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2001 French Harvest to be Horrible!
It is Tuesday night and it has been raining since Friday, with occasional breaks.
We are headed for one of the worst harvest in modern history if the weather remains like this.
Keep watching this space for updates!
Marcel Richaud is Back!
My employer, Louis/Dressner Selections, has dropped and lost many vignerons over the years. As our notion of wine sharpened we realized that we had several growers whose work in the vineyards or cuvérie were simply not what we were looking for. These were often good estates that could have been great domaines if the vignerons had made the extra effort. But the only estate we truly regretted losing was Domaine Marie et Marcel Richaud in Cairanne.
“Le Marcel” has always been one of the great winemakers of the Rhône Valley. Everyone in the “niche” importer field wanted his wines, not simply because of their quality, but also because they were so reasonable, if not cheaply priced. We handled Richaud’s wine for the 94 and 95 vintages and then lost the estate for the 96 vintage when someone promised to do more quantity. At the end, Richaud became so disgusted with the childish fighting amongst American importers that he pulled out of the market. This coincided with Marcel’s rise in the French media to a point where he no longer needed the American market to sell out of wine every year.
I’ve always been saddened by the lack of Richaud wines on our list. If anything, they have gotten better over the years since they were last present on the East Coast. We’ve kept in touch over the years and after a couple of meetings this summer are delighted to announce that we will once again be importing Marcel Richaud’s wines.
What has changed here? When we first met Richaud years ago, he had hopes to be able to plow his vineyards. The expense was great and his resale price was low. Marcel now is able to do this essential viticultural work. As part of this effort, the average yields throughout the estate are now 35 hectoliters/hectare.
There is also much more of a consciousness about the problems of SO2 and the amount used has been minimized. Last week, Denyse and I tasted 2000s that had just been bottled and it was incredible how well they had taken to the bottling.
As always, all the vineyards here can be classified as Cairanne but Marcel releases two cuvée of Côtes-du-Rhône that are essentially declassified in order to give the estate a hierarchy of quality. The first C-D-R is the Côtes-du-Rhône Terres Aigues, which comes from recent plantations of Grenache and Carrigan. This is a lighter wine that is all in fruit and easy to drink, perhaps a model of a vin de soif.
The second Côtes-du-Rhône is Les Garrigues, which is a mix of parcels from 10 to 40 years old of both syrah and grenache. This comes from a two parcels where the earth is in red clay and where there is the type of small rocks that one finds in Châteauneuf. This cuvée is more spicy and complex and can be cellared for several years.
The last cuvée we will bring in is the Cairanne. This is from vines that are between 40 to 50 years old and is an assemblage of grenache, syrah and mourvedre. It is Marcel’s use of mourvedre that makes this a remarkable cuvée – Cairanne is perhaps the northernmost terroir where Mourvedre will ripen. But even in super ripe years, where the grenache goes up to 14 or 15 degrees, Richaud’s mourvedre ripens perfectly at 12 degrees or so. Richaud’s excellent mourvedre vines give the final blend of this cuvée a finesse and purity that is difficult to find in the Rhône.
As I mentioned, the wines are no longer as cheap as they once were. Despite the rising dollar the C-D-R Aigues will sell for about $10.99, the Garrigues for $12.99 and the Cairanne for $17.99. These will all be the 2000 vintage. The quantities will also be far smaller then in the past.
The Small Joys of Being in Poil Rouge
I live in New York nearly 8 months of the year. Smack in the center of Manhattan. One of the great food capitals of the world.
I also live in Poil Rouge about 3 months of the year. For some reason I eat and drink better here then in Manhattan.
Take tonight. For dinner, I am drinking Marc Olivier’s Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet 2000. All right, you can get this in Manhattan. But what a wine. Melting, Massive Mounds of Muscadet Minerality. A tribute to the new wine press that Marc bought last year.
Then the cheese. Every Friday morning we go a small market in the adjoining town of Lugny. The highlight is always the fabulous goat cheese of Marc Groseiller, a farmer in the town of Blanot. Blanot is up in the hills of the Mâconnais and is the best spot in the area for goat cheese, the only local production of cheese we have here in the Mâconnais. My God, they are so delicious.
Marc says its been a difficult year for his goats. The spring was uneven, as there was too much rain, and there are only small quantities of milk. Do smaller yields of goat mile make for more concentrated chèvre? I have no idea, but must ask Marc.
Normally, Groseiller makes a camembert type goat cheese, but he simply doesn’t have enough milk this year. But there are still the frais, demi-sec and sec crotins each Friday. I’ve had goat cheese from all over the world, including the best that one finds in Chavignol, some glamor goat cheese from California (Humboldt Fog or Bay or something) and nothing is this good.
Marc might be the last of a dying breed. There used to be four producers of goat cheese in Blanot and since January there is only Marc left. The new EEC regulations for hygiene are too restrictive and adaptation was too expensive for many small cheese makers to remain in business. Of course, this type of artisan cheesemaking has been going on in France for centuries. But if Brussels has its way it will become more difficult to find.
The market also has a merchant who comes every week from the Jura. Joseph Petitjean and his wife Lucette bring a range of cheeses, saucissons and charcuterie from their region. I just ate a wonderful Tomme de Montagne that was almost too intense for me. There is the Morbier, different styles of Comté, the Saucisse de Morteau and, of course, the Brési – an air-cured beef charcuterie.
Then there is the local grower of vegetables with seasonal selections from their gardens. And the woman selling chickens from Bresse, an adjoining region where the chickens get their own appellation. There are a few stands with wholesalers selling vegetables and fruits that they buy from other wholesalers. These stands are always less interesting.
Tonight’s new treat was a yogurt from from the Petitjeans. The yogurt was made by students at a dairy school – Ecole Nationale d’Industrie Laitière et des Biotechnologies in Poligny in the Jura – and is called Enilbio. Never heard of it before. We bought six plain and one each of rhubarb, cassis, apricot, strawberry, lemon and mandarin. I’ve never tasted yogurts with such vivid flavors.
The dollar is very high and everything is very cheap here for an American. Just a week ago, I ate a delicious meal at a restaurant of maigret de canard and drank a 1988 Hermitage Rouge from Chave, a 1992 Hermitage Blanc from Chave and a 1999 St. Joseph from Trollat. How much do you think such a lavish meal cost? Nothing, that’s right, nothing. See below.
The yogurts I ate tonight were more expensive. 22 Francs for a dozen, a little under $3.00 a dozen. No wonder there are rumors of legions of Americans crawling over Paris!
All in all, we eat better here then we eat in New York City, land of the foodie. In the hamlet of Poil Rouge of about 50 people in the town of St-Gengoux-de-Scissé with about 500 people spread out over 5 miles, between Mâcon and Tournus, somewhere in the Mâconnais.
Happy July 14th.
Memories of Cerdon
The web site of my employer,
Louis/Dressner Selections, just received the following e-mail:
Dear Monsieur,
I am an American daughter of a Lyon-born and raised mother. My mother came to America with her American soldier-husband after WWII, leaving behing a large family in Lyons and the surroundings. We visited them many times as I was growing up.
My mother's sister married a gentleman from Chaux, near Jujurieux in the Ain, and they live in that village half the year. My uncle makes Cerdon, and a constant feature of every visit we have ever made to Lyon since I was a little girl was the popping of many celebratory bottles of Cerdon from his own cellar, always the first thing upon our arrival and at the beginning of nearly every meal we took with them. Now, as a midddle-aged parent, I take my husband and daughter to Lyon and Chaux frequently, and we still all
enjoy my uncle's Cerdon as part of every visit. Of course we drink many other wines too, including the famous "third river" of Lyon, Beaujolais, but the Cerdon has always been especially treasured by us as a totally local specialty unavailable anywhere else.
I was totally astonished, in fact I was leaping about with delight, recently when I spotted some Cerdon at my local favorite wine shop here in the Boston area recently. I had always been told by my uncle that it didn't travel well, and that many Lyonnais in fact had never tasted it, so I was dumbstruck to find it at Marty's in Newton, Mass. I am thrilled to be able to indulge this purely Lyonnais/Ainais delight here in my own
back yard (though on a limited basis, for it is a bit dear in price!). Thank you for importing it, and for presenting it to the American market. I hope you will continue to do so! I enjoyed visiting your website, too.
Cheers,
Marylene Altieri
Restaurant Le Chaudron in Tournon -- Specialists in Wine Fraud
Industry giants Doug Polaner, Denyse Louis, Mike Wheeler and myself dined on Saturday night at Le Chaudron in Tournons. This restaurant has achieved a minor reputation of late for its sterling Rhône wine list and for the quality of the cuisine.The Wine Spectator recently wrote about this restaurant:
"Marc Grillon and his wife, Dominique, opened this lively bistro 18 years ago in the center of Tournon. It is a favorite hangout of winemakers, with a 300-label wine list that's strong in local appellations. There are 10 smart selections by the glass every day, and the simple cooking is always top-notch."
Sounds good. By the time our evening was through at this "lively bistro" the owner was not far from provoking a physical fight. Polaner and Louis were actually physically pushed out of the restaurant by Marc Grillon.
Mike Wheeler best explains what happened on Saturday night in a letter that was faxed to Jean-Louis Chave of Hermitage fame today:
Mr. Jean-Louis Chave:
My name is Michael Wheeler and I have the most unfortunate story to tell you
which involved one of your wines.
This last Saturday night I was dining with three fellow wine importers
at Le Chaudron in Tournon.
It was our first time at the Restaurant and we were anticipating a grand
Rhone experience so we ordered your 1992 Hermitage Blanc as our first wine.
Several minutes later, I see the owner go into the kitchen with an empty
bottle of Chave Hermitage and a decanter. He comes out with the full
decanter plus an open bottle with some liquid in it. There was no effort to
show us the wine before he opened the bottle or to do so at our table. As he
pours the wine into our glasses, I see a cork in his hand that is branded
1999. We taste the wine and it tastes like an inexpensive young white
Rhone.
At this point I say to the owner: "This is not a Chave 1992." He tastes the
wine and says yes, this is in fact how the 92 tastes. We ask to see the cork
and he said he must have left it in the kitchen. He runs into the kitchen to
look for it but returns and says he could not find the cork, that he must
have thrown in into the garbage!
While he is looking for the cork, two of us taste the liquid that still
remains in the bottom of the bottle, and there is no doubt but that it is
water. When the owner returns to our table without the cork, I demand he
take the bottle away and open a new bottle in front of us, which he does.
This bottle is golden yellow in color and and grew into a glorious
experience. The owner came over to the table later and said he must have
accidentally switched the carafe with a Guigal Cotes du Rhone that was meant
for another table. There were only three tables with customers at this time
and we took a look at what was being drunk at the other tables and there was
not a wine with the same golden yellow color as your 1992 Hermitage Blanc.
We had caught the owner in a fraudulent lie, but stayed at the restaurant as
it was late and we thought he would not dare try such stupidity again.
Later on, we ordered a 1988 Hermitage Rouge from your domaine, which on our
insistence, the owner angrily brought to the table, and opened in front of
us. It was a fantastic perfect bottle.
We then order a 1990 Jaboulet La Chapelle. "I am out.," he says. We then ask for a 95
or 98 Hermitage Cathelin and to our surprise he says: "I am out but I do
have the 90 La Chapelle," which he had already told us he did not have in
stock.
The owner was missing in the kitchen for a long time and then came out with
a wet bottle, opened it without showing us the cork, and walked away. The
label was moist and there was glue left on the bottle where the original label
must have been. Clearly, to us, this bottle had been relabelled. We tasted
the wine and it was old and oxidized. We then asked for the check but told
him we refused to pay for the fraudulent La Chapelle or have him bring out
another bottle of 1990 La Chapelle. Enough was enough!
The owner insisted we pay for the La Chapelle and it turned into a very big,
unfortunate scene. Finally, he kicked us out of the restaurant, saying:
"This isn't America" and refused our efforts to pay for the meal and all the
wines, with the exception of the La Chapelle.
I am sure he will have a different story for you, but I don't think this
was the first time he has done these tricks. Of the three importers at the
table, two were Americans who speak French well and one was a native Frenchwoman. So it is not possible that what happened was a 'misunderstanding.'
As the incident involved your wine I wanted to bring it to your attention.
Best Wishes on the 2001 Vintage.
Mike Wheeler
Henri Goyard of Domaine de Roally is Retired
That's it. No more Goyard Mâcon!
The estate has been sold to Florent Thevenet, son of Jean Thevenet, who has done the vineyard work this year and who will be making wine for the first time for the 2001 vintage.
We visited Goyard on Friday and tasted the delicious 2000 vintage that will be available in the fall. Henri also opened a 1991 which was one of the most grandiose bottles of White Burgundy I have tasted in my lifetime.
Henri Goyard's wines have given me great pleasure over the years. Yes, I have had a commercial relationship with him and yes, my home at the Dressner Family Compound is close by Viré. But I think Henri Goyard has touched many people out there and that his wines will be sorely missed. No matter how well Florent Thevenet does in the future.
So, send him a note of appreciation. Tell Henri Goyard how much his life's work in his tiny estate of 3.5 hectares has meant for you. Goyard does not read English but a translator can always be found.
Goyard is not connected to the internet but can be reached at:
M. Henri Goyard
Domaine de Roally
Le Buc
71260 Viré
France
M. Goyard has kept a few rows of wines for himself and at most will be making 1000 bottles a year in the future. To avoid trouble with the INAO, and to be free to do whatever he wishes, Goyard will label this wine as Table Wine. The name will probably be something like "Le Jardin d'Henri Goyard." It will no longer be Domaine de Roally as Florent Thevenet has bought the trademark.
I put myself on the mailing list on Friday for 60 bottles a year. I'll be happy with whatever I get.
All Burgundy Talking about Burghound!
It gets boring always talking about Robert Parker/Pierre Rovani. Everyone in Burgundy -- from grower to négociant to agent to wine lover -- is taking about Burghound's new Burgundy on-line newsletter. OK, it is expensive. But the man is turning Côte d'Or upside down. Topsy-turvy. I'm subscribing....how about you?
Just click on the this link: Allen Meadow's (aka Burghound) Burgundy Wine Site.
New Restaurant Wine Category -- En Vieillissement!
I had a Wine Industry Power Dinner last night in Beaune at a restaurant named Les Tontons. Joining me were wine importer Denyse Louis, New York City wine distributor Douglas Polaner, New York City wine retailer JR Battipaglia and international wine bon vivant Mike Wheeler.
The restaurant came highly recommended by Alex Gambal, an American turned Burgundy négociant, who is featured in the current issue of The Wine Spectator. Alex's web site says the following about Les Tontons Restaurant:
Small hole in the wall, great lunch or dinner spot. Food very good made to order. Wine list good and reasonable, ask for the special list. Not expensive. Richard the chef is self taught and each time I return the food is better. Richard's wife is a wonderfully warm person, a real trip...one of my favorites...use my name.
Frankly, the food was excellent. The 185 Franc menu (about $25.00 with the dollar being at an inflated price) was as good as any meal I can find in New York's glamorous restaurant trade. Over the past several days we have dined at many of Alex Gambal's favorite restaurants, all cited on his web site, each time telling the owner that Alex Gambal had recommened the establishment.
To our surprise, mentioning Alex Gambal's name is the key to receiving gracious service throughout the Côte d'Or and although none of us have ever bought or drank Alex Gambal's wines (although I admit to having met him years ago when he attempted a hostile takeover of Becky Wasserman's firm) we were very grateful for Alex Gambal's compelling recommendations on his web site.
For better or worse, we decided on our last night together to not mention Alex Gambal's name, even though we were taking his advise and dining at Les Tontons. Imagine my excitement when I noticed that Les Tontons had wines from the Clos Rougeard on the wine list. We had arrived after spending a day tasting 90 red and white Burgundies (dutifully tallied by Mike Wheeler) and we immediately ordered the mythic 1996 Clos Rougeard Brézés White and the 1995 Clos Rougeard Le Bourg Rouge. The only embarrassment for me was the price on the wine list was lower than the price I had sold the wines to Doug Polaner, but he was sympathetic to my explanation of the need to maintain the Clos Rougeard wines as luxury items (see below).
Anyhow, the waiter informed us that the wines were in the cellar but not available for purchase as they were "En Vieillissement." This means, loosely translated, they were being aged. In fact, he informed us, he and his colleagues had tasted the Brézé just a month ago and it was nowhere near ready for drinking. Ditto for the Bourg.
The four of us stuck to our resolve and did not mention the magic words: Alex Gambal. Instead, we drank even more Grand Cru Burgundies that were fundamentally unsatisfactory and mundane.
Next time in Beaune, follow Alex Gambal's advise and , most importantly, mention Alex Gambal's name to every native you come across.
Should Louis/Dressner Selections Raise Prices?
I have come under attack, within the wine trade, for having low prices. Apparently, we are supposed to maximize profits and position our wines as luxury items. My failure to do so, I'm told, relegates the wines we sell in America to a second-class, non-luxurious, status.
I ask you, dear readers, should we raise our prices 20% to be in-line with industry pricing structures? Bear in mind, that 20% higher from us will mean a significant price rise for the consumer. For instance, a 20% hike from on us on a $10.00 wine (leaving the cellar of some hapless vigneron who does not understand the luxury good market in America) will mean a $5.00 dollar difference to the consumer eager to buy luxury wine goods. We are only the first link on the import chain and by the time the luxury wine filters to the public there will be a distributor's and a retailer's margin. They, of course, are now being tempted to raise their prices in order to share the enormous profit-taking possibilities of positioning the $10.00 bottle in the luxury good category.
What to do?
Please send me e-mail with your advise.
Vinexpo Summary -- Kudos and Hats Off to Luis Gutierrez
I have just returned from Vinexpo and am writing this from the Dressner Family Compound in Poil Rouge. I learned many interesting things in Bordeaux:
1. American Importers are Now Required to Wear Star of David badges at all Vinexpo events.
2. A man who resembles André Ostertag has opened a shop in Strasbourg featuring Hungarian Tokaj. His only saleswoman is France's Miss Gastronomie of 1997.
3. The International Wine Industry is dominated by Dutchmen wearing bowties and no socks.
4. There is not a single grower, négociant or cooperative in the Côtes-du-Provençe who uses sulphur.
5. Bordeaux prices are going up.
6. 1999 was a difficult year in Côte-du-Bourg and everyone's neighbor failed to properly treat their vineyards.
7.There is conclusive evidence that red wine consumption leads to immortality.
8. Wacky Internet Wine Personality VS (WIWP) owns a pied-à-terre in the Bronx.
9. Southcorp has bought Mondavi. Or Mondavi has bought Southcorp. Either way, there is much talk about Globalisation and Globalization.
10. Robert Parker yields great power over the Wine Industry.
11. Marvin Shanken yields great power over the Wine Industry.
12. Some 22-year-old kid named Yixin yields great power over the British Wine Industry. He plans on going international.
13. Jean-Paul Brun made lovely Gamay in 2000.
14. Luis Gutierrez has generously given me three bottles of Cornalin - 1999 Cornalin de Salquenen from Franz-Josef Mather, 1998 Cornalin de Sierre from Denis Mercier and 1998 La Chaille Cornalin from Imesch Vins. I will be returning to New York with these bottles on August 31st and they will be available for a Jeebus. By the way, Luis is either the former winemaker at Vega Sicilia or yet another Wacky Internet Wine Personality (WIWP). I'm not certain.
15. There is a world-wide international web conspiracy of wine geeks that yields even greater power then Robert Parker and Marvin Shaken. Yixin is reputed to be a part of this conspiracy.
16. Thank goodness for this conspiracy and all my thanks to Luis, André Ostertag's double, João Roseira, Mike Bassman, Wine Gurus Catherine and Pierre Breton, André and Colette Texier (parents of Internet Cult Wine Maker Eric Texier and my hosts during this grueling event), Mike Bassman, José Roseira, Anne-Claude Leflaive, Catherine Roussel, Internet Gamay Cult Winemaker Jean-Paul Brun and finally Internet Cult Rhône Winemaker Eric Texier for making Vinexpo an enjoyable event.
17. Louis/Dressner Selections will have a major announcement concerning our firm's involvement in Portugal sometime in the next 5 months.
18. Michel Rolland is extremely likeable and a Freemason.
I expect to be leaving endless spam on this site about the fabulous wines I found at Vinexpo (principally at Satellite tastings outside of the exposition) and will be posting more information here in the hope of getting some suckers to buy some of these wines. My apologies for being absent from these pages over the past 10 days.
Cornalin Tasting Planned at VINEXPO!
That's right. Geeks from all over the world are converging on Bordeaux this coming Sunday to one of the largest organized tastings of Cornalin ever organized at an international event. Cornalin, of course, is a rare grape variety found in the Swiss Valais. Unfortunately, Swissair (the airline I took to Lyon) does not yet serve Cornalin in coach class.
Other Interesting Events are Possible!
The Cornalin Tasting is reassuring news for me. My usual routine at Vinexpo is to walk the aisles of this giant show trying to look important. Since there are tens of thousands of other people in the trade doing exactly the same thing, I usually feel right at home. Although there is some wine available for tasting at Vinexpo, people in the know never taste anything there. We all know that giant conventions are the worst possible venue for tasting wine. Some of the more savvy exhibitors bring cases of wine and never open a single bottle during the entire week!
Otherwise, there are many interesting tastings being organized next week outside of the convention floor. I'm invited to the major geek affairs, but since I do not import any Bordeaux I have to hustle to get some invites to the big Château. I think I just got one to Cheval Blanc.
More to come.....
Buster Barely Escapes Exile in Zurich as Swissair Almost Loses Pooch!
My daughter Alyce and I travelled yesterday from New York City, to Zurich, to Lyon, and finally to the Dressner Family Compound in Poil Rouge, France (see below for photo). Our dog Buster also came along but since he weighs over 10 pounds he was in a kennel in the plane for the bulk of the trip. All told, Buster spent about 12 hours caged-up.
Although Delta Airlines has a direct New York to Lyon route, they do not accept dogs from June through August. So we are always compelled to take some crazy routing going through Brussels, Luxembourg, Zurich, Amsterdam or somewhere else. This time it was Swissair through , Zurich and then another flight to Lyon.
Unfortunately, our plane left JFK airport late and Alyce and I had to run to catch the corresponding flight to Lyon. Of course, when we got to the plane, a propeller job in the middle of the runway, there was no dog. I insisted we were not leaving until they found our dog and was then threatened by "This is not possible, you must let the plane leave or we will have the police arrest you. Absolutely!"
After insisting for some period of time that I was not letting the plane go anywhere and demanding that they send someone to find Buster, I felt I was getting nowhere. The Swiss airport people kept insisting it was impossible and that we had a choice of staying at the airport and trying to find Buster or leaving without him. Since Air France lost our dog for over four days at Kennedy Airport in 1997, I was not going to cave-in and was prepared to fight until the bitter end. Plus, I was thinking of the all the wine geeks out there who buy and consume Buster's special Cuvée. I discussed the Cuvée Buster with the Swiss Authorities, but they seemed incapable of understanding the story and the urgency of my retrieving Buster.
Finally, after yet another threat to have me arrested a van came barrelling up the runway. Safely cloistered inside the van was our beloved Buster. Off we went to Lyon!
We learned about Swiss culture during this adventure. Swissair has a stellar reputation and my daughter had water, coffee (decaf), a second cup of coffee (also decaf) and her cognac (non-alcoholic, she's only 13) spilled all over her on four separate occassions.
Buster Barely Escapes Exile in Zurich as Swissair Almost Loses Pooch!
My daughter Alyce and I travelled yesterday from New York City, to Zurich, to the Dressner Family Compound in Poil Rouge, France (see below for photo). Our dog Buster also came along but since he weights over 10 pounds he was in a kennel in the plan for the bulk of the trip. All told, Buster spent about 12 hours caged-up.
Although Delta Airlines has a direct New York to Lyon route, they do not accept dogs from June through August. So we are always compelled to take some crazy routing going through Brussels, Zurich, Amsterdam or somewhere else. This time it was Swissair through Zurich.
Unfortunately, our plane left JFK airport late and Alyce and I had to run to catch the correspoinding flight to Lyon. Of course, when we got the place, a propeller job in the middle of the runway, there was no dog. I insisted we were not leaving until they found our dog and was then threatened by "This is not possible, you must let the plane leave or we will have the police arrest you."
After insisting for some period of time that I was not letting the plane go anywhere and demanding that they send someone to find Buster, I saw I was getting nowhere. The Swiss airport people kept insisting it was impossible. Finally, after yet another threat to have me arrested a van came barrelling up the runway. Safely cloistered inside the van was our beloved Buster. Off we went to Lyon!
We learned about Swiss culture during this adventure. Swissair has a stellar reputation and my daughter had water, coffee (decaf), a second cup of coffee and her cognac (non-alcoholic, she's only 13) spilled all over her on four separate occassions.
Leaving for France on Tuesday Night....Will be Attending Vinexpo!
I hate Vinexpo but always go. Vinexpo is like a family obligation -- similar to attending the wedding of a relative you despise and pretending to have a good time. At least you don't have to bring a gift to attend Vinexpo.
It is always mind-boggling (as the wine critics say) that kilometers and kilometers of wine producers show their horrible industrial wines once every two years in Bordeaux. One would think all these kilometers of producers would be more discreet and less aggressive about showing their horrible wares. Apparently, they not only expect people to buy these wines, they act ually find customers at Vinexpo!
I go because it feeds my meglomaniacal notion that I'm a Big Man in The Wine Industry. There will be Big Men in The Wine Industry (an Occassional Big Woman, but on the whole it is a sexist trade, like everything else) from all over the world for one week in Bordeaux and I sure as hell am not going to miss all that action. Even if the air conditioners don't work yet once again.
Of course, I would not make a special trip from New York to Bordeaux just to be seen amongst the powerhouses of the industry in Bordeaux. I will already be in France, leaving tomorrow evening, to take my annual summer residence in the Louis/Dressner Family Compound in the hamlet of Poil Rouge in beautiful St-Gengoux-de-Scissé, somewhere in the Mâconnais.
The Louis/Dressner Family Compound in Southern Burgundy during the Catastrophic 1994 Harvest
Copyright 2001 John Danehy
The Wine Importer Will be Making a Rare Public Appearance this Friday
Yes, I am speaking about myself in the third person.
I, The Wine Importer, will be conducting an exhaustive tasting of Louis/Dressner Selections wines at Chambers Street Wines at at 160 Chambers Street in downtown Manhattan from 4:30 to 7:18 pm. This is a new wine shop headed by various luminaries from some of America's greatest wine shops and auction houses.
Mention that you learned about the tasting through this site and you will receive a 10% case discount!
1999 Red Burgundies
Along with Kevin McKenna, my partner, I just did a 1999 Red Burgundy tasting in Boston.
We started out importing Burgundies 34 years ago, but soon became enamored with other regions. I forgot how enjoyable Burgundies can be and the 1999 vintage seems very ripe and pretty. Even the Melon de Bourgogne, which everyone knows comes from the wrong side of the the National.
I actually enjoyed tasting Red Burgundies today, something that I haven't truly enjoyed in quite some time. We really had nothing grandiose there, with only Sylvie Esmonin's Clos St-Jacques coming close to a Grand Cru, but there was a consistent elegance across the line. I give them all 92 points, in descending order..
I think our search for the unspoofulated has payed off with this vintage. We don't have oak monsters but lots of pure little Burgundies with delicacy and charm. Maybe I'll buy some myself.
Remember that vintage generalizations about Burgundies are always useless -- the important thing is which vigneron in which year. So be certain to buy Burgundies selectively. A general good rule of thumb is to limit your purchases to Louis/Dressner Selections and Eric Solomon's Burgundy selections. Both firms make impeccable selections.
Now that I think about it, you also can't do wrong with Fran Kysela Père et Fils. I love that Père et Fils stuff in Fran Kysela's company's name, even though Fran started the company and his father never had an actual involvement in the daily activities. Most importantly, Fran's Government Warning Label has a great graphic of a guy in an apron rolling around a barrel. There is no indication if this is a new or old barrel, but I don't believe that Fran Kysela or his father supply the barrels to their winemakers. If you're looking for that sort of thing, you would do best to buy from Bobby Kacher et Fils or from North Berkeley et Fils. These outfits not only select the wines but also select the tonnelier and send forests of new barrels to their vignerons.
Father's Day is June 17th and what better way to celebrate that day then with a bottle of over-oaked Burgundy from one of the American Père et Fils operations that specialize in new oak? 92 points
Premised
Along with Kevin McKenna, my partner, I just did a 1999 Red Burgundy tasting in Boston. The tasting was at our wholesaler's headquarters and included actual wine buyers from the Boston market and lots of salespeople from the distributor. I don't know many of the salespeople, much has changed since our wholesaler was bought by a multi-national cartel five years ago, so I made a point of introducing myself to each of them as they poured themselves generous portions of high-priced Burgundies on allocation. The general pattern is to pour half a glass, sip a bit, spit it out and then dump the remaining considerable quantity of highly-allocated Burgundy into the dump bucket.
Some of the salespeople work on-premise. Some work off-premise. Some work a combination of on-premise and off-premise. Some were the On-Premise Sales Managers and some were the Off-Premise Sales Managers. One of these gentlemen was responsible for product programming 92 points wines but didn't explain what that was. I did notice that several of the On-Premise people took smaller pours than the Off-Premise salespeople, but the control group was too small to come to definitive conclusions.
Anyhow, what, in God's name, is all this premise talk. Whose premise are they either on or off? Are they all trespassing? If so, where, when and why?
Please send me explanatory e-mail.
Thank God for Marc Olliver
Along with Kevin McKenna, my partner, I just did a 1999 Red Burgundy tasting in Boston. One of the most exciting wines was the Domaine de la Pépière 2000. This is as good a young Muscadet as I have tasted. The wine exhibits gobs of minerality and multi-layered Melon-de-Bourgogne texture. Highly recommended. 92 points
A little-known fact about great Muscadet is that is unsaleable in Chicago!