Dame Wine®

While Sweetness in Wine is Trending, Alsace Decides to Emphasize Dry Wines

Posted on July 23, 2015 by damewine

A few months ago, I went to a wine trade tasting that featured Olivier Humbrecht, and I haven’t had the chance to write about that incredible experience on my blog. (Those of you who follow my blog regularly know that I was overwhelmed with the Masters of Wine exam, and I was only posting on a monthly basis during that time.) Anyways, I am still thinking about that great experience and I cannot help thinking of one thing:

Why is Alsace promoting their dry wines during a time when wines with sweetness are becoming a big trend?

Many of us know the issues that Alsace wines have had with creating a strong brand for themselves. Even though many may argue that quite a few traditional European regions have an old dusty image that are trying to change to become exciting to younger consumers, I think Alsace has one of the biggest hurdles.

Alsace is not obscure enough where many wine consumers will get a thrill from discovering something that is rare. It does not have the worldwide association with higher quality wines as Burgundy and Bordeaux. A poor quality Bourgogne will always be able to sell large quantities in major cities around the world at a higher than deserved price point. In New York City, wine consumers that are looking to buy a European wine around USD $12 can easily be talked into buying a Burgundy wine around USD $20. And the reason is simply the fact that if it’s from Burgundy then it has to be good. And I say this as someone whose favorite wine region is Burgundy.

What about Alsace?

Even among many wine enthusiasts I have met, there is still the misperception that Alsace wines are only sweet wines, and nothing more. By contrast, German wines, which were also once seen as simple, sweet wines (with the help of Blue Nun), have really gained an elevated reputation with enthusiasts now associating them with high quality wines. Yes, they still suffer from the idea that it’s difficult for consumers to know the amount of residual sugar in a wine – even though knowing the alcohol level will help. But I cannot tell you how many times I have heard New York City wine consumers say that they want a Riesling wine and they want it to be German because Germany makes the best Riesling. That is pretty powerful branding in the niche wine market, because it almost seems, to a certain degree, that a consumer is open to a range of sweetness in their Riesling as long as it is German since Germany = high quality Riesling. Pretty sweet for Germany – no pun intended.

The whole sweetness issue fascinates me. Most consumers around the world like sweetness in one form or another. Sometimes this is expressed as a fruit forward quality, hence why Marlborough, New Zealand producers typically leave a few grams of sugar and cold ferment to give a perception of tropical fruit sweetness to balance the intense herbaceous notes they receive.

And when we think of wines ranging from entry level, off –dry Moscato, to chocolate-y, Rutherford, Napa wines, to off-dry to medium sweet Mosel Rieslings, to the trend of off-dry red wines, such as well-established Apothic and Ménage à Trois (and the presently extremely popular Meiomi which has the added benefit of the powerful variety brand of Pinot Noir on the label), it makes one wonder why Alsace wines are not part of the sweetness trend?

Well, not only are they not part of the sweetness trend, but they are looking to emphasize their dry wines.

Earlier this year, the Association des Viticulteurs d’Alsace (AVA) voted and passed a label requirement of the word “sec” or “dry” on Alsace wines if there are 4 or less grams of residual sugar per liter, or up to 9 grams if high acidity levels give a perception of a dry palate.

Olivier Humbrecht said he thought this new law could help Alsace sales. He believes that many do not know the incredible diversity of their wines, and furthermore, that customers (buyers for restaurants and retail stores as well as wine consumers) have had bad experiences with buying a certain Alsace wine only to find out that they bought a sweet wine when they wanted to have dry, or bought a wine with fierce acidity when they wanted sweet. This actually happened to a friend of mine who does not like intense acidity and mistakenly bought a dry Trimbach Riesling. I was more than happy to take it off her hands.

Olivier also talked about his own personal mission to make his wines more transparent in their style type. Since 2001, he has placed a sweetness index on the label, typically right next to the alcohol. Indice 1 is the driest up to Indice 5 is the sweetest. He does not base these labels on residual sugar, but instead, he bases it on his own perception when he tastes the wines. He said other Alsace winemakers who use the Indice system will sometimes disagree with his classification and some may have a completely different scale of 1 to 10. Okay, this is where something that was intended to be helpful to the consumer is actually making things more difficult.

When I think back to the first time I was introduced to Barefoot Moscato and the Apothic red blend I remember that I knew the off-dry Moscato would be a hit, but even before I tried Apothic I let my snobbery get the best of me, and I thought it was a horrible idea. But I should have known that anything that Gallo thought was going to be the next big thing – was probably going to be the next big thing. And sometimes I think, do these big wine companies just know what will be the next big trend because of their incredible research? Or do they have the resources to simply create the trend? That is an interesting topic to discuss another time.

Sweetness in Wine

I have to admit when I finally had Apothic, around 4 years ago, it was tasty. No, it did not make my heart sing, but it is a tasty, easy drinking wine. At the time, I would not have guessed that there was around 16 grams per liter of residual sugar. Yes, it seemed like a fruit forward wine that was soft, with no distinctive sense of place or variety – but I would not have immediately guessed it was an off-dry wine. And it seems that many Apothic lovers do not know it is an off-dry wine – and in my experience I find they don’t want to know. So if a red blend with sweetness can sell boat loads of wine, why can’t Alsace do the same thing?!

Okay, but Apothic is a USD $9 red blend, and most wines from Alsace are white, many having a varietal dominance. Moscato would have more similarities (white wine with aromatic varieties) but again, it is an entry level priced wine with supplies that come from all over the world, hence keeping the low price points. And once you get above USD $15 wine drinkers want to know a little bit more about the wine, and keeping the sweetness an unknown fact becomes a little more difficult.

Alsace is unique in its current standing as a region in France (a long history of Germany and France fighting over territorial rights) that has had a long focus on variety as much as place. Many winemakers will say the key to a great Alsace wine is the perfect pairing of a specific variety and place (soil) – and some take it a step further as saying certain wines need to be dry, and certain wines need a particular amount of residual sugar.

That brings me to Alsace’s previous home country, Germany. Yes, Germany wants to improve exports, especially for their premium wines (over USD $20), but they certainly are doing a lot better in niche markets than Alsace. There are many reasons for this trend among high involvement consumers; some of them have to do with key influencers in the wine world successfully waving the flag for German Riesling. But even though the US wine nerds are crazy about the off-dry and medium wines of Germany, I think that the trend was in part created by the emphasis on their dry wines.

Okay, if I am losing you – just follow me with this idea.

I think consumers on the whole will accept higher priced sweet wines (averaging around 100g/l residual sugar), because traditionally sweet wines have always been more expensive due to the high cost of production. But I’m talking about wines that are below 45 g/l residual sugar. I think there is a prejudice against wines above a certain price point that are considered off-dry or medium. One of the ways that Germany was able to get around that was by promoting dry wines. The establishment of Grosses Gewächs in 2002 helped to make a clear line between wines that were dry and wines that were sweet. Of course, many will argue that it ignores all the wines in the middle of the sweetness scale.

But what I think it did was bring attention to higher quality wines that had a “dry” style, and hence, raised the overall perception of German wines that went beyond Blue Nun – especially with high involvement people in the US trade, who then hand sold it to their customers. And it seems like what has happened is that consumers have a general feeling that Germany = high quality white wines. And this has indirectly helped sales of German off-dry and medium styled Rieslings because enthusiasts are more concerned with the idea that they are drinking a wine from a good German producer rather than the amount of sugar in that wine. No, this has not happen on a mass scale, but again in niche markets in major cities around the world.

Some winemakers in Alsace are afraid that it will force them to make dry wines when that is not in the best interest of a particular site or variety, such as Marcel Deiss who produces richer styles and is an Alsace rebel with his field blends. Alternatively, some winemakers, such as Humbrecht, feel this is a positive move for the region as a whole. Winemakers such as Deiss have already an inbuilt cult who will buy their wines year in and year out, but there are many other winemakers who are struggling, and potentially their sales could decrease in this highly competitive global wine market.

I think there are hard realities all of us need to face in life. What are our strengths? What are our weaknesses? That second question is not so easy to face. There is typically a certain amount of pain and upheaval that comes with improvement. Some of us get to the point where things have to change because we have no choice – our survival depends on it, and there are some of us who are content enough in life to stay in a place that is comfortable, and hence, the various risks of change are not worth it. I think Humbrecht wants to see changes in Alsace before things get too bad – never a good thing to have to make decisions when you are desperate. Conversely, we never want to go too far where we lose our core values, the essence of who we are – and that becomes more complicated when you are dealing with a region rather than just one person.

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Wines I tasted on May 1st, 2015 with Olivier Humbrecht leading a trade tasting, and yes, interesting that four of them would be technically considered dry and one of them technically would be considered sweet.

All of the below wines are produced by Domaine Zind-Humbrecht and they follow the order in which they were tasted:

-2012 Pinot Blanc:
A medium body with pure notes of white peach, <2 g/l residual sugar, Indice 1 & 12.9% abv

-2010 Riesling “Terroir d’Alsace”(a blend of a few vineyards):
Juicy stone fruit, mouth watering acidity, saline minerality, intense lemon peel note, good precision but not too intense, ready to drink now, 4 g/l residual sugar, Indice 1 & 12.8% abv

-2012 Riesling “Herrenweg de Turckheim”(vines around 45 years of age):
Vineyards are around their winery and the first vineyard they harvest, always gives pretty aromatics, and their wine had beautiful white floral and limestone notes, a greater backbone of acidity and long length of flavors indicates it has a lot longer to go to reach its prime, 4.4 g/l residual sugar, Indice 1 and 12% abv

Interesting side note that all of their Grand Cru wines have a little wax disk on top of the cork to better preserve the wines for long term aging.

-2012 Pinot Gris:
My first impression was alcohol, richly textured body, smoky, a hint of brazil nut, Olivier called it a dry classic style, <2 g/l residual sugar, Indice 1 and 14% abv

-2011 Gewürztraminer “Herrenweg de Turckheim” Vendange Tardive (vines around 65 years of age):
Lychee, mango, rose petal, exotic spice, lush palate, fresh acidity not significantly defined but noticeable, this wine is all about the flavor and body of ripe fruit, 98 g/l residual sugar, no Indice needed since it is a sweet wine and 13% abv

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Posted in Dame Wine | Tagged Alsace, Sweet Wines, Sweetness | 2 Comments

Ageability: Does it matter to the wine world anymore?

Posted on June 24, 2015 by damewine

It does seem magical how some wines can improve with age. When I first started my wine studies 15 years ago, this was one of the aspects of wine I found truly exciting. But it initially led to the incorrect notion that all wines of premium quality or above are supposed to age. In fact, only a tiny percentage of the world’s wines are built for longevity, and that number seems to be dwindling by the day. So does ageability matter anymore?

The Grand Cru Classé red wines of Bordeaux are the first to come to mind when we think of wines that are made to age gracefully. There was a time, not that long ago, when these wines were undrinkable before at least a decade in bottle. But many of these top Old World chateaux have been making wines with more fruit, rounder tannins, and softer acidity, especially as they have seen their counterparts in Napa and Barossa Valley succeed with this style of wine. Many of these chateaux owners that explain Bordeaux’s recent approachability is the result of climate change. But some have argued that Bordeaux has purposely tried to achieve higher points from certain wine critics by picking later and using techniques that are perhaps not in the best interest of long-term aging.

A brief detour down memory lane – but it’s related, I promise.

I had a fun discussion with Christian Moueix last year. I was telling him how I thought the 2010 Château La Fleur-Pétrus was better than the 2009. I was a huge fan of all the backbone of tannin and acidity, and the pure “tension” of the 2010, and I thought it was superior to the 2009. He preferred the 2009, and he said that when you get to his age, you don’t want tension anymore. Ahahahaha! I loved that comment. Also, he emphasized that he believed in a more fruit forward wine style, and that Bordeaux had a lot to learn from California. Well, he certainly has the right to his opinion, and may I also say, he was a charming man with a beautiful smile.

Okay, back to the debate…

There are even winery reps that give staff trainings for big, robust fine wines, and tell the staff that their wines can certainly be consumed now. For example, Latour has kept their notoriously powerful, backward style, and they no longer participate in the en primeur campaigns. They have said that en primeur doesn’t make sense for their wine, which can only be appreciated 10 to 15 years down the line.

Alternatively, an interesting example of a winery placing importance on youthful accessibility and ageability is Penfolds. Their Grange, which can undoubtedly age, is taken off the skins very early in the winemaking process to give it a more approachable texture while young. But the consistently deep concentration of the wine – mainly due to the idea that it is a blend from top vineyards, according to Peter Gago – helps it to positively evolve.

Yes, many wineries around the world are not concerned with the potential ageability of their wines. Most wines are meant to be consumed soon after purchase for ideal enjoyment of their youthful qualities. The fear of losing the appreciation for the art of aging is only valid to a small percentage of wines; but since those wines are rooted in history and long held tradition, it would be a shame to lose that art.

The wine business is known as a low margin business. It is not a business that one chooses purely for a high salary; if anything, many leave higher paying jobs to pursue their dream in the wine trade, knowing they will make a lot less money but perhaps having a happier existence. I have talked to many different owners of retail stores, and all have said that it is not an easy living. Actually, there are some US fine wine retailers that have started to make it a practice to not disclose the portion of a wine critic’s quote which expresses that a wine is not ready to drink until a significant amount of time. As a younger generation has a need to drink fine wines within a couple of days of purchase, retailers cannot afford to lose out on those sales.

There are even winery reps who give staff trainings for big, robust fine wines, and tells the staff that their wines can certainly be consumed now. For example, I took part in a staff training for the 2010 Opus One, and the Sales Manager highlighted the fact that she just opened it from bottle, without any decanting, and it was drinking great – which I agreed with her. When she was questioned by the staff about the ability to age, she said it could age long-term without any issues, but she was quick to return to the idea that the staff should sell this wine to drink now.

Morgan Stanley reported that at the end of 2013, the US was the second largest wine consuming country in the world. In the US, it is estimated that 70-90% of all wines are consumed within 24 hours, depending on the region. There are traditional wine drinkers who are trying to fight this trend of immediate consumption, especially for fine wines. Many traditionalist wine drinkers agree that the newer and critically acclaimed winemaking style of extreme ripeness, forward fruit, low acid, high alcohol and soft tannic structure does not bode well for aging. There are some traditional wine drinkers that have tried to fight this trend with their voices on social networking such as Twitter and Facebook. They fear that the appreciation for having patience rewarded by cellaring wines is being lost among current younger wine drinkers.

Conversely, fine wines, at one time, seemed like a product that was only for the privileged. A consumer needed the resources and the education to truly appreciate it. As the internet has opened the door for all consumers to learn about wine, even the most expensive wines in the world, it has made it a more level playing field in terms of accessibility to wine knowledge. But the idea of having the proper resources such as a wine cellar, and also the means to buy a large quantity of fine wines – so one can drink the older wines while waiting for the younger ones to reach their prime – is not an option available to most consumers.

Is there anything wrong with a consumer, who cannot afford a cellar and the purchase of many cases of fine wine to want to simply splurge on a very expensive bottle for a nice occasion and consume it right away? True, they may not enjoy the wine in its prime, but if they receive great enjoyment from consuming it now, and cellaring is not an option, should those in the fine wine world have judgment about that consumer and try to dissuade them from buying it because they cannot truly “appreciate” it?

Does ageability matter?

It has certainly lost its importance to a certain degree, even in the fine wine category. But there are still wine writers, influencers, wineries, retailers and traditional wine consumers who wave the flag for teaching the novice consumer how much pleasure and reward come from aging certain wines. It will certainly be a sad day if we completely lose the fine art of patience and appreciation for what aging brings, which can not be duplicated by any high tech practices. That is why it is important for those who appreciate older wines to make their voices heard, while also appreciating other consumers who, for various reasons, may have to pull the cork on certain wines earlier than is ideal.

Posted in Dame Wine | Tagged ageability, Christian Moueix, Grange, La Fleur-Petrus, Latour, Opus One, Penfolds | 4 Comments

What influence does oak have on the maturation and style of a wine?

Posted on April 9, 2015 by damewine

This is the last practice MW essay that I will place on my blog until after the MW exams in June. I need to start getting into review mode, and so my presence on the internet will slowly dwindle over time, even though you may see me pop on here and there.

Some of you know I was lucky enough to have a tasting of the Fèvre and Bouchard wines with Didier Séguier and Philippe Prost. It was interesting how Didier said that they never use new oak for their Fèvre Chablis wines, even in the case of their Grand Cru. He said, “If we use new oak, then we make Chardonnay and not Chablis.” This started me thinking about some of the MW essays about oak. So here we go again my friends…

Okay, what about style.

Stabilization

Oak is one of the best ways to stabilize the color of a red wine. Peter Gago, Penfolds’ Chief Winemaker, will use large old oak barrels for their St. Henri (1460 liter) and smaller new oak barrels for its Grange (300 liter). Even though the former adds very little flavor, the latter is more significant, both wines will benefit from color stabilization. Since Grange and St. Henri are mostly made from the Syrah/Shiraz variety (Grange will usually have a small % of Cabernet Sauvignon), which has high levels of tannins, the benefit of color stabilization helps to influence the style of the wine. I know at one time it would seem odd to associate color with quality, but today’s consumers certainly do make that connection with red wines.

Texture and Flavor

Tannins are typically softened by polymerization, which can help influence a smoother texture in a wine. Peter Gago said that this was their philosophy with their oak regimen during maturation aka élevage – to create more accessible wines that could be drunk on release or aged for a significant amount of time. The influence of the oak aging, with the idea that he limits skin contact (a discussion for another time), helps to make their wines appealing to those who do not have the resources and/or patience to wait.

New oak can add a lot of interesting secondary flavors to wine. They can take the form of spice, nuts, smoke… just to name a few. The toasting of the oak barrel plus the unique properties of the wood combine to contribute an additional layer of flavor complexity. It is interesting that Didier said that Fèvre did not believe in any new oak because they did not want added oak flavor. It is not uncommon for a small percentage of new oak to be used by other Chablis producers for their 1er Cru and Grand Cru – actually I have used that little piece of information when I have had two Chablis wines in front of me in a blind tasting, and I had to tell which was higher quality – I looked for that little hint of oak to point me in the right direction. Also, Bouchard and Fèvre are both owned by Henriot, and so Fèvre uses the Bouchard barrels once they become two years old. So maybe it is not just a stylistic choice, but also one of practicality.

As many of us know, new French oak is an important stylistic component for the sweet wines of Sauternes. Chateau d’Yquem typically ages their great sweet wine in 100% new French barrels, while most other top chateaux use 50%. I can always guess Sauternes on a blind exam. I’m not bragging, I have made a lot of mistakes, and I still make a lot of mistakes, but my point is that Sauternes has a very specific smell to me. Every time I smell Sauternes, I think of a piña colada. I have never used that as a descriptor note on an exam, but it is what always comes to mind. There is always a strong coconut and spicy note to it. Then of course I confirm the guess by the palate – lower acidity than some of our other botrytized friends: TBA, Coteau du Layon or Tokaji. I feel the high percentage of new French oak is such a distinctive part of the aroma and flavor of Sauternes.

And let us move on to maturation.

When we think about Lopez de Heredia (LdH), what do we think of? If we are a wine nerd, “How much we love them!” What about state of maturation of those wines? Even if we do not know the vintage and someone just handed us a glass of LdH, we know that baby has some serious age just by the smell and taste of the wine. This is due to their oxidative process of keeping their wines in old, large barrels.

There are many different types of Champagne styles. One category would be more oxidative vs protective styles. I could use Bollinger as a great example, but I’m going to use Krug. Why? I find it fascinating that Krug is one of the few “larger” Champagne houses that completely block malolatic fermentation (MLF), yet it comes across as a full bodied Champagne, one you could have with dinner. I believe this is due to their practice of fermenting 100% of their base wine in seasoned 205-liter oak casks. It not only gives a more muted fruit style that some associate with old world terroir, but it gives the impression of more weight by the presence of tertiary notes such as bruised apple. Also, it clarifies and micro-oxygenates the wine helping to influence a resistance to oxidation.

There are “cheaper” ways to get the maturation and style attributes of a barrel, but not at barrel prices. Staves (adding USD$.13/liter) and chips (adding USD$.02/liter) cost significantly less than barrels (new French oak adding USD$3.50/liter), and hence brings a winemaker’s overhead cost down, and hopefully profits up – depending if they can sell their wine! But staves and chips are not only used with entry level wines. Joshua Maloney, previous winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington State and currently co-owner of Uprooted Wines, is an advocate of using oak chips at fermentation to eliminate green characters. He does admit the integration and quality is not as good as oak influences from a barrel, but he says that it is a better alternative option rather than adding tannin to combat green notes, which has been prevalent among his colleagues.

How can a winemaker influence maturity of a wine while using staves and/or chips?

That is where micro-oxygenation comes into the picture. Small micro-bubbles of oxygen are fed through a device placed at the bottom of the tank and controls oxygen which is dissolved into the wine. Randall Grahm, Bonny Doon in California, is a big proponent of it. He says when it is practiced appropriately it can be a great tool in mastering élevage. Conversely, there are many in the science community who think that there is a lot of scientific uncertainty surrounding this technique.

Quick side note: an article came out in the February issue of Wines and Vines addressing chips, staves and other barrel alternatives supplying oxygen to the wine by themselves. There is research that is testing the amount of oxygen trapped in these barrel alternatives, and the amount they give to the wine during maturation. But this research is still in its infancy.

Are there any negative influences on the maturation and/or style that oak can bring to a wine?

As all of us know, sometimes too much oak is used in a wine. But the idea of how much oak or new oak to use is not an exact science. It depends on the intended style and concentration of the wine. Anne Gros, in Vosne Romanée, believes in using more oak for her Pinot Noir wines than her Chardonnay wine. Some other winemakers in Burgundy may disagree with her, but she feels that Chardonnay is a more delicate variety and Pinot Noir has more weight and concentration – of course this may have to do with the fact that her Chardonnay is a regional Bourgogne, and her Pinot Noir wines come from some of the top 1er Cru and Grand Cru in Vosne Romanée.

When it comes to maturation, some may say that some producers go too far, creating a wine that is oxidized to a fault. For instance, I have heard from some modern Rioja producers that LdH was a faulted wine. I would not agree with them according to my own taste, but I do have to admit that many consumers would probably find it faulted as well.

Furthermore, oak is impossible to completely sterilize, and may harbor spoilage bacteria and yeast, such as Brettanomyces (Brett). Alternatively, Brett has become part of a positive style attribute for some wineries such as Chateau Beaucastel. It depends on the targeted consumer’s expectation.

One thing is for sure, all types of oak have some type of influence on their wines. Those influences may differ depending on the type and age of the oak, and the amount of time spent in these porous vessels. And, as with the Anne Gros example, there is no one scientific philosophy that needs to be followed for the production of a balanced wine. And that is where the art comes into wine.

Ending in tribute…

And in honor of Anne-Claude Leflaive may I leave you with a story that she told last year. She said one year they had a stuck fermentation, and she thought all was lost and there was nothing they could do to save it. A person who was visiting them started to play music, and shortly after the music started to play the fermentation restarted again. She did not come right out and say it was the music, but she simply said that there were some things she could not explain, and she surrendered to that idea. I love science, and I know I could never use her story as a valid example, but it was a good reminder that we do not always know the answer, and that’s okay, just enjoy the moment.

RIP Anne-Claude Leflaive

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Fèvre & Bouchard wines tasted on February 26th, 2015

Fèvre:

-2013 Chablis “Domaine”:
Bright fruit with citrus peel notes, lower acidity than the 2012s, not as defined

-2012 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains:
Taut body not too severe with floral note

-2012 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons:
Great precision with green apple

-2012 Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume:
Yellow apple more moderate weight

-2012 Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent:
Saline minerality

-2012 Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir:
Spicy will need more time to show full complexity

-2012 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte Bouguerots :
Some dry extract that balances intense acidity (textural wine)

-2012 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos:
Riper stone fruit with a long, stunning length

Bouchard Reds:

-2012 Savigny-Les-Beaune 1er Cru Les Lavieres :
Stoney notes with light body

-2012 Beaune 1er Cru Clos de la Mousse (Monopole):
More body and definition with heady violet and orange blossom notes

-2012 Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets Ancienne Cuvée Carnot :
Deeper concentration, red stewed fruit

-2012 Grand Cru Le Corton:
Still needs time to show weight, but already expressing interesting ashy smoke note

Bouchard Whites:

-2012 Beaune 1er Cru Clos Saint-Landry:
Darker earthy than light mineral notes, cooked peaches

-2012 Grand Cru Corton-Charlemagne:
Strong minerality, lean palate

-2012 Grand Cru Chevalier-Montrachet:
Exotic spice with mango fruit

Posted in Dame Wine | Tagged Bouchard, Fèvre, Oak | Leave a comment

My first Wine Bloggers Conference!

Posted on March 15, 2015 by damewine

I am going to my first Wine Bloggers Conference taking place later this year, August 13-16th, in the Finger Lakes in New York. I must confess I have never been to any type of bloggers conference.

I have been in the wine business for over a decade, but I have been mainly involved in sales. I have always loved reading articles and books from the great wine writers of the world, and even though I have fantasized about writing one day, I have never thought of myself as being a writer.

For many years, I have privately written my thoughts about wine and everything else in my life that I connect with wine. My writing was only for me, because I thought I could never write well. Last June, I decided to write a blog. I knew that I could never be a great writer (my work desperately needs an editor!), but I felt I had many thoughts that I wanted to share, and I wanted to hear back from others about all these ideas I would love to roll around in my brain.

After many months, I have received great feedback about my writing. Yes, it is not the most elegant in the world. I’m still working on that aspect of it. But it seems some people find my thoughts and ideas interesting. They like my “conversational” style. And I really have enjoyed the people I have met through social media who agree or disagree with my ideas. I love the debates and learning from other people who have far greater expertise in other areas of wine.

It has enriched my life tenfold, and I think back on my initial fears and I say to myself, “Why was I so afraid of putting my writing out there in the first place?” And so I am trying another first, I am attending my first Wine Bloggers Conference.

I really look forward to not only learning more about Blogging and everything that comes with it, but I look forward to meeting bloggers from all over the world.

And this is my first time in the Finger Lakes. I know, I know…I have lived in New York City for over 21 years. My husband went to school in the Finger Lakes and always talks about the beauty of the place. I have traveled to many vineyards around the world, but never the Finger Lakes. I guess I always took it for granted that I would go, and as we all know, time passes too quickly. And since I am turning 40 in May, I have made a promise to myself that there are no more “I’ll do it next year”…. especially if it is something that is within the realm of a realistic thing I can accomplish.

So I look forward to experiencing the stunning beauty of the Finger Lakes, meeting many of the other wine bloggers, and blogging my little heart out in August.

If you are interested in checking out some information about this conference, I have provided a link below:

2015 Wine Bloggers Conference, August 13-16th 2015 in Finger Lakes, New York

twitter: @WineBloggersCon

Hashtag: #WBC15

http://winebloggersconference.org/conference-details/

Posted in Dame Wine | Tagged Finger Lakes | Leave a comment

Can producers express the same terroir differently? Or is there only one way to express that terroir?

Posted on March 12, 2015 by damewine

The first line in The Oxford Companion to Wine says this under the definition of terroir: “Terroir — much-discussed term for the total natural environment of any viticultural site.”

I have been thinking about this topic since my tasting with Jean-Nicolas Méo and Sebastian Cathiard on February 25th. Even though it was a great honor to taste the wines of Sylvain Cathiard, and they were ridiculously stunning, it is the words of Jean-Nicolas Méo that keep echoing in my head.

Jean-Nicolas Méo talked about the importance of expressing terroir, but he also wanted to emphasize that they have a very specific winemaking style that brings a rich texture and focus of the expression of ripe fruit, first and foremost. I have loved Méo-Camuzet for many years, and his Clos Vougeot, which is the wine that has garnered them the most notoriety, has always been one of those wines that have blown me away.

I always knew their wine stood out from their contemporaries, but I never thought of their wines being so dominated by their winemaking practices. But Jean-Nicolas talked about how his father always believed in texture and a ripe fruit quality (almost giving a sweet impression), and accomplished it by not only producing high quality fruit, but by 100% de-stemming, cold soaking followed by a long fermentation on the skins which would reach temperatures as high as 35C, and lots of new oak. This gives the wine aromatics and structure, and these practices make them more accessible at a younger age.

I have to admit that it was surprising how good his 2012 Clos Vougeot tasted that day. I can not think of another producer of this Grand Cru that has such sensuous wines so early… or even anytime in its life, since Clos Vougeot is typically more reserved in style, especially on the body.

It is always interesting for me to hear a Burgundian producer talk about winemaking with such technical enthusiasm. I think because I used to place Burgundy on this unrealistic pedestal that it was quintessentially about place and the winemaking just needed to not get in the way. But when someone in the room asked if the “sweet fruit” quality was reflective of the vintage or vineyard of the 2012 Clos Vougeot, Jean-Nicolas said it was the winemaking, not the vintage or vineyard. And anyone who knows the 2012 Burgundies knows it is not a ripe vintage!

I remember talking to a producer several years ago, who came from a long line of Burgundian producers, who said that in his mind, the villages and vineyards of Burgundy did not show distinct differences because of the terroir, it was the winemaking. He said that producers made their wines in a particular style to meet the expectation of the place. I will not name this producer, as he told this to me during a private tour with only my husband and me. And I think he may have not been as honest about his opinion if he felt it was going to be written down in a blog. But I always think of what he told me.

But do we want all wines from a specific terroir to taste the same with each producer?

Clos Vougeot is a perfect example of producers not only having stylistic differences, but drastic quality differences as well. Yes, it is the largest Grand Cru vineyard in the Côte de Nuits, and you can even feel how it significantly slopes in certain areas when you walk around it. But these differences have something to do with winemaking practices as well. Some producers simply have more resources to buy better equipment and more staff on hand for better practices. Or some, like Méo, believe that even though you have high quality grapes, it doesn’t mean you cannot improve on them… or improve them according to what the ideal style should be to the producer.

What about natural microbial substances on the grapes? Do we want them to flourish to express terroir? Do we take away some terroir if winemaking interventions go too far?

Last year, I went to a seminar that was taught by Dr. Hildegarde Heymann, who teaches at the Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis. She proudly spoke about the incredible work of one of her doctoral students. This student was in the process of proving that there are different microbial substances on grapes in neighboring vineyards. His studies focused mainly on Sonoma, but it’s research that could be eventually applied to many different regions.

And this made me think about terroir in the sense of the expression of these microbial substances. Are modern winemaking practices keeping us from experiencing these bacteria and yeasts from these specific terroir?

Okay, now I’m going into a natural wine debate. And really this is not a blog post about the idea if producers should risk stuck ferments or bacterial spoilage for a more “natural” product. This blog post is about how far winemaking can go before it no longer expresses terroir.

When we think of expressing our true selves, do we think that we will allow any trait that naturally pops up in our personality? Unfortunately, I have known way too many people who have had the attitude that it was okay to do or say whatever they wanted as long as it was truly expressing themselves!

Or is it better to want to encourage and take on traits that are positive such as compassion, loving, wise and insightful traits, and work on getting rid of those negative traits such as being selfish, insecure and uncaring. And yes, you can bring up the point that some people are born very compassionate, sweet people… even possibly going against their parentage, and some are born more selfish. They are even conducting experiments on the brain that show an area of where we are capable of compassion, and some people have more activity in that area than others. But no matter what we were handed in life, we can always work on it. They have even proven that people can form new connections in their brains by consciously choosing to think another way.

But let us take it even further. Some people encourage traits in themselves that others may find silly and unconventional. Would you say that a person is not a good representative of where they came from because they are not a typical example of their origin?

You can relate this to grapes. Some are higher quality than others, but in today’s modern times, producers can fix a lot of problems if they get to it soon enough. And there are some winemakers that want to express certain things about their terroir and not other things, and they would like to add some other flavor and textural elements, like oak, to enhance those qualities that they would like to highlight.

And there is no doubt that the Méo-Camuzet wines are great wines that have a huge following. And their Clos Vougeot expresses the terroir, but with a richer, more fruit driven style.

So yes, a producer can express terroir and express it in a different way than many of their counterparts…. and who knows, what is considered atypical now may one day become typical. And things are already changing. You cannot always count on a specific area of the world to employ a specific winemaking practice.

I have never been interested in a person’s pedigree: origin, family tree, education, social status; I have always been more interested in the choices they have made, and who they have decided to become… and I think that’s why I can appreciate a certain amount of manipulation to a wine that gives you a different experience of that place.

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Tasting notes from wines tasted on February 25th, 2015

-2012 Méo-Camuzet Bourgogne Rouge
Fresh raspberry with slight truffle… yes, truffle at a Bourgogne level! And good amount of weight for this level, round tannins

-2012 Méo-Camuzet Clos Vougeot
Interesting spice on the nose such as coriander with saline minerality and sweet cherry finish… and the body and texture.. yes, it is very seductive. I know Clos Vougeot is not supposed to be this luscious, and especially from a lesser vintage, but every drop was enjoyable to taste

-2012 Sylvain Cathiard Nuits-Saint-Georges ‘Les Murgers’
Earthy, very structured wine with muscular tannins, black fruit, forest floor…both of Cathiard wines have an incredible energy to them.. much more reserved than Méo but if you wait and take your time with them, they are breathtaking

-2012 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanee ‘Les Malconsorts’
More weight on the mid palate and silky, more feminine tannins, and lovely floral note with bright red currant fruit

Posted in Dame Wine | Tagged Burgundy, Méo-Camuzet, Sylvain Cathiard, Terroir | 4 Comments

At the end of the day, the greatest wine is red.

Posted on February 25, 2015 by damewine

I promise, I am not trying to be provocative. This is a past Masters of Wine question, and due to that fact, and the fact it seems like it will be a lot of fun to tackle… I’m taking the challenge of trying to answer it.

I started thinking about this essay when my store was visited by Marc Perrin, one of the family members of Château Carbonnieux. Since Carbonnieux is in the Pessac-Léognan (Graves) instead of the Haut-Médoc in Bordeaux, it is known more for their whites than their reds. At this tasting, we discussed how the Carbonnieux white sold itself on reputation alone, but the red needed some hand selling. But the red is still more expensive than the white. Why?

Historically red wine, as far back as we can remember, has garnered the most amount of praise from wine critics. If you are known as a wine professional or wine connoisseur, then the most common question that you are asked is, “Do you prefer red or white?” And the answer at one time would have been “RED”… but times have changed. Many in the trade and wine geekdom world know that it is not such an easy question to answer.

But let’s go back to that vulgar subject: Money

In general, red wines will always command more money than white wines. Even when Burgundy came out with their mind blowing 2010 whites, the reds were still more expensive than their quality equivalent white counterparts. And what about Giacosa’s Roero Arneis.. That is a beautiful, beautiful wine. I have been at many wine trade events that were showing the Giacosa wines, and everyone usually talks about the stunning Arneis…. and it is only around USD $27 retail.. always shocking to me. Yes, I know, the fine wine world of Piedmont is known for Barolo and Barbaresco, but some of the Giacosa reds command prices that far exceed 200 dollars and their Arneis can’t even get 30 bucks!

What about New World? Hunter Valley Semillons are great examples of white wines which are undervalued. Recently, I was able to buy a 2004 Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon for only USD $35. This wine had layers of complexity: beeswax, toasted hay and roasted nuts with a great backbone of mouth watering acidity. Hunter Valley is a known white wine region, but their white wines, which rival the complexity of some of the great red wines in the world, will never see a price that even compares to their red counterparts.

Are there exceptions?

Yes, there are always exceptions. Aubert winery in Sonoma, California is able to charge more for their Chardonnays than their Pinot Noirs. But they are a cult winery that found fame on their single vineyard Chardonnay white wines.

For the most part, why do reds cost more money?

Winemaking

Well, some may argue that the winemaker usually has to do more work with a red wine than a white wine. For example, the extraction techniques that are needed for red wines make them more labor intensive. Also, typically reds will get oak treatment and many whites do not include oak in their winemaking or maturation. And higher quality reds will generally need to age for a longer time at the winery before they are released. All of the aforementioned points add to the overall cost.

But there are exceptions, and 1er Cru and Grand Cru white Burgundies are a huge exception.

Ageability

One may argue that there are more red wines that are built for aging. Some of the great, robust red wines of the world, in the best vintages, can age with improvement for 15 to 20 years. But what about Riesling? What about a German TBA Riesling? What about a Moelleux Vouvray? I know, I know not everyone likes older Chenin Blanc, but I am a fan. And what about MADEIRA? Compare Madeira to a red fortified wine counterpart, Port. A great Madeira can last for over a 100 years (and still be fresh and vibrant), but a great vintage Port can last maybe 50 years at the maximum. Listen, if you want to prove me wrong and pour me a vintage Port that is over 100 years old, then I am happy to taste it 😀

Let’s go back to Bordeaux. The famous 1855 classification that deemed the greatest wines in the world were red wines (Haut-Brion is an odd exception with being known for their incredible whites, and even commanding higher prices for their white wines. But it is from Pessac-Léognan and I have no idea how it ended up as a First Growth for the red wines on the 1855 classification. Okay, another exception, but these exceptions are only a fraction of a percent). It is also interesting that during the same classification that white wines were ranked, but they only represent sweet white wines. Most fine wine drinkers are not going to drink sweet wines on a regular basis, and hence, the red wines were bound to get more attention from wine critics and influencers. And even though d’Yquem has the highest ranking in the classification, it will never be able to charge the price equivalent of a Lafite.

I know, d’Yquem was supposedly the most expensive wine during the time of the 1855 classification, hence it was given the highest ranking of Superior First Growth (Premier Cru Supérieur). It is much more expensive to make than the dry great wines of Bordeaux. But I’m talking about recent times and future times, and it will never get the same price as the dry red First Growths.

Yes, one can say that many of the above examples I gave for ageability that were sweet or fortified are not relevant considering most fine wines drunk are dry and unfortified.
And many winemakers would say that making dry red wine will usually be a more costly process than dry white wine.

What about respect?

A few years back, Lalou Bize-Leroy said in Decanter that price was a way of showing respect.

Maybe it comes down to the idea that we do not respect white wine as much as red wine. Somehow the idea of white wine being inferior to red wine was created a long time ago, and we keep reconditioning new generations to be of that mindset.

If I were to answer this question from the viewpoint of what the market tells us, then yes, the greatest wine is red.

My personal opinion is, “No, it is not the greatest.” And it is not such an easy question for me to answer, because my answer would really depend on the day.

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Wines tasted with Marc Perrin on February 18th, 2015

-2010 Carbonnieux Blanc

Notes of honeysuckle, wet stones, brown butter with a rich decadent body… the longer you leave it in the glass… the more complex it becomes… delicious..

-2012 Haut Vigneau Rouge

Dusty earth, exotic spice, round texture.. easy drinking, ready to drink now…

-2011 Tour Leognan Rouge

Coffee, bitter dark chocolate, structure is more firm than Haut Vigneau Rouge, mid palate is a little hallow, could use some decanting and a nice steak…

-2010 Carbonnieux Rouge

Dried herbs, cigar box and lots of fresh black currant… still very tight, needs a lot of time, huge structure, big but elegant…

-2008 Carbonnieux Rouge

More gamey than 2010, and a pretty floral note which I like very much… stewed black and red fruits and the finish ends with a lot of spice..

Posted in Dame Wine | Tagged Carbonnieux, GreatestWine | 2 Comments

Is choice of wine bottle closure dependent on effectiveness or marketing?

Posted on February 19, 2015 by damewine

It is funny how the universe seems to push you to write about a certain topic. A couple of weeks ago, on February 2nd, a few guys representing the PlumpJack winery group visited Sherry-Lehmann with the release of their new line of wines called Odette. We were given a staff tasting earlier that morning, and I really was most intrigued by their story of how they made headlines in 2000 when they became one of the first producers to release a luxury wine, their 1997 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, with a screw cap closure.

John Conover, general manager of PlumpJack, said they wanted to, “…change the way the game is done.”

Those of you familiar with the PlumpJack Group know that it is a company that has large resources, and they make money from various ventures in hospitality. They have PlumpJack, CADE, and Odette Napa wineries, which are part of their group. And yes, this is not a little, struggling winemaker. But I started to think of the pros and cons in regards to effectiveness and marketing of different closures that would be relevant for small and large wineries.

It was serendipitous that my friend and creator of the #winelover community recently wrote a blog post about Coravin, the system that allows a wine drinker to draw off one glass at a time. But this is really only possible for corks, and so he questioned the validity of screw caps. This made me think about this topic even more and hence, here is my post on closures.

In 2013, the Wine Business Monthly Closure Survey Report, which helps to determine market trends in wine closures and perception by wineries, showed that natural cork ranked higher than the other alternative closures with the exception of price, product performance and ease of removal. Moreover, in the case of synthetic closures, there were even slightly negative perceptions in three attributes (overall rating, consumer acceptance and perceived environmental impact). Does the effectiveness of closures such as natural cork, synthetic, technical and screw cap, match consumer perception? Hmmm….

Quick note: I have excluded the glass closure Vino-Seal or Vinolok due to the fact that only a tiny amount of producers use them due to their high cost.

Natural Cork: Why are they the reigning king or queen of the closure world?

The traditional closure for wine bottles has long been the natural cork. It is cheap, readily available, comes from a renewable source, is biodegradable, is a good oxygen barrier and has an awesome anti-slip property. Corking machines have an easier time with inserting natural corks… they actually have some give… and for a small percentage of wines, they are great for maturation. Did I say maturation? I know, some experts question whether maturation continues in the bottle after what was initially started in barrels for wines meant to age. Some believe the wine is in an anaerobic state and it is actually a slow chemical change. So that may not be the strongest point.

But when it comes to marketing, traditionally, natural corks are associated with high quality. The ceremony of opening a bottle with a natural cork is a long tradition that has been prized in many long established wine consuming countries. That is changing… and not only do some winemakers want to change that perception, but some regions are out to change it too.

Why would anyone have a problem with natural cork?

CORK TAINT. The problem of cork taint has resulted in the reduction of the use of natural cork by producers. General estimates for cork taint seem to fall between 2-7%, although most of these studies do not involve chemical verification of the TCA in bottles, and there is no existing study that has a large enough sample size to be 100% valid. If you know of one please let me know!

Interestingly, the wine trade’s thoughts about TCA were challenged by an article in Decanter last year that reported scientists in Japan claimed that TCA does not produce a bad odor. Instead they state that TCA shuts down a taster’s ability to smell. I thought that was an interesting tidbit. Okay, getting back on track with closures and I’ll save the in-depth about TCA for another time.

Synthetic: I’m going to make this quick…

I’m not going to spend too much time on synthetic corks. Why? Have you ever seen and felt a synthetic cork? If so, you know why. They look and feel synthetic… ahahaha.. they are cheap. Which is fine when you are opening a bottle under USD $6… but if you are buying a wine for a special occasion, spending more than you typically spend, then touching a cork that has material that reminds you of a surgical glove really spoils the mood. And they are difficult to pull out. I have known wine consumers to return bottles because they could not get the synthetic closure out.

At one time, synthetic closures were known to damage corking machines because the material was too hard. They have improved, but because they will never be able to conform to filling the space at the top of a wine bottle like cork, they will never have the guarantee that cork gives as an oxygen barrier. I know some corks could be faulty… but I’m not going to get into that issue at this time. Synthetic closures are only suitable for immediate consumption.

In my opinion, synthetic closures have the lowest rating for effectiveness and marketing.
That wasn’t so quick, but I guess I needed to go off on a rant about it.

Technical Corks: Looks like a cork, but not a cork

This is the cheapest closure based on cork, also known as agglomerate cork. It is a cork where cork granules are stuck together by resin-based glue. Agglomerate corks are only suitable for wines with a short shelf-life because the resin disintegrates after a few months in contact with the wine. This is not so much of an issue since most wines are consumed immediately, but best to store the bottle standing up if you are going to wait a few months to drink it. Also, the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) has conducted trials that showed technical corks absorbed more non-polar volatile compounds than cork. In other words, they are flavor scalpers! But the worst offenders in scalping the flavors of wine are synthetic closures. Oh yes, another nail in the coffin for synthetic closures.

I do not think that the above negatives are that bad in regards to an ideal closure choice for moderately priced wines that will be consumed immediately. They look and feel like cork (yes, some are much better than others), and they provide a good seal for the short term. And they are a lot less expensive than cork. Good for effectiveness, marketing and retail price!

Too good to be true

The technical cork Altec, by the French company Sabaté, was initially seen as a great advancement in technical corks with a more uniform, fine textured closure. Unfortunately, in 2001, they were sued by many wineries, one being Van Duzer in Oregon, for having unacceptable TCA levels in their Altec corks. Funny enough, initially customers thought it was glue taint.. well, not funny at the time. Sabaté took steps to eliminate this problem by washing the cork particles with super-critical carbon dioxide, which removes any residual TCA.

The state of technical closures today

There have been some great advanced achievements in technical corks. Twin Top, developed by Amorim, was based on technology used in Champagne. It is an agglomerated cork with two sections of natural cork at each end. Sabaté has come out with Diam, which is not only a technical cork that is treated with super-critical carbon dioxide, due to the issues discussed above, but it comes in different versions that allow for various levels of oxygen transmission rates.

But I think more than anything, Sabaté needed to improve their image after the marketing disaster of Altec. Even though they fixed the issue, a change of the name was necessary for successful sales.

Screw cap: Game changer

The effectiveness of the screw cap has certainly been a big topic within the wine trade in the last year. Over the past decade, screw caps are slowly gaining acceptance among the trade with their positive attributes of not causing taint, not suffering from extreme quality variation and they do not need a special tool to open them. There have been many trials by the AWRI that have shown screw cap as the best oxygen barrier when applied properly. They have the lowest oxygen transmission rates, and hence, lower doses of SO2 may be used…. Again, if they are applied properly! But also, AWRI trials have proven that they do not absorb flavor compounds…. no flavor scalping here.

Kareem Massoud, winemaker and family member of Paumanok Winery in Long Island, NY, invested in a screw cap bottling line in 2007. He said that he was convinced by its effectiveness when he worked a year at a New Zealand winery, and he uses screw caps for all his wines that are meant for immediate consumption. Besides the initial cost of the new bottling line, screw caps are also much more cost effective.

And two years ago, Stelvin released liners that are designed for screw caps that have different levels of oxygen transmission rates. Woot! Woot!

Yes, there is a lot of awesomeness when it comes to the effectiveness of screw caps. But what about marketing…

Yes, this closure is not trying to pretend to look or feel anything like cork. It says, “I am different, and I want you to know I am different.” That is me trying to pretend what a screw cap would say. Yes, Australia and New Zealand loves them. What about France?!

Lynn Marchive, Domaine des Malandes in Chablis, uses cork and screw cap on all her different quality levels, such as Grand Cru and 1er Cru. She said her choice of closure is dependent on the intended market. She uses cork with most of her wines that are above the Bourgogne appellation status that are sent to the US, and she sends all of her wines to Japan with screw caps, even the Grand Cru. Her decision on closure is based on what the market demands.

But there is an issue with effectiveness…uh-oh…

Two years ago, a Masters of Wine dissertation (it is currently no longer called a dissertation, but a research paper) was published in an Australian wine trade magazine. It presented evidence that claimed to show that screw caps cause more damage to wine than cork.

Say what?!

There were 22 retailers surveyed, most in Sydney area, and examined around 11,500 bottles. The result of this study was alarming. The overall physical damage level of the wines with closures that were screw caps was 26%. The screw caps that were damaged enough in transport to cause significant changes in the wine were 8.2%. In addition, 7.2% of screw caps were applied incorrectly. But many have argued that the sample size was too small for its claims to have validity.

And of course there is the idea of the Coravin, and how this may change the game for the game changer.

I think there are valid pro and con arguments for all of the closures. I do not 100% lean toward one or the other (except I do not like synthetic… I think I have made that clear….hehehe). But I really like how John Conover, PlumpJack winery, explained why they choose screw cap for their top wine 15 years ago. He explained that he believed in failure, so much so, that he believed there should be a prize for those who have the biggest failure each year. Because that is how you change the world, change the game. It is about taking a chance. It is how we leave our mark on the world. Some may disagree and some may agree, but at least there is a conversation.

And that’s what life is about… not so much finding what is the perfect answer, but enjoying the conversation.

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Odette wines tasted on February 2nd with PlumpJack, which comes from the Northern part of Napa Valley in California. “Adaption” wine uses grapes from the vineyards of CADE, PlumpJack and Odette in Napa. The Chardonnay was the only wine under screw cap.

-Odette Estate “Adaptation” Chardonnay 2013:

Slight spicy notes, very little french oak used, mainly stainless steel, moderate body, no MLF, so fresh and bright with white peach flavors

-Odette Estate “Adaptation” Cabernet Sauvignon 2012:

High alcohol (14.7%abv) but hides it well, and I am not a high alcohol girl, sweet cassis fruit, decent amount of tension with well-knit tannins and vivid acidity

-Odette Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2012:

Firmer, lots of deep dark fruit flavors, and a hint of charcoal.. there is a nice savory/sweet quality to it… cocoa nibs wrapped in tobacco leaf

-Odette Estate “Adaptation” Petite Sirah 2012:

Opaque color, muscular body, chewy tannins, exotic spice, smoked bacon and blackberry jam

Posted in Dame Wine | Tagged closure, natural cork, Odette, PlumpJack, screw cap, technical cork | 1 Comment

How would you sell wine to a Martian?

Posted on February 5, 2015 by damewine

Sometimes these unorthodox questions are thrown around in the wine industry. It seems the key is to understand a customer that was truly foreign to the seller, and use selling tactics that were based on the understanding of that foreign customer.

This leads me to the idea of selling to customers in New York City. No, let me rephrase that, in Manhattan. No, let me rephrase that, to the wine trade in Manhattan that is associated with a more ambitious wine program. Yes, these are Martians. These are not your typical wine drinkers. Their drinking habits are sometimes odd, they use funny terminology and they will get excited over discussions of rootstock and specific yeast. I am one of these Martians…. and yes, we feel we have seen it all… but once in a while someone, someone special, will open your eyes to that which you were blind.

Last week, on January 29^th, I had the great honor of going to a class and lunch with Oz Clarke. He has co-authored many great wine books and is a wonderful personality in the wine world. And as a writer, he has such a distinctive voice. I had always wondered if he would be the same in person: witty, passionate, incredibly knowledgeable and down to earth. Happily I can say he is all of those things and more… he is one of those rare writers that make the words come more alive when he speaks them.

This master class was sponsored by the New Zealand Winegrowers, and the main focus, to me anyways, seemed to be, “What is exciting about New Zealand wine?!”

Honestly, I went because I wanted to see Oz Clarke. And I walked away not only being thoroughly impressed by him, but being thoroughly impressed and swept away by New Zealand. The kind of excitement I feel for French wines. Yes, I am that dirty word: FRANCOPHILE.

And I think this has to do with Oz Clarke. He knows how to sell to Martians! Or maybe he just knows how to inspire passion for wine regions, even in the hearts of those that were jaded long ago.

I must admit that I have heard of Waitaki Valley but I knew very little about it. And I could sense the other Marians in the room were not familiar with it either. This made the Martians immediately perk up and want to know about something that could possible be so hip, that we, who were on the cutting edge of hip, did not even know about it. Waitaki is on the South Island and straddles the boundary between North Otago and Canterbury. It is known to suffer from frost almost every month. Matt Stafford, Chief Winemaker of Craggy Range, who was in attendance that day, confirmed this fact.

So why on earth would anyone plant vines there?!

According to Oz Clarke, there is a layer of limestone that gives a beautiful minerality and the conditions are great for aromatic varieties. Well, some of the Martians seemed to have issues with even the mention of the currently dreaded word “minerality”, and you could hear the rumblings of dissatisfaction in the room. Oz Clarke knew well enough about the whole “controversy” about saying that a wine gets “minerality” from the soil. He then expressed the idea, which was carried throughout the class, of the rarity of place and people that New Zealand presented as a country. In most other regions in the world, if the wine grower knew from the very beginning that they would have to deal with frost once a month, they would never even consider planting vines there. But not the New Zealand people! This fact just makes them want to give it a go even more. This seemed to please the Martians and they quickly forgot about getting into an argument about minerality, and were then open to hearing about what was exciting about New Zealand.

Then there was a point where we had to cover Marlborough. Many Martians at this time started to check their email. And Oz knew that the Martians were over Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Even though it is the top selling New Zealand wine category, even though a great wine making country such as Australia has Oyster Bay New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc as their #1 selling wine, it is too overdone for Martians to take any interest. Yes, they have to represent them on their wine lists, they know many of their customers want it, but they don’t have to like it. And as the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc wines were poured, I could sense that the other Martians did not even want to bother with these wines. The Martians were there for the Syrah wines from Hawke’s Bay! (By the way, I do love Hawke’s Bay Syrah. Please try to taste it if you have not already.)

But then Oz, with his talent and skill for breathing excitement and life into language, started describing the Marlborough Sounds, which is a remote pristine maritime oasis. And that the legend of its beauty inspired many sailors over the past couple of centuries to travel through hellish, life threatening conditions so they may have the slight chance of experiencing paradise. But he had a way of saying the words that reached beyond our minds to tap into our hearts, and he connected with the Martians’ desires to want to escape to a place that was very different from Mars.

Then there was the risky mention of Cloudy Bay. Oh yes, Cloudy Bay is what put Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc on the map. It is the epitome of what Martians do not typically find exciting: a successful wine brand. He talked about the senior winemaker Tim Heath and how he was very uninterested in talking about only specific winemaking techniques that he employs at Cloudy Bay. I have found that true in my own experience. Tim visited my wine store for a staff tasting a year and a half ago. I asked him several technical winemaking questions, and he seemed as if he was always trying to bring the conversation back to the idea of place, the idea of New Zealand. Oz said Tim is a true lover of New Zealand who would be happy to talk to anyone about his favorite spots to fly-fish, or about any authentic interest in the country itself. And I think the main point of this master class was the idea that you need to try to get to know a place before you can ever truly understand their wines.

How would you sell wine to a Martian?

You need to know their habits, pricing limits (or lack of limits), attitude towards wine, level of knowledge, and those cultural idiosyncrasies that make certain promotional aspects either offensive or appealing. But beyond those different factors there is a commonality to all customers, Martian or not, that was prevalent throughout this whole workshop. It is simply the following:

The Human Spirit

All of us have our fantasy of either being superheroes, taking on something personally terrifying or simply living our lives by being true to ourselves without worrying about being judged, ostracized or seemingly coming off as failures. But at the end of the day, all of us know we will be judged by not just one, but by many, no matter what we do. We feel we cannot win.

On that day, Oz Clarke presented a place that seemed adventurous and free of those worries of being judged for being different. This may not be true in the reality of daily life in New Zealand, but it was nice to be transported to this magical world that Oz Clarke created. It was even better than the original movies of the Lord of the Rings… because it involved wine!

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Tasting notes from wines tasted that day, January 29th, 2015

-Seifried Sauvignon Blanc Nelson 2014

Green, herbaceous notes, more grass than asparagus

-Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc Te Muna Road Vineyard, Martinborough 2013

Stony, flinty, terroir driven

-Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2012

Textural wine due to barrel ferment, combination of aromatic lift and good amount of weight on the palate

-Mahi Ballot Block Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2008

A distinctive flinty nose, not too much of a green note, has a lot of life and very enjoyable even at they advanced age… surprising

-Clearview Reserve Chardonnay Hawke’s Bay 2013

Lean and focused with lovely peach fruit and a nice zing of acidity on the finish

-Carrick Chardonnay Central Otago 2012

Natural wine making.. biodynamic practices, low SO2, notes of hay and ripe melon, and a touch of kombucha… the Martians were going crazy for this wine

-Pyramid Valley Field of Fire Chardonnay North Canterbury 2012

I thought this wine was stunning, yes, natural practices as well, but more savory and less funk, it was rich with roasted hazelnut aromatics and a decadent full flavored palate balanced with an overall elegant quality

-Villa Maria Taylor’s Pass Chardonnay Marlborough 2011

More tropical fruit dominant with bright acidity, great purity

-Escarpment Pinot Gris Martinborough 2013

Good amount of body and creamy texture

-Aronui Riesling Nelson 2014

Pristine citrus fruit with mouth watering acidity

-Spy Valley Gewurztraminer Marlborough 2013

The purest smell of lychee one could ever smell and slight hint of rose petal

-Milton Riverpoint Vigonier Gisborne 2013

Only slight perfumed which was nice, and a fun saline finish

-Palliser Estate Pinot Noir Martinborough 2013

Red cherry and dried herbs

-Dog Point Pinot Noir Marlborough 2012

High-toned lifted aromatics of raspberry with lean texture

-Ostler Caroline’s Pinot Noir Waitaki Valley 2011

Ahhh.. the savory notes that I love with Pinot Noir, dried porcini mushroom and forest floor

-Valli Pinot Noir Central Otago 2009

Lush body with chewy tannins and crisp acidity with lots of black cherry flavors and hint of lapsang tea

-Passage Rock Reserve Syrah Waiheke Island 2012

Aromatic Syrah with peppery notes

-Cypress Terraces Syrah Hawke’s Bay 2012

More flesh on the palate, sweet fruit and exotic spice

-Craggy Range Le Sol Hawke’s Bay 2011

Smoky nose with bitter chocolate and black currant leaf, one of my favorite producers

-Kusuda Syrah Martinborough 2009

For bacon lovers, smoked meats and black cherries…. Okay, now I am hungry!

Posted in Dame Wine | Tagged Marlborough, New Zealand, Oz Clarke, Waitaki | 2 Comments

How and why do grape growers prune vines? (Bordeaux drinking earlier due mainly to better viticultural practices…)

Posted on January 30, 2015 by damewine

Last week, January 19th, I attended a gala dinner in Washington DC that was arranged by Panos Kakaviatos, who is an incredible freelance wine writer, #winelover and I thoroughly recommend his blog at www.wine-chronicles.com Jean-Rene Matignon, technical director of Château Pichon Longueville Baron, helped with the assistance of Panos to lead us through a 13 vintage tasting of Pichon Baron (snap shot of tasting notes at the end of this blog for those who are interested), and I have to say I was extremely impressed by not only Panos’ command of the French language (as he needed to assist with translating) but also his knowledge, charm, wit and overall great energy that really helped to transform this wine dinner into a special event.

So what does this have to do with the title of this blog post? Well, those who know my writing know I have a tendency to focus on a certain aspect of a conversation and/or experience… and I think about that certain aspect and debate it in my mind.. and sometimes I get a chance to debate it with others.. which is always fun and a great learning experience. I started to think about pruning and its importance because Jean-Rene told me that it is the work in the vineyards that is really making Bordeaux more accessible earlier, not manipulation in the winery… I know, I know this is going to open a can of worms. Some people may talk about micro-oxygenation or even riper vintages (but you can still have green tannins with high sugar) and since many of you know I am struggling with the Masters of Wine program, I need to try to focus on one topic at a time. So let’s talk about pruning!

How and why do grape growers prune vines throughout the year?

The most important pruning is winter pruning, and the majority of this post will focus on pruning during the winter and not so much on trimming or summer pruning (crop thinning).

How do we prune?

Mechanical vs hand pruning

The factors that influence choosing one or the other involve the potential compaction of the soil, the layout of the vineyard, density of planting and style. Even though low density planting will lend itself to hand pruning such as Numanthia’s bush vines in Toro with 1000 per hectare, Pichon Baron employs hand pruning at a much higher density of 9000 per hectare. Yes, Jean-Rene said that hand pruning has more precision and hence there is a better chance for a healthy and overall more balanced vine. But also, it was interesting how he expressed that they are able to continue this practice and to a greater degree than ever before due to having more resources. He said having more resources helps them to produce higher quality grapes, which is making fine wine Bordeaux consistently higher quality, and this comes down to having the labor that is needed in the vineyard.

It is interesting to note that mechanical pruning is a common practice in South Eastern Australia and the Central Valley in California and other hotter wine regions. Since mechanical pruning typically leaves more buds on the vine the yield increases for the first few years. This may be an issue for some producers but not for others. It really comes down to the producer’s intention of style, and of course resources will always dictate what is possible and not possible.

Why would you want to prune more or less?

This may be influenced by vigor of variety (scion) and/or climate. Sauvignon Blanc is a very vigorous variety and some wineries may want to prune it more. Alternatively, the Te Kairanga winery in Martinborough says that they prune their Sauvignon Blanc less. They want higher yields instead of lower yields. By pruning for higher yields, allowing for more buds that produce more fruit, it stresses the vines to the point of requiring more hang time for physiological ripeness. According to Te Kairanga the longer hang time helps to reduce unwanted unripe, herbaceous flavors in their fruit.

Jean-Rene said that Pichon Baron does not have a general philosophy with pruning, but more of a case by case approach. They allow anywhere from 5 to 12 clusters per vine depending on age and variety. Theses decisions are changed annually to either increase or decrease the clusters as they observe the vines. This was not always the case when resources were lacking and manpower was limited and untrained.

Well, there is the simple fact that there are yield and harvest requirements. But a quality producer does not just follow the yield and harvesting requirements by the local appellation. A quality producer such as a super second as Pichon Baron will not risk its reputation for its Grand Vin. It will produce less of its top wine to keep the prestige of its name. As we all know, it is not enough to be a 2nd growth in current times. Major influencers will reclassify the 1855 classification according to their assessment of quality. That is why Palmer (3rd growth) can command more money on the market place than Brane-Cantenac (2nd growth).

Why prune at all?

It is important to get rid of the old fruiting wood and replace it with new fruiting wood. Too little fruiting wood will cause too much vegetation growth and potentially produces a canopy that causes too much shade and risk for disease; too much fruiting wood may produce too much fruit for a vine to fully ripen. But vines are greatly influenced by the weather. There may be less bunches of fruit due to poor weather during flowering. For example, in 2012 England was particularly wet and cold with many vineyards producing little, if no sparkling wine. If one could predict the weather, then perhaps they could always choose the right amount of fruiting wood to leave year after year. But it is difficult to predict the weather… like the recent snow storm in New York City that was supposed to be the Storm of a Century.. and suffice it to say, it was a little exaggerated 🙂

It was very interesting when someone else at the table asked Jean-Rene about terroir. He started to talk about terroir but ended up talking about marketing. It basically came down to the idea if a producer cannot successfully market their wine in today’s market then they will not be able to have the resources to invest consistently, and hence terroir is difficult to express.

This started a conversation among a few of us at the table regarding terroir and how at one time we associated Brettanomyces (bacteria on the grapes causing esters) with terroir. Then I remembered a seminar I attended last year discussing research at the University of Davis in California regarding microbial substances in vineyards, and how they may be associated with defining a specific terroir. Conversely, some would say that Brettanomyces is a fault. They believe only “fruit” esters truly express terroir.

Sometimes I think about the yearning for the good old days of Bordeaux. Would we still have it if pricing was more reasonable? Would we still want astringency and intensely earthy notes? I was introduced to Bordeaux over twenty years ago and it was a different animal. It was not as round or lush as the 2009s let’s say… and hence why I have a special place in my heart for the 2010s. I love their tannic tension. But do the lusher vintages bring a new audience? Keep Bordeaux current? And help to secure a future? The world is changing, and either Bordeaux evolves or becomes irrelevant.

Yes, there are many factors that make Bordeaux more accessible. Viticulture is only one of those factors, but I do agree an important one, since there are really only so many miracles one can perform in the winery. And there is still major vintage variation, hence showing it is not so easy to make a wine more accessible when dealing with mediocre grapes. I don’t mind being able to drink wines within 5 years instead of 15…. and I have to guess the older you get, it can only be a good thing to drink wines closer to release. But pricing… well, there are enough articles regarding that topic, but yes, hopefully the potentially great 2014 vintage will not revert to 2009 pricing. But for now all I can say is that I understand the importance of pruning and that it does not always go according to plan.

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Tasting notes from 13 vintage vertical on January 19th

(In the order of how I tasted them during the dinner)

-2006 Pichon Baron

Yes, the 2006 was a little closed and very tannic, but it had a great smoky quality… smoked meats.. seems like it will be like the 1996, but a little less fleshy on the mid palate. Needs a lot more time.

-2007 Pichon Baron

Intense aromatics with beautiful dried flowers and herbs, light body, soft texture. A lovely wine to drink today.

-2008 Pichon Baron

A very balanced wine, not a show stopper, but a great balance of the right amount of body, slight grip, bright acidity, fresh blackcurrant with interesting espresso notes. Could use a couple more years, but pretty accessible now.

-2001 Pichon Baron

They always say the biggest problem with the 2001s is that it came after the great 2000 vintage. A lot of elegance with this wine… restraint not as showy as the 2000s. Great purity of fruit with a great backbone of acidity.

-2002 Pichon Baron

Did not have as long of a finish as 2001, 2001 will go a lot further… but the 2002 was giving a lot more on the nose. Tobacco leaf, exotic spice, and a combination ripe and unripe notes.

-2004 Pichon Baron

This was not a great vintage, but Pichon Baron was one of the stars of the vintage, and hence this is still an impressive wine. Chocolate and cinnamon with a full body and velvety tannic structure. This is an exception for the vintage.

-2000 Pichon Baron

Great, great wine… the purity of fruit is stunning. It is complex while being fresh.. the acidity is not that high in this vintage, but the laser clarity of the fruit makes it seem bright on the finish. Yes, this wine was always a stunner because of riper fruit, but there is a great combination of clear expression of terroir that takes this wine to the next level.

-2003 Pichon Baron

Jean-Rene said there was extremely strict selection for this vintage. I am not a fan of the desiccated fruit with stewed bell pepper note I typically get from the 2003s. But this had no hint of those aromas or flavors. Delicious cassis fruit dominated with dusty earth and a decadent mouth coating finish that I have to admit gives instant gratification that I think all wine drinkers can appreciate.

-2005 Pichon Baron

Yes, this vintage still lives up to its initial hype. This 2005 had everything… complexity of flavors with spice, vanilla, and bbq, sweet fruit, fair amount of acidity, evident structure to make an overall big, bold and robust wine. Needs time.. is still a little closed.. but impressive and I’m a fan of the not so shy structure.

-1998 Pichon Baron

Nose was intoxicating… yes, I said intoxicating! Truffle, truffle, truffle…the body and length was not as great as the 1990… it had a much more open, addictive nose.

-1990 Pichon Baron

Nose was a little closed, especially compared to the 1998. But the finish was one of the longest of the night in my opinion… it was completely savory with cigar box and gravelly earth, and it seemed to roll around in my head all night.

-2009 Pichon Baron

Yes, I surrender to the 2009 and all its greatness. Personally, I will always be a 2010 girl.. I love tannin, always have, always will…. but the 2009 offers a much more international appeal…. and I mean that in a positive way, even though I know it can be taken the wrong way. It had a wide range of fruit flavors: blue, black and red…. more chocolate notes than any other wine in the lineup, and it is very smooth in texture. To think that you could ever drink a Bordeaux wine so young while being so smooth is mind blowing.

-2010 Pichon Baron

Oh 2010, how I love you, let me count the ways! Yes, it has obvious tannin and acidity, but well integrated and perfectly balanced with lots of fruit and glycerol… and the 1990 might have had the longest finish in regards to aromatics but the 2010 had the longest when it came to the palate. This wine needs a lot more time to reveal all of its layers of flavors.. but I thoroughly enjoyed it on a textural level.

Posted in Dame Wine | Tagged Bordeaux, PichonBaron, Pruning | Leave a comment

“I fight with the fungus at Cheval Blanc but I play with the fungus at d’Yquem.”- Pierre Lurton. Botrytis cinerea: When and why is it desirable or undesirable to produce wines from botrytis affected grapes?

Posted on December 1, 2014 by damewine

Have you ever seen a Botrytis cinerea infected bunch of grapes? If you have you will never forget it. And if you have ever helped harvest some you will really never forget it! It is disgusting looking. Like something you would find in the garbage after weeks of it being left out. But it is desired for some wineries, and it is undesired by others. I loved it when Pierre Lurton, director of Château Cheval-Blanc and CEO of Château d’Yquem, said the above quote in a staff training, because considering his situation, it really rings true that fungus can be disaster, or it can be a great gift.

Botrytis cinerea (or called Botrytis for the rest of this post) can take the form of noble rot or take the form of grey rot. Grey rot develops when there are damaged, split grapes and the fungus finds its way into the pulp and makes the berries become rotten. It travels from vine to vine by running or dripping water, and hence, thrives in rainy, damp conditions. It takes the form of noble rot by the fungus attacking ripe, undamaged white grapes and under certain circumstances can create some of the greatest sweet wines in the world. The conditions that help to encourage noble rot are a moderate climate in which the humidity during the Summer creates an early morning mists that helps to develop the fungus, and then with a warm, sunny Autumn in which the grapes are dried and the fungus is restrained. Sauternes and Tokaj are the classic regions that have these ideal conditions for most vintages.

As I said before, Botrytis likes wet conditions, and hence it can be disaster in very wet vintages in the form of grey rot, especially if it rains before harvest. In 1991, Cheval-Blanc did not make a grand vin. It was 100% declassified. This was due to the large amounts of rain right before harvest. Grey rot was out of control that year, and particularly damaging to Pomerol and Saint-Émilion estates since Merlot is a variety highly susceptible to botrytis.

Also, grey rot is a secondary invader that infects damaged grapes. Machinery, hail, insects or birds can cause major problems by splitting the grapes and leaving the pulp exposed to be infected by Botrytis. Bedell Cellars in Long Island, New York, said that the biggest issue they need to combat in the vineyard is the birds. I visited them a couple months back and I saw netting to protect the vines from the birds, and they use two nets for each Syrah vine… Who knew New York birds liked Syrah so much?! The birds will split the grapes and then grey rot will take over. This could devastate their vineyards considering that this area typically receives a lot of rain and humidity.

Grape varieties that are the most susceptible to botrytis are thin-skinned varieties with tight clusters. If botrytis is not wanted in an area where it is prevalent then varieties with smaller leaves that are less vigorous that have looser bunches and thicker skins are more ideal. But if the goal of the grape grower is noble rot then thin-skinned varieties such as Sémillon, Riesling, Chenin Blanc and Furmint are a great choice. Besides Sémillon having its classic home in Sauternes, there are some that would argue that it also has a newly made classic home in Hunter Valley, Australia.

When is Botrytis desirable?

Margan winery in Hunter Valley has a perfect breeding ground for Botrytis with its elevated humidity. Their botrytized Sémillon is made in the style of a French Sauternes. When botrytis penetrates the skins of their whole, ripe Sémillon it dehydrates the grapes while maintaining the sugar level so the juice ends up having higher sugar content. Also, it adds aromatic complexity with honey, marmalade and musk notes. I know musk sounds like a weird thing to get from a wine… but there is sometimes a savory note in a botrytized wine, which is great for balancing all that sweetness, and so musk or mushroom are terms that are typically used for those savory notes.

When is Botrytis undesirable?

Botrytis, whether in noble rot or grey rot form, is always bad for yields and requires a lot of manual labor, and manual labor that knows what they are doing trying to sort through the dark, shriveled, gooey bunches. Château d’Yquem employs 140 skilled pickers during harvest and they will go through the vineyards 5 or 6 times for up to 3 months sometimes. And one vine makes the equivalent of only one glass of wine!

Also, Botrytis may increase the chances for volatile acidity and off flavors. Hambledon Vineyards in Hampshire, England will leave their Chardonnay out a week longer than their Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier to add more richness and body for their sparkling wines. But they have had undesirable botrytis adding an unwelcomed honey or marmalade taste that would be unacceptable for their intended fresh style of sparkling wine.

As mentioned before, Botrytis was a disaster for Cheval-Blanc in certain vintages. Since red wine includes maceration on the skins it can become a more serious problem then white wines, especially those that do not employ skin contact. Loss of pigment is an issue in this case, but the significant amounts of off-flavors becomes the biggest issue to tackle in a red wine. Charcoal fining is usually the only way to get rid of taint in a Botrytis affected red wine, but that is not an option for fine wine quality.

There is the simple idea that a producer finds Botrytis undesirable if they do not want to produce a sweet wine. And finally the potential alcohol may not be allowed in some local appellation laws.

It is interesting that a fungus could ever be considered as desirable. It is one of those examples of how something that has a long list of negatives that under the right conditions can create something so special that it makes all the undesirable factors worth all the trouble. I like to think how this relates to me taking something on like the MW program. And perhaps you have something in your life where you feel the same. Yes, when I talk about the long list of undesirable things about the program it becomes a mystery to many others of why I would attempt it. Well, I guess I am expecting that something special within me is waiting to emerge when forced under these extreme conditions. And then I think about what those people said right before they tried the first noble rot infected grapes, “You never know unless you try.”

***This is my last blog post until mid-January due to hectic holiday schedule and preparing for mock MW exams in early January.

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Tasting note of Cheval Blanc vertical on October 16th, 2014

-2000 Cheval Blanc:

2000 Cheval Blanc with a blend of almost 50:50 Merlot & Cabernet Franc, even though some reports say 53:47 dominate Merlot (not all Cheval Blanc wines are a blend that dominates with Cabernet Franc). This vintage is sexy (yes, I used the “sexy” word)…. but in my defense it is sexy. Lush tannins that seem to melt into the wine and explosion of blueberry and cassis with tarragon, smoked meats, and bark. Even though it is such a pleasure now I have a feeling it has a lot more to give.

-2003 Cheval Blanc:

Actually not a bad 2003…the winemaker said they really went out of their way to keep this vintage fresh. Beautiful perfumed notes with spicy exotic notes. Only bright pristine fruit, no raisin notes. I think that the idea that Cheval Blanc grows a larger % of Cabernet Franc than Merlot is helpful for hot vintages.

-2005 Cheval Blanc:

A richer body Cheval Blanc than normal but still with the classic dried leaves character I get from Cheval Blanc. More black fruit than red or purple and a dusty earth instead of wet earth which means for me they are lighter notes that roll around my head. Stunning.

-2006 Cheval Blanc:

Much more linear in body than 2003 and 2005 but a lot more tannic structure. Pure black fruit and mint. The long length and great fresh acidity suggests this may be a classic beauty with some time.. but it was very tight at the time I tasted it.

Tasting note of 1975 d’Yquem on May 14th, 2014

-1975 d’Yquem:

1975 was a difficult vintage for Bordeaux, but turned out to produce some of the best Sauternes in modern times. And 1975 d’Yquem is legendary. I must admit I am not a huge sweet wine drinker.. I actually don’t like sweets at all. And I’m not trying to seem cool turning my nose at anything with sweetness. I have always been this way, even as a kid. But I do love old sweet wines. The combination of mature notes with the sweet palate is really interesting to me. This ’75 still seemed so young. Nice racy acidity, especially for Sauternes. Yes, it had fig, quince, marmalade… but also a great smoky minerality… and the extraordinarily long length finishes with hints of grilled pineapples. It seems that it has still a couple more decades to go.

Posted in Dame Wine | Tagged Botrytis, Cheval Blanc, d'Yquem | Leave a comment

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“I fight with the fungus at Cheval Blanc but I play with the fungus at d’Yquem.”- Pierre Lurton. Botrytis cinerea: When and why is it desirable or undesirable to produce wines from botrytis affected grapes?

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