La Route du Vin

Couly Dutheil Rene Couly Chinon Rosé

Subscribe to Cynthia’s free newsletter

 Winemaker Arnaud Couly with his father Jacques in their Chinon vineyards (photo: Darrault)

This Rosé with its nervy charm and Cabernet Franc essence will completely win you over. You will be passing up your favorite summer white for it, I promise. And, you do know that pouring a Rosé these days makes you exceedingly cool, or hot, depending upon your generation.

Domaine Couly Dutheil, famous for their Loire reds (Clos de l'Echo, Baronnie Madeleine, and Diligence), are making one of France's most refreshing and best Rosés I've ever put in my glass - and I've tasted a lot of them.

Couly Dutheil winemaker Arnaud Couly's Rosé brings summer to my lips. You can taste the hint of red berries (Rosé should never just taste like pink white wine. It is made, afterall, from red wine grapes.) and there is that zing of fresh, perfect acidity in your mouth.

The Rene Couly Rosé comes from one of the most beautiful wine villages in all of France: Chinon. I've been drinking Chinon for twenty-five years. I cannot taste a Chinon without a vivid picture of the village popping into my mind.

For a quarter of a mile in each direction along the Vienne River are charming stone houses built right into the hillside. The land rises steeply from the bank and on its highest part sits a chateau, noble though in ruins, and of course backed by vineyards in all directions.

All up and down the river are France's signature plane trees, stumpy and squat from rigorous pruning in the winter and bursting with shade-giving leaves in the summer. There is an open-air market once a week. You can sip your noir double in the morning and watch the trafficking of ripe peaches and aromatic melons and cheeses and feel a few million miles away from anything flashy and artificial and second-rate.

Marc Sorrel Hermitage 2004

Subscribe to Cynthia’s free newsletter

The Hermitage Hillside Vineyards - Sorrel is just to the left on the steepest slope.

"The top cuvee of red Hermitage, the 2004 Hermitage Le Greal (a blend of grapes from the estate's Greffieux and Meal vineyards) achieved 14% natural alcohol. A pure, well-textured, elegant effort with hints of Pinot Noir-like finesse and sensuality, this medium-bodied 2004 is a noteworthy success in this irregular vintage. Consume it over the next decade." -Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

The only way I was able to elbow my way into an allocation of this wine was by providing Marc with 6 bottles from the 1984 vintage, the year his father died and he took over the vineyard. He had run through all of his and I had shown some fortuitous restraint. He was desperate to fill-out his cellar with this symbolic and nostalgic year and suddenly a relationship was born which has lasted until this day.

Hermitage is situated south of Lyon on a dramatic stone-walled terraced hillside of granite, where the Rhone River makes a circular sweep in its trip to the Mediterranean. The great steep hillside vineyards have a broad southern exposure and are heated by the River and the rocky soil that stores the summer heat late into the day.

"For pure richness, allied to complexity and elegance, Hermitage remains unequaled." - Robert Parker

Domaine de Mourchon 2006 Cotes du Rhone Villages-Seguret Tradition

Subscribe to Cynthia’s free newsletter

 Walter in his hilltop vineyards at Domaine de Mourchon

That's so true for the Cotes du Rhone Villages Seguret from Domaine de Mourchon, arguably the most popular of all of my Cotes du Rhone Villages wines (and for good reason).

"This is the best estate today in Seguret, and they continue to take the quality of their Cotes du Rhone to an exciting level. Of course, Grenache is the base for these wines. They are gorgeously made, pure, rich, beautifully textured, savory, and everything a wine in Provençe should be. All of this can be attributed to Englishman Walter McKinlay, who purchased 40+ acres in 1998. It is amazing how quickly he has become a superstar in Seguret. The aging process here is relatively simple, with the wines kept in both concrete vats and oak casks. There is 100% destemming." - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

"De Mourchon is amongst the most interesting 5% of wine made today." - Jancis Robinson

Every year Parker bestows the big grades on the de Mourchon Rhones. The wines came to his attention several years ago and he can't get enough of them. The 2006, which was a splendid vintage in the Rhone, is no exception.

Not too long ago, I remember sinking into a chair on Walter and Ronnie McKinlay's terrace, taking in the Rhône surroundings and finally closing my jaw, which had been hanging open. The vines were slightly below us in soldierly rows, stretching into the distance on gently rounded hills. The vines seemed far away and, at the same time, all-enveloping. There were rows upon rows and hills upon hills, all frosted in a sagey hue.

Walter and Roni McKinlay have owned Domaine de Mourchon since 1998 when Walter, a Scotsman, sold his computer business and decided he wanted to own a vineyard. Sometimes, he pulls a long face and leans in conspiratorially to share that owning a vineyard was perhaps more work than he had initially had in mind, but how can I really ache for him when he has made such a stunning success out of it all?

Domaine Auvigue (oh-veeg) - Macon Villages 2007 - A white wine I can't keep my corkscrew out of!

Subscribe to Cynthia’s free newsletter

 The Auvigue brothers. Jean-Pierre is in front, Michel behind.

"2007 also produced some terrific wines in both Mâconnais and the Côte Chalonnaise, particularly the Macon area. The wines are ripe and with firm acidities yet there is a sufficient amount of mid-palate concentration that they will drink well on the early side. It's relatively rare to have classically styled wines that will drink well early yet the '07s are already sufficiently supple that 2 to 3 years will see the vast majority of them at their best." -Allen Meadows, Burghound

The Macon region is part of Burgundy-south of the more famous (and expensive) Cote d'Or. It is home to fabulous, affordable Chardonnay with some of the same qualities as the more expensive northern neighbors like Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet that run $50 a bottle and more. Of course, the wines are not as rare and complex, but if you find some good ones...

That is where Jean-Pierre Auvigue comes to the dinner table. I have been drinking his wines for over twenty-five years. Yes, they have that emphasis of honey and grapefruit on the tongue, yes they are crisp and dry, but you know what I like most about them?

Chateau La Commanderie de Mazeyres Pomerol 2006: 90 Points says Wine Spectator!

Subscribe to Cynthia’s free newsletter

 The new barrel storage room at La Commanderie de Mayzeres in Pomerol

"Well done for the vintage. With a very good mouthfeel, lots of velvety tannins and a long finish. Balanced." Rated 90 Wine Spectator

This 2006 bottling is better than the superb 2005.

Pomerol is Bordeaux's DRC. The hallowed ground - The hard to get appellation that everyone wants but its miniscule supply severely limits its availability.

Pomerols are intensely fruited with a voluptuous texture. Early-maturing, yet long-lived. Doesn't that describe your perfect wine? When was the last time you had one? I'll bet it's been a while.

Have you ever visited Pomerol?

I remember my first visit. I saw the "Pomerol" sign and then less than thirty seconds later, I saw another sign: "Pomerol" with a line drawn through it. I had left Pomerol. There were a couple of buildings, but not so much as a café or tabac. One church. And yet, I was surrounded by some of the most expensive vines in the world. The understatement was killing. It stirred such desire.

Pomerol is a tiny triangle of land to the northwest of St. Emilion. It is about a seventh of the size of its neighbor. The estates here are small with very limited production - generally 800-3000 cases. A chateau in the Medoc is likely to produce ten times that amount.

So, this is where the mathematics come in - if you don't have the volume, you've got to make it up on price. Every Pomerolian cranks up the quality of their wine to the highest possible level in order to justify the Everest prices they ask for and yes, get. There are few slackers in Pomerol.

Presidial 2006 - Jean-Luc Thunevin Master Garagiste Produces a Brilliant Everyday Bordeaux (Again)

Subscribe to Cynthia’s free newsletter

 Winemaker Jean-Luc Thunevin and Murielle in their Saint-Emilion Garden

Winemaker Jean-Luc Thunevin and Murielle in their Saint-Emilion Garden

This is the last of my 2006 Presidial Bordeaux. Some people came back for thirds on this wine last year. We kept the 2005s flowing until the very last drop, but then we had to wait while Jean-Luc Thunevin finished working his magic with the 2006 Presidial.

You will love it! It is all concentrated fruit and none of those vegetal, reedy flavors or rough tannins that often mar a lower priced Bordeaux that is not meticulously made. This Presidial 2006 is quite perfect and no surprise considering that Thunevin is the architect.

It doesn't hurt that this Bordeaux has been the rave of the French press. It has been called the "Best Value in Bordeaux". More than once. Now that is tough to top. You probably know who Jean-Luc Thunevin is by now. He "started" the whole "garage" movement back in 1989. Garage wines, as you probably know by now, are small production wines made from tiny parcels of vines that are tended as preciously as orchid gardens.

Jean Luc bought a tiny parcel, on the "wrong side of the tracks" in Saint-Emilion and proved to the venerable Saint-Emilion establishment in a few vintages that one could make a silk purse from a moose's ear if you did things like de-stemming by hand and severe green harvesting and keeping the yields very, very low.

Cornas 2006 from Pierre Gaillard - Master of Winemaking in the Northern Rhone

Subscribe to Cynthia’s free newsletter

 Pierre in his modern cellars

Read what La Revue du Vin de France says about Pierre Gaillard:

"Without a misstep, Pierre Gaillard pursues a path of quality. He is dynamic and intelligent, for several years now his wines have been exciting and fascinating, winning and seductive in their youth, lacking nothing in complexity and potential. These wines are the surest values in the Rhone Valley."

I've always loved the robust and rounded red wine from Cornas. And, when you match Pierre Gaillard's winemaking prowess and intelligence with the Cornas terroir, the result is a beautiful glassful of red wine.

"Fruit and lots of it is the hallmark of the 2006 vintage in the Northern Rhone," John Livingstone-Learmonth writes in Decanter magazine.

Cornas is like a little stocking foot on the bottom of the much larger wine commune, St Joseph. Cornas produces only red wines, made exclusively from the Syrah grape. It is a very small appellation with only about 90 hectares planted.

Domaine des Jougla's Rosé 2007

Subscribe to Cynthia’s free newsletter

 The wild St Chinian vineyards

I'm picky about what goes in my glass. I'm not about to fall for something just because it's pretty in pink.

It took me a long time to find a Rosé that was glass worthy to compete with my Chiroubles Beaujolais Cru during Saturday lunch or my white Macon, Saumur or Vouvray for something refreshing at the end of the day.

But, I was willing to admit that, as the quality of French wine has gotten better and better, so has the Rosé. And, as I'm sure you know, the popularity of Rosé has gone through the roof

So I went on a rotation throughout France and I drank every Rosé I could find - not the romp through the vineyards you're undoubtedly envisioning since there are still a number of slackers out there passing off their leftovers as Rosé.

But with some perseverance, I found one. It's not surprising that my Rosé was right in my own backyard of existing growers. I like to work with the small "indy" growers who put quality ahead of practically everything. These are the fellows who are not about to short-change their Rosé. In fact they are devoted to their Rose as much as any wine they produce from their vineyard.

New from Bourgueil Domaine du Rochouard Cuvée Coteau "violet robe and expressive nose of red and black fruits"

  Bourgueil in the glass in Paris

This wine is new and it is great, but before I say more, I am going to start off with some pronunciation tips because a wine that is hard to pronounce tends to get overlooked and there is no way you should miss this wine just because you don't want to say its name:

Here goes. Concentrate. Boor'goy. The trick is to give it a Yiddish twist at the end-as in the oi of oi vey. Step on the G hard. Boor-ghoi. Perfect!

Now here's the story. Bob and I were in the Loire not too long ago to look for a new Bourgueil. Bourgueil is part of the Touraine. It's north of the Loire River, west of Tours. The climate is mild and you will run into the odd palm tree. I like to hunt for new wines. It's a good way to stay on top of a region and who's out there.

I did some advance work and happened to see the Domaine Rochouard had received a 5-star (perfect) rating from Decanter magazine for one of their wines. Getting 5-stars is rare and a big deal so I dashed out an email and fixed a rendezvous.

2005 Mas de l'Ecriture - Cuvee Emotion

Subscribe to Cynthia’s free newsletter

 Pascal Fuller, owner of Mas de L'Ecriture

Our friend Pascal Fulla emailed me recently to tell us his wine was on Michel Guérard's 3-Star Eugénie les Bains wine list. The last time Bob and I had dinner at super-chef Michel Guérard's famous restaurant it was sooooo good that we spent the night, got up the next morning and had lunch, too.

You know these three-star chefs in France...they care about every detail and they want only the very best of everything, including of course for their wine list. Everyone wants to be included - only a select few are.

Mas de l'Ecriture is a pristine, pink-hued, modern winery in the village of Jonquieres near the Mediterranean. Try to imagine several inkblots of land strewn across the French arc between from about Nimes to Narbonne. These selected vineyard sites are recognized as having superior and distinctive terroir. They are known as the Coteaux de Languedoc. Within these areas there are even better parcels, one of which is called Terasses du Larzac. This is where the vineyard of Mas de l'Ecriture is located.

Pascal Fulla came late to the wine business. He was a lawyer for a long time and only created his estate in the late 1990s, but he hit the ground running. The winery rises out of a valley on flat land between hills. The land has the magical combination of stony soil, which drains well during the often quite violent rainstorms, and limestone and clay, which holds water down deep during the equally frequent droughts. In addition, the vineyards are regularly swept by the Mistral, which keeps the pests away.