Among my golden rules, learned the hard way, to which I mostly adhere are, “measure twice, cut once” and in this business, “taste first, only then, buy”. Just a week ago, I was obliged to buy a case of a highly regarded 1999 Cote Rotie, at what appeared to be a fair price, without having tasted it — if I bought only a bottle to taste, I risked losing the wine altogether. That Cote Rotie proved to be a great disappointment, so I returned the 11 remaining bottles. Mostly, I am able to taste a wine without having to buy a bottle.
Some times we miss a vintage change in a reorder of a wine already in our inventory — but in the case of the 2001 vintage of our “ultimate shell-fish wine” Cour Cheverny, that was not the case. But I had become complacent — after 6 vintages from ’95 to ’00 that were remarkably consistent I ordered the 2001 vintage without having tasted it. Then in the heat of battle in mid-December we ran out of the 2000 vintage of and started selling the 2001 which, I am ashamed to admit, I had still not tasted.
I am thankful to the customer who brought to our attention the fact that the 2001 vintage fell short — way short, with an almost total lack of fruit. We have pulled the wine from our shelves until the matter is resolved — presumably with a new vintage. I find it hard to believe that Francois Cazin was unaware of the lack of quality in his ’01 vintage. What was he thinking? For our part we renew our resolve to taste before we order. Stay tuned.
Wine and Music
I often use the appreciation of, and listening to, music, as a metaphor for appreciating and tasting wine, but there is a winemaker who believes in playing music to the vines in his vineyard and the wine in his cellar.
Google “Il Paradiso Di Frassina” and you’ll get to the web page of Giancarlo Cionozzia, “a well- known winemaker and connoisseur of this part of Tuscany”, “this part” being Montalcino, home of Brunello, the third of “Italy’s Royal Reds” the other two being Barolo and Barbaresco. The website makes very interesting reading.
Giancarlo apparently bought a rundown farm at southern extreme of the Montalcino appellation at a place called Sant ’Antimo, renovated the buildings, built a modern winery and replanted the vineyards. As far as I can tell his first vintage was 2000.
You do not have to spend more than a minute or two on the Il Paradiso web page to realize that Giancarlo is a passionate person — passionate and poetic, especially about wine. For starters his logo has a Sixteenth musical note superimposed on the name, and thereby hangs a tale — he believes that grapes and wine respond to music, especially Mozart and Beethoven, so he has classical music piped into the vineyard and the cellar, which got him some publicity in the form of a segment on an ABC television program.
However, all of this would be inconsequential, without wines of merit. Il Paradiso di Frasinna ‘03 GEA, which bears the Sant’ Antimo appellation, is 100% Sangiovese Grosso and could presumably be labeled Brunello, except for the fact that it was aged in Limousin oak barrels for only 18 months instead of the required 48 months. We featured it at a Saturday tasting, where it earned accolades and open wallets despite its $29.99/26.99 price tag. The lovely, low-key oak, leathery, Sangiovese fruit and spicy, gentle tannic finish make it hard to resist. The name of the wine “Gea”, is the name of Giancarlo’s daughter, which comes from “Gaea” the Greek goddess of Mother Earth - the label depicts this quite succinctly.
The name of the Giancarlo’s second wine, “DO”, picks up on the musical theme. Il Paradiso di Frasinna ‘03 DO, Toscana IGT- the “Toscana IGT” means that the wine is Tuscan but does not conform to any Tuscan appellation — it is a maverick by virtue of its 50% Cabernet / 50% Sangiovese blend — in other words this is a so-called Super Tuscan. The yin and yang of Cabernet and Sangiovese, to say nothing of the Limousin oak, make this a simply stunning wine, and, by Super Tuscan standards, a real bargain at $44.99/41.49.
The piece de resistance is Il Paradiso di Frascinna ‘00 Brunello — the real thing, as good as any Brunello I’ve tasted in quite a while. Even now, fruit, tannin and oak are beautifully balanced — I can see this wine growing gracefully older, and even more complex, over the next 10 to 15 years — if you can wait!. Splurge - $65.00/68.50.
Pedigree Counts—Sometimes, says my cynical side
Bouzeron doesn’t ring many bells — and not for me until quite recently. Back in December I tasted and bought Paul Jacqueson’s ‘04 Bouzeron “Les Cordiers”, a white Burgundy made of Aligote, Burgundy’s other white grape which plays a remote second fiddle to Chardonnay, and which is often treated with disdain by wine snobs. However, Aligote can produce fine wines, not as fruity as Chardonnay, but more angular and minerally. I had forgotten what a knockout this wine is until we tasted it last Saturday. Somewhat expensive, but nevertheless great value at $21.99/19.79, earning it many fans.Not long ago, I was offered a red Burgundy from Bouzeron. The producer is A. et P. de Villaine and the label says Bourgogne, Cote Chalonnaise, “La Fortune”, AOC Bouzeron 2004. The wine is light in color and body (“heathens” accustomed to over-oaked, New World fruit bombs would describe it as “thin” — all wines should be this thin), but oh! — the fruit — intense, ever so complex Pinot Noir with bright acidity and adequate tannin — elegant, ethereal, reminiscent, perhaps, of a stolen kiss. When I flipped over this wine, I did not know that the “A” of A et P deVillaine is Aubert de Villaine, co-owner of Domaine Romanee Conti, “DRC” for short.
Who or what is DRC? They are the producer if what are the most fabled, then certainly the most expensive wines in the whole wide world. They own a number of top vineyards and they market the wines to retailers in a manner known as conditional selling: To get a bottle of the top vineyard you are required to buy an assortment of five other vineyards. The DRC Montrachet ‘02 sells for about $2,300 — that is a bottle not a case. A bottle of DRC Grands Echezeaux ‘02 might set you back as much as $2,700. Sorry — I cannot offer you either, or for that matter, any DRC wine. I have only once tasted a DRC wine — it was many years ago, and I did not know that it was a DRC wine till after I had tasted it. I found it unremarkable — perhaps my fault, not that of the wine.
The joy derived from the de Villaine Pinot Noir prompted me to try, and buy, the A et P de Villaine ’04 Bouzeron Aligote, $24.99/22.49, so we now offer three Aligotes of which the de Villaine has the edge. Come to think of it the word “edge” comes close to the descriptor I am searching for. All three are all superb food wines and what sets them apart is an “edgy” minerality that focuses on the upper back of the mouth the rest of my palate simply “glows”— neither fruity nor oaky.
With a little research I find that Bouzeron, a tiny appellation, sandwiched between Rully to the south and Santenay,at the southern end of the Côte d’Or, to the north, is known for its Aligote and especially for the Aligote and Pinot Noir of Aubert de Villaine.
Reviews Can be Wrong
Yes, light can be lovely and here is another knockout example. Between the beginning of November and the middle of December we sold a ton of Concannon ‘03 Central Coast Syrah, $11.99/10.78, by which time it was gone, leaving many fans most unhappy. This was a wine that was panned by my heretofore trusty Connoisseur’s Guide to Californian Wines: “..it delivers little in the way of fruit or real richness before slipping away to a dry and slightly chalky finish.”. I guess one man’s meat is another man’s poison — some enjoy being hit over the head with a sledge hammer and some of us prefer to be gently wooed. I and many others were both wooed and wowed by the apparent absence of oak, the lovely, low-key Syrah fruit and the spicy, gently tannic finish. Rejoice — we have found another fifty cases. Don’t wait to get yours. On the other hand don’t depend on my or anyone else’s opinion — buy a bottle and decide for yourself.
Rick Lewis
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