The Feiring Line

New wine review up on New York Wine Salon. 

Drinking on 53rd Street

The first time I met Jancis Robinson, years ago I was so star-struck she must have thought a cat had ripped out my tongue. This time, a few weeks back, I had a serious heart-to heart-with self and thus overcame the shyness, had a terrific time. What a great woman and talent, but you knew that. Really. We met at The Modern. My Lustau oloroso secco  (was drecco, pretty lousy sherry selections)  $12, or was it $11? Jancis' Vilmart coup was $28,delicious but too high for me. I was pretty discouraged by the wines by the glass choices. In fact stumped. I mean, there's always something good to drink @ Danny's restaurants, right? 

 I returned  to the restaurant on 53rd Street with a friend who wanted to get a light dinner and I had a deeper look at the  list. It's a thick one,  filled with what Talia Baiocchi who pens a great critic of wine list column over at Eater would say, repleat with 'WTF' or rather, What the F*cks.

In this case we're talking mostly a 3-4+ times retail markup, I usually walk out of a resto at 3. 

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Looking for something drinkable at a gentle prices, I passed Burgundy where there was barely anything to drink under $1000. I inched  towards a $36 Breuer Charms, just an easy riesling and knew it would be decent, but wanted something drier and more angular. The sommelier (not Belinda) came over and when he heard my lament that there were no white Juras, which he immediately thought I meant Vin Jaune (not through the meal, thank you.)  suggested chenin. Good move. His first suggestion was Baumard, good price @ the mid -$40s, but I really don't like the wines at all. Here there were two dry listed and one sweet. Next. In fact the central white Loire list was skippable. Plenty of Huet, in a library collection at breathtaking prices, but no dry wines offered. Then he suggested the Domaine du Collier Saumur 2005. I am sure this esoteric chenin is not a big seller, but I love the wine and given how odd most of the list is, I wondered how it snuck in. Most probably when Stéphane Colling was the wine director? Mine for $115. Really only twice today's retail price but four times its original. By percentage, a bargain, but, doesn't she want to move it? It was buried. It was too high. It will be there for a long time.

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Hearing I wanted to stay low he said, "Oh, you want a value wine," in other words, you are cheap.

So, he sent me to the Hidden Gems. Here is where I'd expect to find trousseau, mondeuse, gamay from the northern Rhone, esoteric wines with take a chance prices. Not so here. The Albrecht Cremant Rosé which retails at $14 a bottle (here for $50) is hardly a gem, exposed or hidden. Same thing with Bouchard Bourgogne for $50, or Momo from NZ @$40 or Hugels no matter how cheap. These are wines I'm delighted to find at the New Hampshire State wine store or in a Maine supermarket where the drinking is difficult, but I was at The Modern--a class act. So, why don't the wines reflect the Danny credo? 

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And then there was the 1/2 bottle list.

Rubicon @ $160? Foradori Granato @ $80? (A great wine but the price? The 750 ml retail is $40.) And the kicker.....Masciarelli Montepulciano @ $20. Yes, Masciarelli.  

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I had the feeling that unlike any 11 Mad, Gram or USC --where the pages are filled with lovely selections at any price--the message seemed to be if you're trying not to bet the dacha on wine, screw you, you can have the Olive Garden choices. (to note: our Charms was perfectly acceptable at $36).

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Had my friend wanted red, we could have had some 2006 Trenel  for $44, but on second thought, I don't like the wines at all, they have a decidedly commercial taste.  If I had $, the second deal were the underpriced Bartolo Mascarellos,  under twice retail. Bargain! (more holdouts from Stéphane Colling days?)  And yes, the Collier. Now that I take a closer look, they have La Caravelle for $85 and that's a nice price!  

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Here's the way my psychology works.  I would have paid more money for a wine but I had lost faith, so I wasn't going to budge. I didn't feel that this was a wine director who loved wine or loved the customer. When I've done lists, (or what I see on lists I love) I take  the opposite position;  if you're going to drink crap (Hello Ms. Margherita PG or Yellow Label) or overblown fancy Napa labels or Guigal you'll pay dearly for it. But if you want a wine because you love it, not because of its status, and it really is a hidden gem, I'm going to make it a little easy for you.

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I was deeply confused here. But if I were going to go back and if you were and want to take the shorthand approach, here are my suggestions. After all, the list is 49 pages long, there had to be some things to drink.

White Burgundy:  I like Jean Michel Giboulot (spelled Giboulet here)  a lot and was surprised to see him on the list, but $165 for the La Combe d’Eve 2006 so close to the Haute Cote seemed steep. But should be lovely. Otherwise, the J. M Caunous-Hudelot Folatieres also at $165.  the '99 Pernot was a nice surprise (leftover from Mr. Colling?) but wonder if it might be past it's prime, especially for $260. But on the other hand, could be brilliant. 

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Alsace: Remy Gresser, is no one I know, but I'd take a chance on the  2009 pinot, Brandhoff @ $52 and the riesling Duttenhoff @ 48.

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For cabernet franc, the 2008 Breton Les Galichets @ $65 or the 2007 Joguet Cuvée Terroir @$48.

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For a red splurge the Jasmin 2001 & 2004 for $135 and $140 respectively.

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Domestic? If you love Moraga and Beaux Freres + culties, you'll be happy from the States, but otherwise you might want that $18 bottle of Lioco Indica carignan for $52.

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Italy? There's only one winemaker in Italy here I'd drink and it happens to be a favorite and a bargain. My splurge goes to  those Mascarellos.

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So you won't go thirsty, but it might be a bumpy road to get there. 

 

Pinot Envy?

A little prank played by a Sonoma winemaker, (Read Eric Asimov's account of it and follow that up with Samantha @ Sans Dosage).  That publicity stunt told more about Adam than about Raj, but it did flag the fact that people think Cali pinot noir  is a very big deal. Continuing on the theme, there was a super-charged panel discussion on pinot pursuit of balance  in San Fran.  The twitterverse and blogosphere and print media is on it,  everyone seems to be talking pinot. The question I have is not only why but why now? Because the grape is staring puberty in California in the face? Or is it fighting for its life or at least identity? 

Holding the minority position, I've had some nice examples of the varietal from Oregon, one or two from the Finger Lakes, but California pinot's  bright fruit and one or two flavors, for me, grows dull and difficult. This shouldn't be surprising as I tend to gravitate to wines that are anti-fruit, not austere but where the fruit is subtle. Consider the source; carignan is my favorite grape from the west, held up by syrah, mourvedre and at least in one person's hands, cabernet franc.

In the far west, the heart-break grape, often breaks mine with its  candied and fruited  personality. On top of that, winemakers there often have an abject  fear of tannin. Acidification is most often needed, even in those who try to work naturally.  I love the delicacy of Burgundy, I love that whiff of Chanel, edge, and florality, I love perceptible tannins, structure and freshness.

With out a doubt, the Cali-pinot style is changing; more producers are leaving behind the  heavy duty candy and the alcohol. The fat and  toasty oak is falling off the bone. Some people aren't even trying to extract for color anymore and allowing the wine to be its more delicately, tinged self. It is morphing into something more interesting for me,  but still, I do wonder about its potential in the land where carignan + mourvedre + syrah do so much better. 

I do believe there are spots that it can be expressive. I  have long wondered about the grape's expression up on the Santa Cruz mountains. It was there, at Four Gates that I had a too -pink -for -me, but a very interesting one, not only a sense of place but one that had an arrow pointing to it.  

Calera in that same area, less pink but still.... Last week, my colleague Michael Steinberger raved about the Santa Cruz winery, Rhys. And because he does,  I'm curious to taste them (in the past they haven't returned my calls). I'd like to see if the grape in the Rhys expression shows sophisticated instead of the obvious.  Maybe there's hope? Maybe there is a California pinot with charms I could extol?

I keep on coming back to the question of why does the passion for pinot and the search for it exist in California? I'm not convinced it isn't about the desire for it instead of the belief.

 When I asked winemaker Gideon Bienstock of Clos Saron why he grows pinot up up there in the hot Oregon House Valley, he said, "Because life without pinot isn't worth living."  
 Gideon's vineyard's rocks

  If I had a garden I'd probably be compelled to grow tomatoes wherever for the same reason, but if I could not buy pinot from Burgundy, the Loire, Alsace or the Jura, or the odd Piemontese bottle, would I learn to live without it or would I learn to embrace the strong black cherry and mallow and 'colas' of the state's grape expression.  Or is there an expression in  pinot that I have yet to discover that I would really enjoy? 

Jasper Morris recently published Inside Burgundy.  Morris discovers the region by vineyard and soil. He speculated that his book will never be outdated as the vineyards and the soil, famously built on a clay/limestone mix, remain the same. I find this a poignant counter-position for most New World winemakers who rarely put the soil first, but rather the climate, coastal or inland. Pinot, I believe is a grape that is site specific first. Place for pinot does matter.

 Today on twitter, one person noted that in the the Balance in Pinot conference few even brought up soil.  It was not part of the discussion. I wonder how long before soil becomes a significant player, or does the American democracy (which translates to grapes; plant what you want, it matters not) will interfere with finding a true sense of place.

Here's my thought. I'd like to see the wine from  grape grown on a site that is specific, not just cool climate,  seek out a limestone/clay base.  Go for naturally or organically grown, unirrigated, own-rooted, vines that were massale selections and not skinny, sterile clones. I think a good dose of stems would be useful, because California can use the edge that mitigates the intensity of sunny fruit.  No cold soaking for extra color and extraction and brightness of fruit. I would really be very curious to see what this would show, (and so if you've got some old Paul Masson and Martin Ray pinots, send me an email please).  I have an even more radical idea; treat pinot noir in California as one would treat a pinot noir from lesser terroirs in France, simply. 

I think only then can I see what the grape can do in California. Who knows, if I've gone back to loving California carignan, perhaps I can claim pinot noir as well. 

But, nevertheless, I  have been going out of my way to try them. And I will in the future. So far the most intriguing pinot  I've tasted from California was at the March  La Paulée de New York.  

Finally! I got to put my nose in one of those pot wines from a certain Santa Barbabara wine maker.
The weed added a certain complexity, and certainly added an edge to what I usually feel is just too much fruit.  

Other than that, recent tastings have uncovered....

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Anthill Farms, Tina Marie Vineyard 2009  

 The fruit was reversed on this, on the finish instead of the attack.Found the etheral weight interesting. But still fruit forward, I  mean backward.

 

Lioco Sonoma Pinot 2009

Was this wine really $14? At 13.5 % it still has all of that bright fruit that I swear I don't know what to do with but the little bit of bug shell and aspirin bitter makes it palatable.

Kutch Anderson Valley 2009

Found this round and powerful but helped out with some  nice rosewater that might have come from the 50% whole cluster. Bring on the stems.

 

 

High Acid, Priestess, Patti, pH, Flor and Natural Wine

 That is not Stuart George, it is Anthony and yes, it is  YES!

Lately the debate about natural has become contentious. Bashing vin nature has become something of a sport. You'd think that natural was the Morris (dance) of the wine world.

Take a recent article penned for an Australian magazine, written by a UK writer, named Stuart George.  His framework was born in my kitchen. His  wit turns on a dime, filled with piss and vinegar. After all, a palate assault can be incredible fodder for a good spin around the keyboard. 

But like any good lampoon, (wait, is it?)  this article would have been more powerful if it had reliable reportage instead of being eligible for the  James Frey award. All joking aside, there were a few holes in the reality and authority. Okay, some facts were more important than others.

Such as, I  never saw Goodfellas, I have no idea what he was talking about. (not important)

This was not a tasting but a dinner I cooked. (not important). On impulse I invited Stuart, who had been a complete stranger to me. But he was in town, was alone and free and three friends were coming over. 

I greeted my guests with Cedric Bouchard Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs "La Parcelle" [2003] 

After that Stuart reports I served up about a dozen wines. He hated four of them so much it might have been a dozen, but in reality  there were five (5). (Actually, quasi-important.) And they were........

+Cedric Bouchard  

+Mendall YES (Macabeu. Our guest hated this, poison, we loved it. Hard core natural. Skin contact. Freshness with nut and peach. Flor)

+Montbourgeau Savignin '04:  (not natural. plenty of sulfur. Flor wine.  Very juicy and delicate with hazel nut and silver water. Poor Stuart, the next time no flor, no vin jaune, no sherry! )

+Petit Domaine de Gimios, rouge de causse '08 St. Jean  de Minervois (languedoc) this Biodynamic wine is a blend of grapes, carignan, grenache, cinsault + Alicante +. Delicate in texture. Pretty fresh. Touch of brett and smoked, plump olive, a little twiggy.

+Olivier Cousin VV cabernet franc  2006 (no sulfur. Everyone loved this wine, which is Biodynamic. Roasted deep sweet red pepper. Carnation pollen. Great acidity and depth.) 

Now I draw attention to this part of the story.  

The priestess’s and the congregation’s wines were invariably oxidised and had acidity like a banshee’s wail, more suggestive of unripe grapes than cool climate viticulture. Natural as they were, I took no pleasure in drinking them. I like freshness and balance, not decay and a kick in the face. I think of these wines as I do of Vegemite and Aussie Rules – I like the idea more than the reality. 

Alice and her followers believe emphatically that natural wine = good wine, or, more poetically, truth is beauty. But, on the basis of what we tasted together that night in NYC, this is a fallacy. Just because a wine has used cultured yeasts or sulphur doesn’t mean that it’s bad or that it doesn’t speak the truth. But going natural can be a good thing and one wine in particular remains my benchmark for this genre. 

Well, the last time I looked I was a writer not a high priestess, but if the HP job pays, I might consider.

Also, to the best of my knowledge, I don't have followers. Those at the dinner happened to be friends. (important.) One of them, Anthony, calls me the Patti Smith of wine. I have no idea what that means, but I rather prefer it. 

 What's more, there is good wine and bad wine--even in the vin naturel world.  I'm not happy when people write their fantasies about me as fact. (important.)

 
Poor Stuart!

He was in pain. And in the moment, I felt like a dominatrix.  He tried, poor thing, he tried to like the whites, as I stood over him with my black boots and cat o' nine tails.  Good sport. But he winced  as I would if I drank, let's say Colgin or Château Valandraud. Ah, he indicates that the wines profile this points to under-ripe grapes? I can't even say this is a fabrication because it is his belief, but dear man, this was not at all a problem. 

But what he didn't remember, (probably in the midst of all that pain), is that the whites were both oxidized, and raised under that layer of yeast referred to as flor.  That as their point. That was their style and it had nothing to do with natural or not, and certainly nothing to do with under ripe grapes. And let's just say that Langeudoc and the Penedes aren't actually cool-climates.  (And this note is ultra-important.) 

One of the wines, the Jura, the Montbourgeau in fact, was not natural (ultra-important) but from a great producer in the Jura and was made under flor, under a layer of yeast, as is the custom. The Yes wine was made in the custom of the  Penede. There was higher perceived acidity because of the skin contact.

Think Sherry, Stuart.

A wine which matures under this magic layer of yeast develops aromas and tastes from the aldehydes, leather tanning, some nail polish, that sort of thing. The Jurassic wine was more elegant. The Penedes more forceful.

Now as far as the reds; the Giminois is a natural wine, probably whole cluster, probably carbonic. It is  a hate it or leave it. A wine from the Languedoc with freshness. One of my guests,  friend (not follower, except on Twitter) Anthony Wilson, brought it. He's been hot on that wine for a while. Expressive juice. At least for four of us. 

However Stuart who was about to fall down from fatal wounds, about to ask for a glass of milk, loved one wine. Shockers, it was a hyper-natural wine, no sulfur either, it was the Olivier Cousin.

Loved it. Yes, he loved it. At least we thought so. Now I hear that he liked it. Whichever. (And this is ultra-important as well.)

I had to wrestle the bottle away from him. He was thirsty for something good after all of those bad wines. When in his article, he touted the virtues of the Torbreck "natural" wine, he forgot that he had also fallen for the Cousin with its velvet texture and perfect balance of tannin, structure, fruit and acid.  And what's more, the wine had been shipped from France to New York without sulfur and had spent two years in my no-temperature controlled apartment. To steal a few words from Stuart's own mouth, "take note; a good drink."

Now, I'm not sure why Stuart had to change some of the facts for the piece, maybe artistic license and all that, but I just couldn't let that lovely dinner, where we all had such a great time, be the drum for schtick.

I just couldn't let the style of oxidized and flor wines become the benchmark for natural. Not could I let an opinion of 'natural' be formed on a tasting of three wines.  I just couldn't let him forget his love for Olivier Cousin, even though it was the second natural wine to turn his fair head.

But if he believes a project in Australia, made as a lark from a company high on spoof is his benchmark, all I can say is the next time I'm drinking with him, I'm going to hog the wine list. 

The Geoffrey Roberts Award

Last  year I was the official runner-up in this award. I appreciate the pat on the back, but damn, the money would have made such a big difference. In fact, it would have added an Italian chapter in my forthcoming book.

However, YOU could possibly win. And if you did, wouldn't it be fabulous?

Let me tell you whyI love this award: There are few monetary offerings for those of us who feel food and wine matter. And I never met Mr. Roberts, but I find this patronage heartwarming.

 

So.......get off your duff and apply.

Trying to show your impact on either the food and wine world and need travel for it? £3,000/$4,500 for food and/or drink-related travel goes to the winner. The deadline is March 31st. 

 Deadline for applications March 31. http://geoffreyrobertsaward.com/ 

 

Wine Recs over at New York Wine Salon

In case you didn't know, I'm giving weekly wine recommendations over at New York Wine Salon, a new site which celebrates the New York City wine scene. But with any luck, you can get the wines I'm talking about if you are very, very good and try hard enough. 

Women. Italy. Natura. + Coffee Pinotage

 

No coffee soaked oak staves in that? Are you sure? 

Connecting through Palate

The other week on the Twitterverse  'we' had a discussion about Velcorin (dimethyl dicarbonate) the nasty little chemical that many folk employ to keep their wines safe from brettanomyces, affectionately known as brett. Brett is a yeast, responsible for lending tastes and smells of lanolin to a wine in small amounts or  turn a bottle into a herd of sheep just before mating when the population is strong.  In those small bits, many--guilty as charged--have tolerance. Yet those do exist who have a zero tolerance and a take no prisoner approach in the winery. Those often opt for the usage. 

Out of the Twittersphere, an old editor of mine from the West Coast joined in. The last time I saw him was in Bordeaux, when I said, "If you give me your address, I'd love to send you my book."

He said, "Do yourself a favor, and don't."

I remember feeling stung. But still, I had thought he and I had friendly relationship, I liked him as an editor. After a few rounds of back and forth, he tweeted out in response to my admission that I had some tolerance for brett,  'If your idea of natural wine is brett.."

Non-sequiter. We were not on the topic. He plucked the word 'natural' from a frog's mouth and then continued to push the natural wine debate, throwing out the straw man argument of --you militant you--why don't you only drink wine made from wild grapes!

I twat back, "Please don't go right wing on me."

I meant to be light-hearted, but  what ensued was a full-fledged, funny mirror circus trick.

This editor professes to prefer the kinds of wines that I drink. From his writings I doubt it. But I would actually love to see if the way we drink wine is reflected in this unfortunate communication we had.

Do you remember ever fighting with a lover, ( who shouldn't be a lover) and feeling caught in the no-communication zone?  Basically, trapped in someone else's pattern is not a feel good moment. Once I realized the level of reality I was dealing with, I slid out the backdoor, with a friendly wave, regards to the wife,  and ran for my life. 

This is a long rambling entry into the topic of attraction through palate.

                                                                                                  

Have you,  adorers of pineau d'aunis and cabernet franc and Savigny and Cornas vinified with stems, ever been in love with a cult-cabernet drinker? Or had a really close friend who glugged back Scarecrow? Is it possible? I'm not just talking Bordeaux vs. Burgundy, but full out assault of spoof vs. non-spoof? Or someone who just couldn't understand a wine as simply beautiful as Foillard?

I believe that there's something to this, and perhaps  predicated on  just how intimate and close a relationship is tolerated, like in brett. For example, a friend of mine used to drink lots of Santa Barbara wines and now stocks Puzelat and Cornelissen. Has his taste in love changed as well or is wine his safe zone, his man cave? Or are the chosen women just agreeable, they can drink but need not share this specific passion. I wonder. In fact, I'll have to ask him.

Someone I'm fond of in France said of a fellow winemaker,"He's my best friend, as long as we don't talk politics." What they can talk is wine. And drink wine. That is the even playing field, it is their glue. Myself,  I've a very right wing dear, dear, friend, and her palate is in synchrony with my own, which means our senses are in tuned, and that is animal. An old boyfriend of mine, HS,  only drank white wine. We  may have had a coarse animal electricity, but it was skin deep.  After we broke up I rebelled and didn't drink white for years. RB and I had a profound connection for over a decade and we shared the worlds of taste and smell and all of the senses to an exquisite degree. We differed and argued about wine and perceived things differently  in the glass but there was still a shared animal understanding in and out of wine. However,  that didn't insure our happy ever after.  

It's so complicated, but there is something here to think about. I could very well spend the rest of my life delving into the nature of relationships based on how couples or the law of attractions as read through a glass of wine.

So, if you've ever hooked up with a lover of fruit forward while you crave grapes that speak slate, was the sex good, emotional good or kinky good?

 What kind of a relationship was it? Was it one of those mating relationships, where children were the objective as opposed to connection? Was the conversation stimulating? Did you have a miserable break up? Are you still together? 

 Aristotle wrote about the senses (including the maligned taste) Metaphysics:..... the senses, makes us know and brings to light many differences between things.

So, the question I have for you, am I so truly strange that I am alone? Do you ever put your nose and smile deeply when the person you're sharing it with finds the iron thread and bits of blood and bone that you do? 

 

Les Caves de Pyrène & Doug's Natural Wine Challenge

For the past few months I've been emailing Douglas Wregg in London. Doug is part of the infamous, pot-stirring team at the force to deal with, Les Caves de Pyrène,  importers of mostly ASF Happy wines. They are also the folk who brought London the wine bar that changed the town's wine life forever,  Terroirs.  Brawn, their second venue, opened to bring hard core a new dimension.

 In addition to bouncing ideas off of Doug, I've become addicited to his newsletters. His writing for the Cave is always an immediate mood adjuster. The missives are literary, passionate, fun. In fact funny. Oh, did I say thought provoking? 

So a few weeks back, on the day I was going to La Paulée de New York,  Doug, fearless man that he is, presented some natural wines to a group of establishment wine writers. He emailed me the lineup, which included a good assortment of hard core delicious and hard core specific, or as the French would say, "speciale.' Here is his line up as well as a snippet on what is natural wine and what are wine flaws and how they are perceived by establishment press. 

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2008 Chardonnay Chalasses Marnes Vieilles Vignes, Domaine J-F Ganevat

 2009 Irouléguy Blanc Hegoxuri, Domaine Arretxea

 2007 Fiano “Don Chisciotte” Il Tufiello

 2008 Vin de Table « Gilbourg » Benoit Courault,

 2008 Matassa Blanc, Cuvée Alexandria, VdP des Côtes Catalanes

 2008 Sancerre Skeveldra, Sébastien Riffault

2009 Gamay d'Auvergne « Pierres Noires » Domaine Maupertuis

 2008 Vin de Pays de la Côte Vermeille « La Luna », Bruno Duchene

2009 Brouilly Croix des Rameaux, Jean-Claude Lapalu

2009 Pinot Noir, Cuvée Julien Ganevat, Domaine Ganevat

2008 VigneVecchie, AA Panevino 

2009 Vin de Table « Le Rouge et Mis », Thierry Puzelat

2008 Minervois La Nine, Jean-Baptiste Sénat

 2009 Bourgogne Rouge Auguste, Clos des Vignes du Maynes 

2009 St Joseph Rouge, Domaine Dard et Ribo

When I read this I thought, okay. Many on this list are flat out delicious, such as the Puzelat. And the Matassa wines are easy.  But, I couldn't wait to hear what they think of the Riffault. Controversial, fascinating and mind-bending. A ballsy choice, Douglas!

The interesting twist on Riffault's wines is that as they age, a more distinct and recognizable sauvignoness comes through, but the terroir always seems to speak first.  What is not recognized as a wine from  Sancerre at the outset, comes at you full blast as it emerges from its adolescence.

Doug reported back hours after the fact. Check;  some attendees were outraged. In fact, he has given me permission to record some of his favorite reactions. (MW, refers to someone who was a master of wine. Me, is Doug.) 

On tasting the Sancerre Akmenine from Seb Riffault :

MW: This isn't Sancerre.

Me: Why not?

MW: Because it doesn't taste the way Sauvignon should.

Me: How should Sauvignon taste? 

Later MW: Winemakers should make wine that is recognisable to the consumer.

Me (with asperity): With respect, that is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard!

MW: Wines like this are not fit for purpose.The consumer wouldn't understand them

Me: You may not understand or even like them. You can't speak for the everyman/woman consumer. 

 I wish I had been there. I realize when I get snippy on my site, it has a dramatic impact on the way the public views me. For example, the effects from the 'out of the game' post of last year continues to bite me in the ass. It is fabulous to see someone else, like minded, get down in the mud as well. 

For a few more responses to the tasting check out..

http://www.timatkin.com/articles/article.html?cat=Latest%20articles&id=578

http://www.robertgiorgione.com/wine-reviews/a-few-natural-wines-worth-discovering/

and now....a little from Doug and the latest part of the March Newsletter (of which he also gives me a plug, which is lovely of him.)

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(From the erudite Mr. Wregg)

Après the tasting masterclass, if not le deluge, certainly a reasonable trickle of feedback. I came to the discussion prepared to scotch certain myths , upset the occasional apple-cart and generally provoke people to question their assumptions.  Agreeing on definitions, however, is tricky; any debate is riven with terminological inexactitudes and it is the parole of natural wine to be precisely vague. Though we seek a banner to rally to, natural wine means different things to different people – hence the diversity of the wines, but for every grower who is attracted to its feel-good warmth, another is resistant to any effort to codify his activities. So we never insist.

The overall sentiment amongst those at the seminar alluded to  by Tim was that though it may be all very well to run a vineyard in a hands-off manner, when it comes to winemaking there is no such thing as benign neglect, and the absence of intervention inevitably culminates in aromatic infelicities and downright chemical spoilage.

 A specified fault is a specified fault is a specified fault – these  are not the exclusive domaine of natural wines. Corked wine is faulty, vinegar is vinegar – these are absolute faults by any standards. I think, however, we will always disagree about the degree, nature and nuance of certain faults and flaws and whether they render the wine undrinkable or no.

For one man’s added sulphur is another’s hangover, or, conversely, one man’s VA is another vigneron’s winemaking tool. Is the additive that spoils the wine for one drinker any less of a flaw/fault than a naturally occurring by product of fermentation that another drinker might find rebarbative? The ascription of faults is too simplistic since it begins and ends with the presupposition that cleanliness is the ideal state for a wine - and that any other “alien” aromas are undesirable. Just because this is repeated as a mantra doesn’t make it any more true. I happen to believe that our flaws (for want of a better word) make us individual; if we didn’t have them we would be clones. If the winemaking process is not absolutely controlled, then, of course, there is the leeway for the unexpected to occur and for faults to inform the final product. But is this necessarily wrong or undesirable?  The most thrilling rides in our lives can be when we have lost control, and by doing so, we learn more about ourselves and our abilities than ever we would if we were totally reined in.

The man who discovers a new scientific truth has previously had to smash to atomsalmost everything he had learnt, and arrives at the new truth with hands blood-stained from the slaughter of a thousand platitudes.  

-Ortega y Gasset
  The Revolt of the Masses

Up to a point, Lord Copper (Sulphate).

I’m aware I tend to use the expression “conventional wine” as a pejorative bash-all hammer. Conventional in this context means slavishly adhering to perceived traditions rather than reasoning the actual need to do something (to misquote Shakespeare). It is important to pose the question whether conventional methods in the vineyard or winery are always necessary or helpful.

To be fair winemaking doesn’t dovetail neatly into the two opposing categories of “natural” and “conventional”;  it embraces the entire spectrum of interventions from virtually zero to countless (or anti-hero!). Blandly commercial wine which is less the sum total of its additives sits at one end of this scale next to spoofy wine, which can start with the best of  intentions in the vineyard but often falls away in an explosion of pretentious and overbearing oenological tropes in the winery (200% new oak anyone?).  Then are those winemakers who don’t fall into the natural category but certainly aim to express the terroir of their vineyards in their wines by restricting interventions and having a light touch in the winery. It is certainly a question of degree.

Interestingly, the majority of natural winemakers have been to winemaking colleges where they were inculcated to believe in the interventionist approach. They rejected many of the axioms of oenology because they want to be able to freely express themselves and their terroir through their wines. The courses evidently teach the line of least resistance; it is a bit like doing a literature degree and being told that there can only be one interpretation of a novel. Where oenology is all about stripping clean and processing wine for the end user it fails to respect the ingredients; where oenology allows the winemaker to understand the processes and adapt according to the vintage and be sensitive to the quality of the grapes then it can be a useful discipline. 

Carbo-dehydrated – too much of a nice thing?

When does the method subsume the terroir? I enjoy drinking the classic cherry cola carbo reds for thirst, but after a while I feel a lack of something. Where’s da beef, the pith and skin, the grip and grain? As Victore Mature didn’t say: “I don’t want to be wine-gummed to death.” I want some backbone and underwiring in my wines, to roll the stones in the mouth and these little fruit bombs are detonating sweet juice and not much else.

Am I being entirely fair? There are plenty of very nice semi-carbo wines which resemble meat with a fruit-flavoured gravy and certain grapes on certain terroirs seem to be able to preserve their crunch. Old vines Gamay from the volcanic Auvergne or from the granitic vineyards of Beaujolais seems less affected by the vinification; Syrah, meanwhile,  can retain its character. Carignan, however, can be over-tamed by carbonic maceration and cool ferments. I suppose what I am asking for is a bit variety because I need spice in my life.

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Claude Courtois and on to Paris

The night was headed to crazy.

In the middle of dinner Olivier Cousin toasted Claire his bride of 20-something years of marriage. There it was, their anniversary. Some pet-nat and the hours started to tick away.  I went to bed. Fagged out, while the others rocked out gearing up to  another 4:30am call.

How Claire got up to go to work, I'll never figure out.

Magical croissants appeared, forever the weight watcher, I allowed myself a morsel of pain au chocolat, fabulously flakey, buttery, there goes the diet.  We walked past the horses and piled into the car, four in the back (ask me about that sometime, because never, never will I tell you in print what happened). We  traveled to Sologne in the Touraine to see Claude Courtois at "Les Cailloux du Paradis."  

                                                                                      

At one time, Claude  looked like the Tony Coturri of Sologne, with similar wiry beards and sad affects. Tony's beard is still wild, Claude's has trimmed. Tony still has his pony tail, Claude went to the barber. Perhaps they both have cats.

Claude was making wine in the Var since 1980, always working naturally, working organically.  In 1995, the domaine had a devastating  fire. Claudine was quite pregnant, they needed a place quick. Land was cheap in the Loire. He saw land, terrible land, rocky and chemicalized,  with old vines. Soon they had a new baby and he was making his first Loire vintage from chemically stressed grapes. 

Claude et fils basket presses

He told the worn out story, one Nicolas Joly uses:"There was more life in the Sahara than in that soil," to describe the extent of the soils devastation. There was no worm, just spiders in his land of clay and silex, that very hard almost bakelite substance that can be sharpened into weapons. He went to work to heal the ravaged land.

People often say that Courtois is a model of biodynamics, as if he is a follower.  But when I questioned his feelings about biodynamics he said, "I don't want to talk about it," angrilly. Hot button? So of course I pushed and he replied, " Nature is what it is about. Biodynamic is for the BoBo in NYC."  I didn't get more of an answer, something may have gotten lost in the translation, but remember, this is from someone who lives in a 'biodynamic' kind of state, even though he does not use the proscribed treatments.  Never the less,   he'd  have an interesting time talking to Stu Smith, who has made it his mission to speak out against Biodynamics, for what I imagine would be very different reasons. 

So, while he is the 'model,' meaning no chemical farming and a complete farm of biodiveristy, with wood, fruit trees, wheat, animals, he is not biodynamic. 

He's one of those intuitive thinkers and winemakers who found their way to natural farming, preferring the secondary plantings to do the work than plowing. "You take the soil and turn it over, what's the point in that?' he asked. "

 He has his own kind of pruning technique. A picture of his menu-pineau worth plenty. I thought I had captured this on tape, this MIGHT be wrong, but it seems as if he leaves two shoots unpruned on each branch for the following year.

 He admits to having gamay (if you find his cuvée Nacarat, it is just lovely.), menu pineau, cabernet-franc, côt, cabernet-sauvignon, sauvignon. But he also has a number of grapes not allowed in the AOC, such as  cesar and gascon. He also believes that the blend is a great wine savior.

 Claude who never made wine in any other way than natural, learned from those around him who worked well.  You find your guru and then you sit at their feet. Many people never do this, but would rather reinvent life from scratch. When asked who, if any, are his disciples he said Reynald Héaulé, who makes wine in Orleans, and someone who I find fabulously talented. 

We were huddled in the winery, around delicious bread and saucisse, tasting the 2010s. My toes were about to fall off from the cold. "Go inside," Claude said, "Claudine will take care of you." Claudine was busy smoking cigs as if it could smoke a trout, and preparing our lunch, but she came out to fire  up the little heater, and as I looked at the assortment of homeopathic medicines on the table, I warmed my feet.

When they were sufficiently defrosted, I sprinted across the iced over mud puddles to the part of the winery where the reds have their  élevage. 

 The son who was the child born after the first vintage in 1995 has followed the lead of his older brother Julien and also makes wine. We tasted a kick ass gascon, (chocolate and prune) over lunch,  as his friend, with the suspenders helped Claudine serve.

   

The wines are their own thing. These are hardcore, ethereal, broncos, wines that make you think. One of the most memorable, one I'll look forward to is the ;09 Quartz, tannic, angular, and fierce.

                                                

I had decided to take the train back to Paris from Blois, somehow the four in the back didn't seem like a great idea, but lunch went on, Claude held forth, and there we were, headed to République.

Dinner at L'ebauchoir after the incident with the Parisian traffic posse. Never had been. Yes to deliciousness. There's what to drink on the wine list. 

The last night in Paris, there was a rendezvous with the artist.

His son had found my Boxing Day post, told his mother and father, they sent me an email, and as it turned out I was in town when they were in town. Cheese, wine and studio visit.  Thank you Francesco and Chantal. Anyone in NYC have a fitting gallery for this internationally recognized artist? 

That was early February. Now we can start writing in real time.