After the recent passing of Joe Dressner, the shop where I work part-time hosted an event commemorating the wines and winemakers that Joe and his fellow travelers introduced us to. I adore these wines, but far beyond the slurping and notetaking, I have special memories of meeting the real-deal farmers/growers/winemakers that Joe dragged around the country with him on his portfolio tours. These are delicious wines, interesting people, and the relationships that have been forged from grower/winemaker, through the importer to the consumer, are a huge part of what makes these wines so special to me. And connecting the amazing skilled passion of these winegrowers to gee-whiz end-drinkers like me is what I'll always be grateful for when I raise a glass in memory of Joe.
Onto the wines. First up, the 2009 Foradori Fontanasanta Vigneti delle Dolomiti Nosiola had fantastic peach aromatics, taste salty, expressive, vibrant and mouthwatering. Tart and stony, lovely. The NV Domaine des Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Crémant de Bourgogne Charme Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs had a lively, sour, yeasty nose and tastes absolutely superb: yeasty, dry and delicious. The 2004 François Cazin (Le Petit Chambord) Cour-Cheverny Vendanges Manuelles Cuvée Renaissance had some funk n' fruit on the nose, completely bizarre, tast wonderful weight, gloopy yet balanced, I've never had a demi-sec approach to Cour-Cheverny and this is completely awesome. The 2010 Franck Peillot Roussette du Bugey Altesse de Montagnieu has very delicate aromatics, very soft, taste crispy/salty, savory depth, what a food wine!
The 2009 Domaine du Closel-Château des Vaults Savennières La Jalousie is waxy and salty, beautiful mouthcoating precision, what a lovely wine. The 2009 Francois Pinon Vouvray Silex Noir had a light perfumey nose, limey, delicious and refreshing, lots of stone and structure and extinguished candle smoke on the finish. So very cool. The 2010 Domaine Pierre de la Grange (Luneau-Papin) Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Vieilles Vignes has a fantastic salty nose, bright/simple/easy acid, pleasant. Then green grapes and a green tartlet feel. Lovely. The 2010 Domaine de la Pépière (Marc Ollivier) Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Vieilles Vignes Clos des Briords is much more gray and more concrete/stone on the nose. Chewy and mouthfilling, there is presence and heft followed by ethereal amazingness. Finish lasts forever. Stunning.
The 2005 Radikon Venezia Giulia Oslavje has all the aromatics I could ask for: sour apple, cider, fresh and screamingly alive, no feel of oxidation for me. Feel plenty of weight and heft, chewy certainly. Tart abrasive one note, in the mouth, unlike the nose, this is more intellectual than hedonistic. Fun but a bit tiring, needs food. The 2009 Descombes Brouilly has dark brambly aromas, very nice nose. It tastes a bit of plush raspberry, giving at first before backing toward tart subtlety that is all about the finish. Superb and deft, leaves me screaming for more. This is *the* experience. The 2009 Descombes Beaujolais-Villages has a nose that is hard to read, but still loveable, tastes tart, feels cutting and edgy, but it was very hard for me to get a read on this particular wine.
The 2008 Campi di Fonterenza Rosso di Montalcino smells of leathery, spicy, and dried fruit. Taste tangy acid encased in dry leather. This is red wine. I like it as red wine. That is what it is. The 2008 Cantina Giardino Aglianico Irpinia Le Fole has a high octane nose and is juicy and dripping with structure. Pardon the analogy, but *this* is malbec made for a person like me: tannins are light but engaging, there is a nonmalbecian drying spice element, but the big juicy expressiveness makes for a great night on the town. This continues to broaden my Aglianico horizons. The 2007 Monte dall’Ora Valpolicella Ripasso Sausto smelled of some OJ tartness (the beverage, not the celebrity) but, wow, is it luscious and giving in the mouth, juicy starburst of flavors. Outstanding dripping fruit deliciousness, this one was a real surprise for me, balanced by dry fun. Wow, wow, wow.
The 2009 Arianna Occhipinti Sicilia Il Frappato was a nose of a cornucopia of funk and topped with tropical elements. Great layered candied fruit, drinkable with tang that drives me into very good territory. Very. Good. Wine. The 2010 Azienda Agricola Maule Angiolino Gambellara Rosso Masieri has a laid back nose and tastes dry, but wait, no, it tastes like a freshly squeezed juicebox, what a finish! Super! Superb! Score! Outstanding savory explosion! What the hell is this? Utterly awesome! Alas, there's always an end, the 2004 Roagna Barolo La Rocca e La Pira has a fantastic but evasive nose. Barely there at the moment. There is slight funk, perhaps even slight brett (though prob not), but this is delicate, animalistic, and beautiful. I do believe I could drink it forever.
Regardless, it's still one of my favorite places to shop when I'm back visiting my mother, not least of which because it's only a 5 min drive from her house (KLWM's retail outlet doesn't suck either).