Meeting Alessandro Rivetto

Alessando Rivetto

I will not even look at Barolo and Barbaresco until they are 10 years old. I look at them but put them aside to age for at least another 5 to 10 years. That’s why I like to buy older Barolos and Barbarescos — so I will not have to wait too long to drink them.

Franco Bengazi, owner of the Wine Emporium, an importer and distributor of mostly Italian wine, told me he had a friend who had older vintages of Barolo and Barbaresco to sell.

I went to visit his friend.  He had Barolo and Barbaresco from the 1960’s and ’70’s, stored in cardboard cases that fell apart when we tried to open them.  The wines were from the Rivetto winery and I bought a number of them.

Alessandro Rivetto

Though we had never met in person, Alessandro Rivetto is my Facebook friend.  When he saw on Facebook my pictures of the Rivetto wines from his families winery, he wrote to me and said that next time he was in NYC we should get together.  I said I would open some of the older vintages for him.

That was a few years ago and a number of things have changed since then.  I drank all of the wines I had bought and Alessandro left his family’s winery and went out on his own. He inherited part of the family vineyards and now has three partners.  Alessandro produces two different lines of wine, the Alessandro Rivetto line and the Ipoli line.  His original family winery is still in business under the name of Rivetto.

Lorenzo Baricca, wine director of Tarallucci E Vino Restaurant in NYC knew of my interest in these wines and my contact with Alessandro.  When he scheduled a dinner featuring Alessandro’s wines, Lorenzo invited me to join them and I met Alessandro at last. We tasted the wines from the Alessandro Rivetto line.

Langhe Arneis “ Matire”2013 DOC 100% Arneis

The harvest is manual. The must and the skins are in contact at cold temperatures for about 30 hours after which the fermentation takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. Maceration lasts for five days. The wine is aged in stainless steel. This is an Arneis with some body, fruity with hints of citrus and good acidity.

Barbaresco 2010 DOCG made from 100% Nebbiolo. Manual harvest. Stemmer pressing and cold maceration for 2 days after which fermentation takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. Maceration lasts for 20 days. The wine remains in oak casks for 18 months and in bottle for 6 months before release. This is a balanced wine has hints of cherries and violets with touches of tea and rose petals.

Barolo Serralunga d’Alba 2009 DOCG made from 100% Nebbiolo. Manual harvest. There is stemmer pressing and cold maceration for 2 days. Fermentation takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. Maceration lasts for 20 days. The wine is aged for more than 3 years in oak casks. The wine remains in the bottle for 10 months before release. It is a wine with hints of blackberries and violets with a touch of tea and spice. 

Barolo “Lazzarito”2009 DOCG 100% Nebbiolo Manual harvest then stemmer crushing and maceration. Fermentation is in temperature controlled stainless tanks. The maceration lasts for 37/42 days. Aging is in oak casks for more then 3 years and in bottle for 18 months before release. This is a wine with hints of leather, spice, licorice and a very long finish. It is a Barolo that will age for many years.

The executive chef at Tarallucci E Vino, Andrew Welch, did a great job of matching the food with the wines.

 

Italian Wine Terms: Giropoggio, Ritocchino and More

Jeremy Parzen, on his informative and interesting  blog, Dobianchi.com, posted a list of Italian wine terms with the English translation. It is a list which Jeremy adds to from time to time and it has  terms you will not find anywhere else like  a giropoggio and a ritocchino.  Here is the latest version of Jeremy’s wine glossary:

ITALIAN	ENGLISH
a giropoggio	east-west row orientation
a ritocchino	north-south row orientation
acciaio [inossidabile]	stainless-steel [vat/tank]
affinamento	aging
alberello	head-trained [vines]
allevamento	training
argilla	clay
arresto di fermentazione	stuck fermentation
assemblaggio	blend
barbatella	grafted cutting
barrique	barrique [small French oak cask]
bâtonnage	stirring on the lees
biodinamica	biodynamics/biodynamic
biologico	organic
botte	traditional large cask
bucce	skins
Cabernet [Sauvignon]	Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc	Cabernet Franc
calcare/calcareo	limestone/calcareous [limestone-rich]
cappello sommerso	submerged cap maceration
chioma	canopy
cordone speronato	cordon-trained spur-pruned [vines]
cru	vineyard designation/single vineyard
cuvée	blend
délestage	rack and return
deraspare/deraspatrice	de-stemm/de-stemmer
diradamento	pruning/thinning grapes/dropping fruit
DOC	DOC [designation of controlled origin]
DOCG	DOCG [designation of controlled and guaranteed origin]
DOP	PDO [Protected Designation of Origin]
doppio capovolto	double-arched cane [training]
esca	esca [alt.: black dead arm or black measles]
escursione termica	[diurnal] temperature variation
fementazione arrestata	stuck fermentation
femminella	lateral shoot
follatura	punching down
galestro	galestro [a marl- and limestone-rich subsoil unique to Tuscany]
giropoggio	east-west row orientation
grappa	grappa
grappolo	cluster/bunch
Guyot	Guyot
IGP	PGI [Protected Geographical Indication]
IGT	IGT [typical geographical indication]
leccio	holm oak
lievito naturale	native/ambient/indigenous/wild yeast
lievito selezionato	cultured yeast
limo	silt
macchia mediterranea	Mediterranean maquis [shrubland]
maestrale (vento di maestrale)	north-westerly wind
malolactica	malolactic fermentation
marna/marne	marl
millerandage	millerandage [alt.: shot berries, hens and chicks, orpumpkins and peas]
monovitigno	single-grape variety [wine]
mosto	must
oidio	oidium [powdery mildew]
peronospora	peronospora [downy mildew]
pied de cuve	pied de cuve [native yeast starter]
pigiatura	pressing
portinnesto	rootstock
quercia	oak
rimontaggio	pumping over
ritocchino	north-south row orientation
sabbia/sabbioso	sand/sandy [sandy soil]
Sauvignon [Blanc]	Sauvignon Blanc
siccità/stress idrico	hydric stress
sistema di allevamento	training
sottosuolo	subsoil
stralciatura	deshooting
stress idrico/siccità	hydric stress
sulle bucce	skin contact [macerated on the skins]
sulle fecce nobili	lees aged [aged on its lees]
sur lie	lees aged [aged on its lees]
terreno/terreni	soil
tignola della vite	vine moth [Eupoecilia ambiguella]
tralcio	shoot/cane
tramoggia	hopper/feeder
tufo	tufaceous subsoil [porous limestone]
vasca	vat/tank
vento di maestrale	north-westerly wind
vigna/vigne	vine/vineyards
vigneto	vineyard
vinaccia/vinacce	pomace
vite	vine
vitigno	grape variety

Slow Wine Rates the Best 15 Chianti Classico

02/18/20151 COMMENT

Written by Editor Slow Wine

Two days of tasting, with over 300 wines tasted by two different committees of Slow Wine and here is our first response.

These 15 wines that we liked the most and that made the Chianti Classico Collection 2015 an important time to learn more than 156 companies and you can taste the latest vintages output.

In particular, it has established the elegant 2013 that gave the sangiovese not too powerful, but to drink very fresh and secure longevity. The 2012 is a thousandth very hot, so he gave the results patchy, with interesting wines especially among selections.

The tasting notes of wines including many in the Top List you can read here and here .

 

Chianti Classico 2013 – Castello di Monsanto

Chianti Classico 2013 – Fattoria San Giusto a Rentennano

Chianti Classico Rubiolo 2013 – Gagliole

Chianti Classico 2013 – Isole e Olena

Chianti Classico 2013 – Val delle Corti

Chianti Classico 2012 – Castellinuzza Family Cinuzzi

Chianti Classico The Campitello Res. 2012 – Monteraponi

Chianti Classico Bugialla Res. 2012 – Poggerino

Chianti Classico 2012 – Riecine

Chianti Classico Ris. 2012 – Villa Pomona

Chianti Classico Ris. Doccio Matteo 2011 – Caparsa

Chianti Classico GS vineyard Capannino 2011 –  Bibbiano

Chianti Classico GS Vigna Grospoli 2011 –  Fattoria di Lamole

Chianti Classico GS Label Historical 2010 – Ormanni

Chianti Classico Poggio delle Rose Res. 2010 – Villa Castell’in

Photo by Andrea Gori

 

Vietti Barolo- Gambero Rosso Red Wine of the Year

Gambero Rosso, The Italian Wine Guide, held a tasting in NYC showcasing the wines which received their highest award, known as Three Bicchieri (three glasses). They also give awards for the producer of the white and red wines of the year, as well as others. In addition to the Three Bicchieri wines, many producers showed some of their other wines.

Luca Currado

At the tasting I was happy to see Luca Currado of the Vietti winery. Michele and I have known the Currado family for almost 35 years. We first met Alfredo and Luciano Currado, Luca’s parents, when we visited them at their winery in Castiglione Falletto in Piedmont. We became friends and would see them whenever they came to New York. Alfredo passed away a few years ago and the winemaking is now in the capable hands of their son Luca. This year Gambero Rosso not only gave three glasses to Luca’s Barolo Riserva Villero 2007, but named it Red Wine of the Year for 2015.

Luca is carrying on the tradition of a great winemaking family. Here is a link to a blog I wrote about a dinner at my home honoring the memory of Alfredo Currado and his wines.

https://charlesscicolone.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/remembering-alfredo-currado-a-man-and-his-wines/

The Vietti Wines 

Barolo 2007 Riserva Villero 100% Nebbiolo (Michet Clone) The Villero vineyard is in Castiglione Falletto and is a little less then one hectare with south/southwest exposure. Soil is clay and compact with white and blue marlstone. The average age of the vines is 39 years and there are 4,000 plants per hectare.

After alcoholic fermentation in steel tanks which lasts for 16 days, the wine macerates on the skin for ten days. The wine was transferred into small barrels for the malolactic fermentation. Then it was aged in Slovenian oak casks of 27 hl. and bottled unfiltered in September 2010. It is classical Barolo at its best with dark fruit flavors and aromas, hints of leather, tobacco and spice. This wine received Three Bicchieri from Gambero Rosso Italian Wine Guide 2015 and was also named by them as The Red Wine of the Year.

Two of the Vietti Barolos were awarded Two Bicchieri:

Barolo Brunate 2011 100% Nebbiolo. The grapes come from the historic cru Brunate vineyard in La Mora located on the south side toward Barolo, with 4,600 vines per hectare. The vines are 43 years old and cultivated with the guyot system. The soil is Calcareous. Grapes are gently crushed and fermented in stainless steel for 23 days. Daily open air pumping over takes place using the old system of the submerged cap. Malolactic fermentation is in oak barrels. The wine is aged for 32 months in French oak barrels and Slovenian oak casks. This wine was bottled in July of 2014. This is a balanced wine with ripe red fruit and hints of cherry, plum, violets and a touch of smoke. It has a long finish. 

Barolo Castiglione 2011 100% Nebbiolo. The vineyards are located in Castiglione Falletto, Monforte, Barolo and Novello. There are 4,800 vines per hectare and they are 7 to 35 years old and the training system is guyot. After the harvest the grapes are gently pressed. Fermentation is in stainless steel with daily cap submersion for extraction of flavor and color. The wine is aged for 24 months in casks. Then it was blended in stainless tanks 8 months before bottling. The wine has aromas of red berries, spice and a hint of mint.

Barolo:The “New” High Priced Wine

This is  an excellent article as is the link below on what is happing to the price of Barolo. I was at a Barolo tasting before I left for Naples and all the talk was how the price of the 2010 Barolo was high and was going to go even higher.

Barolo Superstar

by Daniele Cernilli ,  Doctor Wine 02-02-2015

Exactly one year ago I wrote an editorial for Doctor Wine entitled: Barolo, the next icon (LINK). I would never have imagined predicting so precisely what then took place in the following, even if there were many elements to make such a forecast. Due to the combination of some disappointing vintages in Bordeaux and Burgundy and an extraordinary one for Barolo, vintage 2010 for the Italian wine had an enormous success among the world of wine’s ‘big spenders’ and it is now almost impossible to find a bottle.
The lion’s share of Barolo wineries came under siege and were literally gutted and with the first 2011 coming out, the product of a harvest that was almost as good as the previous one, the Barolo ‘craze’ seems far from subsiding. This is great because finally an Italian wine, and not just an estate ‘brand’, is firmly establishing itself as a choice among those wine-lovers who normally drink the great Bordeaux and Burgundy wines, the Mosel whites and some ‘iconic’ wines from the New World. Let’s hope that this success in sales does not translate into outrageous price hikes, as occurred with the above-mentioned wines.
For us ‘normal’ wine-lovers many of the wines that were affordable, or at least within our reach, only 15 years ago are now totally beyond our economic means. The risk that Barolo will become a member of that high-priced club may be positive for the image of Italian wine and for producers’ pockets, but it bleed the rest of us dry.

Vino 2015 in NYC: Some New Discoveries and Some Old Friends

Last week the Italian Trade Commission welcomed wine journalists and members of the trade to VINO 2015, Italian Wine Week. It was billed as the Greatest Italian Wine Event Held Outside Italy: Celebrating the Wines of Southern Italy. There were a number of seminars on Italian wine and other events and a Grand Tasting.

Slow Food/Wine which has a Slow Wine Guide of the 400 best wineries in Italy was also holding a Grand Tasting billed as Slow Wine/Vino 2015. Both Grand Tastings took place over a two-day period at the Waldorf Astoria.

At the Grand Tastings there was an ocean of wine but I did my best to taste as many as I could. There were a number of new discoveries and many old friends.

The Wines.

Filippo Antonelli (Umbria) one of my favorite producers of Sagrantino di Montefalco. I always enjoy speaking to him and tasting his wines. His also produces a white wine that I had not tasted before:

Trebbiano Spoletino, made from 100% Trebbiano Spoletino (a white grape variety native to the area around Spoleto). A hand selection of the best grapes in the vineyard which is at 300 meters with a western exposure. Filippo cultivates the vines as they did in ancient times next to maple trees in order to make the grapes grow higher. The vines are attached to the trees keeping them well off the ground so that the late frost in the region does not affect them. The harvest takes place in October.

Soft pressing is followed by skin contact and cold static clarification. Fermentation is in 25 HL oak barrels. Aging in 25 HL oak barrels and 3 months in bottle before release. The wine has floral aromas with hints of tropical fruit, almonds and spice. It is well balanced with good acidity.

Colutta from Friuli is a producer I do not know so I decided to taste his wines. Giorgio Colutta was there and he told me about his wines and winery. He makes a number of wines including a Sparkling Brut from the Ribolla Gialla grape. I liked the whole line. The Refosco was one of the best I ever tasted.

Refosco made from 100% Refosco del Peduncolo (Red Stalk). There are 3,000 vines per hectare. The grapes are hand harvested, destemmed, crushed and fermented at a controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks with additional selected yeasts. Déslestage (rack and return) takes place. After 10 to 15 days the grapes are soft pressed. Part of the wine is aged in barrels and part in stainless steel. This is a wine that needs time. It has hints of wild blackberry, plum and other black fruits.

I have always been a big fan of Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico. Emanuela Stucchi Prinetti was there and she told me I have to taste this wine made from very traditional Tuscan varieties.

Chianti Classico “Cultus Boni” 2010 made from 80% Sangiovese, Colorino, Ciliegiolo, Fogliatonda, Malvasia, Sanforte, Mommolo and Pugnitello. The geographical area is Monti in Chianti and the vineyards of Montebello and Argenina. The vineyards are at 260 to 370 mt. and the exposure is south, southwest. Soil is clay and limestone, vines are 10 to 35 years old, and training system is guyot. Manual harvest. Natural fermentation takes place with native yeasts, maceration for about 40 days on the skins. Aging is in French Oak barrels of various sizes. This is a full-bodied wine with red fruit aromas and flavors and hints of cherry and violets.

A friend asked me to taste the wines of a Sicilian producer and then give my opinion of the wines. The producer is Alliata and I told him that I liked the wines after tasting them. They make wines from the Insolia, Grillo and Nero d’Avola among others. The Insolia is made from 100% Insolia in northwest Sicily. The soil is clay and pebbles and the vineyard is at 200 to 250 meters. There are 5,000 vines/ha and they use a vertical trellised training system. Harvest takes place the first two weeks of September depending on the maturity of the grapes. Extremely soft pressing takes place with a membrane press at a controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks. The wine ages for 4 to 5 months in stainless steel tanks on the lees. It is released after 2 to 3 months in bottle.

Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Riserva “Poggio all’Ora” 2009. Castello Banfi. Made from 100% Sangiovese, estate selection. The Poggio all’Ora vineyard is on the southern slopes of the Montalcino hillside at 250mt. The wine is produced only in excellent vintages based on a meticulous selection of the harvested grapes. Temperature controlled vinification is in Horizon hybrid stainless steel and wood tanks with skin contact for 12 to 14 days. Aged in barriques for 30 months, and at least 12 to 18 months in bottle. The wine is kept for a total of five years before release. This is a wine with notes of violet and hints of plum, jam and a touch of coffee. I was very impressed by this wine and even though it spends a long time in barriques, the usual tastes associated with these barrels was not present. 

Taurasi “Campoceraso” 2007 DOCG Azienda Vinicola Struzziero Avellino, Campania. 100% Aglianico. I had not tasted wine from this producer in some time so I stopped to see if they were as good as I remember them. The vineyards are on the Colline Venticano hills and Torre Le Nocelle. There is controlled fermentation with 25 days of maceration. The wine is aged in oak barrels for at least 36 months. The wine remains in bottle for about six months. This is a wine that can age. It has hints of red fruit, spice, coffee and tobacco. It is a balanced wine with a full aftertaste and long finish. I was happy to see that the wines were as good as I remember them.

Planeta – The winery has different locations around Sicily and I have visited most of them. This wine comes from the Feudo di Mezzo location close to Mt Etna.

Eruzione 1614 Bianco DOC  vintage 2013 made from 95% Carricante and 5% Riesling grapes from the Sciara Nova vineyard in Castiglione, Sicily. The soil is black lava (Mt. Etna) and the training system is vertical trellis, spurred pruned cordon and guyot. There are 5,000 wines per hectare and the harvest takes place on October 6^th. Grapes are picked and refrigerated at once at 8 degrees and a hand selection takes place. After a light crushing and destemming the grapes are soft pressed. The decanted must is racked and inoculated with yeast, then fermented at 15 degrees for 20 days. The wine remains on the lees until February with continuous mixing and is bottled in March. This is a white wine that will age and should not be drunk until at least 3 years after the vintage.

 

The Wines of Castelli del Grevepesa

When I was the Wine Director at I Trulli Restaurant in NYC, we carried a Chianti Classico named for Pope Clement VII. I do not know why the wine is named after him, all I know is I liked the wine. I have not tasted the wine in a number of years and when I was invited to the restaurant Il Gatopardo in NYC for a tasting of wines from the co-op Castelli del Grevepesa, makers of Clement Vll wine, I wanted to go to see if it was as good as I remembered. The event was sponsored by the Italian American Chamber of Commerce and was called The Pride of Tuscany Dinner.

Representing the winery was the general manager, agronomist and enologist Ugo Pagliai. All the stages of production from vineyard to bottling take place under his supervision. Mr. Pagliai said that 18 winemakers founded Castelli del Grevepesa in 1965. Today there are 150 involved. He added that Sangiovese should not be aged only in barriques and the he is moving away from the use of this type of barrel.

The wines

Vernaccia di San Gimignano “Bertesca” 2013 DOCG made from 100% Vernaccia di San Gimignano. The grapes are hand selected. Fermentation tales place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. This is a white wine with some body, nice citrus aromas and flavors and good acidity.

Chianti Classico Castelgreve 2011 DOCG made from 100% Sangiovese. The hand-selected grapes are fermented at controlled temperatures with 10 days of skin contact. The wine ages for 12 months in large oak barrels and at least one month in bottle before release. This is an easy to drink, fruity wine.

Chianti Classico Clemente VII 2011 DOCG made from 100% Sangiovese. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperatures. The wine is aged for 24 months, 85% is in large Slovenian oak casks for 12 months and 15% for 12 months in French barriques. The wine remains in the bottle for at least 3 months before release. The wine was as I remembered it with good fruit, hints of wild berries, violets and very easy to drink. It went very well with he food.

Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Panzano 2011 made from 100% Sangiovese. This is a 4-hectare vineyard with West/Southwest exposure. It is at 400 mt. The soil is clay and limestone, the vines are 25/30 years old, there are 3,500 plants per hectare and the training system is Guyot. There is a selection of grapes. Fermentation in controlled temperature stainless steel tanks with 10 days of skin contact. The wine is aged for 30 months, 18 in large oak casks and the rest in French barriques and stainless steel. This is a wine with good body and fruit with hints of violets and spice and a touch of vanilla.

The Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is a classification above Riserva, which was approved last year, the grapes for the Gran Selezione must be harvested only from the wineries own vineyards, with upgraded requirements for alcohol, extract and aging.

Vinsanto Riserva Clemente VII 1998 made from Trebbiano Tuscano and Malvasia del Chianti. The grapes are hand picked and placed on straw mats to dry. There is a slow fermentation in oak barrels followed by a minimum of 36 months aging in oak. The wine has aromas and flavors of dry fruit with hints of apricot.

Paris: Three Restaurants, Two Wine Stores, Eating and Drinking

Paris is such an enchanting city that Michele and I try to go there every year. Last year in November, we rented an apartment in the Marais for a week and the weather could not have been better. Michele wanted to try some new (to us) restaurants, and we returned two of my favorite wine stores.

l’Ambassade D “Auvergne

This is a classic French bistro 22 rue du Grenier Saint-Lazare Paris 3 +33142723122   http://www.ambassade-auvergne.com

I started with a specialty of the Auvergne region, swiss chard torte with salad. It was very good.

For the main course I had plump, rare cooked magret de canard-duck breast, served with a thick and creamy aligot –a potato puree laced with fresh local cow’s milk cheese. It was whipped at the table and was piled on my plate, hot and delicious.  For dessert we had a wonderful chocolate mousse –a large portion was served and they left the serving bowl on the table so you could eat as much as you wanted. For the quality, it was very reasonably priced.

We drank a Bandol 2009 Domaine de Terrebrune made from 85% Mourvèdre 10% Grenache and 5% Cinsault . The average age of the vines is 25 years. The soil is characterized on the surface by limestone gravel in brown clay so characteristic that it inspired the name of the Domaine. There is total destemming and fermentation is for 15 to 20 days in a closed vessel, maceration is achieved by pumping over. The wine is aged in oak barrels 50 to 60 hectoliters for 18 months. The Domaine is certified organic. This is a wine that can age. The wine went very well with the food. Service was very pleasant and friendly. I enjoyed the whole experience and look forward to returning.

 L’Ami Jean- 27 rue Malar Paris 7 +33147058689 http://www.amjean.eu

Michele wanted to try this place the last time we were in Paris but we could not get a reservation. It is a small crowded restaurant and you can watch the chef, Stèphane Jègo, preparing the dishes. He screams, he pleads, he shouts loud enough to make you jump, he is in his own world but what he produces is fantastic. We had the 5 course tasting chef’s choice menu.

A fish dish was so good and so light that I wished there was more, a venison steak with a touch of caramel was without a doubt the best I had ever eaten, and for dessert, a rich rice pudding. It came with toasted walnuts and a salty caramel cream but it did not need any of it. I could not stop eating until it was all gone. It was without doubt the best rice pudding I have ever had in a restaurant. Michele makes an excellent rice pudding.

We drank another Bandol that day. Bandol 2006 Domaine Ray- Jean Made from 90% Mourvedre, 5% Cinsault and 5% Grenache. Each variety is vinified separately. The vines are old and not staked. Fermentation lasts for 20 days and malolactic fermentation takes place. The wine is aged for 2 years in 40hl barrels. It is a balanced wine with hints of blackberries and other fruits and spice with a nice aftertaste and long finish. This is a wine that can age for many years.

Bistroy Les Papilles   30 Rue Gay Lussac

Stepping into this small cozy restaurant one cannot help but notice shelves filled with wine. There is no wine list so if you want a bottle of wine you just take it off the shelves and bring it to your table. The wine is also for sale retail and if you drink the wine in the restaurant there is a 7 Euro charge above the retail price on the wine. In the evening there is a four course menu set by the chef Ulric Claude (known as Tom). The menu changes everyday. There were six of us so we had the large table in the back of the restaurant, which was very comfortable. We made a number of trips to the shelves to pick wine for each course.

We started with some delicious charcuterie and pate, followed by an excellent beef stew with mushrooms and potatoes, a cheese course and dessert. The food was very good and the stew alone was worth the trip.

Our friends Nicole Serle and Travis Scott, owners of Turtledove wine store in NYC, chose the wines. They picked from the shelves wines that were rare and difficult to find in NYC. It was an excellent selection and all the wines went very well with the food.

We started with Champagne “Substance” 100% Chardonnay Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Jacques Selosse. Low yields; organic viniculture and terroir are a hallmark of Mr. Selosse’s wines. He has all Grand Cru holdings in Avize, Cramant and Oger. He uses indigenous yeasts for fermentation and ages the wine in barrels, 20% new oak. The wine is left on the fine lees for an extended period. Dosage is kept to an absolute minimum. “Substance” is a solar Champagne created by Mr. Selosse in 1986, by marrying some 20 vintages in order to avoid vintage variation and allowing the terroir to speak on its own. This is full-bodied Champagne with good fruit, hints of orange peel and spice with good minerality.

Bussion Renar 2004 D. Dagueneau made from 100% organically grown Sauvignon Blanc. The soil is clay and flint and the vineyard is mid-slope on the Southwest side of Saint Andelain, the highest village in the Pouilly Fume appellation. The wine is barrel fermented and aged in almost neutral 450 to 600 liter barrels. It is a very balanced wine with hints of grapefruit, lime, herbs, good acidity and a touch of flint.

Clos Rougerad is an organic winery owned by the Foucault brothers. There are low yields, wild yeast is used and there is a long soft maceration with some new oak. The wines are vinified in barrel and bubble for a few years (18 to 24 months) depending on the vintage. The wine is stored in a glacially cold cellar and are bottled without filtration.

 Clos Rougeard “Breze” Saumur Blanc 2009 The wine is made from rare, old vines of Chenin Blanc from the Foucault’s own vineyards. The wine may be bottled as sec or demi-sec, depending on the vintage. The wine is golden-hued, with complex notes of dried fruits and nuts, a touch of honey and excellent acidity. The version we had was sec (dry). 

Clos Rougeard Poyeux Saumur-Champigny Rouge Saumur-Champigny is a red wine appellation of Saumur in the central Loire valley. 100% Cabernet Franc. Juice from 40-60 year-old vines is fermented in a mix of oak barrels. Half of the wine is fermented in new Allier barrels; the other half i in 1-year old barrels purchased from Ch. Margaux and Ch. Haut-Brion. Poyeux’s bouquet displays hints of tobacco mingled with red fruit aromas. On the palate, red fruits flavors are rich and full. Tannins, though present, are remarkably integrated with a long finish returning with aromas of sweet, cherry tobacco. A very impressive wine.

Winestores

There are many wine stores in Paris but these are the two which I go to the most.

Bossetti 34 Rue des Archives 01 48 04 07 77 www.Bossetti.fr  They have a large selection Burgundy and Rhone Valley Wines and are famous for their Chartreuse collection. Look for older bottles from the Loire Valley going back to the 1950’s and not that expensive.

Le Vinis Illustribus 48 rue de la Montagne-Sainte-Genevieve   +33 1 43 36 12 12 http://www.devinis.fr

If you are looking for old wine this is the place to go. Linonel Michelin, the owner, loves to talk about wine, especially older wines. When we were there he was doing a tasting for a group of young Japanese women and told us they were the leading wine bloggers in Japan.

I purchased a 1964 Crozes Hermitage, Andre, which I drank and it was excellent. It was his last bottle. I also purchased a bottle of Hermitage “La Chapelle” Jaboulet 1980, 1983 Clos des Papes and a 1942 Bourgogne Patriarche. I opened the ‘83 and it was drinking like a young wine. The 1942 and the 1980 are resting at a friend’s house for a special wine dinner next week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Talking Wine on Internet Radio

Valerie Smaldone Media Worldwide
Valerie Smaldone is interviewing me on the subject of WINE!
It airs tonight, locally on 920 the Voice, in Princeton, NJ.
The site to hear it online is www.920thevoice.com
The segment will air in the 8 pm hour, likely closer to 8:30-9 PM.
They will post the podcast tomorrow, and it will also be on the America Weekend site tomorrow.
Here is the link to that site:
http://americaweekend.com/valerie-smaldone-and-leslie-gold/ 

BE Sure to Listen