The Feiring Line

Wine Class with Alice

Come learn the wine world according to Alice in a two-part series entitled, it's the place not the grape. Let's remystify wine! Put the romance back into the bottle supported by knowledge and just enough skill. And of course, learn the differences between conventional and natural wines.

 The dates:
Held downtown in New York City. Last two sundays in March, the 18th (visions of Johanna)  and 25th (visions of pinot). 5:30-7

The cost:

$100 for the deuce. $60 per each individual.

The rest:

 Hit the contact button and send your questions and desires on. Only ten spots for each class. (March 18th Sold Out. There is a waiting list.  March 25th 3 1 seats left).

 

Reynald Héaulé

 "That must be it," I said to Jonathan Wurdeman  behind the wheel. Since my arrival in Paris a week before, I'd been hanging with the guys from Pheasant's Tears--driving, eating, drinking, visiting vineyards (Puzelat and Clos Roche Blanche) and talking. Jonathan's wine partner, and winemaker, Gela Patailashvili, was gallantly squished into back seat with the bags and baguettes. They were weary from their debut at La Dive, and I was weary from my three weeks on the road and headcold. But no time for that. We were hunting down a man who's wines have always impressed me, Reynald Héaulé. 

There are some wines that greet you with a smile, then you don't exactly have a make out session or get into bed, but you slip into a long enduring, satisfying friendship/ flirtation. That's exactly the way I feel about the wines of Reynald Héaulé. Which is why when he said, and you will stay to lunch and I don't care that you are four and two of you are vegetarian, I rearranged plans and delayed my arrival in Paris. Oh, my other three friends was Philippe, a nearby film/winemaker who always wanted to meet this supposedly reclusive Reynald, and my two  Georgian friends. 

We arrived in Saint-André-Cléry, not far from Beaugency, that used to be t a ritzy wine area in the 17c.   But now, it might as well be the Canary Islands,  (what? they make wine there?)

Philippe had just parked his van, in front of some dreary, British Isle like houses.  Reynaldemerged from his vines, in back of his father's house. He is a compact, firm man, bursting with a nervous fervor. He has the quick, fierce movements  of someone who's body language speaks even more than his words. There's a tremendous amount of emotion packed into that man. After introductions, we followed him to his vineyards nearby, in the deep freeze that was coming into France. 

He has  3 hectares or a few parcels, and a chunk of one  in old river bed, with whatever geological matter had been washed in it: pebbles, tuffeaux, silica, silex. So the flat is way more interesting that you might at first think. In his  plantings he's followed his mentor Claude Courtois; planted to a variety of grapes. Amongst the chardonnay and pinot meunier (which he is known for)  is romo and the sauvignon are some hybrids like marechal foch and seibel (planted in the 1950s), all in extremely high density.

New plantings in the snow, soil bursting with life. Much silex down below. As with his others, extreme high density and along the neweset plantings is a hedge, that will grow up and provide shelter from nearby chemical farming.

I knew that I had been charmed by Reynald's wines but would my fellow travelers? So far I'd become sensitive to Gela's taste. Having rarely been outside of Georgia his ability to sample other wines has been limited. But his palate is very sensitive and specific. He likes strong reds even though I saw him warming up to gamay, but what I mostly saw him cleave to was that nerve inside of a wine that spoke to life.

Tasting through the barrels, he had one, a chardonnay from 2004 that he keeps just for himself. Complex, wildflowery, layered.  Then there was the old vine chardonnay: exreme, mint, herbal and lively.By this time, however, the Georgian's were already convinced, it was the 2010 white blend,  romo, sauvingon, chardonnay and whatever, which at that point had 2.5 years in wood that provoked the bThe wine really was electric. Gela's eyes said it all, then he said to John in Georgian, it was the best wine he'd had.  Like Reynald. The young vigneron smiled has a smile,  as if he is packing a lecture inside of it. Even though he's inclined to blurt out comments through the smile such as "2011 was a bad year, I had a hernia operation and my wife left," that smile and the wines, his generosity, were what really spoke for him.   

 

Wines to look for: Contre Courant 2009 (pinot menuier)

                                Insoumis de Village (field blend)

                                Rive Droit (chardonnay) 

Madrid drinking with the boys (Victor and José)

 Victor de la Serna is  the influential Elmundo journalist, I've become chatty with over on Twitter (@VictordelaSerna).  He's also the  force behind Elmundovino and his label, Finca Sandoval. And when José suggested we all have lunch, Victor turned it into a classic Madrid  jeebus at one of his favorite joints, Asturianos. (great wine list, older vintages, and food? An address you'll need to bookmark.)

Our newly expanded guest list included the Dutch ex-pat Richard van Oorschot, winemakers Fabio Bartolomei (Vino Ambiz, to you)  and Alfredo Maestro, as well as blogger, Nacho Bueno. As I was too busy drinking and getting more and more jetlagged, go to Nacho or Fabio's blog to get the wine's blow down.

 Unstoppable Victor brought about 17 bottles. José brought a few as did Alfredo Maestro and Fabio. But, how happy is a girl if the first thing that gets shoved into her hand an hour of the plane but Band-Aid/caramel-ish La Bota Manzanilla #32?  Very.

Some of the more memorable wines that night?  Niepoort-Navazos 2009. Palamino, the more famed grape of sherry, that developed flor, where it stayed  for 6-7 months and not fortified. Metallic, juicy, minty.

Victor, forever the educator,  put together an Albillo trio, partly perhaps in response to a tweet of mine, about   Alfredo's Lovamor.  

On tap for us in the little vertical were: Reto 2010 Ponce (Manchuela), from (Victor's DO)  had too much lees stirring, was angular and gingerale. Next. The Nispero 2009 Efrosina Perez Rodriguez was in honor of my departure to La Palma. This, which had been celebrated, was the reason for a current Albillo craze on the islands. It was all celery leaf. And then came the pithy, apple-juice-like Lovamor from Alfredo. The fourth, was the 2010 Picarana Maranones; oak influence way more than the wine could handle.

A note about the food. Yum factor very high, especially the barely poached egg sitting atop a black sea of trumpet mushrooms.....and these delightful fishies (that sighed, Manzanilla, with each swallow)    

The afternoon turned to night. With some quick thinking, José and I left with yet another bottle of 32, which was to be a lifesaver three days later in Tenerife. But while we were standing contemplating the next move in the increasingly icy Sunday evening,, Fabio insisted we head out to this fabulous gin bar.

It wasn't fabulous. In fact it was a little Coney Island but not as good. (sorry Fabio).  But, this was just a subversive plot so they could get their drink and smoke on simultaneously. Sitting there under a sheepskin rug (frankly, a little creepy) on a makeshift al fresco platform, Richard lost (and found the next day) his wedding ring through the slats. And I was trying to figure out why I wasn't in bed, why I was risking the next three weeks to pneumonia.The place was damned cold, too cold to drink a martini, and I really wasn't ready to start smoking out of self-defense.  But, okay, fun in is way.       

                                 PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

 

Ten days later, after three Canaries, multiple volcanos, Dr. Spoof #1 and #2, and a few great old vines and surprises and real, genuine Superman on the mountain who made wine in Canary pine,a meeting with a potato witch, more rojas than can kill a roach and a camel ride, José and I were back in Madrid. Checking in to the hotel José told me he really needed champagne, badly. I could understand. We also really wanted something old. The oldest wine I'd had was a sublime 1984 listan negro-based field blend from Monje, foot stomped in old lagar, whole cluster. Tasted like an old barolo.  We were salivating.

We had twenty minutes before Victor picked us up. Stressful as for ten days I had worn the same clothes (did get to change my underwear, hope this isn't TMI).  I was feeling grossly gross. The reason for this unspeakable marathon was José. He was smoking like a fiend. Not wanting to stink everything up as  I had France to contend with for ten days after Spain,   I toughed it out. With a minor miracle, a new Alice emerged in 20 minutes, feeling so damned great, in time to step into Victor's teeny chariot. 

 He had six bottles with him. Two of Landron's muscadet, two of his wines....etc.etc. I was worried about not making it to Champagne or older wine, I knew we were in for it.

                     

Where were we? At another of Victor's haunts and one José himself loves. And I can understand why. The list at   Restaurante Piñera, might be one of the best in Madrid. The champagne selection that  Mario Garcia put together is spectacular, with lots of old friends and I loved the way he  relegated the few GM's he had (the Doms etc) to the back of the bus. 

We needed bubbles.  I was feeling on a very, very tight budget, so we opted for a  60 euro bottle of Lassaigne Vignes Montgeux rosé and then it was off and running.  José's notes: ASF's responses: 

Lassaigne - Rose

JP: showing great, in fact could have just drank that all night.

ASF: seemed a little simple to me, but juicy.

Dorado Superior 2001 Albarino - Portugal

 JP:-  1st was corked - 2nd better - still a little tired if not a touch flaby.

ASF: Agreed

 Ladron, Les Roches Vertes, 2010 - Muscadet

 Domaine de l'Ecu, Orthogneiss 2009 - Muscadet 

JP: - both of these wine were delicious. so focus & mineral.

ASF: YES!

-Salia 2008  ( Victor's Wine ) Manchuela

JP: showing quite good. earthy and kind of funky. in a good way. this is his basic & less expensive cuvee.  Retails for around $15 here. Pretty good! A blend of Garnacha, Alicante Bouchet & Syrah.

ASF: Good value, this sells for $16? Syrah certainly comes through and at 59%...why syrah?

- Jamet Cote-Rotie 1995

JP:very classic. with typical Jamet aromatics & texture. Still young but who cares? lovely wine!!

ASF:Please some more. This was a fantastic treat, and yes, young. Chestnut honey on a leather saddle.

- Thierry Allemand - Cornas " Reynard" 2007 

JP: beautiful showing. pure nose. very floral. also still a baby yet so sexy. just needs a good decanting. So, blame me!!

ASF: Yes, José, I did blame you, couldn't we have had it opened in the morning? Or a decant? That last sip was gorgeous.

 

 

Los Pilares, local wine from San Diego

 "We're your kind of wine." When I hear that I wonder if the guys really know my kind of wine. You get used to disappointments in this line of work.

 When I took the cork out, the color was surprising. This was grenache and carignane. It was transluscent. It had that look of life, of not being worked for extraction. Curious piqued. 

 

                      

If you can't read, here's the fine print: low on tanin. Smoky lamb, cooked plum, strawberry purée. Delicate. Touch of skunk, which is good. Touch of bitter, which is good.  cola. Very slight tannin.

I was pretty taken with it.

Intrigued with it.

The wine sees no wood, and is on that vin de soif category, at 12.5% alcohol. Let me repeat that, 12.5%.  So I Facebooked with one of the makers, Michael Christian, who gave me the low down.They aim for all older vine San Diego fruit. Not believing in the cabernet route, but in the Rhône varietals, and in old vines. Grenache and carignane from highish altitude and crushed granite.  

Not whole cluster, but whole berry ferment. No wood. They say no adds, and it tastes that way. There is inoculation for malo, 'cause they want/need to bottle it early and as it's their first vintage, perhaps, lacked confidence. The guys are  in their early 50's but absolutely part of the new wine generation, those who are trying to reign back and to express something local and authentic, whatever that means. They don't know yet, but let's see what they do in the next vintages. 

2010, sells for about $24 a bottle. The quantity was 125 cases. Big! But promising. 

 

That first barolo

One I wrote for the new James Halliday Wine Companion in Australia. It's a common theme for me, that first barolo. 

nice little video on the natural wine issues

With Pierre Jancou, Olivier Cousin and his horse.

 

Gone fishing, for how long? Not sure. Be good.