April 2022

AMAZING RED FOR UNDER $20? ESPAÑA, POR SUPESTO

We wrote a longer piece as an email a while ago, but for a variety of reasons we haven’t ‘pulled the trigger’ as yet. This is not to say that we won’t send an email in the future, but given the uncertain supply lines these days, we don’t want this to disappear before we’ve had a chance to mention it because, in its way, its special.

We know that, while we have been ambassadors for Spanish wines going way back, there are still folks that haven’t ridden the Spanish train yet. For those folks, a little background. La Rioja Alta has been around since 1890. They have had a long time to figure things out. There’s always a fear the old companies will lose their edge over time but, according to an article in the Wine Advocate, they invested some “nine million Euros in improving their vineyards and winery, including an optical sorting table” not long ago. Nobody is resting on their laurels at this address.

The easiest part of the equation is the production itself. Rioja is produced in a warm, sunny place with cool nights (ideal for wine grapes in preserving balancing acidity) and is released with bottle age at a fraction of what equivalent quality reds (without any bottle age) from elsewhere sell for. As more and more folks figure that out, there will be continually less Rioja to go around.

Here we have the La Rioja Alta Rioja Vina Alberdi 2016, a 5- year-old red from 40-year-old estate vines planted in chalk and clay soils. By definition it is given two years of bottle age in American oak barrels that is coopered right there on the estate. The price point is around $20. Unbelievable? In most places, yes. In Spain, at La Rioja Alta, it is the way of things.

This 100% Tempranillo did not come as a surprise to us because we are quite familiar with their work. These guys have been doing this for a long time. We reported some four years ago that, even among an enormously successful run of wines here, their 2010 Alberdi did seem to have another gear and surpassed anything we’ve tasted prior. We feel the same way about the 2016.

We have stated our thoughts on 2016. It is a fantastic vintage is the southern Rhone, Piedmont, Tuscany, Bordeaux, and, yes, Spain. The balance of fruit, tannin and acidity is extraordinary, the wine appearing almost seamless front to back. There is both power and finesse to the fruit cores of the 2016s from Rioja.

The La Rioja Alta Rioja Reserva Vina Alberdi 2016 is rich, dark, sleek, and long. This bottling, as we have said, has typically one of the most dependable in this price range from anywhere. But, like the 2010, this particular effort is special, and in fact may be better by virtue of its fleshier mid-palate and concentrated fruit than that memorable 2010. It is also remarkably versatile with food.

We’d point out that this wine is usually tasted in the context of its higher level siblings. We first had this one at an event showcasing the entire La Rioja Alta portfolio including some flashy library bottlings. Even in that disadvantageous environment, this wine made a big impression on our us. That was reconfirmed at a more recent sampling. Simply, this can be a core piece of anyone’s wine matrix. It has been a consistent part of mine over the last few months.

Apparently Vinous’ Josh Reynolds, who gave this one as high a mark as he has given any Vina Alberdi, is on board. He said this, “Glistening ruby-red. Spice-tinged red fruit and floral aromas pick up hints of coconut and succulent herbs with air. Silky and expressive on the palate, offering appealingly sweet cherry and raspberry flavors and a spicecake nuance that builds steadily in the glass. Closes long and smooth, with repeating florality and subtle tannins that come in late…92 points.”

The complex fruit, elegance, lift and refined tannins make for a marvelous drink. The remarkable food versatility is a bonus. We’ve often said amongst ourselves when tasting wines like this, given all of the other reasons we have mentioned…quality…price…bottle age, “Why doesn’t everyone drink Spanish wines?” A no-brainer while it lasts.

BEAUTIFUL ‘OLD SCHOOL’ RED BURGUNDY

The first paragraph of the importer’s reference to this domaine read like this, ” One of the best-kept secrets in the historic Burgundy village of Vosne-Romanée is the husband and wife team of Fabrice and Christine Vigot. Their humble demeanor and low profile belie their outsized talent and influence on some of Vosne’s most famous Pinot Noir wines – and it is past time that their wines received the attention they’ve for so long deserved.”

His appraisel is spot in. We couldn’t find anything is the old familiar places except a couple reviews that were a decade old. It’s almost like these folks were in witness protection even though they the family has been a backbone in a rather famous domaine. Most Burgundy collectors should know the name Mugneret-Gibourg. In the 1960s, Dr. Georges Mugneret hired Fabrice Vigot’s father to tend a number of his prized vineyards in a crop-sharing agreement, including grand cru Echezeaux and plots in Nuits-Saint-Georges and Vosne-Romanée. The contract was passed down to Fabrice, who with his wife, Christine, continued his father’s exacting work.

Burgundy wine begins in the vineyard. Everyone will tell you that . That Mugneret-Gibourg Burgundy wines are legend is news to no one who is into Burgundy. But that the foundation upon which that legend stands was actually supported by a modest grower couple down the road. That gives us a good foundation for introducing this label that is in the U.S. of A. forthe first time.

Fabrice and Christine started their own domaine in 1990, combining some of Fabrice’s family’s land in Vosne and Nuits-Saint-Georges with vineyards that Christine inherited from her family in Gevrey-Chambertin, along with the addition of the metayage land from the Mugnerets.

From the importer, “What’s important to note is that this hard-working, generations-deep Burgundian family – particularly among the rarified air of Vosne-Romanée – are hands-in-the-soil growers, first and foremost. Caring for their few acres according to organic principles (with a more recent focus on biodynamics), Fabrice and Christine craft Burgundy wines that are earthy and soulful and utterly transparent to their underlying terroir. Crucially, each of their older-vine plots – all villages-level vineyards – perform far above their station…”

They no longer work for the Mugnerets because the whims of Nature (a frost in 2016) made it difficult for them to continue. Today the family farms only their own vineyards, some six acres across Vosne, Nuits-Saint-Georges and Gevrey-Chambertin. The Fabrice Vigot Gevrey Chambertin Le Etelois 2019 is from a beautifully situated lieu dit, ‘low profile’ parcel that touches both Grand Cru Chappelle Chambertin and Premier Cru Petite Chappelle. The oldest vines date back to the 1960s.

The Vigot Gevrey Le Etelois 2019 shows the classic ‘old school’ Burgundy nose of persistent cherry with overtones of forest floor, spice, and wild herbs. One the palate there is a broad, layered center of red and black cherry with elements of spice, clove, earth, and smokey oak adding to the tapestry of flavors. You’ve got it all…substance, focus, terroir, sweet fruit, elegance, and balance. There’s a pleasing hint of rusticity and little more restraint than a lot of the overtly giving, ‘hey sailor’ 2019 red Burgundies.

You might call this a beautiful anachronism, something of a throwback, terroir driven style in the sense of overall personality but with modern cleanliness, and purity of fruit. This won’t jump out of a tasting of 2019s because it is a more restrained style. But it is deceptively loaded and built to please real Burgundy aficionados. We’re confident it could hang with most Premier Crus at twice the price.

BRILLIANT EXAMPLE OF A RARE, ECLECTIC FRENCH WHITE

First, a statement. We are not masochists and do not go out of our way to find things that are obscure and hard to say. But we don’t have any fears of going down that path if the juice merits the interest. This one ‘has it all’…a difficult name, from a relatively small segment of an already tiny category made with grapes that relatively few people are familiar with. Nevertheless, its delicious.

Sure it would be much easier to promote some mainstream grape like Chardonnay with an accompanying score from a well known media source. We’ll do that when the time comes. But if we didn’t pay attention to special wines like this and give them their moment, we would be doing a disservice to you as wine merchants.

The region is Madiran, inland and southeast of Bordeaux and best known for big brooding reds with bold tannins and high levels of resveratrol, the ‘life prolonging’ compound in Tannat based wines that was the groundbreaking discovery in a ‘Sixty Minutes’ piece called the “French Paradox” many years ago. But they make a bit of white wine there, too, mostly out of blends with grapes Gros Manseng, Petit Manseng, and Petit Courbu. Most of those are sweet, but there is a small portion of dry renditions, which it will state on the label (sec is French for dry).

All that said, the Montus Blanc Sec Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh 2014, made by the acknowledged ‘top gun’ in Madiran for both ‘colors’, Alain Brumont, is a rare example of an outstanding example of this obscure category at what appears to be the prefect place in its history. Their description of the process is, ‘this wine’s special character is due to its vinification and ageing in 600 liter barrels, called demi-muids, made from wooden staves that are more than four centimeters thick. The impact of the wood on the wine is reduced, with a more mellow woodiness, beneficial to the preservation of the fruity aromas, while maintaining a perfect balance, for a very expressive, high quality wine.”

Add eight years of bottle age to the equation and you have something that hits notes that are rare and special in our experience. Probably the closest comparison we could make wouldn’t really bring it home for a lot of people but it has elements that remind us of an aged white Hermitage (the vines here, coincidentally, are on terraced hillsides). The palate is seamless and supple, with ample richness atop what is still a nice lift of acidity. The texture is creamy with pear, apple, and tropical fruit tones laced with subtle minerality, spice, and a slightly honeyed finished. Seductive and complex, this is a must try.

The genre of dry white Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh is a tiny category to be sure. We’ve tasted and carried the bottling from prior vintages, but we don’t recall a performance at quite this level. You can ponder this one on its own or serve it anywhere a dry, fairly rich while will do. Either way, it’s a treat.

THE ‘LITTLE BOAT’ HAS LANDED

As much time as we spend researching and tasting in our never ending quest for exceptional wines, there are times when it can just take a little luck. We would likely never have crossed paths with Jose, the proprietor of these wines, had it not been for random chance. The wine has been almost exclusively sold in elite eateries like French Laundry, Daniel Boulud, Jose Andres and Spago.

The short story is that Jose Ignacio Cuerco, a native of Spain, was scratching his ‘homesick’ itch at a Saturday paella lunch offered at one of our favorite food sources, La Espanola Market. Randomly, someone whom we knew from a consulting gig happened to sit next to him at the lunch and they began to talk. He told Jose about these wildly passionate wine merchants that he knew and, as a result of the conversation, we got a call asking if we might be interested in checking out his wines. “Of course”, we said.

Jose picks the sourcing and, having worked with a few top flight sommeliers who were instrumental in developing the program, is very hands on about the stylistic results of the wine. He is not in the wine biz per se. But this is not an ego project either. This is a ‘passion’ project and speaks of his wines as if they were his actual children, clearly very emotionally involved in where they go. The name “The Little Boat” was chosen with reference to a song Barquito de Papel (‘Little Paper Boat’), an ode to peace and friendship. The project is dedicated to his son Mateo.

Jose brought in three wines and we bought all three of them, something that people who know us know that is a rare occurrence. The thing is that they hit all of the parameters we look for. They were tasty, well conceived and well made, and the prices were quite reasonable for the quality in today’s market. Most important perhaps is that they are classically styled, varietally pure, easy to like and food friendly. The style isn’t to bowl you over. This is California fruit with Old World sensibility.

The Little Boat Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2020 had the classic Russian River nose of peach/pear fruit, spice, and toasty oak. In the mouth, you get that same impression of delicate but insistent peach and pear, with just the right touch of toasty accents and a little underlying minerality, but the well proportioned acidity lifts at the finish a leaves the palate ready for the next bite.

The Little Boat Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2019 offers up aromas of baking spice and ripe strawberries with a little touch of cocoa. In the mouth it is silky and seamless with the spicy berries as the elegant center of attention. Great purity of fruit here but also the added bonus of drinkability. So many things from the vaunted but loosely defined Sonoma Coast can be very ungiving. This one is tender and ready for prime time.

Sometimes random chance can work in one’s favor. Enjoy these classy Cali efforts. We also have a small quantity of a Spanish Rioja called Barquito Rioja Gran Reserva 2014 (barquito is Spanish for ‘little boat’) that was made for him by La Rioja Alta, the first time the winery had done a contract bottling for someone else in 150 years we are told. We have big plans for that one, too, but must wait for the ‘big boat’ to come in to have enough stock.

SAKE RETURNS

In the old location, we used to have a pretty good selection of sake. We decided to start playing with the category again here. We could go into the whole rant about how sake is made and the difference the water, type of rice, and brewing styles can make. But, heck, we figure folks just want to drink the stuff so we’re not going to get too technical.

As we did before, we re focusing on premium sakes. That’s not the stuff that comes in big drums that you serve warm in sushi bars. These distinctive, delicate sakes are product of the water and special rice grown in their various areas. They show best when served slightly chilled. They are also remarkably versatile with a variety of foods from fish dishes to grilled meats. The top quality designations represent a very small percentage of the total production.

For those trying sakes for the first time, there are a couple of terms to know. The highest quality sakes come from rice that is polished more. The polishing removes the lesser parts of the grain to focus more on the better core. That process is reflected as seimaibuai, or the percentage of the rice that is left after polishing. The lower the number, typically between 50-70%, the better quality the sake. That quality level is also reflected in the grade, with Junmai, Jumai Ginjo, and Junmai Daiginjo being the escalating levels of premium sake and where we are going to concentrate our selection.

There is also a new word for us, Tokubetsu, which nebulously refers to a ‘special brewing process’ that the various brewers might employ in a given batch, though there are no specifics to what that process might be. Around here, like everything else, we simply go by taste. Our preference is for bright, crisp, clean styles. We tasted a number of sakes to create this focused mix, with a few more that will trickle in as they arrive. ‘Supply chain issues’ are a fact of life in this category as well. Enjoy.

Check out the new sake selection

THERE’S A NEW KID IN TOWN: WITH RAVISHING BEAUJOLAIS

We’ve been crusaders for Beaujolais for a long time as most of you know. Thew region has been seeing quite a revival recently as some new faces are starting to appear. While we have been long acquainted with Bernard Burgaud, one of the blue chip names in Beaujolais, this Burgaud is new to us but definitely got our attention.

Alexandre Burgaud is, relatively speaking, new to the wine scene in Beaujolais, having purchased vines in 2013. A rising star, his property comprises 12 hectares which were purchased from among plots that the family had worked for generations. Alexandre has it in mind to purchase additional parcels, some of which he currently rents.

The style here is very traditional. A semi-carbonic vinification in concrete vats, using all the stems, creates wines that are fruit forward and, in this case, gushing with character. It is finished in older barrels.

This particular wine is from a section of Beaujolais called Lantignié, where Alexandre’s best parcels are located. The vines exceed 50 years-of-age and are situated in rocky, blue granite soils that bear a resemblance to those of the Cote de Py, one of Beaujolais’ most renowned vineyards.

Some suggest this particular small vineyard could receive Cru status some day, which of course goes beyond winemaking into politics. But given our limited experience with this source, we’ll suggest Alexandre can make a pretty good case.

This wine had the kind of layered, sweet, dark fruits that would win friends easily. As an example from the appealing 2019 vintage, it also carried that plush texture that brings one back for more. It was too easy to drink and, clearly, one didn’t have to be any kind of wine genius to ‘get’ this Beaujolais.

William Kelley of WIne Advocate had good things to say about the domaine, “I identified this 12-hectare domaine, founded in 2013, as one to watch in my last Beaujolais report, and this more extensive tasting confirmed Alexandre Burgaud’s talents…Fleshy and flavorful, with the substance to age but plenty of near-term appeal, these are nicely made wines which come recommended.”

Kelley’s notes on this Alexandre Burgaud Beaujolais Villages Lantignié 2019 definitely coincide with our impressions, especially the use of the term ‘bursting’, “Bursting with aromas of cherries, berries and spices, the 2019 Beaujolais-Villages Lantignié is medium to full-bodied, round and succulent, with lively acids, melting tannins and a generous core of fruit. Slightly more dynamic and lively than the rounder, more gourmand 2018, this has turned out very well…92 points.”

‘Turned out very well’ seems a bit of an understatement, but suffice it so say this is a versatile, hedonistic, and well priced ($18.98) beverage that everyone should check out. The ‘new kid’ has got chops.