Clyde, Trey and Ralph are back and recovering from their trip to Bordeaux. Here are a few more pics from the dimly lit cellars of France's top Chateaux to tide you over until they can write up their report...

In the cellar at Chateaux du Terte with Alexander Van Beek of du Terte and Giscours on the left, K&L's Clyde Beffa Jr in the center and Veronique Sanders of Haut-Bailly on the right.

A beautiful sunset over the poolhouse at du Terte.

Ralph and Clyde joined Jeffrey Davies to sample his selections in 2007.

Gildas D'Ollone at Pichon Lalande with "the boys."

Barbara Engerer of Ch Paloumey (rising star in Medoc), Clyde, Ralph, Trey, Frederic Engerer (manger of Ch. Latour), chef/owner Jean-Paul Barbier and and Christophe Reboul Salze, an important negociant in Bordeaux.

Clyde and Christine Lurton have lunch at Chateau Dauzac.

Astrid, Clyde and Corinne at Pichon Lalande.

Ralph, Clyde and Gildas d'Ollone, the managing director of Pichon Lalande.

The gang tasting the 2007 La Fleur with Jacques Guinaudeau. Trey says this may be the wine of the vintage!

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It's that time of year again! K&L's Clyde Beffa Jr, Ralph Sands and Trey Beffa are working their way across Bordeaux tasting through the 2007 vintage and deciding which wines to bring to you. Pictures and notes will be posted on the blog as they trickle in.

Day 1: "The wines are tasting good," Clyde says, "but we only tasted about 30 wines today (not counting the 30 at Coufran)."

Clyde and Ralph with Frederic Engerer.

Notice Frederic's dropped jaw? This was his response when Clyde asked him if the prices for the 2007 Bordeaux would be lower.

Clyde and the Baron of St-Louis at Pontet-Canet.

Pontet-Canet made a great wine in 2007!

A "light dinner" at Ch. Pichon Baron.

The wines from Sunday's "light dinner" at Pichon Baron:

1965 Suduiraut: Served with foie gras. It had fine acidity to paire with the foie.
1976 Petite Village: This was delicious and ripe.
1954 Pichon Baron: The nose was a bit angular but the wine was fine on the palate.
1934 Pichon Baron (in magnum): FABULOUS!
1994 Quinta do Noval Nationale Port: This was sweet and lush, but still a bit too young.
1937 Colheita Port from Quinta do Noval: Elegant and long on the palate.

Clyde, Ralph and Jean-Guillaume Prats at Cos d'Estournel.

Cos made a fine wine in 2007. The Goulee was also quite nice.

Ralph and Clyde taste the great 2007 Ducru-Beaucaillou!

Ducru's owner, Bruno Borie, carving the veau at dinner on Monday, March 31.

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Monday Night 49ers Group (K&L's Ralph Sands is in the middle)

If you're coming to San Francisco...You better be party fresh and rooting for the NINERS!! (Forget the flowers in your hair.)

The Monday Night 49ers club snacked on: an assortment of cheeses, olives, nuts and prawns, bangers and Tri-tip and 15 bags of chips!

We started our little tailgate with a few coldies (beer) and then progressed to the wines.

2- 2006 Grange Tiphaine Touraine Rosé
NV Cerdon de Bugey (Methode Ancestrale) Caveau de Mont St. July “killed everyone as usual”
2001 Donhoff Oberhauser Brucke Spätlese
2001 Josef Leitz Rudesheimer Berg Rosneck Spätlese
2003 Pavillion Blanc the white wine of Ch. Margaux
2004 Ridge Home Ranch Zinfandel
1998 Ch. Monbusquet

And finally with our glasses held high to the sky, we toasted Coach Bill Walsh with 1978 Ch. Figeac (as elegant and complex as the man himself) and as always was followed by loud chorus of GO NINERS !!!!!!!

—Ralph Sands

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This past April, I had the opportunity to spend several weeks in France touring and meeting top producers from some of my favorite wine regions. In particular, I spent 10 days in the Rhone Valley tasting through dozens of recently bottled 2005s as well as many brut de cuves from the 2006 vintage. What impressed me the most was the marked differences between these two vintages. Richness and power one year, tempered by gracefulness and fine tuned precision the next. Which will you prefer? Hopefully both styles, and for different reasons, as they are both excellent vintages displaying distinctive character.

By all indications, 2006 in both the Northern and Southern is my kind of vintage, lying somewhere between 2004 and 2005 in terms of fruit and structure. In terms of ripeness, the 2006s’ are showing more overt fruit than the 2004s, but are not as ripe as Rhones from the acclaimed 2005 vintage. Acidity levels are excellent, while the tannic structure of the wines is stellar. In contrast, although the 2005 vintage was characterized by opulent ripeness and good acidity levels, the latter half of the growing season was marked by extreme dryness, which in many instances imparted hydric stress to the vines. As a result, many vines ‘shutdown’ towards the end of August, leading to coarser, less finely mature/developed tannins.

So what happened? To begin with, in 2006 the Rhone Valley experienced one of the coldest winters in the last 20 years. Particularly in the northern Rhone, heavier snowfall gave way to a late and rainy spring which extended into early July. Luckily, frost was not a problem this time around. In fact, June witnessed an abrupt rise in summer temperatures, which lasted well into July. There was considerable concern at this point that summer 2006 might be a repeat of the infernal 2003 summer. Thankfully however, by August the weather had cooled considerably. This welcome respite from the heat delayed maturation, permitting sugar levels and phenolic ripeness to develop more evenly. The final weeks leading up to harvest were quite perfect, with light rains over several days in the beginning of September to combat hydric stress that seems to be a recurring theme no doubt related to global warming. The ever present Mistral blew at just the opportune time, drying the vines thus ensuring healthy dry grapes just in time for picking!

How does this very abridged weather report translate in terms of your vinous drinking pleasure? How does super fine and irresistibly drinkable sound? With beautiful pure fruit,
More classic levels of acidity and fine grained tannins, the 2006s will most likely be wines to enjoy upon release and over the next 5-10 years while you wait for the more powerful and tannic 2005’s to mellow out. The 2006s are long cool beauties, showing more finesse and lushness now, and possessing what the French describe as ‘sucrosite’. For me, 2006 marks a return to terroir, with fruit and structure of course, but with more cut and definition than its predecessor. For anyone interested in experiencing Rhone Valley wines at their most elegant and finely tuned best, the 2006 vintage should not be missed.
--Mulan Chan

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Day one of the whirl wind trip around Spain…twice
Well, I don’t know how I managed to plan this trip the way I did, but it involves about 18 days, two wine fairs and crisscrossing the country twice. Anyway…Day 1 is almost civilized. It is the first day of MadWine…a. k. a. the Madrid Wine Festival, an event that is run by the Wine Academy of Spain. The fair has many exhibitors, but for me the most interesting part is the lecture/tasting series. Each day of the 2 day event has 4 different tastings presented by some of the top names in the Spanish wine world. The 2 star tastings of day 1 were “Spanish wines on an international level” conducted by 4 Masters of Wine and “Rioja: Past, Present and Future”. The MW tasting had 4 flights with Spanish plus a wine from another country. It was a fun and interesting way to play stump the people. It was interesting because there were some very international styled modern wines in the mix like Clio or Aquilon, yet they really did express a certain “Spanishness”. The other top tasting was a who’s who of the top wines in Rioja. Everything was presented from the very traditional Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia to Bodegas Muga’s Aro. The Lopez wines, red and white, were both from the 1964 vintage. They were earthy, wonderful, striking and unique. The 2001 Aro was a big bruiser of a Rioja, full of blackberry fruit and spice. The wine did have a good balance of acidity to fruit and tannin, and while very modern still had minerality and a sense of place. With all of the great changes in Spain, it is nice to see that the Riojanos want to maintain a strong sense of place in addition to pressing forward with modern innovation.
Tomorrow…Sherry for breakfast!

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The daily schedule of “The King of the Medoc,” Clyde Beffa Jr. has not changed much over the many years; it remains brisk and brutal. In the evaluation of the 2006 vintage the King brought me with him and his most trusted consultants, the Baron of St. Louis and the Prince of Filet Mignon. We managed to taste over 700 wines in seven business days. All that travel in and out of cars is also taxing on the body. Lunch and dinner are rewarding necessities on a business adventure like this.
In general the trip was tough on the palate. The 2006s are vivaciously bright colored wines with lovely fresh and fragrant fruit on the nose but many do not have the ripeness in the mouth to match up to the racy acidities and drying tannins that follow. Looking at my notes, however, it is clear that once again the finest estates in Bordeaux, which is the major aspect of our business, did very well. I found that only a couple of 2006s were better than their 2005s. The wines of 2005 have the lovely ripeness and length in the middle of the wine and the finish that is missing in many 2006s. 2006, like 1986 and 1996 before it, finds itself in a tough spot coming after a real good/great vintage with high prices. The commercial success of this vintage and our recommendations will depend of course on the pricing of the wines. For me they had better come down in price more than we are hearing. Please see our complete vintage report.
Here are the highlight wines and events for me, day to day. I use a 3-Star system for barrel samples. 1 Star: “I like this wine and would buy it;” 2 Stars: “Really good to possibly great wine that I would consider buying on futures for my collection, depending on the price;” 3 Stars: “A wine of greatness, a classic.” If the wine is listed here, I gave it a Star. Please feel free to contact me for a complete copy of my personal notes at Ralph@klkwines.com or with any questions or advice on the wines of Bordeaux.
Mercredi 28th: ’06 Pichon Longueville, ’06 Petit Village, ’06 S de Suduiraut: 1976 Petit Village, 1961, 1957 and 1937 Pichon Longueville, 1975 Suduiraut, 1999 Tokai Diznoko and 1963 Quinta do Noval Nationale that was just incredible with dinner at Pichon Baron.
Jeudi 29th: ’06 Lynch Bages, 2 Stars! ’06 Lynch Bages Blanc, 2005 Phelan Segur, 2000, 2003 Coufran, 2006 Cos d’Estournel, ’06 Goulee: Lunch at Cos, 1997 Latour, 1985 Cos: 2005 Langoa Barton, 2006 Léoville-Barton, 2 Stars! ’05 Barton, 3 Stars! ’06 Potensac, ’06 Clos du Marquis, ’06 Léoville-Las-Cases, Ducru-Beaucaillou, 2 Stars! Léoville-Poyferre, 2 Stars! Pontet-Canet, 2 Stars! Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, 2 Stars! Les Forts de Latour, Latour, 2.5 Stars! The dinner at Latour with all first growths, along with Forts de Latour, Ausone, Petrus and Cheval Blanc all from the year I started at K&L 1978.
Vendredi 30th: ’06 Branaire-Ducru, ’06 Gruaud Larose, 2 Stars! ’05 & ’06 d’Anguludet, ’05 & ’06 Dauzac, ’06 Marquis d’Anselme, ’06 Labegorce, ’06 Cantemerle, 2 Stars! ’06 & ’01 Lascombes, 1999, 1997, 1996, 1995 Lascombes.
Samedi 31st: 18 holes and a painful workout playing horrible golf, best cold Grand Heineken of the year after. 1996 Roederer Crystal, 2 Stars! 1996 Cos d’Estournel, 2 Stars! 1961 Ducru-Beaucaillou, 3 Stars! Lovely dinner with Pierre Antoine and Mary Claude Casteja. Bordeaux beat Lyon in Paris to win Championship. Sarah Levin’s party!
Dimanche 1st: More weak golf but fun party with more good wines! Bollinger Champagne, 1990 Léoville-Las-Cases, 2 Stars! 1989 Cheval Blanc at Pierre and Sophie Lawton’s..
Lundi 2nd: ’06 Ferriere, ’06 Haut-Bages-Liberal, ’05 & ’06 Malmaison, ’04 & ’05 Clarke, ’06 Palmer, 2 Stars! ’06 Malescot St. Exupery, 2 Stars! ’06 Duhart-Milon, ’06 Carruades de Lafite, ’Lafite-Rothschild, 2 Stars! ’06 d’Armaillac, Clerc-Milon, Mouton-Rothschild, 2.5 Stars! 1990 Clerc Milon, 2 Stars and 1982 Mouton-Rothschild, 3 Stars! One of the greatest wines ever. Lunch at Mouton! ’89 Coutet, ’06 Pavillion Rouge, ’06 Margaux, 2 Stars! Pavillion Blanc, 2 Stars! ’04 Smith-Haut-Lafitte, 2 Stars! ’06 Smith-Haut-Lafite. Dinner at Smith-Haut-Lafitte.
Mardi 3rd, Mercredi 4th, Jeudi 5th, Vendredi 6th Joanne tasting, 150 wines: ’0’6 Gigaut Cuvee Viva, Giscours, 2 Stars! Brane Cantenac, Beaumont, Camensac, Greysac, Latour De By, Chasse Spleen, 2 Stars, Clinet, 2 Stars! Gazin, La Cabanne, La Consiellante, 2 Stars! Petrus, 2 Stars! Trotanoy, 2.5 Stars! La Fleur, 2.5 Stars! Angelus, 2 Stars! Le Plus, Vieux Ch. Palon, Cheval Blanc, La Gaffeliere, Canon La Gaffeliere, 2 Stars! Berliquet, Bel Air, Beausejour Becot, Pavie Macquin, 2 Stars! Larcis Ducasse, Troplong Mondot, Clos de l’Oratoire, La Mondotte, 2 Stars! Haut Bergey, Le Gay, Haut Bailly, du Tertre, 1996, 1986 Haut Bailly, Carmes Haut Brion, Carbonnieux, Malartic-Lagraveliere, Dom. de Chevalier, Figeac, 2 Stars! La Mission Haut Brion and Haut Brion, 2 Stars! Sauternes: ’0’6 Guiraud, de Fargues, de Malle, Rieussec, Coutet, Suduiraut, 2 Stars! Rayne Vigneau, Latour Blanche. Dinner in the Bistro at Les Sources de Caudalie. Dinner at Haut Bailly with Veronique and Alexandre. Dinner and tingling cellar tour at Mahler-Besse with Frank and Ferdinand. 1970 Gazin, 2 Stars and 1970 Palmer, 3 Stars! Air France/Chance was again just brutal, 3 Stars. Toujours Bordeaux! —Ralph Sands

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After the fabulous 2005 vintage (in terms of quality and in terms of profits made by the properties), the 2006 Bordeaux vintage is more in line with 2004. That is to say, in terms of quality it is a very good vintage that is perhaps a bit better than 2004, 2002 and 2001. There are some stunning wines; in fact, a few wines are better in 2006 than they were in 2005! As far as what the prices will be, that is anyone’s guess right now. But the mood of the owners seems to be to discuss 2006 prices in terms of the outrageously high 2005s, never mentioning the prices of 2004, 2002 and 2001. Of course, the 2006 campaign depends on the prices. The U.K. buyers and negociants are pleading that the prices return to 2004 levels, while the producers (with quite a nice bankroll from 2005) seem not to be inclined to go there. We shall see! —Clyde Beffa from Bordeaux

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K&L Champagne buyer Gary Westby reports from his annual buying trip
April 2007
4-17-07: Champagne Leclerc-Briant
Today started off great, my normal coffee spot was open again and I had the chance for a first- I walked to my appointment at Leclerc-Briant, which was less than one mile from the hotel. The weather is still very warm here in the Champagne region and the vines are growing by the day. We all have to hope that a late frost won’t come and destroy the vintage, but each day that passes reduces the risk.
I was very pleased to meet not only Pascal Leclerc, his daughter Diane and Sylvie Mazoyer who is in charge of exports, but also Peter Liem from Wine and Spirits Magazine and wine writer extraordinaire. Peter is living in Champagne for at least one year, renting a house in Dizy (between Epernay and Ay on the north side of the Marne) researching a book on Champagne. I am very excited about this- his work with The Riesling Report (http://www.rieslingreport.com/) is at once great fun to read and rigorous and scholarly. He had many great questions during the visit and I learned a lot as a result. I think that he is going to be the guy to write a serious book on Champagne.
Pascal Leclerc Briant began his conversion to biodynamic viticulture in 1990. He finished in 2001, and his first Demeter and Ecocert certified Champagne will be launched this year. His first entirely certified harvest was 2005. It takes a lot of time to convert and even more time to obtain a certification.
In the cellar, Pascal does not use any stainless steel or wood. He prefers to use concrete, tile and epoxy vats since he finds stainless steel reductive and wood oxidative. Also in line with his focus in purity he allows the wine to go through malolactic fermentation, since he is uncomfortable using the extra sulfur that is required to block the malo. His Champagnes use half the standard amount of SO2 used in the region. He is famous for his single vineyard offerings, of which there are five.
The single vineyard wines, La Croissete, Les Chevres Pierreuses, Les Crayeres, Clos de Champions and coming soon La Ravinne. The Croissete is 100% Chardonnay from a vineyard within Epernay that was replanted 10 years ago. The Chevres and Crayeres are from Cumieres and both blends of all three varietals which he co-presses and co-ferments. This is highly unusual in Champagne, and explains the extraordinary harmony of the bottlings.
He explained today that there is an enzyme reaction between Chardonnay and the black grapes (Pinot Noir & Meunier) that helps precipitate the color out of the wine for better brightness without the use of chemicals or cold stabilization. The Clos des Champions is also from Cumieres and one of the few walled vineyards to be vinified separately in Champagne. The Ravinne is 100% Meunier from the village of Verneuil, west of Cumieres.
We visited Les Crayeres this morning and it is amazing how far along the vineyards are. Pascal explained that since Cumieres is a south facing amphitheatre, directly on the banks of the Marne that it is traditionally the first vineyard in the Marne to harvest. He also explained that 20 years ago it was normal to count 100 days from bud break to harvest, but now that number has dropped to about 95 days in the region. For him, because of the biodynamic farming, the number is more like 90. The significance of a 10% change in less than one generation is great- and I worry that if the trend continues with global warming that Champagne will loose its finesse- good Champagne must have ripe flavors at low alcohols and high acidity.
We returned to the winery and tasted some 2006 vin clair, which was surprisingly fresh given the warmth of the vintages. I was blown away to learn that one of the samples- the Ravinne, had a PH of 3.6… a shocking statistic given the fine length and refreshing personality of the wine in my glass.
We also tasted some finished Champagne and the Les Crayeres stood out as having lovely chalky zip and class. I am so happy that we have plenty in stock for a change! I will now head out to visit Bruno and Catherine Michel in Pierry.
Gary Westby

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K&L Champagne buyer Gary Westby reports from his annual buying trip
April 2007
4-16-07: Charles & Piper Heidsick
Today started out a little bit rough. My usual coffee spot in the place de Arcades was ferme, and once again I had great difficulty getting my car out of the garage since the week long pass that I bought stopped working at random. The standardized closing hours in France are hard for an American to get used to- there was person (no one) working at 9:30 AM on Monday. After some kind help from the people at the hotel, I was able to get on my way and under very sunny skies drove to a great appointment in Reims at Charles and Piper Heidsick.
I was accompanied by Dominique Cima-Sander, brand ambassador and Regis Camus, production director and vineyard manager of Heidsick. Charles & Piper are together under one roof in a new facility just inside Reims. They still maintain separate caves (also in Reims) for the ageing of the wines, but all of the vineyard contracts are for the two together, and all the production happens inside this very modern , only 10 year old facility.
They produce about 8 million bottles of Piper and 2 million bottles of Charles every year. They have two tanks at their facility which can hold a staggering half million bottles each… They are like corn silos! All of the fermentations are handled separately, with each village and grape variety in its own tank until the day the wine is blended. They do not decide until the last minute what will be used for Charles and what will be used for Piper, and thus the initial vinification is always the same for either brand- all stainless with full malo.
A very impressive looking in-line cooling machine takes all the wines down to -6 degrees centigrade for tartaric (the stuff that looks like broken glass in old Sauternes and German Auslese) precipitation. They then filter it out. A mind boggling 750,000 liters of wine passes through the machine each year, which up to this point has not received any other type of filtration.
After taking the tour of the facility, we sat down to a quite generous and very informative tutored technical tasting of 10 vin clair and 7 finished wines. It is always fascinating to me when I am given a chance to compare the different villages at once. We had Chardonnay from Villers-Marmery (one of the exceptions in Champagne, growing predominantly Chardonnay on the Mountain of Reims) and Oger, Pinot Noir from Verzenay and Bouzy (a fantastic contrast of exposures) and Meunier from Verneuil and Villedomange. As we went along, Regis explained whether each wine was tending more towards Piper or Charles, vintage or non-vintage and whether the wine was suitable for keeping in the Reserve program.
The Heidsick facility has a quite impressive Reserve system, since the non vintage Piper is 10-15% Reserve wines and the Charles is a whopping 40% Reserve. We tasted a still blend of it that was destined for use in the Charles that was extraordinarily impressive. The switch from 6 month old vin clair to a solera of 15 age-worthy vintages was striking- it tasted like mature vintage Champagne with no bubbles!
The 1995 Blanc des Millenaires was the big standout in our tasting of finished Champagnes. It is still a very young wine. The quality of the Grand Cru Chardonnay that is used for this blend was evident, and the wine had a lot of chalky drive, and only a hint of toast- surprising after 12 years and very promising for the future. They disgorge this wine to order and it was very interesting to learn that the wine making team has been gradually lowering the dosage the whole time on this cuvee, with the latest batch at only 10 grams. I thought it was much better now with more age on the lees and a lower dosage than it was when I first tasted it 3 or 4 years ago.
We then had a great lunch at Le Grand Cerf in Montchenot on the road between Reims and Epernay and tried the 1995 Blanc des Millenaires again with Chef Dominique Giraudeau’s cuisine. It went from strength to strength, pairing well with everything- foie gras, hommard, white asparagus in cream sauce and the main course, veal with morels. There is no escaping dessert in France, and even though none of us ordered it, some lovely cantelys and other delicacies arrived with the coffee.
Ms. Dominique Cima-Sander and I then went to the Gallo-Roman chalk cellars of Charles Heidsick in Reims for a tour. They are part of the same series of galleries as Ruinart, Taitinger, Clicquot and Pommery on the south eastern edge of Reims. These caves are all based on pits dug by Gaul slaves under the Romans to excavate the chalk for use in building the first permanent settlement of Reims 2000 years ago. It is hard to imagine that they are still being used as perhaps the best cellars in the world today. At 120 feet in depth the temperature is absolutely stable at 10 degrees Celsius. The very moist chalk keeps the humidity perfect year round. It is no wonder the Champenois look down on anyone else’s storage!
Tomorrow- Leclerc Briant and Bruno Michel!
Gary Westby

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K&L Champagne buyer Gary Westby reports from his annual buying trip
April 2007
4-15-07
A drive in the country to the Aube, to visit Champagne Fleury
It is Sunday in France and not just any Sunday, but the day of the greatest of the one day bicycle races, Paris-Roubaix, The Queen of the Classics, The Hell of the North. Everything is ferme (closed) today, but Mr. Fleury was kind enough to make time for me to visit, so Mr. Bruno Lemoine and I traveled together to meet the family, see the vineyards and taste the wine.
It is about a 2 hour drive south to the village of Courteron. Champagne is split into three legal departments- Aisne, Aube and Marne. The Aube is the furthest south, and most of our drive today was through parts of the Marne and Aube that do not qualify as Champagne viticole (wine growing area), but instead grow corn and other crops. It was a very pretty drive, with very little traffic since it is illegal to drive a commercial truck on a Sunday in France.
We arrived at the estate just before 11 Am, and the temperature was already in the 70’s. Bruno explained that it is the warmest it has been in more than 60 years in the north of France, and I must admit that I was tickled to learn that it has been raining in California. Mr. Fleury greeted us, and we went immediately to learn about the unique techniques and look at the bespoke equipment that Mr. Fleury has purchased, and sometimes developed personally to cultivate his estate biodynamicaly.
Biodynamic viticulture is a complicated subject, and I was very pleased to get a chance to learn about it from one of the worlds most respected practitioners. The family estate has been growing grapes since the 1850’s, Emile Fleury (the great grandfather) was the first to plant grafted stock in the Aube in 1901 and they were also the first in the Aube to bottle their own wine in 1929. When the current generation took over in the 1970’s, the viticulture was changed to organic. By 1989, Mr. Fleury converted to bio- with the whole estate certified by Demeter in 1992- another first, this time for the whole Champagne region.
A simple explanation of the difference between biodynamic and organic is that biodynamic farming has a menu of special organic treatments and a timetable for applying them, while organic is more simply free of chemical agents. My head is still spinning from learning about the humus, silica treatments and other very dilute mineral treatments that are all applied in the vineyard with respect to the lunar calendar. It is a subject for another article.
The Fleury estate is 35 acres, and also purchases grapes from two neighbors who also work biodynamicly, for a total of 70 acres in production. They have 10 employees, 2 in the office and 8 who work both the vineyards and in the winery. I met Morganne Fleury, Mr. Fleury’s daughter who has joined the family business, in LA this February. We met at a conference of the Renaissance les Appellations; a world-wide group of wine producers who farm both organically and biodynamicaly founded by Mr. Joly from the Loire.
We then went to the cuverie to taste the 2006. Mr. Fleury described conditions very similar to the ones that Mr. Bonville described yesterday for this harvest. A drought in May, June and July was followed by welcome rain in August, the weather clearing at the end of the month to sunny but cool and windy conditions and ending with warm days in September for harvest on the 20th.
The first wine we tasted was Pinot Blanc 2006, known as Fromentau in Champagne from barrel. It was a surprising wine with a greenish color, plenty of body and a little bit of spice. This was the first time I have tasted this variety alone in Champagne- it is almost non-existent as there were no government subsidies to plant this vine after phyloxera. He uses it as a tribute to his grandfather, Robert Fleury, in a blend that also includes 1/3 Pinot Noir and 1/3 Chardonnay. We tasted the finished product, from the 2000 vintage, later on in the visit.
We also tasted the 2006 Pinot Noir from barrel. All of the wines that were fermented and aged in tank had already been bottled. The Pinot had a savory nose that reminded me very much of Beaune wine. It was quite complex for vin clair at only 6 month old and had the trademark Fleury black cherry fruit to boot.
We then tasted some finished wines, including some old vintages that I will begin negotiating (begging) to acquire for you as soon as I am done writing this report. The wines all shared full body and exceptional freshness, a rare pair of usually mutually exclusive attributes. Mr. Fleury explained that biodynamic farming produces grapes with both higher potential alcohol and higher total acidity than organic or conventionally grown grapes. The proof was in the glass…
The 2000 Robert Fleury, as I mentioned above is equal parts Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It is 80% fermented in wood and 20% in vat. It is very reminiscent of Krug, but cleaner and less toasty. It is the authority and the body of the Champagne that makes me draw the comparison… There is spiciness from the Pinot Blanc and perhaps a touch of vanilla from the oak, but the star is the texture- silky with a tight stream of tiny bubbles to match. This would be a great bottle to have with a rich fish dish.
The 1996 Fleury- his current release, was STUNNING. A blend of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay fermented in stainless steel, it measures a very high 6% total acidity even after full malolactic fermentation. The color is like dark hay and the nose reminds me of the fresh brioche that I have been treated to all too often on this trip. It also has a fruit confit element that does not detract at all from its freshness. It is INTENSE on the palate and tight as a tick at 11 years old. The surest sign of its quality was the finish, which expanded like a peacock’s tail, fanning out to become stronger after the wine had left my mouth. It would not quit! This will not be cheap or plentiful, but this is GREAT Champagne, and I will endeavor to get as much as I can.
We then tasted the 1988 and 1990 Siecle d’Or as well as the 1993, 1990 and 1988 100% Pinot Noir vintages. They were all great and fine evidence for the promise of the 1996…
We then had a great lunch- duck gizzard salad, followed by sausage andouillette, chaorce cheese in four different guises and crème Brule. Very light!
We then struck out into the vineyards, in 85 degree heat to work off our big lunch. It was fantastic! I have never seen vineyards anywhere like the Fleury estate. The village, like Brouillet, is planted to many crops besides grapes, and that in combination with Mr. Fleury’s strict methods have created a vitality that can be felt when standing between the rows. I will organize a special tasting when I get back so I can also show you all the pictures. I will say now that these vineyards are in a rude health and the contrast with his neighbors is dramatic.
Tomorrow- Charles and Piper Heidsick

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K&L Champagne buyer Gary Westby reports from his annual buying trip
April 2007
4-14-07
One important visit- Champagne Franck Bonville
It is great to get to know Epernay. On all of my other trips, I have never spent more than two nights in the same place, and I am very much enjoying having one base. I will have a greatly expanded list of good places to visit here if you happen to be planning a trip. Don’t go to Paris without dropping me a line at garywestby@klwines.com – the TGV (high speed train) has made it a 45 minute trip to Champagne.
This morning I drove to Avize to meet Mr. Olivier Bonville. The first 2 kilometers took more than half of the time of the 30 kilometer trip. I still need to learn Epernay better; it is a small, very old town with lots of one way streets and no grid… Strange for a California boy, but I am learning. I managed to arrive on time all the same.
Returning to Avize is always a treat. This village and all the villages around it are only planted to Chardonnay and all rated Grand Cru. These vineyards grow the most expensive, most sought after grapes in the region, and the Bonville family is lucky enough to own 50 acres of them. His family has owned vineyards in the region for 4 generations- property like his is now laughably expensive and almost never comes up for sale anyway.
Standing in the sun outside his caves, the heat was powerful. It reached the mid 80’s today, and these temperatures are very unusual in April for an area that is on the same line of latitude as Fargo, North Dakota. The vines have more than pushed here; they have inch long green leaves coming from the buds. Olivier explained that a week ago there was nothing- just wood. This is a nerve racking problem in the cote de blancs, the memory of the frost of 2003 is still very fresh. When I visited here then, it was not quite so warm, but very nice out side for my whole trip. After I left, April 20th crushed the area with temperatures of -6 degrees centigrade, wiping out 70% of the Chardonnay harvest in one cold night.
We then started talking about the 2006 harvest. Olivier told me that it was an odd year, with a long drought through May, June and July with unusual heat. This caused the ripening of the grapes to stop as the vines lacked the water to continue. In early August, the cotes de blancs got 14 days of much needed rain which snapped the grapes out of their heat stress. The area then was treated to sunny, cool, windy weather- perfect for gaining physiological ripeness without a quick loss of acidity. When September came, so did the heat, and the harvest began under warm, sunny skies on the 14th, finishing with the same fine conditions nine days later.
Olivier then took me to the tanks, where we tasted the vin clair that he had set aside as reserve wines. They are slated for addition to the Brut Selection that will be based on the 2007 harvest. Usually, all the vin clair would still be available to taste this time of year- it is his custom to bottle in late April, but the fermentation went so quickly and cleanly that they bottled in February. He explained that the vintage was (comparatively) low in acid, and that this contributed to the quick, clean fermentation. He was embarrassed at the PH numbers, 3.2 for the cuvee (first pressing) and 3.3 for the taille (second pressing) but said that the wine has surprising balance given the unusual statistics.
The Bonville Brut Selection is always 60% from the harvest three years before the disgorgement, 30% wine from the year before, and 10% wine from two years before. For example, when you have Bonville Brut Selection disgorged in 2010, it will be 60% 2007, 30% 2006 and 10% 2005. It was the tanks left behind for the reserve that we tasted.
The 2006 reserve wine for the brut selection is a combination of 70% Avize and 30% Oger villages, and pure Chardonnay. To my eye, it was almost clear, with a touch of green in the middle. On the nose it had sweet white flowers and on the palate a good dose of minerals, but softer than past harvest that I have tasted from tank. Olivier was right, the balance was there, but this is perhaps more for drinking on release than keeping for decades to come.
The 2005 was harder to taste, with much higher acid, a closed nose and a very incisive Chablis like finish. This was the mineral driven vin clair that I am accustomed to tasting at Bonville, and seemed like it would make a good vintage on its own with lots of staying power. It was definitely better today than on April 20th (coincidence) of last year when I first tasted it.
We then tasted the 2002 vintage, a finished Champagne which will be on our next container. It was complete, extraordinary Blanc de Blancs. It had Chassagne Montrachet like texture and drive to spare. The finish was nearly as long as the 1996. I hope the rest of the good producers deliver on the promise of this much-heralded vintage as well as the Bonvilles have. I think it is fair to compare this example with fine Blanc de Blancs from the 1990 vintage.
Tomorrow I will take my first trip to the Aube to meet Mr. Fleury. Wish me luck!
Gary Westby

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K&L Champagne buyer Gary Westby reports from his annual buying trip
April 2007
4-13-07
the Nuit...After visiting Bollinger, I returned to my hotel to do a little office work and take a break. Flipping through the book Chefs & Champagne “a la carte” by Ragnar Fredriksson (www.passionfood.com) that Kirsten Neubarth of De Meric had given me, I was struck again by the story and recipes of La Grillade Gourmande (www.lagrilladegourmande.com) on the other side of Epernay from my hotel. I had e-mailed them earlier, looking for a reservation, but got no response (France does not have the compulsive e-mail checking problem that California has) so I decided to walk over at 7:45 and see if I could get in.
I was amazed at how empty it was- but even sleepy Epernay doesn’t dine as early as we do in the states. The place was full by 9:00, with people taking the aperitif and ordering their meals. After reading Ragnar’s praise of the place, I was expecting a lot, but got more (quality & quantity) than I had imagined.
No one spoke English at La Grillade, and my French is limited in the extreme (almost non-existent) but like in any good restaurant, it was no problem. I wanted to eat and Chef Christophe Bernard and his team wanted to feed me. I took a Ratafia for the aperitif (see yesterdays blog) and ordered the big tasting menu, the Champenois. For the whole meal I was entertained by the sous chef firing meat at the big wood fired grill in dining room.
I started with an amuse bouche of escargot in a tiny pot with a satisfying garlic and butter sauce topped with a toast round. The starter was foie gras, which the server described as petite but was decidedly grand. Served with a large slice of rustic nut studded toast, a sweet onion confit and sprinkled with fleur de sel and fresh ground pepper, it was a bad idea to eat the whole thing- but I did. This and the following course were both paired with a glass of A. Bernard Blanc de Blancs from Dizy, a producer that I had never had before. Although not concentrated or flashy, it had the cut to do justice to the foie and went extremely well with the next course- scallops.
This scallop course was inspired. Three seared scallops were presented on top of a buttery bed of finely sliced and cooked green leafy veg (maybe cabbage?) and a sauce of cream and Blanc de Blancs Champagne surrounded it. Decadent! This brought more out of the A. Bernard Champagne, and at the end of this course I was full, and ready to go to the bonus rounds.
With the main course I ordered a half bottle of 2002 Louis Jadot Savigny-les-Beaune Premier Cru Les Dominodes. It was fantastic. Drinking on the money right now, it was full of the rich, savory red Pinot fruit that I wish for every time I open a Burgundy. It had depth, minerality, and a good balance of acid and tannin- which were very much needed for the not-so-petite pigeon champenois en croute. This dish was a pigeon Wellington, the de-boned bird had been smeared with foie, covered in the same buttery veg that was in the scallop course and then wrapped in buttery, flaky, fantastic pastry and baked in the oven. For balance, a large heap of local mushrooms, cooked in copious quantities of top quality butter were served along side. It was magnificent- the bird was a perfect rose and had a delicate texture and flavor to which the crispy croute played a beautiful counterpoint. I think this dish could kill someone drinking only ice tea.
For dessert, Chef Bernard prepared a giant pear poached in port served with house made and extremely intense coffee ice cream. I needed more food like I needed a whole in the head, but couldn’t help finishing it. I rolled out, happy to have a long walk in front of me, and ready for the digestif. The meal was 88 euros with wine- one of the best bargains in the region. If you go, bring an appetite or even two!
I went back to the hotel, thinking that I might have a Calvados or Armagnac to settle my stomach before bed. When I arrived, the whole staff was having a party, and they invited me to have a glass of Champagne with them. They are a young bunch here at the Ibis Epernay, and it was a lot of fun. I ended up contributing a bottle of Aspasie Blanc de Blancs to the festivities and staying for a little while. I slept very well.
This morning I returned to the cheese monger to thank them for the great cheese I wrote about yesterday. I also picked up a business card so I could pass on their info to you. It is called La Cloche a Fromage and worth a special trip to Epernay to visit if you are in the Champagne region. You can check them out at www.cheese-gourmet.com.
Today I will visit Bonville. Until later- thanks for reading!
Gary Westby

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K&L Champagne buyer Gary Westby reports from his annual buying trip
April 2007
4-13-07
Goutorbe, Goyard, Ploughman’s lunch and Bollinger
La Belle France- I am having great weather, still in the high seventies here in Champagne! The sun is shining, the vines are budding (not good- the sans glace or last frost risk is not passed until May 15th) and nobody is in the parking garage to take my money and let me out. Champagne is everything today that France should be.
I struck out from my hotel in central Epernay this morning in search of coffee and a Croissant and did not have to go more than 50 feet to find what I was looking for. I then went to an excellent cheese shop (more details later) to get some Morbier and Laguoille cheese for my lunch. An apple, knife and loaf of bread later and I was prepared to head out. After some frustration with the underground parking garage (a recurring theme in any of my European trips) I made it on time to my 9:30 AM appointment with Elisabeth Goutorbe in the Grand Cru village of Ay.
After a tour of the cellars I learned that the Goutorbe family has 50 acres of vines, including 36 acres in the Grand Cru Ay, making them one of the biggest growers on the cote de noir (black grape hill). They also own land in the premier crus of Cumieres (where Leclerc-Briant is from), Hautvillers (where Dom Perignon, the monk, not the Champagne) was from, Mutigny, Mareuil and Bissell. They don’t currently have an importer and K&L is one of three from the US courting them. I hope I made a good impression, because there wines certainly did.
We tasted the Cuvee Tradition, which is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay and 5% Meunier. It is made mostly from 2003 with about 10% reserve wines. With a great nose of fresh baked bread and black cherry pinot fruit and savory, serious palate this wine was a winner… And it was only the first in their range.
We also tasted the 2000 Special Club, a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. This wine was very dry and elusive, but absolutely packed with virile zip and Pinot concentration.
I went back to my hotel afterwards and sent Elisabeth Goutorbe an order right away. I hope we can get some of these wines! After that, I took my sack lunch to the canal next to the Marne and had a little pick nick. The Morbier was the best I ever had, with gaping wholes like Emmenthaler and a ripe stink that made me eat more than I should have. Good thing I packed an apple to counteract the calories.
I then visited Distillerie Jean Goyard, the final destination for a lot of Champagne’s grapes and wines. They distill all the declassified wine and the pommace (grape skins) to make fin (brandy) marc (grappa) and ratafia (a mix of grape juice from the region and young fin). I was there to buy Ratafia- not for K&L, but just for myself. We can’t import the stuff unfortunately! Whenever I come to Champagne I try to drink a lot of Ratafia and pack a bottle or two home with me. You can’t get it in the US to my knowledge. It is a lot like a brighter Lillet, or a more complex white port, or a stricter pineau de charentes, a perfect aperitif for when you feel like a bit more of a jolt than a glass of Champagne.
They had to fill out an invoice in triplicate, enter it into the computer, print it out and have it stamped. “It’s the law” the woman said. La Belle France. I had bought only 2 bottles at 11.15 euros a piece!
I then visited Bollinger, perhaps alone now at the top of the Grand Marques for obsessive quality. After a visit to the Vielles Vignes Francaise behind the house in Ay, we went down into the cellars. I learned that Bollinger owns a whopping 365 acres of vines, which count for 70% of their production needs. They purchase the other 30% on long term contracts. Most houses give a 3 year deal to a grower, Bollinger commits to 15.
In the cellar they work with Burgundy barrels, 225 liter jobs that they buy after 5 years of Chardonnay have gone into them down south. They have a full time cooper on staff to maintain these old barrels. The Special Cuvee is the only Champagne that they make that uses any stainless, and that is less than 50% of the blend. All the other wines (vintage, vintage rose, villes vignes francaise, RD and rouge) are fermented in barrel and aged sur-lie on a cork rather than a metal cap.
The stand out of the tasting with Bollinger was the 1996 RD- just now being released. I was in the presence of greatness, and it was very difficult to spit out. Vinous, serious and loaded with power, this wine will not suffer a fool by being sweet or easy… But what a finish being up to the challenge brings!
The 1999 Grand Anne also showed very well, with an easy sweet pinot fruit character that will win a lot of friends while the 1996 is buried in the cellar. Now I am on to dinner- at La Grillade Gourmande. Wish me luck!
Best,
Gary

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K&L Champagne buyer Gary Westby reports from his annual buying trip
April 2007
4-12-07: Goodbye Aristons, hello Arnould, Ayala, De Meric and samples back at the hotel!
This morning I woke up in Brouillet to the sound of sparrows, doves, Champagne Pigeons, and starlings. It was fresh- as they say in Champagne- 4 degrees centigrade, but the day would warm up to close to 80 farenhieght, very rare this far north this early in the year.
Remi & Paul Vincent Ariston had some rather excellent coffee together and than took a quick look at the new tanks that the Aristons had purchased.
These will allow them to better control the temperature of the fermentations- the bands around the tanks allow for water to be pumped in to cool the contents. We said our goodbyes and I drove off to the east to visit Patrick Arnould at Champagne Michel Arnould.
Arnould is located in Verzenay, the northernmost of all the Grand Cru’s of Champagne and the only one to face north away from the sun. It is the only Grand Cru vineyard that I know of that faces north in all of France, and a truly special and unique place. Thousands of years ago, a meteor hit Verzenay, depositing exotic minerals in the soil and creating the faux de Verzy an odd pygmy type forest of trees that curl back on themselves like something out of the Lord of the Rings. Some use this extraterrestrial influence as an explanation for the unlikely ripening of Pinot Noir despite the village’s unusual orientation away from the sun. Others say that warm air currents are responsible and are concerned that the new TGV (high speed train) line that bisects the bottom of the vineyards might disturb it. Nobody knows for sure what combination of factors conspire to make grapes of this village so good.
One thing is for sure, Mr. Patrick Arnould is holding up his end to get the best out of his exceptional terroir. We tasted many 2006 wines from tank and again, like at the Aristons, I was impressed. This was a huge vintage for Patrick; he produced enough wine to fill 120,000 bottles, up nearly 10% from the already generous 2005. Quantity in Champagne is not always mutually exclusive from quality, and the proof was in the tanks. Patrick described the vintage as being uncharacteristically consistent from the top of the village to the bottom (it is on the north slope of the Mountain of Reims). Usually he finds big differences in quality in any given year from the different parts of the slope.
The highlights of the 2006 tasting were two samples of Pinot Noirs; the old vines were intense and long, the younger vines open and fruity. I am vain enough to say that the old vines would be easily identifiable as Verzenay- but ridiculously hard to identify as Pinot… The young vines were the opposite; quite clearly Pinot with black cherry fruit, but less telling of their origin. This tasting confirmed what Paul Vincent Ariston had yesterday explained about vine age.
We then tasted some of his red wine.
The 2006 red (which he uses for his rose and to trade for grand cru blanc de blancs) was an interesting wine indeed. He ages it for 2 month in barrel and it tasted like ambitious Spatburgunder (German Pinot Noir) with an eerie nose of faint blackberry and an ultra dry (even astringent) mid palate impression. Global warming has not turned Verzenay into Paso Robles… yet. We then went back to the office to taste finished wines.
The current batch of Arnould Reserve that we have in stock is 2002 & 2001. The next batch will be 2003 & 2002. We tasted the new one and it is softer and less decisively Verzenay than the current one. That being said, it is still an extraordinarily charming wine that will be very easy to drink.
We then tasted the following bottle… I won’t say anything about it because I am just hoping that we get a little allocation!
Let’s just say the wine is young, but the vines were not!
I stopped at the bakery in Verzenay and grabbed a Jambon- the best lunch for those who will be eating too much in the near future. The bread, the ham and the house made mayonnaise were all to die for. Tailgating (truthfully, hatchbacking in the Renault Scenic rental) by the Marne is one of my favorite breaks from business that I treat myself to in Champagne.
I then headed south to Ay to visit the old Chateau d’Ay, home of Ayala and De Meric. At Ayala Caroline Normand and quite a few bottles were waiting for me.
We visited the caves, I learned the history of Ayala (going all the way back to 1850 and including complete destruction in the riots of 1911) and then we tasted the range above. They are one of the few grand marques championing sans dosage (no sugar added) Champagne and the two in that style were the highlights of the tasting.
The Ayala Zero Dosage is a blend of 67% Pinot Noir, 26% Chardonnay and 7% Meunier based on the 2003 harvest but also including reserve wines. It is given 30 month on the lees and then an addition 3 months on the cork. It smells like a croissant with minerality! It has excellent citrus style fruit in the mouth, and a squeaky clean finish.
The Rose Nature, the bowling pin looking bottle at the far left, is not yet released. It is all 2002, although not vintage dated and a blend of 53% Chardonnay, 39% Pinot Noir vinified white and 8% Pinot Noir red wine from Mareuil-sur-Ay. It is a very beautiful pink, with touches of copper. It has wonderful delicate strawberry aromatics and a tense, serious flavor with a long chalky finish. Many will find this to dry (it is also sans dosage), but I was making myself hungry thinking of drinking this with smoked salmon and crème freche!
My last stop of the day was only blocks away at De Meric. They are a tiny negociant which produces less than 5000 bottles a year, I feel very lucky to have an allocation to offer from them. We tasted two upcoming releases, the Cuvee Rene and the Catherine de Medicis from Magnum.
The Catherine is the same as the last batch we offered; 50/50 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and a combination of 1995 & 1996. It is dosed at only 4 grams per liter of Champagne (the limit for brut is 14!) and comes exclusively from old vine, mid slope, grand cru Ay vineyards. It is the color of white gold, has a nose of marzipan, white flowers and crushed chalk and a palate that is broad yet defined. The finish does not stop, and this is TRULY GREAT CHAMPAGNE. Having it from magnum could prove the highlight of the trip. It will be available in July.
The cuvee Renee is a tribute to Mr. Collard, who made his last vintage in 1995 and has been a close friend of De Meric’s owner, Dan Ginsburg for many years. The wine is 100% Meunier, biodynamic, grown by Francoise Bedel in Crouttes-sur-Marne, fermented in barrel without malolactic and bottled without any filtering or manipulation. This was a sans dosage preview bottling, but Kirsten promised that the actual release will be only 4 grams, like the Catherine. This was more golden than the Catherine and had an effusive spicy nose that can only be achieved with top notch Meunier. It had the power and the pears, the texture and the bead, but also had a dynamite core of scintillating acid and minerality. I will beg to get some. A picture from the spy cam off of a proposed (not final) label:
Note that “Bordeaux” refers to the color of the ink, not the origin or varietal!
I am signing off now while tasting an organic Blanc de Blancs vinified in wood from the Aube- a sample sent to me at the hotel. Please do not feel to sorry for me.
Gary Westby

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K&L Champagne buyer Gary Westby reports from his annual buying trip
April 2007
Ariston 4-11-07
My flight on air France was luckily fairly uneventful, on time and easy. The rental car was a snap and the drive (one hour) to Champagne even easier. After stopping in the town of Fismes to pick up Volvic (the only French bottled water to drink if you do not like the low mineral content of Evian etc.) and fleur de sel (the incomparable sea salt of France which I bring back every year) I went directly to my first appointment.
The village of Brouillet is in a remote part of Champagne- closest to Soissons, exactly on the “back way” from CDG airport. When I arrived, Paul Vincent Ariston greeted me and we had a glass of Rose while we caught up.
This happens to be the exact same cuvee that we have in stock at K&L now and it was delicious. It is all 2004 and a blend of 45% Pinot Noir, 45% Meunier and 10% red wine from old vine (about 45 years old) Meunier grown in the 54 Are Vineyard Le Gouttes d’Or vineyard in Brouillet. With a copper/ raspberry color, and a clean nose of delicate strawberries and marzipan this was a fine way to kick off my tasting trip to Champagne. It followed through on the palate with excellent balance and a clean, unfussy presentation. It reminded me powerfully of past cuvees of Billecart Rose that I have had.
We went on to tour the vineyards, and Paul showed me some new plantations of Meunier in the Walin vineyard that they put in after the terrible hail of June 10th 2003:
In just 10 minutes, many hectares of the Aristons vines were killed by pounding, golf ball sized hail. Paul Vincent said that he could not believe that it happened… But like many stoic farmers in the extreme north of the world, followed by commenting that it is “just the nature.”
As before, the abundance of life in his vineyards struck me. The Ariston family is not organic, but rather practices “culture raisonee”- the “thoughtful” viticulture. His children play between these vines and he is “the first consumer of Ariston Champagne” so he does not use chemicals on a regimen, but only when needed. Humidity is a problem in Brouillet, and he likes to grow grass between the rows for most of the year, but he sprays to remove it if there is too much in spring and if there is a danger of the moisture from the grass causing rot in the grapes. I saw spiders, beetles, ladybugs, bees and birds on our short vineyard tour. Many organic vineyards I have visited in Champagne do not have as much life, and I suspect it is because of monoculture… The vineyards of Brouillet are bordered by forest as well as beet, wheat and other crops. The center of Champagne is only vines and buildings.
After our vineyard tour, we tasted the 2006 vin clair, which Paul had saved for me (they bottled 3/19-3/22 in 2007) for us to taste together. His father, Remi, joined us for the degustation and I was impressed with the harvest.
Standouts included the 2006 Aspasie Brut Prestige, which is true to type with lots of ripe apples and pears, but with an underlying minerality that has not been there since 1996. This will be spectacular, but we have another 8 years to wait! Also extraordinary was the Arbanne, Petite Meslier and Chardonnay blend that the Aristons made from these ancient varieties. He calls it a “wine for squirrels” because its high acidity makes you pucker. I love good acidity (I couldn’t be the Champagne buyer if I didn’t!) and the super exotic, sweetly aromatic nose stands in stark contrast to its ultra crisp, laser beam finish. One can’t get a Champagne like this from the regular “big three” varietals.
He summarized 2006 as being productive and ripe like 2005, but with better aroma and more acidity. Comparing my notes from last year I agree. This will be a vintage year in Brouillet for sure. I can’t wait to see how others in Champagne did.
We finished off the tasting with a sneak preview of the 2002, which he disgorged on the spot for us to taste and served sans dosage (without sugar added). The 2002 is a blend of equal parts Chardonnay, Meunier and Pinot Noir from vines 10 to 30 years old. The Ariston philosophy is that the oldest vines are too consistent to highlight the characteristics of a particular harvest, and instead highlight the (much more important) terroir. This bottle certainly did tell the story of the exceptional 2002 harvest, with apple, cinnamon, brown sugar and cream aromas, a broad mid palate and a surprising amount of drive on its long finish. Definitely a richer style, but at once very refreshing.
Next, I am on to Arnould!
Gary Westby

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Mr. Ravenswood himself greeted me waist high in his pool. He had told me I might find him there as I make my way to his pool house for my stay. He said he wanted to grab some exercise before our Cru Carneros II commencement dinner/last year's taste-off (I'll explain this in more detail later). As I swerved though roses, shrubs and Oak trees, crunching over practically polished pebbles, the world suddenly opened and leapt into my lap. Atop a hill in Somona perched Joel Peterson's impeccably detailed Craftsman style home. His large lap pool and my quarters the pool house benefited from this sweeping view. So as much as I tried to look Joel in the eyes, I struggled because of the depth and longevity of his view that spread and stretched down to the tide flats. There was just too much tootin’ topography to take in on a clear day. I quickly blew the dust off my now betamax looking digital camera (clearly outdated in the age of credit card size cameras) and imagined all the gorgeous photos I could take submerged in varying light and cloud configurations.

Eventually Mr. Joel Peterson, founder and head wine-maker of Ravenswood Winery, toweled off and climbed into a fluffy maraschino cherry red robe. As he turned, I notice there were some extravagant ninja-like symbols embroidered on the back, which threw me off, indeed, as they didn't seem to match his outward middle age and even temperament. However, this excited me—character in the raw. The mystery nudged me along. For all I knew, he could be a professional Ninja star thrower, a renowned sword collector, a firecracker nut, or even a closet thigh-master junkie; the options were truly endless, but the quest for more information scorched each step I took with my heightened curiosity. Clearly in my short stint working with him, I wouldn't learn all I'd love to know about this domestic icon, but hopefully, I'd walk away with engaging stories from his past and a better understanding of wine-making from his perspective.

Within minutes Mr. Mystery Zin man appeared in saggy, faded Levi 401 jeans and leather hiking boots- He was on a mission to keep the deer from demolishing his budding balls of color, his prized roses, by applying some stinky chemical. I must say, it was nice to see a financially successful man taking an active role in his own garden. I smiled—even more character for me to chew on. From the candy red robe to earth tone leisurewear, I certainly was in store for more surprises.

After Joel’s stink patrol, he invited me up from some champagne. We sat and got acquainted, talking of his non-conformist kids, his past as a chemist, his parent's proclivity toward French wines throughout his childhood, his father’s perpetual and very advanced wine tasting groups, his wife's travels, my dogs, my past jobs (which made him tilt his head in wonder), his political and religious predispositions, and mine; needless to say, we got along famously, and so it became clear where his flair for expression came from.

Marinating in our fast friendship, we zipped off to Domain Carneros for dinner with the group and also to meet last year’s group and listen to the judge’s taste and analyze their pinots. This was a blind test, where other prominent Carneros pinots were included as well. I quickly realized I was poorly dressed for the fall chill, as such I hurried to the first mushroom heat lamp. There I began to meet some of last year’s participants. Energy and goose bumps were certainly abound, as most jogged in place, as they tasted through a sampling of Carneros wineries out on Domaine Carnernos’s luxurious patio. Soon, we were herded into a near by room for the beginning of the taste off. How did group one, Pinot envy fare against group number two, Pinot Rage. Each of these groups had a two-day behind the scenes, hands-on harvesting experience. Their wine, through the guidance of mentors to the likes of Larry Hyde and Michael Havens, was crushed, fermented, aged, and matured; and now, a year later their wine was in bottles and ready to sample. Momentum was building as this would be my fate, and shortly this year’s groups and mentors would be selected.

I was called to Joel’s group and was surrounded by eight other restaurant wine directors, sommeliers, etc. We congregated around a long dinner table and began to talk strategy. Scott Wallace and Jeff Stewart from Buena Vista accompanied us and served to be a wealth of information, as the fruit we would pick the next morning was to come from Buena Vista Ranch. They both brought samples for four different Merlot clones and wines that had been made from that clone the year before. Our first task was to decide on one clone or rather to conjure up a blend of the various clones. This was difficult, as the mind wanted to latch on to the taste of the finished wines made from LAST YEAR’S grapes, instead of relying on the taste of this year’s fruit. We had to really get a group consensus on the end result. Did we want a more lush and fruit-forward merlot, or did we want an acidic, structure, earthy merlot. Fortunately, just based on the fact that this fruit was coming from Carneros predetermined some of the overall flavor profile. Despite any of our decisions, we were dealing with a cool climate and grapes that inherently had a good amount of acidity and structure. We ended up going with a 50, 40, 10 breakdown. We all favored a more structured style, but of course keeping balance as the ultimate goal.

As a group we tackled the misty morning at Buena Vista ranch, each of equipped with a tub, gloves and a vine knife. I will report that no one left with any missing digits. It was hard for me not to be so discriminating. I was on the hunt as it were for the perfect cluster, coming from the strongest vine, with the perfect plumpness and no molding or raisining. That didn’t last long. What did last long was the incredibly sticky mud that married to my tennis shoes, by 10am the mud rose ankle high. Our handy tractor trudged along, tootin’ our grape collections until we were officially done with our first task. Next, we were off to the Ravenswood crush facility where we sample tons of different wines in various stages of fermentation. We then crushed our grapes, and began to discuss all the other decisions Joel would have to make on our behalf throughout the year. We decided on native yeasts, three punch downs a day, some initial oak chips added to mitigate the typical Carneros green-vegetal aspect that can dominate. We talked extensively about the prolific use of Oak adjunct or supplements use in today’s market. Joel talked very openly about how many like to deny the use of oak ships and other cost-cutting procedures most all employ. He told us that to make a wine that would sell for say ten dollars, you’d have to use these types of techniques, otherwise you are dealing with the cost of barrels that run up to $1,000.00 a piece. No one can make money in that respect unless the cost of the bottle is considerably higher. He agreed that the romanticism is diminished in many a mind, but that this is the competitive state of affairs. Getting back to our decisions, we agreed to employ the saignee method to create a bit more flavor concentration, and finally we agreed to use some new oak only initially then move it into neutral oak for the remainder.

The sun was schizophrenic that day. By 11am it had turtle headed out of its hovel. By noon, it was a sugared toddler, playing hide-and-go-seek, and by 1pm it was in full Jack-in-the-box mode. I felt the sun’s full assault as we concluded our Cru Carnernos II at Ceja Winery in Carneros. We all enjoyed a wonderful wine-pairing lunch outside and in the middle of Ceja’s vineyards. The sun pulled its childish pranks, local chefs were on panel discussing cuisine and ideal wine-pairings, but mostly we were focused on the food in front of us after a laborious morning’s work.

It would be a year before we’d all get to taste our group’s end result. We all exchanged cards, pats on the back and "safe travels." Ultimately, we’d just have to linger in the reality of winemaking: delayed gratification!

--Keelyn Healy

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The Judgment in Sauternes: The Best of Napa and Bordeaux Vintage 1995

That was the question posed by President-Fondateur, Francois Mauss to a special session of the Grand Jury Europeen held at Ch. Guiraud in Sauternes on September 28th. On the surface it would not seem all that difficult; but what if you took 20 of the greatest wines from Napa (actually 18 as Arrowood is from Sonoma and Ridge from the Santa Cruz Mountains) and 20 of Bordeaux finest wines along with 1 ringer, and tasted them blind from a great vintage like 1995 in both regions? The Jury, consisting of 30 or more people and was a mix of Trade Professionals, Journalist (like Anthony Hansen and Neil Becket from the UK and Joel Payne from Germany), Sommelier (like Andreas Larsson from Sweden) as well as talented amateurs (like Jim Dove from Mo. and Kevin Shin from DC.); 15-22 from continental Europe and 16 from outside Europe. The tasting would try and determine the overall quality of each wine by writing a tasting note, giving the wine a score from 0/100 and then determine if the wine was from Napa or Bordeaux. Seemingly and easy task, but in reality it was not that easy. When I finished it was quite a relief and as I wandered out into the garden for the unveiling of the wines, the facial expressions from my fellow tasters seemed to mirror a much tougher than anticipated but exciting and great tasting experience.

It was a busy week for me. I left on Monday, arrived Tuesday late afternoon at Ch. Lascombes in Margaux, wandered aimlessly thru the vineyards, chewing on the grapes and noticing the striking irregularity in the grapes and the bunches. There was a lot of shatter from grapes that were close to ripeness but had absorbed too much moisture from recent heavy rains and bunches that had been sunburned to beyond raisins from the cutting of leaves that had been done on one side of the vine, as well as signs of Botrytis. 2006 will clearly be a vintage of sever selection at every stage of the winemaking process. Certainly some very good wine will be made in 2006 as the Merlot grapes that rolled off the final sorting belt at Lascombes, and into the mystical looking tank of white fog, a result of the dry ice spray on the grapes as they headed to their cold soak pre maceration, looked almost perfect!

Wednesday was a nice visit and tasting at the impeccably run estate of Ch. Preuillac in northern St-Estephe, followed by lunch, nap and dinner. Thursday morning was a visit and tasting at Ch. Brown located in Pessac, another estate owned as is Ch. Preuillac by Jean-Christophe Mau. A light, but delicious lunch at Claude Darroze in Langon, and then it was off to the Grand tasting at exactly 4pm. By the time you are reading this, all the wines and the full scientific results from numerous angles will all be finished and posted world wide at www.grandjuryeuropeen.com. I ended up tasting 37 wines, not counting the ringer and identifying 28 correctly, here are few of my exact notes that I think you will find interesting. At an event like this you do not have to order desert as it comes to you automatically in the form of humble pie!

Listed below are my exact tasting notes, just as I wrote them down, nothing else, my guesses and results of the wines. For the tasting a total of four bottles of each wine was needed, and professional sommelier checked every one. Unfortunately there were some off bottles of three wines, and random tasters were given a taste of the good bottles. To keep everyone off balance, Cheval Blanc was in the tasting twice. The total wines I tasted were 37 and one of those was a ringer, which turned out to be wine #16. We had exactly 2 hours to complete the tasting and then it was outside in the garden for the unveiling of the wines.

#1 Very minty, lively and fragrant, the sweet middle fruit, lacks some soul in the middle and is a little short, pleasant wine, maybe Araujo? I guessed CALIFORNIA and 87/100…it was SCREAMING EAGLE

#2 Fine, high toned nose of Cassis and dark cherry, these flavors continue on the palate and hit all the right spots, long complex and sweet finishing, great Pomerol? I guessed BORDEAUX and 90/100…it was HARLAN ESTATE

#3 High toned herbal nose, medicinal smelling, lean in the middle, the finish stops, don’t care for this. I guessed BORDEAUX and 81/100 it was HAUT BRION

#4 Spicy Cabernet nose, fresh and classic, just enough sweetness, fine and elegant. Superbly balanced, just a touch short and woody on the finish. I guessed BORDEAUX 93/100 it was LAFITE ROTHSCHILD

#5 Sweet smack of fresh raspberry and red currant fruits, well balanced and not overdone in any way, very fine Ca. wine. I guessed CALIFORNIA 92/100 it was MONTELENA ESTATE

#6 Ripe, sweet herbal nose, sweet candied toned fruit on palate, hint of whiskey barrel on the finish. I guessed CALIFORNIA 88/100 it was ARAUJO

#7 Leafy nose with dried fruit aromas, dry middle fruit, high acid and quick drying finish. I guessed BORDEAUX 86/100 it was ARROWOOD RESERVE SPECIALE

#8 Restrained nose of spice and earth, the wine tightens very quickly and is short finishing. I guessed BORDEAUX 84/100 it was PETRUS

#9 Fresh and spicy nose of Cabernet with hints of maritime/ocean freshness, very strong and elegant at the same time. I guessed BORDEAUX 93/100 it was LATOUR

#10 Big, soft and ripe! Round and silky smooth, no hard edges, fine richness as well as balance. I guessed CALIFORNIA 94/100 it was LA JOTA ANNIVERSARY RESERVE

#11 Huge fruitball, BUT attractive and tasty as well as balanced, very low acid. For the waffles or pancakes? I guessed CALIFORNIA 90/100 it was SHAFER HILLSIDE

#12 Lovely pure/restrained fruit, strong wine with fine elegance, long life ahead. I guessed BORDEAUX 93/100 it was CH. PALMER

#13 Slight hints of mint, eucalyptus and wild herbs, tasty middle fruit and finely balanced. I guessed BORDEAUX 91/100 it was CH. TROTANOY

#14 Round, sweet nose with oak, deep jammy fruit, low acid, could be fresher but very nice wine. I guessed CALIFORNIA 90/100 it was MONDAVI RESERVE

#15 Big sweetness and high alcohol hit on the nose, disjointed and very dry with hints of decay. I guessed CALIFORNIA 84/100 it was HAUT-CONDISSAS

#16 Over the top nose, baskets of strawberries and boysenberries, dries out super-quick, not my style, Valendraud? Colgin? Perplexing…I guessed CALIFORNIA 85/100 it was PINGUS FROM SPAIN

#17 Perfect ripeness, sweetness and balance, lovely texture in the mouth, Wow is this Cheval Blanc? I guessed BORDEAUX and 94/100…it was ABREU

# 18 NOT TASTED—it was Ch. Margaux

#19 Very ripe, almost portlike hints, soft texture, well balanced and tasty. Low acid. I guessed CALIFORNIA 90/100 it was CH. VALANDRAUD

#20 Dried herbs with medicinal aromas? Flat out weird and short, bad sample? I guessed BORDEAUX 79/100 it was LA MISSION HAUT BRION

#21 Lively nose of Frambois, very fresh and fragrant. Very nice balance, elegant and tasty, tough call. I guessed CALIFORNIA 93/100 it was SPOTTSWOOD

#22 Very nice sweet fruit and dried herbs on the nose, dry, elegant and fresh on the palate, superbly balanced. I guessed BORDEAUX 92/100 it was SPRING MOUNTAIN

#23 Sweet candied fruit, Merlot? Straightforward, earthy and warm, a bit woody on the finish. I guessed BORDEAUX 89/100 it was CH. CHEVAL BLANC

#24 Maritime freshness jump out at you, very attractive, strong, elegant and nice and compact, fine claret! I guessed BORDEAUX 89/100 it was CH. MOUTON ROTHSCHILD

#25 NOT TASTED—it was Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill

#26 Sweet fruit of wild herbs and spice, a little chunky, tasty, sweet finish. I guessed CALIFORNIA 89/100 it was BERINGER PRIVATE RESERVE

#27 Sweet fruit with hints of anise/licorice, earth and wild herbs. Rich, sweet, with good fatness in the middle of the wine, but not overdone! I guessed CALIFORNIA 90/100 it was RIDGE MONTEBELLO

#28 Sweet, blackberry jam fruit on the nose, lush and sweet on the palate with low acidity, although it keeps its balance, very nice. I guessed CALIFORNIA 91/100 it was STAGLIN FAMILY

#29 Very herbal and quick drying wine, rather simple and short finishing. I guessed BORDEAUX 78/100 it was CH. LE BON PASTEUR

#30 Cedar box nose, very herbal and lean on the palate and the finish. Not exciting. I guessed BORDEAUX 88/100 it was DOMINUS

#31 Mint and eucalyptus aromas as well as medicinal notes, short finish. I guessed CALIFORNIA 88/100 it was PAHLMEYER

#32 Big dumb nose with broad masculine fruit, a powerful wack of drying tannins on the finish. I guessed CALIFORNIA 89/100 it was PHELPS
INSIGNIA

#33 Sweet herbal nose, with smoky hints, bright, fresh and elegant, good life ahead, very well balanced with a spicy long finish. I guessed BORDEAUX 93/100 it was Ch. AUSONE

#34 Wow, big fruit bowl aromas of guava, passion fruit, pomegranate, not my style, but on the palate it is silky, very tasty and that great taste carry’s thru the long finish. I guessed CALIFORNIA 94/100 it was COLGIN

#35 Hints of coffee and caramel, slight development, but not on the palate! Rich middle of earthy/old vine fruit, will develop for a very long time; serious Bordeaux! I guessed BORDEAUX 94/100 it was (again) CH. CHEVAL BLANC

#36 Super sweet nose of ripe cherries, wow, very complex on the palate, round and opulent, dense and intense at the same time and it all stays in balance! I guessed CALIFORNIA 95/100 it was PRIDE RESERVE

#37 Sweet mulberry fruit and decay on nose, extracted dry tannins, flabby and out of balance. I guessed BORDEAUX 80/100 it was CH. CRIOX DE LABRIE

#38 NOT TASTED- it was Le Tertre Roteboeuf

#39 Gorgeous and fragrant aromas of spicy Cabernet, finely tuned wine, strong and long, this is fantastic, long aging, classic Bordeaux! I guessed BORDEAUX 96/100 (the highest score I gave) it was CH. LEOVILLE LAS CASES

#40 Pure, intense, deep rich fruit (of sweet Merlot?) with the baby fat still around, good structure in the middle. Will be long lived, fine. I guessed BORDEAUX 95/100 it was CH. ROLLAND DE BY (by far the biggest surprise of the tasting to me, but that’s why you taste them blind)
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A few afterthoughts…

In my opinion both sides of the world showed fantastically; clearly showing that the perception of the top wines in the world are in fact just that, top shelf!

I finished the tasting with just a few minutes to spare, I had marked a couple of wines to go back and taste again, but I decided to stay put and go on the first impression and not start doubting myself. That being said and being the competitor that I am, even at 50 years of age, I must tell you that I’m still a bit pissed off that I missed a couple of these wines, because if you read my notes on #2 it screams California and conversely the “portlike hints” on wine #19 I should have identified as the “great garage wine of Valandraud”. I do not use the term “great garage wine” lightly or in jest as we have tasted hundreds of these type wines in the past and most of them smell like they will have tremendous amounts of attractive sweet fruit; until you put the wine in your mouth and your almost knocked to the ground by wood and super extracted tannins and a wine void of natural fruit and good taste. Valandraud consistently bucks that trend.

In preparation for this tasting of which I was a late invitee, (someone got very ill and I was offered the spot) I did not drink a Bordeaux wine for 2 weeks, a record for me, but I did taste a 1995 California wine every other night.

I would like to thank Francios Mauss, Bruno Finance and the GJE for the unique opportunity of judging this event; as well as the support from the ownership of K&L Wine Merchants, Paul Draper from Ridge vineyards, my good friend and customer Lee Brokaw and the well wishes from so many clients.

Please feel free to contact me with questions or advice on the wines of Bordeaux at ext#2723 or Ralph@klwines.com Cheers and Go Niners!
--Ralph Sands

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"It is a very good day. We got a new tractor and the cicadas didn't start singing until 9AM."

So began our wonderful day at Moulin de la Gardette, a small family-run estate in the Gigondas district of France's southern Rhone Valley about 45 minutes from Avignon. We spent a total of about five and a half hours with Jean Baptiste Meunier, the jovial owner and winemaker, during which time he showed us the grounds, the vines, the winery and the surrounding village before hosting us at a lovely luncheon in the town square. JC and I left with a feeling of total contentment and a conviction that if we are ever reincarnated as grapes, we'd like to be some of Moulin de la Gardette's.

The day started with a warm greeting as described above at Moulin de la Gardette's very cute tasting room on the town square. About 200 people live in the village of Gigondas (jee gon dahs) proper, with an additional 500 or so in the outlying area. So as you can imagine, the "town square" is a tiny but lively place. If you're visiting Gigondas, the square and the Gardette tasting room are terrifically easy to find. This was fortuitous for JC and me, as we've discovered that navigating in France is definitely not facile (see upcoming entry "Blonde & Blonder").

JB made us feel immediately at home, whizzing us up the nearby hill for a breathtaking view of his family's vineyards, a local ruin and, beyond, the entire Rhone Valley.

At the top of this little mountain is a circular indicator called the Belvedere Table d'Orientation instructing visitors on what can be found in the nearby countryside. Here's a pic of JC locating the Palace of the Popes in nearby Avignon, where we're staying. The giant mountain in the background is Mont Ventoux, the famed peak of this region and, apparently, a very windy place.

The first pic in this entry captures the "Mistral," the famed wind that whips through the area and temporarily took JC back to the big hair days of the 80s. It's also apparently blown some people off of Mont Ventoux to their deaths, eek!

Some more gorgeous pics of the Rhone!

After our sojourn on the windy peak we ventured into the vineyards, where we observed three different colors of soil - white, gray and orange - indicating several unique terroirs on the 9 hectare estate (about 22 acres).

The vines are a mix of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault. The most interesting was the Cinsault, a blending grape with bigger berries than the others.

They were big, indeed! They've got, conversely, weaker stems than the Grenache, leading JB to make an amusing and, I must add, very French observation that the stems are "rather feminine" while the grapes "masculine." I had to chuckle to myself at that remark.

Here's another pic of some old vine Grenache (the property has vines up to around 100 years old, planted by JB's grandfather) and a middle aged vine with a gorgeous bunch on it undergoing veraison, the conversion of the grapes from green to purplish colors.

Cicadas, the bizarre large insects that make noise by vibrating while in trees and shrubs, can be heard all around the vineyard. JB explained that they make the noise to cool themselves, and that this racket can be heard as early as 6AM sometimes. When that's the case, it's going to be a scorcher, he says. Good thing they didn't get going 'til 9 today - as it was still incredibly warm and I can't imagine what it must be like when scorching.

Random aside: while doing some follow up research on cicadas I was intrigued by the site My-bugs.com, which sells framed cicadas under the slogan, "No living room or study would be complete without one." Hmm, not so sure I agree, but whatevs - to each his own!

Cuvee de Mon Fils

Then, back in the car for a quick jaunt over to the Gardette's new winery, built just two years ago by a local architect we ran into later near the town square. The facility is small but efficient and, as you can see from the pic, quite striking against the bright blue sky. Inside we were shown the concrete fermentation vats, where only natural yeasts are used to conduct fermentation and where JB's son, Georges, fell in one time.

This is actually incredibly dangerous since fermenting grapes give off CO2 that can lead to unconsciousness and, in rare instances, death. Fortunately, Georges was salvaged and I was able to safely joke, "did you call the wine 'Cuvee de Mon Fils'?

We tasted several wines in the winery, including the recently bottled 2004 vintage of the winery's two main wines, the Cuvee Tradition (retails in the US for around $17) and the Ventabrun (about $27). Both were very good, and I found the Ventrabrum (which sees time in old oak barriques and undergoes a light filtration) particularly pleasing. 2004 was an outstanding vintage in this area, and the wine is redolent with flavors of plum and currant as well as an exciting collection of things found in the surrounding area: lavender, thyme, wildflower and sweet grass. There are also notes of cocoa, orange peel, cinnamon, flowers and licorice. Highly recommended.

We also enjoyed tasting a 1998 vintage wine JB created in honor of the birth of his daughter, Zoe. Zoe has personalized her wine with these very cute chalk drawings and signature. I told JB over lunch I think Zoe, who's learning to play the harp and enjoys philosophy, will certainly be his next winemaker. He looked reflective after I said this and simply said, "I hadn't thought of that." It'll be interesting to see what happens.

After tasting there was a smooth transition to lunch in the village courtyard, just a brief jaunt away in JB's car. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal of summer salad, tartine and a charcuterie/cheese plate along with some Moulin de la Gardette wine. The highlight of the day was JB's opening, at lunch, a really lovely bottle of his 1995 Gigondas, which was bottled unfined and unfiltered. It had a beautiful nose of nuts, figs, coffee, some gun flint and dates and had structure to go on aging for 10 or more years. Definitely a class act.

"It's a very nice place to be a grape."
I can't think of a more pleasant day than today. Jean Baptiste, who worked at famed estate Diamond Creek in the Napa Valley for some time in the 90s and is pictured here with his eldest son, put it perfectly when he described the land surrounding the village of Gigondas and his vines.

The pine trees, the rosemary and all the other things in the area contribute character to the vines and, in turn, the region's wines. "It's a very nice place to be a grape," he said on the drive back from the little mountain. I couldn't agree more.

www.moulindelagardette.com

--- Courtney Cochran, aka Your Personal Sommelier, provides personalized wine services to adventurous wine collectors, purveyors and enthusiasts, making wine accessible and fun for those who think outside the mainstream wine box. Visit her site at www.CourtneyCochran.com

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