Best of 2007 - so far...

This helps me keep my notes in line for later in the year... So, at the end of 6 months, here are my favorite wines of the year so far...

1989 Gaja Darmagi, 1989 Gaja Barbaresco, 2001 Gaja Sperss, 1996 Gaja Sperss, 1981 Cecchi Chianti Classico Riserva (to be reviewed later - had it on my trip...), 2001 DRC Echezeaux, 2006 Martinetti Martin, 1985 Braide Bricco dell'Uccellone Barbera d'Asti, 2005 Domaine Leflaive Batard-Montrachet, 1955 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, 1990 DRC Echezeaux, 1993 Chateau Haut-Brion Blanc, 1986 Chateau Cheval-Blanc, 1989 Remoissenet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru "Les Cazetieres", 2001 Pio Cesare "Il Bricco" Barbaresco, 2001 Archery Summit Arcus Estate Pinot Noir, 1997 Almaviva, 1979 Krug Collection Champagne Magnum, 1990 Krug "Clos du Mesnil" Champagne, 1966 Leroy Meursault 1er Cru, 1961 Chateau Latour, 1990 Penfold's Grange, 1990 Guigal "La Turque" Cote-Rotie, 1990 Chateau d'Yquem, 1994 Bryant Family Cabernet Sauvignon, 1998 Comte George de Vogue Le Musigny Vieilles Vignes, 2001 Clos de Tart, 1995 Araujo Eisele Cabernet Sauvignon, 1985 Chateau Haut-Brion, 1996 Dalla Valle "Premiere Napa Valley" Barrel #41, 1982 Chateau Latour, 1995 Domaine Leroy Richebourg, 1900 Irmes & Borges Colheita (1947 bottling date), 1986 Chateau Haut-Brion, 1997 Gaja Costa Russi, 1990 Chateau Certan de May, 2000 Trimbach Clos Ste. Hune Riesling, ZD Abacus VII, 1988 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Richebourg, 2002 Shafer Hillside, 1998 Penfold's Grange, 1998 von Buhl Forster Ungeheuer Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, 2004 Joseph Drouhin Musigny, 1995 Chatau Latour, 1989 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Grands Echezeaux... so how do I narrow that down to the top 10??? Easy... I just make it the top 15!
15. 1989 Gaja Barbaresco
14. 1995 Chateau Latour
13. 1990 Krug "Clos du Mesnil"
12. 1955 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild
11. 1998 Comte George de Vogue Le Musigny Vieilles Vignes
10. 1995 Leroy Richebourg
9. 2000 Trimbach Clos Ste. Hune Riesling
8. 1996 Gaja Sperss
7. 1989 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Grands Echezeaux
6. 1990 Chateau d'Yquem
5. 1994 Bryant Family Cabernet Sauvignon
4. 1990 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Echezeaux
3. 1982 Chateau Latour
2. 1961 Chateau Latour
1. 1990 Guigal "La Turque" Cote-Rotie

I am very happy with the order of this list... the fun part is placing things in as the year goes along...

Added a post...

that I've been working on.... from June 27th. Includes my visit to Gaja... Scroll down.

Too Much...

Been working too much... enjoying every minute of it (well, maybe not every minute of it, but 99% of it). Two nights ago... the 2002 Robert Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon has shut down a bit and is not as big and thick as it was the last time I've had it... rich anise and eucalyptus with high alcohol, and a rich, ripe black-fruit finish. Smelled the 2002 Mommessin Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru "La Forge", which is really declassified Clos de Tart. Very pretty nose - lots of turned dried earth, but with lush, ripe red fruits. Pretty... Last night, the 2004 Henri Boillot Montrachet was beautiful. It really didn't take off until it was room temperature, as I tasted it over the course of about 2 hours. When it was at its peak, it was full of minerals and was tight as a drum... even more closed than a few months ago, the last time I tasted it. Maybe a hint of green, and not as intense as Montrachet can be. Also tasted Bryce Jones (Sonoma-Cutrer) new venture, the 2005 Emeritus Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley. Small production, but a really killer wine. Not the overblown style (though I really do love Kosta-Browne...), but more of an old-styled RRV Pinot. Pretty floral nose with Candy Apple, cinnamon, ripe red cherries and wild strawberry. Very elegant, and a very nice price point...

Last nigth & Italy, continued...

Had the 2003 Dr. Pauly Bergweiler Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett last night... not acidified, and only 9% ABV. The wine was ripe and rich, but had developed a very petrol and orange-blossom nose. Very stony... drink it now as I don't think it's going to improve all that much... Also had a corked 2001 Dr. Burklin Wolf Kirchenstuck Riesling Spätlese Trocken... a shame... couldn't get anything on the nose but wet cardboard... nasty stuff, that TCA is.

Back to Italy... The next morning (Tuesday) we had the appointment I was most looking forward to on the entire trip... Gaja. After getting fabulous directions the night before, we managed to not get lost for the first time this trip and made it a few minutes early to the stronghold of Gaja (I mean that literally... as you walk up, there is a very large, very industrial, metal door that slides open after you contact security to let you in). The town of Barbaresco was very small, but beautiful. Only 600 people reside in the town... The picture is the Barbaresco castle/ church. We took a tour of the facilites... Gaja was started in 1859 by Giovanni Gaja. The estate now owns some 27ha of vineyards (including the single-vineyards Sori San Lorenzo, Sori Tildin and Costa Russi, plus 14 others) in Barbaresco. All of the vines used in the production of Gaja wines are estate owned... They generally destem, have only one pressing, macerate for 3 weeks and ferment for 8 days, with racking after... they then spend 1 year in new French Oak barrels (Francois Freres, Gamba, Toransaud) from the Allier and Trocais forests, plus a little bit of Romanian oak. They revealed that at one point they tried American oak, but it was a failure so they won't be trying that again any time soon... The skins are then destilled for single-vineyard grappa. For the white wines, malo is done in steel, while for reds it is done in wood. Gaja was one of the first to purchase the wood, age the barrels themselves (2-3 years outside) and send to a local barrel maker for assembly. (Resumed writing 3 days later... drinking an Anchor Steam on a rare night off...) Here are two pictures... one the Traditional Slovenian oak barrels used after the first year, and the French Oak... All right, what about the wines??? From the approx. 100ha, the Gaja family gets around 300,000 bottles a year. A good bit Barbaresco... as for the 2002 vintage? All of it was sold off... Shame, but exactly what would be expected from a producer of this stature... Walked to the tasting room (Gaja is still in the distribution business, importing "the best" wines from all over the world (Joseph Phelps, Latour, Lynch Bages, etc), as well as the sole Riedel distributor in Italy... interesting. Into the tasting room - 8 glasses, and as I would discover, all of the glasses were the specific Riedel stem for the given appellation.... The first wine was the 2005 Sito Moresco - a blend of 35% Nebbiolo, 35% Merlot, and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. (now on to a Casa Lager from Casablanca, Morocco - a bit more spicy, but nice). Lots of roses, cassis, slight bit of cloves, tar and earth. Black cherries and cassis (dried) with big, round, well-balanced tannins. Nice entry-level wine. Next was the 2003 Ca'Marcanda Ca'Marcanda - 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc from the Ca'Marcanda estate in Maremma, Tuscany - (a wine I would have 2 more times this trip). This is the highest-end wine from this particular property, retailing for around 75 Euro, or around $125. Minty with anise, clove, dried earth, lots of flower with black cherries, tar, black currant, plums and cocoa. A very, very pretty wine that needs lots of time. Excellent for the vintage... got a bottle of this as a present, and was drunk before I left Italy... The 2000 Rennina Brunello di Montalcino from their estate in Montalcino (this is a 3-vineyard blend. They also make a single-vineyard called Sugarille). Very orange-brown with dried leaves, red earth, plums dried cranberries... very earthy (as would be expected), without the class and refinement of the Sugarille. The 2004 Barbaresco was beautiful, but also very closed. Red center, orange rim with dried cranberries, cherries, figs, tar, leather, tobacco and rosemary. Very shut... an exceptionally long finish. In comparison was the 1989 Barbaresco... a stunning wine, nearing maturity. Full of Sotto Bosco, dried cherries, tar, leather, dried earth - "beautiful", very long finish, dried sweet fruits, cedar, dried leaves. Amazing wine... took my breath away. Next up was my favorite young wine of the trip - the 2001 Sperss is massive. Blowing past the 1996 in sheer weight and power and eclipsing both the 1998 and 1999 in magnitude, this wine is pure adrenaline. From a vineyard in the commune of Serralunga d'Alba (95% Nebbiolo, 5% Barbera). Herbal with clove, cherries, dried peppers, and orange-brown rim, slightly closed with an exceptionally long, balanced finish. Cherry fruit - sweet, clean, very high tannin... all of this, and I even added a note about how elegant this wine is. From there, the 2001 Conteisa (95% Nebbioli, 5% Barbera), from slightly less-powerful provenance is still a beautiful Barolo. Sweet fruit and and expressive nose, but very closed palate. Dried fruits, powerful but elegant with loads of black pepper. A great wine, but not the Sperss or Barbaresco. The 1989 Darmagi (means "What a Pity", after they planted it with Cabernet Sauvignon)... 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc... classified as Vino da Tavola, in Piedmont. A very young wine... slight orange rim, but otherwise opaque purple... sotto bosco, cedar, clove, herbs (green pepper and mint), spicy with black cherries, violets and earth. "Like a great Margaux"... very elegant, like a 1st Growth Bordeaux... incredible. Never one of my favorites, but it was on this day. We were invited to lunch and took with us the 1989 Barbaresco and 1989 Darmagi (you can't pass up old vintages of Gaja...) Went to lunch at the base of the church in Barbaresco... good food. Had lots of mushrooms. Too many mushrooms. Very good, though... no one spoke English, so I had to use my limited Italian to get by. Was lots of fun... Later that night was Marchesi di Barolo. I'll post that later... Pictures of the vineyards of Barbaresco... while we were inside, it starting storming. All of a sudden we hear a few large "boom"s... they fire off cannon filled with some sort of powder trying to ward off hail, as the grapes are just beginning to form, can be very damaging. Read about what happened in Alsace at decanter.com.

Pig Roast!

Went to a pig roast last night (technically a 71-pound Wild Boar roast...) Really killer stuff... great afternoon with Cabo Wabo Reposado Tequila, Guava Mai Tai's, Knob Creek Bourbon, Warsteiner Dunkel, and 2006 Condes de Albarei Albarino. Too much food, too much fun. Hands still smell like smoke from picking at the pig...

Last 2 Nights

Pretty good... last night was the 2001 Banfi Brunello di Montalcino... a very good Brunello with loads of sweet fruit, dried leaves, and a good bit of tannin. Shows the strength of the 2001 Vintage... The 2003 Bond Melbury (Harlan) was massive... a real beauty. Much more full-bodied than the Vecina, this is what I expect from Bond... Rich, ripe black berries, anise, black currant and a hint of dusty raspberry... long, long finish. Not the best vintage, but one of the great 03's I've had so far. Also tried a 1967 Borgogno Barolo Riserva last night... the wine was obviously recorked and filled to an appropriate level... there was no fruit left, and it was a dry, "sotto bosco" laden wine. I question why the wine was recorked in the first place it wasn't that great! Very dissapointing. The night before was the 1990 Chateau Gruaud Larose... I tried just a small sip at the end of the evening and it was a bit dried out by that point... still one of the great noses of any 1990... The 2001 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Echezeaux continues to impress me. I don't know that the '01s will be the longest lived wines, but they are certainly capable of another 10-15 years at least... as previously tasted, but a more explosive nose this time... definitely beginning to open up.

Monday, June 3rd (Afternoon & Evening)

But before that, I tried the 2002 Patit Creek Merlot, Walla Walla, Washington last night... nice and fruity, but with a classic chocolate-earth note. A very nice example of Walla Walla Merlot... Also, the Champagne Deutz Brut is a lovely bubbly - notes of lemon rind, orange peel, big granny-smith apple notes, and a big of toasty brioche and toast on the very nice finish.

So, anyway, back to the trip... after Braida, it was back to the hotel as Bruno Giacosa had to cancel at the last minute (sad about that one... as I love the wines) - or as close as one would get while being lost for 2 1/2 hours because there is not an exit on the autostrade for Alba... So after a nice drive to Torino (!), and a jaunt down a few back roads through the commune of Roero (beautiful - really pretty terrain, perfect for Nebbiolo and Arneis that are permitted in the DOCG). Went to the gym for an hour so the legs don't get out of shape...

Toward La Morra from the valley floor...

What followed this evening was one of the great wine evenings of my life... though the wines were mostly unfamiliar to me, it was just one of those gastronimic experiences I'll never forget. We were picked up by Michele Martinetti, the son of owner Franco Martinetti and took a drive Southwest from the town of Alba in the hills of the Barolo DOCG... driving into the valley floor was very surreal... the hills and vineyards of Barolo surround you like you're in an ampitheater of wine... to the south, on the hill is the town of Barolo, to the east, the village of power - Serralunga d'Alba, to the west, the soft and supple La Morra... to the north-east, Castiglione Falletto, and in the hills far beyond, Novello and Monforte d'Alba...

First, we went to the winery. It's more of a rented space that other winemakers use as well to produce small quanities of wines (full of very nice equipment...). The Martinetti wines come only from purchased grapes... Franco Martinetti got his start when the Bologna family (see Braida from before) gave him grapes to make his own wine. As a side note, one thing I noticed among the great wine familys of Europe is that they all are very close... Angelo Gaja gives a 3 Liter of Barbaresco (of the baby's birth year) when a son is born to a wine family... The facility was very modern, but Martinetti is more of an old-styled wine producer, which is fabulous to see. We did some barrel tastings... They use primarily Boutes barriques (225L), paper filter, and do not fine the reds. They are topping up once/month and source Nebbiolo from several vineyards in Barolo. The first sample was the 2003 Boschetti Vineyard Barolo... Boschetti is a West and Southwest facing slope behind the village of Barolo planted to Dolcetto (Marchesi di Barolo) and Nebbiolo. This wine was going to be bottled in the beginning of July, so be sold in October... This wine matures in 60% New French Oak and 40% 1yr old barrels. On the nose, the wine was full of tared-rose petals with notes of black cherries, dried currants, with a hint of alcohol on the nose... on the palate a little more fruit with less earth, with not quite the cedary-oaky taste sometimes found in young Barolo. Next to it was the barrel sample of the 2003 Serralunga d'Alba-sourced Barolo... 14.6% alcohol, which wasn't too bad considering the hot and dry vintage... this was was much darker in color, very full bodied on the nose, with loads of black fruits, sweet fruit, anise and cinnamon candy. On the palate, this wine was pure power - with just a hint of suppleness. At this point he mentioned that they have sometimes experimented with Italian, Sardinian, and Turkish oak as well as French... very different than the large Slovinean oak barrels traditionally used in Barolo and Barbaresco production... I'm getting off track. The next barrel was the 2004 Serralunga d'Alba Barolo (didn't reveal the vineyard) from Boutes French Oak Barrels... this wine was completely shut, with just hints of spice, sweet cherries, roses and hefty tannins. We also tried the 2004 Serralunga d'Alba Barolo from a Pierre Danaque Barrel... more open than the other, with more roses, cherry Jolly-Rancher, black plums, and a beautiful freshness. The tannis were not quite as high with 1/2% less alcohol. A beautiful Barolo... we then did a few sample blends... the 2004's are very, very good and I look forward to tasting them in bottle. A tour of the winemaking side of the winery revealed an autovinificator (72-84 hours), a destemmer (destemming done on all wines), and stainless tanks (all malo done in stainless)... We tasted a 2006 Barolo in from tank (just finishing malo) which was full of fruit, and very rich in cherries and roses... beautiful... long, long finish on this one as well... saw a demijohn as well, used to top barrels up - traditional to the Piedmont.

After the tasting, we took a drive through the vineyards... here you can see his vineyard has a bit more limestone than the preferred clay...

I believe this is looking back towards Barlo from near Serralunga d'Alba... this does the region justice as to just how hilly and what a spectacle Barolo is...

The view from the restaurant (Whose name completely escapes me...)... incredible...

I can't recall all of the courses, except we started with local salami, had a pasta course (angnolotti), pork and lamb and all sorts of delicious goodness... We did not order, rather our host chose the courses for us... The 2003 Methodo Classico from Lombardy was a nice sparkler to begin the evening... crisp and dry. The 2006 Gavi was stunning... without question the best Gavi I've ever tasted... loads of floral notes with melon and citrus notes. Very good. The 2006 Martin (made entirely from the local Timorasso grape was another beauty - full-bodied. - almost a cross between a great Condrieu and Corton-Charlemagne. Honeyed Granny Smith Apples... would love to find a bottle of this for my cellar. On to the reds... The 2006 Bric dei Banditi Barbera d'Asti was fun - an easy to drink pizza and pasta wine. Almost has a carbonic maceration-type feel... fruity (red and black berries) with a hint of pepper. Great! The 2005 Siccis Omnia Dura Deus Proposuit Langhe Nebbiolo was good, but not noteworthy. A touch fruity with hints of cinnamon and violets.

The 2000 Montirus Barbera d'Asti is a winner... people are always amazed that these little wines hang on and improve so well... touch of Sotto Bosco, with black pepper and cedar. The 1999 Sul Bric (top of the hill) is a blend of 50% Barbera, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon... a powerful wine that I don't think knows which was to go... Fruity, but with tannin... The 2002 Moresco Barolo shows what a great producer can do in a very poor vintage... though not a fabulous wine, it was very good and drinking well now. Lots of roses and earth, with just a hint of spice. Not very concentrated (though that's all relative with Nebbiolo anyway...). Then, my first Freisa! The 2004 Lauren Da Uve Freisa was a big, powerful tannic monster... The grapes are cryo-frozen and the color and flavor extraction is incredible... not you everyday drinking wine, and make sure you have a good dentist to whiten your teeth! For dessert, a non-vintage passito Timorasso called Alcadro - uva vino di stiganetta... nice, sweet and perfect!!! Had one of the great Gelato's I've ever had... just simple vanilla, but incredible... Went home and went to bed... oh yeah, dinner was 4 hours...

Before I continue with my trip...

Made a killer Champagne Risotto w/ grilled Shrimp last night... used Perrier Jouet Brut - one of the last, true low-dosage brut Champagnes out there... toasty brioche, tart granny smith apples, but with the classic PJ very large "fish eye" bubbles... unappealing, but a nice bottle of bubbles nonetheless. Before that was the killer 2006 Stoneleigh Riesling, Marlborough, New Zealand... so easy to drink with just a hint of petrol, loads of minerals, and tart citrus, white peach, and Bosc pear notes... really delicious...

On to Alba... Sunday & Monday Morning - Braida

I'll first apologize if my tasting notes are a bit more difficult to follow from here on out as I have a particular interest in the technical aspects of winemaking and vineyard management. If you have any questions about what any of the terms mean, e-mail me and I'll let you know! FYI, gl/rs is grams per litre of residual sugar (I prefer this shorthand).

This was the part of the business-end of the trip I was most looking forward to... Barolo, Barbaresco, Langhe, etc... The great wines of the Piedmont. To say I was dissapointed in the village of Alba would be an understatement... but we weren't there to sightsee.. Here's the view from my hotel room in Alba...

Arrived Sunday evening, and went into town for dinner. Had a ravioli filled with some sort of meat, and then had lamb... Had an 2004 Braida Bricco dell'Uccellone Barbara d'Asti (outstanding... without question the greatest Barbera producer in Italy... we go visit them the next day), a Pecchinino Dolcetto di Dogliani Siri d'Jemu (the most recent DOCG in Piemont)... big, black Dolcetto. Unfiltered, unfined... massive stuff (never said that before about a Dolcetto!), and to start was a 2006 Gagliardo Favorita (Favorita is the grape... very slightly perfumed, nice and light, my notes say "like a cross between Cortese, Vermentino, and Pinot Grigio"... my first experience with this varietal.) Got a poor nights sleep, got up in the morning and went for a long walk...

The next morning featured a lot of getting lost... we were an hour late for our appointment, and would start something of a trend. Just to go off on a little rant here... Driving in France is easy. The road signs are clearly marked, and the roundabouts are easy to navigate without getting lost too much. In Italy, they tell you which direction to go in, but then you get to the roundabout, and the signs say something completely different!!! Not a fan... Anyway, we finally make it to Braida. This is a medium-sized producer (500,000 bottles or roughly 40,000 cases, with ~150,000 bottles being only for the European market), just outside of Asti in the town of Rocchetta Tanaro (referring to the famous Tanaro river that runs through the Piedmont). Really do a great business in Moscato d'Asti (white) as well as Brachetto d'Acqui (red), both semi-sweet, both semi-sparkling (frizzante), and both low in alcohol. Here, too, flowering was a full 4 weeks early and a mid-to-late August harvest is expected, though the weather had turned a bit cooler and rainy. It was a hot April, and a cool, rainy may. All grapes are hand-picked. Tanks are cleaned with citric acid, vs. the traditional sulfur.


<-Special tanks that allow the pressure to be controlled... used for Moscato d'Asti, Brachetto d'Acqui and their sparkling Barbera. Can be used up to 6ATM of pressure (M & B are at 1.5ATM).



On to the wines... 2006 Grignolino d'Asti. This wine is cryo-fermented and made only for the EU market. Very light ruby red, with red cherries, strawberries and cranberries. No oak on the wine with nice higher acid. Serve chilled. The 2006 La Monella Barbera del Monferrato is slightly sparkling and completely dry. Notes of red cherries, raspberries, with crushed rocks and a slight black pepper note. This makes up around 150,000 of the 500,000 bottles produced at Braida and is only sold in the EU. The 2006 Il Fiore is a white made from a blend of 60% Chardonnay, 10% Naschetta, and 30% Riesling. Lots of stone fruits with apricots, lemon pepper and spice notes. Kind of a cross between Gruner and Riesling with the weight of Chardonnay. Very minerally and very fat and round. Outstanding wine. The 2004 Asso di Fiori Chardonnay sees part of the Malo done in barrel and hence has a very rich, creamy mouthfeel with loads of toast, lemon, ripe pears, apricots and Granny Smith Apples. 13.5%ABV. The 2005 Il Baciale ("The Bachelor"), is a blend of 60% Barbera, 30% Pinot Noir, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Merlot. All varietals are fermented separately and then blended into used barrels. Lots of black figs, prunes, smokey-tar, leather and black cherries on the nose turns to a more fruit-driven, clean and crisp palate. 13.5%ABV. Awesome wine. The 2005 Montebruna Barbera is made in the traditional style of using no new oak (10yr old 150hl barrels)... made from clones 1884, 339, and 420AA (high production) grafted onto Cobra 53B rootstock. Comes off with 6gl/rs and a ph of 3.5. Very clean, very, very pretty... goes down so easily! A great food wine with the higher acid, bright red fruits, and slight RS. The 2004 Bricco delle Bigotta sees 16 months in oak (50% new, 50% 1yr), and comes from a clay/iron soil. Lots of toasted coffee, dark chocolate, black cherries, blueberries and raspberries with a very distinct rose-petal note. Very good.

Wait, wait, what becomes a common theme, we were invited to a "simple lunch - no really - just one course - angnolotti" with the Bologna family (owners of Braida) in their private residence... NB - there are no simple lunches with wine families... So, our simple lunch started out with a 1994 Ca'del Bosco Cuvee Annamaria Clementi Franciacorta... though not a great vintage, this wine had a beautiful slightly-oxidized nose with honey, caramel, toasted brioche, lots of hazelnuts and toasted almonds. Very exotic nose... almost Krug in style. The next wine was the 2004 Ai Summa Barbera d'Asti - this is a wine we carry on our list, so I was very familiar with it. Lots of anise and eucalyptus/mint on the nose on this... beautiful!!! Both of these were served with extensive antipasto - proscuitto, cheese, fruits, etc, etc... fabulous. The highlite of the visit, though, was the 1985 Bricco dell'Uccellone Barbara d'Asti. A stunning, mind-blowing wine. As expected, no label. Just a chalk-written vintage on the bottle... red center w/ a brownish/orange rim. Lots of hazelnuts, black truffles, dried porcini mushrooms, red clay, wet leaves, turned earth, mint and anise, and a new term for us - "Sotto Bosco" - refers to the turning up of earth after a rainstorm - almost like compost. A great and perfect descriptor for this wine. Amazing length... who knew Barbera could age this long and well... goes to show what any great wine is capable of. FYI, "Bricco dell'Uccellone" means "Top (bricco) of the Big Dick (Uccellone)"... Finished the meal with the 2006 Moscato d'Asti and the 2006 Brachetto d'Acqui... both delcious, low-alcohol, fruity wines. Great with gelato, sorbet or a bowl of fruit (stone fruits for the moscato; red fruits for the brachetto). We actually had macerated Cherries with the wines. A the end he brought out a digestif... 2004 Rochelt Williamsbirne Eau-de-Vie. From Fritzeus, Tirol, Austria... pear brandy made in what's called "the bellybutton bottle" as there's a big dimple in the middle of the bottle. 50%ABV. Really, really good... did exactly as promised. A great visit... without question the best Barbera d'Asti, Moscato and Brachetto producer there is.

Part I - France

(I just figured out how to add pictures!!!) So, this was a completely-working trip until the last 5 days when it was vacation... I'll go through the vacation wines as well at the end. For now, I'll focus on France where we visited one estate, Domaine du Tariquet. For those of you not familiar with Tariquet, I would become so as they produce some of the greatest value wines in the world. The family owns over 1000ha in Cotes de Gascogne and produce Armagnac and a wide variety of still and sparkling wines. This part is more about food, as that was the star of the show. I had quite a few varitals I've never had before (traveling with another Master Sommelier, we tend to try things we've never had before - grapes, producers, varietals, etc, with a strong emphasis on wines we can not buy in the US), but mostly it was a straight business trip with lots of meetings, tastings, and discussions. Most I can't discuss (which is a lot of what we were in France for), so please forgive me.

So, arrived in Bordeaux in the mid-afternoon of May 31st (Thursday). Took a much-needed nap and a shower, then walked around town. Stayed in the Hotel Normandie (more of a hole than a hotel, though we were only there for one night) in downtown Bordeaux... Found a great cafe for drinks/dinner... had a bottle of 1998 Chateau Pougeot... very nice from the often overlooked 1998 vintage... though truly a Right-bank year, it was very acceptable and the left bank wines are drinking beautifully right now. Also had a 1999 Chateau Pontet-Canet. Good drinking wine, and went nicely with dinner. All in all, a nice meal and a good start to the trip. Then next morning, got up and drove from Bordeaux to Eauze in Gascogne to have lunch at Tariquet... a huge basket of Foie Gras, various fish and meats, cheeses, and of course lots of wine... They make a wine called "Aperitif" which is mostly Ugni Blanc (they are within the boundaries of Armagnac) and slightly fortied... nice stuff, they drink it with sparkling water mixed in. Nice stuff... had a Syrah/Tannat blend, and some Petit Manseng for dessert... such a musky, slightly sweet wine (50gl/rs). At a great dinner at a restaurant called Restaurant La Vie en Rose in the town of Eauze... I started with 4 large pieces of pan-seared Foie Gras with a candied apricot sauce... fabulous... some of the best FG I've ever had (although not the best... the best was seared FG, on top of Brioche fried in the FG fat, then black truffles layered on top in a too-good-to-be-true sandwich had in the Languedoc a few years ago...) Had lamb for main course... Raspberry Ice Cream for dessert (mainly because one of my travel companions ordered the chocolate cake and we though it would go nicely - and indeed it did!). Great stuff... Drank some Sauvignon, 05 Chardonnay/Semillon, Petit Manseng, and then the highlite was Tariquet Fut no6 Armagnac XO (54.9% abv). Amazing earth and citrus notes... Only one barrel made, not exported to the US. Intense...
They next day we tasted unaged single-varietal "armagnacs", though at this point simply classified as Eau-de-Vie. Ugni Blanc (power & structure, sweet and smokey); Baco (22A) (the lone hybrid permitted in Armaganc - white peaches, smoky, sweet fruit, and beautiful and long on the palate); Plant de Graisse (lots of anise, citrus and minerals); and Folle Blanche (aka Gros Plant; very aromatic with pears, sweet pineapple, and very powerful). Great way to taste what adds what to the final blend.

Lunch was an adventure as we had a 8-course, 4 hour gastronomic experience. Started with an Amuse-Bouche of Salmon Tartar, then on to Foie Gras on Arugula with a bacon vinaigrette (yes, I could feel my arteries being to harden at this point from all of the Foie Gras so far...), then Foie Gras with Legumes (amazing the way the earth brings out the Foie Gras), then the "adventure course" of salted Cod Tongue and Cheeks with garlic and basil. A little too much for me... ate about 8 or 9 of them... then Duck Confit-stuffed red peppers (beautiful...), Mushroom Risotto (heavenly), Hanger Steak, and lastly Chocolate Souflee with Vanilla Ice Cream... a great meal from "Tariquet Embaseurs"... an adventure for all as the menu is not published and theh chef makes it on a whim... A great meal and a real treat for the senses... of course the wines were great as well (some Minervois (too much alcohol), and a Cote de Brulhois VDQS (mostly Malbec)) and many, many other wines.

As we were not very hungry after 3 large meals, we did the only thing we could - have a 4 course meal for dinner! I started with Langoustines in a bean broth... excellect, seared Foie Gras, then Lamb en Crote and lastly a Chocolate-Creme Caramel ice cream and cake. Some Jurancon Sec 04 (Gros & Petit Manseng w/ Corbu) and a Madiran "Penillet" 00 that was stunning... really killer Tannat (if you don't know, it's one of the most powerful and tannic grapes on earth... always needs time to soften and is mostly used as a blending grape... but we saw this and had to have it!).

That was it for France.. drove to Toulouse and few to Milan... as a side note, saw the huge Airbus 380 (actually about 10 of them)... wow are they huge, and boy are they ugly! Italy to come...

Pictures are the bottling line at Tariquet, the Famous Black Pigs of Gascogny, Copper Still (used for Armagnac production), Colombard Vineyard in Gascogny, and the smallest of Ugni Blanc grapes... flowering was mostly finished. Two weeks ahead of schedule.

Leflaive

Reading through, I realize I never gave my tasting notes on the 2005 Domaine Leflaive Burgundies I tasted before I left!!!! And let that be a lesson to you!

The 2005 Bourgogne Blanc is simply stunning... who know that BB could be so delicious??? It needs time!!! Give it 2 or 3 years and come back and visit the stony, honeyed elegance at a song of a price. The 2005 Puligny-Montrachet "Pucelles" in a racy and stunning with mind-blowing minerality and intense, tightly-wound stone fruits with honeysuckle... This is really, really, good. The 2005 Puligny-Montrachet "Clavoillon" is even more tightly-wound, with honeyed apples, and steely - teeth-gripping minerals... intense. Give it 7-15 years. The star of the show was the 2005 Batard-Montrachet. Fat, rich and powerful, this wine need 10-25 years to show. So tightly wound, but pack with fruit and minerals and a perfect balance of acidity and alcohol, this could be a stunner when it finally matures next decade...

Without question, the greatest white-wine estate in the world (IMHO, better than Coch-Dury, Leroy, and Zind-Humbrecht).

Last Night- First

I promise I'll get to my trip today at some point... between watching golf and cooking a good dinner tonight, I should be ok... Last night has two beauties...

The 2001 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Grands Echezeaux was so pretty - earthy, but refined with wild raspberry, strawberries and loads of Rhubard and clove with baked cinnamon. An exceptionally long finish for this slightly closed wine (better on the nose than in the mouth, honestly...) The 2001s are still some of the most underrated Burgundies I've ever come across... The wine of the night, and one of the greatest wines I've ever tasted was the 1955 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. I've had this wine now 4 or 5 times, but this bottle was different than the others. It was monumental. I will note that I do have a question as to whether the bottle was recorked at some point, as the capsule was in very good shape, and the wine was youthful (far different than some of my other experiences with this wine) and displayed tremendous amounts of fruit... I'll have to try it again to be sure (smile). Loaded with the classic Lafite nose of cedary-tobacco-pencil lead and cassis, always (to me) the most expressive and elegant on the nose of the first growths. Dried earth with clove and a slight hint of black olive. In the mouth, it was one of the most extraordinary bottles I've ever tasted. Exceptionally long with such class and elegance, this wine could be nothing other than Lafite from an exceptional vintage. The tobacco and cigar box gave way to sweet black currants and cassis with hints of pencil lead on the finish... the wine just completely coated my palate and made me weak in the knees. Just hints of power - but mostly pure, refined elegance - just as she should be. All of this from someone who ranks Lafite as his 4th favorite of the 5 first Growths, and 7th out of the Great 8 (including Ausone, Petrus, and Cheval-Blanc), with only Mouton behind it. I'll recap my order though... 1. Latour 2. Cheval-Blanc 3. Haut-Brion 4. Margaux 5. Petrus 6. Ausone 7. Lafite 8. Mouton. A top 10 wine? Definitely, and one of the 5 best this year so far...

Back

Not sure if I wrote about it... but sorry for the no posts for the last few weeks... I was traveling in France and Italy and have many, many notes to write in the coming weeks... great trip, lots of fun.