North Greece wine region: Wine Production

Two of the characteristics that shone through during my tour of the North Greece wine region were (i) the outstanding pedigree of a number of the iconic winemakers and (ii) the high level of training evidenced at the lead-wine-production-personnel level. For example, Domaine Gerovassiliou is the result of the efforts of Vangelis Gerovassiliou who expanded the family's 2.5-ha estate to the over 56-ha that exists today. Vangelis studied agriculture at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki but then went on to study Oenology at the University of Bordeaux where he worked with the world-famous oenologist Emile Peynaud. When Peynaud was contracted by Domaine Porto Carras to develop their estate, he very quickly brought in Vangelis who worked there from 1976 to 1999. In addition to pulling Porto Carras up by its bootstraps, Vangelis is responsible for rescuing Malagouzia from near extinction and is also a founding partner of Ktima Biblio Chora (along with fellow oenologist Vassilis Tsaktsarlis). And this is only one example.

In terms of the lead enologists, every one that I spoke to had studied enology in either Bordeaux or Burgundy and had interned at a French vineyard and continued to spend harvests, when possible, in the Southern Hemisphere.

In this post I describe the methods employed by these practitioners to develop the wines of North Greece (I have discussed the physical environment, variety and rootstock choices, and vine training  and vineyard management practices in previous posts.).

One of the most important decisions confronting a winemaker is deciding when to pick the grapes. The "optimal"harvest time is dependent on the winemaker's style and intent. In North Greece, most winemakers use a mix of objective and subjective factors to arrive at that determination. Alpha Estate, for example, bases optimal picking time on sugar levels (210 g/L for whites, 235 g/L for reds), titratable acidity (6.5 g/L for whites, 5.8 g/L for reds), and subjective factors such as color, texture, aroma, and flavor. According to Angelos Iatridis, Alpha Estate's winemaker, all of the objective and subjective parameters are taken into consideration in combination with lab analysis and taste based on the winemaker's experience.

All of the wineries surveyed harvested manually and transported the grapes back to the winery in small (15 - 20 kg) crates. In cases where there is some remove between vineyard and winery, the grapes are transported between the two in refrigerated trucks.

A first level of selection is implemented in the vineyards in order to ensure that only the best grapes get to the winery. Kir-Yianni is exemplary, harvesting up to three times per block depending on grape maturity. Such a practice allows the winery to counter uneven ripening in the vineyard and advances the goal of fully ripe fruit to the cellar door.

Grapes are consistently destemmed prior to crushing with, in many cases, hand-sorting prior to de-stemming. In the case of Kir-Yianni, the grapes are subjected to a second sorting table prior to crush. Alpha Estate does no additional sorting beyond that done in the vineyard. Ktima Pavlidis moves the fruit to the tank via elevator or by pumping it up to the tank. This practice is a little at odds with today's perceived wisdom of gravity-flow wine production.

All of the wineries "cold soak" the fruit prior to fermentation with temperatures ranging between 8℃ and 10℃ for whites and 8℃ - 13℃ for reds. Duration ranges between 6 and 18 hours for whites and 2 to 7 days for reds.

Alpha Estate is the only domaine acknowledging must adjustment. According to Angelos, he will adjust the acidity in Xinomavro must in cool years. Amyndeon is a naturally cool region and so has high acid retention. Xinomavro is a variety with high natural acidity. In cooler years that combination will produce wines with very high acid levels; levels that would sorely tax the softening capacity of malolactic bacteria.

Selected yeasts are used for most alcoholic fermentation with some limited use of indigenous yeasts at Ktimas Gerovassiliou and Pavlidis. The fermentation vehicle of choice is stainless steel tanks with half of the respondents doing some additional fermentation in oak. Fermentation temperatures range between 16℃ and 18℃ for whites (14℃ at Alpha Estate) and 20 - 27℃ for reds.

Courtesy Alpha Estate

A mix of punch downs and pumpovers is used for cap management with Alpha Estate the outlier in that they perform delestage up to mid-fermentation combined with twice per hour pumpovers. Pumpover frequency is reduced towards the end of fermentation.

Press at Ktima Pavlidis

Malolactic fermentation is widely employed for reds with natural ML bacteria as the initiator. The process is either conducted fully in tank or is initiated in the tank and completed in oak barrels. Alpha Estate utilizes selected bacteria for its malolactic fermentation.

Most aging is done in 225L Frenck oak barriques of between one and three years of age. Tsantali utilizes 300L French oak barrels for its aging while Kir-Yianni employs 228L and 500L barrels in addition to the barriques.

Barrel Room at Domaine Biblio Chora

The next post in this series will cover the actual wines produced in the region.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Hipster wine tasting: The white wines

They say that "stuff" flows down hill but that does not seem to be the case when it comes to "Hipster" wine and the Orlando area. Rather, we have to grab it by the scruff of its neck and drag it down here. And that is literally what Ron had to do in order to curate and host a tasting of selected wines of this type, said event held at the IDrive Capital Grille. I covered the Champagne portion of the tasting in a prior post and will delve into the whites here.

The whites were tasted in two flights, an approach grounded in convenience and ease of use. The order of, and within, the flights is illustrated in the pictures below.

Courtesy of Steve Alcorn

Courtesy of Steve Alcorn

Before we continue, I would like to step back and do something that I did not do in the prior post -- put some context into the words "Hipster Wine." I will then discuss these wines within this newly formed "reality."

PJwineblog, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, has laid out some of the breadcrumbs you need to follow in identifying a hipster wine:

1. Is it from the Loire, Beuajolais, or Jura?While one of our wines is from the Jura (Ganevat) and one from the Loire (Montlouis Le Volagré), I feel that this geographic restriction excludes a number of quality candidates of this genre. In our case the remaining wines are drawn from Corsica (Antoine Arena), Chablis (Moreau-Naudet), Burgundy (Naudin), and Provence (Chateau Simone).
2. Is it organic (or some variant of), made without added sulfur, or fermented in concrete egg? All of the wines under consideration are either organic or biodynamic, except for the Naudin. In that case the winemaker uses organic methods but is not certified organic because she wants to maintain flexibility. Her practices are sustainable. Most of the producers use sulfur but they particularly stress the fact that they use minute amounts. What is also interesting is that they use it at differing points along the production chain. Ganevat, for example, uses sulfur at bottling while Antoine Arena uses a little during vinification. No concrete eggs within this group, even though Antoine Arena uses cement vessels.
3. Is it orange, aged in amphorae, made from a long lost indigenous grape that was rediscovered by some European hippy while trying to convert his vineyard over to biodynamics ... is it Slovenian? Still fermenting? Oxidized ...? No luck with any of these characteristics in this bunch, even though the Chateau Simone is a blend of (mostly) non-mainstream varieties: Clairette (80%), Grenache Blanc (10%), Ugni Blanc (6%), Bourboulenc (2%), and Muscat Blanc (2%).

According to the author, if the answer to any of these questions is yes, you may be talking about a hipster wine. If the answer to any combination is yes, then you are definitely in hipster territory.

I would add a few characteristics to the ones mentioned by the author above:

1. Hipster winemakers are almost single-minded about the work in the field and tend to wax philosophical about this aspect of wine production.
2. Winemakers in this genre tend to develop almost cult-like followings both for the quality of their wines as well as for the quality of their thoughts and thought processes.
3. Almost to a person, these winemakers leave fermentation up to natural yeasts.
4. They are mostly practitioners of the natural methods of settling wine as opposed to fining and filtering. On her website, Naudin goes on at some length about reverse osmosis. She is not a fan.

Notes
In the first flight, the Jean Francois Ganevat Chardonnay 'Le Montceau' 2013 showed a waxiness and cammomile florality on the nose, along with anise, and rust. Lemon rind on the palate along with a finish-dampening effect.

The Claire Naudin Aligote 'Le Clou 34' 2013 was characterized by Andrew as Viognier on the nose and Chenin on the palate. White flowers and apple on the nose along with a richness and coconut oil. Weighty on the palate with the florality working its way through. Citrus quality.

The 2011 Antoine Arena 'Grotte di Sole' Blanc was the most interesting of the wines in the first flight and, as a matter of fact, was so designated by the team. This 100% Vermentinu from Corsica had apple and smoke on the nose and a Montrachet-like quality (more Chassagne than Puligny). Weighty, waxy, and oily on the palate. Complex with a long, spicy finish.

In the second flight, Chateau Simone Palette Blanc 2010 showed like an old Riesling. Malt, violets, and orange rind on the nose. Oxidative character on the palate. Falls off a cliff.

The Moreau-Naudet Chablis 'Forest' 1er Cru 2012 destroyed all of my pre-conceived notions as to what a Chablis is. I approach a Chablis looking for that knife-edge, flinty sharpness but this wine did not exhibit any of those characteristics. It is more tangerine than lime. Excellent, rounder, fuller Chardonnay than expected. This wine is a result of the winemaker picking later than his peers in search of riper fruit.

The Stephane Cossais Montlouis Sur Loire 'Le Volagre' 2008 was the wine of this flight. Barrel spice, vanilla, nutty, rich, waxy, oily, and lime. Lees character evident. Great acid level. Steve characterized this wine as lush and balanced.


©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Hipster wine tasting: The Champagnes

In Orlando, distance, consumer demand, and distributor choice conspire to restrict the types of wines available on the market. To combat this state of affairs, a number of wine lovers travel to the major metropolitan areas in order to stay abreast of trends "under the brighter lights." One such traveler is Ron Siegel, a good friend, travel buddy, and, in addition, one of the biggest collectors in town. We tend to drink mostly the five Bs but, over the last few trips that he has taken to NYC, the Somms have been recommending wines that are not normally on his radar screen.

Ron thought that this required further attention and had some discussions with Pascaline Lepeltier MS (Rouge Tomate) and the Wine Director at Jean-Georges to get a sense of some of these "new wines" that he should be drinking. He also consulted Raj Parr's Delectable Timeline to get a sense of the wines in this class that Raj was drinking. At the conclusion of that investigation, Ron curated a number of wines for a Hipster tasting and invited a number of local Somms and friends to participate.

"Hipster Tasting" crew. Photo courtesy of Steve Alcorn

I will report on this tasting over a number of posts beginning with the Champagne flight herein.

The tasting kicked off with a flight of three Champagnes: Chartogne-Taillet 'Les Barres' Extra Brut 2008; Georges Laval Cumières Premier Cru Brut Nature Rosé; and Bérêche et Fils Brut Nature Chardonnay 'Les Beaux Regards'. The Chartogne-Taillet was contributed by Jill Davis, Head Sommelier at Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House, located on International Drive in the Orlando Convention District, while the other two were procured by Ron from out-of-state sources.

Chartogne-Taillet
Chartogne-Taillet farms 11 ha of vineyards on south and southeast facing slopes in the village of Merfy in the Montagne de Reims. The vineyard is divided into 13 individual parcels planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Arbane. The Les Barres parcel stretches over two of the southernmost plots in the estate's holdings and were planted during the period 1952 to 2008. The 0.84 ha plot is evenly planted to Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

Source: champagne.fr

Grapes for the Les Barres Champagne are grown on 60-year-old, ungrafted Pinot Meunier vines with root systems reaching down through two meters of Thanetian sands to the underlying limestone. Due to the sandy soils, Phylloxera has never affected these vines.

The grapes are hand-harvested and pressed gently. There is no additional treatment to the grapes, must, or wine beyond the application of a small quantity of SO₂ at harvest. The grapes are vinified in oak barrels -- ranging in age from three to nine years -- using natural yeasts and malolactic fermentation is also allowed to proceed naturally. The wines are aged for eight to 18 months and then bottled without filtration.

Georges Laval
On our recent trip to New York for La Fete du Champagne, we had a number of area Somms advise us that the wines of George Laval should not be missed at the weekend Grand Tasting. So we had that as a mission and did experience the man and his wines. And both were stellar experiences. And, hence, the motivation for Ron adding this producer to the tasting.

George Laval's vineyards are sited on south-facing slopes in Cumières in the Vallée de la Marne. The estate has been organic since 1971, almost Big Bang time in the world of European organic viticulture, and is planted to Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. Fifty percent of the vines are in excess of 30 years of age with some vines being older than 70 years.

Like Chartogne-Taillet, the Laval grapes are hand-harvested and fermented with natural yeasts, but, unlike that estate, Laval uses sulfur at low doses (< 30 mg/L SO₂) during fermentation to prevent oxidation. The base wines are aged or 10 months without fining or filtration and then blended before bottling. The Champagnes are aged on the lees for 2 - 4 years depending on the vintage.

Bereche et Fils
The Bereche et Fils holdings amount to 9.5 ha distributed between Ludes on the Montagne de Reims, Mareuil le Port in the Vallée de la Marne, Ormes in Petite Montagne de Reims, small plots in Trépail on the eastern slope of Montagne de Reims, and a tiny Grand Cru parcel in Mailly. The vineyards are planted to roughly equal proportions of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier and, as in the two prior estates, the grapes are grown organically.

Parcels are vinified separately with natural yeasts used for smaller tanks and selected yeasts in larger tanks. Malolactic fermentation is discouraged. Wines that are vinified in tanks age on their lees for 5 months while those fermented in barrels rest on their lees for 6 months (75% of the fermentation is conducted in barrel). After assemblage the wines remain in the cellar for between 2 and 6 years. The estate uses cork closures, rather than crown caps, for secondary fermentation. There is no filtration.

The Les Beaux Regards is a Blanc de Blanc sourced from vines planted in 1902 and 1970.

Tasting Notes
The Chartogne-Taillent 2008 exhibited great freshness on the nose along with a toasted brioche and a nuttiness. Long finish. This wine is drinking beautifully right now. The Georges Laval showed a spicy strawberry along with gaminess, blood, and a savory note. Slight oxidative note. Less expressive on the palate. The Bereche et Fils showed bread, lime, minerality and a slight citrus rind. Crisp, limey acidity and a drying out on the palate.

At the conclusion of the flight, participants were asked to select the best in flight. The Georges Laval got a lot of mentions but the peoples choice was the Chartogne-Taillet.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Winery tour and tasting at Domaine Porto Carras (Sithonia, Greece)

I had visited Greece on a number of occasions previously but had never made it to the north so I was very pleased to be selected as a team member of the North-Greece-Wines-sponsored Press Trip to the region. After our pickups at the Elektra Hotel and Thessaloniki Airport, we took a one-hour trip through beautiful coastal villages to our first stop on the tour, Domaine Porto Carras.

Domaine Porto Carras is located on the western side of the middle finger (Sithonia Municipality) of peninsular Halkidiki which is, itself, a part of Greek Macedonia. The maps below show the placement of Domaine Porto Carras within a broader geographical context.

Macedonia Region within Greece (inset) and Halkidiki within
Macedonia. Source: askelena.com

Domaine Porto Carras location in Sithonia on
the Halkidiki Peninsula

We were warmly welcomed at Domaine Porto Carras by a team led by the (as I came to find out) irrepressible Popi Golfi. After introductions all around, a quick walkaround of the Melissanthi Tasting Hall, and some refreshments, we were bundled into the Domaine's transportation for a tour of the vineyards. Our guide for the tour was going to be Stergios Giannis, the Domine's Agronomist-Viticulturist.

Tasting setup at Melissanthi Tasting Hall

Team Member John Matson with Stergios Giannos and
Popi Golfi of Domaine Porto Carras

We took a narrow, winding trail through lower-elevation vineyards up to a point which yielded spectacular views of the vineyards flowing away from us until (seemingly) becoming one with the sea.

As we walked between the vehicle and the lookout point, Stergios provided some background on the Domaine. At 4500 ha, it is the largest organic vineyard in Greece. Originally purchased by Mr Carras in 1963, 27 ha were eventually planted to vine in 1967 after careful planning and testing of vineyard sites by professors from Thessaloniki School of Agronomy and Athens Vine and Wine Institute. The post-experimentation design had white varieties planted close to the sea while red varieties were planted at higher elevation. The famed Bordeaux Oenologist Emile Peynaud collaborated with the estate from 1970 to 1975.

The top level wines in the Greek appellation system are wines designated PDO and the Porto Carras vineyards on the slopes of Mt. Meliton constitute a single-domaine PDO called Slopes of Meliton. The characteristics of that PDO are displayed in the figure below. The Domaine also makes wines that are classed as PGI Sithonia, an appellation which encompasses grapes grown anywhere on the Sithonia peninsula, and PGI Halkidiki which encompasses grapes grown anywhere in that geographic area.

Stergios with Robin Gheesling (right) and Olga Mosina

After our tour of the Slopes of Meliton we got back into the transporter and made our way to the Limnio Vineyard. The vineyard is separated into two 5-ha plots and the grapes are used both for a standalone varietal and as a component in a Bordeaux-style blend. The characteristics of this ancient variety are explored here.

Popi Golfi leaving no doubt as to where we are

After a brief tour of the winery led by Oenologist Eyfrossyni Drossou, we returned to Melissanthi Hall to taste the wines of the Domaine.

Stainless steel tanks (Courtesy Domaine Porto Carras)

The Domaine's wines are shown in the table below with the ones tasted in the picture immediately following.

Table 1: Domaine Porto Carras Wines

Wine Type	Wine Name	Appellation	Varietal Composition	Yield (kg/ha)	Production	Aging
White	Athiri	PGI Halkidiki	Athiri	7000	Skin contact and then classic fermentation in SS vats
	Assyrtiko	PGI Halkidiki	Assyrtiko	6000	do.
	Blanc de Blancs	PDO Meliton Slopes	Athiri, Assyrtiko, Roditis	6000 - 7000	do.
	Melissanthi	do.	Assyrtiko, Athiri	do.	do.
	Amathousa	PGI Halkidiki	Sauvignon Blanc	do.	do.
	Malagouzia	PGI Sithonia	Malagouzia	8000	do.
Red	Limnio	PDO Meliton Slopes	Limnio	5000	Classic fermentation	12 months in oak
	Limnio-Cabernet Sauvignon	PGI Halkidiki	Limnio, Cabernet Sauvignon	6000	do.	do.
	Merlot	do.	Merlot	do.	do.	do.
	Magnus Baccata	PGI Sithonia	Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Limnio	do.	do.	24 months in French oak
	Chateau Porto Carras	PDO Meliton Slopes	Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Limnio, Merlot	do.	do.	24 months in French oak, 1 year in bottle
	Syrah	PGI Sithonia	Syrah	7000	do.	24 months in French oak, 1 year in bottle
	Grande Reserve Porphyrogenitos ‘93	PDO Meliton Slopes	Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Limnio	6000	do.	French oak barrels for 24 months; 15 years in bottle
Rosé	Rosé	PGI Sithonia	Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon	6000	Skin contact for 8-12 hrs; fermentation in SS tanks at 16 - 18C

Of the white wines tasted, I was pleasantly surprised by the Assyrtiko. Of the reds, while the Magnus Baccata merits attention, it was the Bordeaux blends that blew me away with spice, tobacco, cedar, dark chocolate, and vanilla notes accompanying a red-fruit character, velvety feel, and lengthy finish. The 1993 was just an evolved version of the 2006. I brought a few bottles of these wines home.

After the tour and tasting we travelled to the Porto Carras Grand Resort and had dinner at one of the restaurants.

If a harbinger of what was to come, I had died and gone to heaven.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

2015 Blog Year in Review: Part IV, Galloni's Brunello di Montalcino 2010 and DLynn Procotor's Pinnacle of Penfolds

In this year-end review of activity on the blog during the course of the year, I follow up yesterday's post on La Paulée with revisits of two additional high-profile tastings.

Antonio Galloni's 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Tasting
Antonio Galloni's Vinous builds community with subscribers through Vinous Events which are targeted at "fostering dialog and education through once-in-a-lifetime seminars, tastings and dinners." One such event was a tasting of 2010 Brunello di Montalcinos held at New York's Lincoln Ristorante on Tuesday, September 29, 2015. This was a limited-seating event which promised "a comprehensive look at a number of the very best Brunellos from Montalcino's exceptional 2010 vintage" wherein the attendees would "taste the entire stylistic range ... from the super-classic to the ultra-modern" paired with offerings from Chef Jonathon Benno of the Lincoln in the unparalleled setting of the restaurant's East Dining Room. A graphic of the wines tasted is presented below.

Highlights of the tasting were as follows:

• The Il Poggione was traditionally made and, according to Antonio, is the single wine that offers the highest value for money in Montalcino and brings together a lot of things that are characteristic of Italy.
• The Salicutti was stunning. An almost Burgundian expresssion of Sangiovese. Powerful, intense, and long without being heavy. Great tannic structure and perfect weight on the palate. Can be drunk now but will also reward patience.
• The Pian dell'Orino was also stunning. An explosion of flavor and intensity. This wine was constructed using traditional methods and was the best wine tasted up to that time.
• The Cerbaiona was the best of the wines on display that night endowed as it was with finesse, elegance, layered complexity, and a wonderful balance.

This tasting exceeded the expectations that had been set at the time of the offer. My disappointments were twofold: (i) I did not get there early enough to mingle and so did not have an opportunity to assess the quality and interests of the attendees beyond my table mates (who were fantastic, by the way) and (ii) that Soldera and Poggio di Soto were not among the wines tasted (The quality and excellence of the tasting were not diminished by their absence but I just felt that they belonged in this company.)

Penfolds Pinnacle of Australian Wine Tasting at Pebble Beach Food and Wine

DLynn Proctor headlined a panel at Pebble Beach Food and Wine (April 9 - 12, 2015) titled Penfolds and the Pinnacle of Australian Wine. In addition to himself, the panel included:

• Greg Harrington MS, Founder and Winemaker, Gramercy Cellars
• Ray Isle, Executive Wine Editor, Food & Wine
• Kim Beto, Vice President of Key Accounts, Southern Wine and Spirits of Northern California.

The tasting was divided into non-Grange and Grange flights, the former consisting of six bottles and the latter of five. The non-Grange labels, drawn from the Penfolds Collection, were RWT, Magill Estate, and St. Henri.

The 1998 exhibited notes of spice, leather, tobacco, smoked meat, burnt toffee, chocolate, and mint. On the palate a savoriness and surprising youth. Intense, bright, some salinity, spiciness, and slightly grippy tannins. Long, spicy finish. According to DLynn, 2.4% Cabernet Sauvignon included. The nose on the 2009 was unyielding. Slight vegetality. Weighty on the palate with a great core of fruit. Intense. Eucalyptus notes. It is not as structured as the 1998 but a beautiful wine nonetheless.

The 1997 RWT had a layered complexity with a perfumed nose and accompanying notes of eucalyptus, mint, earth, spice, and dried tree bark. Delivers on the palate but not on the promise of the nose. Rich and powerful with blackberry, cedar, and truffles dominant. Long, drying finish. The 2012 RWT had a core of blackberry fruit supporting notes of dark chocolate, soy, and mahagony. Concentrated fruit on the palate along with a saline character. Balanced by appropriate tannin structure and acidity. Lengthy finish.

Magill Estate is a 5.1 ha property and is, according to DLynn, the spiritual home of Penfolds. The wine is 100% Shiraz and the 2004 exhibited notes of green bark, coconut, petrol, smoke, charcoal, and toffee along with a hint of phenolics. On the palate elegant and balanced with a drying finish. The 2012 was more "in your face" than was the 2004. Same nose as for the 2004 but with more intensity. Dark fruits and brightness on the palate.

The Grange flight consisted of wines from the 1986, 1989, 1998, 2008, and 2010 vintages.

I had tasted the 1986 as a part of our Five Decades of Penfolds Grange tasting and had described it as having aromas of dill, bay leaf, thyme, phenolics and a little greenness. I had also described it as balanced and savory and having integrated tannins and a long finish. Similar characteristics exhibited at this tasting except for a hint of portiness that I had not evidenced previously.

The 1989 wine had also been tasted earlier and in that case I described it as having ripe fruit, molasses, savoriness, beef broth with dark fruit and molasses on the palate. The notes for this tasting aligned somewhat in that I evidenced an aromatic high tone along with pyrazine, sugar cane, and molasses on the nose to go along with dark fruit, pyrazine, and molasses on the palate.

The 1998 had rich, dark, ripe fruit along with baking spices and pepper on the nose. Palate-filling. Rich and concentrated with a long creamy finish. Hint of port.

The 2008 was perfumed on the nose with baby talcum powder, sawdust, chocolate dust, and cocoa dust. Elegant on the palate with sweet ripe fruit and a hint of green. Toffee, coffee, chocolate, and a long smooth finish.

The 2010 also exhibited an elegant nose. On the palate thick, rich dark fruit. As Yogi Berra would have said, "Its future is ahead of it."

All in all this was a fun tasting. Dlynn and Greg made stellar contributions to the affair with DLynn being "always on" and Greg having taken the necessary steps to be prepared for the event.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

2015 Blog Year in Review: Part III, La Paulée

This is the third in a series of posts looking back at the blog coverage areas over the past 12 months. The initial post covered activities in the area of postmodern winemaking while the second covered wine region writings. This one focuses on 2015 La Paulee events which the author attended.

The reputation of La Paulée precedes it. A decadent, boisterous celebration of Burgundy rotating annually between San Francisco and New York, it is the brainchild of Sommelier Extraordinaire Daniel Johnnes but is now, to all intents and purposes, owned by New York Chefs, New York Sommeliers, Burgundian vignerons, and Burgundy lovers from all over the US. It was held in NY this year and we were there. It was all that was promised; and more.

DRC 2012 Vintage Preview
One of the most highly anticipated events of the 2015 edition of La Paulée de New York was the Domaine de La Romanée-Conti (DRC) 2012 Vintage Preview which was held at Daniel and led by the Domaine's co-Director Aubert de Villaine. The wines tasted at the event were as follows:

• DRC Échézeaux Grand Cru 2012
• DRC Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru 2012
• DRC La Tâche Grand Cru Monople 2012
• DRC Romanée-Conti Grand Cru Monople 2012

The Échézeaux exhibited pale strawberry, creaminess, and leather on the nose. On the palate ripe Pinot fruit, attractive levels of acidity, spice, balance, and great length. Slight astringency and long, drying finish.

The RSV was less structured than the Échézeaux. On the nose a floral rose aroma along with ripe Pinot fruit, vanilla, and a hint of reduction. On the palate ripe fruit, complexity, and a long, sweet finish. Somewhat reserved and mysterious. A sense of something hidden.

The La Tâche exhibited layered Pinot fruit, richness, wax, and earth. On the palate strawberry, hot spices, baking spice and a long finish.

The Romanée-Conti had cherry, tree bark, and baking spice on the nose to go along with hot spice and savoriness on the palate. Complexity and power. Long, balanced finish.

In his summarization of the tasting, Aubert indicated that the 2012 DRCs had a tendency towards reduction. They had persistence and depth on the palate and are all approachable at this time. They were recently bottled and he was surprised at how well they have taken to the bottle. They are still young but, even at this early stage, are already displaying their individual characteristics:

• Échézeaux: character
• RSV: an elegant nose yet austere and hard in the mouth
• La Tâche: layering
• La Romanée-Conti: reserved complexity.

He saw the wines of the vintage as being somewhat akin to those of 1991 and 1992 but cautions that we should take them as they are.

These wines were all of exceptional quality and will bring years of pleasure to those "fortunate" enough to acquire (now) and drink (later) from the miniscule stock.

Collectors Dinner

The Collectors Dinner was held at ElevenMadisonPark and featured the wines of Domaine Méo-Camuzet. We were welcomed by a waiter offering glasses of Champagne Delamotte Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2007, the first place in the world that this vintage was being poured.

The Lobster Poached with Daikon Radish and Citrus course was accompanied by a Champagne Salon 1983 en magnum. We were informed that the Champagne House only had 24 of these mags in its cellar and five had been sent to this event. The wine had been disgorged in June 2012. The 1983 vintage had experienced bad spring and winter weather but had been very good for Champagne, with high acidity and excellent sugar levels in the fruit being the order of the day.

The lobster was exceptional and bolstered by the Salon with its notes of orange rind, citrus, distant bread, tropical fruit, and green apple. Excellent acidity and mousse.

The third course was a Foie Gras marinated with Black Truffle and Purple Potato accompanied by a quartet of 2006 Méo-Camuzet wines:

• Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Les Chaumes
• Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru Aux Murgers
• Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
• Corton Grand Cru Clos Rognet

The Vosne-Romanée showed coconut and spice, strawberries, savoriness and a slight phenolic note. It had strawberry cherry on the palate, excellent weight, and was balanced with a nice, round mouthfeel. The Nuits-St.-George was unyielding on the nose with spice and a slight creaminess on the palate. This wine was non-complex. The Clos Vougeot yielded strawberry, with a lemon tinge, tobacco, leather, spice, dill, and tree bark. Length and intensity wanting. The Corton showed pinot fruit, coffee, and mocha on the nose and power and weight on the palate. Great length and intensity. Still young.

The next course was Celery Root Braised with Black Truffle. The wines were from the Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Les Brûlées climat and were produced in the years 2002, 1999, and 1990. The wines were served youngest to oldest in this flight, an approach that differs from my preference. The dish was excellent. The 2002 Les Brûlées showed strawberry, spice, dried herbs, and rosemary. Vibrant. Jumped off the palate. Chewy. Long, herby, savory finish. This turned out to be the wine of the flight. The 1999 Les Brûlées exhibited strawberries, spice, walnut, coffee, and mocha. Savoriness on palate. Finish could have been longer. Strawberry, vanilla, and elegance were the hallmarks of the 1990 Les Brûlées along with a marked color differential. Blackpepper on palate. Evolved. Slight bitterness. Finish interruptus.

The meat course was Venison Roasted with Parsnip and Mushrooms braced by Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Cros Parantoux (1999 and 1988) and Richebourg Grand Cru (1999 and 1988) wines. Prior to the start of the course, Jean-Nicolas rose once again to describe the wines. He sees these two wines as being flagships of the domaine. He thinks that the 1999 shows "tight" at this time but is the greatest vintage that he has ever made. Nineteen eighty-eight was Henri Jayer's last year and so this vintage is made unfiltered. His (Jean-Nicolas) style is a little more "hands on."

The 1988 Richebourg exhibited deep red fruit, rhubarb, créme brulée, spice, earth, and vanilla. Weight and intensity on the palate. Long, savory finish. This is still a young wine. The 1988 Parantoux was corked. The 1999 Richebourg had a nose of classic Pinot fruit and spice. A little shoe polish. Delivers on the palate. Great intensity and life. Long, spicy finish. A young wine. The 1999 Parantoux was open and less finely honed than the other wines in this flight. Still young though. Overall the Richebourgs were better wines than the Cros Parantouxs in this flight. Slightly disappointing for me as I have a romantic attachment (Jayer-inspired) to the Parantoux.

This was an excellent event. Fifty-three Burgundy devotees, excellent food, great wines, and one of the leading winemakers in the world explaining his wines to us.

Lunch with Jean-Marc Roulot and Christophe Roumier
The main event of La Paulée's official Thursday afternoon schedule was a multi-course lunch, prepared by Daniel Boulud and his team, accompanied by selected wines from Domaines Guy Roulot and Georges Roumier, said wines to be presented by the respective vigneron. At the conclusion of the Roulot play, lunch attendees were shepherded back towards the front of the restaurant and into a room to the right of the main entrance. The room was populated with a number of 10-top, white-table-cloth-clad tables and as we entered, we were given additional glasses of Meursault Les Luchets 2011. As the attendees streamed in, I was pleasantly surprised to see Aubert de Villaine enter and stride to a place at the Roulot-Roumier table which was centrally located within the room. Daniel Johnnes welcomed us all and then launched the event.

The first course was called Jaune d'or et Soleil Vivace (components were Iberico Ham, truffles, and eggs) and had been prepared by Michel and César Troisgrois.

It was accompanied by 2010, 2009, and 2004 Roulot Les Luchets, the former two in magnum. The 2010 Les Luchets exhibited spice, orange-tangerine, power, minerality, orange rind, burnt orange and a slight pricking on the nose. On the palate bright, powerful, intense. Long, intense finish. The 2009 Les Luchets had similar characteristics to the 2010 except it had a little more stemminess, was a little more aromatic, and showed riper fruit. It was also not as tightly wound as the 2004. The 2004 exhibited a lemon-lime aroma along with minerality, crushed stone, sea shells and a hint of sulfur. Slight salinity and great acidity. Balanced. Bright, long, coating finish.

The second course was a Filet de Sole Duglére also prepared by Michel and César Troisgros. This was accompanied by a Roulot Meursault Charmes 2004, Roulot Meursault Tessons Clos de Mon Plaisir 2000 (in Jeroboam), and Roulot Meursault Perrières 1999 (in magnum).

The Meursault Charmes 2004 had tangerine and orange rind citrus characters accompanying notes of spice and herbs. Voluptuous, with bracing acidity and a long finish. The 2000 Meursault Tessons was elegant with apple-pear notes, spice, herbs, cardamom. The 1999 Meursault Perrières had citrus and citrus rind on the nose. Powereful, mineral, and coating on the palate.

de Villaine and Roulot 

Daniel Johnnes with the Jeroboam of Tessons

The third course was a Bœuf Wagyu Rossini which was prepared by Daniel Boulud. And this signaled a turn to the wines of Domaine Georges Roumier. The wines that he presented were the Domaine Georges Roumier Bonnes-Mares 1996, 1995, and 1990, all in magnums.

The Domaine Roumier Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 1996 exhibited ripe pinot fruit, a herbaceousness, and barrel spice on the nose. Restrained but balanced. Long, spicy finish. The 1995 Bonnes-Mares had a richer nose than the 1996, and greater power and intensity. The 1990 Bonnes-Mares showed pinot fruit, spice, and orange peel on the nose. Perfect weight on the palate. Balanced. Light stemminess/astringency. Herb finish.

Thus culminated an absolutely wonderful day. You do not get this type of variety thrown at you in the wine world every day. Especially in NYC, you can go to a play any day of the week. But it is not every day of the week that you get to see one of the leading winemakers from the famously tight-lipped and closeted region of Burgundy placing his reputation on the line by stepping on stage in front of his customers and running the risk of hurting his brand. And it is not every day that you get to follow that up with that same guy coming back and pouring you a range of his best wines. And, for good measure, he invited along one of his friends to pour some of his (the friend's) wines. And all that wrapped around the food of Master Boulud.

It does not get any better than this.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme