The Cellar Door

“The discovery of a wine is of greater moment than the discovery of a constellation. The universe is too full of stars.” – Benjamin Franklin

We’re going to take a break from reviewing wines that were mentioned in the great book by Kermit Lynch, Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Lover’s Tour of France, to review some really nice whites (three Chardonnays, three Sauvignon Blancs) we’ve had in the last few weeks. Any of these would make great holiday gifts for the wine lover on your list.

You know the old saying – “You can’t wear white after Labor Day!” Well, a lot of people say you can’t drink white after Labor Day. To that I say “Bah!” Whites are good any time of year. I do admit I tend to drink more red wines in the winter than in the summer, but there are still many, many reasons to drink white wines in the “off-season.” 

Many of these I have found by reviewing Wine Spectator or other publications to try to find good values, new wines, and interesting wineries to sample. So let’s get to it!

First, the Chardonnays….

Chateau Philippe le Hardi Mercurey Chardonnay (Burgundy)

Hmmm…. This looks familiar. Oh yeah, we did the le Hardi Mercurey Pinot Noir in our last blog post. This time we’re focused on the same vineyard, same vintner, but the Chardonnay instead of the Pinot.

Not to repeat myself (okay, I will), but you may remember that in several previous posts, we noted that Burgundy wines are always 100% of one grape. Most of the white wine in Burgundy is Chardonnay (approximately 49% of all grapes grown there).

Our Mercurey Chardonnay comes from the Côte Chalonnaise district of Burgundy; the Oxford Companion says that Mercurey is the “most important village” in that district.” The le Hardi Château has been around for quite a while; mtouton.com told us:

Domaine du Château Philippe le Hardi (formerly Château de Santenay) was once the majestic stately home of the first Duke of Burgundy. This historic estate is one of Burgundy’s most prestigious producers….The Château was built in the 9th, 12th and 16th centuries. It was formerly one of several properties belonging to the Duke of Burgundy, Philippe le Hardi (1342-1404), and was named after him for centuries to come.  

Let me just start out by saying that I love, love, love Burgundy Chardonnays. They are so identifiable at first sniff and taste – bold and minerally, usually, but they are clearly more distinctive than other Chardonnays (especially Californians, though I have nothing against Californians!). A few samples of tasting notes from other sources:

·         Winebuyers.com: “A fragrant and delicate wine redolent of citrus and stone fruit, with a creamy texture and refreshing acidity. The finish is impressive, leaving impressions of hazelnuts and sweet spice.”

·         Total: “Hints of mineral, lime and vanilla round out the long, complex finish.”

·         Wine Enthusiast: “This wine is textured, with some spice as well as a tangy orange and lemon character.”

The Oxford Companion notes that Burgundy produces “what are widely considered the finest full-bodied dry white wines in the world.” I would second that emotion! And at $40-$50, this one is a true bargain in my book.

Estate De Wetshof Limestone Hill Chardonnay (South Africa)

This is a lovely Chardonnay from South Africa. I noticed that it kept getting good reviews in Wine Spectator, and it was on the magazine’s Top 100 list in 2021, so I decided to try it. De Wetshof is a famous name in South African wines. According to the estate’s website:

The name De Wetshof has been synonymous with the production of fine wines in South Africa since the 1970’s. As the first registered wine estate in the Robertson Wine Valley, De Wetshof has become known internationally as South Africa’s eminent Chardonnay House due to the pioneering role it played in introducing this noble Burgundian grape to the country. The De Wet family’s winemaking heritage can, however, be traced back to 1694 when the first De Wets arrived at the Cape and immediately made a mark on the South African wine industry.

Gold Medal Wine Club tells us:

The location of the Robertson Valley and its rich limestone base, less than 100 Kilometers (a little over 62 miles) from Agulhas, Africa’s southernmost point, is perfect for the cold-loving Chardonnay to flourish. The chilling currents from the southern oceans causes cooling winds to blow inland on summer afternoons, thereby freshening the vineyards and providing the Chardonnay with a much needed infusion of zest that nourishes the vines.

The winery tells the story: “Heavy clay soils rich in limestone allow this Chardonnay to emit optimum varietal expression in a cloak of rich complexity. An un-wooded wine, Limestone Hill has notes of grapefruit and nuts, with the complexity balanced by a nuanced elegance ending with a delicate ripeness.”

Wine Spectator tells us: “Pear and pineapple fruit flavors are bright and juicy in this lively Chardonnay. Lithe and zesty, with accents of wet stone, grated ginger and verbena gliding through on the lip-smacking finish.” I thought it was crisp and minerally, and a standout Chardonnay. It’s available for around $17 at most wine shops.

Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay

This is a really nice value Chardonnay from an interesting vineyard in California’s Livermore Valley east of San Francisco Bay – not a place you’d normally first think of when considering California wines. According to its website,  “Wente Vineyards is the longest, continuously family-owned and operated winery in the United States…. In 1912, 2nd Generation Ernest Wente persuaded his father and founder, C.H. Wente, to import Chardonnay cuttings from a well-known vine nursery, F. Richter Nursery in Montpellier, France, to the Livermore Valley. Ernest hand-picked vines that showed the best health and pronounced flavors, grafted the two together, and propagated those characteristics forward. The result was aptly called the ‘Wente Clone’, which today makes up over 75% of all Chardonnay planted in California!”

The vineyard takes pride in its sustainability practices and says it is “a certified sustainable vineyard and winery from the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance. Less than ten percent of wineries hold both the vineyard and winery certifications.”

This one is a personal favorite of Lisa’s and is bright and crisp with light oak and buttery notes. And it’s a bargain at around $12-$14.

Three nice Sauvignon Blancs

I’m generally a big fan of Sauvignon Blancs, especially Savs from New Zealand (yes, that’s what they often call them down there), but sometimes I can get tired of them as some of the more common (and cheaper) New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs are way too citrusy, both on the nose and in the mouth. (Some even get the interesting description of “cat piss” – maybe just a little too much literal interpretation for me!)

First I wanted to try some different SVs from the Marlborough region of New Zealand so I rounded up a couple:

Greywacke is a winery that has been in business since 2009 and, according to the winery website, “is the Marlborough label of the Judd family and the name of New Zealand’s most abundant bedrock. These understated grey river stones are found throughout Marlborough’s rivers and alluvial vineyard soils” and has “a small, dedicated team running the company from Greywacke HQ in the heart of Marlborough’s Omaka Valley.” The website goes on:

The fruit is sourced from mature vineyards in prime viticultural sites to optimise the potential afforded by Marlborough’s sunny South Pacific climate. All vineyards are sustainably managed with substantial and increasing proportions coming from organically farmed sites. Crop levels are restricted to enhance concentration of flavour and a long, cool growing season produces fruit with incredible varietal intensity and bright, natural acidity. Meticulous canopy management regimes are employed to provide sufficient fruit exposure to deliver ripeness of flavour, textural richness and optimum acid balance.

As for tasting notes, the winery’s website says it’s like “a summer fruit salad – ripe golden peaches, honeydew melon, nectarines and passionfruit, with a generous splash of cassis and a sprinkling of lime zest – this is a subtle, delicately aromatic, ripe interpretation of Marlborough sauvignon blanc. The palate is generous and textural, showing great concentration and finishing with a crisp, succulent finish.”

James Suckling’s review: “A very fresh, lime and grapefruit nose with a gently herbal thread, as well as green passion-fruit notes. The palate has a captivating fusion of fresh acidity and rich, fleshy fruit flavors. Zesty and intense.” Christina Pickard in Wine Enthusiast says it has “Aromas of bright peach, passionfruit, orchard blossom and a vegetal note are seamless on the nose. They flow gently to the palate where there’s a lovely texture, freshness and overall harmony.”  Thewinebuyer.com tells us: “Classic New Zealand loaded with succulent passion fruit, guava, pineapple and pink grapefruit aromas which are underscored by a fresh herbal element. Lush layers of sweet melon, tropical and yellow stone fruit flavors are complemented by an attractive minerality.”

All in all, I thought it was an excellent SV, not too citrusy, and definitely lighter and fresher than most from New Zealand. You can find it for around $20.

Update: the 2021 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc made Wine Spectator‘s Top 100 wines of 2022 at #13.

Nautilus shows up on many lists of favorite Marlborough Savs from New Zealand. According to the winery’s website: “Nautilus is unusual in effectively having two wineries side by side. The first was built in 2000 and is dedicated to the inspiring but sometimes infuriating grape that is Pinot Noir. The second built in 2006 is for white wine making facility to process our Sauvignon Blanc, Cuvée, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris.”

The wine itself is delightful. The winery tells us: “The 2021 Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc displays intense lifted aromas of blackcurrant, guava, ripe grapefruit and a hint of smoky flint. The palate introduces delightful citrus based mouth-watering intensity and finishes with a strong textural component.” Wine Spectator says it is “Elegant and aromatic, with intense lemongrass and lemon thyme notes leaping from the glass, plus supple citrus and apple flavors at the core. Delivers details of white tea and white pepper that linger.”

Nautilus is another great bargain at $17-$20.

Husch Renegade Sauvignon Blanc is a personal favorite of mine. Full disclosure: the owners are personal friends of mine, but that doesn’t mean the wine is not excellent. Husch is a family-owned (3^rd generation) vineyard in the Anderson Valley in Mendocino County in the far northern part of California, and is the oldest winery in the Anderson Valley appellation. It is also a wonderful winery to visit and has a lovely tasting room.

Husch specializes in Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Gewurztraminer (apparently the terroir is especially good for that one), among others. But I am especially partial to its Sauvignon Blanc. The winery’s tasting notes include: “Lively aromas of white grapefruit, guava, lemongrass, green mango, and a hint of Asian pear leap from the glass. The wine is crisp and refreshing with flavors that mirror the aromas, with a lengthy and succulent finish.”

Husch is sometimes hard to find at retail outside California, but it has a great mail-order business, so check out its website. This Sauvignon Blanc is available for about $18. Highly recommended!!

Book recommendation: I’m a sucker for basic books about wine. If you’re looking for a nice gift for a wine newbie, this might be one of the best: The 24-Hour Wine Expert by Jancis Robinson. She’s one of the foremost wine writers and critics in the world and has produced such weighty tomes as The Oxford Companion to Wine. But this is a nice, slim, readable volume that will get anyone started on loving wine.

Wine Playlist: As mentioned in an earlier post, I like to create fun and funky playlists based on some of my interests, so I’ve created a wine playlist – songs with titles or lyrics that include wine. You can find it on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5rAwgh9Thiary4zUplUsaN

Here’s this post’s entry:  The wonderful Emmylou Harris with “Two More Bottles of Wine.” “Ain’t gonna let it bother me today/I been workin’ and I’m too tired anyway/But it’s all right ’cause it’s midnight/And I got two more bottles of wine.”

(Posted October 20, 2022)

“Age is just a number. It’s totally irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine.” – Joan Collins

This is the fourteenth and fifteenth in a review of wines that were mentioned in the great book by Kermit Lynch, Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Lover’s Tour of France. Once again a reminder – Lynch’s book is by far one of the most enjoyable and informative books about wine you’ll read.

Our wines for this review are a red blend from the Languedoc region of France – a 2018 Mas de Daumas Gassac – and a 100% Pinot Noir from Burgundy – a 2017 Château Philippe le Hardi Mercurey. My approach to reviewing these two is a little different – I used the excuse of a party to ask attendees to taste both and give me their impressions. We’ll get to the results in a bit, but first, a little background.

The Mas de Daumas Gassac comes from the southern region of France known as the Languedoc. It is a blend of several red grapes – primarily Cabernet Sauvignon (76%) with small percentages each of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Malbec, Nebbiolo, and Dolcetto. That seems like a lot!

Wine Trails has this to say about Languedoc and its neighbor, Roussillon:

Some of the most exciting and innovative wines emerging in France are coming from the vast Languedoc-Roussillon region, which covers much of the south, from the Spanish border up to the vineyards of Provence and the Côte d’Azur. A third of France’s wine is produced here, but for years the region suffered from over-production and poor quality. Not any more. [I hear that last sentence in Peter Sellers’ Inspector Clouseau voice: “That was a priceless Steinway.” “Not any more!”]…. The sheer variety of the landscapes here is spectacular, with vineyards pressing up against the Mediterranean… through dramatic limestone hills and valleys….”

Jancis Robinson in The World Atlas of Wine tells us that Languedoc is “France’s best value, most fluid wine region and certainly its most important in terms of volume of wine produced, and in terms of the importance of viticulture to the region’s economy.”

Mas de Dammas Gassac comes from a well-established vineyard west of Montpelier. According to the estate’s website, in the year 780 AD “Saint Benedict of Aniane, an adviser to Charlemagne, created a vineyard in the Gassac valley in the 780s. We have every reason to believe that Saint Benedict would have invited Charlemagne to sample the first wines produced in the valley. Mas de Daumas Gassac’s Grands Vins were thus born in the shadow of a prestigious abbey, like most famous great wines!” The estate bottled its first vintage in 1978.

Kermit Lynch has high praise for the winery and the wine:

Also to be found in this part of the Languedoc, called the Hérault, is one of the most remarkable new wineries in the world, the Mas de Daumas Gassac, where the dynamic Aimé Guibert has created from what was garrigue, brush, and forestland a vineyard whose wine has captured the imagination of the wine press on both sides of the Atlantic. Guibert’s very first vintage, his 1978 from new vines, burst upon the wine scene leaving behind a shower of sparking accolades which have been surpassed only by the notes accorded to subsequent vintages.

Hold on there Sparky! There was a word in there I wasn’t familiar with: garrigue. The Wine Spectator’s Dr. Vinny tells us that “Garrigue refers to the low-growing vegetation on the limestone hills of the Mediterranean coast, not the limestone itself. There are a bunch of bushy, fragrant plants that grow wild there, such as juniper, thyme, rosemary and lavender, and garrigue refers to the sum of them. Think herbes de Provence, or a mix of fresh minty-herbal notes with more pungent, floral fragrances.” So the implication is that the mixture of those fragrant plants affects the aroma and taste of the wine.

Kermit Lynch quotes The Underground Wineletter as saying that this wine “may very well be the very best buy for a wine of this type to be found anywhere in the U.S….. nothing from California comes close to this quality/price relationship.” (For the record, the 2018 we tried is priced at around $50 a bottle – and it has a cool label too.)

Lynch also has this anecdote about the focus on Cabernet Sauvignon:

The single most important decision was Guibert’s choice of grape variety. Going traditional in the Hérault would have meant planting varieties like Carignan, Grenache, and Cinsault. I asked him why he planted Cabernet Sauvignon in his “Burgundian” soil in the Languedoc. “God’s inspiration,” he replied. (These vignerons in the Languedoc are not the most humble race I’ve encountered. At nine in the morning they speak with the pomp of an Irish poet after he’s had a few.) “No,” he continued, “it was actually a matter of personal taste. I am not a partisan of the Pinot.”

Speaking of Pinot, let’s move on to our Pinot Noir from Burgundy. As a refresher from wines from Burgundy we’ve reviewed earlier, Burgundy is, of course, a famous wine-growing region in east central France. Called Bourgogne in French, it is famous for well-regarded red and white wines, with whites coming almost entirely from Chardonnay grapes and reds coming mainly from Pinot Noir. According to The Oxford Companion to Wine, vineyards dating to the first century have been found in the area. A tribe of Burgundians from Scandinavia settled the area in the fifth century, giving the area its name. As noted in The World Atlas of Wine, “Burgundy is not one big vineyard, but the name of a province that contains several distinct and eminent wine regions.”

Our Mercurey Pinot Noir comes from the Côte Chalonnaise district of Burgundy; the Oxford Companion says that Mercurey is “most important village” in that district…. The red wines tend to be deeper in colour, fuller in body, more capable of ageing, and half as expensive again as those of the neighbouring villages.”

Kermit Lynch doesn’t have a lot to say about Mercurey, other than that “No grape is more sensitive to its vineyard site,” and that Mercurey is among several wines from Burgundy that can have “excellent cuvées.” Dr. Vinny of Wine Spectator tells us that cuvee is a “fancy-sounding word, so sometimes it’s used to indicate a wine of superior quality or a special reserve, but the term is not regulated, so that’s not always the case.”

As noted before, Burgundians don’t blend their wines, so most red wine from there is 100% Pinot Noir, as this one was. One interesting side note I discovered in The Booklovers’ Guide to Wine by Patrick Alexander:

By the early Middle Ages, the wines of Burgundy had achieved such a reputation that they were sought after in the French royal courts in Paris and on the Loire, as well as the Pope’s palace in Avignon. Anxious to maintain the high quality and reputation of his wines, Philippe the Bold, Duke of Burgundy in 1395, made it a hanging offense to make red wine with anything other than Pinot Noir on his territories. Offenders would be hanged from scaffolds out in their vineyards as a visual and swinging reminder to their neighbors.

Okay, that’s a little harsh.

And speaking of the Duke of Burgundy, mtouton.com gives us a little more history:

Domaine du Château Philippe le Hardi (formerly Château de Santenay) was once the majestic stately home of the first Duke of Burgundy. This historic estate is one of Burgundy’s most prestigious producers….The Château was built in the 9th, 12th and 16th centuries. It was formerly one of several properties belonging to the Duke of Burgundy, Philippe le Hardi (1342-1404), and was named after him for centuries to come. In 1395, Philippe le Hardi signed the founding document for single varietal cultivation in Burgundy. The document was named the “Ordonnance de Philippe le Hardi”. Pinot Noir thus replaced Gamay as the varietal used for red wine production in Burgundy. 

What was our experience? Crowdsourcing!

As mentioned earlier, for these two wines, I tried something a little bit different – a party of about 20 people, with a rating sheet asking for samplers’ opinions on aroma, taste, and texture, and a contest! Here’s what we found out:

OK, I’m not sure wet concrete or fresh cut garden hose count as real aromas, but I admire peoples’ creativity! I also asked everyone to vote on which one they liked best. Of the ten people who voted, it was an even tie: five to five. Overall, it was a fun experience and highly recommended for your next dinner party.

My vote: I liked the Gassac blend slightly more than the Mercurey Pinot Noir. I thought the Gassac was bold but not too heavy, with a really nice fruity/spicy taste (as others indicated). But they were both very good. By the way, both are available for about $50.

Book recommendation: I mentioned earlier The Booklovers’ Guide to Wine: An Introduction to the History, Mysteries, and Literary Pleasures of Drinking Wine by Patrick Alexander – it’s a really nice reference, with lots of good basic stuff on grapes, regions, and wine history, sprinkled with interesting literary references.

New Feature: Wine Playlist!

I like to create fun and funky playlists based on some of my interests. One of them, of course, is wine, so of course I’ve created a wine playlist – songs with titles or lyrics that include wine. You can find it on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5rAwgh9Thiary4zUplUsaN?si=517901201b994b3d

Here’s one example: The late, great Loretta Lynn singing “Wine, Women, and Song.”  Take a look at the playlist and feel free to send me your suggestions!

(Posted August 21, 2022)

“Wine can of their wits the wise beguile, make the sage frolic, and the serious smile.”
― Homer

We’re taking a break from our one-by-one tastings of the wines mentioned in Kermit Lynch’s Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Lover’s Tour of France. Instead, we spent a few weeks in Italy tasting as many wines as possible.

We spent all of July in Italy – being retired, we are extremely lucky to take this much time in a place we love. This was my third trip to Italy and by far the best. We were lucky to spend a week at a villa in the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany with a total of 21 people (friends and family members), then several days each in Lucca (also in Tuscany), Cinque Terre, Milan, and Lake Como. We always tried to sample the local wines in each of the areas we visited as we wanted to learn about (and taste) as many wines as possible. So I thought I would recap many of the wines we had so that you might try them too.

Tuscany

Well let’s start with arguably the most famous Italian wine region of all – Tuscany, or Toscana. The Oxford Companion to Wine says that it is “the most important region in Central Italy… it is the region which formed Italy’s language, its literature, and its art, and has thus assumed a central place in the country’s culture and self-image.” The handy little book Decoding Italian Wine tells us that Toscana is “probably the most universally recognized region of Italian wines” and “is also one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world.”

It appears, based on expert analysis of early cave drawings and pottery markings, that winemaking in Tuscany began as early as the 4^th century BC when the area was first inhabited by the Etruscans. Back then, it’s believed that Sangiovese grapes grew in the wild, and the Etruscans began creating wine with them.

Wine Trails tells us that the Etruscans used “huge terracotta amphorae that are today being rediscovered by certain natural winemakers.”

As early as the 5^th century BC [4^th century BC, 5^th century BC, what’s a century or two among friends?], Tuscan wines were exported to France and Greece, and Florence founded its own Wine Merchants Guild as early as 1282. So Tuscany has always been the ambassador of Italian wine, from ancient times through to the days when the eponymous straw-covered flask of Chianti became the house wine of every pizzeria in the world.

The Wine Bible tells us that Toscana “stretches from the Tyrrhenian Sea in the west to the low mountains that separate the region from Emilia-Romagna, the Marches, and Umbria, its neighbors in the east. At 9,000 square miles, it is the fifth largest region in Italy.” 

We were in two locations in Tuscany. The first was near the village of Poggibonsi, about 30 miles south of Florence. It is on the far western edge of the Chianti Classico zone. The Chianti region itself encompasses a large area between Florence and Siena. There are several sub-zones in Chianti, with the separate Chianti Classico zone comprising the heart of the area.

Wine Enthusiast tells us that “Chianti Classico must contain at least 80% Sangiovese. A maximum of 20% of other red grapes Colorino, Canaiolo Nero, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot may be used…. There are three quality tiers in the appellation. Annata, or the standard wine, ages for 12 months before release, while Riserva must age 24 months. Gran Selezione has the longest aging requirement at 30 months.”

Wine Enthusiast also tells us that “The emblem of Chianti Classico is the black rooster, or gallo nero. It relates to a legend told about the use of roosters to settle a border dispute between the warring provinces of Sienna and Florence. The black cockerel was the symbol of Florence, while the white cockerel represented Sienna. It’s clear who dominated that contest.” We saw a bunch of black rooster statues at wineries in the area.

So what were the wines we tried in the Chianto Classico region? Well, we tried several Classicos, including:

• Il Vicario from Torciano winery (a large wine/restaurant empire near San Gimignano) – 100% Sangiovese;
• one from Belriguardo, a winery on the far southern end of the region, about 10 miles south of Poggibonsi  – 95% Sangiovese and 5% Merlot;
• one from Bucciarelli, about 10 miles east of Poggibonsi – 100% Sangiovese; and
• one from Cinciano, a lovely winery/hotel/restaurant complex just up the road from us – 100% Sangiovese.

Cinciano’s restaurant is called Osteria 1126 – mainly because the original buildings have been there since the year 1126. It was a magical place – highly recommended if you’re ever in the area.

Our take on Chianti Classico? All of them were delicious. Sangiovese is a rich, red grape full of fruit flavors, mainly cherries and plum, and it was outstanding in all its iterations. Of course, it helped that we were in the Chianti Classico region, but they were wonderful nevertheless. We liked them all, but we especially liked the Cinciano, as we were able to visit the winery and see how it was made.

What about white wines from Tuscany? Tuscan whites don’t get as much press as the reds, but there are some outstanding whites to try. Two in particular stood out.

Vernaccia is one of my favorite whites from the region, for a lot of reasons. First of all, it’s delicious, with bright crisp flavors, and is readily available at most wine stores in the US. Second, it’s from the magical medieval town of San Gimignano (about 15 miles west of where we were staying near Poggibonsi). Wines of the World tells us that this wine has been around since at least 1276 (!) and “has the longest pedigree of any white varietal wine in Italy.” One we tried was from the Cecchi vineyards. It had the added bonus of having a lovely label with the towers of San Gimignano silhouetted.

The second white wine we spent some time with in Tuscany was Vermentino. These wines come mainly from the island of Sardinia, but the grapes are being planted more and more throughout Italy. Similar to Vernaccia, the Vermentino wines were light and crisp, perfect for the hot summer days we had in Italy. One we tried was from Antinori vineyards; this one was from the Bolgheri area on the far western portion of Tuscany along the coast.

Our second stop in Tuscany was the walled medieval town of Lucca, about 50 miles west of Florence. There were two wonderful whites we tried there.

San Germano Passito Toscana is from the Tenuta di Ghizzano winery, an organic winery about 20 miles southwest of Lucca, near Pisa (the word “tenuta” means “estate”). It was comprised of a wonderful blend of 80% Trebbiano along with Colombana Nera and Malvasia grapes. According to Decoding Italian Wine, Trebbiano is the “second most widely planted grape in the world and is used in more than a quarter of Italy’s” primary wines, yet it “flies under the radar” because “it’s most commonly employed as a blending component, and its moniker rarely appears on labels.” Fun fact: “Trebbiano grapes are also used to produce balsamic vinegar. During the course of aging and fermentation over many years, the Trebbiano grape juice syrup gradually turns its trademark dark brown color and develops the unique balsamic vinegar flavor loved by many.” Who knew?

Another white we liked while in Lucca was Fattoria Nanni Origini Verdicchio. In addition to having a wonderful colorful label, it was also from a region we hadn’t experienced before: the Marche. This region is to the east of Tuscany and runs to the Adriatic Sea. Verdicchio, according to The Oxford Companion, is “one of central Italy’s classic white wines….the best wines are cool with minerally mandarin fruit, lifted lemony acidity, and a slight chew on the finish.” Very detailed description!

Cinque Terre

Our next stop was in the far northwest corner of Italy, in the Liguria region. You might say it’s the top of the sock of the boot of Italy. We stayed in the Cinque Terre zone, on the far eastern part of the region. Cinque Terre means “five lands,” and it’s comprised of five former fishing villages that have become tourist meccas in the last 50 years (thanks to new roads and better rail service). It’s often described as Italy’s Riviera. Our base of operations was Monterosso del Mare, the northernmost (and largest) town of the five.

To say that Monterosso (and all of Cinque Terre) is picturesque is an understatement. It was spectacularly beautiful, and we were lucky enough to stay in a rental near the harbor with absolutely wonderful views of boats, people, and stunning sunrises, sunsets, and the harbor at night.

Liguria is the second-smallest wine-producing region in Italy, with most of the vineyards lying on the region’s steep, rocky hills.

Our first wines in the region were three nice whites:

• a Scià, a wonderful wine made of Vermentino along with Bosco and Albarola grapes, aged about seven months (and with possibly the best label I’ve ever seen);
• Lvnae Colli di Luna Vermentino. The winery’s website says that “The name Lvnae is inspired by the town of Luni, an ancient Etruscan and Greek port, consecrated to the goddess Selene by the Greeks (Luna, for the Romans). The first Luna settlement was founded by the Romans in 177 BC.” Quite the pedigree; and
• Macaia Sassarini, a local Monterosso wine, with Vermentino grapes.

You may notice the preponderance of Vermentino grapes in these local wines. As noted earlier, Vermentino is prominent on Sardinia and (to a lesser extent) in Tuscany. But an article in Forbes Magazine had high praises for these locally produced vintages: “producing a Vermentino from seaside vineyards gives the wines a special character that you don’t find from a warmer, inland area. Vermentino from a maritime climate tends to display a minerality or saltiness in the finish – as though you are tasting the soils and/or experiencing the tanginess of the sea when you are enjoying the wine.”

Our next wine adventure was at a nice little bistro in Monterosso called Enoteca Internazionale. It featured a tasting of five different wines from – you guessed it – the five towns of Cinque Terre. The five were:

• Begasti from our home base Monterosso;
• Cheo from Vernazza;
• La Polenza from Corniglia;
• Forlini Cappellini from Manarola; and
• LItan from Riomaggiore.

All five had roughly the same blend of Vermentino, Bosco, and Albarola grapes. Our challenge was to sample all five to determine how each was subtly different based on the specific conditions of each vineyard – sun, soil, verticality, precipitation. They were all wonderful, but we were partial to our “hometown” wine from Begasti. And we got to keep a cool souvenir placemat too.

Finally, I made sure we were able to try one type of local wine we hadn’t had before – Pigato. The Italian Wine Guide tells us that Pigato is genetically identical to Vermentino, but it “nevertheless achieves unique expression: pigato favors the earthy side of the flavor spectrum, is a bit more acidic and has a touch more body weight… in addition, pigato is inclined to have more pronounced saline notes, making it ideal for local seafood and shellfish.”  Yes, we had it with a lovely main course of fish at the Torre Aurora restaurant in Monterosso.

Lombardy

Our last region in Italy that we explored was Lombardy, in the north central portion of Italy along the border with Switzerland. We visited Milan and Lake Como, and both exposed us to wonderful wines. One of our best experiences was a nice rosé from Cantrina vineyards in Beddizole, in the eastern portion of the region. It was made from Pinot Noir grapes and was delightfully refreshing. We had it at a hilltop restaurant in the town of Bellagio on Lake Como. And of course, it had a great label (did I tell you I am a sucker for cool labels?).

Perhaps the most common white wine in Lombardy is Lugana. The Italian Wine Guide tells us that Lugana wines are comprised of “a minimum of 90% Trebbiano [grapes]. Trebbiano-based wines deliver light, crisp green fruits with a touch of chalky minerality and bitter almond.” We had this one several times, primarily at Lake Como, and it was our go-to wine for most meals.

Three in particular we liked, all from vineyards just south of Lake Garda on the eastern border of Lombardy, and all 100% Trebbiano:

• I Frati, with a very elegant label (!), described on the vineyard’s website as “the jewel in the crown”;
• Marangona, from an organic winery; and
• La Rifra.

As noted earlier, Trebbiano is the second most widely planted grape in the world and is used in more than a quarter of Italy’s primary wines, yet it is often looked down upon as a run-of-the-mill grape. Wines of the World calls it a “fairly ordinary grape,” and the Italian Wine Guide says “Overall, it is a lackluster grape and usually makes disappointing neutral-tasting wines” but “At their best, they deliver subtle, crisp green fruits and a touch of chalky minerality with high levels of acidity.” We enjoyed our Luganas, and we thought it was especially refreshing on hot afternoons.

What About the Reds?

You may have noticed that most of the wines I mentioned were whites, other than the Chianti Classicos from Tuscany. Obviously, there are many, many great red wines from Italy – including my favorite, Brunello, along with Barolo, Barbera, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, and many more. We tried a few, but honestly, given the extremely hot weather in Italy, we focused primarily on whites just because they were more refreshing on those hot days.

One of these days, I’m going to start reviewing a lot of Italian wines, so I’ll be sure to include my favorite reds, so stand by.

Conclusions and Observations

Overall, we were extremely pleased by the variety of wines we tried in Italy. If I could pick out two favorites, they would be:

• The Chianti Classico, with its wonderful dark and refreshing fruit taste; and
• A tie between the Vernaccia from San Gimignano and the a Scià Vermentino from Cinque Terre. Did I mention the latter had about the best label I’ve ever seen?

Ciao, salute, and cin cin!

(Posted June 2, 2022)

“If we sip the wine, we find dreams coming upon us out of the imminent night”
― D. H. Lawrence

This is the thirteenth in a review of wines that were mentioned in the great book by Kermit Lynch, Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Lover’s Tour of France. Once again a reminder – Lynch’s book is by far one of the most enjoyable and informative books about wine you’ll read.

Our wine for this review is another white wine from Burgundy – a Chardonnay from the village of Meursault (pronounced “Mehr-so”) and the Domaine Rémi Jobard. About Meursault, Kermit Lynch writes:

The Côte d’Or is largely, almost exclusively, planted in Pinot Noir until you arrive at Meursault, Puligny, and Chassagne [wines from which we reviewed earlier], today’s great white Burgundy villages. Here are the Chardonnays that launched a thousand Chardonnays, which all the wine-producing countries of the world desire to emulate…. Meursault has been kind to me over the years. I have worked with a number of proud growers, each with his distinctive style, each with plots of vineyard in several different sections of the slope, so that Meursault has become in my mind a  mosaic of friendly faces, cellars, and wines.

As a refresher from wines from Burgundy we’ve reviewed earlier, Burgundy is, of course, a famous wine-growing region in east central France. Called Bourgogne in French, it is famous for well-regarded red and white wines, with whites coming almost entirely from chardonnay grapes. According to The Oxford Companion to Wine, vineyards dating to the first century have been found in the area. A tribe of Burgundians from Scandinavia settled the area in the fifth century, giving the area its name. As noted in The World Atlas of Wine, “Burgundy is not one big vineyard, but the name of a province that contains several distinct and eminent wine regions.”

Our Meursault came from the Côte d’Or region of Burgundy (the word “côte” means hillside or slope, so the name of the region literally means “golden slopes” or “golden hillsides”). The Oxford Companion to Wine tells us that the Côte d’Or is “the heart of the Burgundy wine region,” and that Chardonnay is grown on approximately 49% of Burgundy vineyards (the other major wine grown there is Pinot Noir).

Meursault is a village in the southern Côte de Beaune subdistrict of the Côte d’Or region. The Oxford Companion tells us that Meursault is a “large and prosperous village… producing mostly white wines from the Chardonnay grape…. Although Meursault contains no grand cru vineyards [the highest level of quality in Burgundy], the quality of white burgundy from Meursault’s best premiers crus is rarely surpassed.”

Beaunetourism.com tells us, “They say that the name Meursault means ‘mouse’s jump’ because, in the past, the plots producing red wine would not have been separate from those producing white by more than a mouse’s jump…. The village of Meursault with its beautiful wine châteaux, prosperous village houses and the spire of the Gothic church that seems to tease the clouds, is a dream, but the important work goes on underground. For this is where the alchemy, dosed with just the right proportion of clay, limestone and marl, prepares the inimitable style of the wines of Meursault….”

The Jobard vineyards were established in 1860 and are now run by the family’s fifth generation. Wine.com says “Rémi Jobard is the dynamic son of Charles Jobard and nephew to Francois Jobard. Growing up and learning form these legendary brothers inspired Rémi to follow in his father’s footsteps and eventually take the helm at this remarkable domaine. As is normally the case in Burgundy, with a famous last name comes an enviable assortment of vineyards. Since 1994, the domaine has not used any herbicides or pesticides. After Rémi took over, he decided to take the quality of farming to the next level, converting to organics and eventually getting certification [as organic] in 2011.”

Wine.com says, “All of Rémi’s wines show a breathtaking clarity of terroir, which come from the impeccable farming and a simple hands-off approach in the cellar; all of the wines are aged in a mixture of barrique [barrels] and large older foudre [large oak casks]. When asked about his approach Rémi says, ‘We are very privileged to have great terroir in Meursault. Everything I do in the vineyard and in my cellar is to make sure that terroir is transparent and completely unobscured.’ Tasting through the lineup is a true masterclass of Meursault – a sensual tour of rock and vine.”

Incidentally, the words “sous la velle” on the label means “under the eaves.” I couldn’t find anything specific referring to why this wine was named that way, but it’s quaint nonetheless.

So what were we to expect?

Most reviewers were ecstatic about Meursault in general and Jobard’s in particular. For example, Wines of the World said, “This large village is renowned for its sumptuous white wines; great Meursault is not just rich and hedonistic, it is also invigorating.” Hedonistic eh? Beaunetourism.com writes, “A clear and bright golden-green colour, a nose of great finesse with aromas of lime, hawthorn and butter notes, hazelnuts and honey depending on the ‘climat’, i.e the soil – that’s the calling card of a Meursault wine. Whether you’re an amateur or a connoisseur, the aromatic power of the wine of Meursault, a magical balance between smoothness and freshness, and its length on the palate impress.”

Winesearcher.com says, “The commune’s wines are renowned for being among the richer, more full-bodied Burgundy whites. Tasting notes commonly cite notes of butter, almonds and grilled hazelnuts, alongside the finer citrus fruit and mineral elements. The geological differences across the commune’s vineyards are famously discernible in their wines.”

Winelibrary.com tells us, “Offering up aromas of pear, white flowers and almond paste, the 2018 Meursault Sous la Velle is medium to full-bodied, satiny and enveloping, with a more textural profile than its 2017 counterpart, though it remains lively and precise, concluding with a saline finish.”

Grapecollective.com calls Meursault “The Stranger You Can Take Home” and tells us, “When the wine is young, it shows a bouquet of white and yellow flowers along with flint minerality, and buttery, honeyed citrus fruits. On the palate it is rich, almost fat and round, with a toasted nutty flavor of almonds and hazelnuts.”

What was our experience? I have to admit that our experience with this Meursault wasn’t as overwhelming as that of the reviewers I mentioned above. My guest tasters (Lisa and Bethany) and I detected aromas of light citrus and vanilla, with a taste that was better and stronger than its aroma. It definitely had a buttery and mineral taste, but to us it wasn’t anything outstanding or out of the ordinary. Its alcohol was 13%, it was relatively dry with medium acidity and body. But it didn’t knock our socks off. It did improve after being open for half an hour or so, and it tasted better with our appetizers (crostini with goat cheese). But compared with other white Burgundies we’ve tried, it didn’t particularly stand out. I was definitely expecting more!

So what was the verdict?  On a scale of 1 to 10, this would have to be a 7.5, on the strictly subjective numerical scale (lower than other Burgundy whites we’ve tried). But what about the Bang for the Buck?  Our Meursault ranged from $75 to $90 on various sites, and you can find other Meursaults on the lower end of that range at many wine stores. But as mentioned, it wasn’t particularly outstanding compared with other white Burgundies we’ve tried. So on the “bang for the buck” scale, this was low to medium. I have to say I was slightly disappointed given the glowing reviews others gave this one. Maybe ours was an exception, or maybe we didn’t give it enough time to oxygenate or age (even though it was a 2018). But if I was going for a white Burgundy, I’d go for some of the others we’ve reviewed (such as the Puligny-Montrachet, Montagny, or even an Aligoté) instead of this one.

Experience reminder: I’ve been exploring more about how our experiences with wine shape our tastes and memories. Nikki Goddard has an interesting article on the website of the Napa Valley Wine Academy called “Wine and the Power of Suggestion.” Goddard writes:

When we sniff and sip wine, the brain takes cues from the sensory cells on our tongue and the olfactory bulb in our nose. It gets right to work on converting the contents of the glass to a coherent taste analysis based on our memories, expectations, and even our mood. These factors impact our experience of wine on a given occasion. It explains why someone can fall in love with a wine first tasted during a honeymoon trip to Italy but then be underwhelmed by the very same wine (the second bottle you brought home) after a tough day at work. And if you were anticipating that the second bottle would be just as revelatory as the first, it might compound that effect, as you’ve set your expectations way too high.

Goddard goes on to say, “You’ll want to work on trusting your instincts and remembering the high degree of subjectivity and personal variance involved in the perception of wine. In wine education, tasting groups—blind or otherwise—are an invaluable study tool and a great way to spot gaps in your tasting threshold (which we all have) while sharing your unique insights with others to help fill their gaps.” Good advice!

Book recommendation: An interesting little book is The Dirty Guide to Wine: Following Flavors from Ground to Glass by Alice Feiring. This one doesn’t organize wine by grape or region but instead focuses on the ground and the soil in which grapes are grown and how those factors affect wine’s taste and texture. Fascinating stuff!

(posted April 4, 2022)

“Wine enters through the mouth,
Love, the eyes.
I raise the glass to my mouth,
I look at you,
I sigh.”
― William Butler Yeats

This is the eleventh in a review of wines that were mentioned in the great book by Kermit Lynch, Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Lover’s Tour of France. Once again a reminder – Lynch’s book is by far one of the most enjoyable and informative books about wine you’ll read.

Our wine for this review is an Aligoté from Domaine de Villaine in Burgundy. If pork is “the other white meat,” then Aligoté  is definitely “the other white wine” from Burgundy. About this varietal and domaine, Kermit Lynch writes:

I have developed a soft spot for the wines of the Chalonnais, particularly the Montagny blanc and the Aligoté from Bouzeron…. Traditionally, Aligoté was celebrated for its precociousness. The Burgundians drank all of it themselves, drawn right out of the barrel, while it was still full of gunk, funk, and fizz….but in 1979, de Villaine came up with something special. First, his grapes came from the stony Bouzeron slopes, the only village deemed worthy enough to broadcast its name on an Aligoté label. From a parcel of seventy-year-old vines he barrel-fermented the juice without chapitalization. It was bottled directly from the barrel, unfiltered. Nothing added, nothing taken out!

It was a striking wine, with depth, balance, and a delicious aroma reminiscent of fresh pear and pear skin…. I saved a few bottles just to see what might develop. Every time I opened one, rather than beginning to deteriorate, the wine continued to improve…. It was still alive and really, well, quite grand in its way. A mere Aligoté. But if you are looking for great Burgundy, there is your recipe: a careful winemaker, old hillside vines, traditional  vinification without excess chapitalization, then bottled unfiltered.

The Oxford Companion to Wine reminds us that chapitalization is a “common winemaking practice… whereby the final alcoholic strength of a wine is increased by the addition of sugar to the grape juice or must, before and/or during fermentation…” So Lynch noted that Domaine de Villaine does not need to use that method to increase the alcoholic content of Aligoté – it’s fine just the way it is!

But first let’s revisit the overall Burgundy winemaking scene. First of all, Aligoté is a real outlier, comprising only a tiny fraction of wines produced in Burgundy. Chardonnay  comprises 46%, with Pinot Noir a close second at 36%. Gamay (primarily used in Beaujolais) makes up 7.5%, with Aligoté at only 6% (remember that Burgundy winemakers don’t make blends – all wines are generally 100% one type of grape).

Aligoté is grown in one tiny area within the Côte Chalonnaise, the “middle” subregion of Burgundy. The Oxford Companion tells us that the area “gets its name from the town of Chalon-sur-Saône, which had been an important Celtic trading centre in Ancient Gaul.” The World Atlas of Wine says that the terroir in this area is “green farming country with some limestone-dominated vineyards.” Bouzeron is the main village where Aligoté is grown.

Wine Searcher says that “DNA profiling has proven [Aligoté] to be a member of the wider Pinot family, of which Chardonnay is also a member…. Aligoté has been a part of the Burgundian wine landscape for more than 200 years, planted alongside Chardonnay…. Despite being best known as a French grape, Aligoté is grown in more significant quantities in other locations, notably in Eastern Europe. Many thousands of hectares are currently planted in countries like Bulgaria and Romania, where Aligoté wines have a surprisingly strong following.”

Apparently Aligoté was much more prominent in Burgundy in its early days, but after phylloxera wiped out most of France’s vineyards in the late 19^th century, it all but disappeared until the mid-20^th century. Wine Enthusiast says “some prominent family growers loved their hillside Aligotés, especially from old vines, and continued to produce the variety in addition to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. They were enchanted by the wine’s lightly floral aromas, the combination of citrus fruitiness and flinty minerality and, above all, its vivid, mouthwatering acidity. It can also age for several years.”

So what were we to expect? I mentioned in an earlier post (describing our wine tour of France) that Aligoté was one of the pleasant surprises on our trip. We thought it was crisp, bright, and very tasty especially given its price. Vins de Bourgogne says that Aligoté is “a palette of flavor” and “first catches the eye with its pale yellow color with hints of gold. On the nose, it offers a range of delicious aromas of white-fleshed fruit, white blossom, peach, lemon, linden, acacia, hazelnut, green apple, and sometimes even citrus. On the tongue, it is remarkably fresh, with hints of saline and a fruity acidity that ensures good length.”

Wine Searcher says, “Wines produced from Aligoté are generally dry in style, with floral and herbal notes, naturally enhanced by the variety’s high levels of acidity.”  Vine Pair says “Aligoté is a quaffable gem, dry with floral and herbal notes and an almost lemony character.” Eric Asimov of The New York Times reviewed several Aligoté bottles in 2018 and said they “had a depth of texture that seemed to unfold in the mouth.”

And Dave McIntyre of The Washington Post said in a 2011 review that Aligoté “has a pale-golden straw color and discreet floral aromas that hint of an acacia tree just out of sight in the next year. The grape’s acidity gives the wine a lemony character, though because this is Burgundy there is richness as well: Think lemon curd, accented with the toastiness of roasted hazelnuts. I’ve seen this toasty character described as ‘warm croissant,’ which gives the appealing image of wine with breakfast.” Okay then; I’m not opposed to breakfast wine. He also had a great headline for his review: Aligoté, a Wine for the Explorer Spirit!

McIntyre also mentioned something I’ve seen in other reviews: “The grape’s naturally high acidity can render the wine astringent, which is why in Burgundy Aligoté is often blended with a dash of black-currant liqueur to make an aperitif called kir.” I may have to check it out!

What was our experience? The Aligoté from Domaine de Villaine we tried (2019) was high in alcohol – 14%. Like other bottles of Aligoté we had in France we thought it was…. delicious! Its aromas were of green apple, pear, and even a little rubbing alcohol (not in a bad way – perhaps that’s just its astringency showing). Its taste was floral, fruity and even a tiny bit buttery (yes, a little buttery, but when mixed with the others it was a great combination). It also reminded us of honey, and of verbena soap with its lemony accents (and I love L’Occitane verbena soap!). My guest taster (Lisa) said it had a great texture and was somewhere between a chardonnay and a sauvignon blanc to her – not too oakey or buttery like a chardonnay, but not too citrusy like sauvignon blanc. It was the perfect middle in-between wine.

So what was the verdict?  On a scale of 1 to 10, this would have to be an 8.5 at least, on the strictly subjective numerical scale. But what about the Bang for the Buck?  In our case, the Domaine de Villaine Aligoté was priced at around $40, but you can find other well-regarded ones at around $25 or even less at most wine stores. So on the “bang for the buck” scale, this was definitely HIGH!!

Wine book recommendation: Our book this time is Wine Folly: Magnum Edition – The Master Guide, the literary accompaniment to the wonderful user-friendly website Winefolly.com (and the source of many of the wonderful graphics I use). It’s colorful, it’s practical, and it’s fun – a great resource for any wine lover. And go to the website – you can subscribe to its great e-mail newsletter.

(Posted March 20, 2022)

“I love everything that is old; old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wines.”
― Oliver Goldsmith, The Vicar of Wakefield

This is the ninth and tenth in a review of wines that were mentioned in the great book by Kermit Lynch, Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Lover’s Tour of France. Once again a reminder – Lynch’s book is by far one of the most enjoyable and informative books about wine you’ll read.

Our wines for this review are wonderful whites from the beautiful Côte d’Or wine region of Burgundy. The ninth wine in our adventure is a terrific Puligny-Montrachet from Domaine Jean Monnier & Fils. Number ten is a smooth Pernand-Vergelesses from Louis Latour.

Kermit Lynch writes:

For the great growths of Burgundy one goes to the gentle slopes of the Côte d’Or, a long, thin strip of vineyard that cannot supply the world with enough of its inimitable, incomparable nectar…. I always take a deep breath when I enter Burgundy. It is the most difficult wine to buy and its winemakers the most difficult to deal with. They are never happy. There is always too much rain or not enough…. Making Burgundy, buying Burgundy, what agony: the weather, the petit quantities, the prices, the vintages, the journalists assigning numbers to them as if they were grading term papers, the mistaken notion that big is better, the infinite occasions for this most fragile of wines to be spoiled somehow before it is uncorked… Burgundy, source of the highest highs and the most expensive depressions.

Kermit certainly had his issues dealing with the temperamental winemakers in Burgundy, and my experience visiting there in the fall of 2021 echoes that. The most overwhelming sense I got of Burgundy winemakers was pride – pride in their products, their opposition to blends, their almost incomprehensible number of climats or individual vineyards. Some wine lovers we talked to in Burgundy scoffed at other French wine regions – “Bordeaux, what do they know?”

To repeat some of the geographical information I shared in review #4 (Chassagne-Montrachet), Burgundy is, of course, a famous wine-growing region in east central France. Called Bourgogne in French, it is famous for well-regarded red and white wines, with whites coming almost entirely from chardonnay grapes. According to The Oxford Companion to Wine, vineyards dating to the first century have been found in the area. A tribe of Burgundians from Scandinavia settled the area in the fifth century, giving the area its name. As noted in The World Atlas of Wine, “Burgundy is not one big vineyard, but the name of a province that contains several distinct and eminent wine regions.”

Our wines come from the Côte d’Or region of Burgundy (the word “côte” means hillside or slope, so the name of the region literally means “golden slopes” or “golden hillsides”). The Oxford Companion to Wine tells us that the Côte d’Or is “the heart of the Burgundy wine region,” and that Chardonnay is grown on approximately 49% of Burgundy vineyards (the other major wine grown there is Pinot Noir).

I mentioned climats above; The Oxford Companion tell us that the “vineyards of Burgundy, especially those of the Côte d’Or, are the most minutely parcellated in the world.”

This is mainly because the land has been continuously managed and owned by individual smallholders…. The combination of the Napoleonic code, with its insistence for every family member, and the fact that the land has proved so valuable, has meant that small family holdings have been divided and subdivided over generations. One vineyard, or climat, as it is known in this, the cradle of terroir, may therefore be owned by scores of different individual owners, each of them cultivating sometimes just a row or two of vines.

Number nine, number nine….

Kermit Lynch tells us that Puligny is one of “today’s great white Burgundy villages. Here are the Chardonnays that launched a thousand Chardonnays, which all the wine-producing countries of the world desire to emulate.”

Puligny-Montrachet is a village in the southern Côte de Beaune subdistrict of the Côte d’Or region. Wine Searcher tells us that “The village was originally called just Puligny until 1879, when the Montrachet  section was added in homage to its iconic Grand Cru vineyard, Le Montrachet. The origin of these names is the scrubby Mont-Rachet hillside above the village: mont meaning “hill” and rache translating rather less glamorously as either ‘scab’ or ‘rash.’”

The wines from this village are known worldwide as excellent Chardonnays. Wine and Bean says: “Its blend of limestone soil, climate, and Chardonnay grapes enable the production of white wines with unparalleled quality. The structure and character of the style are marked by a full body with a mineral core and rich aromas of elegant fruit. Their reputation is reflected in their price.

Wine Searcher tells us that “it is the high-quality white wines – regarded by many as the finest possible expression of Chardonnay – that are responsible for Puligny’s fame and stellar reputation. The undeniable success of Chardonnay here is the result of several factors – most of them encompassed by the concept of terroir. The local combination of topography, soil structure and climate gives producers high-quality grapes with which to make their wines.”

And Vins de Bourgogne says that “Puligny-Montrachet, along with Chassagne, is the most perfect expression of the Chardonnay grape.” High praise indeed!

So what were we to expect? Vins de Bourgogne says that Puligny-Montrachet “is a bright gold colour with greenish highlights, becoming more intense with age. The bouquet brings together hawthorn blossoms, ripe grapes, marzipan, hazelnut, amber, lemon-grass and green apple. Milky (butter, hot croissant) and mineral aromas (flint) are commonplace, as is honey. Body and bouquet blend into a subtle harmony. This wine combines grace with a well-defined character and a remarkable concentration.” Winetourism.com says, “This appellation’s white wine has a bright gold color with greenish highlights, becoming more intense with age. The bouquet brings together hawthorn blossoms, ripe grapes, marzipan, hazelnut, amber, lemon-grass, and green apple.”

Our specific wine was a 2017 from Domaine Jean Monnier et Fils. Wine Enthusiast says, “This wine balances intense fruit with a steely core of minerality. It is packed with apple, crisp pear and kiwi fruits, contrasted with this tight texture and hints of wood aging.” BBC’s Good Food and Wine Club  says its aroma has “Classic notes of citrus, hazelnut and integrated, toasty oak,” and that its taste is “Smooth, creamy and exceptionally well balanced with a crisp finish.” 

What was our experience? I can honestly say that this was one of the best Chardonnays I have ever tasted, and my guest taster (Lisa) agrees. We detected green apple, honey, and hazelnut, with a slightly nutty aftertaste. One tasting note we read (as noted earlier) was hawthorn. Now I’m not too familiar with hawthorn, but I did hear it mentioned quite a bit when we were tasting wines in France in the fall of 2021 (in French it’s aubépine). Hawthorn is a tree with small fruit and fragrant blossoms that is mentioned in Kermit Lynch’s book primarily in the Rhône valley as contributing to an aroma often found in that area’s red wines. We were unfamiliar with its aroma until we sampled it in our “smelly kit” – the Le Nez du Vin. The guidebook included in the kit tells us that “the smell of hawthorn is reminiscent of bitter almond or star anise.” The sample included in the kit indeed smelled of almonds; once we were familiar with its scent, we definitely detected it in the wine, in both its aroma and its taste (yes, I know… power of suggestion and all. But it definitely did help us define what we were smelling and tasting).

Its alcohol content was medium (13%), its acidity was low to medium, its body was light to medium, and it was absolutely gorgeous in the glass. We both love French white wines (most recently we have been on a Sancerre kick), but this was about the best we have ever had. I repeat, THIS WAS ONE OF THE BEST FRENCH WHITE WINES WE HAVE EVER HAD.

So what was the verdict?  On a scale of 1 to 10, this would have to be a 9 or possibly even higher. But we have been pondering a better way to evaluate wines. From this point on, we are including the “bang for the buck” scale. In other words, is a wine’s quality worth its price? Would we experience something just as good in a less expensive wine? In our case, the Monnier was priced at around $75, though you can find it slightly cheaper if you shop around. But on the “bang for the buck” scale, this was definitely HIGH!!

Next up….

The next white Burgundy we tried was the Pernand-Vergelesses, from village of the same name in the northern Côte de Beaune subdistrict of the Côte d’Or region. The Oxford Companion to Wine tells us that white wines from this village “have a hard but attractive flinty character which develops well during bottle ageing.” Wine Searcher tells us:

The appellation’s white wines are more highly regarded than the reds. While adjacent to the red wine grand cru stronghold of Corton, Pernand is located on the western side of the Corton hill…. On this side of the hill, the terroir is quite obviously better suited to Chardonnay – producing flinty, austere wines which develop famously well with ageing. In fact, the Premier Cru vineyards in this immediate area hold the classification exclusively for their white wines. Pernand’s location, wedged between the Corton hill and the eastern slopes of the Côte d’Or, means that its vineyard sites are doubly sheltered from the prevailing winds. While this protection might be an advantage in certain ways, it also corresponds to a reduction in available sunlight – a vital resource for ripening grapes in Burgundy’s cool climate. As a result, Pernand-Vergelesses wines … have earned a reputation for slightly unripe, “green” flavors.

Bourgogne Info says, “This is the only commune along the Côte d’Or to offer both red and white wine on all four levels – grand cru, premier cru, village and regional…. Legend has it that the emperor Charlemagne had the vineyards replanted with grapes for white wine since the red wine originally produced there tended to stain his long white beard.”

So what were we to expect? Taste Atlas says that Pernand-Vergelesses wines “usually display aromas of white flowers and white fruits while aged version may evolve into expressions of honey and spices.” Louis Latour, the producer of the specific wine we tried, says “Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru … is pale yellow in colour with a powerful bouquet. It is fat in the mouth with grilled almond aromas. The wine is rich and round and very balanced with a certain tension on the finish. The oak is nicely mellow and the wine has very nice length.”

What was our experience? Our experience (with the 2018 Louis Latour premier cru, the second highest classification in Burgundy) matched some of the aromas and tastes mentioned by others. Its primary aromas were grass and pear, and we definitely detected tastes of honey, spices, and minerals. My guess taster (Lisa again) said it was “very smooth, very light, with no bite or acid.” We both thought it was silky and velvety on the palate. It had a high alcohol content (14.5%).

BUT…. All in all, our reaction was…. Meh. It didn’t really jump out at us as something special. Perhaps we were spoiled by the magnificent Puligny-Montrachet (we didn’t try them on the same days just to be clear). But it didn’t really make a huge impact on us.

So what was the verdict? On a scale of 1 to 10, we gave this one a 7. It was a good wine, but not a great wine, in our estimation. And on the bang for the buck scale, it would have to be a medium. I got it at wine.com for around $50. It didn’t resonate with us much more than a typical value wine, so I would say that you can get wine just as good for a lower price.

Wine book recommendation: We have two books about wine by the same author – Jay McInerney, most famous for the novel Bright Lights, Big City, who is also a dedicated wine lover. The first is Bacchus & Me: Adventures in the Wine Cellar, a collection of his wine reviews and columns he produced over several years. The second is Wine Reads: A Literary Anthology of Wine Writing, a collection of 27 articles on wine that he edited by brilliant writers from novels, memoirs, and nonfiction.  I enjoyed both, as they really broadened my knowledge both of wine and wine lovers around the world.

(Posted November 15, 2021)

“Age appears best in four things: old wood to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust and old authors to read.”
― Francis Bacon

This is the eighth in a review of wines that were mentioned in the great book by Kermit Lynch, Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Lover’s Tour of France. Once again a reminder – Lynch’s book is by far one of the most enjoyable and informative books about wine you’ll read.

The eighth wine in our adventure is a wonderful red from the northern Rhône valley: a Crozes-Hermitage from Nobles Rives by Cave de Tain (a well-known co-op in the valley).

About this type of wine (and the Rhône valley), Lynch writes:

“Sorting out the Rhône is not difficult…. The two regions, north and south, are about an hour’s drive apart. There are profound differences between the two in terms of landscape, soil, climate, and grape varieties employed …and finally in the taste of the wines themselves… most Crozes today comes from flat, sandy soil. An extraordinary Crozes is hard to find….

“After the dizzying number of appellations in the south, the northern Rhône is easy. There are but a handful, including some of France’s noblest: Saint Péray, Cornas, Saint-Joseph, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Condrieu, Château Grillet, and Côte Rôtie [reviewed earlier]. And in contrast to the numerous grape varieties permitted down south, the northern Rhône reds are the result of a single variety, the Syrah.

“One would think that a blend of grapes could create a more complex range of aromas and flavors than a lone variety, yet the Syrah juice eked out from one of those steep hillsides can produce wines of dazzling complexity, wines whose exotic aromas seem to shimmer and change like the flashes of color gleaming from a jewel.” Now that’s colorful writing!

Eric Asimov of The New York Times wrote about Crozes-Hermitage’s relationship to its more costly and famous neighbor to the south, Hermitage:

“Crozes-Hermitage has suffered, often rightly, in the shadow of Hermitage, a wine of greatness and grandeur grown on the magnificent hill called Hermitage. By virtue of its attachment to the Hermitage name, Crozes-Hermitage — grown in a region extending about 10 miles north and south of the hill — has often operated largely on the principle of reflected glory…. But this has been changing in the last 20 years, as more producers have sought to make wines of genuine quality. Crozes-Hermitage may not have the potential of the granite hillsides of St-Joseph, another northern Rhône region, but the wines can be delicious in their own right.”

The World Atlas of Wine talks about the “competition” between Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage: “Crozes, the village round the back of the hill, gives its name to Hermitage’s shadow, an appellation producing much more approachable wines….”

The Oxford Companion to Wine tells us that Crozes-Hermitage produces “more than eleven times as much wine as the much more distinguished vineyards of Hermitage which it surrounds…. The best reds are softer and fruitier than Hermitage because the soils are richer…”

So let’s explore two issues in more depth. First, the Syrah grape. It was also used in a wine we previously reviewed, the Côte Rôtie.  The Oxford Companion tells us that Syrah “is one of the noblest and most fashionable red grapes, if nobility is bestowed by an ability to produce serious red wines capable of ageing majestically for decades and if fashionability is measured by the extent to which new cuttings have been going into the ground all over the world…. So popular is the variety that in 2010 it was the world’s sixth most planted wine grape of either colour…” Syrah apparently originated in southern France, and it was “probably taken to Australia, possibly from Montpellier, in 1832…” where it is known as Shiraz.

The other issue I want to highlight is co-operatives. The Oxford Companion tells us that co-ops are wine makers that produce wine from a number of growers and are “ventures owned jointly by a number of different members, are extremely important as wine producers and have the advantage for their members of pooling winemaking and marketing resources and costs…. France’s cave cooperatives (often referred to locally simply as la cave) are declining in number and influence, but in 2013 the national total of 690 were still responsible for half of all wine produced in France.”

The World Atlas of Wine tells us:

“Unlike Hermitage, land in Crozes-Hermitage is relatively affordable and available – an opportunity for enthusiastic newcomers, joined by an increasing number of local growers who want to bottle the fruit of their own labours, rather than send it to the Cave de Tain co-op, which is still responsible for about 40% of the appellation.”  

The co-op website focuses on its sustainability practices and says that “It unites the leading wineries in the largest vineyards in France.” Hey, if you’re interested in becoming a part owner of the co-op, check out the Cave de Tain website! It has a section titled “How to become a vineyard owner.” I’m in! Who’s with me??

So what were we to expect? I think that many of us are familiar with Syrah and its unique fruity taste, whether we tasted it from France or Australia or elsewhere. (I first discovered Syrah in a bar car on a train traveling from London to Edinburgh in 2000 – I was intrigued and have tried many since).  But here are tasting notes from all over:

• Handpickedselections.com: “Rich, full, and well-structured, with aromas of blackberry, cassis, pepper, licorice and violets. The palate offers a remarkable level of balance, with opulent ripeness combined with the indelible finesse of cool-climate Syrah. Very long on the finish.”
• Total: “Peppery and cassis scents, plum flavors and soft tannin.”
• Decanter.com: “Lightly jammy, dark curranty fruit, a slight tarriness, chewy tannins, and some pepperiness on the finish. It’s aged partly in tank and partly in French oak for 9 to 11 months.”
• Wine.com: “Intense garnet red color with purple tints. Delicate aromas of blackberry fruits, with vanilla and light oaky notes. Rich on the palate with a good sweetness and a firm tannic structure. Final notes of fresh blackcurrant, violet and oriental spices.”

What was our experience? This was a lovely red wine that was very pleasant on the palate (especially when “slurped” – check out the previous entry). Our guest tasters – Lisa, Arleen, and Jim – really liked it and noted its dark ruby red color, its floral and dark fruit aromas, and its spicy/peppery and plum flavors. As a reminder, Kermit Lynch said that Syrah from the northern Rhône results in “wines of dazzling complexity, wines whose exotic aromas seem to shimmer and change like the flashes of color gleaming from a jewel.” I think we smelled some of those exotic aromas – not sure about the jewel part but it was definitely dark ruby red!

So what was the verdict? Again, I hesitate in delivering numerical ratings to the wines we review, as they have all been excellent in their own way. In this case, I was still basking in the glow of our month-long trip to France’s wine regions a month earlier. The day of our tasting, I had just returned from a week-long “isolation” retreat in Jackson Hole, my annual “quiet time” in the Teton mountains. I was eager to try a new wine and excited to be with friends again, and I was not disappointed – by the wine or the friends. It was a great time, with good food and great conversation.

So on a technical scale, I’d give this one an 8.5 – but a perfect 10 for the experience (I’m detecting a pattern here!).

Where can you get it? Prices for our 2018 Crozes-Hermitage range from around $25 to $30 a bottle at most wine shops.

Wine book recommendation: One of my favorite books on wine is Inventing Wine: A New History of One of the World’s Most Ancient Pleasures, by Paul Lukacs. It is an exquisite history of how wine evolved over eight thousand years from its accidental beginnings (“the nectar of the gods”) to its worldwide popularity today.