A delayed flight produced an exciting connection this morning between tarmac and TGV. With one in two SNCF trains cancelled by striking rail workers, the margin for error was nil, and with heavy fog and teeming terminals we feared the worst. But the luggage belts were in our favor, and we even managed to grab two double espressos before boarding the packed train.
Boston, Paris, Avignon, Courthezon | 6.5.16
France is an old place — many domaines we work with have been in the business for centuries. But others are newer: winemaker Olivier Leriche left Burgundy’s prestigious Domaine de l’Arlot in 2011, and founded a new winery on old vines in the Ardèche. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed following Olivier over the last five years as he has experimented with grape varietals, styles, and blends.
We’re on our way to France for a two week tasting trip covering the Southern Rhône, Languedoc, Northern Rhône, Beaujolais, Burgundy, Chablis, and Jura. We hope to post photos to this blog daily.
We find some of our favorite values in towns just off the beaten path. The neighbor villages of Chassange-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet are the world’s best known sources for fine white wine. But just two miles to the west lies the often-overlooked town of Saint-Aubin, which turns out to be an exceptional source for white Burgundy.
The towns of Pommard and Volnay are giants of the Côte de Beaune reds. Though less than a mile apart, the two towns represent opposing profiles – Volnay tending toward elegant and feminine, and Pommard toward sturdy and masculine. As neighbors they provide an excellent example of the microterroirs of Burgundy.
The wines of Graves have been admired for nearly a thousand years. Located just south of the city of Bordeaux, Graves exploded as an international wine source in 1152 with Henry II’s marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine. Kings from both regions abolished tariffs, and by 1225 English imports of French wine totaled 1.9 million cases annually (to a country of just over 2 million.)
Francis Muré lives in a charming Alsatian hill town. His small farmhouse nestles on vine-covered slopes near stone streets lined with colorful flower boxes. It’s charming, quaint, and picturesque, like something from a fairy tale.
When vines grow old, vignerons are faced with a choice. Older vines mean lower yields, which can squeeze a domaine’s bottom line. But old vines also produce more concentrated and better quality juice, leading to wines of depth and intensity. Though we understand both sides, we’re always pleased to find vignerons who sacrifice quantity for quality, and allow their vines to continue into old age.
The finest wines of Burgundy are expensive, scarce, and require cellaring. We’re always on the hunt for more affordable options from our favorite region — pinot noirs that show Burgundy’s elegance and earthiness without the lofty price tag. Bourgognes from Michel Gros and Pierre Amiot are delicious and affordable, but our allocations for these wines evaporate quickly each year, and there’s rarely any left over after Futures.
It may be spring for another month, but here in Boston it’s starting to feel more like summer. Warm weather can make wine pairing tricky — heat and alcohol rarely go well together, and a cold beer is sometimes the best fit. But when the moment or the meal calls for wine, we look for bottles with low alcohol, good freshness, and wines that are tasty chilled.
This weekend we’ve been pouring wines at the Nantucket Wine Festival. Besides some favorite Burgundies from the Domaine Michel Gros, our table featured two reds and a rosé from the Domaine les Goubert in Gigondas. If the clear Provençal sun didn’t quite last the weekend on the island, the Nantucket breezes did their best impression of the blustery mistral.
The perfect wine isn’t always the most expensive choice. Put a plate of just opened oysters in front of us, and we might rather pick a Muscadet over a Montrachet. Or consider a choucroute garnie (Alsatian sausage and sauerkraut) — so perfect is the marriage with an fine Alsatian Riesling, that Hermitage or Haut-Brion would seem out of place.
There is no more underappreciated wine than Riesling. Many US consumers have sworn off the grape, having been burned by syrupy Rieslings with no life and too much sugar. But for lovers of dry wine, there’s enough bone-dry Riesling out there to make Riesling avoidance foolhardy. Tall skinny bottle + “Riesling” ≠ sweet.
Check out our new one-minute video about how Ansonia Wines works.