Multiple Tastes

There are two seasons in France that make us sit up straight and pay attention - autumn and spring, specifically October and March when the Foires aux Vins occur. The autumn Foire is better but March is not bad, maybe because at this time the vineyards are willing to sell stock at a discount to get recoup some storage space (remember that many Burgundian whites are bottled in the spring after their harvest.

As a result, we are out tasting, degusting and buying where we can. That means that the apartment is filled with boxes and there are many to test at each dinner. Friday evening upon my arrival in Paris was no exception. It was decided we would go to Restaurant La Cordonnerie, where we are 'related' to the young and dynamic chef, Hugo. We have also depended upon him for the initial portion of our early wine education, and now we collaborate on wine purchases (his deep connections and restaurant buying power gives us great 'tag-along' prices).

This evening we had several wines to appraise: a white 2003 Mercurey, Domaine Faively; another white, a 2007 Saint-Aubin, Domaine ________ (I cannot remember this, shockingly, but promise to get back to you with the name); en carafe, a red 1990 Chassagne-Montrachet, domain unknown, that should not have been carafed and was dead as a result so we won't review; a 1997 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, Henri Rebourseau; a 1982 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, Henri Rebourseau; and a 1982 Pauillac, Château Colombier-Monpelou.

Sounds like a lot of good wine, but we were four! Ah, the sacrifices made for the sake of blog. By the way, the last three wines were not labeled red or white because these wines are always red. That said, to work. We opened the Mercurey first; it was only lightly chilled (we a big fans of unchilled whites - don't drink them too young and don't drink them too cold!!) and of course 2003 was that special year, summer of the canicule, the massive heat wave, and French wines are different for this. This one was no exception; its color was pale yellow, the nose carried the muskiness of Burgundy overlaid with light white flowers. Mercurey is a particular wine, white or red, carrying a taste that is particular to the appellation. Like Meursault, it can be misunderstood by the uninitiated.

This one did not disappoint; with the first sip there was that distinctive Mercurey flavor carrying an almost musky grassiness - very pleasant and extremely drinkable. For our money, without the canicule, we would think this wine too young but the hot growing season of 2003 produced grapes that gave wine that ages more rapidly. Remember this when buying wines from France. Interestingly, this bottle sat on the table most of the evening and several returned to it for tastes. It held its own with most foods, even cheese, and with time the bouquet became stronger; at the same time, it was definitely agreed that this was a bottle that one opened with friends for a glass of wine alone or with food. Very drinkable. You, Attentive Reader, will find this on your next list and at a very good price. Don't miss it.

Next up, the Saint-Aubin. St.-Aubin is a small village pinched between Puligny and Chassagne; therefore, much overshadowed by its more well-known neighbors. Sadly it is little seen Stateside, but is worth finding if possible. The whites carry more importance than the reds as in Meursault, but both are very drinkable. St.-Aubin is not considered to be a great wine and therefore is rarely aged too long, but we have tried some that when well-cellared are lovely. At this age, a 2007, the wine was full of life and a total expression of terroir, or the soil in which the grapes were grown. For _____________ that means much mineral. In the nose one could even smell wet stone. In the mouth, it was sharp and the minerals supported, only at the end, very fresh fruit. Hugo was pleased with the wine and reminded us that we had degusted at this producer in St.-Aubin, but the wine was freshly bottled and very closed; we remembered it being very early in the morning after a grand dinner the night before and when we wanted coffee more than wine, but....

Hugo appreciates wines for their mineral (whites) and fresh fruit (reds); we prefer more subtlety. This wine was heavily into Hugo's camp and paired well with a starter of verrine d'oeufs brouilles aux lardons avec mousse de cocos, or, loosely translated, eggs lightly scrambled with bits of ham served in a small glass under a mousse prepared from large white flat beans (cocos). It sounds so much more sophisticated in French! Anyway, with this course, the St.-Aubin was excellent, its minerality cutting into the fattiness of the eggs and ham. As the night wore on, the nose developed with more green herbs mixed with the mineral but en bouche, it remained very sharp.

As we mentioned, the Chassagne should not have been left so long in the carafe; Burgundies can be fragile and, if carafed, should be left minutes not hours. In its place, the '97 Charmes. Always a Grand Cru, and this one made by one of our faves - Rebourseau. He's an odd genius, working around the phases of the moon, spouting quotable bits, and following in his father's and grandfather's footsteps. This Charmes was beautiful in the glass - a deep cherry red, with an intense nose that broadcast first the slight mustiness of good red Burgundies followed by red fruits overlaid with slight violets. In the mouth, it was lovely - the grape was still apparent followed by the red fruits of the nose and with a strong support of tannins.

Perhaps too much tannin for me; while it was a good wine, it has the possibility to be great. Buying from certain spreadsheets (hint, hint) one will pay $100-125 per bottle; in reputable stores expect prices over $200. At those prices, we want perfection in the glass. The French say that by counting the seconds the taste lingers in the mouth after swallowing tells one how long the wine will last. With this bottle, I'd say 4-5 years more for its apogée, or prime. In a Charmes, we'd recommend looking for a '90 (great year), '91 or '93 (reasonable year), or a '92 (not considered a great year, but with a know producer, can be worthwhile).

Ignoring our own advice above, we then opened the 1982 Charmes-Chambertin, also from Rebourseau. In this area of the Côte de Nuits, there are several Grand Crus - Bonnes Mares, Clos de la Roche, Clos Saint-Denis, Clos de Vougeot, Mazis-Chambertin, Chambertin, and Charmes-Chambertin - and Charmes is said to mature the most rapidly and should be drunk first. Sadly, as predicted, this one was past. That is not to say it was vinegar or without taste, but instead it had turned, maderized, as the French would say. Unlike in white wines where maderization turns them sugary, here the color breaks down to ruddy brown with almost clear edges where the wine meets the glass. The nose is sweet but in the mouth there is an effect like a watered-down port. We did not finish this one!

Last up was the Bordeaux, the Pauillac. With this year we had great hopes. Remember that France may be small but a bad year in Burgundy does not necessarily dictate the same in Bordeaux and '82 is considered one of the great millesimes in Bordeaux. With the first bottle, the cork had a strange odor. The color was very good - a deep purple - in the glass, but the nose was off. Again, not vinegar but not Bordeaux. On participant described it as iodine, like a big plateau fruit de mer. I could not find that in the mouth but it did not have the richness of fruits and tannins traditionally found in Bordeaux.

We pulled a second cork, and it smelled better. Into the glass, again the beautiful color, but again the odd nose. This time I could smell the iodine, like being on the beach in the early spring with the wind off the ocean. And I noticed tiny crystals on the surface of the cork that meets the wine. Now, we're not a chemist even if our father is, but it seems logical that these crystals would be most likely to form on a moist cork that is not submerged but rather that is in contact with the air. Perhaps at some point the wine was stored upright allowing the cork to dry. Although we believe a purchaser of wine has the responsibility to return 'off' wine to the seller and the seller should replace the wine free of charge, we do not believe this seller has the same philosophy. Time will tell, stay connected!

And here is a bit of information on this Bordeaux in particular and Bordeaux classifications in general. Because the Pauillac was from a significant year, we had decided to purchase from a reseller seven bottles of this 1982, Château Colombier-Monpelou. The château owner, Bernard Jugla, only makes annually about 100,000 bottles of a blend of Carbernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Carbernet Franc. The wine, produced with traditional methods, has an excellent reputation and was classified a Cru Bourgeois Supérieur in 2003. Bordeaux has, primarily for Médoc (remembering that Médoc includes Pauillac, Margaux, Haut-Médoc, St.-Estèphe, and St.-Julien), five levels of Grand Cru Classée: Premier (5), Deuxième (14), Troisième (14), Quatrième (10), and Cinquième (18), also called "Growths, First Growth, Second Growth, etc., and primarily established in 1855.

Also included in this classification in 1855 was one Graves, Château Haut-Brion, and at the same Sauternes and Barsacs (sweet white wines from the region) were granted classification as Premier Cru Supérieur (only Château d'Yquem), Premiers Crus (11) and Deuxièmes Crus (15). Following this classification in 1855, some regions created their own classification, but Pomerol determined their wines were prestigious enough not to need further classifying.

In Saint-Emilion, wines were given Grand Cru labels which were to be reclassified each ten years but following the first classification in 1954, it was done erratically, and the 2006 classification has been ruled invalid in 2008 by the courts of Bordeaux because of challenges by châteaux demoted during this classification. Loss of a Cru Classé label can mean loss of income and sales despite having made expenditures required of the now lost classification. Nevertheless, there are three primary classifications in St-Emilion: Premier Grands Crus Classés A (2), Premiers Grands Crus Classés B (13), and Grands Crus Classés (depends upon the year of the classement).

Drink up!