They put down their small glasses of aged Sauturnes (which have been chilled by Winter fairies blowing ice crystals at them), and are lifted out of their easy chairs on large red ribbons made of the finest silk, held aloft by cherubs singing a lullaby from the music of the spheres, and on the way through their marble hallways to their lavish canopy beds they are heralded by smiling, talking statues who repeatedly exclaim how blessed those owners are to be themselves, and how lucky the world’s mortal wine drinkers are to have their glasses graced by even the tiniest drops from the nectar aging in their chai’s barrels.

I imagine this because living in a fantasy land is one of the few logical explanations for how the 2009 Bordeaux wine prices are shaping up. At least, that’s the conclusion I reached after attending the recent Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux 2009 vintage tasting in NYC.

For sure there were some amazing wines being poured (more on my faves after the jump), but a higher density under one roof of “pretty good” to “errr… uhmmm… not-so-great” wines for $50 and up you are not likely to find anywhere else on the planet. I interviewed Robert Parker a couple of years ago, and in that conversation he told me that Bordeaux wines were dramatically overpriced – the situation appears to have gotten a sight worse since then. As one salesman I met at the NYC tasting told me, when it comes to 2009 Bordeaux prices, “whatever you think it is, add… A LOT!” (that same person hinted that a recent vintage of one of the First Growths was rumored to be $22,000 a case).

But before you start shouting foul play on the part of the Asian wine market being responsible for putting Bordeaux prices out of reach of non-cherub-owning humans, bear in mind that it takes a certain amount of avarice (and probably arrogance) to charge a ton of money for a product that cannot be said be at all a rarity…

As detailed in the excellent book What Price Bordeaux, the Bordeaux “quality pyramid” is now totally inverted, with some of the highest-ranking, and highest-rated producers churning out quite large volumes of wine that they then price stratospherically (hey, those cherubs probably don’t come cheap, right?).

This is the opposite situation from Burgundy, where the most storied wines are made in such small quantities that supply and demand might actually make their enormous prices (somewhat) fair, in market terms, and thus give their quality pyramid a decidedly more upright stance.

If I sound grumpy about all of this, it’s because I don’t want to have to do silly things when it comes to wine; like, say, paying $200 for a bottle of vino that I wouldn’t serve to the horse of which its aromas reminded me. I get that the region of Bordeaux is amazing, and rightfully can be called an historic world treasure. And I get that their wines can be amazing no matter what the production volumes. And believe me, I get that it could be open season on me for going open season on a region with which I have little detailed experience. But as a wine lover myself (hey, that’s how I got into this whole thing, after all!) I don’t really get the insanity of the pricing, or at least I don’t want to face the cold, hard fact that they could just be due to the almighty dollar always-always-always winning out.

And so it’s all the more heartening to encounter a producer like Chateau Lagrange, whose 2009 is, for sure, a deserving “honorable mention” here in more ways than one: it’s peppery, spicy, seductive, full of beautiful red fruits, and is currently clocking in somewhere around $65 a bottle (far from highway-robbery territory).

Now that the depressing exposition is over, and now that I’ve got all that off my wine-soaked chest, let’s talk about some of the stars of the NYC tasting (you’ve already been warned about the prices…):

Fave White

2009 Château Carbonnieux Blanc (Pessac-Léognan)
Price: $45
Rating: B+

A beautiful wine – just mouthfuls of citrus, melon and total gorgeousness. Having said that, this is not a wine for now; only the truly patient need apply, because it will require a few years to really smooth out all that intense, acidic structure. Patience will probably be very much rewarded, but it’s really damn good right now, too, and if you do up some really fancy scallops you might get away with drinking it soon (the thought for sure crossed my mind).

Fave Red (tie)

2009 Château Figeac (St. Émilion)
Price: $250
Rating: A

I am saying it is excellent juice – I am not saying that I’d pay $250 for it. But if you dig truffles, the bouquet on this will wine practically drive you insane with pleasure. I mean, this train has pulled directly into truffle station. The tannins are quite demanding, but not disjointed, and the structure is there for some long-haul aging. My favorite part was the tangy redcurrant action, which made me start to drool in my glass and suggested this will be an amazing food wine after it softens up in, like, a trillion years.

2009 Château Pichon-Longueville au Baron de Pichon-Longueville (Pauillac)
Price: $145
Rating: A-

Now this one… this one I would pay $150 for. So much tension and release is going on here, with excellent grip and structure but also tart fruit and an enticing floral edge. I loved it. I did not want to spit it. I wanted to take it to my bosom, and steal away with it while it whispered to me about its flowers. But that didn’t happen (though I may have seen cherubs when I tasted it).

Fave “Sticky” (tie)

2009 Château Climens (Barsac)
Price: $115
Rating: A-

Welcome to the lighter side of Bordeaux dessert wines. Lilting and pretty, this is a wine that sneaks up on you with its subtlety. But it doesn’t lack power in its funky yeasty-ness. It’s like a lovely, soft-spoken Barsac ninja. There’s a grapefruit edginess and plenty of citric lift to this wine, and it really dances on your tongue; so it’s a lovely, soft-spoken, dancing ballerina Barsac ninja.

2009 Château Suduiraut (Sauternes)
Price: $100
Rating: A

Su-Su-Suduiraut… Somebody call Weird Al Yankovic, I’ve got a killer idea for a song parody here…! Ok… sorry… Anyway…  Overall, this was the best and most complete wine I tasted among the 2009 Bordeaux lineup. Classic Sauternes: nuts, honey, vinyl, citrus pith, apricot, peaches… And it’s nearly the polar opposite of the Climens, muscular and powerful (and unctuously sweet – bring the toothbrush, you’re gonna need it). BUT… the key thing with this wine is the finish, which started when I tasted the wine in NYC and I think will go on until the 2012 Bordeaux grapes are harvested. That finish is like an extra treat after dessert, a meringue that is at once creamy and feather-light, and melts its way through your olfactory cavities after making you its beeeeatch.

Cheers!

Copyright © 2011. Originally at 2009 Bordeaux To Wine World: “Surprise! We’re Overpriced!” (Thoughts From The Union des Grand Crus NYC Tasting) from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

The travel could mean some slightly interrupted service here on 1WD, most likely the week after I return while I’m catching up on the three-to-four thousand things to which I will need to attend when I get back (such as hitting the treadmill overtime after indulging in what the French consider a relatively normal volume of dietary fats). I’m hitting Napa very soon after my return from France (for a ton of producer visits and my annual coverage of the madness that is Premiere Napa Valley), and the space in between those trips will largely be occupied by, I hope, sleeping. All of which is a (very) long way of saying that your patience, as always, is most appreciated!

I’d tell you more about the Salon, except I don’t actually know too much about it because their website is, putting it mildly, in the running for the least useful Internet destination in the history of the known Universe. So I thought that I’d offer up a few interesting facts about the region instead, embellished slightly 1WineDude style for your edu-tainment…

Some Loire Did-You-Knows:

1. Peasant-turned-religious-icon Joan of Arc first presented herself to the Dauphin in the Loire town of Chinon, where she imprudently demanded both that they put her at the head of the army, and that Chinon stop making stinky, Bretty red wines. Only one of those demands was met (obviously).
2. In 2009, the Loire was not only #1 in white wine production volume in France, it was also the #1 wine region requested in French restaurants (and the #2 region for sparkling wine production in France, second only to (duh) Champagne.
3. One of the world’s most interesting regions for white wines, Vouvray is an unique spot in that its entire acreage is devoted pretty much only to Chenin Blanc. What it lacks in varietal diversity it more than makes up for in stylistic diversity, however: just about every sort of wine is made here, from dry still whites to (various sweetness levels of) sparkling to dessert wines.
4. In the Triassic era (when Coelophysis roamed the earth, and when Wine Spectator was founded), the Loire was at the bottom of an ocean. Sea fossils are relative common finds here, and its pre-history history is responsible for the area’s gorgeous tuffeau stone soil – which is used not only to carve out wine caves, but also to build some of the most impressive chateaux in the area and beyond (including spots like London’s incredible St. Paul’s Cathedral).
5. The world’s most translated author is Agatha Christie, who was not from the Loire. But the world’s second most translated author was – Jules Verne. Verne was from Nantes, and as most people know predicted submarines and space travel in his sci-fi novels long before they became viable from an engineering perspective (he’s also rumored to have been the first wine blogger…).

More to come from Angers!

Cheers!

Copyright © 2011. Originally at Joan of Arc, Jules Verne And Vouvray (At The Salon des Vins de Loire) from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

There’s one thing you need to know about Paso Robles wine country.

It can get hot.

And I’m not talking about the Summertime temperatures, or even the Indian-Summertime temperatures, which had busted through the 100F mark not too long before my visit to Paso in October.

No, I’m talking about the wines.

After tasting through a small score of the vino on offer from several of Paso’s wine producers, the most prominent takeaway was that there were so many wines that were made from very, very ripe fruit – wines that generally exceeded 14% abv in the whites and regularly hit over 15% abv in the reds.

That is not an inevitable conclusion for Paso Robles wine.  And I know this because it wasn’t always the case.

During my Paso visit, I dined at the home of Gary and Marcy Eberle, who own Eberle Winery in Paso. Over the course of our meal (also attended by representatives of several other Paso producers), Gary opened a few bottles of Eberle Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve from the early 1980s. Those wines were a far cry from being dead – in fact, they were vibrant, with juicy red fruits underpinning aromas of dried herbs.  In other words, those wines were refined, food-friendly, and eminently drinkable.  The abv? About 13%…

So… what happened in the thirty years since Eberle harvested those Cabernet grapes?  Why are Paso wines these days so… well, so damn hot?  Is it the inevitable conclusion of having to pick grapes at higher ripeness in order to preserve and emphasize the ripe fruit characteristics of the region?

A member of my traveling group (Mike Dunne, who judged with me at the Lake County Wine Competition this year and with whom I was lucky enough to have as my traveling companion earlier this year in South America) was keen enough to pose this question directly to some of the winemakers in Paso. Towards the end of our trip, we had a Q&A / tasting session at the gorgeous Niner Wine Estates, with a panel of winemakers that included Nick de Luca (of Vina Robles), Neil Collins (Lone Madrone), newcomer Blake Kuhn (Clayhouse Wines), Amanda Cramer (Niner), Kevin Jussila (Kukkula) and Jason Diefenderfer (Hope Family Wines).

Bristol, England native Neil Collins (also Winemaker and Vineyard Manager at Tablas Creek) was quick to respond to Mike’s question – and his answer was as direct and refreshing as his wines:

“I fundamentally disagree [that Paso grapes need to be picked at high ripeness],” he said. “You only need to pick at high ripeness if you’re chasing high scores in the press.”

Amen, brother!

I’m not sue all of the panelists agreed with Neil (some of the wines we tasted during the Q&A were certainly on the ripe, high-abv side of the spectrum), but I know I sure as hell agreed with him.

I’m not saying that all high abv wines are unbalanced, nor am I saying that all Paso wines are too high in alcohol; in fact, I tasted several wines from Paso producers that showed beautifully – and exhibited a high degree of finesse despite being from grapes picked at high degrees of brix! But I also had my fill of Paso wines that traded too much finesse for too much fruitiness.

What’s clear is that Paso is more-than-capable of making great wine – actually, it’s capable of making elegant, epic, age-worthy wines. But chasing after ultra-ripe flavors in favor of balance is probably not going to consistently get them to that happy tasting place.

Below are a few recommendations from that Q&A session at Niner of Paso wines that I thought really struck the right balance between ripe fruit and… well, and balance:

2010 Vina Robles White 4 (Paso Robles)
Price: $16
Rating: B

This wine makes a great case for blends in Paso, and it’s a bargain of a tropical mouth party. Verdelho (aged in stainless tell), Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Vermentino (all aged in neutral oak) are included, and while these type of “kitchen sink” blends normally taste disjointed and somehow less-than-the-sum-of-their-parts, White 4 strikes a great balance – the four elements come together here like the Rat Pack in Vegas. No malolactic fermentation took place, but there was some lees-stirring action which gives the wine a little bit of body to balance all of the acid and jumping citrus and tropical fruits, and a tiny bit of spice for good measure – and the 14.2% abv is hardly noticeable. Try this if you fine yourself bored with CA white wine.

2009 Lone Madrone La Mezcla (Paso Robles)
Price: $22
Rating: B

Balance is the name of the game in this Grenache Blanc / Albarino blend. There’s acid to spare here, and I’d run out of room for food pairing possibilities if I listed them, but I think it’s telling that we’ve got a Paso wine here that’s clocking in at 12.6% abv despite the majority of the blend being Grenache Blanc which can get pretty hefty pretty quickly. In other words, they went with acid balance instead of ripe fruit flavors, and the wine benefits immensely from that decision, as the minerality, tropical fruit and hints of lime zest are prevalent and inviting. While it’s certainly not a standoffish  wine, I fond myself generally impressed by the elegance of the package and convinced that it could even benefit from a couple of years in the bottle. Oh – and I changed my mind about the food pairing, it wants scallop ceviche!

2007 Niner Wine Estates “Twisted Spur (Paso Robles)”
Price: $25
Rating: B

Ok, this one isn’t too big, either (14.1% abv) but it’s also probably one best consumed on the younger side, because it’s tasting great right now and is just… well, it’s just so damn fun.  Actually, it’s kind of like a rodeo: a little woody, a little leathery, a little dusty… that kind of fun. Mostly Merlot with helpings of Cabernet Franc, Syrah and a pinch (2%) of Petit Verdot, the wine is all ripe red fruits, plums and blue flowers – and they are all on the vibrant side. I dug the fact that there were also some little bits of dried herbs and wood spices in the aroma – a great option to use to turn your friends onto Paso wine.

Cheers!

Copyright © 2011. Originally at Feeling The Heat In California: Are Paso Robles Wines Too High In Alcohol? from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

Being wine country (and one of the fastest-growing in all of Cali. at that – they’ve well over 200 wineries now), Paso Robles can be visually stunning. You’d probably have guessed that already, since, well, it’s wine country and there’s a damn good reason why even people like me visit wine country when they go on vacation (even when, as in my case, they’re going on vacation from wine!) – it’s usually breath-takingly gorgeous.

What you might not have known about Paso is that it’s starting to (rightfully) fancy itself a gourmand’s small-town paradise. Restaurants like Artisan, Farmstand 46, and Villa Creek are testament to the culinary prowess being drawn to the area (those I got to witness first-hand on my recent Paso jaunt). But there’s also a bevvy of businesses that supply the high-end foodstuffs that go into those local culinary delights, including two spots I had the pleasure of visiting: The Abalone Farm (pricey seaward stuff is cultivated there by laid-back owner Brad Buckley, but it’s an amazing grilled match for Paso’s white Rhone blends), and organic produce producer Thomas Hill Farms (generous owner Joe Thomas will probably let you eat all the pears, figs and jujubes you can stomach, but I can assure you from personal experience that you will pay for it dearly the following day).

I managed a few pictures of all of the above, in-between all the eating a drinking in Paso – check ‘em out after the jump. Coming soon: more mini-reviews of Paso wines, and my take on what’s right (and not-so-right) in Paso Robles viniculture (you know, like, when I get around to it, man). Enjoy!…

Cheers!

Copyright © 2011. Originally at Paso, In Pictures (A Visual Tour Through Paso Robles Gourmand Country) from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!

Yeah, man – and this article is totally gonna win me some James Beard awards, you know, after they judges all wise up and stuff.

My whirlwind tour through Christian’s wines took place last week at Paso Robles’ Farmstand 46, a restaurant partnership between Tom Fundaro and the owners of Four Vines Winery.  Christian is probably best-known as the principal winemaker behind Four Vines’ high-octane, high-scoring releases. But his new venture, Cypher, has Tietje stretching out a bit and – dare we say it – maturing.  Certainly the single varietal Cypher bottlings have a lot of promise, which you’d probably expect from a talented winemaking team – but what you might not expect is that they also display a good deal of craftsmanship and… restraint…

This is not to say that Cypher’s wines are subtle. As you might suspect, Tietje – and his wines – are not really (well, not at all really) for the timid.  Four Vines in particular are about as full-blown, all-out, balls-to-the-wall-Accept-style as you can get.  On the slightly-overblown side, this results in wines like the 2008 Four Vines Monarchy: 50% Petite Verdot, 50% Malbec, and 100% boorish tyrant king. But the bold approach is also the genesis of the 2008 Four Vines Anarchy – roughly a third each of Zinfandel, Mourvedre and Syrah, it’s long on fun, and on spicy / jammy fruit, and is just as charmingly over-the-top as Tietje himself.

Christian’s Cypher releases seem to have toned down the vinous volume a bit, much to the benefit of the wines; instead of going to 11, they go to about 8 or 9, but have quite a bit more to say than their shouting Four Vines cousins; think more Queensryche’s Hear In The Now Frontier than Grim Reaper’s See You In Hell.  In one case – teasing out the best of Paso Robles Mourvedre – Cypher may yet have no real equal.

Based on a brief visit, I’m quite sure that this maturity has had little mellowing effect on Tietje’s bombastic personality (and coming from me, that’s probably really saying something); here’s how one of his staffers told me that Tietje describes the Mourvedre that wowed me:

“You can make ‘Missionary’ Mourvedre, or you can make ‘reverse cowboy’ Mourvedre. This is ‘reverse cowboy’ Mourvedre!”

Allllriiiiighty, then. If it’s reverse cowboy Mourvedre, then crack open the Kama Sutra and get ready for a ride, I suppose…

2009 Cypher Mourvedre “El Pelon” (Paso Robles)
Price: $40
Rating: A-

Free lessons in sexual expression aside, Cypher’s “baldy” (a slang play on the state of Tietje’s hair growth) was far and away the best expression of Mourvedre that I tasted in Paso Robles.  It’s at once floral and jammy, obnoxious but vibrant, spicy and viscous, and generally just beautifully done. More modest examples of Paso Mourvedre exist, no doubt, but sometimes the brashest artist in the lineup can be the most expressive and genuine as well.

2009 Cypher Dante Dusi Vineyard Zinfandel (Paso Robles)
Price: $35
Rating: B+

Somehow in all the recent hubbub over red blends and Rhone white varieties, the grape that put Paso Robles on the wine map – Zinfandel – turned into the red-headed stepchild and got left all alone in the corner while everyone else partnered up and hit the dance floor. Which is a shame, really, because Cypher’s Dante Dusi Zin shows what Paso is still capable of when it comes to Zin.  This wine is jumpin’ – a bit jammy with the black fruit for sure, but wonderfully peppery and lively and not forgetting to bring the pretty red fruits that round out the better Zins.

Cheers!

Copyright © 2011. Originally at Reverse Cowboy Psychology: Christian Tietje Cracks The Mourvedre Code At Paso’s Cypher Winery from 1WineDude.com - for personal, non-commercial use only. Cheers!