La Route du Vin

The Summer Supply of of Serge Laporte's Sancerre from Chavignol

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White Wine Country - The Sancerre vineyards with the hilltop village in the distance

I am thinking about Sancerre. Partially because I have a glass in my hand and partially because I just received a new supply just in time for summer.

I am also thinking about Sancerre because it is a cooler, very pretty high ground area of the upper Loire where it is usually cool even in the summer. The grape of course is Sauvignon Blanc which reaches a perfect tart freshness here in this cooler climate.

The best Sancerre does not actually come from the hilltop Sancerre village. The wines with more character come from Bue and Chavignol. Both of these small villages are in the area but their exposure and soil of Kimmerdgian marl (which surfaces also in the Chablis area) have sufficient variation to make these villages real standouts in terms of flavors and complexity, Chavignol is home to Henri Bourgeois, the Cotat Freres, and Lucien Cotat, wines which you may recognize. These are at the top end of the price scale and can be found in better wine shops for about $25-$30 per bottle these days.

They are popular in good restaurants also but there they are twice this price again. This is also about the same price that the New Zealanders are getting for their Sauvignon Blancs. Serge Laporte is my long-time Sancerre grower. When I visit him in Chavignol there is always a small selection of the famous Crottin de Chavignol goat cheeses to complement the tasting of the recent vintages, Sancerre's acidity is an ideal match with any chevre.

Jean-Pierre Auvigue Returns: with his Very Popular Macon-Solutre Chardonnay

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The Macon Solutre Vineyards Under the Mighty Solutre Cliff

I had been desperate to get some of Jean Pierre's Maconnais wines in the house for weeks. The Macon Solutré had somehow gotten mired in my wine warehouse in New Jersey and I couldn't seem to get it on the truck up to Boston coming to MY house. Oh, it was going other places, but not MY cellar. When it finally arrived last week you would have thought it was a 1945 Latour walking in the door.

I went right at the supply with my corkscrew and I'm telling you that first sip was EXACTLY what I had been wanting. Mineral, citrus, honey. A dash of oak, but never too much. It was difficult to pace myself. And, we made quite a dent in the case over the weekend.

That Macon Solutré is a veritable antidote to the image of Chardonnay that many people carry around with them today. Personally, I love Chardonnay and I hate to see wines being made that weigh the grape down and club it comatose with wood and I hate to hear people say, "Chardonnay? No, I'm tired of Chardonnay."

A 100% Malbec Rosé from Clos Triguedina

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Jean Luc Baldes inspecting his Malbec Harvest at Clos Triguedina

Clos Triguedina Rosé My wine was the color of a sunset at the beach. I know because I raised my glass to the sinking sun and the color exactly matched a salmon streak that had spread across the sky.

Oh, Rosé why were you so unloved for such a long time when you alone have the power to put summer into our hearts; a Chardonnay, a Sauvignon Blanc -- so pale beside your evocative rosiness. Can you tell I have a glass in my hand right now?

I mentioned in a recent email that I had come back to Rosé - not because Rosé is hot in the Hamptons or in Cannes, (which it is) but because Rosé today is not like the Rosé of yore when it was made from leftover grapes. Rosé is now being made from special parcels of land and vinified like a special and important cuvee of regular red wine.

The best Rose is made by pressing the grapes. The juice is then allowed to sit with the grapes skins picking up color, but also tannins, pectins, and proteins which give the wine structure. Then the juice is drained off, put into another vat without the skins and fermented. This is called saignée.

Last Shipment! Presidial 2005 - Jean Luc Thunevin

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Jean Luc Thunevin and Murielle in Their St Emilion Garden

So, right now is the last chance to snag this Thunevin-nurtured, spectacularly affordable 2005 Bordeaux beauty. And, you can drink it now.

You probably already know that the harvest of 2005 just may be the best vintage to come out of Bordeaux EVER.

"I have never tasted so many extraordinarily rich, concentrated, massive wines so high in tannin and extract, yet with such precision, definition and freshness. It is clearly a singular vintage that should evolve into one of the great vintages of Bordeaux." Robert Parker The Wine Advocate 4/06

"The great thing about the successful 2005s is their purity - they have power, but they also have refreshment value - one would like to call the wines classic claret, but Bordeaux has surely never known a vintage quite like this." Jancis Robinson

"the message is clear: 2005 is a knockout. Apparently the wines will be greater than great," Eric Asimov The New York Times 5/06

"Bordeaux's beautiful baby - Bordeaux wine producers knew from the moment they picked their grapes that they were onto something very special, even extraordinary and now the new wines resting in the cellars, confirm that initial impression-the vintage is clearly exceptional." The Wine Spectator

Clos Triguedina in Cahors

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The Clos Triguedina Vineyards in Cahors

Cahors is one of the richest and and most flavorful wines you'll ever put in your mouth. Is there any wine better for a barbecue or a summer steak on the grill?

This is not a head-scratcher - NO is the answer. Just to clarify -- Cahors is not a new wine, far from it - the history of Cahors has as much length and richness as its taste.

The Lot River gets very curvy as it runs through Cahors. There are places where you feel like you're on an island because you can see the River running on both sides of you. Cahors is a very old wine town to the east of Bordeaux. Planted by the Romans, the people of Cahors were making wine when the Bordelais were still drinking beer. Their wines would float west to Bordeaux along the Lot River where the Bordelais would extract heavy taxes and sell them to markets in northern Europe.

In fact, half of the wines shipped out of Bordeaux in the 14th century were Cahors wines. The taxes extracted from those very same Cahors wines made it possible for the Bordelais to clear their marshy Medoc vineyards and develop their own winemaking business.

Chateau La Roncheraie 2004

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The right bank vineyards around Cotes de Castillon

It was a crisis that required some immediate attention.

I had gotten so wrapped up in the 2005 Bordeaux Futures campaign and all those FANCY BORDEAUX BIGGIES (forgivable since the 2005s are probably the greatest vintage that Bordeaux has ever produced) that I had neglected to monitor the levels of EVERYDAY, AFFORDABLE Bordeaux in my cellar. Mon Dieu! A corkscrew had apparently been working over-time on my Bordeaux for Tonight stash and now we were in ration territory - not where I ever want to be.

I needed some Bordeaux. Bordeaux-for-Tonight, ready to drink, not expensive, not to cellar but the real Bordeaux experience for hamburgers, for roasted chicken, for pizza, for a quick steak: Bordeaux-for-Tonight.

So, Bob and I recently set out for Bordeaux to right the wrong, we went into uncharted territory on the Left Bank and then we left few bottles untasted on the Right Bank. We pushed our limits with a punishing, teeth-blackening schedule, but the rigor paid off. We can now uncork a stream of delicious stuff and divert some of that toothsome liquid your way if you're interested.

The challenge in Bordeaux is finding well made wine at low prices. There are plenty of good things for $30 a bottle and up. But under $20 is tough. Plenty of choices, but few that I can recommend.

Domaine Guintrandy Cotes du Rhone 2005

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The Visan Hillside Vineyards. Hillside vineyards

2005 Cotes du Rhone from Olivier Cuilleras - An A on his report card!

The southern Rhone got an A on its report card in 2005. "a truly exceptional vintage in the south" Parker rated the vintage 95!

The Wine Spectator also awarded 2005 A in their annual vintage report.

Rhône Valley: A "Whites and reds fared well in the third consecutive year of drought. Both the Northern and Southern Rhône are primed for another outstanding vintage , though the crop is smaller than usual. Cooler conditions than in 2003 and 2004 preserved the acidity in the grapes. Scattered rains in September replenished the vines. Condrieu vintner Yves Cuilleron compared 2005 to 1990 and 1999: "I think it is truly a great vintage." James Molesworth The Wine Spectator

So, 2005 is a fantastic time to help yourself to those fabulously opulent and fruity Cotes du Rhone. Olivier Cuilleras makes a terrific one and I keep having to save a spot for it in every container I bring in; nobody can get enough of it. I swear I think I get more love emails about this wine than any other. I couldn't get enough of it myself when I first came upon it. It was so obviously better than its peers. It was one I could not bring myself to spit which can be a dangerous omission if you're in my business.

Les Chanteaux: The Rare White Chinon from Couly-Dutheil Steals My Heart

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The Harvest at Couly Dutheil in Chinon

I had really come to taste the red wine. The Clos de l'Echo. But, this is what always happens at tastings. You want to taste the flagship wine, but the grower wants you to taste everything he makes -- sparkling, rosé, late harvest sweet wines, the latest biodynamic experiment and then if you ask one teensy question about any one of them -- you hear the sound of pulling corks and suddenly multiple vintages have appeared from the left and the right.

Of course, it would be impolite to refuse and so you don't. After all, you are wooing them as much as they are wooing you because you WANT to import that Clos de l'Echo and you don't want to be uncouth. We're talking about Chinon from the Loire Valley -- specifically the Touraine and Couly Dutheil, the family who makes it. They own the best vineyards and they make the best Chinon.

So, I walked into the tasting room and the first thing I notice is they must have borrowed the table from the UN Security Council. Yes, if you sat across from me at that table I would need distance glasses. Huge! There are no less than a dozen bottles of red and white wines already open (But, I really came to just taste the red -- I whimper to myself).

Pierre Gaillard's 2005 St Joseph Clos de Cuminaille, 100% Syrah (Limited).

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Pierre Gaillard in his cellars near Ampuis (St Joseph)

"The saying "aout fait le mout " (August makes the vintage) was truer in the Rhone than even in Bordeaux or Burgundy and produced, in 2005, wines of great intensity with a balancing freshness of acidity. The wines have immediate appeal that belies their ageing capacity. Lovers of this 100% Syrah must cellar a few cases." Steven Spurrier of Decanter Magazine goes on to pick his favorites from his tastings of the 2005 Northern Rhones:

"My picks of the tastings (Spurrier chose 7 wines) were Pierre Gaillard's spicy, oaked St Joseph Clos de Cuminaille (his second pick was Pierre's Cote Rotie Rose Pourpre 2005 (we also have this wine in stock - please ask for it).

It has been my experience that Gaillard torpedoes the competition time and time again. When he uncorks, within 15 minutes a crowd gathers with out- stretched glasses. There is something about the wine's glorious, round, sweetness that is just extraordinary. Pierre's absolute submission to quality is in every molecule of his wines.

"Without wavering, Pierre Gaillard turns out quality wines. For the past several years, this dynamic and intelligent wine maker has turned out passionate wines which win hearts in their youth and lack for nothing in terms of future potential. Gaillard's wines are some of the surest values in the Rhone. All of Pierre's wines are a testiment to the know-how of Gaillard and there is not a single weakness in the bunch." La Revue du Vins de France 2007

Domaine Les Hautes Cances

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The High Hill Hautes Cances Vineyards

I have been impatiently awaiting the arrival of a new (and the last of the 2003s) Col du Debat. I knew I wanted this wine in my glass the minute I tasted it in the chai of Jean Marie Astart in Cairanne.

Jean-Marie and Anne-Marie live in a modest house in the middle of the village of Cairanne. Anne-Marie great grandparents created the property in 1890. The land passed down through the family until to came to Anne-Marie. When she inherited the property she was already ensconced in a medial career as was her husband, Jean-Marie. Jean-Marie decided to give up his medical career to farm the family land and vinify his own wine, which at the time was being sold off in bulk to the Cairanne cooperative. They named the Domaine les Hautes Cances which means the end of the vines where the tractor turns around.

Jean-Marie converted his vineyards to Agriculture Biologique in 1999 (they don't use chemicals). This not only reflected their deep desire to protect the environment but also to allow the maximum expression of authentic terroir. Jean-Marie built a new chai into the hillside for natural temperature control. His vinification is done using gravity to protect the grapes along their journey into the vat. The place is absolutely spotless, eat-off-the-floor pristine.