Wines; Tasted!

Domaine Grisy Bourgogne Rouge 2009

Domaine Grisy is a well made value wine from a slightly overlooked corner of a great wine region.  It's wines like this that punch above their weight (or drink above their price as it were) that Devenish wines is built on and loves to search out. 

Domaine Grisy is a 18th generation family winery at the northern edge of Burgundy and just south of Chablis.  This is Chardonnay territory due to the cooler temps and chalky soil; however Grisy has south facing slopes that get a bit extra sun.  Pinot Noir does well for them, particularly in special vintages such as this: 2009.  Even in normal vintages Grisy makes really nice Pinot that's racy, fresh, and shows of the chalk and limestone in the soil.  2009 was hotter than normal though and the wine is correspondingly riper and more developed.

Aroma: The aroma is a mix heady roses and ripe berries with undertones of cooked cherries and a hint of char/charcoal.  It's very inviting but has a dark concentrated quality lurking.

Taste: I get a lot of dark concentrated berry; cherries, black raspberry, and cranberry jam.  There's a vivid dark raspberry to the finish and just the barest hint of gamy barnyard on the mid palate giving the wine an added dimension.  The acidity is bright and refreshing, but it's behind that lush, supple fruit and isn't immediately apparent. 

This is a really well integrated, supple, red Burgundy for $18 or so.  It's smooth and calm but also bright.  I think this is an excellent hot weather wine thanks to it's deft touch and lighter body.  Throw this in the fridge for half an hour and it'll be perfect!  It's available at the Rosemonts, Whole Foods, The Meat House, and Black Cherry Provisions.

Domaine Chardon Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Domaine Chardon is run by, guess who: the Chardon family!  They're located a ways down the Loire from Sancerre, nearer to Vouvray.  Touraine is a big region with a lot of varitation, but this Sauvignon Blanc is really something special.  It's the first vintage I've had from Chardon so I don't really know what the winery's track record is, but this vintage at least is fantastic. 

I saw their vineyard when I went over and visited the Chardons and it has lots of silex flint and tuffeau white limestone in the soil.  This seems to shine through in the wine in the form of brightly vivid acidity as well as aromas of lemon zest, hints of kiwi, fresh mint, and some pineapple.  The aroma is really engaging and intense; makes me think of a fresh verdant spring garden.

As I drink this I'm impressed by it's depth of flavors that all work together.  It has that really bright, high pitched, vibrant acidity, citrus, and minerality up front.  It's fun and playful tasting.  But behind/underneath it has a deep rich texture that fills your mouth and helps the flavors hang on and linger.  It's a very fun refreshing wine up front, but it has depths that you don't notice at first; it will work well with a lot of food.

This is probably the best Loire Sauvignon Blanc I've had in a few months.  Maybe I'm not drinking enough really high end Sancerre, but regardless, this blows every other Loire Sauv Blanc I've had out of the water.  It's under $15 retail.  you can get it at the Rosemonts, Browne Trading, Aurora Provisions, Freeport Cheese and Wine Shop, Provisions in South Freeport, Bandaloop, Oak Hill Beverage, and the Blue Hill Wine Shop!

 

Belland Chassagne Montrachet Rouge 1er Cru "Morgeot Clos Pitois" 2007

It's funny how temperamental red Burgundy can be.  A year ago Brendon Pringle and our friend Jetson opened a bottle of this same wine and found it to be totally closed down and devoid of fruit.  I had a completely different expirience with it the other night.

This Pinot Noir managed to be totally refined, suave, confidant, and supple as well as having a dark animalistic component.  It was a totally seamless, but surprising juxtaposition of flavors. The aroma was intoxicating; I couldn't stop going back to try to pick out more aromas of smoke, roasted nuts, ripe cherries, roses, and roasted meat.  The aroma was extremely seductive and attractive, but also with a bright, wild, volatile quality. 

On the palate the wine was smooth and velvety, flowing over and engulfing my palate and taste buds like a rising tide.  The palate had brightly defined cherry fruit at first, but then descended into darker smokier territory.  This wine tickled every taste bud I had and was almost too smooth and polished to believe.  It's a perfectly balanced and drinkable Red Burgundy.

I'm sorry I'm again writing about a wine that I don't really have for sale but it was so fantastic I couldn't help tempting you all with it.  I had just 4 bottles of this left in my warehouse and since pulling this one it's down to 3.  If the description sounds interesting email me and you might be able to snag one of the remaining.  It will be about $40 retail.

I met Roger down in NY about a month back and was really impressed by his straight forward and honest opinion of wine in general, his own in particular, and wine making broadly.  His wines impressed me a lot too!  Belland's wines are always very cleanly defined and expressive of the place and vintage they come from, echoing his personal straight forwardness. He's a fifth generation wine maker/farmer (when I met him in NY he was clear he got his hands dirty and was a farmer)  He has been farming with out pesticides for over 20 years now. 

This Chassagne Montrachet Rouge comes from a single enclosed vineyard owned completely by Roger Belland.  It is approximately 7 acres planted half and half to Pinot and Chardonnay.

 

Grand Rouviere Rose 2011

The 2011 roses' have arrived!  And not a moment too soon with all the warm sunny weather we've been having!  The Grand Rouviere Rose seems to have worked particularly well in 2011. It's very pretty and has more fruit than the previous vintage.  So far, 2011 seems to be a pretty good vintage for rose. 2011 isn't as cut and focused as the 2010s were, but it is very pretty and a bit more fruit driven. 

This seems to work in the Rouviere's favour; it being a night time harvested old vine Cinsault and all.  The night time harvest means colder grapes that preserve their acidity better.  This still has fresh acidity that balances it's aromatic fruit.  This wine comes to us from a sustainably farmed vineyard belonging to the Leydier family and located right on the border of the Bandol appellation.  This isn't far from the Mediterranean, located in the dry rolling hills.

Aroma: Pronounced watermelon, peach, some strawberry. 

Taste: Bright and fresh watermelon.  It's got juicy fleshy watermelon fruit up front but behind that is more acidity and a slightly strawberry meaty kind of thing on the finish.  Once again this is a fun, enjoyable, well balanced rose.  This will work with everything from salmon to roast chicken, to Nicoise salad, to the crackers and Gouda I'm eating right now.

This is about $14 and is available at the Rosemont markets, Whole Foods, Aurora Provisions, Provisions, and Tess's Market.

 

Alexandre Monmousseau Gaudrelle Cremant Rose

Rose sparkling wine from the Loire valley?  Sign me up!  Three of my favorite wine categories combined. 

Chateau Gaudrelle is run by Alexadre Monmousseau and located in Vouvray in the central Loire.  He has a real commitment to sparkling wines that extends back several generations and is demonstrated in the extra time he spends in making these wines.  Although the legal aging requirement is just 12 months Alexandre regularly holds his wines longer to give them more time to integrate and refine in the bottle.  It seems to pay off. 

Varietal: a blend of Chenin and Grolleau

Aroma: The aroma is of fresh pretty strawberry, some light raspberry, and a hint of the toasted sweet baked foods aroma of macaroons.

On the palate it is dry, toasty, and with a hint of cranberry.  This is a refined sparkling wine with very fine bubbles and integrated tastes of fruit, acidity, and toasted bread.  The  strawberry and toasted raspberry tart-let aromas weren't of such importance that they dominated, but they were there just enough to add another layer of complexity to the wines.

This is a really well made and refined sparkling wine that's far less than Champagne and better balanced than most Prosecco.  And it's about $19.  You can pick it up at Whole Foods and Browne Trading.

Domaine Terres Blanches

Terres Blanches was the last winery I visited on my trip to the Loire, but I'd been anticipating it since before I left.  I had tasted their sparkling Chenin Blanc just before the trip and LOVED IT! but I still knew nothing at all about the winery or who made it.  Laurent had mentioned them a couple times over the preceding days, but just to say they were in the middle of no where (compared to all the famous appellations) and really passionate. 

After our morning stop in Muscadet and a quick lunch in the car we headed south away from the Loire and were soon driving through very rural fields and wood lots.  No vines were in sight, but eventually we could see a massive yellowish Abbey looming on the horizon.  We angled towards it and eventually entered the sleepy little town that clustered around it's base. Everyone seemed to be taking a siesta and I don't think we passed another moving car on our whole drive through town.  Laurent turned down a narrow alley and into a little courtyard crowded by competing buildings and filled with all kinds of odds and ends. 

Stepping through the door to Terres Blanche's tasting room we left all the clutter behind and found ourselves in a clean, neat little room with tiled floors.  Benoit, the owner, was standing behind the bar pouring wine for restaurateur so Laurent and I joined in as Benoit finished up his business.  Benoit spoke no English and even beyond that seemed slightly shy and uncomfortable about being put on the spot and having to sell his wines.  In spite of any discomfort, his passion for his vineyards was evident in the intensity he showed talking about them. 

I was already familiar with and loved his still and sparkling Chenins.  Both tasted as effortlessly beautiful as they had before.  The wines weren't loud or flashy, but they had a very fine craftsmanship and attention to detail that made me think of a Swiss watch maker; they were very complex with out bothering you with that complexity.  This was my first time trying the reds and I was excited to see how Benoit's personality shown through in them.  We first tried a Gamay de Bouze, a very rare variety that is grown in a few places throughout the Loire.  Benoit's had bright cherry and raspberry, similar to a normal Gamay, but it had more fur and spice to it.  It was a bit more animally.

Then the Cab Francs.  They were gorgeous.  His 2010 un-oaked Cab Franc was very focused and juicy.  It's acidity was nicely integrated and there was just the right amount of pepper and herbal qualities woven in among the vibrant fruit.  It was a very enjoyable and  approachable wine.  Then we tried an 09 that he had aged in oak for 20 months.  The 09 had the same excellent integration and balance, but riper and firmer; a bit more barnyard and earth to it. 

Benoit's tiny winery

And lastly the sparkling Cab Franc!  Yes, sparkling Cab Franc; he makes it in the same method as the Brut Ancestral Chennin.  That is: bottled before it's done fermenting, disgorged to remove the yeast, and then corked; he doesn't even top the bottles up!  It was very sleek, playful, and sexy, with the same beautiful poise of the others.  This is the best sparkling red I've tasted to date and I can't wait to get it.

After the tasting was done we locked the room up and walked out through the town to one of his vineyards: a 1 acre enclosed vineyard that used to belong to the Abbey.  Benoit had re-planted with Chenin and was slowly rebuilding the small buildings at either corner.  I asked how he had come to wine and he explained that he had grown up farming.  His family had grown all kinds of seasonal crops as well as keeping livestock and a small vineyard for their personal use.  It sounded like they really grew pretty much everything they ate and so he naturally had to work with the seasons and what the land would give him.  He studied agriculture in university with a focus on vines and also met his future wife Celine.  After graduation he and Celine came back to the area and he worked at wineries around the central Loire, but wanted his own place so he could farm his own way.  Eventually he decided to set 30 yrs old as a dead line for buying a vineyard and started looking.  As vineyard after vineyard proved too expensive they widened their search more and more, until stumbling upon the tiny town of Oiron.  The previous owner of Terres Blanches was in his 60's, childless, and starting to consider selling the winery.  He and Benoit met and in the end Benoit and Celine moved in for half a year so they could all get to know each other.  In the end the old man decided that Benoit would be a good care taker for his vineyard and agreed to sell.  Benoit lost no time switching to biodynamic farming practices and planting more Chenin and Cabernet Franc. 

Benoit's winery is directly next to the Abbey.

These are some of the most striking wines I've had in a long while.  If selling wine, running ultra marathons, rowing, and all the other absurd things I've done have taught me anything: it's that passion and drive are the most important prerequisites for accomplishing or building anything.  Benoit has a surplus of those and I really look forward to seeing how he develops as a wine maker. 

How much can I drink and eat in 26 hours in NYC?

Tuesday April 3rd

Quite a lot it turns out.  Thirteen hours straight actually.

Tuesday the 3rd of April was T Edward Wine's big French portfolio show in NY. I really enjoy the sense of intensity and drive that I always feel in NY so I jumped at their opportunity and decided to go jam as much wine and food into the 26 hour period as I could.  I caught a 6am flight and was on the ground in NY at 6:50.  After a quick shower I walked up town to meet with Zev Rovine for coffee. 

Zev imports some of the most famous and infamous natural wines out there; wines that wine geeks talk about with hushed voices and wide eyes, like the Jean Pierre Robinot wines.  Zev exists on the ragged leading edge of the Natural Wine movement with wines that are irregularly available and then only in minuscule quantities.  They're not wines I'll be able to sell all that much of and they'll take more work to sell, but they are passion driven, uncompromising, and dripping with terroir-so I'm going for it!

by 11 I was on my way to T Edward's French Portfolio show.  It was in this beautiful space called the Standard Beer Garden located under the high line park.  The industrial iron bracing and pillars underneath the old railway trestle/now park forms the roof and a front made up of retractable glass panels lets in tons of natural light.  With over 30 French wine makers pouring and discussing their wines it was a lot to handle, but even though it took me 5 hours, I tasted pretty much everything. 

The Burgundy producers were a highlight.  Roger Belland was his usual energetic, confidant, and slightly exasperated self.  I would probably get exasperated too after hours of pouring wines to people who didn't speak my language.  Interestingly, he had wines open from both the 08 and 09 vintages. 

08 was cooler and didn't get particularly good press, but the red Chassagne Montrachet was fresh, pretty, racy, and very integrated.  On the other hand the 09 Santenay was big and juicy, dark, and burly.  He said he actually preferred the 08 vintage and thought it would age better due to it's acidity.  It was one more example that you should never judge an entire vintage; try the wines and keep and open mind. 

(I opened up a bottle of his 08 Santenay when I got back and was quite impressed.  It had been a while since I had it but it was really well balanced and had heavy berry fruit that was balanced by a slightly rustic tannin and acidity.  It was well structured and pretty open.)

Also here from Burgundy were two extremely nice and extremely French women representing Domaine Tortochot in Gevery Chambertin.  Their wines tasted much like the two ladies conveyed themselves: very classical, proper, refined, and friendly.  The wines were well made and had good balance.  They have some 2000 1er cru on hand that I'll try to get my hands on.

There were many impressive wines but I was also particularly struck by the Rasteau from Gourt de Mautens made by Jerome Bressy.  This is a Grenache based blend from just north of Vacqueyras.  Jerome farms biodynamically and is a fanatic about farming and making sure his vines are perfectly healthy.  He spoke no English and I spoke no French but the wine was earthy, spicy, elegant, powerful, and really complex.  It seemed all the more so as it was next to some 16 and 16.5% alcohol Chateauneuf du Papes that were also powerful, but certainly not elegant.

The tasting wound down around 4 so I walked up to a restaurant called Trestle with Brian, my sales contact at T Edward.  We caught up over a bottle of Vina Tondonia Rioja rose from....I think it was 02.  Tondonia is famous for these slightly oxidized, delicate roses; they're a very traditional house.  Once Brian had to move on I picked up my friend Liz and her boyfriend Dan and we really got down to work. 

We headed up to Bar Jamon, one of my favorite places in NY.  The space is tiny.  Like linen closet tiny.  Seriously there are bathrooms as big in Maine.  The three of us staked out some territory at the bar and I started reading through the novel they call a wine list.  I eventually settled on a bottle of Vina Mein Ribeiro.  It's a minerally and intense white from far north west Spain.  They have a killer tapas menu so I ordered some octopus (pulpo) that was very well done-not chewy at all, shaved pig face, jamon Iberico, buffalo's milk cheese, and some duck confit.  The pig face was the high light for me; it must have been mildly pickled but the fat melted like butter on my tongue.  There was still some cartilage to it, but it was so thin that the texture was enjoyable.  I got a chance to talk to the bar manager Juan Pablo for a bit about the wines and importers they worked with.  It's an ever changing landscape in NY and I'm glad I don't have to compete in it.

Then I walked back down town and over to Terroir Tribeca.  It must have been nearly 11 by then but I wasn't noticing.  It was still busy so I grabbed the one place at the bar and told the bar tender how my day had been so far and that I was looking forward to drinking more cool stuff.  "What are you excited about" I asked.  "How about this Txakoli" Darryl replied "It's a great way to start a meal".  But it was the Ameztoi that I already work; of course Darryl had another Txakoli I didn't know.  From there I moved on to a Slovenian white called "Ravan" from Kabaj and a naturally made Aglianico from Campagnia.  The high light though wasn't even food.  It turned out I was sitting next to the Chef de Cuisine of Terroir Doctor Bruschetta aka John LoManto.  Fittingly I got an order of bone marrow bruschetta and it was amazing!  Inch thick slices of airy Italian bread slathered with bone marrow.  It was so light and smooth it was like eating nothing. 

I had to be at the airport at 7.  It took at least an hour from my hotel.  It was midnight.  I decided to head back to the hotel and get what sleep I could. 

Domaine Chardon Organic Wines from Touraine

Touraine is a larger catch-all kind of appellation that lacks the prestige of Sancerre or Bourgueil, but because of that you can find some great values and hidden gems if you're willing to hunt for them a bit.  I think I've found one in Domaine Chardon, an organic family winery that Laurent and I are just starting to work with.  We went on Wednesday morning to meet Sophie and Thierry.  Thierry had grown up on vineyard in Touraine and his family had made wine for generations, but his father was forced to sell the vineyard.  Thierry and Sophie lived away and Thierry became a fire fighter, but eventually they decided to move their family back to Touraine and try to buy a vineyard.  Thierry actually went to work for the new owner of his families old estate and gained experience there before moving one to their own operation.

We walked out to the edge of their vineyard, looking out over the gently sloping plateau.  They switched over to organic agriculture fully in the late 2000's after experimenting on several plots.  The vines that were organically farmed ended up healthier, although it was more work so they made the commitment. 

 This particular vineyard location seemed to have good drainage because of the slope, and a high amount of schist and flinty rock as well.  You can see some of it in the picture above.  The bright white thing is schist. 

We tasted through their line up in the winery starting with their focus, the Sauvignon Blanc.  The 2011 that they had just bottled was bright and vibrant, driven by it's acidity, but with a tasty and slightly salty minerality on the finish and a richer rounder texture than most Touraine.  The flavors were all cleanly expressed and had good definition, by which I mean the different tastes were all clearly delineated on my palate.  There was also a whiff of spicy aromatic herbs that added another dimension.  This will be a great refreshment this summer.

I was also excited about their Gamay.  Most people just associate Gamay with Beaujolais but it is traditional in the Loire as well.  This was a perfect red counterpart to the Sauvignon Blanc with the same bright, fun, liveliness and very fresh and clean definition.  Like if the wine was talking it would be enunciating and pronouncing each syllable very carefully. The Gamay was dominated by intensely vivid raspberries but also had a hint of pepper and a shade of something darker and a bit animally on the mid-palate.  The tannins were young and there, but not aggressive.  Gamay is uncommon in the US, but this is a great light summer red that will be great with a chill.  I'll try to import it.

I also tasted a malbec and a Cabernet Franc of theirs.  Both were good and had those same similar qualities of freshness and clean, bright definition.  It was very encouraging to be able to taste the same characteristics across their wines, making me think that Thierry has a pretty good idea of what he's doing as a wine maker and that their land has specific qualities that shine through regardless of the grape.

These are really delicious satisfying wines that can be anjoyed everyday.  I'm very excited to have these this summer.

Jean Pierre Robinot Natural Wine in Jasnieres

Tuesday the 20th and we went by Jean Pierre Robinot's in Jasnieres.  I liked this place from the moment Laurent and I drove up and there were old empty bottles and an over grown computer monitor lying around out front of the wine making shed.  Robinot's looked like a real functioning farm with all the debris that goes along with it; it felt similar in a way to some of the small super passionate farms I've visited in Maine.  Jean Pierre has built a reputation as alternately an eccentric, a maniac, or a genius depending on who you talk to.  He previously owned a bistro wine bar in Paris that highlighted natural wines, but eventually sold it to buy the hills he had been eyeing for vineyards since a boy.  He sold the bistro around the end of the century when the property he wanted came up for sale, bought it as well as the surrounding woods, and set about planting from scratch.  Jean Pierre's partner Noella was on hand to show us around as Jean Pierre was off at a wine show in Italy. 

Noella and I outside the winery

We walked back through a tiny tasting room/office/kitchen and stepped down into a long, low, semi lit cave.  Noella first pulled a sparkling Chenin that had just been disgorged a few says ago.  It was young; tight and angular, not really together yet.  That was followed by a Chenin and Pineau d'Aunis rose blend that had been in bottle a while longer and was a bit more refined, a bit more elegant.  Then we launched into their many cuvees and vintages of Chenin. 

First was a 2007 that had spent 48 months in acacia barrels.  They had not done one thing to it in those 48 months.  No sulfur, no fining, no filtration, no switching it to another barrel, they hadn't even stirred it.  After 48 months of tasting it every now and again Jean Pierre decided it should be bottled.  So it was.  That's how he works; seemingly totally on his senses and instinct by being constantly in the vineyards and tasting the wines as they age.  The wine was definitely young and angular to me, and very foreign from what I'm used to.  It was distinctly lemony, flowery as well as floury, and had a slightly spicy oxidative quality that reminded me of Vin Jaune or sherry.

The winery office.

Second a 2009 Chenin that had spent just 12 months in barrel.  This was more focused and earthy with a hint of petrol, also almonds.  this was made to be drunk younger and I think Noella said it was called Bistrology.  She felt it would improve with some more time to rest in bottle.

The third wine changed direction.  Where the first two were made from vines Jean Pierre Robinot had planted himself, this (called Charmes) was from a 60 year old plot of Chenin Jean Pierre had purchased in Jasnieres.  This 2008 vintage Chenin was riper and rounder with a rich, long finish that made Laurent open his eyes and exhale in surprise.  The big, generous palate was a mix of baked lemon pannacota and nuts with a hint of sherry like spice.  The finish changed the tone though with a more focused chalky quality that lingered and lingered. 

An eroded hillside at jean Pierre Robinot's showing all the Tuffeau rock  

Fourth was the Cuvee Juliette from 2006.  Juliette is the name of Jean Pierre's daughter and is the flagship cuvee; only 1-2 barrels are made and that just in excellent vintages.  This was a prettier wine with wild flowers and something reminiscent of dry cider on the nose.  This again tasted younger-like it wasn't quite integrated yet, but had intriguingly pleasurable flavors of cooked ginger and aromas of Cinnamon that were beginning to develop.  The mid palate was a bit shut down-lacking the richness and dynamism of the front and finish, making me think this could use more time.

At this point my feet were dead and vaguely painful from the cold seeping out of the stone floor and my hands were stiffening.  There was no refrigeration, of course, just the natural temperature of the cave, but I could see our breath and it felt colder than any wine cellar I had been in.  Noella explained that sometimes barrels of wine take 5-6 years to finish fermenting.  That's pretty crazy in the wine world; but the extremely cold temperature of the cellar must slow everything down.

Laurent and Noella walking down to the cave.

Thankfully for my feet at this point we walked back out and into another room that was completely dominated by a couple upright wine tanks.  Noella cracked the spigot on one and poured us a sample of the 2011 Concerto, a Pineau d'Aunis.  I will never view Pineau d'Aunis the same and have a new found respect for it.  The musky, spicy, animaly aroma that hit my nose was an instant turn on; I'm not going into specifics, but believe me, it was a very pleasurable aroma in an intensely private and kind of dirty way.  That aroma was heady and pretty persistent; I could smell it while holding the glass at my waist, but on the palate the wine had more bright vivid young cranberry and cherry fruit.  As the wine was exposed to air and warmed the aroma turned more floral rose and violet over it's animal quality and added a hint of black olive.  This was fantastic in a totally unexpected way. 

The Concerto was followed by the 2010 Regard, another Pineau d'Aunis that had already spent some time in barrel and then been racked back to the tank.  This was markedly different from the Concerto.  It was richer, darker, and less aromatically racy; but had more developed fruit.  More concentrated midsummer strawberries, seeds and all.

This had already been more involved than any other winery I'd experienced thus far.  We walked outside.  I thought we were done.  No! we were just walking across the road to the other cave.

First off Noella opened a lovely older sparkling Chenin & Pineau d'Aunis rose.  I think it was about 90%  Chenin and just 10% Pineau d'Aunis.  The color was extremely pale, as you'd expect, but refined and reserved.  Finely balanced and with very small bubbles and smooth effervescence.  It was a lovely floral wine that just seemed inappropriate for the cave so I took it outside into the sunny ivy surrounded entry. 

From there we tasted a series of older Chenin that were all in various stages of development and ranged from very young to starting to come together.  Then Noella pulled an older Pineau d'Aunis that she said was Jean Pierre Robinot's flagship red.  I think it was a 2006.  This was nothing like either Laurent or I expected.  It was a completely ripe, lush red with great finesse, totally integrated tannins, and fresh and vibrant fruit.  I would have placed this as a Pinot Noir if I didn't know better.  A rustic Pinot Noir, but a rustic Burgundian Pinot with serious concentration and potential.

These wines aren't for everyone.  Most weren't really ready to drink according to Noella but it seemed like they've made great progress over the past few years.  Jean Pierre Robinot's wines may not be things you can just open and drink with a light meal while hanging out with friends.  These are very demanding and complex wines that challenge your palate and require attention.  And they made me question my palate and my preferences.  I was impressed and I think the wines are worth the interest and buzz; particularly as they start to mature and Robinot gains more experience.  Regardless of whether you personally like them you have to respect Jena Pierre Robinot and Noella for their commitment and faith.  They gave up everything in Paris, planted this vineyard, built a winery, and have devoted years of their lives to making wines that still aren't really ready to drink. 

I bought some for myself personally and will try to get them into maine simply for my own satisfaction.  I really loved them and it's the least I can do in return for Jean Pierre's massive personal commitment and faith.

Tetramythos Mavrokalavryta 2010

And now for something completely different.  And what's more different than a nearly extinct Greek red variety that comes from a mountain at the southern tip of the Peloponnese peninsula? 

Tetramythos is a smaller, organic winery on the slopes of mount Helmos.  Mount Helmnos is a 3,000+ ft peak right on the edge of the gulf of Corinth.  Years ago they noticed some over grown bush vines at the edge of their vineyard and wondered what they were.  They started trimming and cultivating them; eventually nursed them back to health and began experimentally propagating some of the vines.  Eventually they had an enologist come and examine the vines and they turned out to be Mavrokalavryta: a local grape variety that had been presumed lost.  They kept experimenting and planting and now have about 1 acre planted, from which they produce 300ish cases per year. 

Aroma: Cherry Raspberry, raspberry jam, floral, violet,

Pallet: ripe, dark black cherry and black berry fruit.  The wine has sufficient acidity to make this dark fruit fresh seeming and it is focused.  There's not really any earth to divert your attention, but the wine has a subtle dry volcanic minerality on the finish.  The tannins are very soft and do not play a real part in the wine; surprising for how ripe and focused the fruit is. It is a very cleanly defined wine.  The acidity and light finish give the wine a clean sense of purpose that is impressive.

Though ripe and dark this wine is very focused and excellently balanced.  The developed fruit doesn't over whelm the wines structure.  This is an intriguing Greek red with great balance and the ability to pair with a lot of foods from Tuna to Pork.  This is available for $14.99 at the Rosemont Market on Munjoy Hill, Lakonia, Whole Foods, and RSVP.