France and Spain
October 17, 2009Saturday 4:00pm until 7:00pm (or until it's gone)
$5 per person
2005 Domaine Luneau-Papin Clos de Allees Muscadet $14.95
France, LoirePierre et Monique Luneau-Papin heads this 30-hectare estate in Le Landreau, in the heart of Muscadet country, where small hamlets dot a landscape of vineyards on low hills. Their estate, also known as Domaine Pierre de la Grange, has been in existence since the early 18th century when it was already planted with Melon de Bourgogne, the Muscadet varietal. Pierre and Monique are the eighth generation of winemakers in the family. Pierre is a genial, low-key, distracted professor type. He's the winemaker and vineyard work supervisor. His wife Monique, lively, energetic and equally genial, is the business manager.
Muscadet is an area where, unfortunately, a lot of undistinguished bulk wine is produced. Because of the size of their estate, and of the privileged terroir of the villages of Le Landreau, Vallet and La Chapelle Heulin, the Luneau family has opted for producing smaller cuvées from their several plots, which are always vinified separately so as to reflect their terroir's particular character. The soil is mainly mica schist and gneiss, some plots are a mix of silica, volcanic rocks and schist. The estate has a high proportion of old vines, 40 years old on average, up to 65 years of age.
The harvest is done by hand, also a rarity in the region, to avoid any oxidation before pressing. There is an immediate light débourbage (separation of juice from gross lees), then a 4-week fermentation at 68 degrees, followed by 6 months of aging in stainless-steel vats on fine lees. This is the classic Muscadet-sur-lie process, where the wine is kept on its lees, with a fair amount of CO2 as protection, until bottling in the spring following the harvest. The only modern technique used here is macération pelliculaire (maceration of lightly crushed berries before pressing), which varies in proportion according to the cuvées.
The Clos des Allées, with its intense, herbal nose, has a spicy character, strong structure and chewy fruit.
2008 Grand Veneur, Côtes du Rhône "Blanc de Viognier" $19.95
France, Rhone100% Viognier
Soil: clay/sand with limestone.
Yield: 38 Hl / hectare
Hand-picked harvest. Vinification in stainless steel vats at a controlled temperature of 18°C.
Bottled early, 6 months after the harvest.
A golden yellow, clear and brilliant color.
A very intense nose of flowers and fruit. Aromas of violet, peach and apricot. The palate is smooth and rich with a very good length.
Wine Advocate (June 09), 90 points: "100% Viognier, Super-fresh notes of honeysuckle, apricot marmalade, and melons jump from the glass of this medium-bodied, dry, crisp, refreshing white. There is even some underlying minerality. It's a shame we can't find California Viogniers at this quality level and price point."
2008 Clos Du Caillou Cotes Du Rhone $18.45
France, RhoneThe property came in possession of the Pouizin family in 1956. Until 1996 the property was run by Claude Pouizin, who until 1993 sold most of his yield to negociants. In 1996 his daughter Sylvie and son-in-law Jean-Denis Vacherons came in charge and the quality of the wines from property rapidly went up. Wine experts especially from USA discovered the new style of the wines and prices and export rose quickly. In the spring 2002 Jean-Denis Vacherons was killed in a traffic accident. Today Sylvie runs the property. She gets help from clever people as the wine maker Bruno Gaspard and the oenolog Philippe Cambie and the quality of the wines are thus in safe hands.
The property has only 9 ha. AOC Chateauneuf du Pape, by which 1 ha. is planted with white varieties. From the reputation of the domain you might think it had some more ha.
The domain makes good Cotes du Rhone from 44 ha. Cotes du Rhone Bouquet des Garrigues comes from fields just outside the border of AOC Chateauneuf du Pape. Furthermore is produced a very good Cotes du Rhone Villages. These exceptional Cotes du Rhones are made from fields, which could have been inside the border of AOC Chateauneuf du Pape if the owner at the time of the creation of the appellation had been co-operative with the authorities.
A blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Counoise. Dark red, with pure red fruits crawling out of the glass. A hint of spice is met with waves of red fruit. The bright impression keeps it fresh for the supposedly 'basic' wine quite good!
2007 Bodegas Volver Tempranillo La Mancha $16.95
Spain, La ManchaThe Spanish enologist, Rafael Cañizares seeks to achieve the maximum expression of the Tempranillo grape grown in the environment. This winery is located in the best terroir of La Mancha found in the eastern region of the Denomination of Origin. The soil is the reason that the winery committed themselves to purchasing 228 acres of vineyards with an average age of 40 years. The sandy soils (up to 1 meter in depth) has an underlayment of large river stones.
90 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "An alluring aromatic array of pain grille, smoke, violets, black cherry, and blackberry that jumps from the glass. On the palate it is medium- to full-bodied with gobs of ripe fruit, succulent flavors, soft tannins, and excellent balance."
90 Points from Wine Spectator: "This muscular red shows beef and iron notes, with plum and prune fruit in a thick texture. A bit blunt, but distinctive, with enough acidity to keep it all lively. Tempranillo. Drink now through 2014" -T.M.
