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A Chablis tasting with Julien Brocard
As the northern most district of Burgundy, the small village of Chablis and its surrounding vineyards produce some of the most exquisite white wines in the world.
Recently, Julien Brocard of Domaine Jean Marc Brocard visited us at the store and guided us through a tasting of his wines.
Central to his winemaking philosophy is the use of organic viticulture, and allowing the proper expression of his northern latitude and chalk infused soil.
The wines he presented are some of the greatest values in white Burgundy…….
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The second wine presented was the 2011 Bourgogne Kimmeridgien, a wine from just south of Chablis, where the soils of ancient seabeds impart a mineral, saline character to this medium bodied, clean white Burgundy. The third wine presented was a 2011 Petit Chablis, which is a sub appellation in Chablis. Here, the limestone soils produce a crisp, refreshing white that tends to be a bit fruitier that Chablis.
Next up was the 2011 Domaine Ste. Claire Chablis, a white from the village of Prehy. Here, the wine has the crunch of minerality that makes Chablis famous, with aromas and flavors of citrus. The wine is very clean and fresh, yet also round and savory. It sees no wood.
A big step up in volume are the two Premier Cru Chablis, the first a 2011 Vau de Vey. This very steep vineyard produces a remarkably mineral nose, with white flower aromas and a long finish. Here, the grapes are completely organic, and fermentation completely natural. A personal favorite. The second Premier Cru was the 2010 Valorent, a subsection of the great Fourchaume site. Almost grand cru weight here, this wine is richer, with a savory mouth feel, and a toasty-ness that is long and satisfying.
We finished up with a 2008 Bougros, the one Grand Cru of the night. Here, we taste Chablis in its full intensity; present are the chalk and saline flavors of the soil, aromas of white fruits, along with great extract, with a long finish that needs time to open up. As is tradition, this wine is reared in large old oak vats that add to the complexity of the fruit. All in all, it was a great evening, as we rediscover the greatness and value of the wines of Chablis and of Brocard!
Author: Ian Reilly
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Spanish Value
We recently tasted out a wine from Terra Alta Spain. As is the case with many wines from the area, it is a great value. From Agricola Josep, the wine is Vi Blanc Clot d’Encis, a Grenache Blanc based white that is crisp, you round and a perfect substitute for those sour cheap Pinot Grigio
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Author: Ian Reilly
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Hermitage, The Forgotten (and affordable) “Grand Cru”
Looking back over the centuries, there are a handful of wines that have been consistently considered the finest both by aficionados and the market. Some of these wines are very familiar: Haut Brion, Lafite, Montrachet, and Romanee. Of course, these wines now are a fortune, but still represent the very finest. Unfortunately for most of us, such market reaction has made it impossible to try the best wines of certain categories. In this case Burgundy and Bordeaux.
Luckily, there are two other wines that have stood the test of time as the best in their class: Hermitage and Scharzhofberger.
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Made in both white and Red, Hermitage vineyards are on the perilously steep slopes above the Rhone River. The reds are powerful, full bodied and age worthy. These high latitude vineyards offer the greatest expression to the commonly misunderstood varietal of Syrah. In its true home of a long, warm growing season with no irrigation and cool fall winds, Hermitage produces Syrah of incredible depth. It offers a rich, cranberry and white pepper confit when young, and with proper cellaring, develops complexity and elegance to rival the finest Burgundy. Hermitage is a small appellation, with many small producers, each with their own take on the terroir.
The good news for wine lovers is that there still are examples of great Hermitage Rouge that are not priced at 500 or 1000.00 a bottle like the best of Burgundy or Bordeaux. Of course, the wines are not ten dollars, but where else can one find a historic standard bearer of quality that does not require a mortgage to purchase?
These wines deserve a place in your cellar.
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Author: Ian Reilly
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2008 Brunello di Montalcino Preview
I recently had a chance to try some great 2008 Brunello di Montalcino, wines which will be arriving later this year. The 2008 vintage in most of Tuscany does not have the full blown ripeness of 2007 or 2010, but as I found out, this works perfectly well in Montalcino. In particular, the wines of San Filippo show incredible balance and pure Sangiovese Grosso fruit that was lacking in so many 2007′s. So many growers decided to “go with” the vintage and turned away from the pursuit of extract and oak, and instead seek the perfume and balanced that had made Brunello famous as the purest expression of noble Sangiovese on its native soil.
These will definitely be wines for the purist, and in a most positive way: they are complete, delicious Brunello that will surely be singing with a few years of bottle age and be drunk with great pleasure while you wait for the blockbuster vintages to come around. And who knows, perhaps some famed reviewers will fall in love and catch those sleeping by surprise. Don’t miss out!
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Author: Ian Reilly
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Albert Mann Pinot Blanc: Burgundy relief
Tired of light, boring Italian whites? Want a flavorful white that is ripe and round, yet does not break the bank? Try the wines of Alsace, and in particular, Pinot Blanc. Sort of the Chardonnay of the north, Pinot blanc offers balanced, dry whites that do not overwhelm food or the palate. The wines are round, yet not heavy or buttery, and the best we have tried are those from Domaine Albert Mann
Given a three-star rating in The Classement by Revue du Vin de France, Domaine Albert Mann is now heralded the world over. They use the best organic methods, Domaine Albert Mann is guided by biodynamic practices, with carefully controlled yields to obtain grapes of elevated maturity with rich and complex substance. These superb grapes are then transformed in a chais of gleaming stainless steel, conceived in the style of an American winery, which allows the production of wines that are clean and pure and where often the initial rich constitution of the grapes comes to light.
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Author: Ian Reilly
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2010 Bordeaux Tasting
2010 Bordeaux Tasting
We at Post were at the Union des Grands Crus tasting in New York City. The top chateaux along with their owners and winemakers were in attendance. From Pauillac to Sauternes, this is the most luxurious tasting of the season. To paraphrase importer Robert Chadderdon, you always love Burgundy, but Bordeaux is for grown ups.
As many of you might have read, 2010 is a great vintage, but more tannic than the 2009s. Largely, this is true, but I still found many opulent, round wines that show great potential and will not be overwhelmed by tannins.
2010 seems to be a little more varied than the 2009s. Pomerol, St. Emilion, Margaux, and St. Julien were amongst the strongest communes. The wines were balanced, with ripe, chewy tannins and great extract. The Pomerols were superb.
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The Whites from Pessac Leognan were not as stunning as the 09s, and the Sauternes and Barsacs were great (Climens and La Tour Blanche) but not up to 09 standards. The prices of all the famous properties are indeed high, but so are all the famous wines of the world. Here is where Bordeaux is for grown ups: the names we all know cost money, and the estates we don’t are tremendous bargains, sut we must be able to buy great sites and producers, and break away from the “brands” that are on the magazine covers to enjoy Bordeaux without breaking the bank.
This tasting proves more than ever the necessity for this. No other wine region produces Cabernet and Merlot based wines with such a balance of fruit and chewy vibrant tannins. Bordeaux is big, but never heavy or syrupy. It is tannic when young, but never thin.
My advice? Find a new name from a great site and keep buying Bordeaux!
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Author: Ian Reilly
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A Rising Star in Burgundy
Maison Alex Gambal
Once you have truly fine Burgundy of any Cru, you are hooked. The history, the countryside, and more than anything else, the balance and purity of Red and White Burgundy reveal how there is no better place for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to be grown.
Alex Gambal is just such a person. He left America and his real estate business to indulge his dream of not only drinking, but creating Burgundy.
He set up a winery where he buys grapes, and also owns certain property. His goal is to make wine in a traditional fashion, using native yeasts and all natural practices. He regularly de-stems his Pinot Noir as was the practice of the likes of Henri Jayer.
The resulting wines are delicious, perfectly balanced wines that are to be savored.
Alex is certainly a rising star.
Author: Ian Reilly
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