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CHAMPAGNE UPDATE: Bordeaux, Rodeo, and Laetitia Rosé (and a quote)

April 10, 2012 by bearonwine

By now you’ve figured out that I love Champagne. And other Champagne-like sparkling wines. You might say that I am an aficionado of fizz. And so you know that my blogging hiatus did not correspond to a break in the bubbly. At work at Spec’s, I’m always tasting and some of those tastings include bubbles. My time at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, offered numerous opportunities to sip fizz while both patronizing and teaching at the Champion Wine Garden. And Champagne is the only wine other than Bordeaux regularly served in Bordeaux.

Champagne in Bordeaux

Heading for the barn after a day of plowing at Ch. Pontet Canet.

It started at lunch on my first Monday in Bordeaux. After tasting a spectacular barrel sample of Ch. Pontet Canet 2011 (once again a star of the vintage) and getting a meet-and-greet with the five equine stars of Pontet Canet (the gorgeous Brittany Poste horses that plow and otherwise work the vineyards), owner Alfred Tesseron poured Taittinger Comtes des Champagne Blanc de Blancs before a lovely lunch. On the Tuesday arrival of my Spec’s colleagues, we sipped some Charles de Cazanove Brut at our lodgings at Ch. Magnol. Thursday lunch at Lyon d’Or started with Laurent Perrier Brut NV. Before Thursday dinner at Ch. Pichon Baron, we sipped Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle. After a tour and tasting and before lunch at Ch. Canon La Gafelliere, owner Stephan Neipperg poured Bollinger Special Cuvee – which he says they buy by the pallet and age an extra three years before serving. (I believe it; this was the best Special Cuvee I have ever tasted.) On Sunday, we had a Billecart Salmon Rose on the front terrace of the Grand Hotel. The second Monday brought Dom Perignon 2000 before at lunch with Bruno Borie at Ch. Ducru Beaucaillou and Tuesday brought Bollinger Vintage at lunch in Jean Charles Cazes home at Ch. Lynch Bages. Thursday Lunch at Ch. Haut Bailly started with Pol Roger (which I love in France but usually find to be off condition in the US). Somewhere in the midst of all that, we also drank some Henriot Brut NV. Our Saturday dinner at Ch. Trocard offered not Champagne but Trocard’s fine Cremant de Bordeaux which filled in admirably.

As good and lovely and even extravagant as all this was, the wine of the hiatus I most want about is the one I drank the most of at this year’s Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo: Laetitia Brut Rosé 2007. Laetitia’s Rosé won the Top Sparkling Wine Award in the 2012 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo International Wine Competition and so was on the list at the Show’s Champion Wine Garden. I think I had a glass every time I walked through or even passed the wine Garden.

LAETITIA Brut Rosé, Arroyo Grande Valley, 2007
Tech: 12.5% Alcohol. An unspecified blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with some oak-aged red Pinot added for color made using Methode Champenoise and left en tirage (on the yeasts) for 24 months. Sensory: Pink-salmon-orange in color and fully sparkling; dry, medium-bodied with fresh acidity and very light phenolics. Offers red fruit essence (cherry, raspberry and stawberry) with balancing citrus, some mineral-earth, and plenty of toasty yeast. Fresh and refreshing while satisfying with a richer feel in the mouth. Completely delicious. Fine food fizz. At the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, I drank some with the earthy-greasy, still hot, fresh-fried potato chips from the food court vendors. Magnificent. BS: 92+. ($26)

CHAMPAGNE QUOTE:
Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right. - Mark Twain

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I’M BACK: Where I’ve Been and Some Thoughts on Bottle Variation

April 8, 2012 by bearonwine

After not posting a blog entry during three weeks of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and then two weeks spent traveling and tasting in Bordeaux, I’m back. Back both from the Rodeo (aka “the Show”) and Bordeaux and also back to BearOnWine.com. And it’s not like I didn’t drink anything worth reporting on in all that time. I had a lot of Champagne and other sparkling wines (Champagne Friday Update to follow) and so much Bordeaux I have literally lost count (likely several posts to follow on both the 2011 Bordeaux Vintage and Bordeaux in general). I even drank some excellent Italian wine (with pizza at Peppone in Bordeaux). However, there are only so many hours in a day and posting a blog entry is further down my priority list than, for instance, sleeping at least five hours a night.

Red Ransom getting a cookie while meeting a special cowboy named Tynan.

The RODEO WEEKS
In addition to trying to keep my head above water at Spec’s (you know, that “day job” that makes all the fun stuff possible), I rode Red Ransom (my new “Quarter-Walker”) in 17 of the Show’s 20 grand entries, got to meet a special young cowboy named Tynan, worked the Champion Wine Auction, taught 8 wine seminars in the Champion Wine Garden (four on Champagne, two on French wine and and two on Pinot Noir), and hosted several winemakers and winery owners as well as Spec’s owner Lindy Rydman and her daughter Lisa Key at the Rodeo. And I know I drank a dent into the supply of Laetitia Brut Rose while frequenting the Champion Wine Garden.

BOTTLE VARIATION
While helping with the Show’s Champion Wine Auction Dinner, I tasted every bottle of Antinori Guado Al Tasso 2007 and every bottle of the Costers del Ros L’Obila Priorat 2004 (The Grand and Reserve Grand Champion Best of Show winners from the 2012 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo International Wine Competition) that were served at said dinner. Why? Because the dinner’s organizers wanted to be sure that none of the bottles served to the guests were corked or otherwise flawed. How many is “every”? About 90 bottles of each. While I found only two technically flawed bottles (one of each wine, both suffering from TCA or “cork taint”), the exercise proved to be very interesting. In both wines, there was a LOT of bottle variation. The bottles ranged form sublime to, well, frankly earthy and a bit disappointing. While I wasn’t keeping formal score, I’d say that in both cases somewhat more than third of the bottles were lovely (which is to say better than expected), about a third were perfectly acceptable (about as expected but not so good-vibrant-alive as the “lovelies”) and somewhat less than  a third were (in varying degrees) frankly earthy and even a bit funky (but not technically flawed in the sense of showing TCA, TBA, oxidation, etc.) but still drinkable and for the most part enjoyable. Some of my younger friends might say that the least desirable of these “tasted like ass”. Had I ordered either of these wines in a restaurant, I would have accepted (and likely drunk) all of them except the two corked bottles. However, if my only experience with the wines were the earthy/funky bottles (and none of the “acceptables” or “lovelies”), I might never have ordered them again. While the earthier bottles showed no obvious technical flaw, they were less good and did not justify their price.

This was really interesting as it is very rare for anyone to have the opportunity to taste so many examples of the same wine from the same vintage at the same time. Because I was tasting (and spitting) the wines at the rate of two or three or more per minute (others were opening and pouring the bottles), I had an immediate frame of reference. It was only because of that situation that the differences stood out and revealed themselves as due to bottle variation and not some other factor. I do not think this is an isolated case. While tasting at Joanne in Bordeaux last week, I occasionally bumped into a funky sample. When I asked for a different sample, the new bottle was better every time. These samples (at least in theory) were pulled and bottled at the same time and stored under the same conditions, just as (presumably) the Guado and l’Obila were. And yet there was variation.

While I don’t know of an economically feasible way to further research this (other than finding similar situations where a lot of bottles of the same wine are being poured at a big dinner or event), I think bottle variation across a large sampling is something to look into. The wines I tasted at the Champion Auction Dinner certainly opened my eyes.

The tower at Ch. Latour from the terrace at Ch. Pichon Lalande.

BORDEAUX 2011
As to my trip to Bordeaux, where do I begin? Two weeks of tasting much of the best as well as much of “the best of the rest.” Yes, I readily acknowledge that I have the best job in the world. There is a bit more to it than tasting in Bordeaux every year but that makes up for a lot of time crunching spreadsheets, drilling through databases, and tasting a lot of not so sexy (or even very good) wine. You gotta kiss a lotta frogs. But I digress … To but it bluntly, 2011 in Bordeaux is a better red wine vintage (at least fine) than you’ve probably heard or read. At least that is the case with wines from the better producers. 2011 is an excellent vintage for dry white Bordeaux, again at least from the better producers. 2011 Sauternes is a bit more spotty but there are some lovelies, especially Ch. d’Yquem which ROCKED MY WORLD. Unlike 2005 and 2009, 2011 is not a vintage to buy from just any chateau. For the reds at least, it is more like 2008 (and in my unwanted and certainly unsolicited opinion (with a few notable exceptions) should be priced like 2oo8.

At their best (and there are plenty of wines in this category), the 2011 Bordeaux reds offer more red (usually much more red) than black fruit with notes of tobacco (on the Cabernet-dominant wines), mineral-earth (Merlot-dominant) and (sometimes) graphite. The best 2011 Bordeaux whites offered ripe citrus and tropical fruit (sometimes bordering on or moving into the exotic range often swirled in with mineral) sometimes from gravel but more often from clay over limestone. Even the value picks offered ripe citrus and at least some mineral. IF the prices are right (and the rumor is that the 2011 will be comparable to the 2008 prices as futures – here’s hoping that happens), these 2011s will offer great buys in elegant, balanced, fruit forward but classically structured Bordeaux. And we all need wines like that.

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Not Quite CHAMPAGNE FRIDAY – FRANÇOIS LABET Brut, Crémant de Bourgogne, NV

February 24, 2012 by bearonwine

“Not Quite Champagne Friday” because, even though it is Friday, this lovely bottle of bubbly is not Champagne. Rather, it is Crémant de Bourgogne – a Champagne-like wine made from grapes grown in Burgundy. That is not to say that the grapes for this wine were grown in Burgundy’s Cote d’Or (the area I think of when I say Burgundy). The weren’t. They were grown in what should be called “Greater Burgundy” – which includes the famous Cote d’Or as well as Chablis, the Cote Chalonaise, Macon, and a lot of other land just entitled to the name “Bourgogne” (Burgundy). Burgundy’s AOC laws require Crémant de Bourgogne to be made from at least 30% Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, or Pinot Gris. Up to 70% Aligoté (a tart, lemony, less sought after white grape common in greater Burgundy) maybe used.  Crémant de Bourgogne is made using methode champenoise but, because Burgundy is not in Champagne (although maybe Chablis should be – but going there would be a huge digression), they can’t call it that. But I can. To put it simply, the bubbles get into Crémant de Bourgogne the same way they get into Champagne (and Cava and lots of other better sparkling wines). After champenization, Crémant de Bourgogne must be aged at least one year on the yeasts (en tirage). François Labet is the proprietor of both Clos Vougeot’s Chateau de la Tour and Domaine Pierre Labet (Beaune, Savigny les Beaune, Meursault, Gevrey Chambertin, and Bourgogne Rouge and Blanc). As this François Labet Brut Crémant de Bourgogne is made from 100% Pinot Noir, it is the next best thing to a Blanc de Noirs Champagne – and is half the price.

FRANÇOIS LABET Brut, Crémant de Bourgogne, NV
Tech Note: 12% Alcohol. A blend of 100% Pinot Noir all grown in Burgundy. Made sparkling using methode champenoise.     Sensory Note: Bronze-tinted-straw in color, fully sparkling; dry, medium-bodied with freshly balanced acidity. Rich and toasty with clean mineral earth, good toasty yeast notes, and a fine mix of earthy red cherry fruit and enough ripe citrus to keep it balanced. Supple but lively feel.     Bear Note: Satisfying. Opens up nicely in the glass. Big enough to serve with food. Great everyday bottle of bubbly at a value price. Yum! BS: 90+ ($16.00).

And your (non) Champagne quote for the week is -
“Tiny bubbles in the wine … make me feel happy, make me feel fine.” – Don Ho

Aren’t you glad you stuck around for that?

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CHAMPAGNE THURSDAY – PIERRE MORLET Brut Millesime 1er cru, Champagne, 2002 – and a Champagne Quote

February 16, 2012 by bearonwine

Yes, THURSDAY. Dinner tonight was at Triniti which is clearly the hot new restaurant in town. I have mostly good to say about the restaurant: vivid flavors, lots of creativity, beautiful presentation, excellent service, pretty good wine list, and a stunningly good but-not-excactly-on-the-menu ice cream trio (brown butter, honey comb, and caramel ice creams) somewhat offset by a loud, too warm room, small portions, and a tasty but somewhat over cooked piece of fish.

Now, about the Champagne part: my hosts – Marc Laderriere of Vina Robles and Mary Dodson of Serendipity – ordered a bottle of Pierre Morlet 2002 … and it rocked my world. Pierre Morlet is an estate producer (recoltant manipulant) in Avenay-Val-d’Or which is a premier cru village in the Montagne de Reims. The Morlet family’s vineyards consist of thirty-plus parcels totaling forty acres in Avenay-Val-d’Or, Ay, Bisseuil, and Mutigny. Some of these vineyard blocks are situated next to parcels that produce the super premium cuvées for such famous Champagne houses as Bollinger, Krug, Moet & Chandon, Mumm, Pommery, and Veuve Clicquot. For example, in Ay, the prestigious vineyard La Côte aux Enfants of Bollinger, is adjacent to the Morlet family’s Gilbertin vineyard.

PIERRE MORLET Brut Millesime 1er cru, Champagne, 2002
Tech Note: 12% Alcohol. A blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay with primary fermentations in either small tank capacity or in French oak “demi-muids” (600 liter) barrels with weekly batonnage of the lees. Sensory Note: Straw in color, bright, clear, and fully sparkling; dry, medium-bodied with balanced acidity and very light phenolics. Rich with ripe citrus and earthy red berry fruit. Toasty-yeasty with minerally earth. A very long finish that starts with a hint of chocolate essence. Yes -I wrote chocolate. It is at the edge of exotic. Bear Note: My note from October of 2009 indicates that this was very nice (91+ points) but tonight (2/16/12) at Triniti, it was exceptional: rich, satisfying, fascinating. It improved in the glass as it flattened and warmed. Utterly Delicious. The last sip was magnificent. BS: 95. ($75.00???)

We also had an excellent bottle of Vina Robles new release of their VINA ROBLES Syree, Paso Robles 2008, a blend of Syrah and Petite Sirah that I will talk more about later.

I leave you with a Champagne Quote:
Two warm bodies and one cold bottle of Champagne will produce something more wonderful than would happen without the Champagne. – Helen Gurley Brown

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CHAMPAGNE FRIDAY “Two-fer” – KRUG Grande Cuvée and DOM PERIGNON Rosé 2000

February 12, 2012 by bearonwine

So, its Friday (actually (2/3/12), about 6:15pm. We – Robert, Ned, and I – are sipping Jansz Brut (the subject of a recent Champagne Friday posting). The white stretch limo pulls into my driveway. We bring our Champagne glasses and get in. As the limo pulls out of the driveway and down the street, Robert pulls out a bottle of Krug Grande Cuvee. He opens and pours. While the Jansz had been fine, this Krug is amazing (see note below). I don’t care what you are about to do, this is a good way to start. We sip the Krug all the way downtown to Toyota Center, finishing the bottle just as we arrive. We go inside to get a drink and find our seats (Mid-Court, 18 rows up – Sweet!) so we can watch the Houston Rockets embarrass the Phoenix Suns. After we walk out and find our car and driver, we load up and Robert pulls out another bottle, this time a Dom Perignon Rosé 2000, which we drink on the way home. Returning home took a lot less time so there is still some DP Rosé for Miss Carol to have a glass when we get there. She approves but retires from the living room as we are acting like three men who’ve been drinking Champagne and beer and … and, as she put it, being “guys” all evening. Miss Carol did not ride in the limo or go to the game as she would rather face an IRS audit conducted by a malevolent dentist than attend a professional sporting event. Here’s the run-down on the bubbles.

KRUG Grand Cuvée, Champagne, NV
Tech Note: 12% Alcohol. An unspecified blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier, possibly dozens of wines sourced from 6 to 10 vintages that, after blending and second fermentation, is aged another 6 years on the lees (en tirage). The complete, real-deal, specific tech info is unavailable. But, after drinking the wine, I don’t really care all that much. Sensory Note: Due to the siuation in which we enjoyed this wine, I have no color note. Dry, medium-bodied with freshly balanced acidity and scant but still present phenolics. On pouring, there is the expected citrus fruit, toast, and mineral. As the wine warms and bubbles a bit in the glass, the citrus expands beyond lemon as some tree fruit (apple, pear?) and subtle red fruit essence comes in, the simple toast expands to toasted brioche served in a bakery, and the mineral combines with the acidity to provide structure and depth. Bear Note: The wine starts interesting but becomes complex and intriguing. It satisfies as if it were an aged red Burgundy. Truly delicious. Goes way beyond basic “Brut Non-Vintage.” BS: 95. ($125)

DOM PERIGNON Rosé, Champagne, 2000
Tech Note: 12% Alcohol. A blend of 45% Chardonnay and 55% Pinot Noir, of which 1/4 is still red Pinot Noir.     Sensory Note:  No color note due to dark limo. Dry, medium full-bodied with freshly balanced acidity and light phenolics. Deep, rich, and satisfying with supple red fruit and enough ripe citrus to keep it balanced. There is richness from the red fruit and the distinctive toasty-yeasty biscuit character. So good in the mouth, you are reluctant to swallow.  Satisfying and delicious.     Bear Note: More than being Champagne that can stand up to food, this is Champagne AS food. YUM.  BS: 97 now and it will only improve with a few more years of age. ($375)

Thank you, Robert!

A couple of my favorite Champagne quotes seem to apply here:
“Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
and
“Champagne offers a minimum of alcohol and a maximum of companionship.” – David Niven

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CHAMPAGNE FRIDAY – JEAN LAURENT Blanc de Noirs Brut, Champagne, NV

February 5, 2012 by bearonwine

I do try to do Champagne Friday on Friday but sometimes stuff gets in the way. This last Friday brought an inadequate bottle of bubbly (of which I will speak no evil) so I decided to use my note on a wine I tasted (well, drank) Thursday evening with Rupert Symington and some friends (aka “The Gang of Pour”) after our Vintage Port tasting. Yes, we were drinking Champagne AFTER a Port tasting. Shocking … but also quite refreshing. Come to think of it, by the time I finished sipping it – it may have been Friday. The wine was Jean Laurent Blanc de Noirs imported by Hand Picked Selections. Here is a bit about Jean Laurent (distilled from the excellent HPS website  - www.handpickedselections.com – where you will find more on my friend Dan Kravitz and his excellent Hand Picked Selections), my note on the latest release of this perennial favorite, and a Dorothy Parker quote.

For more than 1,000 years Jean Laurent’s family has been growing grapes near Celles-sur-Ource in the Aube, an outlying Champagne district south of Marne that shares the same chalky soils as the heart of Champagne and Chablis. Jean farms 39 acres, split between Pinot Noir (30 acres) and Chardonnay (9 acres), with no Pinot Meunier. The Aube is Pinot Noir country and Jean Laurents bread and butter is this Blanc de Noir, typically blended from three vintages, and aged a minimum of 3 years on the yeast. As an RM (Recoltant Manipulant or Champagne estate bottler), Laurent makes Champagnes exclusively from his own vineyards. While an RM Champagne is not guaranteed to be high quality, it is your best chance for site specificity and actual terroir in Champagne. Jean Laurent offers all of that and high quality and all at a reasonable price.

JEAN LAURENT Blanc de Noirs Brut, Champagne, NV
Tech Note: 12% alcohol. 100% Pinot Noir blended from three vintages with an additional three years on the yeasts (en tirage) after the bottle fermentation. Sensory: Medium pale gold in color and fully sparkling. This is a more developed cuvee than the last I had but it is still fresh, juicy, flavorful, ripe, and fruit-and-yeast oriented with notes of yeast and chalky mineral. The fruit leans to red fruit (more strawberry than other) with some lemon drop citrus. It is long, focused, rich, and lively in the mouth with good weight and a nice mousse.     Bear Note: Solid and delicious with a fine rich feel. Finishes clean and dry. Fine food fizz. (I can’t resist alliteration.) BS: 92+. ($45.00)

FINALLY, I leave you with a Champagne quote from my favorite quip-mistress, Dorthy Parker:
Three be the things I shall never attain: envy, content and sufficient Champagne.

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SYMINGTON’s VINTAGE PORT TASTING @ the Wine School at l’Alliance Française

January 31, 2012 by bearonwine

Please join me – Spec’s fine wine buyer Bear Dalton – in welcoming Rupert Symington who will be conducting a Vintage Port tasting on Thursday, February 2 at 7pm at the Wine School at l’Alliance Française.

What? You don’t know who Symington’s are? You don’t know who Rupert Syminton is? Symington’s are the owners of the famous Port houses of Graham’s, Dow’s, Warre’s, Cockburn’s, Smith Woodhouse, Quinta de Vesuvio, and Gould Campbell. Rupert Symington is a fourth generation member of the Symington family, Port shippers in Portugal since 1882. Symington is joint CEO of the family businesses along with his cousins Paul and Johnny, and is specifically responsible for sales for the U.S. and Canada, as well as other smaller markets. Additionally, he is the acting Vice President of the Madeira Wine Company and oversees the family’s investments in Prats & Symington (Chryseia) which specializes in dry Douro red wines.

Rupert and Premium Ports (Symington’s US importer) rep John Linklater will join us at l’Alliance Francaise at 7:00pm on Thursday, February 2nd to talk about Vintage Port and Dry Douro red and taste through a range of two dry Douro reds and eight vintage Ports.

The line-up includes:
Vale do Bomfim Reserva, Douro, 2009
Prazo de Roriz, Douro, 2008
and
Malvedos Vintage Porto 2009
Dow Vintage Porto, 2003
Cockburn Vintage Porto, 2003
Smith Woodhouse Vintage Porto 2007
1997 Graham Vintage Porto 1997
1994 Dow Vintage Porto 1994
1985 Dow Vintage Porto 1985
1970 Graham Vintage Porto 1970

The Symington’s Vintage Port Tasting will cost $30.00 per person cash ($31.58 regular). To reserve your spot for this unique four-week class, please call 832-660-0250 or email amandahardy@specsonline.com. This class will be held at l’Alliance Française, the French cultural center in Houston. Located at 427 Lovett Blvd., l’Alliance is on the southeast corner of Lovett and Whitney (one block south of Westheimer and two blocks east of Montrose).

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