The headline of the press release read, “Sagrantino inspired by Bordeaux to show off its qualities.”  Since it was the 30th anniversary of Montefalco Sagrantino receiving its DOC designation, this was a good time to make the announcement.  The wine also has been awarded the DOCG, so the consortium was looking for a way to bring more attention to the wine and the area.  What better way to do this than to imitate the French!

The Consorzio Tutela Montefalco, with the approval of The Ministry of Forests, Food and Agriculture, established a commission (the makeup has not been decided) to divide the wines into several quality classes, inspired by the model adopted by the Saint-Emilion area in Bordeaux in the mid-nineteen fifties. It will be known as: La Classification del Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG.

A conference on the Experimental Classification of Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG was organized for November 19 and 20 in Montefalco primarily to discuss the pros and cons of the proposed classification.  I was part of a group of journalists both international and Italian who were invited to the conference.   

Professor Dobourdieu, Professor Zampi and Daniele Cernilli speaking at the conference

A panel discussion moderated by Daniele Cernilli, Gambero Rosso magazine’s editor, included the distinguished Professor Vincent Zampi (Economics Professor of the Florence University). He explained the proposal and elaborated on it.

The other speakers were: Denis Dubourdieu (Oenology Professor at Bordeaux University), Attilio Scienza (Oenology Professor at Milan Univeristy), and French journalist Thierry Desseauve. Riccardo Ricci Curbastro (FederDOC president) and Stefano Raimondi (CE wine and food drink manger) also spoke. It was an interesting discussion and there were very good points made for and against the proposal. We will have to wait until next year to see what happens.

One of the questions that crossed my mind was why Montefalco Sagrantino was chosen as the first wine for this type of classification. The Consortium’s answer was that Sagrantino di Montefalco can be considered a unique laboratory for creating and perfecting a classification system. Of course the Consortium feels that the pros outweigh the cons.  They went on to say that the wine is neither well known, nor has it achieved the prestige that it deserves and that the classification may help to achieve these ends.  When I asked some of the producers how they felt about the proposed classification, there were mixed reviews. 

 To understand why the Consortium considers the wine unique and to understand it a little better, here is some information that I learned from my visits to Montefalco.

Sagrantino grapes

There are many different explanations on how the Sagrantino grape came to Umbria.  Pliny the Elder (d.79 A.D) in his Naturalis Historia writes that a grape called Itrola was cultivated there in Roman times. Some sources state that it might have been brought to Umbria by followers of St. Francis returning from Asia Minor in the 14^th and 15th centuries.  Others think that it is native to Spain and may have been brought to Umbria by the Saracens.

Recent studies show that the Sagrantino variety does not have any similarity to any other grape variety cultivated in Central Italy, nor is it related to Sangiovese as some believed. The grape is only found around five hill towns, Montefalco being the best known. It is therefore a very local grape variety.

The name can be traced to the Latin “Sacer”, meaning sacred and related to the sacraments, since the grape was cultivated by monks to produce a raisin wine used for religious rites.  Sagrantino is first mentioned in a document dated 1549 when a Jewish trader named Guglielmo and his wife Stella placed an order for this grape.

Montefalco Sagrantino D.O.C.G. must be produced from 100% Sagrantino grapes.  In the beginning it was only made into a passito (dried grape) wine. It is an ideal grape for this process because it can dry for as long as four months and can conserve its sugar components intact.  By law, this version has to be aged for 30 months and have at least 14% alcohol. The dry version (secco) must also be aged for 30 months (as of this year 36 months) but 12 of the months must be in wooden barrels. The alcohol content must be at least 13%.  It was not until the early 1970’s that a dry version was produced.

Sagrantino Vintage 1985

The Sagrantino grape is very high in polyphenols (substances extracted from the skins of grapes that provide the coloring and texture for the wine) and also tannin which helps red wine to age.  We were told by Signore Mattivi from the Instituto Agrario Di San Michele all’Adige that of the 25 most popular grapes tested, Sagrantino was the highest in polyphenols and tannin. I also learned that the structure of tannin is different in the pits and the skins. Even though the Sagrantino grape is so high in tannins because of the nature of the grape, it is possible to have a balanced wine.   Phenolics (polyphenols)  have powerful antioxidant properties, but I will not go into this discussion!

Sagrantino is a wine with unique characteristics and a number of producers make exellent wines. They deserve to be better known and I wish them luck with their classification!

After the conference there was a tasting of Montefalco Rosso DOC, Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG and Passito.  There are 47 producers that are members of the Consortium (a few producers are not members) and about half of them were present at the tasting.

***Next time my impressions on the tasting and my visits to Antonelli San Marco.where I tasted – 1985 Sagrantino and an 85 Passito., Adanti where I tasted wines from 2005- 1994. Di Filippi, an organic winery, Lungarotti  where I was given the grand tour by Chiara Lungarotti, Scacciadiavoli,. Fattoria Colsanto where I met my friend Valneo Livon and had a great lamb dish that worked perfectly with his wine. and Azienda Agricola Dionigi for a vertical tasting of Sagrantino

If anyone is interested I can e-mail the remarks on the classification made by Professor Vincenzo Zamoi which is in English.

Now that Prosecco has become DOC/DOCG, I wanted to find out what the producers thought about the new laws for Italy’s largest selling sparkling wine.  As luck would have it, within the space of two weeks, I was able to meet two top producers of prosecco and ask them all my questions and then compare their answers.

 Primo Franco, owner and wine maker for Nino Franco, one of the oldest and most respected Prosecco firms, and Tony Di Dio of Tony Di Dio Selections invited me to lunch to taste Primo’s wines.  I have known Primo for almost 20 years and have always found him very interesting and knowledgeable on the subject of prosecco.

Then, the region of the Veneto asked me to act as their sommelier at the Veneto exhibit in the Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Station.  Working at the stand next to mine was Matteo Bisol of the famous prosecco family. When we were not pouring wine we talked about prosecco in general and Bisol prosecco in particular.

It was fascinating to me that while Matteo Bisol is in his early twenties and Primo Franco who has been making prosecco for many years and come from different generations, their ideas on prosecco and the new laws were almost the same. They both had the same passion when they spoke about prosecco. 

Matteo Bisol

Bisol makes a range of prosecco but my favorite is the “Cru Crede”.  I asked Matteo what made his prosecco special. He said that the average vineyard holding in the prosecco area is very small, about one hectare. Because of this many of the large producers purchase most of their grapes. Bisol owns 50 hectares of DOCG vineyards including three hectares in the Cartizze zone with the highest and most expensive vineyards. Owning their own vineyards he felt gave them quality control over the whole wine making process and therefore a better prosecco.

Bisol Prosecco

             I asked Primo Franco to explain the new DOC/DOCG laws. He said that the Conegliano/Valdobbiadene zone, the historical area around these two towns, would now become DOCG. The zones that were IGT would now become DOC, and the rest IGT. This DOC would include the 9 provinces of Treviso: Vicenza, Padova, Belluno, Venezia, Pordenone, Udine, Gorizia and Trieste.   Only the producers in the DOC and DOCG zones will be allowed to call their wine Prosecco, while those in the IGT zone will have to call it Glera. The term Prosecco will be used to identify the region that the wine comes from and the grape will be Glera. This would all take place with the 2009 harvest.

Diego Cusumano and Primo Franco after lunch

Bringing more production zones under the DOC/DOCG regulations should make the quality of Prosecco improve.  Many producers in the IGT zones have not followed traditional methods leading to an inferior product that confused the consumer. The new laws will protect the producers who have worked honestly and respectfully following the traditions of the terroir, and the winemaking heritage that comes from this wine area.

Under the new law, a producer cannot make a “Rose Prosecco” (which I always saw as a contradiction in terms) nor have the words Prosecco Blend on the label. Prosecco is now produced all over the world, even in Brazil. Both Primo and Matteo hoped that the new laws would preserve Prosecco’s identify and integrity and that the new regulations will help people to understand that true Prosecco only comes from the DOC/DOCG zone

They both believed that the best Prosecco is produced in the Conegliano/Valdobbiadene zone.  However, they feel that there is a difference in the Prosecco produced in Valdobbiadene and Conegliano. Valdobbiadene produces lighter, more elegant wines with a mineral character. It gets more sun as it faces southwest and the soil is chalk and limestone so the wines must go deeper to get water. This area makes the best spumante.   In Conegliano, the soil is clay and much heavier which gives the wine more body and makes it more rustic. It is closer to the Dolomites in the north and makes better frizzante wines. Both own vineyards in Valdobbiadene.  I tend to agree with them.

.           It is interesting to note that 2009 has seen a dramatic fall in the price of grapes in Italy. Prices have decreased between 10% and 50%. The only variety that has not dropped in price is the prosecco grape from the new DOCG, Conegliand/Valdobbiadene! Even with the price of grapes remaining high and the lower yields from the new laws they did not think the price of prosecco would go up. They also did not feel that the lower yields would have an effect on the type of prosecco produced. Both felt that prosecco would keep its traditional character.

I also noted that both served their prosecco in a white wine glass and not in a flute. A flute is used for champagne not for prosecco!

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Recently, I was invited to meet Joel Peterson, founding winemaker of Ravenswood Winery in Sonoma. I knew Mr. Peterson by reputation and was looking forward to speaking with him and of course tasting his wines which are primarily zinfandels.  I had lost interest in Zinfandel over the past few years. I found them to be too high in alcohol with too much extraction and so concentrated that I could not drink them. Most of the top rated Zinfandels seemed over the top.

Joel Peterson and a Vine

We spoke about a number of different topics including: Phylloxera- problems past and present, St. George rootstock, UC Davis, how zinfandel came to California, zinfandel’s relationship to primitivo, experimental primitive plantings in California today, and how his winery got its name.

  I asked him what style of zinfandel he made. His reply was an interesting one. He said that he had a European sensibility when it came to making wine and he felt that his wine fell somewhere between Chianti and Barolo. He uses Old World winemaking techniques such as native yeasts, open-top fermenters, punching down by hand, and French oak aging. Mr. Peterson feels that each one of his vineyards is unique.  The elevation of the vineyards is anywhere from sea level to 700 feet.  The terroir varies so much that he trains the vines in different ways. For example, one vineyard might call for the Guyot, while another for Bush vines. Since most of his zinfandel vineyards are old they all have St. George root stock.  All this from a winemaker who has been making zinfandel at the same winery in California for over 30 years.

 All the wines we tasted were labeled “Single Vineyard Designate” and I asked what made them special. He said that the vineyard must be in a precise location and ideally suited for the variety planted there. It must have its own flavor characteristics and profile and the wines must be old with very low yields. The vineyard must be farmed by meticulous and experienced growers.

 All of his zinfandels spend 20 months in 100% French with a slight difference between new and one year old barrels. Mr Peterson did a very good job of integrating the wood with the wine. All of them were very well balanced and are very good food wines. His zinfandels were closer in style to European wines then to most California wines.

Ravenswood Zinfandel

The first wine we tasted was the Dickerson, Zinfandel 2007.  The grapes come from vines grown in St Helena in the Napa Valley that date back to 1930.  Made from 100% zinfandel grapes grown at sea level.  ($35)

  Big River Zinfandel 2007 -from the Alexander Valley from 100% zinfandel grown at 500 feet  ($35)

 Belloni Zinfandel 2007 – Made from 78% zinfandel and 22% blend of carignane, alicante bouschet, and petite sirah.  Some of the vines are over 90 years old Russian River grapes grown at sea level. ($35)

 Barricia Zinfandel 2007 -  The vineyard was first planted in 1892, Sonoma Valley. Made from 76% zinfandel and 24% petite sirah grown at sea level ($35) This was one of my favorites: very well balanced, with hints of blackberries and raspberries, this is a wine to be drunk with food.

 Teldeschi  Zinfandel 2007 Zinfandel 2007. Old mixed vineyard.  The wine is made from 76% zinfandel, 22% petite sirah, and 2% carignane. Dry Creek. grown at sea level.

Vineyard dates from 1913-197 This was my other favorite:  It tasted like an Old World Wine with cherry aromas and flavors and undertones of black pepper, tar and smoke it is a great food wine ($35)

 Old Hill Zinfandel 2007 –The grapes for this wine come from the oldest vineyard which dates back to 1880- Sonoma Valley. The grape varieties are separated in blocks–zinfandel, petite sirah and carignane and grown at 300ft. ($60).

   Peterson also makes the Icon Mixed Blacks 2007 36% carignane, 27% petite sirah, 25% zinfandel and 12% mixed blacks (some alicante bouschet) ( $75 )

 And the Pickberry 2006. Made from 74% merlot and 26% cabernet sauvignon.grown at 700ft.  ($50)

 If anyone could make me change my mind about zinfandel, it would be Joel Peterson of Ravenswood.

 Michele and I will be teaching a class on Italian food and wine for the holiday season at De Gustibus at Macy’s on Thursday Dec 3 2009.Information & tickets 212-239-1652 or www.degustibus.com

The League of Gentle Men

The day before our latest dinner, one of the members asked if I could come before our meeting to taste a bottle of wine. It was an older vintage and he wanted to try a bottle before investing in a whole case. He had visited the producer and had a special fondness for his wines.

1969 Bonnes Mares Domaine LeRoy

I arrived early and sitting on the table was a bottle of 1969 Bonnes Mares from Domaine Leroy. The bottle came from a case that had been recently opened.  It appeared to be pristine and the fill was very good. The cork was also in very good condition and was removed with an Ah-so opener. The color of the wine did not give away its age; it looked like a much younger than its years. The bouquet and taste did not reveal any signs of age and it had all the aromas and flavors of a great Burgundy.  I thought it was one of the best Burgundies that I have ever tasted, or should I say drank. Since the wines we were having with our dinner were a horizontal of Cos d’ Estournel, we debated for a few minutes whether we should finish the bottle with so many good wines to come.  But before we knew it, the whole bottle of the 1969 Burgundy was gone. I advised my host to buy the rest of the case.

Magnum of 1989 Krug

We have a tradition of starting off our dinners with Champagne, usually Krug, and this night was no exception. We began with 1989 Krug in magnum. At our last meeting in July we had a 1990 Krug also from a magnum. There was a vast difference between the two. The 1990 was fresh and bright and could last for many more years. The 1989 was very toasty and tasted like a much older wine and should be drunk now.

There were 7 of us at the dinner and we had eight bottles of Cos d’ Estournel (St.-Estephe) 55-60% Cabernet Sauvignon,35-40% Merlot with some Cabernet Franc.

 The vintages were 1966, 1975 1978, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990.

Clos d'Estournel

We decided to start with the oldest wines first to give the young ones time to open up.

All the wines showed very well and none of them were displayed any signs of age.

It is interesting to go back and read some of the comments written about this wine in 1966. The opinion seemed to be that the wine would not last into the 1990’s but here it was 2009 and the wine was still in great condition. 1975 was a vintage that most believed would never really mature because there was so much tannin that it would out last the fruit. The wine has matured very well. The tannins have mellowed and the fruit was still there.  It was the surprise of the evening.  82’s were given very high marks but the 1978, 1985, and 1988 were drinking much better. It was not that the 1982 was not good, it was just not as good as the others. I had the 1990 two weeks ago and it is a big wine with a lot of tannin and fruit and needs much more time. The 1990 we had this night did not change my opinion. There was also a 1996 but because the 1990 was not ready to drink we saved the 1996 for another time.

Once again it shows how long great Bordeaux can age and that sometimes the vintages that get all the hype are not the best in the long run.

 Michele and I are teaching at De Gustibus at Macy’s on Thursday Dec 3, 2009 For information & tickets 212-239-1652, www.degustibusnyc.com      Italian food&wine

                     Azienda Agricola Biologica Monte di Grazia Winery

              Every time we go to Italy I always find something new and exciting. This time it was the Monte di Grazia winery in Tramonti high above the Amalfi Coast.  Giocondo Cavliere, the Slow Food representative in the area was our guide.

               It was raining as we made our way to the winery and when I saw the hillside vineyards I was taken by surprise. The vines were very old; in fact I have never seen a vineyard with such old vines that were still producing.  Some were over 100 years old and most of the others seemed to be more than 50 years old. They were all ungrafted, meaning that they were on their own root stock. Since old vines produce fewer grapes, yields can become very low and this is the reason that most vineyards are replanted.  It seemed that the vines were never affected by phyloxera.  The organic methods used at Monte de Grazie also further limit the yields. The vines were planted in the tendone method. This is the traditional method for planting vines in Southern Italy. The leaves are trained to form a canopy that protects the grapes from the sun.  It is like a pergola with an overhead trellis from which the grapes hang down.  In one of the vineyards an old vine looked like it was holding up the whole tendone.  The poles that hold up the tendone are made of chestnut wood from trees in the nearby hills and the vine “branches” are attached to the tendone by willow shoots. All the grapes are picked by hand.

The Vines

          We were introduced to Dr Alfonso Arpino, the owner of the winery. He took us for a tour of the winery. It was a short tour because it was the smallest winery I have ever been in.

       He said that he had 2.7 hectares in four vineyards, the highest being almost 500m above sea level with a unique micro climate. The winery is very close to the town of Amalfi but way above it. His family has owned vineyards as long as he could remember but always rented them out. In the early 1990’s he decided to make wine as a hobby and soon it became a passion. Dr..Arpino has a young wine consultant that wanted to put the wine in barriques but he said no. All of his wines are fermented and aged in stainless steel. The different vineyards are vinified separately and malolatic fermentation is hoped for but does not always happen. Sulphur is never added to the wine. He makes only three wines and the total production is less than 6,000 bottles.

The white is wine is called Monte di Grazia Bianco and is made from the following local grapes:

Pepella  which,has only a few large grapes on the bunch, the rest being the size of peppercorns, though they all ripen at the same time. 

Ginestra, the name comes from the yellow-green color which is similar in color to the gorse flower.

Bianca Tenera (Biancolella) local white grape

 The Bianco had hints of citrus with undertones of pear and almond, a very nice mineral character and good acidity. I was so impressed that I stopped tasting the wine and began to drink it and I never drink wine without food. Dr Arpino was very pleased.

The red grape is the Tintore di Tramonti. It is grown almost exclusively in the Monte Lattari Valley. The grape is harvested at the end of September which makes it an early ripener for this area. This indigenous red grape variety belongs to the Tienturier family.  Tienturier means dyed or stained in French. The flesh and the juice of these grapes are red in color. The anthocyanin pigments accumulate in the grape berry itself. The free run juice is therefore red.

      Tramonti is one of the three sub-zones of the Costa d’Amalfi, the other two are Ravello and Furore. The Tintore grape is mentioned in the regulations but it is used as a blending grape. The Tramonti area has been neglected for the most part and therefore a wine made from mostly Tintore would be IGT. Monte di Grazia Rosso is IGT Campania as is the bianco and rosato

Monte di Grazia Rosato- made from 70% tintore grapes which have dark pink juice (hence its name) and 30% moscio, even more obscure than the tintore, an ancient red variety from Campania. I did not know about the existence of this grape variety.

Dr Arpino said that he introduced rosato wine with the moscio grape in the Campania region. The region was in the processes of considering it in the catalogue or list of grapes unique to the Campania region but he is still waiting for their decision.

As far as he knows the moscio grape only exists  in Tramonti.

  This grape also has pink juice, though not as dark as the juice from the tintore, and with a more delicate skin. There was no skin contact in the making of this rosato, just the juice from these two grapes to get a dark rose wine with good fruit and hints of strawberries and blueberries. It had good mineral character and acidity with a dry finish and aftertaste. It was one of the best rosato wines I have tasted from Italy.

The  Monte di Grazia Rosso.  We tried the 2005, 2006 and 2007 vintages made from 90% tintore and 10% pedirosso so-called because it has a red triple-branched stem that looks like a dove’s claw.

         The 2005 was drinking very well with red fruit, hints of black pepper and spice. It had a long finish with a great aftertaste of red fruit and black pepper. The 2006 was very different with more earthy aromas, fruit and only the slightest hint of black pepper.  It needed more time to develop. The 2007 had the same characteristics as the 2005 only less developed. These wines have the qualities that ensure they will last for a long time.  All of the wines had very good acidity so they are perfect with food. 

         The Monte di Grazia wines are only available in this country at Balthazar in Soho.

My men’s wine group “The League of Gentle Men” decided to have a dinner to celebrate Bastille Day. We could not do it on July 14th so we celebrated to the 13^th. It was held at Nice-Martin on the upper West Side. The food was excellent and went well with the wine. The theme of course would be French. For the first time we invited women. Only one of them showed up stayed for the champagne, and left.

The wines

 We started as we always do with Krug. This was a special treat because it was a magnum of the 1990.It did not taste like it was almost 20 years old. It was fresh and alive and has many long years ahead of it. I would have guessed it as being a 1998.It is always better to drink Champagne from a magnum

Next was one of my favorite white wines the 1996 Chablis Premier Cru Vaillons from Domain Jean and Sebastien Dauvissat. It had citrus aromas, hints of lemon and pear with a good mineral character and acidity, a great finish and after taste. This is an understated, balanced and elegant wine. It was served almost at room temperature which enhanced the flavor.

Chateau Lanessan 1996Haut Medoc-75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot 4% Piet Verdot & 1% Cabernet Franc. The blend is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon but it did not show in the wine. It was a very balanced wine, easy to drink, with red fruit aromas and flavors and a pleasant finish and aftertaste.

 Chateau Haut- Bages 1990 Averous-Pauillac There must be a lot of Cabernet Sauvignon in the wine because it had very pronounced bell-pepper flavors and aromas, which I found, made it a little one dimensional. It is the second label of Chateau Lynch Bages

 1989 Chateau L’Evangile- Pomerol  Made from 78 % Merlot and 22 % Cabernet Franc  This was a very concentrated wine with berry aromas of raspberry and cassis, and flavors of blackberries with a mineral character.

 1962 Chateau Lafite Rothchild-Pauillac- It was very interesting that the wine needed a few minutes in the glass to open up. It was ready to drink but could last for a few more years.

1979 Château Latour-Paullic This has always been my favorite Bordeaux and it was in my opinion the wine of the evening, classic Bordeaux in every sense of the word.

 1990 Chateau Montros- Saint Esteph- after we drank the wine some one said they believed the Wine Spectator gave it a rating of 100. It was a classic wine with red fruit aromas and flavors.

 1983 Mas De Daumas Grassac- Languedoc- This is a very interesting wine and one that most of our members were not familiar with. It is made from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and the other 20% made up of a number of grapes including: Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and Tannat among others. It had aromas of black fruit including black berries and black currents with a leathery berry flavor which continued in the finish and after taste. It was like an “old style” Bordeaux and had more than a few years left and the color was still dark.

 1988 Chateau Lafaurie- Peyraguey- I have never had a sauternes from this producer. One of our members  always brings an interesting dessert. It was the perfect way to end a great evening, sipping the wine and enjoying its orange marmalade flavor with over tones of honey and floral herbs, hints of spice, good acidity and mineral character.

The perfect ending

Tasting Pichon-Lalande and Pichon-Baron

The Wine Media Guild had another of its very special tasting luncheons at Felidia restaurant in the spring. One of our members, Mark Golodetz, brought together for the first time two of the great Bordeaux Chateaus for a vertical tasting:  Longueville au Baron de Pichon-Longueville and Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande. The vintages, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, were tasted side by side. As if that was not enough, with lunch we enjoyed the 1985 Lalande,1989 Lalande,1990 Baron, and, last but not least, a guest of one of our members brought a 1975 Pichon-Lalande in a Double Magnum.

Some of the Wines

The speakers were M. Christian Seely, Manager of all AXA-Millesimes properties including Pichon- Baron, and M. Gildas d’ Ollone, Managing Director of Pichon-Lalande.

As I tasted the wines I noticed immediately that they are very different though they are across the road from each other and at one time both were owned by Pierre de Rauzan. The Lalande always seemed more developed, with deeper richer fruit and riper tannins. These are very elegant wines and one takes to them right away. M. Gildas d’Ollone said that the wines had a greater proportion of merlot which may be one of the reasons that they tasted this way. Someone asked him what the difference was between the wines of today and those of the past.  He replied that there is less Cabernet Franc grown in the Medoc today and more work is being done in the vineyards so the grapes are healthier and riper with riper tannins. He went on to say that it is very important to plant the right grapes in the right part in the vineyard.

The Pichon Baron on the other hand seemed to be tighter and not as giving with stronger tannins. The fruit did not seem as rich and it did not seem as elegant.

These were wines that you do not take to immediately but have to spend time with, possibly due to the fact that they contain more cabernet sauvignon. Mr. Seely said that the wine must be an expression of the vineyard. Each individual parcel of land is set aside for a specific grape. Over the last ten years they kept down the yields and did away with everything that was not perfect in the vineyard.

The 1990 Baron and the 1989 Lalande in my opinion needed more time. Having wine with food changed everything and the Baron seemed to go better with the meal.

The wine of the tasting was the 1985 Lalande. One of the reasons for this was because it was at its peak. Of all the wines it was the only one that was really ready to drink. It was one of those wines which make you believe that Bordeaux is worth all that money.

The Wine of the Tasting -1985 Pichon-Lalande

When the 1975 Bordeaux first came out it was rated as a great vintage but many said that the wines were too tannic and would never be ready to drink. The 1975 Lalande was almost ready to drink and having it with lunch made a big difference.

The 1975 Pichon- Lalande

Most of the people at the tasting preferred the Lalande wines, though there was a small group that liked the Baron better. I did not really prefer one to the other. One was not better than the other; they were just different. For me it was amazing that in this day and age when many wines seem to taste the same we have a small miracle here. Two great wines across the road from each other, made from the same grapes, share the same climate and soil yet are so different that one could not be mistaken for the other. Viva La Difference!

The League of Gentle Men – Burgundy and Champagne at Bouley

   Someone said “Burgundy”, someone else said “Burgundy is always good”, and it was settled.

One member suggested Bouley, adding that he could make arrangements so that we could bring our own wine.

All agreed.  There are eight of us and the rule is one bottle per person – the rule is always broken.

   We started with Champagne — The 2000 Cristal Brut – 55 % Pinot Noir & 45% Chardonnay – it was rich, round, fruity and very elegant. I felt it was just coming into its own. Next was the 1995 Salon Le Mesnil – Blanc de Blanc. It was full bodied and complex with hints of nuts and coffee. This wine could last for many more years.

The Champagne

  1989 Bienvenues Batard Montrachet- Domaine Leflaive. This wine had everything going for it. Rich, round, complex, with aromas and flavors of honeysuckle and a steel minerality running right through the middle. The finish was long and lush and the aftertaste went on and on. This wine could last for 10 more years at least.

  2000 Red Meursault (Mangum) – Alain Cuche Bizouard. The wine was very light in color and light on the palate. It has all the burgundy characteristics but they were very subtle.

1998 Bouchard Pere & Fils Grand Vin De Beaune Greves Vigne de L’Enfant Jesus. Good combination of fruit and spice, with aromas of dark cherry and raspberry and a nice finish and aftertaste. It has many years to go.  

1990 Richotes Chambertin Monopole – Armand Rorisseau- soft red fruit flavors and a surprising youthfulness for a wine almost 20 years old.

1988 Echezeaux -  Henri Jayer – flavors and aromas of black raspberries, plum, coffee and mineral characteristics. The finish was long and complex.

1972 Clos de la Roche Joseph Drouhin. This was the red wine of the evening. It had everything one would want in an older Burgundy.

Some of the Wine

We ended with 2 bottles of Tokaji from Arvay – the first was an “Asuz” 2000 with it was six puttonys and the other said “sweet” 2001 and may have been late harvest. They both had fruity aromas and flavors with a lot of apricot and a finish and after taste like liquid silk. I could not taste much difference between them but at that point in the evening……. There were 15 wines in all but some were corked and some were just not up to par, which is why some members insist on bringing more than one bottle. And as one member is fond of saying “ There is Pinot Noir and then there is Burgundy”!

Three of the Wines

                   Spring seems to be the time of year for white wines from Germany, Austria and France.  Recently, I read Eric Asimov’s article in The Times entitled “The Wines of Spring”, attended the Wine Media Guild’s Austrian Riesling tasting, and enjoyed dinner with the Alsatian producer Frederic Helfrich.  The name of his winery is Helfrichmetz and it is located in the village of Marlenheim in Alsace. The day to day winemaking is in the hands of Benoit Pattin.

Frederic Helfrich, a  sixth generation descendent of the winemaking family, invited us to taste his wines over dinner at Corton Restaurant.  He was here to introduce both the Steinklotz Grand Cru and Noble Varieties wines for the first time in the US.  Frederic explained that his family’s winemaking philosophy is to have minimal influence in the cellar, to preserve the natural terroir and bring out the true flavors of the grape. In Alsace the grape and the place where it is grown is of the highest importance. The flavor of the grape and the terroir must come through. Because of this there is almost no blending of grapes. Natural yeast is used and the wines are aged in stainless steel or cement tanks, or old casks know as founders. When I asked Frederic if their wines underwent malolatic fermentation his answer was “never” I asked about “chaptalization” (the addition of sugar) in Alsace where it is legal. He did not say that it was never done but hinted that in a very poor vintage…. There is no way to tell when a producer does this.

Before we tasted the wines, Frederic said that with the release of these wines they are keeping one foot in the past and stepping one foot toward the future. By the future, Fredric was referring to the “Noble Varieties” line of wines. These wines are light in style, easy to drink, and consumer friendly because of the screw cap and the price. They were all 100% varietal from the 2007 vintage and retail for $15 a bottle.

Noble Varieties

            The first wine we tasted was the Pinot Gris. The grapes for this wine, like all of those in their Noble Varieties line, come from the Couronne d’Or (Golden Crown), an association of local vineyards and winemakers that run through the middle of Alsace. The vines are dry farmed and trained upwards for maximum exposure to the sun. Frederic added that the wines are bottled in Stelvin screw caps to preserve the aromatic potential. The wine was full and round,

with nice fruit flavors and a long finish.

            Next was the Riesling.  He said that this noble variety loves the long, cool and dry season afforded by the Vosges Mountains that hold out the marine influence. The wine was crisp and well structured, slightly off dry with aromas of apples and peaches and hints of minerals in the mouth with good acidity.

            Frederic feels that the Gewürztraminer is the quintessential Alsatian variety. It thrives in this region with the long, cool dry seasons and depth of minerality from the soil. This wine was very fragrant and fruity with hint of spice and aromas of pear. It is full bodied with a long finish and pleasant aftertaste.

            Then we tasted the Grand Crus, the Riesling A.O.C. Alsace Grand Cru “Steinkotz” 2005, 2006 and 2007.  Steinkoltz is one of only fifty vineyards in Alsace that has the Grand Cru designation.  Fredric said that this is one of the oldest vineyards recorded in Alsace and records indicate that in 589 it belonged to the Merovingian King Childebert II. It is located at the Northern end of the Alsatian wine trail. The wine was well structured clean with aromas of peach, apples and a hint of minerality. I asked Federic about these three vintages. He said that they were all very good vintages but very different. The 2007 he described as being bright and clean with a mineral character.

In 2006 the weather was very hot and humid so that it was a bigger, richer vintage.  2005 was the most balanced — a high quality vintage since the weather being almost perfect.

The 2006 Reisling had the same aromas as the 2005 only fatter, riper and richer, with a hint of pineapple and a darker color. The 2007 was fresher with good acidity and a high quality vintage.  Frederic also added that they only want Botrytis in their sweet wines. 

We also tried the Gewurztraminer A.O.C. Alsace Grand Cru “Steinklotz” 2005 ,2006, 2007.  The 2005 had hints of honey, tropical fruit and a touch of spice.  2006 was lush ,honeyed with hints of pineapple and flowers. I drank the 2006 with lobster, which was my main course.  It was a great combination.  2007 was fragrant with good acidity and hints of tropical fruit.

The 2005, 2006, 2007 Pinot Gris shared the same flavor and aroma profile being rich and full with a hint of smoke and good fruit flavors and aromas with slight differences according to the vintage.

Steinklotz Alsace Grand Cru

The suggested retail price for the Grand Crus is $25 and, like the Noble Varieties, I feel that they are a bargain though I prefer the former.

        Some members of the wine community think that Riesling is not only the best white wine, but also the best wine, period. There is even an International Riesling Foundation, with worldwide membership.

    In his article “ The Wines of Spring” Eric Asimov wrote in The Pour “I love Austrian riesling- just last weekend we celebrated my son Jack’s 18^th birthday with a bottle of 2000 Wachau Steinriegl Smaragd Riesling from Prager”.

 On April 1, the Wine Media Guild held a tasting and lunch at Felidia restaurant and the topic was Austrian Riesling.While I am more familiar with Riesling from Germany, France and Italy, I have tasted very few Austrian Rieslings and looked forward to the event. The speakers were Steve Miller, Director of Marketing, Lauber Imports and Jodi Stern from VinVino Imports. Jodi has a special fondness for Austrian Riesling and this came out in her presentation. There were 16 wines from the 2005, 06 & 07 Vintages. Steve Miller said that all three were great vintages but very different. The 07 was a classic vintage, bright, clean with a mineral character. In 06 the weather was warm and humid, with the result that the vintage was richer, fatter, and riper.  As a result of the weather, Botrytis (Noble Rot) attacked the grapes.  05 was a perfectly balanced, high quality vintage, with a reduced crop.

 

 

Steve Miller and Jodi Stern answering questions

 

 

  

       Jodi Stern spoke about the terroir and wine making techniques. She said that the terroir is very important because the wine makers prefer to let the grapes speak for themselves and interfere with them as little as possible. The different qualities in the wine come from the place where the grapes are grown.

     Both Jodi and Sreve believe that the Wachau region in the lower portion of the country, one of Austria’s smallest regions, is one of the best grape growing regions in the world. They think it is so special that they compared it to Burgundy.

      Jodi also pointed out that the Wachau has its own levels of quality: Steinfeder (the name of a local grass), Federspiel (Falcon and a feather), and Smaragd (Emerald – the name of the bright green lizards that live in the vineyards) which is the highest.

 The Wines:

  Hirtzberger Riesling Federspiel Steinterrassen 2007 ($34) — Very fruity with pineapple aromas and flavors on the nose and palate as well as in the finish and aftertaste.

 Hirtzberger Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel 2007 ($110) — Very well structured and elegant wine with ripe fruit, tangerine, deep rich flavors and mineral accents with a great finish and aftertaste.This wine will age very well.

  Knoll Riesling Federspiel 2007 ($21) — citrus, herbs and a hint of spice and a mineral character.

 Knoll Riesling Smaragd Schutt 2005 ($30) — Very balanced wine with rich[MSOffice1]  deep tropical fruit flavors and a lingering aftertaste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Knoll Austrian Riesling

 Domain Wachau Riesling “Wachau” 2007 ($ 20) — citrus, fruit, peach and pear, a hint of spice and a mineral character in the aftertaste. This might be the best buy

  Domail Wachau Riesling Smaragd Achleiten 2005 ($30) — undertones of peaches and apricot with a strong mineral character.   Domain Wachau is the largest cooperative in the Wachau Valley.

  The Prager Riesling Smaragd Wachstum Bodenstein 2007 ($65) had good fruit but also an earthy and mineral quality. I found myself drinking this wine with lunch.

  Shift Gottweig Riesling Gottweiger Berg 2006 ($?) — Very good fruit flavor of citrus, peaches and apricots with a mineral quality and a pleasant finish and after taste.

  Aldo Shom, the sommelier at La Bernardin, attended as a guest and spoke about some of the problems of selling Austrian Riesling in a restaurant.

 Steven Miller said that Lauber does not have a problem selling these wines. These produces can sell all their wine in Europe and very few cases make it here.

 It was a very informative and interesting tasting. I can now see why Riesling has such a devoted following.

             I am having dinner at Corton this week with the Alsatian producer Federic Helrich and I am looking forward to tasting his Riesling.

 

   

 

 

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