2 1/2 days....part 2
So it was relatively early to rise, check out of the hotel, and a few hours to kill before climbing back in the bottle. We drove around a bit, scoped out the location of the first tasting and went to our accommodations for the evening.
The Beverly Hills Inn is the only place to stay if you're doing time in Atlanta. I used to live in a building very similar to it (albeit a bit larger) here in Savannah, and I cannot recommend it enough. A converted apartment building built in 1929, each suite is more or less an efficiency apartment except much cooler than Guest Quarters. The room we stayed in had everything you could want and were it not for the after-tasting dinners, we could have easily prepared all our meals in the room. The owner, Mit, is an ace guy, very knowledgable about the area, and with a quick wit.
Tasting #2: Northeast Sales hosted by Antica Posta
Checked the GTI via valet and went straight into the world of Johannes Selbach. He is a one man wrecking crew (winemaker, importer, sales rep, and all around bad ass). As one might expect, the order of the day was German riesling. Fine with me, and the financial advisor concurred. The entire lot was from the .02 vintage and every single wine was incredible. While I am doing my part to change the view most people have of riesling, I am only one man. I will have a much more detailed analysis at a later date but hear this now:
1. German wines are not too sweet!
2. They have acidity for days, it is simply balanced by the perceived sweetness.
3. There is about three times the residual sugar in the can of Coke on your desk than there is in your average Kabinett.
More on Johannes later.
Next up was Kermit Lynch. A relatively new aquisition for Northeast so the supply was limited (in fact, the samples were flown in that day). Kermit is one of my heroes. And his wines were incredible. A Bordeaux blanc that may have been the ringer of the trip for price/quality ratio (surprisingly a 2003). A Mâcon that rocked. And two Beaujolais that, to me, are the benchmark for Gamay; one Moulin-á-vent, the other a Morgon. There were others but these were the stand-outs.
On to Mommessin. .02's from Chassagne and Meursault. Unbeliveable and still available on pre-sell - let me know if you're interested - .02 1er cru Savigny Les Beaune, .02 1er Cru Pommard, and the almighty .00 Clos de Tart. I know that a lot of people like to wax eloquent on how the négociant trade is inferior and their wines aren't as good and blah, blah, blah. I have three words: Sine qua Non. So far as I know, they don't own a single vine, and if they do it produces very litte of the miniscule amounts of wine they make. And people pay silly money for the stuff.
So if it has some funny French word, it sucks. If it has some funny English word, I gotta have it! Brilliant.
All the while the clock is ticking and there is still more wine here and another tasting downtown. The financial advisor takes off with the car for Lenox and Anthropologie (part of the deal for her coming along and slogging through a shit-ton of wine with me) and I hop a cab heading down Peachtree (you know the one).
Tasting # 3: Empire Distributors
In true form, we received the scenic tour of Atlanta instead taking the one street that leads right to the Fox Theatre. This was actually okay because it gave a little break in the action. Get inside and the thing is like a circus. About two thousand people getting loaded. Don't get me wrong, I'll get down with the best of them, but this was a bit of an overkill. I was starting to think I shouldn't have come down for it. The lights were very dim (and about 60 feet up), the table cloths were a very dark burgundy (not exactly ideal for looking at color), and it was so loud I couldn't communicate with the woman pouring the wine three feet away. To top it off, the Jager girls were doing their thing and while I like boobs as much as the next guy, I'm not sure they did much for the wines. On the way for a tasty tobacco flavored treat, I received the word: "Be at this door in 10 minutes". Okay.
After a run up the stairs, then down the stairs, then up the stairs, then down the elevator we found the spot. A very small, very secluded, and very quiet room in the bowels of the Fox. Inside, Charles Ducker and the wines of Maison Louis Latour. All became right with the world. Entirely 2002. Entirely Awesome. I will have the pre-sale options on the shop's site soon. Please refer to my earlier comments if you take exception to négociant wines. These wines are built for the long haul. Get them now because the .03's aren't going to stand a chance compared to these. I had a very interesting conversation with Mr. Ducker concerning Latour's practice of 'flash pasteurization' and the real and perceived effects it has on the wine. After all, we're not making milk here. He explained that which I already knew about the process and went on to say that a number of houses did it as well. Big time houses that command obscence prices. The difference is that they don't tell anybody about it. Latour puts everything out on the table so that there are no secrets. Curious, and something I am going to look into.
Shortly thereafter, the financial advisor arrived and we went back to the inn. A brief lull before dinner and more damn wine.
Part 3...soon
The Beverly Hills Inn is the only place to stay if you're doing time in Atlanta. I used to live in a building very similar to it (albeit a bit larger) here in Savannah, and I cannot recommend it enough. A converted apartment building built in 1929, each suite is more or less an efficiency apartment except much cooler than Guest Quarters. The room we stayed in had everything you could want and were it not for the after-tasting dinners, we could have easily prepared all our meals in the room. The owner, Mit, is an ace guy, very knowledgable about the area, and with a quick wit.
Tasting #2: Northeast Sales hosted by Antica Posta
Checked the GTI via valet and went straight into the world of Johannes Selbach. He is a one man wrecking crew (winemaker, importer, sales rep, and all around bad ass). As one might expect, the order of the day was German riesling. Fine with me, and the financial advisor concurred. The entire lot was from the .02 vintage and every single wine was incredible. While I am doing my part to change the view most people have of riesling, I am only one man. I will have a much more detailed analysis at a later date but hear this now:
1. German wines are not too sweet!
2. They have acidity for days, it is simply balanced by the perceived sweetness.
3. There is about three times the residual sugar in the can of Coke on your desk than there is in your average Kabinett.
More on Johannes later.
Next up was Kermit Lynch. A relatively new aquisition for Northeast so the supply was limited (in fact, the samples were flown in that day). Kermit is one of my heroes. And his wines were incredible. A Bordeaux blanc that may have been the ringer of the trip for price/quality ratio (surprisingly a 2003). A Mâcon that rocked. And two Beaujolais that, to me, are the benchmark for Gamay; one Moulin-á-vent, the other a Morgon. There were others but these were the stand-outs.
On to Mommessin. .02's from Chassagne and Meursault. Unbeliveable and still available on pre-sell - let me know if you're interested - .02 1er cru Savigny Les Beaune, .02 1er Cru Pommard, and the almighty .00 Clos de Tart. I know that a lot of people like to wax eloquent on how the négociant trade is inferior and their wines aren't as good and blah, blah, blah. I have three words: Sine qua Non. So far as I know, they don't own a single vine, and if they do it produces very litte of the miniscule amounts of wine they make. And people pay silly money for the stuff.
So if it has some funny French word, it sucks. If it has some funny English word, I gotta have it! Brilliant.
All the while the clock is ticking and there is still more wine here and another tasting downtown. The financial advisor takes off with the car for Lenox and Anthropologie (part of the deal for her coming along and slogging through a shit-ton of wine with me) and I hop a cab heading down Peachtree (you know the one).
Tasting # 3: Empire Distributors
In true form, we received the scenic tour of Atlanta instead taking the one street that leads right to the Fox Theatre. This was actually okay because it gave a little break in the action. Get inside and the thing is like a circus. About two thousand people getting loaded. Don't get me wrong, I'll get down with the best of them, but this was a bit of an overkill. I was starting to think I shouldn't have come down for it. The lights were very dim (and about 60 feet up), the table cloths were a very dark burgundy (not exactly ideal for looking at color), and it was so loud I couldn't communicate with the woman pouring the wine three feet away. To top it off, the Jager girls were doing their thing and while I like boobs as much as the next guy, I'm not sure they did much for the wines. On the way for a tasty tobacco flavored treat, I received the word: "Be at this door in 10 minutes". Okay.
After a run up the stairs, then down the stairs, then up the stairs, then down the elevator we found the spot. A very small, very secluded, and very quiet room in the bowels of the Fox. Inside, Charles Ducker and the wines of Maison Louis Latour. All became right with the world. Entirely 2002. Entirely Awesome. I will have the pre-sale options on the shop's site soon. Please refer to my earlier comments if you take exception to négociant wines. These wines are built for the long haul. Get them now because the .03's aren't going to stand a chance compared to these. I had a very interesting conversation with Mr. Ducker concerning Latour's practice of 'flash pasteurization' and the real and perceived effects it has on the wine. After all, we're not making milk here. He explained that which I already knew about the process and went on to say that a number of houses did it as well. Big time houses that command obscence prices. The difference is that they don't tell anybody about it. Latour puts everything out on the table so that there are no secrets. Curious, and something I am going to look into.
Shortly thereafter, the financial advisor arrived and we went back to the inn. A brief lull before dinner and more damn wine.
Part 3...soon
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