A few more wines tasted at "Le Magasin" in Stanley (Hong Kong)

A few more organic and biodynamic wines tasted at "Le Magasin" in Stanley (Hong Kong)

2010 Chateau des Bachelards Moulin a Vent Beaujolais Burgundy France
Lot of Terroir and earthy, funky notes mingling with dark berries on the nose. Dark ripe cherry and more earth showed in the delineated, harmonious, fresh and very nice overall palate. Quite smooth with good acidity in the long finish. Classic Beaujolais from one of the benchmarks of the appellation, loved it.

2010 Didier Montchovet Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune
Here again, very earthy, funky and Terroir oriented. The palate offers bright flavors of red fruits and berries mingling with smoky nuances, enhanced by juicy acidity. A touch of green bitterness seem to appear in the mid-palate to fade and integrate with the other components of the wine toward the nice slightly rustic finish (a bit raw). Overall, a very interesting wine with earthy nuances, which gradually got much better and seemed more harmonious after about 10-15 minutes. No decanting needed, but it needs to breath a little to fully express itself.

2007 Didier Montchovet Beaune 1er Cru Vignes Franches
Like the previous one, earthiness dominated the overall profile, the palate is quite complex with great acidity, tannins and spices. Terroir oriented and a bit tight at first, but this is also due to the vintage, which was ok but not great in Burgundy.  It also needed air and a few minutes to deliver its full extend. The texture was somewhat chewier than the previous one, which was juicier and fresher. Not to sip on its own, and mainly due to the vintage this wine needs food. Much better after about 20 minutes.

2010 Clos I9 Bis Graves by Vincent Quirac Bordeaux France 

Clos 19 Bis is crafted by Vincent Quirac, who produce both Graves and Sauternes wines from small vineyards all under organic methods in the village of Pujols-sur-Ciron, about 6 km north of Sauternes. Harvested from 1.5 hectares of 40 year old vines planted with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, this wine possesses all the classic nuances of the Graves soil and Terroir. The nose is fruity, earthy and smoky, quite typical of the Graves (which brings back a lot of memory as the wines from Graves are the ones that I started to taste, buy and sell at the beginning of my carreer 21 years ago, and I always get back to them with immense pleasure as they are usually very reliable and often good value for money). The palate is also fruity and earthy with that same smokiness inherent of the Graves soil. Lovely texture and structure overall, with present and young tannins toward the end but somehow well integrated. Vincent Quirac who was partly trained at Domaine Causse-Marines, one of my favorite Gaillac wineries, is definitely a producer to keep an eye on. This 2010 was only is 2nd vintages (I believe).  

Mouthes Le Bihan "Les Apprentis" Cotes de Duras Southwest of France

As the label could suggest it, Catherine et Jean-Mary Le Bihan are no apprentice at all. They craft their organic wines in the Cotes de Duras, a small appellation located around the eponymous village, about 100 km southwest of Bordeaux, in the northern point of the "Lot-et Garonne" department.

Cotes de Duras has too often been assimilated to Bordeaux in the past and thus suffered from being in its shadow;  which is completely understandable as the appellation location is immediately adjacent to the Bordeaux wine region, in the neighboring Gironde department, and can be seen as an extension of Bordeaux immediately to the east of the departmental border.

The similarity of these wines goes even further as the blend usually encompasses the same grapes, and this wine from Le Bihan is no exception to the rule: 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Malbec and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, from vines ranging between 10 and 60 year old planted on clay resting on calcareous limestone soil with presence of silex stones. Harvests are done by hand and grape bunches are carefully selected and sorted on the vines, then placed in small basket to avoid being crushed. The grapes are once again sorted and desteemed on table before going in the vat. They undergo a cold maceration before fermentation with no addition of yeasts or enzymes. Extraction is soft and long without any "remontage" (pump over) or "delestage", only a few manual "batonnage" (pushing down the cap) at the beginning of the fermentation. The resulting wine is then aged for 18 months in French oak barrel with no racking.

Unfortunately and strangely I did not write down the vintage, but it is fairly recent 2009 or 2010 maybe. However, the wine was great with a very expressive nose of black fruit and berries mingling with earthy notes and hints of cidder wood, menthol and gravely soil, somewhat similar to a Medoc. Quite explosive in the palate with lot of angles and edges, but not in an unbalanced or inharmonious way. On the contrary, with the Graves and the Hautes Cotes de Beaune (see wines above), it was my favorite of the bunch we tasted that day (for my wife too). Beautifully crafted overall with refreshing acidity that enhanced the fruit and earthiness. Loved it. Definitely not a wine to sip on his own, it deserves something to share it with, charcuterie, red meat and classic regional French recipes immediately come to mind, especially the ones from the southwest like Cassoulet de Canard de Castelnaudary, Saucisse Lentilles de Toulouse, Garbure comme en Béarn (reputed stew in Aquitaine and Midi Pyrénnées); and more locally Agneau aux pruneaux d'Agen.

Bon Appetit!

Enjoy,

LeDom du Vin

Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. Also support 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide. "Commerce Equitable" or "Fair Trade" is evidently and more than ever a needed movement connecting producers and customers, to be aware of others and their cultural and traditional products based on high quality, natural components and craftsmanship.

Open topic on weird organic or biodynamic wines

Open topic on weird organic or biodynamic wines

I love wines produced from organic, biodynamic, lutte raisonnee and other natural methods; more especially if they are from small, independent, fairly unknown wineries or producers.

I fully embrace the concept of respecting the environment and let mother Nature does what she does best. It is a good way to go back to the know-how of our ancestors, when we still knew how to make and take the time to craft things properly with passion and savoir faire, without really interfering but just making sure that everything was done right.

As we became aware of the need to go back to more natural methods to preserve our world and resources over the last few decades, it is, in my opinion, even more important to return to these days and ways as the world is changing and evolving so rapidly. Pushing further the limits of what we can do everyday,  medical researches, advanced technology and scientific progress are now also directed towards more natural and environmental concerned results, which do wonder when allied with natural methods in the vineyards and in the cellars.

Yet, some of us don't want technology and prefer the complete natural way, going back to ploughing the soil with a horse, doing everything by hands as well as letting all sort of wild herbs and weeds invade their vineyards; thus creating a better environment for the vines by reintroducing needed insects and other plants to fight the diseases and pests, without the use of herbicides, pesticides, chemicals or any unnatural compost. Growing up in the countryside with my grandfather, I think it is great and I'm glad some people continue to think that way.

However, like anything else, the natural way has pros and cons. In terms of wine production, not much cons as pretty much everything occures naturally without much human intervention (except maybe the following of the calendar for the Biodynamic Methods), and the pros are the respect of nature and the environment, learning how to retrieve this lost human instinct to rely on Nature itself without the needs of machine or chemicals.

In terms of wine tasting, depending on the consumer the pros can turn into cons, as they are often related to the rawness of the wine mostly due to minimal interventions in the vineyards as well as in the cellar, more especially during fermentation process with natural yeasts and ageing period in used barrels or vats or tanks, usually bottled with no racking, no filtration and no fining.

The resulting wines may be too rough, angular or rustic for the novice palates. Sometimes inharmonious or unbalanced, too many of them taste like raw and are definitely not as polished or clean as they should be, showing funkier, stronger Terroir oriented and earthier aromas and flavors (than regular wines), not always to the taste of the average consumer and difficult to sell without an explanation to warn about certain edges. 

Some winemakers even decided not to mention it on their label as it was affecting their sales, or to abandon these methods to favor the "Lutte Raisonee", which is also quite natural, but allows for more flexibility and the use of chemicals and pesticides when needed.

Fortunately lots of organic and biodynamic wines taste great, but they still only represent a minority amongst the ocean of organic and biodinamic wines that have flooded the market over the last 10 years. Unfortunately, natural wines, although much better and tastier than they were only even 5-6 years ago, still suffer from a controversial image in the consumer eyes.

Less than a decade ago, when the trend of natural methods made wines surge from western Europe to the London and New York markets, people were intrigued and excited but in the end not really satisfied. Some played the game saying, "it is a new style", "we are not just yet acquainted with them", "it is only a matter of time" or "it is about itme that we come back to more natural wines"; and the trend developed slowly, yet too many consumers have yet to be convinced.

And this surely due to the fact that some organic, biodynamic and other natrural methods crafted wines are too often difficult to approach and not accessible to everybody's palate. Some are great, even extraordinary at first taste and one can not get enough of them; but most are still too different to be fully understood at first sip. You know what I'm trying to say, you surely encountered at least one or two.   

Did you ever taste one of these weird organic or biodynamic wines? You know the types of wine that are too out there, supposedly too intellectual or too complex for anybody to really grab their essence, or in fact, for some of them, just plainly bad and tasteless.

I personally tasted quite a bunch of them, and even if I'm a defender of the organic, biodynamic and other  natural methods produced wines, I need to admit that some are just plainly disgusting and difficult to digest. Especially when you paid such a hefty price for something that your favorite local wine boutique pretends to be the next big thing in terms of taste, while it is barely drinkable.

Quite identical to regular wines, there are multiple reasons why some organic or biodynamic wines sometimes taste the way they do; and here are a few coming to mind.

Sometimes, I guess, it is just because the vines are too young and the resulting wine reveals fresh fruit but also green notes, bitterness and lack of depth and complexity (that is depending also on the richness and quality of the soil and overall Terroir).

It could also happen because of indigenous bad bacterias or yeasts present in the vineyards and / or more especially in the cellar, which affect the wine and its environment (cellar wall, roof, barrels, tanks, vats, etc...), due to lack of cleaning and disinfecting certain areas and tools.  

It might also be the result of a lack of experience from a winemaker not too acquainted yet with organic and / or biodynamic culture (bad decision, bad timing, etc...). Or on the contrary, a winemaker pushing things to the extreme, in both cases resulting in an angular wine with rough edges, lack of harmony, balance and integrity, often showing strange funkyness and strong earthiness on nose and palate.

Or sometimes it is just simple bad winemaking and that is it. Resulting in a disgusting wine that is not good when you open the bottle, and that will not evolve or never really get better in your glass or even with more time in the bottle (examples that I tasted showed weird smell - oxidized, volatile acidity, full of sulfur, excessive animal funk, or even strong cheesy, mushroom, moisture smell etc... and don't even get me started on the palate).

For the latter, some people who still think that selling wine is a lucrative business driven by money and not by passion, will always try to convince you that these wines that taste awfully wrong are "great". That it is a certain style or even that it is the producer pedigree, that it is out there, difficult to understand but that it is because you are novice about that particular taste, maybe needs decanting, etc... Do not believe them, those are bad excuses.

If the wine is shit (and god knows that as the grand son of a winemaker I hate to say that, as I tremendously respect the work of all people working in a winery), the wine is shit! (Organic, Biodinamic or not).

However, there are plenty of good examples of natural wines out there that are fantastic and worth tasting, even if sometimes, I need to admit, not always for everybody's palate.

I already described quite a few in many of my previous posts, but here is another one that I tasted not long ago. 

2009 Nicolas Testard Brouilly Beaujolais Burgundy France

Slightly off earthy nose with very ripe dark berry aromas, like grape jelly, and slight remains of carbonic maceration nuances, like if the wine recently came out of the vat, raw, unfined, unfiltred with barely perceptible bubbles. So far no problem, 2009 was a hot and ripe vintage; it is a young Beaujolais from a cru and it was crafted organically, which may also explain that slightly off-putting smell (those that are not acquainted with certain type of organic wines like this one may not like the smell). The palate is quite contrasted with the same dark very ripe fruit yet mingling with weird acidity and green edges bringing sour (acidity) and bitter (green), unripe edges probably from the stems if not remove, but more especially from unripe grape seeds; which is quite unusual for such warm vintage as 2009 which produced overall superb, soft, integrated and complex Beaujolais wines. The finish continues to offer the dark red fruit, but also and unfortunately the weird acidity and green touches too, with a subtle salty note.

Two bottles were opened, both showing the same things, too much to be coincidence, therefore it can only be the house style, or the winemaker style or the results of the decisions in the vineyard (early harvest due too much rain or the fear of over-ripeness if the weather was too hot) prior or during the harvest, that the winemaker took for this particular vintages (or all the above perhaps).

Yet, in conclusion, I will say that this wine is too funky and earthy and too inharmonious to be fully understood by most consumers; which is sometimes the case with certain producers who are producing their wines at one of the further extreme corners of the organic sphere (which is already a paradox in itself).

I usually like what Nicolas Testard does and previously enjoyed some of his wines, but this one was maybe to inharmonious for me to fully appreciate it. I will have to give it another chance in a few months to see if the wine has evolved or if it is just taste the same.

Enjoy,

LeDom du Vin

Some old wine tasting notes starting with Vincent Girardin Meursault Les Charmes-Dessus Blanc 2009

Some old wine tasting notes starting with 
Vincent Girardin Meursault Les Charmes-Dessus Blanc 2009

Although my new job is an interesting turn in my wine career, (I changed my position 3 months ago), I'm not a Wine Buyer anymore (after more than 20 years of buying wines for retails and restaurants), and therefore do not get to taste as much as I used to. 

I need to admit that sometimes I miss the rapport that I used to have with my customers, but also the suppliers and more especially wineries and producers. Moreover, I felt more up-to-date with the wine market as I used to taste and average of 28-32 wines a day from all around the world, and that 6 days a week for at least the past 15 years.... that is a lot of wine. It seems a lot when you calculate it, but it is a regular thing for most dedicated wine buyers and frankly nothing compared to other wine professionals like famous wine critics that are surely tasting twice as much.

However, I'm still and always will be a Sommelier and part of my current job, that has to do with wine obviously (as I wouldn't leave the wine bubble for anything else in the world), allows me to occasionally taste some extraordinaire old vintages of hugely coveted classic producers, wineries and Chateaux from various French appellations, more specifically Burgundy and Bordeaux (Hong Kong oblige).

In short, I swapped quantity for quality, which is not bad I must say, especially when it comes to very rare wines and vintages that I will never been able to afford or even hope to taste.

Between my new job and my family life with my wife and kids, I have been slacking off on my writings and did not update this blog or even my website as often as I should. Shame because I love writing in both French and English, especially about wine.

So, searching in my back pockets where I always keep a pen and a little note book (a bit old fashion, I know, but it always comes handy and I prefer it to a voice recorder), I found a few old notes about some wines, including some tasted and drank in the last few events and dinners I participated to since I started in this new company.

Here is the first one of a long overdue list of wines that I should have posted on my blog over the past year and a half, since I came in Hong Kong.

Vincent Girardin

Located in Santenay until recently, now based in Meursault, Vincent Girardin produces wines from Santenay, Maranges, Chassagne-Montrachet, Meursault, Pommard, Beaune, and Savigny-les-Beaunes.

Vincent Girardin crafts refine structured wines characterized by their distinct crisp acidity, texture and minerality. Some people may found them lean or not ripe enough, I will say that they are refreshing, vibrant, concentrated and well balanced rather than too opulent. The rich fruit and fragrant toasted notes harmoniously complement each other, creating elegant and complex Burgundies with long ageing potential.

While some Meursault can be fat, almost oily with a lot of oak influence, the ones from Girardin (Vieilles Vignes, Les Tillets, Les Narvaux Blanc, Le Poruzots Dessus, Les Genevrieres Blanc, Les Perrieres Blanc and Les Charmes Dessus) are usually more refreshing and rather discreet (or well integrated) on the wood scents and flavors.

Production represents roughly 80% white wine, with approximately 300,000 bottles produced per year from the Côte d’Or. They also produce about 200,000 bottles per year in their Beaujolais estate.

After gradually diminishing their use of herbicides and pesticides, from 1997 onwards, they implemented more natural methods, tending towards Organic, and, as a result of their continuous efforts, were certified Biodynamic in 2007. Yet, in 2010 they gave up their certification and adopted the "Lutte Raisonnée"method, a more flexible approach of vineyard management enabling them, for example, the use of systemic treatment when really needed and giving them the choice to treat each parcel or/and vineyard individually depending on the situation.

Often compared to 1999, 2009 is a great vintage in Burgundy. Maybe my "Law of the Decacdes in Wine Vintages", once again works (see my previous post at http://www.ledomduvin.com/2012/10/is-there-reliable-law-of-decades-for.html). Resulting from the ideal warm weather and overall climate during the ripening period, the grapes presented such good degrees of ripeness and complexity bringing rapidly the alcohol level between 12.5 and 13.5%, that Girardin's team decided to harvest earlier than expected to preserve the freshness and zestyness, rather than waiting to obtain sweeter, riper wines with less vibrancy. Moreover, atop of new methods, they decreased their use of new oak to favor the quality and expression of the fruit and Terroir, thus avoiding masking the true personality and character of the wines.

The fact that they become more attentive to the vineyard management, employing more natural methods and using less oak treatment, does not mean that they fell to get an interest on the technical part. On the contrary, starting with the 2009 vintage, the team used for the first time their ‘Vistalys’ optical grape-sorting machine. State of the art machinery in the cellar and natural methods in the vineyards have proven an excellent combination to elaborate stunning gems.

Since February this year, following to an official press release, it seems that the Domaine daily operation and management of the company has passed from the hands of Veronique and Vincent Girardin to those of Jean-Pierre Nié, a well-known professional in Burgundy who is also Chairman of "Compagnie des Vins d’Autrefois" in Beaune as well as being a commercial partner of Vincent Girardin for several years now. Eric Germain, Vincent Girardin’s right-hand man and house oenologist for the past ten years will keep his position to perpetuate the high quality of the company's wines.

2009 Vincent Girardin Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes-Dessus Blanc Cote d'Or Burgundy

Very light, pale yellow color with bright reflects. Rather discreet (the wine was a bit cold even just after decantation), the charming nose exhibited beautiful, delicate, floral, mineral, almost fragile notes of white zesty fruits and more mineral on a concentrated way, but rather feminine, elegant and once again discreet not restraint (still a bit cold but it was more distinct after a few minutes in the glass). Although rich and complex with very subtile oak nuances, the palate presented the same profile (as the nose) and feminine silhouette, very discreet, elegant and very mineral. Light and refreshing, with flavors of white peach, citrus, touches of apple, lychee and green almond mingling with mineral and gently toasted, buttery notes. Endowed with really good balance and overall harmony, the structured and vibrant mid-palate developed nicely in power and complexity to reach the slightly spicy-peppery mineral finish. I loved it and couldn't get enough of it. This classic Meursault is still a bit young and deserves to be decanted, yet it is already delightful and was so easy to drink. 

Enjoy, 

LeDom du Vin 

PS: to be continued soon with more wines from my back pocket note book (books should I say as I have more than one and always take notes of everything I taste....just not enough time to write them all on this blog... ).    

Les Vignerons d’Estezargues & 2008 Domaine Grès St. Vincent Côtes du Rhône Villages Signargues

Les Vignerons d’Estezargues - Côtes du Rhône

Founded in 1965, the cooperative "Les Vignerons d’Estezargues" is located in the Côtes du Rhône “Gardoise”, in the French departement of the "Gard", in the small town of Estézargues, about 17.5 kilometers west of Avignon.

The cooperative regroups 10 different growers (or Domaines) and collects the fruits of 400 hectares of vines, mostly planted in the AOC Côtes du Rhône and AOC Côtes du Rhône Villages “Signargues” and its surroundings.

During the 1990s, the cooperative took a more qualitative orientation, with major changes made in the production and vinification processes. The sale of bulk wine trading has given way to the development of bottling at the property, which was crucial to increase consistency and quality. Bottling at the property has been expanding steadily since 1995, from the generic wines to the Domaine wines. This new policy also generated the development of sales at the cooperative’s store, where nearly half of the production is currently sold.

To further increase the sales and the quality of the produced wines, a new policy of vinification per "Domaine" was also launched, and, as a result, each of the 10 growers has his own Domaine’s Cuvée. The choice of doing individual vinification for each Domaine, highlights the work of each producer and their specific characteristics depending on their respective Terroir.

Therefore, starting in 1995, under the supervision of the winemakers, the ten different growers in this co-op began to vinify their wine separately and make single Cuvée from their best plots. Yet, collective tanks still remained to create the entry level wines that are blended with the fruits of all growers, like “Les Grandes Vignes” line.

Anxious to preserve the environment, the growers are engaged in a durable development system for their Domaine and the cooperative, which both embrace sustainable and organic farming and methods. Moreover, the growers also signed the charter “Terra Vitis”.

FYI: The “Terra Vitis” charter (or designation) was established in 1998 by a federation of French growers and small, premium wineries to promote healthy, high quality grapes, to maintain the diversity of the fauna, to minimize chemical treatments, and prevent erosion. The federation maintains criteria and oversees verification through inspections conducted by the Véritas inspection bureau, an independent agent that verifies compliance. Among other things, the "Terra Vitis" charter requires:

• Use of natural processes to control pests whenever possible and minimal use of chemical treatments
  

• Planting varietals appropriate to soil and the climate
  

• The use of ground cover and compost to provide habitat for useful micro-organisms and to prevent erosion
  

• Continuing education on organic control of pests and parasites
  

• Documentation of the winemaking process, literally, from the ground up
  

(Info about Terra Vitis courtesy of www.terlatowines.com)

To go further in quality, in 2004, the cellar invested in new equipment and winemaking process to expand and improve the winery.

Constant quality also can easily be reached because the cooperative benefits of the expertise and skills of these 10 growers united in the same cellar: each with his own identity and way of working, grape varieties and specific Terroir. The cooperative reveals their work, either through their specific Cuvées (the Domaines) or the generic wines, which are blended with the grapes of all growers.

In the cellar, unnatural yeasts, filtration and fining, as well as all technologies denaturing the wines are prohibited. The winemaking is done without sulfur and low temperature in order to make the most of fruit and Terroir potential.

The winery sells about 15 different wines, red predominantly and rosé and white, from 5 appellations: Vins de Pays du Gard, Costières de Nîmes, Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages and Côtes du Rhône Villages "Signargues".

AOC Côtes du Rhône Villages "Signargues" was established in 2004 and is exclusively dedicated to red wines. It is the output of most southern vineyards in the AOC Côtes du Rhône Villages with a communal name. "Signargues" encompasses four municipalities: Estézargues, Domazan Rochefort du Gard and Saze.

We tasted only 4 of them out of the 15 that they produce, although most of them are in the US market, they are distributed by 3 different distributors in NYC; and from Jenny & François, the two following really captured my attention:



2009 D'Estezargues Les Grandes Vignes Rouge Côtes du Rhône France
Suggested retail price $10-$13
Imported / distributed by Jenny & François (Importer of Natural Wines) in NYC

Made from 100% Cinsault, 20 to 80 years old vines, planted on red clay based and stone strewn soil. Natural vinification method: hand harvested grapes. No external unnatural yeasts and no enzymes are used during the winemaking process. The bunches are de-stemmed and the fruit undergoes fifteen days of maceration; then the wine is stored in enamel-lined concrete tanks for 10 months before it is bottled without fining or filtration.

Made with 100% Cinsault, which is quite unusual for a Cotes du Rhone, 2009 Les Grandes Vignes rouge offers generous ripe dark fruit flavors, in a rich, juicy, earthy profile. Behind its deep ruby color, the nose develop warm, inviting and expressive aromas of dark berry, garrigues, chocolate and earth. The palate is gorgeous and friendly, full and rich, offering a lot of chocolate and ripe dark fruit flavors mingled with spicy, floral, earthy, garrigues notes. Balanced, with good tannic structure, this an excellent example of Cotes du Rhone. Even from a cooperative, it has nothing to envy to independent producers, on the contrary. Highly recommended for everyday drinking on "charcuterie", "paté", grilled red meat and cheese. I love it.




2008 Domaine Grès St. Vincent Côtes du Rhône Villages Signargues France
Suggested retail price $12-$15
Imported / distributed by Jenny & François (Importer of Natural Wines) in NYC

Patrick Vincent, the owner, grows 5 grapes going into this wine, which is a blend of 60% Grenache, 25% Syrah and the rest being Carignan, Mourvèdre and Cinsault, 20 to 80 years old vines, planted on Red clay covered in small stones soil. Natural vinification method: hand harvested grapes. No external unnatural yeasts and no enzymes are used during the winemaking process. The fruit undergoes twenty days of maceration and the wine is stored in enamel-lined concrete tanks for 10 months before being bottled without fining or filtration.

On the nose the initial freshness is quickly complemented by perfectly ripe red fruit, mingling with earthy, mineral, garrigues, Terroir oriented spicy notes. Domaine Grès St. Vincent is also a worthy representative of the new appellation “Signargues”; delivering the same type of flavors, the palate is balanced, structured and quite exquisite, juicy, rich and complex, yet harmonious, focus and elegant. It will pair greatly with earthy dishes, stews, rack of lamb, “Tete de Veau” and Boeuf Bourguignon, and flavorful cheese. Excellent.

Enjoy!

LeDom du Vin

Info partly taken, translated and edited from the cooperative website at www.vins-estezargues.com and from the importer website at www.jennyandfrancois.com

Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. Also support 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide. "Commerce Equitable" or "Fair Trade" is evidently and more than ever a needed movement connecting producers and customers, to be aware of others and their cultural and traditional products based on high quality, natural components and craftsmanship.

2009 Olivier Cousin "Le Cousin Rouge" Vieilles Vignes Grolleau Anjou Loire Valley France

2009 Olivier Cousin "Le Cousin Rouge" Vieilles Vignes Grolleau
Anjou Loire Valley France

Lately, I wrote about a few wines from Jenny & François, which I tasted over the last few weeks, but I just realized that I forgot a very important one in term of Natural wine: "Le Cousin Rouge" Grolleau Vieilles Vignes.

Olivier Cousin, owner of Domaine Cousin-Leduc, cultivates about 12 hectares of vines in and around Martigné Briand, a little village nestled in the fertile Anjou region, about 30 kilometers east of Saumur and about 33 kilometers south of Angers.

His vineyards are planted with Gamay, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Grolleau and Chenin Blanc. All of the wines Cousin crafts are certified biodynamic. He plows his vineyards with his horse Joker, uses only indigenous yeasts and shuns enzymes, sugar and sulfites.

Oliver Cousin is constantly experimenting to improve the quality of his wines, which often undergo an extended maceration, resulting in greater character to the final wines. He crafts wines that celebrate the harmony that exists between man and nature.

His hard work and understanding of the vines in his small Loire Valley vineyard represent some of the finest natural wines that are currently available in the United States. The Domaine is entirely “Biodynamic Demeter” certified.





2009 Olivier Cousin "Le Cousin Rouge" Vieilles Vignes Grolleau Anjou Loire Valley France
Suggested retail price $18-$21
Imported / distributed by Jenny and François in NYC

In the series of funny and cartoony labels, “Le Cousin” is a great example. It is a play of words, between the name of the owner Olivier “Cousin” and the fact that a “Cousin” is also the name of a particular type of mosquito in France. Hence, the “Cousin” or mosquito opening a bottle of wine! Nicely done, Olivier!

“Le Cousin” is crafted with 100% Grolleau (an ancient red grape variety indigenous to the Loire that Olivier Cousin, amongst few other winemakers, has brought back from the brink of extinction.), from vines under Guyot and Gobelet pruning method. Averaging about 30 years old, the vines are planted on black loam infused with deep beds of limestone. The grapes are hand-harvested, brought to the winery by a horse, then destemmed and gently pressed. Only natural yeasts are used and the juice undergoes an extended maceration to maximize the extraction and add depth and complexity.

It shows deep, dark purple color. On the nose, very expressive, inciting aromas of freshly crushed wild berries and grapes, mingled with funky, earthy, barnyard and mineral notes, immediately emanate from the glass. The palate is rich, complex yet soft and gentle with even stronger flavors of freshly crushed wild berries and dark grapes than the nose. It also offers a focus, earthy profile enhanced by great minerality and reviving acidity. This is a buoyantly fruity and dynamic medium-bodied red that expresses the soil and Terroir it comes from. Definitely funky and unusual, ultra natural and really enjoyable, surely not your everyday wine, yet after you tasted it it could become your everyday wine!

Good on its own, it will pair pretty well with rabbit stew, veal chops, braised pork loin, paté, herb encrusted roast chicken or simply by itself.

FYI: "Mieux vaut le vin d'ici, que l'eau de là!" is also a great play of words meaning "Better the wine from here, than the water from up there!", don't get it? no! Well, it is normal because "L'eau de là" is a French play of words, a metaphor also meaning "L'Au-delà" or "The Beyond" in English. Get it?

Enjoy!

LeDom du Vin

Info partly taken and edited from Jenny & François website at http://www.jennyandfrancois.com/

Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. Also support 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide. "Commerce Equitable" or "Fair Trade" is evidently and more than ever a needed movement connecting producers and customers, to be aware of others and their cultural and traditional products based on high quality, natural components and craftsmanship.

2008 Domaine de Montrieux "Le Verre des Poètes" Pineau d'Aunis Vin de Table rouge de Loire Côteaux du Vendômois (Emile Heredia producteur at Vouvray)

Domaine de Montrieux - Emile Heredia

Created in 1999, by Emile Heredia, Domaine de Montrieux has been fully immerse into Organic methods since the beginning . The plots were chosen for their qualities: age of the vines, soil quality and exposure. Priority was given to old vines, chastened, they allow good control yields. Their roots plunge deep into the ground, which confer them constant accessible moisture and better resistance to heat, and also ensure the minerality and intensity of the wines.

Emile Heredia, a distant cousin of the famous Lopez de Heredia Family in Rioja, farms 7 hectares spread out between Villiers-sur-Loir and Naveil-Vendôme. These are some of the most distinguished slopes within the Anjou and Coteaux du Vendômois appellation, and which also encompasses some of the oldest vines of the area. One parcel of Pineau d’Aunis planted on its original roots in 1870 predates the arrival of phylloxera.

Most vineyards are planted south-facing slopes overlooking on the Loire. The soil is composed of layers of flint stone and clays resting on a limestone bedrock. The AOC Coteaux du Vendômois red and rose wines (better known as "Gris") are produced from the Pineau d'Aunis grape, and the other red Table wine is a sparkling red, Cerdon du Bugey inspired, made from old vines Gamay. Traditional Chenin Blanc goes for the white.

Pineau d'Aunis had its glory days during the Middle-Age, a favorite of Henry Plantagenet, wines made from this particular grape was first exported to England in the thirteenth century. At this time, it covered the entire Vendômois county and extended up until Nantes.

The climate, soils and mechanization would only result in obtaining good but rarely exceptional grapes of consistent quality and sufficient ripeness in this part of the Loire, therefore: "Work the soil, do not use synthetic chemicals, and harvesting by hand were obvious choices for the Domaine ". - Emile Heredia




2008 Domaine de Montrieux "Le Verre des Poètes" Pineau d'Aunis Vin de Table rouge de Loire Côteaux du Vendômois (Emile Heredia producteur at Vouvray)
Suggested retail price $18-$20
Imported / distributed by Metropolis Wines in NYC

Little anecdote about this particular wine, the label changes often and depending of the vintage the Poem on the front label may change, e.i:

• 2008 was Baudelaire: "Si le vin disparaissait de la production humaine, je crois qu'il se ferait dans la sante et dans l'intelligence de notre planete un vide, une absence encore plus affreuse que tous les exces dont on le rend coupable." - Baudelaire
  

• Beaumarchais: "Bannissons le chagrin, il nous consume: sans le feu du bon vin qui nous rallume, reduit a languir, l'homme sans plaisir, vivrait comme un sot, et mourrait bientot..." - Beaumarchais (Le Barbier de Seville)
  

• Moliere: "Les biens, le savoir et la gloire n'otent point les soucis facheux; et ce n'est qu'a bien boire que l'on peut etre heureux!" - Moliere (Le Bourgeois gentilhomme)
  

Pineau d'Aunis, also known locally as Chenin Noir, is a red grape variety indigenous from the Loire Valley and predominantly planted in the Anjou and Touraine region. Rare in the US market are the wines made from 100% Pinot d'Aunis. In general, it is often blended with other grapes, like Arbois Blanc to produce Cheverny Rosé and Pinot Noir in the Côteaux du Vendômois.

Crafted with organically grown 100% Pineau d'Aunis grape variety, manually harvested from pre-Phylloxera 140 years old vines, this natural, unfined and unfiltered wine is quite unique due to the age of the vines and interesting for its features.

2008 Le Verre des Poètes, meaning "the Glass of the Poets", presents a cloudy, opaque ruby color. A touch green and raw, the nose boasts very inciting aromas of freshly harvested and crushed berry, cherry, raspberry and grape, mixed with herbaceous, slightly vegetal notes. The palate possesses strong soil oriented, earthy qualities. High acidity enhances the freshly crushed red and dark wild berries, framed by a lightly green, stemmy tannins. The finish is long and spicy, here again a touch vegetal, but nothing off putting, on the contrary.

Overall, a very interesting wine to discover: bright, crisp, juicy, spicy, bit green, racy, fresh, natural and unusual, not necessarily rustic but definitely raw. Not for every palate and definitely food oriented, but a pleasing experience.

Enjoy,

LeDom du Vin

For more info go to the winery website at http://www.domainemontrieux.fr

FYI, another great wine citation from Baudelaire is:

"N'est-il pas raisonnable de penser que les gens qui ne boivent jamais de vin sont des imbéciles ou des hypocrites. Des imbéciles, c'est-à-dire ne connaissent ni la nature, ni l'homme... Des hypocrites, c'est-à-dire des gourmands honteux des fanfarons de sobriété, buvant en cachette ou ayant quelque vie occulte... Un homme qui ne boit que de l'eau a un secret à cacher à ses semblables." - Charles Baudelaire




Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. Also support 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide. "Commerce Equitable" or "Fair Trade" is evidently and more than ever a needed movement connecting producers and customers, to be aware of others and their cultural and traditional products based on high quality, natural components and craftsmanship.

Jean-Pierre Robinot: L'Opera des vins "Les Années Folles" (Jasnieres) Coteaux du Loir Vin de Table Natural Pétillant France

Jean-Pierre Robinot - Les Vignes de l'Angevin - Vins Naturels

Before he established the winery in 2002, for nearly 15 years, Jean-Pierre Robinot offered, to its customers, natural wines in his Paris wine bistro-restaurant called: "l'Ange Vin" (literally "Angel Wine", but more especially a play of words for the word "Angevin", which is the name of the local people from the Anjou region, or the town of Angers, capital of Anjou, like Jean-Pierre).

Fascinated by the natural wines in general and the Loire wines in particular, he returned to his native village of "Chahaignes", located in the Sarthe, about 100 kilometers northeast of the city of Angers and 6.5 kilometers northwest of the village of "La Chartre sur le Loir", halfway between Le Mans and Tours, to establish a vineyard and craft natural wines from the "Vallée du Loir" (and no, this isn't a mistake).

Not to be mistaken with the "Vallée de la Loire", the "Vallée du Loir" is the valley formed by the banks of the "Loir" river, a tributary of the "Sarthe" river, taking its source west of Chartres, north of Illiers-Combray. The "Loir" joins the Sarthe river in Briollay, a village north of the city Angers, which in turn joins the Maine river that finally fall into the Loire.

The vineyards of the Loir Valley begins with the AOC Coteaux du Vendôme, through the AOC Jasnières ending with the AOC Coteaux du Loire. The production area consists now of 400 hectares, while many centuries ago, 5,000 hectares of vines were planted and used; but with time, some sites were abandoned and most others were mainly destroyed by the Phylloxera plague between 1860s and 1930s.

In 2002, he started to acquire quite a few plots of fallow lands in the appellation Coteaux du Loir, not planted over a century for some. Within the first few years, and the intention to slowly and gradually build his Domaine and after a first clearing operation, it already planted two hectares of vines in the appellation Coteaux du Loir. It also took care of some other vines planted on AOC Jasnières and AOC Coteaux du Loir red. Now, he possesses about 10 hectares of lands on steep slopes, which include great Terroirs.

• The objective he set for himself is ambitious: organic farming and natural winemaking and vinification processes, with yields limited to 25 / 30 hectoliters per hectare to obtain great complexity.

• The ground is plowed, the plants are fed with natural composts and weeding chemicals are banned.

• Vinification is done slowly, with almost no sulfur or without the addition of other products.

• White wines from the Chenin grape are very gently pressed. They are aged on their lees in oak barrels for at least 12 months.

• The red wines are from the Pineau d'Aunis grape variety. After a long fermentation, they finish their ageing on the lees in oak barrels for at least a year.

The resulting wines are very long and complex with great ageing potential, because of their great balance and structure. Yet, last updated by the end of 2009, the winery website doesn't do any favors to Jean-Pierre, in the sense that not all produced wines are represented on it. Hence, it is difficult to really realize how many wines he, in fact, produces. Only five appear on the website now (Lumiere de Silex, Jasnieres, Le Regard du Loir, Alter & Go, and Concerto d'Oniss), yet, "Les Années Folles" isn't there, "Symphonie du Temps"and "Cuvée Juliette Robinot" either.

In fact, there are a few more Cuvées than those; but it seems that it depends of the quality of the vintage and of his mood too. Jean-Pierre is definitely a personage, who makes great wines that need a bit more coverage. His grapes come from the different AOC(s) of the Vallée du Loir on which his vineyards are planted, yet they are mostly labeled Vin de Table or Vin de Pays due to the fact that his wines are so, ... somewhat atypical and certain of their features don't get along with the less generic AOC rules.


I will take a picture of the label when the wine will be at the store, because I forgot when I tasted it and the label for this particular wine changes depending on the vintage. To be completed soon.

2009 Jean-Pierre Robinot: L'Opera des vins "Les Années Folles" (Jasnieres) Coteaux du Loir Vin de Table Natural Pétillant France
Suggested retail price $16-$19
Imported / distributed by Zev Rovine selections in NYC

"Les Années Folles" is a natural "Pétillant" (lightly sparkling wine), made by Méthode Ancestrale, with disgorgement done by hand and no addition of dosage with sugar, just a refill of the bottles with the same wine, which makes it fairly dry. He makes about 160-200 cases at the most of this wines, depending of the vintage.

A blend of 80% Pineau d'Aunis and 20% Chenin Blanc from the AOC Jasnières, the light pinkish hue in the glass comes from minimal skin contact of the Pineau d'Aunis, a red grape variety, also locally known as "Chenin Noir", indigenous and predominantly grown in the Loire Valley, more especially in the Anjou and Touraine region.

Behind its medium light yellow-pinkish color, "Les Années Folles" (the crazy years) offers a funky nose where yeasty, farmy aromas intermingle with goat cheese, nutty, apple and yellow core fruit notes. The palate is much more attractive and inciting than the nose, which is definitely very interesting, yet could be slightly off putting at first, for some people. It presents freshness, great acidity, lovely balance and texture. Excellent in my opinion, this natural wine will surely generate mixed opinions, but it is worth trying and be surprised.

Enjoy,

LeDom du Vin,

Info taken, translated and edited from the winery website at http://lesvignesdelangevin.vinsnaturels.fr and from a discussion with Zev Rovine when he came to the store to taste us on a few wines from his portfolio.


Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. Also support 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide. "Commerce Equitable" or "Fair Trade" is evidently and more than ever a needed movement connecting producers and customers, to be aware of others and their cultural and traditional products based on high quality, natural components and craftsmanship.

2008 Tierra de Viennae "Heluicum" & "Sotanum" Rhone Les Vins de Vienne (Cuilleron Villard, Gaillard and Villa) Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes

- Tierra de Viennae - Les Vins de Vienne -
- Cuilleron Villard, Gaillard & Villa -

Yves Cuilleron, Pierre Gaillard et François Villard, three of the most notorious wine producers of the northern Rhone Valley had a dream to offer a renaissance to the vineyards of Seyssuel, a small village at top northern part of the Rhone Valley, about 6.5 kilometers northwest of the town of Vienne, and about 13 kilometers north of Ampuis (the capital of "Cote Rotie").

They did it with passion and pleasure, and their dream came true when the adventure started in 1996, by first renting and restructuring some small parcels of land.

Vienne was even "Roman" before the Roman conquest of Gaul by Julius Caesar. It was the capital of one of the provinces of Septimania, which only became French in the thirteenth century. The Roman Viennoise county extended from Lake Geneva to the door of the city of Arles on a wide area. The inhabitants of the city of Vienne enjoyed significant privileges and had access the highest offices of the Empire. They were exempt from paying the tax. When a bridge was built, the city lies on both banks of the Rhone. The poet Martial (1st century) called the city then, "Vienne-la-belle".

The Vienne area wine’s fame dates from the time of the Empire Roman. In his writings, Pline l’Ancien (the Elder) indicates that one planting to black grape called Vitis Allobrogica, grown on the territory of Vienne, and gave three crus: Sotanum, Taburnum and Heluicum, according to the soil and the vineyards.

Remaining very popular until the late nineteenth century, Seyssuel vineyards suffered greatly during the war of religion in the 16th Century, then the vineyards were resurrected and expanded (120 hectares/ 296.5 acres of vines in 1820) until their total destruction by phylloxera in the 1890s.

Only a small part was replanted during the 20th Century due to the difficulty of its hilly terrain, impossible for mechanical cultivation, the vineyards of Seyssuel. The hillside or “Coteaux” were left, abandoned until 1996, despite many tentative of restoring and restructuring prior Cuilleron, Gaillard and Villard.

Yves Cuilleron, Pierre Gaillard et François Villard count amongst the pioneer that emphasized the rebirth of the northern Rhone in the 1980s. Three winemakers, three different approach of winemaking. Les Vin de Vienne succeeded this alchemy: fusion the sensibility of the three in one efficient team spirit. The collective commitment to produce high quality Vin de Vienne comes naturally from the combination of each producer's skill and experience. They literally revived the popularity of the Vins de Vienne.

To complete their adventure, grow their portfolio and add another point of view and winemaking skills, they introduced recently the name of a fourth person on their label, which is quite justified because he is the proprietor of the estate at Seyssuel. The fourth crony, like the 3 musketeers that were four, Pierre-Jean Villa joined them in 2003 and now runs the domain.

They now produce about 30+ wines from various Rhone appellations, divided in 4 categories:

• Vin de Propriété: Estate wines, from the estate in Seyssuel, which include "Heluicum" and "Sotanum"

• Les Archeveques: parcels selection in specific vineyards.

• L'Amphore d'Or: structured wines with good ageing potential

• L'Amphore d'Argent: easier wines with good fruit expression for everyday

Christian Dalbavie make me taste two of them "Heluicum" and "Sotanum", and I found them both extremely well crafted and like to share them with you.



2008 Tierra de Viennae "Heluicum" Rhone Valley Les Vins de Vienne (Cuilleron Villard, Gaillard and Villa) Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes
Suggested retail price $32-$35
Imported / distributed by Christian Dalbavie via Domaine Select in NYC

The name Heluicum is in reference to Helios, the sun in Greek mythology.

Crafted from 10 years old vines planted on hillsides, 100% Syrah from the Northern Rhone Valley, "Heluicum" is one of the various wines produced by a joint venture from Northern Rhone most notorious Master winemakers: Yves Cuilleron, Pierre Gaillard et François Villard, and Pierre-Jean Villa. The vineyards are under sustainable, organic methods. The soil is predominantly composed of schist stones with quartzite and micaceous shale, which confers great minerality to the wines. Fermentation occurred with natural yeasts, with pigeage and remontage. Then the wine was aged for 16 months in French oak barrels.

A superb wine, 2008 Tierra de Viennae "Heluicum" shows deep ruby-garnet color. The nose expresses lovely, earthy aromas of cassis, black berry, garrigues, violet and pepper. Extremely well crafted, the palate is juicy, a touch spicy, with high acidity and great balance and focus. Flavors of cassis, violet, and garrigues gently evolve and expand with even more earthy, floral and ripe berry fruit notes, toward the long, seamless, earthy, soil oriented, juicy finish. $40 may appear a bit high to spend in this economy, but for a wine of such quality, it is definitely worth it. I love it.

Small quantities, old vines and organic are three factors that account for the price. However, even if I am the king of under $15, and if I usually prefer to ambush wines under $20, sometimes it is good to Indulge a little and fall into a surprising ambuscade like this one.




2008 Tierra de Viennae "Sotanum" Rhone Valley Les Vins de Vienne (Cuilleron Villard, Gaillard and Villa) Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes
Suggested retail price $52-$55
Imported / distributed by Christian Dalbavie via Domaine Select in NYC

The name Sotanum is a reference to the beneficial properties of the brew which used to be produced on these slopes

Crafted from 15 years old vines planted on hillsides, 100% Syrah from the Northern Rhone Valley, "Sotanum" is one of the various wines produced by a joint venture from Northern Rhone most notorious Master winemakers: Yves Cuilleron, Pierre Gaillard et François Villard, and Pierre-Jean Villa. The vineyards are under sustainable, organic methods. The soil is predominantly composed of schist stones with quartzite and micaceous shale, which confers great minerality to the wines. Fermentation occurred with natural yeasts, with pigeage and remontage. Then the wine was aged for 16 months in French oak barrels.

Also excellent yet more expensive, 2008 Tierra de Viennae "Sotanum" presents a medium ruby robe, with bright reflects. When tasted, the nose was somewhat restraint, less expressive and lighter than the previous wine, may be a bit close at the moment; yet, it didn't mean anything because, on the palate, it was boasting more complexity, length and depth. With similar mouthful attitude and flavors profile than Heluicum, it is a better wine, more refined and integrated, showing more inciting features yet with less primary fruit flavors. Somewhat more cerebral, less youthful, vibrant and friendly than Heluicum. Food friendly, this wine needs a good hour of decanting and will pair well with hearty dishes.


Enjoy,

LeDom du Vin

Info partly taken and edited from the winery website at http://www.vinsdevienne.com/ and from the importer website http://www.domaineselect.com/


Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. Also support 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide. "Commerce Equitable" or "Fair Trade" is evidently and more than ever a needed movement connecting producers and customers, to be aware of others and their cultural and traditional products based on high quality, natural components and craftsmanship.

2009 Vigneti Massa Derthona Timorasso Colli Tortonesi DOC White Piedmont Italy (Organic - Sustainable)

Last week, my rep. from Metropolis Wines came with a few organic, natural wines, including 3 that I really loved and bought on site. One was from the Loire, the other from Buzet and the last one was a white from Piedmont. Each of them will have their post, but let’s start with the white from Piedmont, which was intriguing yet really, really good.

2009 Vigneti Massa Derthona Timorasso Colli Tortonesi DOC White Piedmont Italy (Organic - Sustainable)

At first, I didn’t pay so much attention to the label; I was just trying the wine based on the fact that it was from Piedmont, which happens to be my favorite Italian wine region.

Piedmont is surrounded to the north by the Alps, and overlooked by 2 mounts: Monviso (Mont Vis), where the Po rises, and Monte Rosa. The region borders France to the west, Valley d’Aosta to the northwest, Switzerland to the north and the Italian regions of Lombardy to the east, Liguria to the south, and a very small fragment with Emilia Romagna to the southeast. The geography of Piedmont is nearly half mountainous, along with extensive areas of hills and plains. Most produced wines, whether red or white or rose, are usually earthy and Terroir driven, expressive, traditional and complex with a good dose of minerality, due the prominent mountainous rocky soil.

So far, nothing abnormal or unusual, yet I had to look more closely at the label. Something intriguing caught my eyes: Derthona Timorasso? What was that? Never heard or taste it before.

"Derthona"? Despite the fact that it is the name of this wine and the regional dialect name for “Tortona”, “Derthona” is also the name of the local football club of Tortona, a little town of Piedmont nearby to where the wine also come from, which gave the eponymous name of “Colli Tortonesi” to the hilly region surrounding it and also the DOC name (Denominazione di Origine Controllata), in the province of Alessandria, about 30 kilometers north of Gavi and 60 kilometers east of Asti.

"Timorasso"? You probably rarely heard of it because it is not wildly planted, but “Timorasso” is a local, indigenous white grape variety from Piedmont, producing fresh, crisp, complex and rich, Terroir oriented whites of great minerality and acidity (and sometimes of high alcohol content). Usually fatter than Arneis and Cortese, the resulting whites (made from Timorasso) have a somewhat similar profile, in term of texture and way of coating the palate, to Falanghina or Greco, both grapes usually expressing the complexity of the volcanic soil of Campania. Do not worry if you never heard of Timorasso, because, while France counts about 50 different grape varieties, it is said that Italy counts about 2,000, including about 30 in Piedmont alone. Many being indigenous and unheard of outside the boot!

Now that I had a better picture of the wine, the grape and where it came from, something else intrigued me. Between the word “Derthona” and “Timorasso” lay the words: “un territorio, un vino, in vitigno”, which literally translate by: “one Terroir, one Wine, one Vine” (or in French: “un territoire (ou Terroir), un vin, une vigne”). It could have been the ego of the producer to show certain uniqueness, but after investigating and asked a few question to my rep., I realized that it was more to his pride that these words were referring to. Let me explain.

"Timorasso" was an endangered specie of a grape variety, that would have vanished from the Colli Tortonesi, if it wasn’t for the tenacity and determination of Walter Massa, the owner of Vigneti Massa, who clearly believed in the tremendous potential of this grape variety, which about a decade ago was on the edge of extinction, with only a few hectares remaining. Yet, alone and against all odds, he continued to produce it, until it was once rediscovered a few years ago and started to have a new following on the export market (UK and USA predominantly).

That is why he is so proud to mention on his label “one Terroir, one Wine, one Vine”, because without him and his remaining vineyard, you will not even be able to taste this delightful white from this amazing grape variety. This is his baby, and one can literally say that he is the father of the renaissance of this Sommelier and gourmet sensation, which have, over the last few years, received many accolades and acclaims from connoisseurs, amateurs and critics around the world.

Vigneti Massa is located in the abandoned hill top town of Monleale Alto, perched at around 200-300 meters, in the Colli Tortonesi, about 10 kilometers east of Tortona. Walter Massa, producer and winemaker extraordinaire, inherited the family knowledge and skills, which have been inculcate from one generation to the next since 1879. Despite his unique white made from Timorasso, Walter also craft some reds with the local grapes: Croatina, Barbera, Freisa and Nebbiolo. Four of his wines are available in the US market.

I invite you to go to the importer website for more info at http://www.portovinoitaliano.com/wineshop/producers/vigneti-massa




2009 Vigneti Massa Derthona Timorasso Colli Tortonesi DOC White Piedmont Italy (Organic - Sustainable)
Suggested retail price $24-$27
Imported by Porto Vino Italian wines / distributed by Metropolis Wines in NYC

Made from 100% Timorasso grapes grown organically on clay and calcareous soil, from predominately two parcels on gentle hill slope: “Costa del Vento”, 1,5 hectares, western exposure, clay and calcareous soil, and “Costolio”, 0.5 hectares, southern exposure, calcareous soil. Vinified with native yeasts. Maceration press 48-60 hours; fermentation 18-22 °C; batonnage; minimum 6 months bottle aging before released on market. Light filtration.

2009 Vigneti Massa Derthona Timorasso shows a pale, yellow color. The nose is fresh and inviting with expressive aromas of blossom, peach skin and yellow fruit, mingled with herbal, floral touches and mineral nuances. The palate is also fresh, clean, and fat without being heavy, rich, complex, yet well balanced and lush, with great acidity. Inciting flavors of yellow apple, pear and citrus expand nicely toward the very long, mineral, spicy, peppery finish. It even shows good ageing potential. I will not speculate for too long, but it will definitely hold on tight for the next 2-3 years, may be 5. I love it.

Highly recommended. Serve it chilled but not cold on hearty dishes based with fish, white meat, game and poultry.

Enjoy,

LeDom du Vin

Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. Also support 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide. "Commerce Equitable" or "Fair Trade" is evidently and more than ever a needed movement connecting producers and customers, to be aware of others and their cultural and traditional products based on high quality, natural components and craftsmanship.

Interesting Natural Wine explanation....via YouTube

A colleague just sent me a cool and interesting link about "Natural Wine", while there is a bit of cursing here and there, it is informative and pretty accurate, in a raw way, or should I say Natural way...

It is called "Let's drink some Natural Fucking Wine!" (by Dalforno)

Click the following link to watch it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UXlL0FIF9Q&feature=player_embedded#

Enjoy!

Ledom du Vin

Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines (and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. Also support 1% for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide.

Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Tuscany Italy, Organic products and more

Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Tuscany Italy

The other day, we had the great privilege to welcome at the store Emanuela Stucchi Prinetti from the renowned Tuscan winery “Badia a Coltibuono”. We just bought 3 of her wines and she happened to be in New York to promote her estate’s portfolio.

Like pretty much everything they do at “Badia a Coltibuono”, as far as I can read and taste, their wines are well crafted and inviting, and their website is also full of info, very interactive and well designed. Therefore, I invite you to go and visit it at www.coltibuono.com , to find out more about this Tuscan organic jewel.

The ancient estate, which is in fact an old Abbey, is located in the upper Tuscany, near Montegrossi, in a gently rolling hills area about 68 kilometers southeast of Florence (Firenze) and about 36 kilometers northeast of Sienna.

One of the oldest and most established estate of Tuscany’s Chianti Classico region, Badia a Coltibuono estate (which means Abbey of the Good Harvest) exists since the middle of the 11th century. In 1051, the monks of the Vallombrosan Order, a Tuscan reform of the Benedictines, founded the Abbey and also began planting the first vineyards in the Upper Chianti area. Slowly extending their vast land holdings, which include many thousands of acres, they developed a flourishing wine production and commerce.

In 1810, when Tuscany was under Napoleonic rule, the monks were forced to leave Coltibuono and the monastery was secularized.

First sold by lottery, Coltibuono was then bought in 1846, by Guido Giuntini, a Florentine banker and great grandfather of Piero Stucchi-Prinetti, the present owner. During the years the estate was still under the guidance of Piero Stucchi Prinetti, the estate grew and developed a solid reputation in Italy and abroad through the high quality of its products.

Nowadays, his children Emanuela, Paolo and Guido continue the activities embarked upon by their ancestors with the same dedication, enthusiasm and careful attention to details.

The estate offers many services and products including: Agritourism, Bed & Breakfast, Cooking classes, Restaurant, Olive Oil, Vinegar and Wine, of course. The best of it, they do everything the organic way from their kitchen in the restaurant and classroom, to their fruit and vegetable orchards and more importantly their vineyards and wines.

Agroturismo in Italian, or Agritourism in English, which was once a peculiar and disparate thing in the European countryside and a few rare parts of the rest of the world (still a few years ago), has flourished a great deal over the last 5-10 years with the organic/biodynamic/sustainable movement and more especially the need for the ever-busy-big-town people to find a peaceful place where they can rest and enjoy the local traditions and products, without having to pay the demanded astronomical prices of some of the family and luxury resorts and hotels through out the world.

Moreover, it is usually more practical and enjoyable for families or group of friends that also would like to visit and learn about a specific area without getting the frantic attitude of the other surrounding tourists crowding the same usual visited places.

In most cases and in fact, it is like renting a house or a room in the middle of nowhere, or on the contrary somewhere remote and out of the usual beaten path, to be able to truly experience the area plunged with the locals, their traditions, culture, recipes and local products, without feeling like the average Joe lost in a mass of other American tourists (or else) that have made the same decision and ended up at the same cheap resort (Come on! You’ve been there… you know what I mean…).

You should try, Agritourism is fun and often eye opening, and people are usually more open and easy to deal with because they see that you want to participate, discover and embrace their native habits and ways of living, rather than just be an annoying tourist.

To get back to Coltibuono, we used to carry their 2006 Coltibuono Chianti Classico that we liked very much; however, we just bought their current releases, 2007 and 2008, and like them even better.

Without falling into bad generalization, I can firmly say that from all the wines that I tasted in the store and different events, the 2007 vintage in Tuscany, Piedmont and overall in all the northwestern part of Italy, is, in my opinion, a great vintage rivaling with the 2001 and 2004 vintage which, (here again, in my opinion), were surely the other two best vintages of the last decade for these long established Italian regions. Although the 2009 vintage seems promising, yet it is somehow too early to say because most aged wines won’t hit the market until the end of the year 2010 for some of the earliest and spring 2011 for most of the other.


Despite their more traditional wines sold under the classic “Badia a Coltibuono” brand (or label), the Stucchi family also has a commercial line sold under the name of “Coltibuono” only (a brand or label, including the following “Cancelli” and “RS” wines). Enhanced by the family oenological expertise acquired over the years, the “Coltibuono” label offers a portfolio of wines selected from the best areas of Tuscany that are also distinguished for their good quality/price ratio.




2008 Coltibuono “Cancelli” Rosso Tuscany IGT Italy
Suggested retail price $8-$11
Imported/Distributed by Martin Scott in NYC

Fairly new to Coltibuono portfolio, “Cancelli”, (named from the drawing on the label which represent an ornamental or structural interwoven framework, like an arrangement of dark crossing laths), is a blend of 70% Sangiovese and 30% Syrah from Tuscany yet outside the classic DOC appellations. Fermented in stainless steel tanks, this wine wasn’t aged in oak at all and underwent a short period of refinement i9n the bottle before release. The addition of Syrah completes the wine with more stuffing and confers a modern touch to it, without totally imparting the taste of this less traditional yet still earthy, approachable and juicy Sangiovese. At this price, it is a great everyday value offering nice, ripe fruit and a straightforward mouthfeel with a gentle finish. Better within the first 2-3 years after bottling, pair this organic, friendly wine with pretty much everything.




2007 Coltibuono “RS” Chianti Classico Tuscany Italy
Suggested retail price $16-$19
Imported/Distributed by Martin Scott in NYC

The initial “RS” on the label stands for “Roberto Stucchi”, brother of Emanuela and Guido's great-great grandson, who is the in-house oenologist and co-winemaker. Part of the “Coltibuono” label, this Chianti Classico is a great approachable Chianti that has character and attitude with generous fruit and substantial tannins. The acidity really enhances the fruit and balance the overall profile. The selected grapes went through separate vinification process depending on the parcels of origin and desired extraction, then the obtained wines were aged for a few months in French oak casks and barriques from the Allier forest. Once blended and bottled, the final wine rested for an additional a period of refinement in the bottle before release.

2007 Coltibuono “RS” Chianti Classico exhibits a bright, youthful ruby color. The nose is quite expressive with wild summer berries, spices, leather and dried plum aromas with earthy notes. The palate is rather fruity, soft, well rounded and balanced with refreshing acidity and lingering finish with present yet integrated tannins. Overall, a very pleasing wine offering plenty of layers for a Chjanti Classico at this price.




2007 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Tuscany Italy
Suggested retail price $18-$22
Imported/Distributed by Martin Scott in NYC

Benefiting of the ICEA certification since 2003 (the Institute for Ethical and Environmental Certification, better known in Italy as “Instituto per la Certificazione Etica E Ambientale), this wine is the result of entirely natural production methods using handpicked organically grown Sangiovese and Canaiolo grapes from Badia a Coltibuono vineyards. It is considered to be one of the most representative wines of the Chianti Classico appellation. The wine was crafted with 90% Sangiovese and 10% Canaiolo from vineyards located in the erea of Monti in Chianti (SI) including Poggino, Vignone, Montebello and Argenina parcels. Vineyards are located between 250-320 meters above sea level and benefit of a South, Southeast –Southwest, orientation. The vines averaging between 10-55 years old are planted on mainly clay with limestone rocks soils. This wine was aged for about 12 months in French and Austrian oak casks and barrels of varying sizes.

2007 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico is quite complex and layered. Behind its bright ruby color of medium intensity, the nose reveals attractive floral and fruity earthy aromas combining the scent of violet and roses with notes of tobacco, black pepper and ripe red and dark cherry. The palate is really well balanced, yet a touch tight and young with refined structuring tannins, mineral and earthy notes, enlightened by a cleansing acidity. The finish is long and persistent with very good ageing potential. Although quite approachable and really enjoyable now, it shows promising signs of settling down and getting even more harmonious within the next few years. Drink it with a little decantation or keep it a little to appreciate it even more.


Overall, Badia a Coltibuono really surprised me by the quality and the consistency of their wines, moreover, being organic and that approachable in their youth, yet don’t get me wrong, with good potential. I hope one day to visit them in Tuscany to fully understand and appreciate all their products.

Enjoy,

LeDom du Vin

Info partly taken from the winery website at www.coltibuono.com

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