Monday, January 5th, 2009
A new year has begun and many wine merchants, including myself, are reflecting on this past year's sales. There is no doubt that we're in a recession, but I believe savvy retailers that do a good job finding value for their customers at all price points, will survive. However, it's not all dry pondering of numbers this time of year, quite the contrary. Most wine collectors and drinkers that I know tend to feel more generous around the holidays, and this can often result in some fantastic drinking experiences. Late during the week of Christmas, my wife and I hosted several friends over for a Loire Valley-themed tasting and this is what we drank:
- Francois Chidaine Montlouis Brut ($23/btl.)
Produce organically using the dominant white grape in the Montlouis AOC, Chenin Blanc. I’m constantly directing my sparkling wine-drinking customers to the Loire Valley because of the the incredible complexity/price ratios offered here.
- 2005 Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fumé de Pouilly ($45/btl.)
The late Didier Dagueneau (died in September of 2008 in an ultralite accident) was widely regarded as the most important producer of Sauvignon Blanc. Not just in France, but worldwide. His basic offering from the Pouilly Fumé appellation is 100% Sauvignon Blanc and shows all of the best citrus, floral, and mineral qualities that this area is known for.
2006 Jacky Blot Taille Aux Loups Vouvray ($17/btl.)
This is classic dry-style Chenin Blanc showing vivid citrus and pear flavors, along with limestone-driven minerality.
- 2005 Francois Chidaine ‘Les Bournais’ ($23/btl.)
This prized vineyard site was purchased by Chidaine in 1990. At the time, it was completely abandoned, and it took him several years to plant it. Located in the village of Lussault sur Loire, the soil has some clay, but is mainly limestone as the vineyard descends almost to the Loire. Planted in 1997, 2004 was the first harvest where there were enough grapes to bottle separately. Chidaine is convinced that this will be one of his greatest vineyard sites in the coming years. ‘Les Bournais’ is always made in a richer, off-dry style to showcase the depth of fruit and mineral intensity.
- 1999 Clos Rougeard Samur Champigny, Cabernet Franc ($40/btl.)
Clos Rougeard is owned and run by two brothers, Jean-Louis and Bernard Foucault. The vineyards have been farmed organically from the beginning. This is a classic example of what serious Cabernet Franc can do with almost a decade of age, produced by perhaps the most famous red wine producer in the Loire Valley.
- 2005 Beaumard Quarts de Chaume (Chenin Blanc) ($40/375ml)
Without a doubt the noble sweet wine of the Loire Valley, wines made in Quarts de Chaume are truly rare (the appellation received Grand Cru status in 1954). This dessert wine is produced using botrytisized (rotten!) Chenin Blanc grapes. Hand harvested, this is truly a labor of love. Shows rich, honeyed dried fruit flavors, and piercing acidity.
Monday, December 1st, 2008:
Wine sales for Thanksgiving were week up from last year, despite 'downturn' in the economy. Today, Monday is my day off; part of which is tpyically spent worrying about where inventory levels will be when I return to work tomorrow. New arrivals this past week: Ken Wright Pinot Noirs from Carter, McCrone, Shea, and Freedom Hill vineyards.
Thursday, November 20th, 2008:
Any halfway decent beer merchant in Portland (and likely anywhere on the west coast) likely spent a good part of today on the phone with customers; fielding requests for Deschutes Brewing Companys new 2008 Abyss Stout. And those of us who bought into this heavily-marketed beer last year, remember the crowds well. In all truth, I've never before seen such excitement surrounding a single beer. In wine, there is often a lot of buzz when The Wine Spectators Top 100 list is released (which coincidentally was also released this week), but hype in beer? When was the last time you remember a horde of manly men gathered around a beer cooler scanning its shelves for, say, Rolling Rock? The answer is never, because boardroom-concocted hype largely doesn't work on 'craft' beer consumers. However, I've seen this landscape change in the last few years and it is truly strange.
Wednesday, November 19th, 2008:
We're bearing down on Thanksgiving week and as a wine merchant that means lots of customer service, pumping up stock levels, and being even more creative than ever with food pairings. The past couple of years I've been posting a list of my recommended wines: dry sparkling wine, a dry white, two reds, and a semi-sweet sparkling wine. On my list this year are:
- Francoli Cava, Spain - $9.99/btl.
Cava are Spain's sparkling wines and when made in method champenoise can be just as serious as the best Blanquette de Limoux, Prosecco, and in a few cases, Champagne. I also brought in what I think is the best Cava this week - Kripta by Augusti Torello. The impressive-looking bottle is pictured below.
- 2007 Domaine Sorin Rosé, France $9.79/btl.
Perhaps no wine is more quintessentially appropriate for the Thanksgiving meal than dry pink wine. And since it is produced on nearly every continent in the world and in many variations (the best ones are dry!), it is usually easy to track down a good, affordable one if your wine merchant is savvy. I've picked the Domaine Sorin one because, first, it has since we opened been a customer favorite. Additionally, the price is right and it offers all of elements necessary to quench and please: juicy nectarine and cherry, followed by food-friendly acidity.
- 2007 Hugues Beaulieu Picpoul de Pinet, France - $8.79/btl.
Hardly any white French wine is as representative of the consistent values to be had in Southern French whites than Picpoul. With a medium body and mild citrus, apple, and pear notes, along with great acidity, it is also one of the most versatile value whites out there.
- 2007 Amity Gamay Noir, Oregon $21.59/btl.
Oregon has built its reputation for world-class Pinot Noir in large part thanks to a cooler climate that favors the finicky grape. However, another varietal that is proving to have great promise here is Gamay Noir, the grape responsible for the reds in France's Beaujolais region. Also a thinner skinned and lower-sugar grape, wineries like Brickhouse have brought attention to the grape in Oregon, and rightly so. However, where Brickhouse's version is prefumed and pretty, Amity's 2007 more resembles the wild allure of a Cru Beaujolais from, say, Morgon or Brouilly. I make such a specific reference because these 'serious' Beaujolais can be spicy and burly and full of wild 'field' fruit flavors. Not only is this the best Amity Gamay Noir we've tasted, but this might be the best domestic one we can remember.....ever. I can't imagine anything else that I'd want to sip while I chewed on some crispy turky skin.
- 2007 Vaona Valpolicella, Italy $11.79/btl.
In a winemaking region arguably most famous for the brooding and intense Amarone, Valpolicella is also the source for elegant reds comprised of essentially the same blend of grapes (Rondinella, Molinara, Corvina, and two or three others). Vaona is a key example of how 'smaller' producers frequently offer better values and wines of more character than their counterparts. I won't name any ubiqituous producers of Amarone or Valpolicella, but for me, wines like those hardly hold a candle to what Vaona is doing. In this, their entry level red, you can expect red licorice and rose petal perfumes, along with lovely sweet cherry fruit at the core of the flavors, along with just enough spice and balancing acidity to make it an exquisite food wine.
Jean-Paul Brun 'FRV100', France $18.59/btl.
The 'closing' wine is perhaps the 'coolest' sparkling wine I sell. Made by a famous producer of Cru Beaujolais, Jean-Paul Brun, it is a sparkling and semi-sweet Gamay. Sound odd? Well, there is nothing odd about true-to-form Gamay that displays layers of juicy watermelon and raspberry fruit with vigorous little bubbles and a sweet/tart finish that lingers for minutes. French speakers will notice that the name is also a play on words (FRV-Cent = effervescent), but what is much more cool is that it tastes ridiculously good.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving meal(s) and stay tuned!
Pictured: Kripta Cava
November 5th, 2008:
The fact that wine is just about entirely absent of politics is one of the things that I enjoy about working with it. It exists, at it's essence, purely to expand personal knowledge and provide pleasure; in short, to enrich life. However, I have to make an exception here and say something brief: Barack Obama is going to be our next president! Now, I've never read or heard anything about Obama's tastes when it comes to wine, but I like to imagine that he enjoys the stuff. For some reason I imagine him drinking something ponderous like Chablis or Sancerre or grower champagne. Despite his high profile, I just can't imagine him as a Silver Oak or Screaming Eagle kind of guy. I'm going to take it upon myself to get an answer to this and will post it here sometime in the coming days.
At Work Today: Tasted fourteen wines today , including 2005 Kestrel Cabernet Sauvignon, a new vintage (2007) of one of my favorite Valpolicella, Vaona, and am now sitting sipping a sample of 2001 Chateau Puligny Montrachet white (Etienne's first vintage making wine here) from the village of St. Aubin - 'En Remilly'. Gorgeous chardonnay with just enough age on it to turn the color a brilliant shimmering gold/bronze and introduce some lovely nutty/mushroomy oxidative notes. The fruit is still vibrant and tropical with gorgeous acids and exquisite length. Of course, samples aren't usually of this breed - I can typically expect on any given weeknight to be sitting with my wife squinting at a $5 Portuguese red that doesn't particularly inspire; this is a treat., thank you Perry Bishop from Bishop Wine Distributors. The wine retails for roughly $40 and I have the 2005 on the shelf at Market of Choice in West Linn. You can also find it online here.
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