Tasting with Luc Morlet at Morlet Family Vineyards

Morlet Family Vineyards

A Grand Tasting of Exceptional Wines with Luc Morlet

May 28, 2012 

     One of the last tasting appointments on our vacation was with Luc Morlet of Morlet Family Vineyards in St. Helena early on Monday morning. Since that day was our last day of vacation, I had a bitter-sweet feeling in the car on our way to the recently built winery just off of highway 29 on the very far north end of St. Helena. By the time we finished up at Morlet that feeling would be forgotten and we would be saying to ourselves how great that appointment was. We were in for a real treat as we tasted through the lineup of varied and solidly made wines. 

     Surprisingly, or not surprisingly if you know Luc’s background, we started off with a French wine. Luc poured for us his family’s Champagne as we got to know each other and talk about where we were from, what we do for a living, and how we had heard of Morlet. The Champagne was superb, showing crisp citrus and good yeasty bread aromas and flavors, a very traditional style. We moved outside from the barrel fermentation room, sipping our delicious bubby along the way. Luc walked us through the production line, showing us some of the custom made appointments he had made to ease the grapes into the wine making process. Luc showed us the de-stemmer and the sorting table that operates with a vibrating conveyor belt. The sorting line was designed by Luc himself to optimally sort through the berries and discard those not usable to make wine. From there the grapes head to fermentation tanks for a few weeks and later on to barrel for aging. 

 
     
      We made our way inside to view and discuss the French oak barrels used to raise his wines in. Luc has the exclusive import rights to one of the most sought after French oak wine barrels in Napa to raise Cabernet Sauvignon in. Located in Saint Emilion, Vincent Darnajou was previously the cooper for the famous Chateau Petrus of right bank (Pomerol) Bordeaux fame before starting his own cooperage. 

      We made our way to the table to start the tasting of the Morlet lineup at the beautiful centerpiece table. We started with the 2010 ‘Ma Douce’ Chardonnay sourced from an elevated hillside Sonoma Coast vineyard. The Ma Douce means “My Sweet” and thus Luc dedicated this wine to his wife. The wine is aged in oak from what I would guess to be a year in length with weekly sur lie battonage. About 90% of this wine underwent malolactic fermentation in barrel. A great start to the tasting, here are the notes: 

2010 ‘Ma Douce’ Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast Color: A rich, deep golden hue 

Nose: Tightly wound by youth, the aromas are complex and varied with sweet vanil, orange peel, spicy pear, with some yellow plum and a touch of hazelnut. 
Palate: A richly flavored, yet elegantly textured wine, the flavors are packed in and deliver in layers the creamy vanil, orange and Meyer lemon, then move more to riper stone fruit with the hazelnut and orange spicing things up. A solid core of minerality adds backbone and structure. 

The second wine moved us into the second Burgundian varietal in the lineup, the 2010 ‘Coteaux Nobles’ Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. The grapes for this wine come from a vineyard one hour North of Hirsch near Sea View/Fort Ross on the Sonoma coast and is farmed by the Nobles family. The vineyard is on the second ridge east of the coast, facing east which combines the cooling coastal effect from the maritime breeze with the eastern mountain exposure above the fog in the sun for most of the day. The wine was super tight, finally relenting to show wonderful Pinot fruit notes with good texture and elegance. Here are my tasting notes: 

2010 ‘Coteaux Nobles’ Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 
Color: Burgundy purple red, with elegant red edges. 
Nose: Raspberries, cherry, earth and fresh flowers rise from the glass 
Palate: Elegance and refinement rule here with an underlying complexity. The juicy and fresh finish from the great acids is a plus to the already supply and velvety textures. The raspberry and cherry flavors fan out while the earthiness adds further complexity. 

The diversity of this outstanding lineup continues as we moved on from Burgundy to the Rhone. Up next is what I think is one of the all time great names for a Syrah outside of France, ‘Bouquet Garni’. In fact I said to Luc, this is such a great name for a Syrah, how was this name still available? Ironically enough he said that Robert Parker also asked him that same question. For those that do not know, a bouquet garni is a bundle of herbs like thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, and sage that are bundled or tied together in a cheesecloth and used to add savory and herbal flavors to all sorts of tasty traditional braises and stews. The Syrah grapes come from Bennett Valley in Sonoma County which is an up and coming site for Syrah. The vineyard ranges in elevation from 850 to 1,000 feet. I liked this wine a lot; it showed classic Syrah notes with new world flair. 

2010 ‘Bouquet Garni’ Bennett Valley Syrah 
Color: Purple with red, showing good depth and gradation to the edges 
Nose: A potpourri of fruits, violets, savory and spice. Some meaty and bacon aromas revealed further complexity. The aromas rose easily from the glass to show the complexity and depth that awaited the palate. 
Palate: Good depth and concentration with medium to full grained tannins that gave this wine a solid core of structure. Black cherry, black olive, violets and spice unfold elegantly across the palate. Cool climate, high altitude this is bouquet garni for sure! 

Next we took a break from the reds and moved into what Luc calls “intermission” as we were half way through the tasting at this point and we were going to have a white made from Bordeaux varietals Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and the rarely used Muscadelle. ‘La Proportion Doree’ translates into “The Golden Proportion or Rule “. The 2010 ‘La Proportion Doree’ was super tight at first. The structure and core of the wine was surprising to me as I expected more delicacy and raciness as opposed to strength and vigor. I said to Luc I would love to try this wine in 5-7 years as the wine has such a solid core and was so tightly wound. He excused himself from the table and came back a minute or two later uncorking the inaugural vintage, the 2006 La Proportion Doree which was 6 years old! I was so thankful and grateful for the opportunity to try this wine and taste it in its prime. I knew after tasting both of these vintages that this was one the greatest white Bordeaux I have had outside of the Graves in Bordeaux. This wine is typically about 2/3 Semillon, 1/3 Sauvignon Blanc Musque, and about 2% Muscadelle. This wine goes through initial fermentation in steel (2/3) and puncheon (1/3). A puncheon is about 80 liters larger than a hogshead, or wine cask as we all know it at 318.2 liters. From there the wine is aged for 10 months in French Oak barrels. In those barrels the wine does not go through malolactic fermentation, which helps keep freshness and acidity in the finished wine. Here are the notes on both wines: 

2010 ‘La Proportion Doree’ Sonoma County White Wine 
Color: A deep golden core, showing flashes of lighter gold flecks 
Nose: Lemon oil, honeysuckle, lime blossom, and a stony minerality. The nose was tight and took some coaxing to bring out these wonderful aromas. There is a richness embedded deep in the core of this wine hinting from the nose. 
Palate: Rich, yet elegant, the wine has a dense, muscular core that was slowly changing as the wine evolved with air in the bottle and glass. The flavors are concentrated with a beam of minerality and at the core there is lemon, spice and honeysuckle flavors. Finishes long and clean! Make no mistake this is not a typical acid driven Bordeaux Blanc look-alike. This white wine has power and depth, delivered with unrelenting persistence. We left a good amount of this wine in our glasses to go back to as we progressed further into the tasting with other wines. We went back and forth to this wine and the 2006 vintage since it was so tight. After about 45 minutes it finally relented and opened nicely. 

2006 ‘La Proportion Doree’ Sonoma County White Wine
Color: Golden yellow here too, though a deeper gold than the 2010 showing a touch of maturity
Nose: The aromas of the 2006 rose easier from the glass, as they should after experiencing the youthfully taught 2010 initially. Generous beeswax, honey, more candied fruit, orange blossom, and gingerbread spice aromas rise from the glass.
Palate: Rich, supple, more density than the 2010, the core of this wine was more fruit, with the minerality, and a nicely persistent soft acidity. Lemon oil, honey, beeswax and a touch of candied orange and spicy brown notes fan out on the palate. Finishes clean and long with good acidity and candied lemon notes. The length on the 2006 was just as deep as the 2010 but longer and more complex. This wine is older than the 2010, but it also needed plenty of time to open up. This is a confident wine that would stand proud shoulder to shoulder with its cousins from the Graves in Bordeaux.

Next up was the prime part of the lineup, the big showstopper 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon wines. We moved into the best trifecta of Cabernet Sauvignon we had on our entire trip, and that is saying a lot because we had a lot of exceptional Cabernet up until this point.

2009 ‘Passionnement’, Oakville, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon
Up first was the 2009 ‘Passionnement’ that soared from the glass, showing a complex, powerful, and intense aromatic and flavor profile. Highly impactful this wine was big in every way, but those large proportions showed true balance. Passionnement was probably the most generous of the 3 big reds and is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Only the finest barrels are used for this wine as it ages for about 16 months in new French oak barrels.

Color: A deep purple-red at the core with a nice vibrant and youthful garnet at the edges. Nose: The nose is aromatically huge with crème d’cassis, licorice, black cherry, blueberry and sweet oak. 

Palate: The crème d’cassis and black fruit flavors really come through on the palate, with a dollop of sweet oak. The palate is silky smooth with a seamless texture and awesomely ripe tannins that provide a deeply generous and long finish. Probably not the longest aging wine of the group, but certainly a charmer that will likely be in its prime in 5-7 years and age for 15+ years.

2009 ‘Coeur de Vallee’, Oakville, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2009 ‘Coeur de Valle’ seemed familiar and I recognized that aroma and flavor, it was To Kalon! Coeur de Valle is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Cabernet Franc from the legendary To Kalon vineyard. If you have not heard of the To Kalon vineyard in Oakville, well, it’s not only the best source of Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa, but one of the best in the world. Coeur de Valle has power and a solid, deep core meant for the long haul, but may have the potential to be generous sooner than one would think. This wine delivers well past the attack and strong through the mid-palate to a long, structured finish. The tannins are more prevalent, but the fruit intensity balanced well with the tannin.

Color: A dark red hue, with vibrant red edges. 

Nose: The nose on this wine shows fresh currants, pencil lead, mocha, a savory licorice note and Bing cherry.

Palate: The palate is tightly layered and complex, barely budging in immediate expressiveness but hinting at future greatness. The pedigree is there from both the hands of the winemaker and the legendary To Kalon fruit, it’s just many years away from its peak. Currants, cherry, and licorice fan out over the palate in tight, but persistent layers. The finish is long and tannic, showing the structure of a wine yet to show its best.

2009 ‘Mon Chevalier’, Oakville, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon
The third and final Cabernet based wine, ’Mon Chevalier’, is from Knights Valley. Earlier in Luc’s career he made a little wine similar to this from the same region called Les Pavot that garnered critical acclaim and wide fanfare, maybe you have heard of it? The Knight’s Valley region has a totally different terroir than the two previous Oakville beauties. Knight’s Valley is more rugged with loamy, well drained and rocky volcanic soils. It is higher in elevation, and on average warmer than Oakville. This wine was also built for the long haul, and by that I mean this was tight with medium to full grain tannins that amplify the structure even more than the Oakville Cabernet wines. Mon Chevalier is reminiscent of a modern styled Saint Estephe from Bordeaux which is a commune that traditionally produces some of the most tannic wines with the highest proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux. The wine shows the complexity that this hillside vineyard should produce. It was a little tighter and had higher acids than the other 2 wines, but showed the most potential to age of the 3 Cabernet wines. Mon Chevalier is a traditional Bordeaux blend being 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 3% Merlot 2% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot. The vines for all 5 grapes are an average of 20 years old planted at 1,100 to 1,400 feet of elevation.

Color:  A dark red core with ruby red eges

Nose: The nose is more black fruit, cedar, earth, licorice, fresh coffee grinds, and blackberry.  Palate: The palate is persistent and fresh, with great acidity and medium to full grain tannins. Mon Chevalier is also only hinting at its greatness, but should easily go the long haul and turn out to be a 25+ year wine. The palate is full bodied and expansive, cascading over the palate we see hints of its greatness in the blackberry, licorice, and blueberry. The finish is right on the money showing great length and freshness, with a tannic intensity that should help mature this wine nicely.

The grand finale was a desert wine that was a mirror image to a fine Sauternes from Bordeaux. This is by far one of the best domestic attempts at a sweet desert wine, but also has cut and some verve to retain freshness.

2010 ‘Billet Doux’ Late Harvest Semillon
Color: The Billet Doux is an exceptional sweet desert wine with a golden honey yellow hue. Nose: The first glass I had was not clean and the aromas were off so we changed wine glasses. In the new glass the nose showed creamy tangerine, honey, nougat, and stone fruits.  Palate: The palate was rich, unctuously thick and layered. The complexity of this wine was easy to enjoy as it was giving the taster a lot of different flavors to mull and distinguish. 100% botrytised, the Billet Doux is 76% Semillon and 24% Sauvignon Blanc. The finish is long, thick and sensually textured. Easily a showstopper at the end of a meal, this would pair greatly in the same way Sauternes would with Foie Gras, peach cobbler crumble, funky or sharp cheeses or even candied orange covered in dark chocolate. The persistent finish of this wine was relentless, showing great length and depth. As I said earlier, one of the best sweet wines made in this part of the world. 

As we finished our appointment we realized we were 20 minutes late for our next appointment not far away in Calistoga. We rushed through our purchases and picked a mixed bag of these wines to bring with us and some for shipment later in the cooler shipping season in the late fall. Luc was such a wonderful host, showing us the run of his business, answering our questions, comparing tasting notes, and just any other wine discussion in general. I could have spent several more hours picking his brain about the wine business and learning from one of its truly passionate, gifted, kind and talented personalities.

The next group had arrived and Luc did not even flinch. Luc excused himself for one minute and greeted the guests to let them know he would be with them shortly. He came right back to finish with us and make sure all of our questions were answered. Luc even helped us with directions to the next appointment.

This tasting at Morlet Family Vineyards was by far one of the best tasting appointments we have ever experienced. We look forward to tasting the rest of the portfolio on our next trip back to Napa, hopefully this fall or in 2013.

A bientot!

-Tom

"The Vineyardist"

"The Vineyardist"

Diamond Mountain

Napa Valley

May 28, 2012

     While researching our trip to Napa, I came across a new wine made by Mark Herold, who made wines in the late 90's and early 00's that garnered a lot of high scores from critics and thus attention from consumers, Merus, Buccella and Kobalt are just a few.  All fruit for this wine is from the estate vineyards high on Diamond Mountain in the northwestern part of the Napa Valley.  Immediately below are the tasting notes from two points in the day as we had a whole bottle over a day.  Notes and photos on the visit follow further below.

Wine opened 11:30am, tasted 1:15pm:

Color: A dark red core, with vibrant red edges.
Nose & palate: Violets, black cherries, red licorice,and black plum. Herbal notes, but in a seasoned sage, dried basil and rosemary way (read: not vegetal). Velvety medium grained tannins amass a nice structure, lending this wine a long finish that is fresh, fresh, fresh from the good acidity this wine has retained!

Tasted at dinner 7pm:
The structure is even bigger as the wine has put on more weight. Many of the flavors are there with more complexity and depth. The black cherry has melded with more cassis notes but the refined herbal notes still add a nice accent, almost seasoning the delicious fruit the wine puts forward.  With food, this would pair superbly with any beef, especially a top prime steak or cabernet braised short ribs.

Lisa and I enjoying the view of Mt. St. Helena

     This past May, my wife and I visited the Napa Valley and toured a lot of old and new wineries.  They had a lot of differences, but one similarity the best wines had was that they did not subscribe to any school per se except the one school that makes great, not just good wine, in the Napa Valley.

     The Vineyardist was actually our last appointment of the vacation and one of our best. It was my first time visiting a winery on Diamond Mountain as there are few places open to the public in this AVA.  I am typically in Oakville or on Spring Mountain, Howell Mountain and Pritchard Hill just to give some perspective.

The historic Victorian House from 1879. This is where the tastings was held.

The "Dream Kitchen" at The Vineyardist

     "The Vineyardist" property is a jewel in the rough.  Tucked way up in the north in western Calistoga, the property is just off Petrified Forest Road.  As we drove through the winding road to the house, you could tell where the focus was at the property:  the vines, the gardens and the house.  The house faced east, overlooking one parcel of the vineyard, with gardens laid out in front welcoming the visitor.

 

     We were running 30 minutes late and our host Roy Piper stuck around to graciously meet us at the front gate.  Were so glad that Roy waited for us as the grounds, the vineyards and the wine were spectacular and well worth the visit.  The kitchen of the historic reconditioned house was incredible and gave me ideas of how I would like my kitchen to look given this type of incredible opportunity.  The vineyard plots are in 4 or so different sections of the property with different exposures, lending some good diversity in altitude, soil and sun exposure. From the top of the ridge above the house, you can see Sonoma to the west and a perfect view of Mt. Saint Helena to the east.  Then looking southeast you could see Howell Mountain with Viader resting on the eastern slopes of Howell Mountain.  If you turned North, you could make out Peter Michael in Knights Valley off in the distance.  There were various vineyards within view on Spring Mountain to the southwest and in closer proximity on the same Diamond Mountain the cabernet vines of Schramsberg were in view.  Below on the valley floor vines were stretched out in every direction.

     "The Vineyardist" was one of the better cabernet based wines on our trip.  We tasted fabulous wine, talked shop about the wine biz, took home some amazing photos from the beautiful terroir, and met with one of the better hosts we had all week. 

Thanks again Roy!

A bientot!

-Tom

Peter Michael off in the distance in Knights Valley

Viader on the eastern slopes of Howell Mountain

Schramsberg Cabernet vines on Diamond Mountain AVA

Crocker & Starr

Crocker & Starr

“2 Years in the Making”

St. Helena, Napa Valley

May 25, 2012

     A few years ago I had visited Napa on a whim and in a flurry booked the few appointments that I could muster. Crocker & Starr was one of the appointments I wanted to nail down but just couldn’t get an appointment time with Pam to stop by and taste her wines. Ever since that trip I had made it a point to seek out Pam on the next visit to Napa.

      That time had come as we were planning our trip this year and I made a point to make sure Crocker & Starr was in the itinerary. Again, it almost did not happen. We originally had a Wednesday appointment the day we arrived but fighting traffic after a delayed flight we blew the appointment time. Pam was super-accommodating and was flying out to Seattle that Wednesday, but would be back in St. Helena that Friday. We booked a late morning appointment and this time were able to see the tasting appointment fully through.

     Later Friday morning we made our way down Hwy 29, or Main Street as it’s called in St. Helena, to the Crocker & Starr appointment on Dowdell Lane. Crocker & Starr (C&S) is located in the Southern section of St. Helena, in between Hwy 29 and the Silverado Trail. The site of the property has historic significance as it was the site of a prominent winery and distillery before prohibition called Dowdell & Sons.

     When we arrived, we were greeted with freshly chilled Sauvignon Blanc on the porch of the house on site which I believe houses the business side of the winery. Crisp and citrus laden, this was a welcome refresher as the temperatures were starting to climb. My tasting note is as follows:

2011 Crocker & Starr Sauvignon Blanc
Medium gold and straw in color. Citrus lemon and lime aromas meet subtle grassy and mineral notes with a hint of pineapple. Being fermented in steel (95%), the wine focuses on the fruit and mineral notes Sauvignon Blanc is typical of. The remaining 5% was fermented in barrel and lends a small dollop of creaminess that rounds out the wine nicely and adds to the length of the finish.

      Pam joined us to taste the red wines and it was great to have her there to taste her wines with her there first hand. We moved over to the Casali, a rustic stone barn like structure. A table was set up on a patio covered with a veranda that overlooked the vineyards to the east. Pam has a hearty laugh and a welcoming smile. She is a straight shooter and a consummate business person, a very refreshing person to speak to. We talked about our careers, the wine business, and other matters of wine and life. We talked about her philosophy on wine and business, something I like to ask most of the winemakers I meet. I could have gone on a while more but we had to make a lunch appointment and meet our friends that were flying in to meet us at that lunch. Here are the notes and some background on the fantastic red wines we tasted.

     The Cabernet Franc was the first red and it blew us away. The structure, depth and persistent elegance of this wine was impeccable. It showed power with restraint. The vines for the Cabernet Franc are some of the oldest vines on the property and planted on some of the prime sectors of the estate. The great site and exposure of these vines has created a unique wine from a varietal that rarely impresses me when it does not originate from France. In France there are two regions where Cabernet Franc hails: the Loire Valley and the right bank of Bordeaux (Pomerol and Saint-Emilion). In the Loire Cabernet Franc wines are typically 100% Cabernet Franc. The wines tend to be elegant, medium bodied red wines that typically show pepper and spice, with tobacco and black tea. In Bordeaux it adds complexity, lift and mid-palate to the blended Claret wines of the Right Bank. This wine presents to the taster both the structure and elegance of the old world, with more depth, fruit and texture coming from the new world. The balance of the wine is superb. A fresh palate experience starts out strong and carries through a full and juicy mid-palate and finishes with ripe tannins. My tasting note is as follows:

2009 Crocket & Starr Cabernet Franc
An inky core with purple/red edges. Notes of pencil lead, wild berries, violets and crushed rocks meet scents of mocha and dusty earth tones. Vivid flavors of blueberry and blackberry mix with the mocha, violet and earthy notes, delivering a persistent and long finish. Tight, youthful tannins frame the flavors and the juicy acidity freshens the palate. The blend is 97% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot. This wine saw 70% new French oak for 17 months, neutral oak made up the other 30%. 

     The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon “Stone Place” showed the complex and layered side of the grape that is found in the best wines of the Napa Valley. Packing a multitude of aromas and flavors, the wine was kicking on all cylinders. The best parcels of the vineyards are old vine heritage-clones and form the core of this wine’s DNA. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2008 Stone Place was aged for 20 months in 80% new French oak barrels. The Crocker & Starr vineyard sections lie in the central section of St. Helena, with the bulk of the Cabernet Sauvignon vines resting in the eastern and southern sections of the vineyard. My tasting not is as follows:

2008 Crocket & Starr Cabernet Sauvignon “Stone Place”

2008 Crocket & Starr Cabernet Sauvignon “Stone Place”
This wine exhibited a dark core with nice vibrant red edges. The nose was full of black cherry, currants, sweet oak, and mocha, with flecks of purple floral notes. The palate delivered the black cherry and mocha in spades, with spice, dusty earth and tobacco notes. The wine passed through the palate with ease from the depth of the wine’s concentration, finishing in a solid structure of youthful, but ripe tannins. A sexier wine than many of the 2008 I have had, this is an impressive effort. 
      We enjoyed our visit and conversation with Pam and look forward to trying these wines and the futures releases. I highly recommend these wines and savvy wine aficionados should check them out if they are in Napa on their next visit or search them out at your local wine shop or on wine-searcher.com.

A bientot!
Tom

Charlie Crocker and Pam Starr in their estate vineyards.

Napa Valley & Sonoma 2012

Napa Valley

&
Sebastopol (Sonoma)

May 23-28, 2012

     During our recent trip to Napa Valley (and one day in Sonoma), we met with some of the best producers of fine wine in Sonoma and the Napa Valley. We met with some old favorites and discovered some new favorites that we can’t wait to tell you all about. Whether new or old, these are relationships we plan to maintain and cultivate. These are fantastic producers, winemakers and proprietors that exhibit the passion and zeal I seek out to create a truly phenomenal wine. We had to cut a few appointments and were late to a few more because our appointment times ran longer than expected. 2 hours of wine and conversation is a good sign of a great gathering of like minded wine folk!

     The vintages we tasted ranged from 2007 to 2009 for the Cabernet and Bordeaux varietals and mostly 2010 for the Burgundy and Rhone varietals. The most common vintage for the Cabernet wines was 2009. I was surprised at how nicely the 2009 Cabernet based wines were showing. I really do like Cabernet wines from 2009 more than 2008. The wines taste fresher with more acidity, and the tannin structures are riper and friendlier. The finishes in the best wines were long, clean and persistent. There were a few busts, but not many as we chose our tasting appointments wisely. Lastly I will mention we tasted a lot of 2011 Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion white wines. The style of this wine has really changed over the last 10 years as the oak has been drastically reduced, or entirely removed from the raising process, to allow the fruit to shine through and the acidity to freshen and energize the finish.

     The bad news is that prices are up as was reported a few weeks ago in a few of the trade reports, but overall the quality is there in many, if not all, of the places we visited with.

 

     I have to confess I had been falling out of love with the wines of California, mainly collecting Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone and Barolo wines the last few years. My collection was 75% California only 3 years ago but today only represents 33%. This trip was exactly what I needed to do to open my eyes wider and beyond some of the stale and passé wines from California that I was hanging on to or abandoned for the Francophile that I had become. It was also nice to refresh myself with a few of my old favorites that have kept up with the change in palates that is going on out there. A few of our new favorites have been at this style for decades and are now finally getting their due. Spottswoode and Philip Togni craft more traditionally styled Cabernet Sauvignon wine that has not changed much over the years. Paul Hobbs, Crocker & Star, Morlet, Melka Wines, Cimarossa, Littorai, L’Angevin and the new upstart “The Vineyardist” have kept up with the times and made fresh wines in 2009 (Cabernets) and 2010 (Pinot Noir) with great depth and structure, with a freshness not seen for most of the past decade. 

     Keep your eyes peeled, I will try to write as many of these spotlight stories as fast as I can, but unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) this is not my day job!

Follow this link to ALL of the pictures from our trip:  http://pix.kg/p/2956293901103%3A197694262/scl


A bientot!
-Tom

 FYI - If you would like a copy of our itinerary to use for your own purposes if you are planning a trip to Napa just let me know as I will email you the excel spreadsheet that is loaded with hyper-links that direct you to the website of the winery or restaurant.

Adventures in Aquitaine

“A day of adventure from the French Atlantic coast in the west to Saint-Emilion in the east “Aquitaine:  The ancient name for a region in France that includes Bordeaux within its regional outline.  It is a fascinating region having as its borders the Atlantic Ocean in the west, Spain and the Pyrenees Mountains to the south/southeast, and in the west vineyards and farms that dot the landscape.  The northern border is partially composed of the Gironde River, which is the most important natural resource for Aquitaine as this river feeds the core lands of the greatest vineyards the world knows: Bordeaux. 

Pessac-Leognan & Graves

We started the morning heading southwest from the city of Bordeaux making our way to the communes of Pessac-Leognan and the Graves for cru red and white wines.  Our first stop was in Leognan at the venerable Chateau Haut Bailey.  From there we would head to Graves for our second stop at the almost-First Growth, and just as legendary, Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion.  On our way there we drove by Pape Clement which is the oldest wine estate in all of Bordeaux that recently had its 700^th harvest.  Across the street from LMHB was Haut-Brion, but it was closed for Chateau renovations so we could not make an appointment for a tour.  We were a tad late to both appointments due to the traffic getting through that region of Bordeaux as it is quite pedestrian.  This region I would say is equivalent to what we in the US would consider to be the suburbs.  The Graves is the most populated place I have yet to see a vineyard as they sit in the middle of a regular pedestrian neighborhood.  I find this quite remarkable and a testament to these Chateau for their presence and resistance to development.

Chateau Haut-Bailly

Haut-Bailly sits in a more rural part of Leognan, surrounded by trees and fields on 70 acres of vines.  The Chateau is one of the oldest in all of Bordeaux and about 100 years ago the wines were thought of in the same class as First Growths like Chateau Lafite-Rothschild and my favorite Chateau Latour.  Its modern story begins with the Sanders family that hailed originally from Belgium and was a merchant in nearby Barsac.  Daniel Sander purchased Haut-Bailly and sold it later to American banker Robert Wilmers in 1998.

The charming and very welcoming Veronique Sanders (daughter of Monsieur Sanders) met us upon our arrival and showed us around the estate, walking us through the vineyards and the beautifully maintained grounds.  Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot vines are planted in rows 1 meter by 1 meter (1M x 1M is tight) and are planted on a mosaic of clay and limestone.  The Merlot grows primarily on the clay sections and the Cabernet Sauvignon is planted on the limestone mounds.  Veronique mentioned that Haut-Bailly is the highest part of the Graves at 48 meters above sea level.

Next Veronique led us indoors to understand better the wine-making process at Haut-Bailley.  We started in the fermentation room where the concrete vats stood side by side on two sides of the room.  This is usually the first place the grapes come inside after sorting and de-stemming.   It was surprising to see so many concrete fermentation vats in France because in the US we see mainly steel and wood vats to ferment wines.  There are steel tanks that are used to ferment the second and third label wines.  The second and third wines of a Chateau are the plots of wine that do not make the cut into the Grand Vin that allow for a better Grand Vin, or first wine, because it allows for a stricter selection process of what juice makes it into the Grand Vin.  We later made our way to a transition room where the wine goes from tank to barrel to age in newly toasted or once used French oak barrique.  The Grand Vin is aged in 50-60 new French oak, the second wine is aged in 20% new oak.  The barrel room was cool and dark, as it should be so these wines can rest from 18-24 months before they are ready for bottling.  Once they are bottled they are stored in the cellar on their sides for 1 year before they are given a label and then shipped around the world to consumers that likely paid for the wine via the futures process 2-3 years prior to this point. 

We moved to the tasting room to sample a few of the wines.  In the past I have tasted the 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and I have to say the elegance and power of the Haut-Bailly is unmistakable. 

 2007 La Parde de Haut-Bailly (2nd wine) – A typical Grave nose of scorched earth with bright red fruits.  Excellent acidity, great with food, good balance if a little lean because of the weak 2007 vintage conditions.

2007 Chateau Haut-Bailly (Grand Vin) deeper nose, more structure, more weight and palate presence.  Nose of rocks and earth, darker fruits with some toasty oak, well balanced, fine and silky tannin, good acid.

2009 Chateau Haut-Bailly (Grand Vin) Silky tannins and a really long finish.  Plush and creamy texture. finesse and power, with balance and precision. Classic Grave nose with crushed rock/earth, with darker red and black fruits, just a little toasty oak.  Black cherry and creme d'cassis, excellent oak integration on the palate.  60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, <3% Cabernet Franc, <1% Petit Verdot.  It’s really amazing how good the 2009 are drinking this early in their maturation process.

We thanked Veronique for the wonderful tour and tasting and looked forward to buying the 2009 when it was to become available via futures in a few weeks.  We also look forward to coming back sometime in the near future when we make it back to Bordeaux next.

Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion

We made our way (late unfortunately) to the hallowed grounds of La Mission Haut Brion.  LMHB is the sister property to First Growth Haut-Brion located across the street.  One our way in we also passed Pape-Clement amongst all of the sprawl and development, which comes as a surprise but when you think about how old these properties are maybe its not that big of a surprise to see all of these ancient properties amongst homes, warehouses, and condo buildings?  Thomas Jefferson himself visited these hallow grounds on his tours of France as our fledgling country’s first ambassador to France.  One can say he was the first American Oenophile, or wine geek.

As we arrived at the entrance to the grounds you knew you had arrived at a special place.  Ancient, storied, and hallowed were just a few of the words that came to mind as we walked around the property to find our tour that had started without us.  It was nice wandering through the grounds on our own, admiring the classic church-like architecture and ornamental design.

We caught up with our tour in the fermentation room as they were finishing there on their way to the barrel room.  The fermentation room was tall, but narrow and tight, almost cramped in my opinion.  The barrel room was enormous however, leaving plenty of room for 2010 that was still on the vine.  Only 2009 remained in barrel as the 2008 vintage was just bottled. 

After the barrel room we made our way to the tasting salon where we sampled First Growth Chateau Haut-Brion and Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion from the 2004 vintage.  2004 is not my favorite vintage, being a lighter, more elegant style it is less expressive than classic vintages such as 2000 or 2005.  However those great vintages would be too young to drink now, 2004 is a good choice along with 2001 and 2002 to enjoy now.  Depending on your tastes, 2003 is even accessible to an extent, but that depends on the Chateau that made the wine.

LMHB has 26 hectares of vines planted, while Haut-Brion has 48 hectares of vines planted. Only 600 cases of the white wine from LMHB are made on average in a given vintage.  Barrel aging takes place in 70-80% medium toast new oak for 18-22 months.  The barrel room is manually controlled above ground for humidity and temperature regulation.

2004 Chateau Haut-Brion – Earthy, quite terroir driven with leather, deep, yet bright red fruits like cassis and cherry, the mid-palate expands with a clear and precise expression of terroir, with some cigar box, good balance and length for the vintage.

2004 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion – 42% Merlot, 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc.  Higher acid, light to medium bodied, soft tannins, black and red fruits, currants, subtle creaminess.  Complex, yet subtle the wine grew as it unfolded in the glass. 

The Great Dunes of Pyla

We made out back to the car, took a few quick photos across the street at Haut-Brion and made our way west for lunch.  We were to take in the Arcachon Basin and the Great Dunes of Pyla on the Atlantic Coast.  About a 45 minute drive east got us to Archacon on the southern side of the basin.  We parked near the beach and walked out to the walkways along the beach lined with hotels and restaurants with wonderful seaside views.  We took a brief walk checking the restaurants out to make our pick.  We looked for one that was crowded but with a prime table available for us to sit down at.  We found the perfect place (forget the name) and sat down to put down more than our share of fresh oysters and split a whole fish entrée.  We had a dry Bordeaux white (Sauvignon Blanc with a dash of Semillon, sometimes rarely Sauvignon Gris) and also what came recommended from an American was Sauternes with oysters.  Little did I know that Sauternes with Oysters only works if it’s an older vintage, maybe 20 years of age to it, and a specific oyster that is only in season around the Christmas holiday.  Oh well, the sweet Sauternes was still good with the oysters but I still preferred the dry white wine with the oysters and mignonette.  We then walked off our lunch by cruising the walkway along the beach taking in the sunny and breezy weather; this is what vacation is all about!  We took a walk down a long pier, walked in town some and then made out way back to the car to make our way to the dunes.

The dunes were not far, maybe 15 minutes from Arcachon and we made our way quickly from the parking lot to the walk way to the stairs that scale the 350 feet to the top of the dunes.  We were shocked at how big these dunes were and how stable they seemed.  People were hang gliding and what looked like parasailing from the tops of the dunes out over the Atlantic.  It was a wonderful and refreshing change from the wine and dine that most of Bordeaux had been about for us.  Looking west from the tops of the dunes it was odd to see the Atlantic from this side and know that directly across that expanse was New York and home for us.

 

That was all we had planned for the day’s activities.  That evening we had a reservation at one of the best restaurants not only in the region but in all of France.  We made our way back to Bordeaux to relax in our hotel room at the Regent for a little while before we headed east over the Gironde to dinner on the right bank in Saint-Emilion at Hostellerie de Plaisance.

In a word, our dinner that evening at Hostellerie de Plaisance was ‘unforgettable’.  From the moment we arrived, you could sense the magic of this ancient village.  You could see and feel the history all around you in the architecture, the surrounding hills, the narrow and winding cobblestone walkways and roads that circle the ancient Romanesque village.

Hostellerie de Plaisance, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux

We were greeted at the front of the restaurant next to the patio and asked if we would like to have our amuse-bouche outside on the patio or inside.  It was a gorgeous evening so why not!?  The sun was still up so there was plenty of light highlighting the views north, east and south east from the village center where the restaurant was located.  We started with some bubbly and were brought two cool and crisp glasses of Champagne.  

What came next was an immensely good sign of things to come.  We were brought a tree like instrument that had glass blown bowls hanging from it like ornaments.  Inside of each of these glass blown ornaments was a tasty bite combining traditional and exotic ingredients that woke up our palates with a delectable punch of flavor and creativity.  Oyster and pineapple in one, foie gras mouse and caviar in another, and the last one I recall something with those wonderful truffles and caviar!  We toasted to a start our wonderful evening and savored our first bites.  I perused the wine list that was chock full of Saint-Emilion wines I had never heard of.  We found a wonderful wine from a small Chateau that made old school claret.  I had never heard of them and have only seen the wine for sale once since we have been back here in the USA.  We wanted an older vintage with some age so that it would be more elegant and not overpower the meal so we chose a 1998.  1998 was a stellar year on the right bank and the wine had great tannic structure, yet had wonderful finesse and elegance. 

Once the tables started to be seated we were whisked inside to our table and the team at Hostellerie de Plaisance got to work.  Philippe Etchebest has assembled a solid team of men and women to ensure the diner has one of the most memorable culinary experiences one can imagine.  We selected the tasting menu and were wished “good luck” by the towering maitre’d’. 

We had a palate cleanser and then another amuse-bouche, before we got to the first dish on the tasting menu.  This happened repeatedly until we were stuffed and made our way to the end of the tasting menu.  I am butchering the descriptions here but some of the ingredients in each course were caviar and prawns; lobster and coconut; monkfish and a vegetable reduction broth; and lamb spit with a selection of licorice and balsamic and grapefruit reduction.  Next up was the cheese cart, before the 2 main deserts.  We were allowed to choose 3 cheeses, each a healthy serving.  Alongside the cheese were toasts, dried fruits, and some jams/jellies.   

Just when you thought it was over, we were surprised with more excellent food in the form of desert.  There were additional small bites, candies, cookies, chocolates, and things like lollipops that were offered from a candy cart stocked with all had made sweet treats.  There were offerings of tea made from leaves cut table-side from a selection of tea trees and bushes on the tea cart.  Freshly pressed coffee or espresso was my choice but if you love tea this was a really special treat. 

When all was eaten and we could barely move ourselves from our seats, we called it quits and ended what was one of the most memorable meals we had ever shared.  When we talk about our top 5 meals, this one is always in the top 5 and more often than not is our #1 choice.  I can’t recommend Hostellerie de Plaisance more for a meal you will never forget.

Now that was what I call a day in Aquitaine!

Cheers,

Tom