The scene at the latest Jenny & Francois tasting? Energized. Wines showed well and there were plenty of slurpers and spitters. Amongst the luminaries were Brooklyn Guy (http://brooklynguyloveswine.blogspot.com/), Ruben Sanz Ramiro from The Monday Room (his first taste of these wines, he was particularly enamoured by Domaine Rimbert from St. Chinian). Fifi (La Pere Pinard..etc.) and Jorge, of 360 fame and is now shaping the list an unlikely spot, Soho's Circle Rouge (I guess I have to show up there and see what he's up to).

Many thanks for Jenny for synching the tasting handouts with the sequence of the wines. Brilliant. All of this meant that Alice was far less confused!

If I were putting together my next wine list, these are the wines I would choose.

CHAMPERS!!
Lassaigne Brut. One of my favorites. I bowed to it and went down the line.

OUDIN CHABLIS VAUGIRAUT '04
Just adore the Vaugiraut. Yum. A mineral blast. A classic crystal and steel chard.

AUDREY & CHRISTIAN BINNER
The 04's from this Alsatian house are brilliant.
*Pinot Gris is refreshing.
*Katzenthal Riesling is got a long grip and layers of flowers and petrol.
*Gewurtztraminer: a great one for people with fear of Gewurtz. Very dry with the appeal of a gin &tonic.

PEYRA COTES D'AUVERGNES, SG ‘04
For those who are mourning the financial demise of Stephane Majeaune there are three more vintages on the way, made in the trendy, hard-core Jules Chauvet method.

Though I defy anyone to ident the grape in the bottle, it is a great drink and a text book illustration of how a vin naturel differs from the conventional, even the conventional ‘natural.” It is twiggy, earth meets currant and delivers plenty of puppy breath while still managing to intrigue.

BOBINETE SAUMUR-CHAMPIGNY '06
I admit I didn't love his first two vintages, but now all has quieted down and was much impressed. The wine is a mouthful, has a bit of barnyard brett to flesh out some ripe green/red pepper.

DOMAIN DE LA PATIENCE, ST. GUILHEM MERLOT ‘05
By the glass alert. A merlot that is woodsy with a nice dollop of tar and edge, reminds me of a great 1970's zinfandel.

ROMANEAUX-DESTEZET
Hervé Souhaut’s Souteronne is old vine Gamay. The ‘05 is edgy and lush with more syrah animal than gamay floral. The ‘06 syrah has got a nice flash of horse, chalk, dander and white pepper. Admittedly, both should be labeled-- geek alert—for for those who love Dard & Ribo? Enough said.

L'ANGLORE LES TRAVERSES '06
Another one with Chauvet style little extraction and you've got to wonder, white or rosé? But the flavor delivers with interest and elegance... hard to spot the syrah--supposedly is 60%?

CAVES ESTÉZARGUES
I love this Southern Rhone cooperative. The '06 Les Grandes Vignes is cheap, typical rhone fruit, and reliable and interesting but…..the star is……..

BAG IN THE BOX!!!
3 liters are wrapped up in a plain brown wrapper. They call it From the Tank. If I had a restaurant I'd pour the crap out of this wine. It is perfect. Be a nice guy, sell it for $5 a glass and make your customers happy. (Hey, I'd serve it for parties, or keep it on hand for nightly tipples.) The finish is slightly loose, but it's got enough licorice, tar and white pepper to keep it going.

DEUX ANES:
I've writen about these wines from Corbieres often. Licorice marks all three wines. The '06 Premier Pas is easy to love. The '05 Fontanilles has a slight skunk but great texture, some sand, and acidity. L'Enclos is brooding.

JEAN LOUIS TRIBOULEY L'ALBA '03.
No, not THAT Alaba! This is from the Roussillon. A dense red wine with plenty of power and spice to have a touch of peach. Go figure.

It was almost a disaster when I couldn't find my wine notes (just found them so I can amend this post), from the Dressner tasting held at the NEW Astor Center, the wine tasting/event space up above Astor Wine store. The new space felt like a new pair of squeaky shoes.

Never mind. D had gathered many of his Italian guys in an Italian Naturalmente attack. I wish all tastings were this user friendly in size. An hour to taste, an hour to shmooze, and go home happy.

One of the treats was tasting Stefano Bellotti of Cascina degli Ulivi stateside.

(in Gavi in the vines, 2005, after my friend Elena instisted I travel an hour from her place in Alba to pay homage to this kind of Cortese.)

Anyway, I can tell you that his wines showed fabulously.
Love the 2005 Gavi Filagnotti which is aged in older acacia barrels, tasted like a lemon/lime soda without sugar.
2006 was a little like lemon and peach.
2005 Bianco was floral and firm.
2005 Nibbio was filled with blackberries and juice. Extremely flavorful and nuanced.

What about the goddess of Frappato? Arianna Occhipintii? She was there too, all the way from Sicily.
2005 Frap was a tart cherry pie with a long tangy finish.
2006 is no slouch.

Ruche lovers delight! Cascina 'Tavijn's new 2006 baby is a beaut with walnuts soaked in cherry brandy.

2006 Grignolino was bright and fun, fun, fun in the sand.

The lovely Alessandra Bera was showing some excellent Barbera (2004 LaVerrane showing quite well in that frizzante style) and the best moscato on the market.

The 2005 Ronco Malo was solid, meaty and mineral.

In case you wondered, I am a fan of Silvio Messana's Chianti's and non-Chiantis.
the 2005 Toscana Rosso is yummy with needles of tannin to spice up the fruit.

Radikon (no show) Oslvaje 2002 was spicy like an old Rioja.

And, from the Roagna table it was the 2000 Barolo Rocca la Pira that I found haunting after I left. It reminded me of plaid. I never experienced that with a wine before. Not a blackwatch, more like a glen.

A fun moment was meeting a mythical figure in the wine world, Le Garagiste (the Seattle-based biz) himself and getting very good promotional advice from the wine writer who wrote the Parker bio, Elin McCoy.

Mr. Dressner was occupied with his fawning public so he didn't even say hello to me.

Not bad.

I know that's really enthusiastic but, it's wildly available and its pretty and under $20 which right now feels like a steal. In other words, this is a wine you can find outside of the major wine hubs and get some enjoyment.

It's got the right stuff, think cherry with suede in a drinkable weight that could stand a chill. Great bathroom literature. The kind of stuff that keeps you behind that locked door reading for a while. And best of all, it's not boring.

Jenny & Francois’s tasting was the perfect size, snuck in beneath Jane Restaurant. Here are the standouts from my experience.

JACQUES LASSAIGNE CHAMPAGNE. APPLAUSE! Beautiful stuff

GUILLOT-BROUX
Love this Macon producer. The Combettes is angular, structured food worthy white with a dose of fennel. The simple Macon is somewhat of a bargain. Don’t overlook the Bourgogne rouge, got plenty of pinot zip.

2005 DOMAINE CRUIZILLE ARAGONITE
Austere but good. Will be happy to drink.

2004 DERAIN MERCUREY, will some one please tell me why 2004 got a bad rap. I love the wines. Lots of ground ivy and silt.

01 PACALET GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN was showing really well. It must have been a fruit day. Last summer it was gone, now it’s out of its dumb phase and into a hell of a lot of prettiness.

DOMAINE ANGLORE CUVEE LES TRAVERSES
Mostly syrah with bits of mourvedre and Grenache. Due to the technique of vinification I’m not getting a whole lot of varietal characteristic but it is awfully stony and pleasant

L’ANGLORE PIERRE CHAUDE is 70% Grenache and it’s a nice flash of a wine. Attention getting.

2004 COURTOIS QUARTZ
Is sauvignon, though I defy you get it in a blind tasting unless you’re familiar with his style of winemaking. However the real minerality shines through with a touch of oxidation. A great wine to play with food.

2005 DEUX ANES---I always love these Corbiereres, especially the Fontanilles. It’s a crowd pleaser and gets more expressive after a day or two.

2005/06 ESTEZARGUES--- As always. Low rent wines that deliver for the party. Nice Rhoney character. Ie specially loved Les Genestre and the Gres Saint Vincent.

Tasting was ultra classy at Per Se. Even better most of the wines showed beautifully. Made me very happy.
I would love to see all or any that I've mentioned below on my own wine shelves or by the glass at a resto.
Wine buyers listen up.

J-D H has a terrific line up of sparklers.

*Merieau Method Traditionelle NV
90% chenin, 10% chardonnay. Yum. Clean apple flavor. Very chenin, very dry. Great sparkler at a great price.

*Louis Grenelle
New producer from the Loire for me. A sparkler made from cabernet franc. Of course it's earthy and compelling in its difference.

*Bedel et Fils Champagne: LOVE FRANCOISE'S CHAMPAGNES. Favorite is the Entre Ciel et Terre. Mouthwatering champers.

*David LeClapart L'Apotre: David's champers are getting better each effort. This one is dry, touch of metal and a long lime finish. Built to last.

WHITES

*Delhommeau Muscadet: Always good to meet another compelling muscadet in a dark alley.

*Merieau Sauvignon de Touraine 2006: A great, inexpensive, expression. This Merieau makes good stuff in still wines as well.

*Domaine St. Nicolas Fiefs Vendeens Les Clous Blanc 2005
50/50 chenin, chardonnay, this was probably the wine surprise of the day with a three-star yum and shades of licorice.

*Laureau Savennieres les Genets 2004
Clean, with nice wet sweater fuzz but absolutely gripping with structure.

REDS

*Domaine St. Nicolas Pinot Noir 2005
Cherry. Zingy. Silty. My nose planted in the bowl and would not move.)

*Clos Delorme Valencay Rouge 2005
Juliette from Gramercy T and I were happily shmoozing over this one. We really enjoyed the Loire mix of gamay, cot, cabernet franc and a hint of pinot. Talk about a clutch of grapes. The 20% cabernet franc really busted through the rest. The cot gave it velvet. Great, silk velvet.

Contrary to the general feeling out there, sometimes I do show up. I don't always hide behind my computer. To prove it, I took Dr.Vino's suggestion and am throwing my voice into the ring of Blogging Wednesday or Wednesday Blogging, for September the 12th.

Here goes. The assignment was to put forward an indigenous grape from its hometown.

Bless Georg Mumelter's little heart for making this (possibly $14 dollars?) wine at Griesbauerhof, his farm situated outside the Alto Adige city of Bolzano in the DOC of St. Magdalener.

I bet the wine would taste much better in situ--such gorgeous, quasi-Alpine country up there--but here in lower Manhattan, it was extremely pretty. But just in case it made a difference, I climbed to my roof to see if the altitude changed the wine's taste. It didn't.

Schiava (aka Vernatsch,) comprises most of the blend. I have no idea what else is in this bottle, perhaps a touch of Lagrein?

And as far as its taste? Spicy, peppery, touches of aspirin and fresh strawberry in a fun-weighted wine that was entirely perky and surprising.

Lars Carlberg, an American living in the German city of Trier (which I managed to miss when I visited--a pity because it's supposed to be gorgeous) is trying to launch a collection of terroir driven Mosel wines in this country. The collection is Mosel Wine Merchant. This Riesling is one from the portfolio.

The 2005 Alte Reben Riesling is a juicy little number at an old fashioned 10% alcohol (so expect it to be a little off dry) old -fashioned acidity and splashy spritzes of peach and orange oil.

Lars wrote the copy for the catalogue (http://moselwinemerchant.com/).
I'm so glad I didn't read before I tasted the wine. Why? Whoa, would I have been prejudiced in the wine's favor? Of course! How could I not have been? Heartbreaking stuff.

About Moritz he wrote:

"His lifestyle reflects his hand-to-mouth existence with neither investors to back him nor loans from the bank. He has an independent and outdoorsy spirit, working his mostly steep vineyards all by hand with no capital investment. Expensive tools and machines are borrowed from fellow growers. The wines are handcrafted in a cellar he has rented in the center of Oberemmel from the widow of a deceased winegrower. Trained in the hotel trade both as a chef in the kitchen and as a waiter on the floor, he changed course to become a winegrower. To make ends meet, he still waits tables at a local restaurant but he is not a hobbyist."

I feel the same way about struggling to make words pay the bills. Unfortunately I don't have waiting skills. The wine is delicious.

Lettie Teague was on to something when she wrote about rosé's being over rated. Jon Bonne at the Sanfrancisco Chronicle did something similar. And it's no wonder..most are now so sweet and stupid and spoofed they might as well me white zinfandel. Where are the real rosés?

Just had two spectacular ones which do exactly what you want a summer rosé to do, offer refreshment and yet hold your attention. Importer is Louis/Dressner.

**Baudry 2006 Chinon ($15)
Great crushed aspirin, Campari like bitterness with an edge.

**Puzelat 2004 VdT Francais KO rosé ($14)
Melon-ish on the nose with tea tartness.

This is one of those miracle $10.00 wines. I've been a fan of this Corbieres but last night when I popped it open it seemed limited. Oh yes, I said, a nice little everyday wine, satisfying but no bells and whistles. So, I plugged it up.

Then tonight I reopened the bottle and the genie flew out of the bottle. This little guy started to flash its raincoat open. What a different personality. No shy thing anymore, its grip developed and so did a tart little limey tang at the rear, the nose was raisiny, pruney, with a bit of currant, which made whoopee with porcini. It's mix is about 60% carignan with some grenache noir and syrah.

When people wonder why I get excited about wine, this wine experience is one of the reasons. Yum.

I get so many samples. 98% of them are industrial crap--even though they might be expensive. I'm always interested, however, when Faiveley shows up on my doorstep.

While I've been somewhat underwhelmed in the past few vintages I was very happy with two 2004's I recently tasted; the simple Bourgogne and the white Montagny, Domaine de la Croix Jacquelet

The basic red was not basic at all, kind of twiggy, nice vein of tannin which cut through an American Beauty rose-like pinot. A bargain at about $16. The Montagny was a tad more dense than a muscadet and had really lovely hints of preserved lemon. A very classy whitet burgundy at $20.

Totally minimal tasting notes, sorry, that's my style. I figure f you like this site, you'd be curious about these wines.

REDS

2005 Clos de la Roilette Fleurie
(Powerfully structured beaujolais. Forward. Yum.)

2004 Chateau Champ des Sours Bel Amant Fitou
(Earth. Bramble. Licorice. Zippy.)

2004 Domaine Claude & Catherine Marechal Savigny les Beaune VV
(Earth. Violet. Pencil.)

2004 Prince Florent de Merode Corton Bressandes
(Who knows if this is 'my kind of wine' or not? I found this one--as well as their lowly Ladoix--compelling. It is forward. One can drink it now with pleasure. If I had a wine list to compile, I'd plunk it on there in a flash.)

2005 El Sequé Vinedos de El Sequé
(Mostly monastrell with a touch of syrah, cabernet and tempranillo. A wine that should hit the shelves at about $12? It's a bargain. All sunny and warm. )

Totally minimal tasting notes, sorry, that's my style. I figure f you like this site, you'd be curious about these wines.

2005 Franck Peillot Altesse de Montagnieu. Bugey, France
(Solid, round with a fall-apple finish.)

2005 Clos Roche Blanche Tourainne Sauvignon, France
(Pure, beautiful, touch of licorice.) BARGAIN

2005 Gerard Boulay Sancerre Chavignol, France
(Killer long finish with a blast of minerality. Very appealing.)

2005 Antoine Arena Patrimonio Blanc Grotte di Sole. Corsica
(Succulent Vermentino from Cosica!! YES! This was also a winner at the Dressner tasting. )

2004 Fontaine -Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet, La Romanée, Burgundy
(Sorry, all I wrote was THIS ONE. )

Wine on Passover is essential and usually a conundrum because most out there are the inauthentic confections of marketing departments. So, on the day I headed out to Chez Mom for Passover I stocked up on possibilities at Astor Place. I struck out with a crappy micro-oxed Rioja, there was a drinkable red blend from Israel (a little bit like E&J Gallo Hearty Burgundy), but the best kosher wine I've had in ages was a perfectly swell 2002 Alsatian Riesling produced by Abarbanel. At $18, it was great, kosher or not. It had all of the characteristic notes, intense flower, petrol. It hits the nose with power and promise and then dissolves into a dry and mineral hopping wine, perhaps just a tad dulled by the flash pasteurization of the meshuval practice.

The top three Gamays in the All Gamay tasting gave the Coudert (about $20) and two non Beaujolais (Cousin Anjou and the Souteronne from Herve Souhaut) as the top winners. But another wine that slipped into top honors, is a lovely bargain--the 2002 Régnié from ANDRE RAMPON (about $15).

In a blind tasting the powerful wines stand out as the 'best' and something this pretty can be overlooked. But this is a very sophisticated little wine with pure, delicate rose aroma and a mix of great minerality and a touch of animal power.

I don’t know if I agree with the 20% addition of merlot but I always did like this wine. At first sniff there’s ground ivy crawling in the hills of the Catskills. Cahors doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen in the Catskills but it’s in this wine. Maybe I need to go to the country for a while. Maybe that’s what the wine is telling me. But the most important thing this wine is telling me is whispering to me to travel. And that’s more than I can ask for in a wine. As far as real wine speak? There’s a high-toned acidity, long tannic finish and a hint of blackberries just ready—but not too ready for picking (about $13)

(WARNING: I WANT TO DO A RIP THING HERE ON THE 2004 VINTAGE. HAD IT THE OTHER NIGHT AND ALMOST CRIED INTO THE WINE. NEW OAK, THE SCOURGE HAD LFET ITS IMPRINT ON THE WINE)

Most know I’m not a fan of 2003 German wines but the reds are a different story especially in good hands, like at Georg Breuer in Rudersheim. I tasted with Heinrich last summer and was impressed. Tasted in the comfort of my own home, it’s still good. Very good. Not even terribly expensive (under $25? Don’t quote me). There’s fainted rose on the nose, well, more like rose dust. And then there are clinging tannins on the back of the throat and these should sweeten up, evolving into a pretty spicy addition. Awfully minerally a lovely wine in a medium weight package. Very lovely.

1) Gevrey Chambertin

Intense rose petal and carnation pollen.

2) Nuits St. George

Backward at this point. Kind of twiggy (a good thing). Is now throwing gas. He says this is because he just rolled the cask last week.

3) Chambolle Musigny, Les Combettes

Terroir? OK. I'll tell you terroir. I looked back at my notes on a wine I had had previously in Paris at the wine bar/resto Le Baratin. I had his 2002 Chambolle Musigny and what did I write as my note? Cinnamon. Now, I don't really think of this area as throwing cinnamon. I think of it as rosy. But here we are, two years later and there it is, my first note, cinnamon. But it has the same velvet texture, and strong intense nose that seems rather poetic.

4) Pommard

Chanel #5. Intense. It's a hotter wine with violet and raisin and a long finish.

5) Beaune 1er Cru
(Philippe tells me his plot is near Clos de la Mouche)
Floral and a touch of orange juice and black tea. Fascinating.

6) Chambolle 1er Cru (near Amoreuse & Musigny)

Backwards. Needs time. Nose is quiet, touch of tea and cherry.

7) Gevrey -Chambertin 1er Cru Les Perrières (near Mazis)
Strawberry. Dark. Still finishing up malo.

8) Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru (near Clos de Beze)

Very backward. More square, meaty and masculine with cumin seed.

9) Pommard 1er Cru

Mineral and stony nose with complete follow through on the palate.

10) Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru

Rosy, meaty, chewy, long and peony-like.

11) Ruchots Chambertin, GC

Built and corseted. Dominated by bones.

I didn't think I would ever find a zinfandel I liked ever again but it's true.
The Grgich Hills 2002 Zinfandel is actually quite good. It reminded me of the zinfandel of my youth and that is a fine thing.

It was full of nice bramble berries and had a slightly inky smell (if there are foundtain pen users out there, you know what I mean). The wine had a rusticity which I believe should stay in wines made from this grape. The acidity was commendable, making it a food worthy drink. And at 14.1 alcohol it really didn't seem heavy. Grgich Hills is rapidly moving to 100% biodynamic and will be the largest biodynamic winery in the states when they are through. As much as I like this wine, there was a minerality that just wasn't there. It all leads me lean towards thinking California just doesn't have terroir.

Brunello

Eleven bottles isn’t a whole lot but that’s what I tasted with few select drinkers around my kitchen table the other night. All bottles got an even shake. They were wrapped up and tasted blindly.

A lot of restaurants tell me they can’t sell Brunello these days. What a surprise. The wine has out priced itself. Like, what should you expect to pay? Mostly $65 to $120? And why should you do that? I mean, is it really that good?

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I do enjoy a good, solid Brunello and it was good to remind myself what the wine tasted like because over the past few years I’ve either shunned it or I’ve been to tasting where all that was being poured were terribly wooded and cosmetically adjusted wines.

Saturday night, however, the wines were good enough to remind me what I had once liked about them; a comforting sunny happiness. Price aside, the best have a dollop of early summer cherry and cedar and forest honey. There may be some rusty nail, which I love. Or some sanguine, meaty quality. The tannins are not massive, but there’s enough around to age up well. Acidity? Yup. That’s what makes it such a good pairing with tomato based foods (and many others. I had a wild mushroom dish that it was terrific with, as it did with the roasted red peppers).

Two bottles were stellar.
The most expensive wasn’t the best.
In fact the least expensive Brunello was the most beloved. And the shocking news is that a lowly rosso blew all of the Brunellos out of the running. And as far as great producers? Biondi-Santi still makes beautiful wine. Another profound favorite is Mastrojanni. These were the evening’s hits.

2000 Biondi-Santi Rosso di Montalcino $33- $65
(Yup. You can find this wine at multiple prices) I loved this wine. On my first sip it got my attention; wow, what was that? The perfume from crushed, dried warm roses was intense. The cedar note blew off in a few hours. You could smell the sun and a touch of mineral metal, which might sound bad but it was compelling.

1999 Mastrojanni Brunello di Montalcino, $40
Bargain. Thank God. It's delicious. Intense nose. Touches of bergamot via Earl Grey tea and a high C of cherry with a good lively acid bath-- just the right nuance.

1999 Cantina di Montalcino. $51
The wine was expressive though I wasn’t exactly sure what it was telling me. It had a meaty (and bloody, in a good way) aroma and taste, made all the more happy by chocolate, cocoa, sun dried olives and apricots, nice rusty nail, silty tannins and a lovely balance.

2000 Piccolomini Pianrosso, Ciacii, $65.
Sure it’s a nice wine and if it were $40 it might really be worth it. Some forest, some pine needle, some moss and a definite dollop of that give-me-more- forest honey.

You’ll be pleased to know--as I was-- that the 1999 Barbi, Vigna del Fiore at $109, a modern style Brunello that was rife with cherry vanilla and a muddling point of view was a complete dud. Commercial. Pandering. A waste of money.

I've been down on the job and have been lax in tasting. But I got back on the horse this week. At a Montecastelli Selections tasting I actually found wines that pleased me. Here are a few.

ROSETI- VELIO 2003. This is a pretty inexpensive Chianti that sees no wood, it’s plunked in stainless and is a simple bit cheery wine with some chew to it.

PIRA DOLCETTO DI ALBA VIGNA FORNACI 2002.
Lovely. Basic every day lively dolcetto, and a little dusty. It’s just the way it used to be before the wine put on airs. You might find this for under $15. I did not like their Vigna Bricco Botti which had been housed in #2 pencils.

JOSETTA SAFFRIO BAROLO 2000. It’s the wine makers first effort and she produced a nice wine that successfully walks the tightrope between the modern and the traditionalists. There’s enough fennel and licorice to appeal to those of us who go trad and enough fruit to lure the barrique lovers. (around $43?)

ROCCA DI CASTAGNOLI CHIANTI POGGIO AI FRATI RISERVA 2000. I always liked this producer but in this tasting I found out they have gone modern, EXCEPT for this Riserva which shows they can still make a great wine. Edgy, great acidity with terrific sun baked, ‘chai tea’ like aromas. Mid $20’s.

ONA-CARMÉNERE 2003. I’ve been promising myself to be the kinder, gentler wine taster. And so when I initially passed this by saying, “Chile, I don’t think so.” I mentally spanked myself and came back to taste it. And wow, I said, that’s not so bad. Has a leafy, crushed dried herb thing going that was quite appealing, with a bit of blueberry. I take a better look-- it’s Chile’s only biodynamic wine. Go know. Pretty damned good and at around $11, a decent price.

ANTONIO FERRARI-SOLARIA JONICA 1959. You won’t be seeing this anytime soon at about $130 for 500ml, but it is really stunning. It started life as Pugliese wine (negroamaro?) made in one of the hottest years in the last century. It was brought up to Piemonte where it lay forgotten until ten years ago when plunked into large oak casks. This is a once in a lifetime oddity. Taste? Think a chocolate and prune PX flavor with an elegant Barolo like weight.