The thought, as I wrote in my column on April 11, was to find a good wine shop, buy a case of 12 different bottles, drink them with dinner over time, and keep track of what you like and don't like and why. The shop would select a second case based on your reactions to the first.
I decided to try the experiment myself, and asked Lyle Fass at Chambers Street Wine to put together two cases of wines he liked; after drinking through most of the first tranche, I asked Eric to send me a third case. The only restrictions were that the cases cost around $250 each delivered to me in New Jersey, and that the wines be "interesting".
This experiment was a great success, and if I didn't have such a big wine cellar, and didn't have an accumulator's instinct which results in constant additions to the treasure trove, I would repeat the experiment.
Asimov reaffirmed one big lesson: "Keep an open mind." His example:
The wine that drove home that point was a 2004 Enrique Foster malbec, from the Ique vineyard in the Mendoza region of Argentina. It was an $8.95 bottle, I might add.
I really haven't had much taste for malbec, the grape that Argentina has staked a reputation on and a wine that seems fairly popular these days. I've had some malbecs I've liked, especially those from Bodega Catena Zapata, but for the most part I've found them lacking in personality and distinctiveness.
The Enrique Foster, though, was delicious, with luscious, earthy aromas of licorice, flowers and berries. Was it a great wine? No, it was a little unbalanced, with too much heat from the alcohol. But it was an interesting wine, inviting enough to make me reconsider my attitude toward malbec.
Frankly, I have very few pre-conceptions about wines I would like or wouldn't like -- I often think my mind is open like a seive in terms of trying new experiences. [It helps to have a poor memory, frankly.]
But, I totally agreed with Asimov's second finding: "how important and overlooked the Loire Valley is as a source for fascinating wines." As you will see in reviewing my ratings, I found several really interesting wines in the collection that I enjoyed greatly.
I was also amazed at how much I actually learned about details of wine, not just the subjective elements, but many objective elements, history, grapes, winemaking methods, geography, people, and much more.
Part of the learning came from my own researches; even more came from the fascinating discussions on WLDG -- thanks to Robin for providing an opportunity to do so.
On the last point, many winelovers consider this collection much too French. But for me, it was a wonderful way to re-learn a basic lesson -- the French have been at this wine making business for a long, long time, and it's worth-while understanding their wines as a base point for learning what winemakers in other countries have done with the same grapes.
Here are the wines I tasted, together with a personal rating system that indicates how much I like them, from 1 to 5 stars. There is no rigor in the numbers, only an easy way to find wines I like in my wine diary, which now contains over 40,000 tasting notes. I've also added a short note about key facts I learned from each wine.
A couple of statistic; two of the wines were corked, one a Champagne -- I learned how to identify a corked Champagne from this experience. 10 of the wines were screw capped or artificial corks, so the corked rate was around 7.7%. And, one wine had a strong smell of sewage.
5 stars -- 4
4 stars -- 18
3 stars -- 11
2 stars -- 0
1 star -- 3
The Wines:
2004 Bellivière Coteaux du Loir Vieilles Vignes Eparses France. 5*. New region and a new river to me; and in the Loire to boot. Interesting match with salad, a new food and wine match for me. Full Note.
2001 Edmunds St. John Syrah Eldorado County California. 5* An old friend -- fun to see it showing so well in this company. Great QPR. Full Note.
2005 Jean-Paul Brun Terres Dorées VV Beaujolais France. 5* A winemaker new to me -- and a big favorite of some of the NYC wine geeks I try to emulate -- great simplicity and purity. The best Beaujolais I've ever had. Full Note.
2005 de Moor Chablis Bel Air et Clardy France. 5* Winemakers new to me; a wonderful Chablis. Full Note.
2005 Jean Paul Brun Terres Dorées Morgon France. 4*+. More proof of Brun's genius. Full Note.
2005 Picq Chablis Vieilles Vignes France. 4*+ A winemaker new to me, and a style that I hadn't appreciated -- great purity. Full Note.
2004 Vietti Langhe Perbacco Nebbiolo Italy. 4*+ It's been around awhile, but the Langhe DOC was new to me. Full Note.
2005 Nikolaihof Wachau Grüner Veltliner Hefeabzug Austria. 4*+ I hadn't known about Austrian sur lie wine making techniques; a great Garr quote -- "drinking rocks". Full Note.
2005 Thomas Labaille Chavignol Sancerre France. 4*+ Loved the style, and the McInerney quote: "To me the hissing double S sounds conjure the citric zing of the wine on the tongue, whereas its neighbor across the Loire, Pouilly-Fumé, is often a little rounder and deeper, likes its vowels and consonants." Full Note.
2005 Clos Roche Blanche Cuvée Côt Loire France. 4*+ The grape, the winemaker, the region were all new to me. Great QPR. Full Note.
2005 Pierre et Catherine Breton Bourgueil Les Galichets Loire Valley France. 4*. Full Note.
2005 Domaine Richaud Cairanne Southern Rhone France. 4*. New winemaker for me. A strong endorsement from Steve Edmunds, high praise in my world. Full Note.
2002 Peybonhomme-les-Tours Quintessence Bordeaux France. 4*. New maker, a Chambers Street import, and a great QPR. Full Note.
2005 Lafouge Auxey "Les Duresses" Burgundy France. 4*. New maker to me. Full Note.
2005 Baudry Chinon Les Granges Cabernet Franc France. 4* Eye opening approachability. Full Note.
2005 Pépière Muscadet sur Lie France. 4* QPR; new maker and grape to me. Full Note.
2004 Texier Côtes du Rhône Brézème Syrah France. 4* I learned something about the Northern Rhone, too. Full Note.
2005 Jean-Paul Brun Terres Dorées L'Ancien VV Beaujolais France. 4* More Brun.
Full Note.
2006 Morgex Vallée d'Aoste Estremi Prié Blanc Italy. 4* A pretty wine from an amazing wine region. Full Note.
2006 Château Peyrassol Côtes de Provence Rosé France. 4* Fascinating history of the Chateau. Full Note.
2005 François Cazin Cour-Cheverny Romorantin France. 4* A grape new to me. Full Note.
2005 Breton Bourgueil Les Galichets Cabernet Franc France. 4* I really didn't know that a young Cabernet Franc could taste so good -- I thought they had to age, especially from the Loire. Full Note.
2001 Chateau Simone Rosé Grand Cru Provence France. 3*+ New wine from an old friend. Full Note.
2006 Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina 90% Hondarribi Zuri Spain. 3*+ Fascinating area, fascinating wine. Full Note.
1999 La Grace Dieu St. Emilion Merlot Blend Bordeaux. 3*+ Remarkably good at this price point. Full Note.
2005 Boudin Chablis France. 3*+ A pretty wine, for an hour at least. Full Note.
2004 MorisFarms Morellino di Scansano Sangiovese Blend Italy. 3*+ Another old friend, that I hadn't seen for a number of years. Full Note.
NV François Pinon Vouvray Brut France. 3*+ Full Note.
2006 Schloss Gobelsberg Grüner Veltiner Austria. 3* Reprise of a Doghead favorite six years later. Full Note.
1999 R. López de Heredia Rioja Viña Bosconia Reserva Spain. 3* Full Note.
2005 Sobon Estate Fiddletown Lubenko Vineyard Zinfandel California. 3* Full Note.
2005 François Chidaine Vouvray Clos Baudoins France. 3* Full Note.
Camille Savès Brut Carte Blanche NV France. 1*. Corked.
2001 Felsina Chianti Italy. 1*. Corked.
2006 Gerard Boulay Sancerre Rose France. 1*. Sewage aroma.
Regards, Bob
