A Blessing in Disguise?

Who knows?

From the article:

Breakdown was believed caused by a mysterious floating glob of debris that crashed into Savage Rapids Dam last month

The long and short of it is that some jackass threw a mess of chicken wire (pronounced 'woor') into the Rougue River and more or less gummed up the works. As a result, many farmers who rely on said river for irrigation purposes will have to run buckets from the kitchen sink out to the crops if the want any water.

All kidding aside, this undoubtedly puts a massive strain on an already stressed industry. What I would be most curious to see is how the grapes (and ultimately, the wine) fair because of this. As you may or may not know, most of Europe is not allowed to irrigate, unless the elements are uber-extreme.

Could this (accident) lead to a new chapter in Oregon wine?

Imagine the possibilities.

Whoa!!

From a news feed, I took a gander at this article. The latest in the movement to get GI's (geographic indicators) international protection. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this must be done.

I know most people think the French are a bunch of beret-wearing, Gauloise-smoking, first-with-an-opinion, last-with-the-action pansies. Not the ones I've met. My point is that I think most people believe this to be about the use of words like Champagne and (hearty) Burgundy and at the end of the day, it's only the French so who really cares, right?

Wrong.

From the article:

"Bosco Torremocha of Consejo Regulador de las DD.OO Jerez-Xeres-Sherry, said Sherry producers encounter the same problem in the United States. Only one in four bottles of wine sold in the United States as Sherry is from his region."

That's right. One in Four. For the mathematically challenged, that works out to around 75% fraud. Could you imagine if 75% of Mercedes-Benz were not the real McCoy? There would be a whole gang of people really pissed off.

Of course, the number of fake Rolexes is probably around 90%, depending on the number of jack-hole tourists there are in Times Square. And then there's the whole argument that if it is a fake, you aren't aware of this fact, and you enjoy it anyways, what difference does it make?

I suggest we err on the side of legitimacy.

48th Street Breakdown

For myriad reasons, the crew has had a bit of trouble getting to gether for the regular tastings. Last night made up for the lull, in spades. Theme: Burgundy at $40 or better wholesale. The idea was not to be snooty, but to draw a line in the sand. Here's how it went down.

Maison Louis Latour Puligny-Montrachet A.C 1999

While everyone else brought reds, I thought it would be only fitting to start of with a couple of whites. Straight-away, the color was very interesting. A very pale yellow-green. The aromatics gave off a only a hint of oak. Other components Were a very slight cream and very strong minerality. On the palate, the most impressive thing was the acidity. At 6 years old, this wine was still flexing some muscle. I suppose the argument could be made that this wine is in it's 'prime' but I got the impression that it had the legs to go for many years to come. After about 20 minutes in the glass, the wine fleshed out considerably. The oak seemed to come out a bit more (but by no means overbearing)and the creaminess was augmented but not overstated. A fellow taster much more experienced with older Burgundy thought this to be typical of Puligny. Very nice.

Domaine Jean Chartron '1er Cru Clos du Cailleret' Puligny-Montrachet 1999

This was a requested bottle and said request was the reason for the Latour - compare and contrast - from the same vintage. This was one of two bottles that I had left over from my former life in the restaurant industry. At that time, it saw less-than-ideal storage conditions and that may have had an effect on the wines performance. Initially, the wine was extremely tight. Zero aromatics and the palate was nearly mute. What was immediately obvious was the color. Side by side with the Latour the color difference was quite striking. The Chartron was a much deeper yellow, not quite gold but not the light yellow of the first wine. This may very well be because of the storage early in life. After 20 minutes and much swirling of the glass the wine began to open up. The focus of the winemaker was obviously drawn to one thing: Minerality. Good fruit and a touch of oak but these things paled in comparison to the minerals in the glass. The acidity was very much in effect and I suspect the wine could easily go for another 5-8 years. With all of this said, I beleive that the bottle was showing only a bit of what it could really be. I still have another bottle, so maybe we'll see.

Mommessin '1er Cru La Forge' Morey-St-Denis 1996

Quite possibly the ringer of the night. Pull out a map of Morey-St-Denis and start looking around for a vineyard called 'La Forge'. You won't find it. Not because it doesn't exist, but because it now has a different name. I say now, but it actually changed somewhere around 1141. It is now known as 'Clos de Tart' and is entirely owned by the house of Mommessin or as the French say, the vineyard is a 'monopole'. The wine that is 'La Forge' is effectively de-classified 'Clos de Tart'. To steal a line from Cheech & Chong, this wine 'has a B.A., and is a B.M.F. besides'. If this is the stuff that didn't make the qualitative cut for Clos de Tart, I can only imagine how good the primary label really is. This (in one monkey's opinion) is what real Pinot Noir is supposed to be: An exercise in nuance and subtlety. Aromatics of earth, dark but faint fruit and (for lack of a better term) the tinny-ness that is synonymous with any proper Burgundy. Absolutely stunning. At 9 years on, this wine was on point. The duck and sautéed mushrooms that accompanied this wine did nothing but augment the complexity the wine possessed. Good luck finding it in the States as I understand that Mommessin no longer exports it to the U.S. In the event that you do find it (and don't buy it all for yourself), drop me line and I pick up the rest.

Domaine Trapet Père & Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 2002

Admittedly, drinking this wine now is to commit infanticide. The power of the vintage that was 2002 is a real force to be reckoned with. But the word was Burgundy, so Burgundy was brought. For a Pinot Noir, this wine was huge. Not totally blown out a la 'New World', but not that far off the mark. With that said, I found the wine very well made. The color was extremely dark, possibly because of vintage, possibly because of desire on the winemaker's part. I say this because one cannot ignore the trend of darker and darker Pinots that are emerging from Burgundy. Again, one monkey's opinion, but Pinot Noir doesn't have to be black. The aromatics were predictably very tight. The palate had good fruit, the tinny-ness aforementioned, and the tannin was well represented. Not necessarily my favorite of the night, but not a bad wine. It would be interesting to see it 5-8 years on.

Sine Qua Non 'A*'Capella' Pinot Noir 2000

What can I say about this house that hasn't been said a hundred times over? This is arguably one of the most sought after producers in California today. Curious, because from what I understand SQN owns not a single vine. I would like to think this would change people's opinion of the dreaded négociant in France, as the Krankl's are doing the very same thing. The fruit for this wine was (as the back label says) 'LOVINGLY grown grapes at Shea Vineyard' in Oregon. I have (and will) often taken exception to New World Pinot as I find it has more in common with Syrah than it does with real Pinot. The argument could be made with this wine as well. However, many have pointed out that Burgundy is not indicative of Pinot, Burgundy is indicative of Burgundy. Fair enough. Where the other wines of the night focused (more or less) on subtlety and finesse, the SQN was more about force. And it definitely had it. Alcohol: 14.3%. To put that into context, here's the rest of the night:

Latour: 13.5
Chartron: 13.5
Mommessin:13
Trapet:12.5

I know 0.8% doesn't sound like alot but it it. This is Pinot made in a New World style but without ignoring the Old. I must admit that I enjoyed the wine to be honest, coming off the Mommessin and the Trapet (a jump of 1.8% in alcohol), the chips were stacked against it. However, it brought a curious compare/contrast element, and for that, I am thankful.

You may be wondering why the SQN got in on a 'Burgundy' tasting. A regular reader of this thing blog had inquired if we were taking any new members to the group. It just so happened that the first tasting he came to, we were focusing on a region that is not represented in his cellar. Hopefully, this will change.

Just kidding, Bob.

When will it end?

Wine industry flourishes in the Garden State

I can already see the proprietary names: Exit 12 - Turnpike Meritage and Route 1 Red.

I can only imagine Parker's tasting notes: 'Subtle aromatics of ass and pharmaceutical exhaust with a lingering palate of road salt, motor oil, and antifreeze.

Brilliant.

Mondovino

This is the 'wine' film that everyone should see at least once. There is obviously an agenda and it is probably one that you don't agree with. I however do. An interesting array of people throughout and some rather funny and frightening this are said and done.

What is does have: 'Candid' interviews with winemakers and winery owners from around the world. Throw in a couple of critics (Parker's time on screen seems pretty even handed - James Suckling is a total ass), and the ever-necessary consultants (the dude from Enologix is pitiful and Rolland is scary - Le Monde compared him to Mephistopholes). Total running time: 2h15m. Could have probably shed a few minutes here and there.

What is doesn't have: Balance. Not so surprising, show a 'documentary' in the last 15 years that does. Any real love for California. This is without a doubt the source for the majority of the criticism Mondovin has received. Most people can't get enough Cult Cabs. Nossiter doesn't seem that impressed. Hottie Actress and marketable quips.There is no Sandra Oh or some dude in a mid-life crisis screaming about the F******* Merlot, so if that's what your looking for, look elsewhere. There are some great lines (responding to a comment about what makes great wine) like 'Those are clichés for journalists'. And about the hottie, for the record, There's Something About Alix (de Montille).

At the end of the day, this really is a Michael Moore-esque film about the current state of wine. Much like Moore, to see one of his films is to watch an exercise in proving a foregone conclusion. If you see a Moore film and agree with it, you probably did before you saw the movie. Nossiter's film is much the same way. Where as I think Moore to be a jack-ass, I agree with the picture presented by Nossiter. But guess what, I did before I saw the movie.

Either way, check it out and form your own opinion.

And drink more French wine. It's good for you, good for me, and good for them.

The Empire Expands More

I should admit at the outset that I have yet to see the viniferous version of Fahrenheit 9/11 known as 'Mondovino' but I have read plenty about it and the various people Mr. Nossiter takes aim it via the lens. Among others, he apparently has a slight bone to pick with one Michel Rolland. For those of you unfamiliar with the name, this man has the 'midas touch' when it comes to winemaking. Of course, this depends on who you talk to and who you believe. And as it turns out, he's not really in the business of making wine. Rather, he carries the ultra-vague, uber-cool, 'pay-me-lots-o-cash' title of the almighty 'Consultant'.

Rolland appointed new Antinori consultant

"We have been friends for over 10 years,' he said. 'Michel started working for me when I created Ornellaia. We are not looking to compete with Ornellaia [which is now owned by fellow Tuscan producer Frescobaldi] but we hope to gain Michel's exclusivity."(emphasis T.t.S.)

I can only believe that the author was trying to be a bit cheeky because the sentence just prior to this paragraph reads as such:

"Antinori said it was not difficult to convince Rolland – who is Bordeaux-based and consults for some 103 wineries in 12 countries – to take the job."

Granted there are plenty of wineries in the world but at what point does one lose one's 'exclusivity'? Is it at winery #105 or winery #2000? But it only gets better:

Rolland will dedicate 4-5 days a year to Campo di Sasso, while Swedish winemaker Helena Lindberg – suggested to Antinori by Ornellaia's ex-winemaker Thomas Duroux, now working for Chateau Palmer in Bordeaux – will be their full-time winemaker.

Wow.

So Señor Rolland swings into Bolgheri for a long weekend, spouts off a couple of things (things that I would suspect the winemaker for Château-friggin'-Palmer already knows) and gets a couple hundred cases of wine, a good size check, and assuming he has a decent agent, probably gets 2%-3% of the gross once a certain someone gives the wine 98 points.

Again, I haven't seen the film, and I won't totally discount Rolland's abilities but maybe Old Man Nossiter wasn't too far off the mark.

A winery getting back to its roots?

I apologize for the awful pun but apparently a move such as this is now news-worthy

Reinventing a classic

That's right, the folks at Kendall-Jackson (you may have heard of it, that mom & pop operation in Sonoma)have decided that from now on, the only fruit for their Chardonnay is going to be theirs.

"This is the No. 1-selling premium chardonnay in terms of dollars, it's the No. 1 in terms of volume, and now it's going to be 100 percent estate grown," said Kendall-Jackson spokesman George Rose."

Re-read that statement one more time. From my (albeit limited) knowledge of the English language, I would take it to mean that all of the Chardonnay is from vineyards that KJ own themselves. But alas:

"The designation means 100 percent of the grapes have come from vineyards that are either owned by the winery or controlled through long-term leases, Rose said."

So I have to ask - What's the damn point!?! Long time readers of this thing blog will immediately recognize my total disdain for this kind of horseshit. Much like the use of 'Old Vines'. Of course, California is not alone in this. The French use the term as well. There is no legal criteria for what makes 'Vieilles Vignes' but generally speaking, the vines tend to be quiet a bit older that those that KJ is using for this wine.

"In 2003, the winery produced about 2.3 million cases of Vintner's Reserve, which retailed for $11 a bottle and was discounted as low as $7.99.

At 2 million cases, 2004's production will be 13 percent smaller, the suggested retail price will be $12, and discounting will be less common, Rose said."

Here again, the use of another seemingly undefineable yet unregulated word. What does the word 'reserve' mean to the average jackass. I would think it to mean something held back, i.e. qualitatively better that the usual. At a production rate 2 million cases, I find this rather hard to believe. And yet again, here is a word that actually does have legal and finanial implications in countries like Spain and Italy. Of course, they spell it 'reserva' or 'riserva' which are clearly different, right? I'm sure this is the argument made to WTO concerning certain GI's (geographic indicators) and the like. No wonder the EU is more than reluctant to sign agreements with the US.

"Retailers often discount Kendall-Jackson wines as a "loss-leader" to get shoppers into the stores, Rose said. But that may change.

"We're having firm conversations with our retailers," Rose said. "We can't control it, but you are going to see less and less of it."

So, let me get this straight: Retailers go short on your product to get people in the door. They effectively price your wine to compete with the YellowTails and Monkey Bays of the world, you are now going to use 100% Estate fruit to improve the quality (a selling point I'm sure won't be lost) and you expect the practice of deep discounting to end? Why the hell should it? And furthermore, if your sitting on 2 million cases, don't you need it to move?

You know Yellow Tail has a reserve, but I think it is simply left over shit from the year before. I suppose that if you have trouble getting the 2004 out the door, you could come up with some new term 'Super-Duper-Extra-Reserve' and get another $0.75-$1.00 per bottle.

I guess at the end of the day, I am curious how much any of this matters to John Q. Public. I would think not very much. But what the hell do I know. I wouldn't (and don't) sell this stuff if my life depended on it. Of course, that may be the root of my financial state.

Poor.
Ugly.
Happy.

One more thing:

"...KJ's Vintner's Reserve chardonnay remained the top seller in its category, selling $72 million worth of wine in supermarkets between May of 2004 and May of 2005..."

and

"You can't win fighting against these giant commercial entities,"

For the love of God, can any of these people speak in real words. Yo Fredrikson, I've got some news for you:

KJ is a giant commercial entity, despite how much they don't want anyone to know.

Fourth of July

A dinner that had been in the planning for some time, just so happened that it fell on the day. Fear not, while the vast majority of the wine comsumed was most definitely not from this country, plenty of "cheap ass 'mercun beer" was drank both before and after.

The Meal (in short):

Shrimp Cocktail with Fried Green Tomatoes and a Curry Remoulade

Field Green Salad with Cherries and a Champagne Vinaigrette

Grilled Black Grouper with Sautéed Asparagus and Basmati Rice with Almonds and Apricots

The wines (in order):

Routas Rouviere Rosé Coteaux Varois 2004

François Montand 'Blanc de Blancs' NV

Sergio Mionetto 'M/O' Prosecco NV

Francis Coppola 'Sofia - Blanc de Blancs' 1999

Champagne Montaudon NV - 375ml (2)

Champagne Lanson 'Black Label' NV

Started off with the Routas, a la 'reception wine'. I am a total sucker for this wine and have been for a few years now. Absolutely what is should be. Considering the temperature last afternoon was a nice 95°F, it is ideal for the climate that we here in Savannah enjoy(?). At +/- $12, Spot on.

The François Montand was up next and is another 'work horse' wine for me. I poured this by the glass in a previous life and continue to sell it retail. Coming in around $13, this is an ideal candidate for a 'daily drinker' sparkling wine. Made from Ugni Blanc and Airen, this wine from the Jura region of France is no Champagne, but it's not trying to be either.

The Mionetto went up with the salad and worked great. This house makes quite a few wines but the 'M/O' is their flagship. In all honesty, I enjoy this wine more than some Champagnes that I have had. And with a price tag of around $20, it's at least half the cost. This wine seemed to be a ringer for the table and while it started out with a slight sweetness that I hadn't really seen in previous bottles, a few minutes in glass really helped the wine get on point.

Coppola. The 'in-between courses' wine. Given to me by a very good friend, I've had this thing laying around in my cellar for a couple of years now. Figured, 'What the hell' and brought it to the meal. Admittedly the wine was the 'turd in the puchbowl' so to speak, but I was curious and upon showing the bottle to the hosts, there seemed to be some genuine excitement about it. Well, I am here to say that it was all for nought. This wine was unbelievably boring. And maybe it wasn't fair given the competition but it brought nothing to the table. It tasted like shitty California Chard with a slight effervesence. Not all that surprising because that's what it is but I had hoped for a little bit more. The aromatics were dominated by oak, cream, and butter. No yeast or light toast whatsoever. I'm sure this wine makes somebody happy but I (nor the other 5 at table) ain't one of them. No idea what this stuff costs, but whatever it is, I'm sure that I would be disappointed had I paid for it.

Montaudon. I love this wine. From a 'smaller' producer, this house falls under the ever-popular 'grower/producer' catagory and it shows. Strong brioche and yeast on the nose, the consensus was that the wine smelled of a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Excellent balance with good clean fruit and a bone dry finish, this is a wine that I sell all day long. ***The 375ml bottling is ideal for the couple that just wants one glass of wine to start. More stores should carry them. If yours doesn't, start shopping with me.***

Lanson. Yet another wine that I am totally enamoured with. I served this to the Financial Advisor last year for her birthday with Fried Chicken and it nearly brought us to tears. A highly recommended combination. The wine is almost exactly the same as the famed Veuve Clicquot 'Yellow Label' but with one major difference. While the primary grape in the blend is Pinot Noir, this wine does not go through malolactic fermentation and as such is a far more delicate wine. This is not to say 'better', I drink Veuve and enjoy it but whereas the Veuve is a bit more agressive on the palate, the Lanson is more finesse driven.

BTW, the food was phenomenal. Sorry I didn't go into as much detail, but in the interest of time....

Doing the Math

My apologies for the lack of entries latley but with the holiday, a birthday, and about a million people in town from all corners of the globe I've been a bit pre-occupied.

Here goes:

Rex Hill sues over bad corks

The long and short of it is that the fine folks over at Rex Hill bought in to the whole 'No Cork, No Problem' mentality and as it turns out, there were some problems. From the article:

"Newberg's Rex Hill Vineyards has filed a civil suit against a maker of synthetic corks, claiming the product failed to seal properly, causing thousands of bottles of Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay to spoil."

In and of itself, probably not all the surprising or unusual, althoug I'm sure the folks at Supreme Corq would like you to believe otherwise. The real curiousity comes in the form of the numbers provided by the article:

"The suit seeks $1.4 million in damages...spoiling 370,000 bottles corked with the Supreme Corq product... It is seeking $434,000 in actual damages and $1 million in punitive damages."

So let's run the numbers, shall we? The punitive damages amount is really just that, punitive, right? So a million clams for time and effort wasted by way of faulty 'corks'. The actual damages number paints a bit of a different picture. $434K/370K Bottles = $1.17 per bottle. So is it safe to assume that this is the actual value of the wine per bottle? I must think so. And I would hope that that number includes not only the price of the grape and processing them but the cost of the bottle itself along with label, boxes, shipping, etc...

If so, that is pretty damn impressive. And according to their website (which sucks), the 2001 Pinot Gris had a suggested retail of $14.00. Let's work backwards. At 14 bucks that would generally make the wholesale cost of said bottle somewhere around $10.76. Assuming the distributor is making 'decent' money, that bring their cost down to around $8.28 per bottle.

So Rex Hill makes a bottle of wine for $1.17 and sells it off at $8.28?!? That's a profit $7.11.

Good God.

Maybe this is why every jack-hole wants to own a winery.