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Congratulations to Kermit Lynch!
Berkeley wine importer and merchant Kermit Lynch will be awarded the Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur by the French government at a private ceremony next year.
Established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, the award is France's highest accolade and is given primarily for military achievements, although 10 percent of the awards are now given for cultural accomplishments.
Several Americans in the food and wine trade have won this award, including Julia Child, Robert Mondavi and Robert Parker. Other Americans who have won this award include Leonard Bernstein, Josephine Baker, Duke Ellington, Gregory Peck and Ronald Reagan.
While Reagan and some of the other recipients may be questionable choices, this award is a valuable recognition of the great work Kermit has done over the years to bring great French wines to the American consumer. Kermit is a competitor and in the grand traditions of American commerce I am usually obligated to condemn his work and many of his selections. But, in truth, people like me would not be in business today without the groundbreaking work of Kermit and Robert Haas before him.
Kermit fought the fight for the small, quality vigneron before it was fashionable to do so and created a standard that companies like mine look to emulate and hopefully enrich. Most importantly, Kermit brought lots of wine to the American table which never would have made their way here without all his work. Raveneau, Chave, Tempier, Humbrecht, Joguet, Coche, Vieux Telegraphe, Thierry Allemand, Marcel Lapierre and so many others.....
Kermit richly deserves this honor and the French government should be congratulated for their choice.
I can now go back to badmouthing.....
I Just Noticed
I just noticed that Domaine de Bellivière has significantly updated their web site.
It's fabulous!
Take a look at:
It helps to read French, but great site!
Wine Importer Announces Wine Film of the Year
For Immediate Release
Joe Dressner, a part owner of Louis/Dressner Selections in New York City, announced his Wine Film of the Year today.
Eric Rohmer's My Night at Maud's was the unanimous winner.
Mr. Dressner noted: "My Night at Maud's is a brilliantly insightful and sublime meditation on adult indiscretions and the wine scene in Clermont-Ferrand. Jean-Louis Trintignant plays a chaste engineer who thinks he's met his soul mate in church, yet winds up accidentally spending the night with the seductive Maud, who is more his intellectual equal. Together with Maud and his friends, Trintignant questions the unexpected and unknowable problems of the heart, while drinking and enjoying large quantities of the fabled wine from Chanturgue"
Dressner noted the key role the film has played in popularizing the wine Chanturgue in America. This delicious gamay-based wine from the Auvergne is now being bought, sold and drunk all over America, following its popularization in Rohmer's film. "No fashionable evening is complete without bringing out a bottle of Chanturgue and sharing it with loved ones and friends," Dressner added.
My Night at Maud's narrowly beat out Sideways and Mondovino, the other major contenders.
Crush Wine Co. Names 2004 Clos Roche Blanche Cabernet The Wine of the Year
For Immediate Release
Crush Wine Co., the critically acclaimed new wine shop in midtown New York, has officially declared the Clos Roche Blanche Cabernet 2004 as The Wine of the Year.
In a statement e-mailed to the press, Wine Director Lyle Fass said:
"When national publications name their wines of the year, they are limited by one important factor: widespread availability. This leaves an ocean of small-production wines ineligible for grand awards.
When choosing the Crush Wine of the Year, I used a different set of criteria. The quality must be exceptional for the price; the wine must be a perfect expression of "terroir" (that’s to say the place and time the grapes were grown); the producer must work with respect for the grapes and the land, creating the best wine possible with the least amount of manipulation; and finally, the wine must give us that feeling of "je ne sais quoi" – one that makes our toes curl with delight – from the first sip to the last.
The Clos Roche Blanche 2004 Cabernet absolutely blew me away and is my choice for "Wine of the Year." While I have always loved their....estate in France's Loire Valley, the character and balance of this particular wine completely stunned me.
It may not have the prestige of '02 La Tache or '82 Ramonet Montrachet, but the experience of drinking it is still sublime. And since its production is so small, it wouldn't be eligible for an award from a national publication; however, I believe it deserves accolades. Made from Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon grown in Touraine, it is rich, ripe, minerally, extremely concentrated, very complex and extraordinarily balanced.
But don’t expect a gloppy highly-rated Aussie Shiraz that kills you with its gobby intensity. Rather, the Clos Roche Blance Cabernet seduces you with its purity and soul. It is the definitive expression of perfectly ripe Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon from conscientious winemakers in Touraine.
The Clos Roche Blanche Cabernet 2004 was also recently cited as one of the great wines of the 21st Century by The Loire Schnauzer.
In other Wine of the Year News, The Wine Spectator has declared Philips Insignia their Wine of the Year. According to reliable sources, it is very difficult to drink an entire glass of the stuff.
Only 3 1/2 Hours Left to the Big Chambers Street Tasting
Don't miss this gala event.
We have already put the giant Christmas tree up outside the store and the festivities are about to begin!
Only 3 1/2 hours left!
Don't Miss Tomorrow's Louis Jadot Tasting At Francos Wine Merchant in New Canaan, Connecticut!
Not only will they be serving an exciting line-up of Louis Jadot wines, but Olivier Masmondet will be there in person to serve and comment about the wines!
Olivier Masmondet, the National Sales Director of Louis Jadot
The wines will include:
2003 Pommard
2003 Gevrey-Chambertin
2003 Nuits-St-Georges
2003 Volnay
2003 Chambolle-Musigny
2003 Moulin-à-Vent
and a delicious 2003 Chassagne-Montrachet Blanc!
The tasting will start at 1 pm and run until 5 pm. New Canaan is available by automobile or the Metro North Railway.
Unfortunately, Monsieur Masmondet will not be serving any wines from the Bugey even though he is a native of that region. A wine prodigy, he studied at the Bellegarde Restaurant School at age 14! In 1988, he joined the Thonon Les Bains School, rumored to be the best restaurant school in France and was granted a sommelier degree. At 20, he became the youngest Head Sommelier in France to work for a Michelin star-rated restaurant. In 1995, he became the Chief Sommelier of the Georges Blanc in Vonnas.
Monsieur Masmondet successfully competed in numerous sommellier competitions and in 2000, he became the youngest Master Sommelier in France at age 30. The same year, he joined Maison Louis Jadot in Burgundy as Export Manager to the United States and Italy. In 2002, he joined Kobrand Corporation as sales director for Maison Louis Jadot wines in the United States.
I've never met the man, but would love to go to the tasting. In fact, I would go if I didn't already have a previous engagement.
It looks like a great event, particularly if you like Louis Jadot wines!
Mark your calendar!
Disclaimer: Louis/Dressner Selections has no relationship to Francos Wines or Louis Jadot Wines or to Kobrand Corporation or to the 2003 Burgundy vintage!
Louis/Dressner Selections Gala Tasting at Chambers Street Wines Tomorrow!
Mark your calendars!
Saturday, December 9th, from 4 pm to 7:23 pm at Chambers Street.
Wines will include:
Mayr-Nusser Blaterle (2004)
Puzelat Romo 2004
Cazin Cour-Cheverny 2002
Tue-Boeuf Buisson Pouilleux 2004
Pernot Bourgogne Chardonnay 2004
I Clivi Galea 1999
Baudry Chinon Domaine 2004
Filliatreau Saumur-Champigny la Grande Vignolle 2004
Clos Roche Blanche Pif 2004
Terres Dorees Fleurie 2004
Pernot Blagny 1er Cru La Piece sous le Bois
Esmonin Gevrey Chambertin 2003
Houillon/Overnoy Poulsard 2002
Bonajuto Barone Antonio Etna Rosso 2002
Montesecondo Chianti Classico 2003
We will also have the ceremonial lighting of the Louis/Dressner Selections Christmas Tree, along with Christmas Carolling, gifts, punches and fruit cakes.
See you then!
The New Art of Eating is Out!
Finally, a mainstream magazine with interesting articles for food and wine fans. This issue features the first part of a major work on Franche-Comté's Gruyère de Comté cheese by Ed Behr. Next issue, will feature Vin Jaune!
In other personal reading activity, I highly recommend The Concert by Albanian author Ismael Kadare. This book is a must for Enver Hoxha fans or readers of Kadar's other works like Palace of Dreams.
I was in New Canaan, Connecticut, this past weekend and noticed that everyone there is reading Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Go figure!
A Startling Admission!
I have nothing interesting to say.
I haven't had anything interesting to say in 34 years.
Secret Louis/Dressner Tasting Underway!
Our office is packed with eager buyers!
We've already sold out of several bottlings and the tasting began only 44 minutes ago.
Don't miss out....we're open all day!
Rohmeresque Sleep Deprivation
Now that we have Netflix, we no longer sleep, but spend all our evenings watching DVDs. We try to watch as many as possible so that we can mail them back quickly and get new DVDs the next day.
We're currently on a Eric Rohmerathon. I had no idea that Eric Rohmer was so prolific and had no idea that there are actually 32 separate films in the Moral Tales series. There are numerous other series left to view and I think we can go all the way through the end of January watcher Rohmer films.
I suspect you need to speak French to really enjoy these films. They are endlessly chatty and intrigued by language and everyone is married and having an affair. They are almost the American stereotype of French romantic culture.
They also go well with Grignolino!
Go figure!
Don't Miss Tomorrow's Secret Location Louis/Dressner Mini-Tasting!
We're showing about 43 new wines that have come in over the past few weeks.
Important people in the wine trade know the location and timing for this marvelous event. Yes, there is no doubt it will be a marvelous event. Don't miss it!
Remember the key operating phrase for these type of tastings are: If you snooze, you lose. We have very small quantities of many of the wines we will be showing and you best order as much and as quickly as you can.
See you tomorrow.
Coffee
Why do people only want to drink one type of coffee?
We might like many different wines with much different flavor and aromatic profiles. We like to vary what we eat and enjoy the diversity and richness of so many different foods.
But everyday, we wake up and drink the same cup of coffee and have no tolerance for different blends, coffee origins and tastes. How many people do you know who brew different coffee blends daily? How do you explain this routinism?
Call me on my cell phone at 347.821.3232 if you have an explanation.
By the way, who is responsible for the new form of telephone number notation? Years ago, I would write my cell number as 347-821-3232. But now, I use periods in the place of hyphen. This is even formalized in the new CD version of Strunk & White.
Personally, I have buying and drinking Graffeo coffee from San Francisco for the past thirty years. This is such a boring, predictable and relentless habit that I am actually ashamed of myself.
That's it, I need another cup.
Name that Famous Wine Maker!
There is a free tube of Platypus Pete Pineau d'Aunis for the lucky reader who can name the picture of the famous winemaker pictured below:
I'll give you a hint....not only is she a great winemaker, but she is also active in the International Heteropterists' Society!
Call me on my cell phone if you can name that winemaker! 347.823.3219.
Employees and family relations of Louis/Dressner Selections Employees are not eligible.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I have little to say, but just wanted to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.
I'll be drinking American wines tonight, even though the Puritans were anti-alcohol extremists who were tossed out of Britain for their austere, unpleasant and objectionable views and lifestyles. Why people imagine that they have to drink American wine to celebrate Thanksgiving is always a mystery to me. I suspect that cranberry sauce would be suspect to a puritan sensibility, let alone wine.
Nevertheless, I have decided to have an American theme tonight and I am only drinking wines made by Helen Turley. I've collected quite a few over the years and Thanksgiving dinner is a good way to get rid of a bunch of them.
So, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
dPlatypus -- Platypus Pete Now Comes in a Tube!
For Immediate Release:
Platypus Pete, the new wine that is sweeping America, is now available in a 3.2 Liter Tube called DPlatypus.
"It's all about accessibility," said Eddie Wrinkerman, the Platypus Pete Brand Manager at wine importer Louis/Dressner Selections. "First we get rid of the corks, then we get rid of the bottles and eventually we'll even get rid of the glasses and the consumer can go straight to the spigot," the 32-year-old Wrinkerman added.
Platypus Pete, the Patron Saint of the Pineau d'Aunis
"This is a wine for my generation, with none of the fuss and bother of old-fashioned bottled wine," Wrinkerman said. The name, "DPlatypus" is a wink at hip-hop and a whole new generation of "connected, cool and hip wine drinkers," according to Wrinkerman.
The French red wine, which comes form the Loire Valley and is made from Pineau d'Aunis grapes, comes in a cardboard cylinder that contains a 3.2 liter collapsible bag. A bit shorter than a 750ml bottle and only a tiny bit larger in volume, the cylinder can pour wine standing or lying on its side. The suggested retail price is $34.99, which amounts to less than $10 per bottle. Mr. Wrinkerman said that his firm chose 3.2 rather than 3 litres to give the American consumer "more bang for their buck."
"The idea is to package not only wine, but to make a strident statement," said Wrinkerman. "It's great Pineau d'Aunis, although no one knows exactly where it comes from, that uses great technology which allows you to keep it in your fridge for a couple of months and still drink the wine whenever you feel like it." Mr. Wrinkerman drinks a glass of DPlatypus daily and says it keeps him remarkably fresh, young and vibrant.
While storing red wine in a refrigerator is controversial, Mr. Wrinkerman argued that a bit of coolness brings out the peppery quality of Pineau d'Aunis. At the same time, he recommended storing the dPlatypus Tube on the bottom shelfing of the fridge.
Projected tube sales for the introductory period range to 10,000 cases nationally. "The consumer is very open to the concept and we're having an amazing impact," said Mr. Wrinkerman. "Plus, we all hope to rake in a ton of money pushing a wine that costs us next to nothing, putting it into a fancy package, and making large profit margins," he added.
New National Marketing Plan
Someone was bound to do it and it has happened
Kudos to Wakefield Liquors in Rhode Island!
Google Rankings
Everyone with a web site wants high Google rankings. It brings people to the site and increases advertising revenues. I'm no exception.
I made the remarkable discovery today that searching for
interesting ways to sell carpet cleaning
in the Google Search box brings up this site as the first non-paying link.
Writing and maintaining this blog is a lot of work but there's also a great deal of personal gratification.