La Route du Vin

Clos de l'Echo and Rene Couly Chinons from Domaine Couly-Dutheil

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The harvest at Domaine Couly-Dutheil in Chinon

"A trumpet blast of fresh, meaty fruit, from one of the most beautiful villages in France."

That's how wine writer Andrew Jefford in the The New France describes the taste of a Domaine Couly-Dutheil Chinon.

Wine Spectator chimes in with high marks for Couly-Dutheil's Clos de l'Echo. They praised the 2004 as "Outstanding: a wine of superior character and style."

"Still a bit restrained, with a toasty aroma slowly giving way to a very structured core of black cherry, currant, iron and black olive notes. There's lots of grilled herb and mineral in the finish with good underlying flesh. Drink now through 2011. Only 100 cases imported." -Wine Spectator

You know, the longer I drink wine, the more reds from the Loire end up in my glass. These wines have a purity about them that I love. There are no sharp edges. They are not heavy yet. They are substantial and bursting with berry flavor, to say nothing about their affordability.

Chinon stirs up great memories of the lazy lapping Vienne River and the little stone houses with their prim lace curtains and brightly painted shutters lining the edge of the River under the shadow of the nobly deteriorating Chateau de Chinon, the very same place where Jean d'Arc convinced the Dauphin, Charles VII, to put on the French crown and throw out the English.

Benoit Germain's Chateau de Chorey - 2005 & some of his rare premier cru Burgundy

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The Ancient Chateau de Chorey cellars in Burgundy
"The always-animated Benoit Germain describes the 2005 vintage as one that "I'd like to make every year. At the winemaking school I attended, when they would graph out the ideal vintage, they were graphing 2005 only they just didn't know it at the time! - We had absolutely perfect grapes, I honestly can't imagine how they could be any better and it's the best fruit that I've seen since 1985. There was literally no sorting and the berries were very tiny with superb solid to liquid ratios." As the scores and comments suggest, the Germain '05s are definitely wines to put on your short list of cellar purchases. Allen Meadows - Burghound

Okay, you've been bitten by the red Burgundy bug and it's costing you a fortune. And, what perfect timing because the 2005s are the vintage of every grower's lifetime and they are available right now, but you know, there is a way to slake that powerful thirst for French Pinot Noir without breaking the bank.

It means looking for those up and coming, independent, skilled growers in those lesser-known appellations like Chorey-les-Beaune who just can't charge lavish prices for their wines, but can deliver that expression of Pinot Noir that will make you swear you're drinking one of the Burgundy Big Guys.

Enter Benoit Germain at Chateau Chorey Les Beaunes . Benoit is finally starting to get the recognition he deserves. You don't just break into the top echelon in Burgundy over night. You have to prove yourself over and over and look good in an Hermes tie as well.

Domaine de Suremain Monthelie sur La Velle 1er cru 2005 - A discovery I could not resist from a favorite grower we pour often

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Have you put some 2005 red Burgundies in your cellar yet?

Burgundy has never reached such heights, and the 2005s represent the most exquisite expression of Pinot Noir in the last couple of decades.

"With such a combination of ripeness, flavour, acid, and tannin structure, this is a year for the cellar." -Decanter, 2007

"'05 Cote de Beaune wines are indeed wonderful, pure and extraordinary..." -Allen Meadows, Burghound

"At the risk of throwing another log on an already raging fire, I'd have to say that 2005 is potentially the greatest red Burgundy vintage I've yet tasted from the barrel." -Steve Tanzer, International Wine Cellars

We already know the depth of Eric de Suremain's talent. I'm frequently poking about the cellar on an evening looking for a bottle of his Rully Preaux, but you'd have to say Eric's Monthelie, sur La Velle, is his signature wine.

If you want to catch Eric de Suremain, you go find him in the vineyards. He's not a jacket and tie type of guy who hangs out at tastings and worries about wine rankings (although he managed to get a special mention in Andrew Jefford's (The New France) Best Grower section for Burgundy wines. No, Eric is all about getting down and dirty with his terroir. This shows in his wines. This Burgundy is one of our most popular. It is sumptuous Pinot Noir to its core. It is affordable and, his Monthelie sur La Velle is a standout.

Monthelie is a little Arcadia. It straddles the borders of Volnay and Meursault on hillside vinyards that get excellent exposure. There are only 200 Montheliens, as the town's residents are called, and there isn't a village center - just growers' houses winding up a hillside to the requisite church at the top of the village, all surrounded by vines.

I'm on Twitter!

It's official; in order to better share my love of wine and French living with the world, I've joined Twitter. For those who don't know, Twitter is a microblogging service that enables its users to post quick comments or links. You can get your own twitter account and follow my adventures online. I have an account at rhurley and I've already begun posting exclusive thoughts about my travels in France. Every day I'll post the wines I drink, as well as other notes about the best sites for food and the best French sites on the web. So join me on the wine trail and follow me at Twitter today!

Chateau Croix Mouton 2006 Prize Bordeaux from Wonder Boy Jean Philippe Janoueix

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Sorting Grapes at Chateau Croix Mouton. Jean Philippe is at the far left.
Don't let this wine get underneath something in your cellar. Just leave it right on top of the stack. Take my word for it, you will go after it time and time again and then you'll want more.

Jean Philippe Janoueix is the winemaking genius in his winemaking family that has been in the business for 100 years. I think he must have wine running in his veins instead of blood. He is such a natural when it comes to making wine.

His name is on La Confession (95 Parker rating in 2005), La Croix St-Georges (another 95 in 2006). de Chambrun, Croix Mouton. They all get the 90s. Yes, these are all his wines and they are some of the best out there. But, the great thing about Chateau Croix Mouton is getting "garagiste" perfection in a bottle for a Cru Bourgeois price.

Garagiste perfection means such strict selection that no green, unripe grapes are allowed into the final mix. It means throwing out grapes that are flawed which is like taking a basket of euros and tossing them into the wind. For some growers the thought is just too painful, but for the great growers, it is not even an option, it is the only way. That's why year after year, garagistes coax great wines from their terroir. That is why Jean Philippe has the reputation he has.

Chateau Croix Mouton is a wine that will give you immense pleasure, the more so for not having emptied your wallet. It will give you immense pleasure because it is not a wine you will see on anyone else's table and when it's obvious your guests want you to open another one, you can afford to be generous.

Jean Philippe snagged the title of Wine Grower of the Year a few years back which is not an achievement to be dismissed lightly in Bordeaux where the standards of wine making are the highest in the world.

Domain Cheysson, Clos les Farges Chiroubles 2006 Parker Gives it a 90 and Inclusion in his "World's Best Wine Values"

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Chiroubles' favorable site above all the other Beaujolais Cru vineyards

Breaking News: Parker's latest Wine Advocate devoted to the "World's Best Wine Values" includes our Chiroubles 2006. Here's what he says:

" The Domaine of Jean Pierre Large came as a revelation to me of the quality possible in his appellation. Large's 2006 Chiroubles is brimming with ripe fresh raspberries, accented by orange zest and white pepper. Deep nut oil - impossible to describe otherwise - mineral notes well up on the palate and the wine finishes bracing, lip-smacking and yet thought-provoking." Rated 90, Robert Parker

Bob, Baby, where have you been? I've been uncorking this stuff for twenty years. If you've been under a similar rock, it's time to brush off all those old Beaujolais ideas that keep you from having your own revelation.

I've drunk more than my fair share of the stuff myself, but there are a few cases left - not many. Get to them before I do.

I'm not writing here about Beaujolais Nouveau or just plain Beaujolais or even Beaujolais Villages. I am writing here about Cru Beaujolais. honestly one of the best vaues in French Wine. This is a wine that can send a lot of higher priced Borgogne Rouge from the Cote d'Or packing.

There are 10 villages in Beaujolais (which, by the way, is considered part of Burgundy - just not the Cote d'Or) that are allowed to put their names on the labels because of their superior terroir. You may have heard of some of these special villages: Moulin-a-Vent, Brouilly, St Amour, Julienas, Fleurie, Regnie, Cote de Brouilly, Chenas, Morgan, and Chiroubles.

Puligny Montrachet Clos de La Mouchere 2006 from Henri Boillot An Apogee White Burgundy

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Henri Boillot in Puligny Montrachet
Very Limited Puligny Montrachet Premier Cru

"From 60+ year old vines and the vineyard is a whopping 4ha monopole within Perrieres . This is (also) restrained and ultra pure with a similar white flower and spiced citrus nose that dissolves seamlessly into rich, full and beautiful, detailed middle weight flavors that are textured and silky yet here the finish is even more intense, indeed almost to the point of being painful. I really like the energy and punch" Rated 93 Burghound - Allen Meadows

Is this the White Burgundy of a lifetime? It may well be. But, Beware! When you uncork this wine whomever or whatever you are celebrating, might get upstaged.

Clos de la Mouchere is a walled monopole (owned by just one grower) within the vineyard of Les Perrieres. It is an extremely fine wine, "regrettably, rarely seen" as Matt Kramer bemoans in his book "Making Sense of Burgundy. Fortunately for us, Clos de la Mouchere is owned by Henri Boillot and Henri Boillot is our friend. He is a generous friend who has allocated us some cases of this precious stuff.

Clos de la Mouchere will drink gorgeously for about seven years (or more). When you take a sip of this wine, you will probably comment as I do when I have Boillot's wines: "My God, I've never had a better white wine than this!" and then eye the bottle carefully to make sure you get your fair share.

Wines from Les Perrieres (and Clos de la Mouchere ) are rich, profound, and exquisite. Les Perrieres is one of the most famous premier cru vineyards in Puligny Montrachet and then, to have Henri Boillot working among the grapes makes the outcome incomparable.

Domaine des Jougla - St Chinian Ancestrale 2005 Full Complex Flavors in a Ready-to-Drink, Everyday Wine

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Vineyards on the Mediterranean (photo claes lofgren)
It's time to head south again to the wild and wonderful Languedoc Roussillon for amazing wines with price tags like the good old days. Hilltops and scrub and pine trees and deep gorges with turquoise cascading water. And, the wine - colors of deep garnet and flavors of mint, leather, raspberries, pepper and blackberries. Does that sound good?

Bob and I went combing through the vineyards of the Languedoc Roussillon several months ago and found a little stunner of a wine you can de-cork every day. It's that good and it's that inexpensive. It's called Domaine des Jougla and it comes from a wine growing area. called St Chinian which was awarded its own appellation back in the early eighties because of its superior soil (schist, clay, and limestone) and the passion of the winemakers there. If you talk to anyone about Domaine des Jougla, they will tell you the wines are a reference for the area.

The Languedoc Roussillon stretches along the rim of the Mediterranean from Arles westward down to Collioure, which is almost to Spain. there are a lot of wine-growing areas (AOCs) like Corbieres, Minervois. Faugeres, and St. Chinian. Back in the old days in the Languedoc Roussillon, quantity was everything and quality was, well, Plonk, plonk, plonk! Now, the good growers realize that because of the increased competition from all over the world, the Languedoc has to change.

Saint-Romain White Burgundy from Alain Gras: 2006 - The "Insider's" Vintage

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The affable Alain Gras at his cellar door
Last week I was able to offer some very rare (and expensive) 2006 Puligny Montrachet. This was truly an exciting wine - but we all need some white Burgundy that is rich, delicious , and minerally but not made for baptisms and partnership promotions.

Hello Alain Gras

Just how good are the 2006 white Burgundies? When I tasted Alain Gras' 2006 the other night, the answer was as clear to me as a glass of Saint-Romain: stunningly good.

No surprise really. I've tasted the Saint-Romain 2006 twice in Alain Gras's cellars and its purity and lively acidity are transfixing. It is clearly one of his best efforts, helped by a wonderful vintage for the whites in Burgundy.

I asked Alain Gras what he thought about the 2006 vintage: "The 2006 vintage is super - opulent." And then he went on. "Bordeaux always defines the vintages for France - sometimes even for the rest of the world - so not many people realize that 2006 in Burgundy is an insider vintage for the whites."

I got a little tingly when he said it. "Insider". Okay, maybe a little elitist, but who doesn't like to be ahead of the curve. And this 2006 Saint-Romain is ahead of the curve. The reality is that great vintages get overlooked and 2006 for white Burgundy is one you don't want to neglect.

Domaine Coursodon Saint-Joseph 2005 The Unsung Hero (and Insider's Smart Buy) In the Northern Rhone

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Saint-Joseph vineyards above the Rhone
"The 2005 St.-Joseph, his basic cuvee, is stunning stuff. Fresh, lively, with a deep ruby/purple color and notes of stones interwoven with flowers, red and black fruits, and plenty of licorice and earth, the wine should drink nicely for 7-10 years. The young Coursodon has become one of the top producers of St.-Joseph over the last four or five years, and qualitatively, his 2005s are the equivalent of his freakishly ripe, concentrated, and opulent 2003s. However, this is a differently styled vintage with more tannin, structure, and acidity, and for that reason the winemakers tend to see it as a classic year. All of these wines merit serious attention, and should age beautifully for at least a decade or more. Rated 88-90." - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

Here is the Wine Spectators review: of Jerome's St Joseph Cuvee Silice 2005: Rated 90

"Spicy and exotic, with lots of cinnamon and mocha, but also very fresh, with stylish blueberry and blackberry fruit offset by a strong, minerally spine. Has nice length. Drink now through 2010. "

Read what Parker says about the Coursodon Special Cuvee

"The 2005 St.-Joseph La Sensonne has tar, pepper, and cassis, and comes across more like an Hermitage, given its full-bodied power, richness, tannic structure, and density. This is a stunning St.-Joseph to drink between 2010 and 2020. Rated 90-93." - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate