Biondi Santi resigns in family disagreement
Biondi Santi resigns in family disagreement - decanter.com - the route to all good wine.
Quality is having a rough go of it these days.
Lafayette Escadrille
From Decanter:
“The unofficial boycott of French wine in the US has cost the country an estimated US$112m (£64m), according to an official study.”
We can rest assured that this boycott has cost the elite producers of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Bordeaux not one cent. Dom Perignon, Chateau Latour and Le Montrachet are selling just fine in the USA thank you very much. As always, it it the less famous that take the brunt of such political posturing. The small French wine farmer is threatened with extinction and this boycott will have no impact on the war one-way-or-the-other. If we are not careful we will lose a grand agricultural tradition and only corporations will remain - and we know what that means for wine quality. A boycott of French wines only damages the small producer, while the big names are unt0uched.
With American opposition to the war passing the 50% mark here at home, it would be difficult to buy many of the things we want if the supporting the war become the litmus test by which we spend our money. Most of the countries of the world oppose this war. The Germans stood with the French on this issue, but I hear of no boycotts of Mercedes or the Rheingau. Why are we picking on French winemakers?
I’m going to to my bit and keep drinking as much French wine as possible. Some political statements are easier to make than others.
Fermentation: The Daily Wine Blog: Memo to French Wine Industry: CHANGE!!
"Call me old fashioned, but I just don't get he idea of causing havoc as a way to address the fact that the world is changing when it comes to economic and marketing models that govern the French wine industry." Tom Wark
Fermentation: The Daily Wine Blog: Memo to French Wine Industry: CHANGE!!.
While Tom gets a lot of things, he clearly does not get the French, or, perhaps Europeans in general. First of all, Tom lives in the heart of California wine country doing PR for wineries. While that is clearly a respectable profession, California wine culture and politics has little to do with the life of the average European wine farmer. Let’s face it, California wineries for the most part have buckets of money. Small boutique wineries are often owned by mega-bucks owners who made fortunes in other industries. Then there are the giant corporations like Constellation, Vincor and others who make wine with the passion of your average Vodka producer, the ethics of Enron and financial resources of Exxon.
What Tom does not take into account that all those radical Frenchmen taking to the street to fight for their rights, actually need those rights to stay in business. It not the Drouhins or Rothchilds tossing up the barricades, but small farmers just trying to get by who are taking this fight to the streets.
No, these small farmers can’t afford the professional PR skills of a Tom Wark and they don’t know they need to put funny pictures of animals on their labels in order to sell their wines to the sophisticated Americans. All they know is their farms are on the edge of failure.
The fact of the matter is that most European countries are far more democratic than the United States and that people, even small groups, are used to having their voices heard as a basic right of their freedom. Tom wants them to give up their freedoms and to fade quietly into history so that corporations that can afford the proper PR to sell their wines can take over the wine world.
For me, I’ll take the producer that hits the streets and has the courage to fight the system. These are the types of souls that have the passion and intensity required to make great wine. While obviously few of these protesters will ever make a great wine, their spirit is worthy of our respect and their problems are worthy of our understanding.
Bryant Family Vineyards
You cannot deny the quality. The color is a perfect ruby. The bouquet is lush, but balanced and complex. No simple black
No other category of wine contains more individual great wines than cabernet sauvignon. You can find stunning examples from seemingly every wine growing region of the world. There are literally hundreds of stellar quality cabernet sauvignons available and yet wine prices are driven to the stratosphere for wines like this by those who are addicted to possessing what other can’t have. With all the fine choices available anyone should be embarrassed, not proud to own a Bryant Family. Its a shame that most of this truly fine wine will be consumed by people with palates more attuned to what they spend then how the wine tastes.
With a little luck maybe they’ll invite us to dinner…
Zul on Nero d'Avola
I'm not sure who is pictured here on the right, Dana or Zul. Whatever the case, Zul himself inhabits the world of Enemy Vessel 
Chinon and Cabernet Franc
The domaine Charles Joguet is dedicated to terroir with individual plots fermented and bottled as individuals. As many as eight wines may be produced in a vintage – all 100% cabernet franc and each a distinct creation. The Joguet wines take cabernet franc to a mystical plane. These are intellectual wine that challenge your taste buds to dig into each furtive nuance. The aromatics are truly stunning with delicate layers teasing you nostrils and keeping your nose in you glass for minute-after-minute. The wines of the Loire are so often overlooked in today’s point driven world of wine sales and Chinon from producers such as Joguet will reward the adventurous palate. The hot 2003 vintage produced great wines in the cool Loire and the Joguet wines from this vintage are outstanding across-the-board.
Some current releases from Domaine Charles Joguet:
2003 Cuvée Terroir – An unoaked cuvée made for early drinking, but no simple quaffer. Brilliant purple/ruby with a fresh, zesty bright fruitiness balanced by a touch of mint and earth. You just keep going back for another glup. ($16)
2003 Varennes du Grand Clos — My favorite, this is really a lovely wine. Great complexity with stunningly elegant aromas and flavors. The nose is like a field of wild-flowers with hints of spices and red currents. A few more years of bottle age will create a delicately powerful masterpiece. As refined and silky as this wine is, there is plenty of concentration and backbone. It matched gorgeously with wood over roasted chicken and root vegetables. ($29)
2003 Clos du Chêne Vert – Deeper more brooding and decidedly more closed than the Varennes du Grand Clos, this is a wine that requires more years in the bottle before it opens. While the Grand Clos is all flowers and spice, the Chêne Vert is earthier and riper. Not to overstate the ripeness as the wine is still very balanced and well-structured. ($29)
Imported by Kermit Lynch
Robert Parker is the Enemy
Robert Parker is the enemy. Why on the Wine Therapy forum his name is banned. You can't even type it, as when you type Parker, only the word "censored" appears. The British press blames him for their loss of power and curse him for single handedly destroying their own personal backyard, Bordeaux. Comments from Parker and his crew (Rovani et al) are met with hails of indignation and threads with hundreds and hundreds of posts drag on in circular arguments on his forum.
But I think they are all wrong. Robert Parker is not the enemy. If there is an enemy it is The Wine Spectator, a publication with the same journalistic standards as Us magazine.
If there is one characteristic that makes for an excellent critic, it is consistency and no palate I have ever seen is as consistent as Parkers. If he gives a wine 95 points or 88 points I know exactly what it will taste like. It does not matter that personally I will usually prefer his 88 point wine to his 95 point wine, what matters is he successfully communicates the character of a wine to me because he is so consistent in his likes and dislikes. This makes for a great critic. Greatness in a critic does not mean that they agree with you, but that they can guide you towards your likes and dislikes reliably. I don't think anyone does this better than Robert Parker. For this he is worthy of our respect and admiration. He is a finely honed tasting machine.
The attacks on Parker come because he is on the top. Humans just love to pull people down. What Parker offers is his opinion, nothing more and nothing less. The fact that his opinion on certain styles of wines is so reliable makes his opinions useful.
All of these attacks seems to have created an us-versus-them mentality over at The Wine Advocate and that's too bad as they would be better served by concentrating on what they do so well, instead of getting mired in circular arguments with Steve Plotnicki. Taking on the persona of a statesman instead of a street fighter is a better strategy.
The Wiki Road to Chardonnay Nirvana
One incredibly good thing has come out of the Parker/Rovani oxidized white Burgundy brouhaha, it is one of the most useful consumer information sites you will ever see. A Wiki site was created to provide a consumer clearing house for information on the good, bad and ugly on the white Burgundy scene. You can find this most useful of Wikis at:
The Straight and Narrow
As the debate rages on multiple forums over Pierre Rovani's take on the premature oxidation of white Burgundy, you can't help but be struck by the extremes in the way people perceive wine. Some like it straight ahead and some like a more indirect approach. I see no exact advantage of one school over the other, but one thing for sure is they don't see eye to eye. I suppose its like listening to Miles Davis or Ornette Coleman: they are certainly different, but both are considered great.
There can be little doubt that Robert Parker and his associates are of the straight on, or what I call linear style, of the wine pendulum. That's why there is little debate (on this side of the Atlantic anyway) over The Wine Advocate reviews of Bordeaux and new world cabernet sauvignon, but introduce wines that dance around your pleasure centers like Burgundy or Barolo and a firestorm of controversy breaks loose – even on Parker’s own forum. Cabernet takes a straight line to that pleasure button and creates less of a critical mess.
I think that for wines like Burgundy and Barolo/Barbaresco, the only reliable places to go to are specialists; like Allen Meadow's Burghound or Antonio Galloni's Piedmont Report. Mass publications trying to cover the entire world of wines can not handle the curves thrown by such elusive and constantly changing wines. As reliable as The Wine Advocate is for Napa and the Medoc, the coverage breaks down with it come to non-linear wines, which is just not their specialty. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
Dry Douro
Over the last decade, Portugal’s Douro producers have tried to get the world to go beyond Oporto and enjoy their dry red wines. However, all to often, these wines tasted more-or-less like dry, unbalanced Oporto.
A group of top estates dedicated to quality came together in 1999 to push the possibilities of dry Douro wines to the limit and the Lavradores de Feitoria was born. The results: excellent wines at very reasonable prices.
Doug Salthouse at SmartBuy wines in New Jersey recently sent me a bottle of the 2002 Três Bagos and you will be hard pressed to find a more satisfying wine at under $20.00. No full blast overripe dry port here, but a balanced and brilliantly fruity wine for enjoyment over the next 2 to 3 years. The bright, zesty raspberry fruit is contrasted with good acidity and a moderate (for Douro) 13% alcohol. A real pleasure to drink.
An Oregon Grand Cru
Privé Vineyard, a small patch of pinot noir vines on Oregon’s Chehalem Mountains yields a scant 250 cases between its north and south parcels. The upper section dubbed Le Nord yields only 165 cases, while the lower Le Sud offers a meager 85. There can be no doubt that this vineyard is of “Grand Cru” stature. Privé Vineyard was created by Mark and Tina Hammond and few vines or wines receive more hands-on loving care. The results are wines of stunning balance and complexity.
As you might imagine, quality of this magnitude is no longer a secret and getting on the Hammond’s mailing list is just a bit harder than finding the Holy Grail. I can only tell you to get on the waiting list now for these wines are the real thing.
The current release of 2004 Privé Vineyard, Le Sud, Yamhill County Pinot Noir is simply breathtaking and I feel ashamed to have opened one of the few existing bottles before it attained its full potential. An almost perfect blend of power and restraint, the depth and range of flavors already offered makes one pause and contemplate again and again as you savor every sip.
My other two bottles will wait three or four more years, when I know I will be moved to write about this extraordinary wine again.
Ultimate Geekdom
What must constitute the ultimate example (at least penultimate) of embarrassing wine geekdom are the members of the Robert Parker Forum -- sorry I always "forget" its called the Mark Squires Forum -- that actually use photos of themselves with Robert Parker as their avatar. Such avatars just scream, "get a life!" These are the guys you don't want to be stuck sitting next to at wine dinners!
Denis Mortet
Denis Mortet, a winemaker of uncontrollable passion and dedication has decided to leave us. His impact on Gevery Chambertin will be felt for many, many years. Sometimes passion must be too much to bear.
A sad day for Burgundy and pinot noir lovers throughout the world.
There are some things for which words are truly inadequate.
A Light in the Darkness: The wine writing of Joel Payne
The Wine Spectator, The Wine Advocate, The Wine Enthusiast: Crap, crap and crap again. At least that is the popular mantra among many self-confident wine lovers ( 2 out of 3 ain't bad). Certainly all wine writing can't be bad or unreliable: right?. We often spend more time tearing down than building up, a crime of which I too am guilty as charged. Putting something down instead of putting something up is just more sexy and finds decidedly more readers.
Once in awhile a bit of brilliance shows through the crap, but usually is not bright enough to pierce the blinders worn by the general wine drinking public. A bit of that brilliance shows through in a truly wonderful piece of wine journalism in the January/February 2006 (issue 124) edition of Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar. Stephen's newsletter always stands above the crowd for the intelligence of its coverage, although sometimes he bites off more than he can chew by trying to review regions without spending enough time in the cellars and vineyards. This is particularly true of his coverage of Italian wines, a complaint you could apply to many newsletters. Trying to cover the entire world of wines is, perhaps, an overwhelming task for one newsletter. In some regions Tanzer has overcome this dilemma by bringing on experts such as Joel Payne in Germany. For this we owe Stephen a debt of gratitude and a subscription.
This edition of The International Wine Cellar features the article, "Germany '04: A Classic Spätlese Vintage" by Joel B. Payne and you will not find a more informative piece of wine writing. This article is a tour-de-force that should not be missed. Mr. Payne is a resident of Germany and this advantage clearly shows in the incredible depth of knowledge delivered in this article. The scholarship displayed by Mr. Payne is sorely lacking in wine writing in general and should be both a lesson and example for all wine writers. The sad thing about this beautiful article is that it will be read by so few when it offers so much.
Often we ridicule consumers going through wine shops with The Wine Spectator Buying Guide under their arms, but I will have a copy of Mr. Payne's article in my pocket when I visit my favorite wine merchants.
St. Emilion, Chateau Pipeau, Grand Cru 2003
Recommended by the ever reliable wine merchant Doug Salthouse, proprietor of Smart Buy Wines in New Jersey, this Saint Emilion Grand Cru is a tour-de-force combination of all that was, is and what can be exciting about Bordeaux. Rich and smooth without a hint of over-extraction, this wine blends modern knowledge with classic Bordeaux character. I’m ordering a case of this under $30 bargain.
” Located just 3 kilometers from Saint Emilion, Chateau Pipeau is a perfectly situated vineyard with great exposition (sun exposure). The vineyard has been in the Mestreguilhem family since 1929, thus there is now three generations of experience that has sought to constantly improve this wine. This blend of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc come from vineyards situated on soils composed of gravel, sand and clay. Fermentation is carried out at low temperatures over a period of 4 – 5 weeks. Following fermentation, the wine is matured in oak casks, one third of which are new.” - from the Smart Buy Wines newsletter
Pinot Noir, Belle Pente, Carlton-Yamhill District 2003
Here is an estate that embodies the potential for greatness in Oregon pinot noir. With this wine they blow away the stereotypes about the ultra-ripe 2003 Oregon vintage and produce a rarity - an under 14% alcohol 2003 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. While may pinots of this vintage taste of raspberries with a burn at the end, Belle Pente has produced a lovely balanced wine that tastes only of pinot noir and Willakenzie soil. There is no jammy, hot pinot here. Everything wine at Belle Pente exceptional and complex. Certainly not wines for the masses considering the quantity and style, but in my opinion an exceptional winery in all facets and this wine is clearly one of the best 2003 Oregon pinots produced.
Hot, Hot, Hot
Hot, Hot, Hot. Eva Longoria could not be hotter: literally, figuratively, professionally and any "ly" you can come up with these days. Her picture graces every scandal sheet and tacky celebrity magazine lining the check out counters of every supermarket in the country. They are empty headed magazines for people without a life of their own. So what is Her Hot-ness Eva doing on the cover of The Wine Enthusiast?
The breathless cover story feature in The Wine Enthusiast goes on to document the fact that as good as she looks, Ms Longoria doesn't know a thing about wine other than the fact that she adores pinot grigio and really loves French wines although she doesn't know the names - Desperate Housewifes must be showing on French television. It's hard to imagine a more embarrassing article in a magazine pretending to be a source of expertise. The article is not embarrassing for her, but for the editors of the magazine its hard to imagine anything much worse.
What I suppose I am most amazed about is that considering that The Wine Enthusiast is little more than a bad imitation of The Wine Spectator, is that it is able to survive at all. Why in the world would anyone lay out good money for a second rate version of the People magazine of the wine world? Publications like these survive because there are millions of dollars funneled into advertising by big money wine beverage producers. The Wine Enthusiast issue featuring the sophisticated palate of Ms Longoria was paid for by wines that she would love.
The Wine Enthusiast, as it is published now, has no reason for existing except to suck in money from the Coca Cola side of the wine industry, so save your five bucks and stick to The Wine Spectator for celebrity updates.
Whirlwinds
Whirlwinds of work and a nasty bout with the flu have kept me away from Wine Camp over the last weeks and it feels good to be back at the keyboard. These everyday realities remind one deeply about the time and mental commitment of creating a meaningful journal.
I an pleased to announce that the beginnings of the Wine Camp eMagazine are starting to take shape. What is planned to be a quarterly e-publication will have its premier this spring, but I invite you to watch and better yet, take part, in the creation of an new wine resource. Everyone is invited to submit articles for inclusion - the more-the-merrier. All topics related to wine, spirits, beer, cuisine and culinary travel are welcome. If you have questions or an article to submit please write me at craigcamp@winecampblog.com. While blogs are focused on shorter pieces and thoughts, it is the goal of The Wine Camp eMagazine to feature longer, more in-depth features.
Please visit www.winecampblog.com to get a look at this work-in-progress.
Cutting Edges- Produttori dei Barbaresco
Dinner last evening provided a good excuse for nebbiolo - not that excuses are required. Portland's (OR) Caffe Mingo offers particularly satisfying Italian inspired comfort food -- just the thing required for the cutting edge provided by traditionally-styled nebbiolo wines. Owner Michael Cronin has assembled a short, but well chosen wine list to accompany his flavorful fare and the moderately priced 1996 Produttori dei Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano immediately tingled my palate. These Produttori Riservas are not only a great value, they are a time machine, as they take you back to the way Baroli and Barbaresci tasted decades ago. While many claim the "traditional" description, the Produttori are one of the few who actually practice it authentically. These are wines full of cutting edges and modern-day descriptors of ripe cherries/blueberries/blackberries do not come to mind. The 96 Montestefano on its own was still lean, tight and unyielding (it needs another 5 or 6 years), but Cronin's food and an hour of decanter time created a true symbiosis as the edges of the Montestefano balanced complexity brought alive the richly warm cuisine.
These days the attention always seems to be on a wine's front, while ignoring its edges. However on the edges is often where the real complexity hides. The Produttori dei Barbaresco wines may have little front, but they have dramatically satisfying edges.
Barbaresco Rabajà Giuseppe Cortese
The incline of the hill is steep and every speck of the grayish soil bakes in the hot sun. The entire slope is a wave of vines and the southwest/south exposure means not a leaf misses a moment of sunshine. This is the famed Rabajà vineyard located just outside of the town of Barbaresco. Certainly this vineyard was created to produce exceptional nebbiolo and a vineyard of similar potential in Burgundy would be considered a Grand Cru. However, there is no such official breakdown of vineyards in Langhe; just an informal acknowledgement among those in the trade as to what the great vineyards are - an acknowledgment clearly defined in the selling price of the wines, grapes and land.
The sun drenched calcareous and clay-heavy soils of Rabajà produces Barbaresco wines with a unique combination of power and elegance that makes them approachable in their youth, but rewards those who cellar their bottles with wines of great complexity and refinement.
From vines in the very heart of this special vineyard come the Barbaresco wines of Giuseppe Cortese, a small producer making a fine range of wines only from their own grapes. In addition to Barbaresco Rabajà, Cortese produces the excellent Barbera d’Alba Morassina and Dolcetto d’Alba Trifolera from a vineyard area just to the south of Rabajà. The wines of Cortese have been improving consistently for years and in recent vintages they have been releasing some very fine wines. Giuseppe Cortese, after decades working as an agronomist for other top producers, founded his own estate and now with the next generation - son and daughter Pier Carlo, an enologist, and Tiziana - they are making this estate a must for collectors of traditionally styled wines from the Barbaresco zone. While the fermentations have a slight modern touch, their Barbaresco does not see a small barrel, spending the years in large casks of 17 to 25 hectolitres ranging in age from new to nine year old. Only the Barbera Morassina sees barrique and with excellent results, once again showing the affinity of the high acid/low tannin barbera for small French oak barrels in controlled doses.
Barbaresco Rabajà, G. Cortese, 2001 ($45) Bright light ruby with orange and garnet hints. Quite translucent. Elegant, floral nose with rose petals and violets blended with a buttery tar. Full structure on the palate with layers of complex flavors: dried leaves, tar, orange spice, warm tar and ripe plum flavors all of which continue into the long finish that has a touch of cassis to balance the considerable tannin. A wine with excellent aging potential.