be doing a special Loire Valley wine dinner on Wednesday, October 29th.
This will be a fabulous event with great food and wine. The wines are all Loire Valley selections from our portfolio.
For more information call Café Rouge at (510) 525-1440, call me on my cell phone, e-mail me, or check out the Café Rouge site for the full menu and list of wines:
East Bay Loire Valley Dinner
Don't miss it!
Meet the Wine Importer at Chambers Street Wines
Louis/Dressner is doing a joint tasting with Inlumino Lighting Designs at Chambers Street Wines on Saturday.
Be there from 4 to 7 pm. The store is at 160 Chambers Street and is easy to find.
Wines to be shown include:
- Frick Pinot Blanc 2000 & 2001
- Puzelat Romorantin VdP 2001
- Luneau-Papin Muscadet L d'Or 1989
- Dom St-Denis Macon-Lugny 2001
- Bernard Morey Puligny-Montrachet 1989
- Ch Ste-Anne Bandol Rosé 2001
- Clos du Tue-Boeuf Touraine Guerrerie 2002
- Pierre Breton Bourgueil Clos Senechal 2001
- Baudry Chinon Grezeaux 2001
- Mouthes le Bihan Cotes-du-Duras Vieillefomt 2001
- Bago de Touriga Gouvyas Douro Reserva 2000
- Several surprises
A Great Tasting!
We rarely do events, but it went great the other day.
Everyone at Louis/Dressner worked like lunatics, the tasting was a great success. The wines tasted great, there was good food, lots of people came, they lingered and there was no Marquis Phillips Shiraz 2002.
What more could a wine geek ask?
I would also like to thank Mike Wheeler, wine distributor icon extraordinaire, for convincing us to do the tasting. We'd also like to thank everyone at Polaner Selections for promoting the event, even though we were showing much paraphenalia that we don't have listed with them.
Yes, we're all schnooks in the wine trade.
But occassionally, we transcend our miserable schnookdom.
I'd also like to thank the people who came from out-of-town. The two Ricks from Connecticut, Boston Wine Impressario Steve Mosher, Melanie Mann of Whole Foods Seattle who is planning to take over the New York market, and Brooklyn Restaurant Impressario Arnaud Erhard from Red Hook.
Part-time Louis/Dressner employee Mona Moore also played an exemplary role.
Again, thanks to all.
I'm off to Chicago this week to suck up to Sams. They're opening a mega store in New York, and we desperately need their business.
Countdown to the Big Tasting!
We're feverishly at work.
There is so much to do and not enough time.
International Headquarters of Louis/Dressner and LDM Wine
I'm doing an all-nighter. Too much to write and too much to organize.
Remember to call me on my cell phone to reserve your spot.
I took the above picture on my new Nokia 3650 cell phone and e-mailed it to myself.
This is an effective way of avoiding work.
As is writing this blog.
Can I be on to something?
Don't Miss the Fabulous Louis/Dressner Trade Tasting this Thursday!
That's right!
Of course, you have to be a card-carrying member of the Wine Industry.
The VIP portion of the tasting begins at 10:30 am and you are invited.
The tasting will be organized, by tables, into the following categories:
- Vins qui titillent -- Wines that Bubble (intentionally)
- Vins de Soif -- Wines to Quench Your Thirst
- Vieux Cépages Oubliés -- Heirloom Grape Varieties
- Grands Vins, Petites Appellations -- Great Wines, Modest Appellations
- Grand Vins, Grandes Appellations -- Great Wines, Big-Deal Appellations
- Rouges qui Tachent -- Wines from the South You Don't want to Spill on Your White Shirt
- Le Bouquet Final-- End of the Meal Dessert Wines and Portos (which you also also don't want to spill on your white shirt)
Remember, this is a trade only event.
There will also be a Marquis Phillips table to serve as a contrast to all the other wines.
White and Red will be mixed-up on the tables. You will have to follow the prepared tasting order or you will be expelled from the tasting.
Contact me by e-mail or call me on my cell phone if you are interested.
You can also send me an SMS if you wish.
The French call this Texto.
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