From Paris we ventured south to Montpellier by TGV and then hired motorcar to our hotel in Aigues Mortes along the Mediterranean. Named “Dead Waters” for the saline wetlands, this part of France is loved the world over by the chefs that rely on the fine Fleur de Sel that comes from these unique salty waters. In order to draw the most of our fortnight in France, we first ventured south to one of the most impressive collections of wines in France: Vini Sud. Every two years this event gathers innumerable vintners, wineries, and negociant houses to Montpellier where they sport there wares, visit with committed wine buyers, and vie to establish new connections around the world. It is a Mecca for importers looking high and low for the wines of southern France. In this fashion, in only two day’s time, we visited with over forty producers, tasting through their wines, discussing vintages and hearing news of fresh developments face to face –an approach both intimate and irreplaceable.
Aigues Mortes (from Aigas Mortas, Dead Waters)
Famous for Fleur de Sel and rich bull tenderloin (Pave de Taureau)
Wine is a variable creature whose shape shifts over time spent in bottle and also year to year according to the vagaries of each vintage. In addition, vintners and wineries improve on their traditions each year as they discover and adopt new technologies. For all of these reasons, we taste through each and every vintage to discern their differences and how we may secure the finest wine to bring to market. We tasted through Cotes du Rhone, Vacqueras, Gigondas, Rasteau, Tavel, Crozes Hermitage, St. Joseph, Cornas, Cotes de Provence, Gascony, Cotes du Roussillon, Maury, Collieure, Faugeres, Banyuls, Condrieu, Chateauneuf du Papes and a wondrous constellation of wines from Collines Rhodaniennes.
Rarely does anyone over the course of one day enjoy so many whites from Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier, Grenache Gris, Vermentino, Muscat a Petit Grains, Colombard, Gros Manseng or Ugni Blanc. Thank the stars for inox tanks! White wine production in the hot south has improved immensely through the temperature control of stainless steel tanks. The red grape varieties of this region have a far darker complexion and like the heliotropes sunbathing along the Mediterranean beaches, they soak up as much sunshine as possible. Carignan, Grenache Noir, Syrah and Mourvedre in particular are incredibly saturated red varieties that seem to enjoy as much light as they can get and so have made a happy home in southern France. (Monday February 22 through Tuesday February 23)
Vineyard tractor zipping through the
center of town tells us we're in the right place
Had a lovely day in Vouvray enjoying Chenin Blanc in all its many guises. Pichot makes fine Vouvray from Sec to Moelleux to Vendage Tardive! The Pichots are wonderful people making incredible wines. Their Demi Sec Vouvray is what we bring in at the moment and moving through the line up seemed like tasting a wishlist you dream to drink. When they harvested their late picked Larme de Bacchus they had to shake the snow from the vines beforehand because it was so late in the season. Just imagine how wondrously ripe it is! Seldom do all of the wines in a winery's stable taste so thoroughly good. Later we met with Philip Foreau and was first floored by his Champenois styled sparkling Vouvray. Moving up through his line we were actually moved by the wines every step along the way. These are no ordinary wines. Foreau crafts moving Vouvray that celebrate Chenin Blanc as only this particular parcel of terroir can. His Moelleux Reserve may have 150 grams residual sugar but you would never guess it for the equillibrium it shows of effortless acidity, textured body and pronounced fragrant flavors. Structure is everything and the flavors carry along long after each sip. Enjoying his accounts of each vintage, I looked up at one point to notice an article framed on his tasting room wall headlined "Les idees claires apres un petit verre!" and when I ponder how Foreau's exemplary Vouvrays are such stellar wines, I'm reminded that all the ideas are clear after a little glass. Tomorrow we aim for the best of Sancerre. (Wednesday and Thursday, February 24 and25)
Inimitable Pichot Vouvray
Spent the morning in the core of Sancerre, far beneath the hilltop town in labrynthine cellars winding every which way through narrow barrel rooms, down dark stone steps, through the frigid chambers; leaving with a complete understanding, at least of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir when grown on limestone, clay or flint. Lovely town, warm people, extremely cold cellars. Bruno and Thierré Prieur of Saint Pierre tasted us through a promising set of barrel samples both red and white and then tasted us through past vintages as far back as 1990 showing Sancerre can age despite people's thought that Sauvignon Blanc might not be a vin de garde. Vacheron beneath the hill proved just what different plots can express when vinified seperately. Biodynamic agriculture has teased even more quality and character from their already remarkable wines. If you haven't had a red Sancerre in a while, hurry up because the 08s and 06s are stunning Pinot Noirs that only show this way from Sancerre on ripe vintages and they're maturing nicely. After a delighful lunch with Bruno in Sancerre we zipped off to the cellars of Francis Blanchet in Pouilly Fume to enjoy the Blanchet's hospitality and the distinct qualities of Sauvignon Blanc grown and vinified separately from flinty clay, Kimmeridgian marl and extremely chalky limestone. These combine the exhilerating juicy acidity of Sancerre with even more minerality. If you like a filigreed, nuanced and architectural wine, these will exceed your expectations and bring a smile to any Sauvignon Blanc lover you know. Their 1999 Silex (that's right, before Didier Dagueneau somehow trademarked Silex, flint) showed remarkable youth and a breadth of fruit coupled with a minerality that reaffirmed our lesson in Sancerre that Sauvignon Blanc can truly age and to great heights in this case. (Friday, February 26)
The town of Sancerre upon the hill; a Shangri La for Sauvignon Blanc
Along the way to Chablis, in a round about way, we paid visits to Macon and Pouilly Fuisse in particular. Daniel Barraud shared the lay of the land and young barrel samples of 2009 and then hypnotized the lot of us with an impressive line up from 2008. Macon Chaintre, Alliance, La Vachere and La Roche always very nice, were showing even more verve than usual. 2008 was a very late vintage that received late winds from the North, drying, concentrating, and lowering the ideally ripened yield by 20%. These are sure footed and complex and certain to amuse those of us who love Pouilly Fuisse. Haven't tried a Pouilly Fuisse? Now's your chance to set the bar high while they are great values. Great terroir shows best with great winemaking like Barraud's. Afterward we made our way to Eric Forest's cellar to taste from barrel and catch the latest word on his enthusiastic plans. As we tasted through his 2009s Eric explained that going forward he plans to combine the elegance of Les Tillets with the gravitas of La Cote to craft a combination he's cleverly named L'Ame du Vigne. It translates to Spirit of the Vine but AME is also an acronym for Eric's grandfather Andre, father Michel and his own name. Hearing Eric's excited stories about each wine, I realized they reflect his enthusiasm for terroir and balance. Over time Eric has moved from doing most of his work in the cellar stirring the lees and tweaking this and that to devoting most of his tireless attention to his precious vineyards to leave the wines as tranquil as they may be in his calm, quiet cellar. Both Eric and his wines glow as if lit from within and both have a very bright future. (Saturday, February 27)
La Roche de Solutré as seen from Barraud's home
Our day of rest. Walking through the Grand Cru vineyards of Chablis and the terroir is apparent; the limestone is blinding when the sun comes out from behind the swirling clouds. Seashell rich stones that compose the southerly slopes soak up the sun in this northern climate. Most of the tidy vine rows are pruned to the Guyot but each neighboring vintner has their own touch and every now and then one training method shifts to another. From dirt workroads the difference between the steep limestone Les Preuses and the flatter rich soils of Bugros is apparent and suddenly the mineral beauty of Les Preuses comes as no wonder! Walking back to the hotel on a quiet Sunday afternoon, Chablis' street signs and power lines fade from view and nothing betrays its Medeival foundations as they're thrown into relief; the wrought iron railings, scroll cut shutters, grey stone turrets, the pagentry of Chablis' green and yellow livery colors hung as penants from the builings on the high road. Chablis is as it once was and will be: a calm, stone town known for making some of France's finest white wines. (Sunday, February 28)
Grand Cru vineyards looking south back toward Chablis
There's Grenuilles and there are grenuilles...
Roaming the boundaries of grand cru Chablis, we found ourselves along its southeasterly slope among the prized vineyards of Les Grenuilles with limestone soils that foster some of the world's most invigorating Chardonnay. Perusing the local wine list at lunch, we were tickled to find you could have a bottle of Grenuilles beside your plate of Cuisse de Grenuilles and so our table was set with a memorable, steely Chablis and a traditional plate of frog's legs that had been fried in butter, garlic and parsley as tradition would have it. The combination is as delicious as it is satisfying. Some pairings are too good to pass up. French cuisine offers even the most seasoned gastronaut as many adventures as he or she could wish for. At dinners along our way, we have savored many dishes unique to French cuisine: rich bull tenderloin from the Camargue (Pave de Taureau), salad with foie gras & giblets (Salade Gourmande), an ensemble of shellfish including langoustines, mussels, clams, scallops, & sea snails (Coquillages), pastry encrusted pigeon (Pigeon Croustillant), eggs poached in red wine with bacon & mushrooms (Oeufs en Murette), both veal and lamb kidneys (Rognons de Veau & Rognons d'Agneau), calf's head ragout in ravigote sauce (tete de veau en cocotte et sa sauce ravigote), rich textured pork rillettes (Rillettes de Porc Maison), roasted goose breast (Magret de Oie), land snails fried in garlic and butter (Cassoulette d'escargots), chilled rabbit compote with tarragon (Campote de Lapin a l'estragon), veal chops with mushrooms (Côte de Veau Braise Champignon), Seabream Filet in olive oil (Filet Dorade Royale huile d'olive), leg of guinea hen with forest mushrooms (Cuisse de Pintade et sa Dexelle Forestiere, jus Brun), and even pig's ear salad dressed in garlic and oil (Salade d'Oreilles de Cochon confite a l'Ai)! The peaceable kingdom that comes to the table is simply too inviting to resist and there are wines for each and every course. Such wondrous foods set the table and the local wines round out the experience reminding all of us that wine is food and that it should be seen, enjoyed and respected as such. A great deal of pomp and circumstance can shroud the simplicity of food pairing. Forget all that. It must be said that it is all very much easier than it seems; enjoy foods you would like to try with wines that interest you. Consider their weight, flavor, structure and intensity if you're concerned about a drastic contrasts, otherwise, simply dig in. Isn't life too short to eat the same things again and again and again and with a world of wine before us, why not look to wider horizons?
Salade d'Oreilles de Cochon confite a l'Ail
Recharged and ready to face the world, we spent the morning enjoying Chablis through the eyes of Denis Mery, the ever vigilant and indefatigable vineyard manager at Domaine Drouhin Vaudon. Rather than explain the lay of the land, Denis drove us atop the grand cru and premier cru sites to show just how much healthier his vine rows were in comparison to their neighbors. Denis and his team spare no measure in fostering the finest fruit through various means of horse plowing, mindful pruning, biodynamic maintenance and many other demanding details carried out by hand. The wines reward such efforts with ripe concentration and superior length. Our next stop was at Louis Michel & Fils where we met up with Guillaume Gicsqueau-Michel who with his uncle Jean-Loup tends some of the finest parcels in Chablis. Minimal manipulation is the philosophy here and this extends to the cellars where no one has found a single oak barrel in over forty years. Nothing stands between you and the terroir that earns Chablis its lofty reputation and since Michel plots are vinified separately it is our pleasure and privileged to see each magnified on their own, to reveal the focused, charming and compelling qualities of each lot in particular. These are polished wines with verve that tingle, shimmer and quake with a balanced mineral structure and great length. Later that afternoon, we rounded out our Chablis experience with a tasting with Didier Seguier, vigneron par excellence at the renown William Fevre. With 116 acres of Chablis and more than half of those premier cru and grand cru, Didier explained that William Fevre owns the widest array of grand cru Chablis' vineyards of all the growers in the area. He also explained that 90% of his job is spent among those vines with only 10% in the cellar. Starting with fourteen people Didier has grown his team to twenty-two so they can work toward more precise pruning, green harvesting, bud thinning and controlled yields. As a result, William Fevre's grand stable has never been so extraordinary. From the Domaine Chablis through to the Les Clos Grand cru, each of the wines is impressive, clear, balanced, mineral, textured and leaves me wishing for a plate of all the shellfish of the bountiful sea. These are Chablis to please the most fastidious, to lure the hardened skeptic and satisfy the longing search for mineral terroir as only Chablis can satiate -and sated we were. That evening we soared along the Route Nacionale to the historic and spiritual center of Burgundy, the town of Beaune. (March 1st)
William Fevre of Chablis
Few things stir the morning senses like the latest vintage drawn from barrel and tasted among the choir of barrels in the cool and deep-delved earth. At Liger Belair we met an impressive array that revealed this is not a house of extraction but rather one giving their all to convey the elegance of preeminent terroir. The holdings of Liger-Belair read like a wishlist for those who love Burgundy; Chambolle Musigny, Vosne Romanee, Gevrey Chambertin, Corton, Clos Vougeot, Le Richebourg and La Romanee. The wines are complete with scented fruit, engrossing spice, eloquent terroir, enthralling texture and a seemingly effortless balance throughout their everlasting finish. Liger Belair has certainly proven itself memorable.
Larry enjoying barrel tasting at Liger Belair
Next we joined the scintillating Veronique Drouhin of Domaine Joseph Drouhin and were swept off our feet with the charms of all their wines. Over breakfast we couldn't help but notice Le Bien Public's cover article featured the "savoir-faire ancestral" of the Drouhin family praising Veronique as "The Style" of the universally admired family. Graciously pouring us through the bottles and barrels of 2008s and 2009s, Veronique paused as we did to enjoy a little more time with the 2008 Beaune Clos des Mouches Blanc. Even though it was only bottled a short time ago, this already brimmed with sappy verve, the power of Corton and the elegance of Puligny. Asked when she thinks these are drinking their best, Veronique told us how they recently tasted a Clos des Mouches that was profoundly fresh and expressive and were surprised to find it was from 1964. As a child she enjoyed nosing glasses and from this playful exercise she can usually identify vintages back to about 1959 but the vivacity of the Clos Des Mouches caught her off guard. From Chablis and Rully to Puligny and Chassagne Montrachet, these are arresting wines that cause for a pause and appreciation but then they seem so delicious and you remember these are for drinking not preserving! The reds seemed rounder and fresher in a perfumed way that seemed to glow. Is it that 2008 has resolved into a phenomenal vintage? That all the praise of 2009 is true? That organic and biodynamic viticulture results in finer wines? That those at Drouhin have an unwavering attention to detail and respect for their terroir? Yes.
Joseph Drouhin
Cellers of the Dukes of Burgundy and the Kings of France
Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg followed lunch and its wines are as compelling as they are pure. No fining or filtration stands between you and the terroir and as a result one can get an honest view of each vintage. Marie-Andree led us below through the barrel storage to the tank room where bottles spoke of the 2008 and 2009 vintages in turn. Each year the wine press is meant to asses each vintage once it is barreled during November following the harvest. Growers agree this is myopic because more often than not malolactic fermentation has not yet finished and the shock of fermentation is still too fresh. Late winter is really the earliest we should even consider making any judgments for then the wines are coming into their own; all abrupt changes are complete and the calm wine can now begin their slow evolution over time. Much like those we tried earlier, Mugneret wines showed great promise in both 2008 and 2009. 2008 brought classic well balanced, expressive wines whereas those from 2009 already seem rich and ripe with an allure ahead of most vintages. Mugneret exemplifies a phenomenon we've come to appreciate; despite all the frantic concern that much of the media devotes to vintage variation, we find that the best producers and parcels are above the vagaries of yearly swings. They produce fine wine even during challenging vintages because their vineyards are as tidy and healthy as manicured gardens and the hilly terroir they farm is of a finer composure than the plains and vales that yield more fruit and lesser wines. Mugneret's wines remind one of Burgundy as you'd always like it: with electric personality, the fragrance of beguiling fruit and shifting seasons and a unique charm to each individual climat. Both 2008 and 2009 is enough to devote all your allowance to fine Burgundy.
Mugneret: nothing plain nor simple save the tasting environment
Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé
With storm Xynthia tearing apart the Atlantic coast, France was aloft with dark clouds and a blustery North wind. By the time we pulled into Vogüé, the sun had swept the clouds aside as if to nudge us toward some holy grail. The first birds of spring were trilling as winemaker François Millet led us below to introduce us to the wines of 2009. Barrel sampling has never been such a rhapsodic and lyrical experience not only for the inspiring wines alone but for the poetic metaphors that Millet sketches so vividly. In response to how struck we were by the Chambolle Musigny's depth of expression, Millet explained this came from 10-25 year old vines and like a young guy it is much more talkative "most of the time they speak more than the old guys. Meeting as an adult you have no reference of who they were in their youth so this serves as an earlier introduction for when you meet the old vines as an adult." It was young and fresh, with bright acidity, with that sappy verve that sets apart the best wines and the fragrance was profound. Aromas suggested the afternoon rose that is a bit heavier scented -not quite as fresh as the morning flowers but stronger. We could have spent the day with that wine.