France

...now browsing by tag

 
 

2005 Domaine de la Berangeraie Cuvée Maurin, Cahors, France

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

Cuvee Maurin 05

I love Cahors!  These are powerful, rustic wines, and compared to Argentine Malbec, a very different expression of the grape.  Though they used to be called “black wines” because of the intensely dark color that own-rooted Malbec provided them, they rarely attain that level of darkness since they are mostly grafted onto other rootstocks to prevent phylloxera.  That said, the combination of fig, black plum and cassis, almost buried in a mix of earthy, herby, prickly other aromas, quickly allays any fears one might have about these being shy or delicate wines.

From Peter Weygandt (the importer of Domaine de la Berangeraie)-

In 1971 Andre Berenger came to Cahors from Provence with his wife Sylvie, who is originally from Champagne, and planted their vineyard near Grezels, on the red clay/iron stone soil known as Grezes. Their two children, Maurin and Juline not only joined them in the family business but so too have their respective spouses. Thus the three couples all work together and do everything in this twelve hectare domaine themselves – the pruning, the treatments of the vines ( all organic) and the harvesting all by hand (a disappearing practice in Cahors where harvesting is now done almost exclusively by machine).

Moreover, Juline, Maurin, and Maurin’s wife, Marlene, are all graduates of Oenology school as oneologists, diplomes . With this background, not surprisingly, their cuvees follow family names – Juline, a blend of 80% Malbec and 20% Merlot is the most elegant, with ripe fruit and soft tannins. It is aged solely in concrete (no oak) and bottled unfiltered for us. The Maurin is 100% Malbec, also concrete aged and unfiltered. In 2000 there is a new cuvee, Marlene, that is aged one-half in one year old barrique and the grapes come from one of their best parcels. These wines are proof that hand made artisnal wines of character, yet accessibility, are still being made in Cahors.

This wine typical of good Cahors, in that it sings with rustic intensity.  Firm tannins and great acidity frame the fruit and earth into manageable, if somewhat unruly package, and one really gets a sense that this wine is from somewhere!  Try it with a steak, roast duck, or an earthy dish of roasted root vegetables with plenty of herbs and fat. Now – 2015.

Posted in Off the Beaten Path All Red - Aug '09 | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , ,

2005 Vincent Paris Granit 60 Vieilles Vignes Cornas, France

Thursday, February 19th, 2009

paris-granit-60This is the first of two Syrahs this month.  I thought a study of two styles, both of which I find stunning, would be a great rumination on why Syrah can be such a special wine.

Vincent Paris, whose first vintage was 1997, is as shy as his wines are bold. In his early 30’s, he has retro sideburns, but not much else in the Cornas appellation’s new star is “retro”. Vincent’s uncle is Robert Michel, one of Cornas’ finest growers. He made his two first wines with his uncle then, seeking autonomy, rented facilities for the vinification of his most recent wines. He is in the process of building his own winemaking facilities with a courtyard that holds his apricot plantation.vincent-paris

Vincent Paris, co-president of the appellation of Cornas with Jacques Lemencier, owns 6 hectares of vineyards and produces about 2,500cs per year of which 1,600cs are Cornas. He inherited most of his own vines from his grandfather (some of which are 90 years old) and has also rented some vines from his uncle. Vincent’s total rented and owned holdings amount to 8 hectares. They are located at different places primarily along the southeast facing Cornas slope and a small lot in St. Joseph.

He prunes to only four bunches of grapes per vine (the norm is between five and seven) which concentrates the vines’ growing power and cuts down on the need for green harvests. He ferments at relatively low temperatures and matures his wine in oak barrels for up to 12 months.

The Cornas Granit 30 and 60 designations refer to the soil, the approximate age of the vines, and the slope on which they are planted. The Granit 30 is concentrated black fruit in a relatively “consumer friendly”style – perhaps a bit more Syrah-ish than Cornas-ish, whereas the 60 is classic Cornas – dense, aromas of kidney and iron, with a terrific mineral underpinning.

This wine is dense and heady, and almost musky, but has enough rich, layered fruit to be attractive rather than weird.  This is a wine for game, venison, elk (ideal), squab, and for big blue cheese.  I recommend decanting it for a good hour before drinking it.  This is also a wine that will continue to improve for some time, and will probably begin to be at its best in 2 or 3 years.  Drink 2012 – 2018.

Posted in February '09, The Next Big Thing - Feb '09, The Next Big Thing All Red - Feb '09 | No Responses »
Tags: , , , , ,

2006 Guilhem Durand / Domaine la Bastide Syrah, VdP de la Hauterive

Thursday, February 19th, 2009

guilhem-durand-syrah

Since my days at Campagne, I have always liked this wine, because it is so tasty, and because it really tastes like Syrah, even though it comes from the Languedoc, which isn’t known for the varietal character of its wines.  Here is Peter Weygandt’s (the importer) description of the estate:

The 1991 Corbieres of Guilhem Durand received a review in The Wine Advocate of 88 points. It was 70% Syrah. In 1993 Durand lost his property but has been able to get it back. The 1994 vintage was his first, since reacquisition, and our selection had an even higher proportion of Syrah-virtually all Syrah. Therefore, since one is not allowed to state the varietal in conjunction with appellation Corbieres (under French Law), Durand and I have “de-classified” his Wine to Hauterive, and can thus state Syrah on the label. And it is certainly oozing with Syrah-deep purple, extracted color, loads of fruit, ripe, soft tannins, and great texture, all due at least in part to not filtering.

The grapes come from relatively young vines planted on quartz soils with lots of stones and pebbles that help to reflect the heat of the sun well into the evenings.  The wine sees no oak ageing, and very little is done to it, except to let it ferment and settle, perhaps this is why the wine is so good!

Though this is a wine capable of aging for a few years, it is delicious now, and I would have trouble saving any that was in my cellar.  Pair this with daube (Provençal Lamb Stew with olives) or with duck or another full-flavored poultry.  It is also great with wild mushrooms and wild rice (now you know what I had for dinner last night).  Drink this now – 2015

Posted in February '09, Off The Beaten Path - Feb '09, Off the Beaten Path All Red - Feb '09 | No Responses »
Tags: , , , ,

2005 Calvet-Thunevin Cuvée Constance VdP des Côtes Catalanes, France

Thursday, February 19th, 2009

thunevin-constance-labelEric Solomon, the importer of the wine, explains that “this project is the brainchild of Jean-Luc Thunevin and Jean-Roger Calvet and is limited to only a few hectares of old vines planted on black schist. Jean-Luc Thunevin made his first mark on the wine world with (what is now) the cult wine Chateau Valandraud in Bordeaux. Valandraud is recognized as one of the first “garage” wines of Bordeaux. In 2001, he teamed up with Jean-Roger Calvet, a local winemaker who was doing great work with Carignan and Grenache, to produce their first vintage.”

This is as understated as it is brief, but gets the idea across well.  Château Valandraud is one of the most sought after wines from Bordeaux, due to its insanely small production, and Jean-Luc’s insane commitment to quality.  The black schist soil is geologically identical to the famous “licorella” soil of Priorat in Spain, which is no surprise, because this region, The Fenouillèdes, is very close to Mediterranean Spain.  The vineyards, which were Jean-Roger’s contribution to the party, are made up of very old Grenache and Carignan vines that are planted on their own rootstocks, in this case they average about 40 years old, but in the Hugo, the vines are in excess of 60 years old.

The Fenouillèdes is a special place.  The climate here is dry, and the soil is particularly infertile.   Imagine the set of one of Clint Eastwood’s Spaghetti Western’s and you can get a good approximation of what it looks like.  Poor soil, combined with old vines result s in very low yields, and very intensely flavored wines.  In the bad old days of French wine, before there were laws protecting appellations, the wines from this area were the preferred strengtheners for the much less sturdy Bordeaux and Burgundy that were being shipped to Great Britain and the New World.  After this became illegal, it was said that blending one barrel of wine from The Fenouillèdes (the area is named after the fennel plants that grow like tumbleweed) would give 50 barrels of non-descript plonk enough character to make an enjoyable wine.  About thirty years ago, the current generation of vineyard owners began to realize that their parents had wasted an incredible resource, and started to keep their grapes for themselves and make wine.

The winery says that this wine is made from 50% Grenache and 50% Carignan (though Robert Parker seems to think it is made from 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 10% Carignan).  The grapes are hand harvested, crushed and fermented and aged in temperature controlled tanks for 18 months.  The resulting wine is both powerful and light on its feet, with fresh black fruit, loads of spice and mineral character, and a firm, elegant structure (this is a thoroughbred rather than a Clydesdale).  This is a great wine for pork and lamb chops, wild boar (or heirloom varities of pork like Mangolista that have more flavor) but it is also a good candidate to go with just about anything because of its great structure.  Drink now -2013.

Posted in February '09, Off the Beaten Path All Red - Feb '09 | 1 Response »
Tags: , , , , ,

SEO Powered by Platinum SEO from Techblissonline