I've been drinking wine for a while now. I've had my share of great bottles, many due to the generosity of friends. I've watched the wine world change over the years in many ways. I've witnessed the exposure of wine regions, previously obscure with bottles difficult to purchase, now become readily available in the US market. I've seen village Burgs, once available in the $20-$30 range, inch closer to $100 now. My palate has shifted and changed over time and my preferences have evolved. This is nothing new to the many wine lovers out there. Yet what happened about 7 years ago was life changing for me. I was introduced to the wines Joe Dressner imported.
I didn't know what natural wine was and I certainly was unfamiliar with many of the areas these wines came from. I mean I thought Sancerre was the extent of the Loire for heaven’s sake. But I had learned to trust my palate and when I tasted that bottle of '02 Pepieres Briords, something happened. Something completely unpredictable. I became giddy. It was shocking. A $10 bottle of wine, I thought was a grape called Muscadet, had completely overwhelmed me. WTF!!! I had to figure this out. I had to find out what this Dressner bloke was up to. The more I researched, the more I realized just how hard it was to find these wines. They were available on the east coast, but difficult to find in Los Angeles.
I was not about to let obscurity and distance prevent me from fueling the fire that bottle of Pepiere ignited. Over the years, I managed to try many of LDM's portfolio. A few years into my research, great news came. LDM wines were now being distributed on the west coast and in decent volume. In 2009, as I was working to develop a list for a restaurant, I had the pleasure of attending a LDM trade event, featuring many of the vignerons whose wines I had grown incredibly fond of. I left that tasting a changed man. I also got to meet Joe Dressner, which in short, was not the most pleasurable of meetings. I was unaware of Joe's reputation for causticity. Fortunately, I remained unscathed and more importantly, undeterred from my newfound wine passion. As I remember it, I began to tell Joe about the importance of his work and its influence on me. After 5 minutes of ranting endlessly, Joe looked at me and uttered that, "He was overdue for a colonic cleansing."
Joe was a game changer. He gave me a new pair of spectacles for which to view this world of fermented beverages. He was the catalyst for my renaissance and discovery of a world I was eager to explore. He shifted my paradigm from believing only certain wines could be great, to a universe with room. A place I am comfortable and content.
So with that in mind, I felt I had to honor the memory of a man I have grown to respect in spite of his personality and share the virtues and his products with a few of my closest wine loving friends, my father and brother.
The concept was simple, as is fitting to Joe's manifesto. A rustic meal prepared at my home. Wine flights, served blind, that would include at least one LDM wine (save for the sweet wine-which has special meaning as you will see below) paired with a complementary wine.
We started with this blind fizzy. The amuse were served and included: gougeres; smoked trout, potato, chive, cumin yogurt; sunchoke soup, evoo.
NV Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Terre de Vertus 1er Cru Brut Nature
Light color, fine bead with a soft mouse. Clearly no dosage. Showing some complexity, especially on the palate. Really nice now. I forgot how to determine the vintage blend for this wine, but I believe it is primarily '02 if not entirely from that vintage. Guesses ranged from Loire Fizz (Vouvray) to Prosecco.
The first blind, paired flight was served with scallop, cauliflower, bok choy.
2005 Domaine de la Pépière (Marc Ollivier) Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Vieilles Vignes Clos des Briords
WOW! This wine has gained so much depth and complexity it marvels. Soaring aromas of lemon marmalade, nutty and floral. The palate is deep and penetrating. A wine that simply blows me away. Most thought this was 1er Cru Chablis.
2002 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir
Sound bottle. Deep golden color. Pretty rich for Chablis, with plenty of complexity from cellaring. Good but I wanted more cut. Guesses were mostly CdB, with most noting the age.
Next up and served with wild mushroom lasagna.
2005 Azienda Agricola Paraschos Evangelos Pinot Nero Noir Venezia Giulia IGT
One of the wines I brought back with me from my recent Italy trip. I had this while in Italy and was floored at the level of quality and pure beauty. This bottle was similarly stunning. The aromatics are tremendous and worthy of many oows and aaws. Baking spice, clove, raspberry/cranberry and much more delivered in a well balanced and zippy package. This wine soars with food and wild mushroom ravioli worked perfectly. Not a single person guessed Friuli let alone Italian PN and considering the source, not at all a surprise. However, quite a few were surprised when the bottle was revealed with a few inquiring on where and how much.
2007 Philippe Pacalet Gevrey-Chambertin
Nice wine, but I don't get the hoopla. Nicely red fruited with a little spice and savory. The palate tasted fresh with nice length and a smooth texture, but I wasn't blown over. You could sense the carbonic influence here as there was an underlying grapiness, which for me is not at all intriguing in a Burg. Don't get me wrong, the wine was lovely and enjoyable, especially at the CW discount $, but had paid the standard rate, I'd be somewhat irked. I have a btl of the 1er CM to try, but may age it a bit.
The next course was a lamb daube, green lentils, glazed carrots. It paired very well with the next flight.
2000 Edmunds St. John Syrah Wylie-Fenaughty
My last of 4 bottles. This hit maturity about 2-3 yrs ago. My 3rd bottle was the best, this was second best. Classic notes of blue fruits, pepper spice, animal fur, blood and roasted meats. I know, but it from the US. Not sure how long this will last and my only criticism is the wine seemed to fade a bit after a few hours. That said, Steve made a great wine here at a price point that belies its appeal and quality.
1999 Patrick & Christophe Bonnefond Côte-Rôtie
My last of 6 bottles. This is honest wine that I was happy to discover in a vintage that excelled. Yeah, I know RP loved '99 in the northern Rhone, but I have to say, the wines I have had (I was lucky to be in Ampuis with the release of this vintage) have blown me away. They are intense and many are full bodied, but I believe they are developing very well. Back to this wine, which for me, is a wonderful expression of Syrah. Gamey, a little wood spice?, subtle dark red fruits all delivered in a lovely, delicate presentation. This is not an intense wine. Rather it's a classique, that clearly benefited from the vintage. Drinking very well and not going to develop further complexity imho. Shockingly, this wine, paired with '00 ESJ WF Syrah, seemed as if they were cut from the same cloth. Amazing similarities in style, presentation and flavors.
Cheese course was next.
2008 Domaine de Bellivière Jasnières Les Rosiers
Not as sweet as I had thought, in fact is there any RS in this wine? I assume there is some, but it's well hidden by the generous stone fruit and acidity. I love the energy in this bottle. Paired beautifully with Challerhocker, Fourme d'Ambert and Quickes cheddar.
2008 François Chidaine Vouvray Le Bouchet
Chidaine killed it in '08, yet the Bouchet ia not my favorite of Francoise's wines in this vintage. In fact I can think of several others I like more (Habert, Tuffeaux, Breuil), yet this wine is just great. Big, rich summer fruits of peach and apricot. It feels a bit sharp in the mouth, no doubt from the acidity. The acidity stands out a bit and is my only criticism of the Bouchet, and this coming from an acid head. I hope this settles down a bit as it seems a bit adolescent and awkward to me. But the material is there and I have hope.
Dessert was meyer lemon pot de crème.
1966 Château d'Yquem
My father was gifted this bottle on release. It remained stored in the wine rack of our 70 degree home for most of its life until one fateful day. I was visiting my parents when I noticed the entire collection of wines from the bar wine rack were missing. My dad said he decided to throw everything out since "it was all bad anyway". I rescued this bottle along with a few top 60s Bordeaux and took them home, much to the dismay of my parents. Fast forward some 20 yrs later and a dinner with close friends and my father and brother and an opportunity to try this wine. Well, I knew this wasn't in great condition, perhaps even over the hill. Ullage was mid shoulder, the wine was the color of dark amber, almost tawney in depth. First I smelled, then I tasted. OK, it was drinkable with aromas better than the flavors, but it was alive. As one friend noted, "it tastes live PX sherry' and indeed it did. Very caramel like flavors, with aromas of stewed stone fruits. One can only wonder what a good bottle would taste like at 46 yrs old. In any case, it was a triumph to open the bottle in the manner it waswith my father in attendance.
With that, we ended a wonderfully relaxed and satisfying meal. And although we didn't end with whiskey and pool, a pint of Guiness awaited.
