First to the Baudry wines from Chinon: I tasted them first blind, in a lineup of Loire reds. The 2005 “domaine” (under $20; find this wine) is tight, concentrated and serious with a great balance of dark fruits, acidity and cab franc tannin. I poured it later to my NYU class where the reception was mixed but definitely favorable. It probably needs some cellar time…

The Baudry Les Grezeaux (find this wine) is another solid offering that, back in the blind tasting, had a great degree of seriousness and poise. But even better was the Le Clos Guillot (find this wine), a serious and age-worthy wine with great integration of the dark fruits, acidity, minerality and tannins.

The Puzelat “vin de table” wines (find these wines) are not allowed to state the vintage but they are probably 2006. They are easier drinking, with bright fruit and higher acidity and totally rewarding under $20 wines. Try with chevre.

The Catherine & Pierre Breton 2005 Chinon (find this wine) is also tasting great right now–so great, it’s one of those “there must be a hole in it because how else could it be empty so fast” kinda great.

The reason for these speed reviews today was at the suggestion of Garyvee, who holds the rotating chair for Wine Blogging Wednesday this month and picked the excellent theme. Since he is a video blogger, I’m not sure how he will do a customary round-up but you can always check the WBW site for the latest.

Also of note: Eric Asimov did his own Chinon shuffle recently.

The wine: Paitin, Serra Boella, Barbera d’Alba, 2006 $20. (find this wine)

My seven words, in alphabetical order!

Acidity, berry, cherry, delicious, earthy, food-friendly, gonzo!

Rosenblum sold to furriners!
“Diageo buys Rosenblum for £53m” read the headline in the Financial Times. Why the foreign coverage of a California winery acquisition? Oh yes, Diageo is a drinks multinational based in Britain. With the US dollar tanking, are foreign buyers going to start snapping up American wineries almost as fast as Manhattan pieds-à-terre? Who’s next: Jackson Family? Trinchero? In the case of Rosenblum, let’s hope this reliable producer of zinfandel will continue pumping out the good value vino. [FT.com]

Chew on this
“…if Americans were to reduce meat consumption by just 20 percent it would be as if we all switched from a standard sedan — a Camry, say — to the ultra-efficient Prius.” The meat-guzzler, love it. [NY Times]

Vino Italiano
The next Wine Blogging Wednesday theme has been announced: review an Italian red in seven words. Since having a good picture might help stretch that to 1,007, check out this month’s host and his tips on how to take better pictures of wine bottles. [Spitoon]

Design for wine
Yes, your design could win you free wine in the WBW logo contest, now underway. [WBW.org]

Four questions with…Dr. Vino!
I spoke with Paul Berger and gave him a few tips for NYC wine geeks. [NY Metro]

That gave me a chance to try the excellent Domaine Francois Mikulski Aligoté 2005 (about $17, find this wine). This grape, Chardonnay’s poor cousin in the area, has traditionally had crème de cassis dumped all over it in the regional aperitif, Kir (but hey, its not such a bad fate since the Kir Royale reserves that place for Champagne.)

This Aligote has an extremely alluring flavor profile that resembles a cross between the zip of sauvignon blanc and the stony minerality of a Chablis. I poured it for one of my classes at NYU and people were flipping for it. I think sales of Aligoté just tripled.

BREAKING: Turns out that this Mikulski Bourgogne Aligoté is from Meursault in the Cotes de Beaune. Oops! Well, it is still “silver” insofar as it is not Chardonnay. If Neil is being literal, then I recently enjoyed the Génot-Boulanger 2005 Mercurey 1er Cru Les Saumonts (find this wine) for $23. It had pretty red berry fruit with good acidity and a dollop of Burgundian terroir. A good way to play the ridiculously priced 2005 vintage in Burgundy.

The result was a terrific listing of many unheralded yet rewarding wines. Tannat, for example, featured prominently with no few than four bloggers tasting this burly red grape and three of them tasting it both from its native France and comparing it with versions from Uruguay. Bloggers explored many remote corers of Italy, the country that produced the most tasting notes. Even the good old USA got some grapes written up, though only one Norton and assorted hybrids and clones developed to become indigenous.

Bonus points were awarded to those bloggers who dared to compare–two versions of the grape, from the homeland and a new home. The bonus points committee also rewarded bloggers who were able to try the grape in its growing area since, they too, were going native.

Without further ado, let’s go to the roundup!

Bonus points:

Steve De Long tasted three versions of verdelho, one from the homeland of Madeira and two dry versions from France and Australia. Click through to find out which one got five stars! [De Long Wine]

Grazza, a sommelier at an English Michelin-starred restaurant, blogs about the Paso Senorans albarino from Galicia, which he calls “a really classy example of the grape.” Then he came back the next day to add a write-up of the biodynamic, Verdad Ibarra-Young Vineyard 2002, saying “I LOVE this wine – so much awsum.” [Tales of a sommelier]

Joe from Montreal tastes doubles down on tannat: Uruguay-France (specifically, 2002 Bodegas Carrau “AMAT” vs 2001 Chateau D’Aydie). Click through to see which one was made him say “mmmm, THIS is Tannat.” [Joe's wine]

Andrew Hwang also traversed the tannat axis, trying two different wines than Joe, the 2001 Château de Perron and 2000 Los Cerros De San Juan Cuna de Piedra Oak Reserve. Click through to see which was still tasting better after three days. [Rouge and Blanc]

Tannat trifecta! Markus at Weingolb also rides the France-Uruguay tannat train. He tastes the Torus Madiran 2004 (France) and the Domaine Monte de Luz Tannat 2005. Which one had “elegance” and which was “rough hewn”? Click to find out. And major props to him for pointing out that tannat is a palindrome. [Weingolb]

[We interrupt programing to reveal that in the above face-offs, France and Uruguay had a record of 1-1-1. Clearly more such taste-offs are needed!]

Doug at Nobly Rotten does the tocai two-fer: Livio Felluga versus Millbrook! He wanted to try the grape because he’d never tried it before and because it is now an endangered species going by tocai at least, after recent EU reforms. [Nobly Rotten]

Bob Gregg really threw himself into the assignment trying nine wines from unusual grapes in Quebec (some indigenous), where he was visiting. Fortunately the indigenous grapes didn’t ruin his vacation. Thanks for the great effort, Bob! [BobGregg]

Living in Spain (Catalunya), Ryan and Gabriella found this WBW assignment to be a piece of cake given the abundant local grapes. They climbed the wall (almost) in Priorat at Torres and tried the rare “Grans Muralles,” a blend of five grapes, Monastrell, Garnacha Tinta, Garró, Samsó and Cariñena. How many purple dots did they give the wine? Click through to find out. (And to find out your assignment of WBW #38) [Catavino]

Mariëlla Beukers from Holland blogs (in English!) about visiting Thierry Navarre in the Languedoc who makes a wine from ribeyrenc–wow, off-the-beaten-path! (and called a “Cépage oublié du Languedoc”) [Wijnkroniken]

Peter May from South Africa goes local with a 2001 Pinotage from Rijk’s in Tulbagh, where he recommends having lunch! [The Pinotage Club]

Tim set out to try local hybrids in his native Minnesota, but spared us the reviews after they failed to impress. But he landed on his feet with a Roussanne, his current fetish, that he gives four stars and calls “a steal.” He’s the last in the bonus round since at least he tried to go native at home. [Winecast]

McDuff writes up a Mansois aka Fer Servadou from the tiny AOC of Marcillac in Southwest France and finds two examples fro Domaine Cros, including the vielles vignes. His extremely informative post has a picture of winery, a map and two tasting notes. For this comparative approach, McDuff hereby receives bonus points! [McDuff's Food & Wine Trail]

First-timer and indigenous Italian, Andrea Gori, Trebbiano IGT Toscana 2003 from Tenuta di Capezzana. He says “something really different from international taste.” He had it at a resto in the region! [Vino da Burde]

Dezel, who covers Virginia wines and wineries extensively on his blog, tried the Horton Vineyards Norton 2003 in his and its element, Viriginia. He says, “for $12, you may just find a new grape to fall in love with!” [Virginia Vine Spot]

John tries two wines from France and America that aren’t the same variety–but, hey, the bonus point committee decided to give him da points for trying. One of the wines is made from Symphony after all! The other Picpoul de pinet. [Cork Dork]

Minette tries two wines from Pinotage in her native South Africa and compares them to rugby players in the current Rugby World Cup! [Winefly]

And other contributions:

David Baer took on the WBW theme with great enthusiasm, loading his luggage with many bottles of wine as “homework.” His week-long trip to NH includes drinking Movia Ribolla Gialla and a Jean-Claude Masson jacquere from Savoie, which he described as “texturally rich, and a real sense of alpine air about it.” Boston restos included. [Winebaer]

Neil, the Brooklynguy, tries three different chenins blancs, all from Domaine Closel in Savennieres. The 05 Clos du papillion was the winner, but what did he think about the 1995? Click through to find out. [Brooklynguy]

JB, a frequent commenter on this site, ventured to France for a sparkling rose, though not from Champagne! She tried the Bugey Cerdon Rosé made from Gamay and Poulsard. Sounds like fun–she loved the pinkyness. [Domaine 547]

First-timer, Gen, tries a “Low Yield Roussanne” and Lledoner Pelut 2003 and both get a thumbs up. [Gare aux gouts]

Alice Feiring joined the WBW fray for the first time–welcome, Alice! She goes the extra mile (or staircase?) in trying a Schiava from Georg Mumelter in Alto Adige, what sounds like an incredible value for $14. [Alice Feiring]

Alder Yarrow gets sent to Purgatory for eating eels drowned in Vernaccia. Oh no, wait, that was a Pope in Dante’s Inferno. Alder, who’s getting into the indigenous whites of Italy, tried the 2006 Vincenzo Cesani Vernaccia di San Gimignano from Tuscany. [Vinography]

Gabrio, another newcomer, tries the Ligurian Pigato, U’ Baccan from Bruna. Is this a Bruce Springsteen grape? It’s known in the local dialect as The Boss! He calls it “a white with strong character.” The Boss, indeed. [De Vino]

Tim at Cheap Wine Ratings chose to write about Negroamaro, a variety indigenous to Italy. He tried two different examples of Negroamaro, one pure and one blended with Malvasia Nera. [Cheap Wine Ratings]

Sonadora visited a new local shop (yay, shades of WBW #18!) and got the 2003 Duca Carlo Guarini Piutri Negromara Salento. She liked it so much she was glad she wasn’t able to find any Norton from her native Virginia. [Wannabe Wino]

Jack and Joanne try a Lagrein, the Porphyr, from Alto Adige made by the cooperative Kellerei Cantina Terlano. Jack calls it “the second best lagrein” he’s ever had (and, yes, he’s had more than two). [Fork & Bottle]

Catherine tries a Teroldigo Rotaliano from the North of Italy that she calls “absolutely delicious,” adding, “What a discovery! I love being off the beaten track.” Right on, Catherine! [Purple Liquid]

Marta dove into barbera for the first time, tackling the Costa di Bussia Arcapla Langhe, Vietti Barbera d’Asti Tre Vigne, and the Castelvero Piedmont Barbera, all under $20. [Marta Strickland]

Bryan took the Piedmont plunge as well, trying the 2004 Caranti Cascina Garitina Barbera d’Asti and the 2002 Monchiero Carbone Regret Langhe. [Vinilicious]

Wine Scamp tried a Cannonau di Sardegna, thinking it was native. Then she found out it’s actually grenache from Spain. No matter! She loved the Argiolas anyway. [Wine Scamp]

Jules, a new dad from New Zealand, tries the 1998 Dessilani Nebbiolo from Piedmont, a grape variety he las relatively little experience with since they are hard to find down under. His reaction: “Wow!” [The Wine Wanker

Serge tries a Nero d'Avola from Sicily, the Morgante 2005. [Serge the Concierge]

Huevos con vino enjoyed a the tongue twister that is the Godeval Godello 2005 from Galicia! [Huevos con vino]

Edward tried the 2003 Roda Reserve from Rioja, which is a tempranillo-based blend. [WinoSapien]

Deb from Good Wines Under $20 tastes the value Cristalino cava, with three native grape varieties, though none on the label. [GWU$20]

Erika Strum tastes a still xarel.lo, a component of cava, from Alert i Noya [StrumErika]

Wilf tried a dry Tinta Barocca from South Africa where it is “practically considered indigenous.” [Wilf's wine blog]

Jens tastes a Chateau Musar blanc from 1998, writing, “it doesn’t get much more indigenous than this.” [Cincinnati wine warehouse]

Richard A. goes with a tannat from Uruguay, the 2002 Vinedos de los Vientos Tannat ($23). He liked. Too bad that he didn’t also go for the tannat two-fer especially after admitting the grape is from France! [A passionate foodie]

Jeff, Indy resident, ended up trying two hybrid wines from Stone Hill winery in Missouri and writes that one is in the “Midwestern semi-sweet style”–is that a new term for labels, Jeff? [Goodgrape]

Michelle and hub wanted to go American so they chose a Charbonel from Simmons Winery in Indiana. They rated it a smiley face. [wine-girl.net]

NYCwinenotes tries a Touriga Nacional, bargain variety, from the Dao. While he liked the idea of exploration, the wine left something to be desired. [NYCwinenotes]

Lenn goes hybrid (without a Prius) by drinking the 2006 Keuka Village White from Ravines Wine Cellars in NY’s Finger Lakes area. He calls the wine “absolutely balanced, fresh and delicious”–and at $12, that would be a steal! [Lenndevours]

Lia writes about Sonoma chardonnay (whoops, violating the rule to avoid the “big six”) but she makes it a clone 4 and writes about its cultivation. Sadly, no tasting note! [Swirling Notions]

Lauren walked over to Harlem Vintage from Columbia and found the 2006 Craftsman Kiralyleanyka (Hungary, $9.99). She liked! [Walling Road]

Dave had fun with photoshop (he also did a nice mashup for this WBW) and they have another one with Stalin for their detailed write-up of Saperavi Mukuzani from Georgia. [Avenue Vine]

Paul Arthur made a sentimental choice writing up the Boutari Moschofilero 2006, since this is his first WBW and Moschofilero was the first wine he ever remembers having. [Flowerysong]

Kathleen goes with another NY wine, the Traminette, from Goose Watch Winery in Romulus, NY. She tried it with her club and liked the aromas. [Kathleen at Mayspace]

ChateauBrys also tried a pinotage the Tukulu 2001, which they describe as “intense.” [ChateauBrys]

Wine for Newbies has a podcast of their contribution–click thru to listen! [WfN]

Sure Courtney choses two wines from her native New Zealand made from “Flora,” which, by her own admission, is not indigenous but off-the-beaten path. [Sue Courtney]

Carol tries a carmenere from Chile, which, by her own admission, is not indigenous to Chile. [CelebrateWine]

Marissa tried a xinmovaro from Greece, though it was blended with merlot and syrah. [D'Vari]

Finally, I tried a Touriga Nacional–in fact three of them–in situ, the Douro! I thought two of them were excellent. [Dr. Vino]

(image)

When I attended a tasting last fall in New York and tried a serious wine from the Douro, I inquired as to the the grape variety.

“Field blend,” came the reply.

I laughed. What’s this “field blend” stuff? Can’t these Portuguese keep track of which grape vines they have in their vineyards? Well, after my trip to the region last week, I learned there’s a method to the apparent madness: many of the oldest vineyards were intentionally planted with a row of this and a row of that to be harvested at the same time and go into port. Table wine producers have tended to keep that same old vineyard blending to make lovable mongrel blends instead of purebreds, single varieties of the New World. Hey, if it works in Chateauneuf, why not elsewhere?

In planting new vineyards, some vineyard owners aim to repeat the traditional “field blend” approach of co-mingling varieties in the vineyard while others take a single vineyard, single variety approach. Thus many of the single vineyard wines from the region tend to be from newer vineyards.

The grape variety touriga comes in various forms in the region but none seems more prevalent than Touriga Nacional–it’s “national” for crying out loud! (It may have actually originated in the Dao Valley to the south of the Douro.)

In a few tastings of the grape, I found it to have wonderful aromatic intensity, particularly of violets. It tends to have a big attack, sometimes tannic and a long finish, but the mid-palate seemed hollow on occasion–maybe that’s why it’s traditionally a blender.

Anyway, at Quinta do Vallado, I tried the 2005 Touriga Nacional, from vines less than 10 years old. Great aromas of chocolate, cherry and violets made the nose alluring–on the palate the tannins were grippy and the wine could do with some more bottle age, which is exactly what it will get since it is not here in the US market yet. (find this wine)

Moving up the quality scale, I tasted the Quinta do Crasto 04 and 05 versions of the Touriga Nacional. Manuel Lobo, winemaker with Australian Dominic Morris, said that if the the best quality touriga gets bottled as a varietal wine while the rest goes into the reserva blend (there have been only five varietal bottlings since 1995). The 2004 again had great aromas of blackcurrants and violets with an herbal note and faint chocolate with lots of depth. It’s available now but tips the scales at $70 (find this wine). The 05 was equally impressive though the oak presence was stronger, perhaps because it was bottled more recently. (find this wine)

While these were very good examples of the grape and I’m pleased to have had the experience, my favorite wines from the region remained the blends. Maybe that old field blend that I laughed about last fall isn’t such a bad thing after all.

This is my contribution for Wine Blogging Wednesday #37 – “go native.” Check this site in a couple of days for the complete roundup from around the blogosphere.

That’s right, I’ve chosen the theme of indigenous grape varieties for this month’s theme. So you still have a week left to select, drink and write a brief tasting note about your wine made from an indigenous grape variety. Bonus points are available for those who drink said wine actually IN the region and even more bonus points can be yours if you do a comparison between old and new. The “big six” grape varieties are banned. Get the whole scoop in the original announcement.

So what are you waiting for? Get your agioritiko into gear!

See more about Wine Blogging Wednesday

Italy alone claims to have 2,000 of them. Spain has many, Portugal maybe even more. Greece is a hotbed of all things ancient, including some grape varieties that are coming back. And even the good ol’ USA has Norton and Scuppernong!

So here is your assignment, should you chose to accept it: sometime between now and September 12, pick a wine made from a grape variety that comes from a place it might call home. Taste it and write up a tasting note (our translators are standing by for foreign language contributions!) on your blog on that day mentioning your involvement in WBW and linking here if you choose. If you don’t have a blog but would still like to participate, then feel free to email me your notes. Then I will round up all the posts and notes, linking back to you, and we will have a giant list of wines from off the beaten path that are hopefully fun and delicious.

Some suggestions, prohibitions and outrageous bonus points opportunities:

France is the homeland to many grapes, so if you decide to venture there, skip the big six grapes (Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Pinot Noir) since we’re trying new stuff. That still leaves plenty of things to try from la belle France.

There are many resources available to find out more about grape varieties. Appellation America has a witty, pictorial guide. Steve De Long has his beautiful Wine Grape Varietal Table (for a quick and dirty list, check his Wine Century Club form). And with a regional focus, the current issue of Food & Wine has a story by Ray Isle on “12 (Italian) grapes that are essential to know.” Feel free to post links to more resources in the comments.

Major bonus points will be given for either of two things. First, to anyone who drinks said wine IN the place where it is grown. Second, if you pair a grape from two growing areas including the ancestral home AND a new home (e.g. malbec from Cahors and Mendoza) you will win even bigger bonus points. Just what these bonus points accumulate to has not been decided and, like airline miles, they are susceptible to devaluation at any time. (Bonus points will probably be some form of additional bolding, gold stars and heaps of respect and admiration.)

So happy tasting and I look forward to your notes on September 12!

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But is it new in the Old World? In Chablis and various parts of Burgundy, the chardonnay grape often sees little oak. So when Lenn, the grandpappy of Wine Blogging Wednesday, assigned us unoaked chardonnay for this 36th, anniversary edition, my thoughts turned to Chablis. But which of them is made totally without oak as opposed to simply old, neutral oak?

I’m not sure about that, but I managed to find one that is fermented in stainless steel: Drouhin Chablis 2006, about $17 (find this wine). The resulting wine is lean and light, with good acidity, notes of lemon, lanolin and minerality with a retrograde 12.5% alcohol. It’s a very pleasant for summer wine.

Head on over to Lenndevours.com for a roundup of unoaked chardonnays from other participants in this edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday.

True enough. Virtually all wine bought in American gets uncorked (or uscrewed) within a very short time after purchase. And at no price point is that more true than under $10 wines. So for today’s Wine Blogging Wednesday assignment of finding a Spanish wine under $10, I thought I’d try the impossible: an under $10 wine with some age.

I dug around the Dr. Vino cave, and came across a bottle of the Castano, Hecula, 2002. Since I bought it for $7 about three years ago, I had low expectations that the wine would still even be good. But it was a Tuesday night, so what the hey.

Wow, was it good, perhaps the most rewarding under $10 wine I’ve had in a long time. Alluring notes of grilled meat drippings, leather and tobacco permeated the aroma and the wine actually had an attack, a midpalate, and a lingering finish. While five years of age is just warming up for most more expensive and age-worthy wines, this under $10 wine may have been particularly long lived because of the grape variety, monastrell, aka mourvedre in the south of France. In a tasting last fall of this big red grape, I found that I preferred the wines with some age on them to blow off some of the gamey, animale character.

The sad news about this wine is that it was my last bottle. A quick price check showed only a few vendors with it available, and now they want $14, double what I paid for it three years ago. A sign of the times, for popular Spanish wines.

Check out wine-girl.net for the full WBW round-up of good value wines from Spain.

Related: “An open letter to Jorge Ordonez“

Box wine theory does not often meet reality in America. The quality of many almost all box wines found on our hallowed shores is enough to give them a bad reputation. Oh wait…So for inspiration, let us turn to France. They get it after all.

Domaine Sorin: I had the Cotes de Provence 2005 rose last summer (find this wine). At 25 euros, it was double the price of another box we bought, which might make it seem expensive. But the 5L box meant that it was five euros ($6 give or take) per liter putting it in the realm of gulp-tastic pricing. Domaine Sorin is made without chemical fertilizers or pesticides in the vineyard. The blend comprises of four classic grape varieties from the region and is vinified and aged in vats. Sadly it is only available in France. Perhaps another letter is in order? Dear Domaine Sorin importer…

For some worthwhile and no doubt more attainable box wines, check out boxwine.org for the round-up from this Wine Blogging Wednesday.

tags: wine | Wine blogging Wednesday 31

Doug Tunnell left CBS and his many international postings to return to his native Oregon. Since he started in 1990, his vineyard, Brick House, has been certified organic. He told the group assembled at his extremely tranquil and scenic vineyard that biodynamics “takes organic not just to the next step but many steps beyond,” weaving in a “very spiritual dimension.” He makes his own compost behind his barn.

Moe Mamtazi came from Iran in 1971 and wanted the best flavor from his vines (see pictures of his Maysara winery from a previous post).

Kevin and Carla Chambers own Resonance Vineyard. Their vineyard used to be called Reed & Reynolds and they have sold all their fruit to wineries such as Sineann. They will be making their own wine from the 2006 vintage under the name Resonance Vineyard. Why the name change? Kevein writes, “Resonance is a better name to communicate their efforts to work in harmony with nature and the cosmos.” Kevin practices what he calls “radionic” farming, which he describes as “an area of exploration into the world of subtle energies.” The Chambers broadcast homeopathic preparations over their vineyard and supplement them with a biodynamic broadcaster prayer. Kevin also farms vegetables biodynamically and I tried some of his terrific tomatoes.

The wines
This flight of four wines was a profound flight of pinot noirs. The Bergstrom, Bergstrom Vineyard, Willamette Valley, 2004 (find this wine) is big and powerful with a notable presence of oak though not to the extreme as many American pinot noir practitioners have pushed it. Dark cherries and hint of chocolatiness, it has a long finish with peppery tannins.

The Brick House Dijonnais, Willamette Valley, 2004 (find this wine) has a real sense of place. Dark cherries, some tea-like notes, this wine is less plush style than the Bergstrom.

The Maysara Winery, Willamette Valley, “Delara” 2003 (find this wine): Another big pinot, with concentrated plummy fruit. Quite solid and fulfilling.

The Sineann, Resonance Vineyard, Willamette Valley, 2005 (find this wine): beautiful balance between the notes of cherries, the acidity and the tannins. A lovely, rewarding pinot–the kind that goes down too easily and you look back and the bottle is empty.

The reason
This write-up was inspired by Jack of forkandbottle.com for Wine Blogging Wednesday 29. Check his site for the other biodynamic wines that bloggers around the world have tasted.

Winery links
Bergstrom
Brick House Vineyards
Maysara
Resonance Vineyard

Related: “First person: Rick Trumbull”

tags: wine | biodynamic wine | oregon | willamette valley

I tasted through a half-dozen grower champagnes recently and really liked the ones from Larmandier-Bernier. The Blanc de Blanc Brut 1er Cru NV (find this wine, about $38) is very lively with a straw color, a fine bead, pleasant acidity reminscent of green apples, and lovely balance.

The Terre de Vertus bottling is slightly more and has the rare distinction among champagnes to be bottled without a dosage, the topping up that is done to most champagnes before the cork is placed in and they are moved out the cellar door. It has excellent purity and is crisp, dry and food friendly. It’s slightly more expensive so I’d opt for the other bottling.

Thanks to Sam at Becks and Posh for suggesting this theme for WBW!

tags: wine | WBW

We met up at La Muse Vin, one of a growing number of “natural” wine bars, in the 11th arrondissement roughly between Republique and Bastille. It is a wine bar/restaurant that, unknown to us, converted fully to a restaurant at 8:30 (20h30, if you will) slightly before we got there. So we each ordered a plate from the chalkboard since that was the requirement in the intimate space. I had chilled pea soup with a yowza amount of spearmint in it.

When it came to the wine, our thoughts turned to the Loire not only because I am a fan of the wines in general, but also because Bertrand had just gotten back from a shoot in the Loire of Jean Pierre Robinot. Although Robinot only started his winery in 2002, he has been around wine for a lot longer, previously owning a wine bar in Paris and founding the insider wine publication Le Rouge et Le Blanc (whose name would no doubt make Stendhal chuckle). You can read all the details on Robinot and see photos on Bertrand’s blog.

Coincidentally, several of Robinot’s wines were on the wine list at La Muse Vin. Or perhaps I should say in the cold storage since one of the onwers was “the list.” Example bottles with prices painted on them are on display around the periphery of the restaurant and he walked us through a few until we settled on the Robinot, Lumière de Silex 2002 from the Jasnieres appellation

As the chenin blanc was decanted and chilled at the table, I couldn’t help but marvel at the rich, golden color. With aromas of honeysuckle, on the palate it had a crispness yet also a slight note of sweetness. Overall, the wine was so intense that I could feel it in the back of my cheekbones. I was sorry we didn’t decant it several hours earlier to see what more appeared to be locked inside.

Enter Alder. Well, he didn’t really enter La Muse Vin. But he did assign a write up of a Loire white for today’s edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday. Another fortunate coincidence.

La Muse Vin, 101, r Charonne, 75011 Paris – 01 40 09 93 05

While I am tempted to write up the best Torrontes I had while in Argentina last week, I will save that write-up for Friday’s value vino since it is under $10.

Falanghina is a great “indigenous” grape that grows on the flanks of Mt. Vesuvius outside of Naples. I like its refreshing crispness and fruit–it is the new Sauvignon Blanc for wine geeks. Greg, imports this 2004 Falanghina from DeFalco, says that it “rocks” when paired with fish (find this wine, about $14). I concur. Although Mrs. Vino liked this DeFalco, she preferred the Falanghina from another producer, Feudi (find this wine), which sees some oak. Gabriele DeFalco used to be the winemaker at Feudi but Greg said he left to pursue his own style of wine making that is more authentic and less international. Whichever style you choose, find a Falanghina near you!

tags: wine | wbw | Falanghina