WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to another fine installment of the Carpe Vinum Super-Charged Wine Report and Announcement of Impending Friday Tasting Deliciousositude. Yes, I made that word up, but it means what it says. This week we’re heading to the infamous, delicious, world-renowned, and model for wines everywhere: It’s the French Bourgogne! We know it as Burgundy. Let’s not get it confused with all the other Americanized uses of the word “Burgundy” as a color in paint swatches or a nasty swilling jug-wine that’s better used for marinating tough meat or cleaning brushes (after painting your room a “Burgundy” color). This is the real deal.

Speaking of deal, what’s the big deal on Burgundy? We’ll start with a word. Followed by another word. Two words: Pinot Noir. We’ve been hearing a lot about this grape lately, especially in the wake of a popular independent movie. Everyone in the world seems to be striving for “The Grail”, as people poetically refer to the perfect Pinot Noir. Oregon, California, New Zealand, Tasmania and virtually all wine regions on earth with a temperate enough climate to accommodate the finicky grape are trying their hand at the Pinot Noir. Burgundy is the model to which all these regions aspire. Why so? Maybe it’s hundreds of years of trial and error and good vineyard management. A lot of how wines came to be in Europe were due to what grew well and what performed best. In that sense, although new world Pinot Noir can certainly be fine wines of power and finesse, nowhere does it quite perform like Burgundy. Even in the less expensive versions.

Now let’s get to a third word: Chardonnay. Now, now. I heard you cringe and gag. Don’t worry . . . you’re aren’t the only ones. There certainly has been a backlash lately at the New World Chardonnays that have tarnished the reputation of the grape in the name of banal and overpowering oaking. It’s what some refer to as the “Hot Buttered Board” or what I call the “Cuvee de 2X4″ featuring buttery flavors and loads and loads of wood. Thankfully, there seems to be a shift away from this style, but that has nothing to do with the Chardonnay produced in Burgundy. They’ve been producing the finest in white wines in Burgundy for ages. Although it might not seem like it, the Burgundian white wine style, like its Pinot Noir counterpart, has been the model for Chardonnays worldwide. How it mutated into the monster it became is a mystery to me.

Case-in-point for me is the district of Chablis, where the wines are made from Chardonnay and aged in seasoned oak. Considering that brand-spankin’-new oak is what gives a wine its super-strong woody flavor, seasoned oak lends little to no flavor to the wine, leaving the job all to the fruit and the vine. The story of Chablis as I heard it was that the French government, while building the railway system in France, bypassed the Chablis district entirely. The winemakers in Chablis were enraged about this and boycotted the barrel industry, as importing barrels became too expensive a prospect. In protest, they reused the same barrels for as long as possible. I just remember wondering how that seasoned-oak style morphed into the buttered-oak-bomb we know and loathe today. To cut it short, though, White Burgundy is the real thing, so be not afraid.

So tomorrow we’ve got two white Burgundies, including the aforementioned Chablis and a Pouilly Fuisse, one of the best-known white Burgundies. After that it’s a number of spectacular Pinot Noir-based red wines from around Burgundy, including the districts of Auxey-Duresses and the exquisite Chassagne-Montrachet. I’ve gone a little over my normal price limit to accommodate some of these more prestigious wines, but kept the tasting price the same. What does that mean to you? More bang for the buck, I guess!

So Friday, June 22nd, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Bourgogne!!!
Domaine Alain Gautheron 2005 Chablis
Jean Rijckaert 2005 Pouilly-Fuisse
Philippe Colin 2005 Pinot Noir Bourgogne
Domaine Gachot-Monot 2004 Cotes de Nuits Villages
Louis Latour 2005 Marsannay

Bourgogne!!! Bourgogne!!!
Domaine Billard 2004 Les Joncheres, Auxey-Duresses
Bernard Moreau 2004 Vielles Vignes, Chassagne-Montrachet

A stellar deal at $10 for the First 5, $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours.

Hope to see you here!

Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Summer Sparkler Spectacular!!!

M