tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13552315352418774032023-11-16T23:15:06.300+11:00Message in a BottleRamblings of an Australian who travels the world to meet passionate winemakers and convince them to sell him their nectarEurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-37534211146685182302011-12-29T18:19:00.003+11:002011-12-29T18:33:49.402+11:00Farewell to 2011, and look at what's comingThere hasn't been much happening lately: after a tour of duty in Europe in October we had two containers arrive, one from Germany, one from France; moved from NSW to Victoria; and now we're counting down the days until our first child puts in an appearance.<br /><br />Winewise, Eurocentric now has stock in Melbourne so we can serve our customers better with next-day deliveries and not have to worry about temperature variations from one state to the next on the slow haul with Australia Post.<br /><br />We've got a new container on the water out of France and the first of the offers will hit mailing list inboxes in the next 24 hours. It's Domaine David Clark 09 red Burgundy, which means it will sell out in a flash (we get just 34 cases). To follow will be a Champagne offer on the cult kings Cedric Bouchard and David Leclapart. You'll have to be fast (and flush) for that one.<br /><br />The next shipment arriving January 26 will contain wine from: David Clark & Pierre Guillemot (Burgundy); Pattes Loup (Chablis); Gilles Azzoni (zero-sulphur reds from the Rhone); Julien Sunier and Alain Coudert (Beaujolais); Sebastien Riffault (Sancerre, more Akmenine and Quarterons); Emile Balland (Coteaux du Giennois -- well, the 30 cases the freight company didn't smash when they were loading the container anyway); Estezargues (Rhone); Henri Billiot and Rene Geoffroy (Champagne).<br /><br />Bouchard and Leclapart will headline the container after that. I'm doing a pre-arrival offer now because I had to pay for them early to secure an allocation, and there are other things I need to pay for, such as Georges Laval, Marie Courtin and DeMarne-Frison champagne, Alain Gautheron chablis, Domaine de la Tournelle (Jura), Paul-Henri Thillardon (Beaujolais), and Jean-Philippe Fichet, Benoit Ente and Bruno Clavelier Burgundy.<br /><br />After that, at last, we'll bring in some Italian and Spanish wine to at least get started with our exciting collection of producers.<br /><br />By the end of 2012 we should have stock on hand from 100 quality-driven boutique producers. Hopefully you'll come on a vinous discovery with us.<br /><br />Many thanks for the interest and support in 2011 and here's to an even bigger and better 2012.<br /><br />Cheers,<br />NevilleEurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-9914891955083273322011-09-24T21:35:00.003+10:002011-09-24T21:55:56.439+10:00Always start with a summery summary ...World's worst blogger here ... maybe I will have time to catch up today and post a few things. I've just arrived in Champagne for three days of meetings and tastings. This would normally be cause for celebration (champagne perhaps?!) but I'm having a shocker.<br /><br />For some reason I left my carry-on case unzipped in the boot of the car, so when I pulled it out the contents flew everywhere. Somehow the magnum of AJ Adam riesling and the bottle of Van Volxem Sparkling Riesling didn't break, but my laptop now has a very sticky space bar. No problem I though, I'll get my wireless mouse. Um, oops, looks like I left it at one of the past two hotels.<br /><br />To make matters worse I left my toothbrush with it's sheephead mirror-sticking head protector. Poor old sheepy. Lucky I have the airline toothbrush still, and luckier still it's not one of those clip-together jobs with four bristles on it.<br /><br />So, this is Saturday, September 24. The weather is fantastic. Was hazy this morning -- I even drove through low-flying clouds as I crested the bridge from Germany into Luxembourg -- but it's clear away now to be a gorgeous 22C and possibly climbing.<br /><br />In case I don't get back to it, here's what's happened this week:<br /><br />Monday, 3.30pm: After somehow getting to the airport almost on schedule two hours before the flight, we still managed to be pushed for time trying to do last-minute things, stuff some food down and get on the plane. Watched three movies on Thai Airways to Bangkok, and strangely had Mel Gibson in two of them: The Beaver and Signs. Loved the third film, Midnight in Paris. It's not out in Australia yet and it would work just fine as a DVD rental but I enjoyed it immensely. Funny thing was that I liked old penis nose Owen Wilson even though I often don't, and I didn't like Rachel McAdams even though she's rung my bells since well, blush, The Notebook. Probably goes to show they can act. Anyway, it's an odd Americans in Paris with a message about making the most of what you have. Unless of course what you have sucks.<br /><br />Bangkok airport was fine if not confusing with its different levels and limited stairways joining them. The Thai lounge seemed to have more people in it than the rest of the airport did, and the internet failed after reading about 20 of my 30 new emails.<br /><br />Shuffled onto an old SAS plane to Paris via Copenhagen. I had seat 1A for kicks. It was a cheapy business deal combined with the Thai economy, which I needed because of the arthritis in my knees. I was in agony on the first nine-hour sector, and it didn't help that the cabin was about 35C. This time the creaky old seat was fairly uncomfortable, even in lie-flat mode (more like lie in the shape of a question mark), but I slept a fair bit and chatted in between with a lovely gentleman who owns a window-making business in Melbourne.<br /><br />Hmmm, here we go again with the verbosity. OK, Tuesday I drove from Paris to Rudesheim in the Rheingau; Wednesday I had appointments with Leitz (first wines to come soon, from the 2010 vintage); Knebel (will buy a little 2010 as they keep improving and I am hopeful one day the punters will recognise the quality); and Schloss Lieser (Thomas Haag is becoming a bit of a rockstar in Germany. He's definitely top five in the Mosel, if not top two if you count Egon Muller in the Saar.<br /><br />Thursday I had appointments with AJ Adam in Neumagen-Dhron (near Piesport) and Roman Niewoniczanski in Wiltingen (Saar), where we ate lots of grapes as Roman barked instructions to the pickers (first day of harvest). Then I went to Trier for the VDP presentation of the 2010 vintage. Tried lots of wines and very happy with my team of Schloss Lieser, Fritz Haag, Willi Schaefer, Zilliken and Van Volxem.<br /><br />Friday was VDP auction day. I got my times wrong thanks to useless overnight internet and arrived just 10 minutes before the end of the morning tasting session. No problem, I speed-tasted the best wines there and even took some groupie photos of winemakers. Then lunch with Christoph Schaefer and Hanno Zilliken before the auction. I managed to snag three bottles of Willi Schaefer auslese goldcap and six half bottles of Zilliken Auslese Goldcap and got blown away on everything else. Really, 5300 euros for a double magnum of auslese goldcap or a bottle of 1999 TBA? Yeah, OK, I desperately wanted them too, and in hindsight I should have stumped up the 550 euros for a bottle of the Muller AGC.<br /><br />Saturday is forget-everything day and break what you don't forget. I'm in a two-star motel on the fringe of Epernay. It's called Kyriad and it's actually pretty good. The internet is working anyway.<br /><br />I have appointments this afternoon with Rene Geoffroy and David Leclapart, and then hopefully not yet another pizza alone in my room.<br /><br />Tomorrow I'm going to Lancelot Pienne and not sure if I can get anyone else, and on Sunday I'm seeing Laetitia at H. Billiot, Olivier at Ulysse Collin and Bertrand at Vouette et Sorbee, plus Yves at Charles Dufour if I can find him. Then it's on to Alsace!Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-17438513374901978522011-08-12T21:32:00.006+10:002011-08-12T21:54:59.506+10:00A pregnant pauseOur crazy life is about to get more hectic! My wife and I are expecting our first child early next year, so that is adding some urgency for me to get back to Europe while I can and quickly round up some more producers!
<br />
<br />Who knows when I or we will be able to travel next year, so I'm off in mid-September for a quick tour of France. Actually I'll start at the VDP auction in Trier when the best rieslings of the 2010 vintage will be shown and sold, and sneak in a few quick visits to my German producers, including new star AJ Adam.
<br />
<br />Then I'll whizz through Champagne, Alsace, Jura, the Ardeche, Beaujolais, Burgundy, Chablis, Sancerre and Anjou.
<br />
<br />I've got quite a few people to track down and try to get on board, and the tail end of this year was already going to be frantic trying to get everything into the country.
<br />
<br />There's a shipment of wine from France on the way (Riffault and Thomas-Labaille from Sancerre, Oudin from Chablis, Croix, Camille Giroud and Arnaud Tessier from Burgundy, Burgaud Beaujolais, Vouette et Sorbee & Thevenin Champagne, Espiers and Cuvee des Copains from the southern Rhone), to be followed by a container of 2009s and 2010s from Germany. That will include wine from Willi Schaefer, Zilliken, AJ Adam, Rebholz, Knipser, Schmitges, Emrich-Schonleber, Fritz Haag and Schloss Lieser. If there's room I'll sneak some more Maximin Grunhaus in.
<br />
<br />The big challenge will be getting the third in the queue underway, with an expensive mountain of champagne to move: David Leclapart, Georges Laval, Benoit Lahaye, Lancelot-Pienne, Pierre Gerbais, Cedric Bouchard, Ulysse Collin, Rene Geoffroy, Chartogne-Taillet, Hubert Paulet ... it's gotta be done for summer!
<br />
<br />I'm also keen to get more Beaujolais here from our team: Jean-Marc Burgaud, Roland Pignard, Paul-Henri Thillardon (who won an international gamay competition with his first vintage) and Alain Coudert. There are some others I'd like to track down. If only they had email addresses!
<br />
<br />There's more Chablis too, from Moreau-Naudet and Alain Gautheron, plus new vintages out of Burgundy: Benoit Ente, Jean-Philippe Fichet, David Clark and Pierre Guillemot from Savigny les Beaune. We could also offer some Anne Gros wines from Burgundy and Minervois.
<br />
<br />Of course I've also got quite a lot of wine lined up from Spain and Italy. As you can see, it's just as well we are picking up new buyers all the time, and this needs to continue. So long as that dollar holds strong!
<br />
<br />For now, I'm chained to the desk working on taxes and other paperwork so I don't feel so guilty when I head north. And I'll try to do a better job of keeping you posted from Europe, with photos and a few videos too.
<br />
<br />Cheers,
<br />Neville
<br />
<br />Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-49568695119998590172011-06-20T00:16:00.005+10:002011-06-20T00:26:46.654+10:00Time flies when you're doing taxYeah, right.<br /><br />Since that amazing European journey (which I'm sure I didn't finish writing about), I've been buried in paperwork mostly. I can see the end now, just another couple of days.<br /><br />But for now a heads up: I'm on the road in Australia again.<br /><br />I've just had a week in the trade in Perth, including two public tastings that were very well received. Working with Terra Wines, we scored a number of new listings, including the Espiers Cotes du Rhone 2010 going on by the glass at Rockpool Bar & Grill Perth. We had a great meal there too, so if you haven't been get down there. Just go easy on the food - the servings are huge!<br /><br />Coming up, here's the schedule for the next few weeks:<br /><br />July 5, Sydney: Trade tasting. Email for details<br />July 6, Sydney: Public tasting. 20 wines for $50, specials on the night. At Wine Vault in Artarmon. Email for details. There'll be a booking link on the www.eurocentricwine.com.au website in the next day or so.<br /><br />July 8: Driving to Melbourne.<br />July 11-13: Trade tastings in Melbourne. Will try to book a public dinner, perhaps on the Tuesday.<br />July 14: Tastings for trade in Beechworth and Albury and anywhere along the road to Canberra.<br />July 15: Trade tastings in Canberra.<br /><br />July 18-20: Trade tastings in Brisbane/Gold Coast. Will organise a public dinner on the Tuesday.<br /><br />There are no new shipments on the water at the moment but a fair avalanche planned for the next couple of months. German riesling fans should be warned that our allocations from 09 and 10 have been slashed so much I'll be able to fit the wine from 13 producers and two vintages in one container. Glad I added AJ Adam to the team!<br /><br />There's a bunch of other great wines I can't wait to land, including more grower champagnes, bargains from the Rhone, more Beaujolais, Chablis, our first Sancerre and Alsace wines, southwest sweeties, Spanish, Italians ... <br /><br />And with the end of the financial year looming, it looks like time for another clearance sale. We are moving to a new stock control system in two weeks and I don't want to enter product codes for wines down to the last couple of dozen. Watch your email inbox. If you haven't subscribed, do so now (free and easy) at www.eurocentricwine.com.auEurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-83436839581127701212011-04-26T02:11:00.005+10:002011-04-26T07:10:05.585+10:00Bad to the BeauneThe rate at which we have been acquiring kilometres in our poor rental car has slowed dramatically in recent days. After a leisurely week through Germany and a week in Champagne we quickly visited some top estates in Chablis and then scurried back to Beaune to recharge our batteries and our stock of clean laundry. Plus of course taste at our existing estates and two or three potential new ones.<br /><br />Anyway, we've hit 10,000km in the Silver Bullet. So glad we didn't hire that Sixt rental car with its limit of 4900 free kilometres!<br /><br />Since we visited our larger Champagne producers last Thursday, we've had some interesting stops. Our final night in Champagne was spent at Hotel Jeanson in Ay, which is a lovely boutique hotel about 100m from Rene Geoffroy. It has an indoor pool, double beds (crikey, the number of double rooms we've had with two single beds pushed together!) and a decent shower (room to turn around without getting wrapped in a clammy shower curtain or turning the water off or, worse, up to melting point), but the wifi was pretty poor. They say this is soon to be rectified.<br /><br />We went out for dinner with Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy and were joined by his wife late in the piece. Lovely dinner at a classy establishment not too far away, and despite the Champenoise addiction to drinking champagne ("Well, we are in Champagne", they say), I ordered a 2009 Lapierre Morgon off the list. I'm even spreading the Beaujolais gospel in France! I've had this wine once or twice before, perhaps a year ago. My first reaction is to think that it's bretty from the nose, but I don't believe it is. It has that kind of cooked-grass aroma that is common in cabernet franc from the Loire, but the palate was plush and satisfying. It's not the best 09 I've had by a fair way, but JB was impressed and it went well with the food.<br /><br />Next day we drove to the southern region of Champagne, the Aube. I'd forgotten it was more than one and a half hours away from Ay! It turned out to be a day to stretch my limited French, but we got by. First up was Cedric Bouchard. I'm not going to go into tasting notes here, but this guy certainly can make champagne of character. He grabbed four wines, two from the Inflorescence range and two from the Roses de Jeanne lineup that everyone fights over. Interestingly he says the Inflorescence vineyards are improving faster than the RdJ lieux dits, and he believes they will eventually catch up.<br /><br />Eurocentric's first shipment from CB is a chunk of Val Vilaine Blanc de Noirs from the lovely 2008 vintage, and some Les Parcelles BdB that spent 80 months on lees. We'll find out in less than two weeks how much of our 2011 request has been granted.<br /><br />In the same village of Celles-sur-Ource is the down-to-earth Pascal Gerbais and his incredibly inexpensive range of Champagne Pierre Gerbais. I hope people don't think these wines aren't that good just because Pascal underprices them! He even has a wine called Originale, made from 107-year-old pinot blanc vines. I hope to have these wines into Australia just after mid-year.<br /><br />After lunch in the baking sun (Europe has skipped spring and gone straight to summer) we went to one of our faves, Bertrand Gautherot at Vouette et Sorbee. We started on a sad note when discussing the weather as we found out the Blanc d'Argile vineyard had taken a hit from frosts early in the morning on April 13. No one had predicted the overnight low of -4 or -5C, and with the warm weather having promoted bud break about a month earlier than average, the vines were exposed and defenceless.<br /><br />A second snap on April 18 was countered by a sprinkler system but the damage had been done. Pinot noir can sprout again but chardonnay is a one-shot wonder, and the damage might extend into the 2012 vintage as well. There have been a succession of setbacks for Gautherot in recent years, with a large number of vines dying in the harsh winter of 2009-10 as well.<br /><br />Demand is far outstripping supply, and a new vineyard couldn't come on stream fast enough. Thankfully there is ample 2009 Fidele, but the Saignee de Sorbee and Blanc d'Argile were made in minuscule quantities.<br /><br />Having taken so long to collect my 2006 allocation I missed out on 2007, and my 2008 reservation was cut almost in half in response to bigger requests from every market on Bertrand's books, but we pulled one back on this visit by scoring almost half of an unclaimed allocation for Brazil: another 120 bottles of Fidele and 30 Blanc d'Argile.<br /><br />I better not go into too much detail for the next few visits: two in the village down the road from Bertrand, one of which might be an exclusive for a retailer in Australia and the other a tiny allocation for us from a couple on the cutting edge of champagne production; Marie-Courtin in Polisot, whose first shipment is just weeks away from landing in Australia; and another bargain bubbly from a tiny village in the middle of nowhere.<br /><br />After this we stayed a night in Troyes for a visit to one of my favourite wine bars-cum-retailer-cum-restaurant for some delicious food and a bottle of Selosse La Cote Faron (the Ay lieux dit formerly known as Contraste). At the end of meal we were treated to a tour of the centuries-old two-level cave beneath the floorboards. Amazing!<br /><br />Easter Sunday and still will push on, starting with a lovely 10am tasting with the picture-perfect Gautheron family in Fleys (this will be the new backbone of a greatly expanded Chablis range).<br /><br />We took to the famous Sunday markets in the centre of Chablis to gather supplies for lunch (roast pork, ham cut from the bone, a wild tomato, cheeses, a kilo or two of Spanish strawberries, an apple tartelet, some gougeres) and went cross-country to the top of Les Clos grand cru vineyard, where we found a spot in the shade to gorge ourselves and kill some time before our second appointment in another cute village. Good solid wines here but I'll wait to see the prices before deciding whether it's worthwhile adding them.<br /><br />We've used www.booking.com for a lot of our hotel finds on this trip and rather than stay at my regular in the heart of Chablis (the Bergerac, which has had dodgy wifi in the past), I took a punt on a chambre d'hote 25km away. The drive was amazing. At one point I stopped to take a photo of a field of canola (bright yellow against the deep green of the grain fields) only to lower the camera just as a huge crack of lightning split the sky. The thunder immediately followed and we enjoyed a light show and some heavy rain for the next couple of hours.<br /><br />Fortunately it didn't appear to contain any hail, but the storm knocked out the power at the "hotel" from time to time, and the internet was non-existent. Lucky it was the quietest weekend of the year I guess. Dinner was a strange four-course affair at a table of strangers (with several bottles of the local wine), which combined to knock me out early in the piece.<br /><br />The next day we had a quick breakfast to make a 9am appointment, only to be told we'd have to wait half an hour till the boss arrived to take our payment! Lucky for me (since I'm always late), it doesn't seem to bother the winemakers, and we enjoyed another cracking tasting in the cellars at Moreau-Naudet. These are brilliant Chablis, as good as I've tasted, but also priced higher than others in our collection. Due early second half of 2011 too (2007s and 2008, after spending two years on lees).<br /><br />Then it was off back to Beaune, a nice chance to catch up on chores and prepare for the last two legs of our marathon journey.<br /><br />Crikey, why didn't I stick to the diary entries!<br /><br />.Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-33889103360537889892011-04-23T07:49:00.003+10:002011-04-23T08:20:29.857+10:00Where did that month go?Uh-oh, I couldn't even keep up with an abbreviated record of events :-(<br /><br />So here's a diary for me to come back to and fill in.<br /><br />Saturday, March 26: Drove from Pau (France) to Santander (Spain). Surprised at the speed limit and number of speed cameras in Spain, plus how they build villages around industrial areas (an oil refinery!) and apartments in the middle of the countryside.<br /><br />Sunday, March 27: Drove to Vigo on the west coast. Didn't plan on doing 600km a day.<br /><br />Monday, March 28: Raining heavily. Went to a groovy wine bar in Albarino country and picked the locals' brains about good wines. Bought three glasses for benchmarking. Visited one estate (couldn't get an answer from others) and fortunately it was a goodie.<br /><br />Tuesday, March 29: Drove to Ribera del Duero for a tasting. Stayed in a hotel opposite a bull-fighting stadium!<br /><br />Wednesday, March 30: Another Ribera del Duero tasting, then drove to Rioja. Popped in to Artadi, then spent a while with a radical winemaker called Gonzalo Gonzalo. Drove to Calatayud.<br /><br />Thursday, March 31: Tasting with a foreign local, then drove to Barcelona for a tasting of a range of bargain wines I'll be importing: a grenache-shiraz and cava to start, and a tempranillo to follow.<br /><br />Friday, April 1: Two tastings in Priorat, one fantastic and one miserable. Great fun driving around the windy roads and up into the hills with Dominik Huber of Terroir al Limit (the fantastic one), but hayfever struck hard!<br /><br />Saturday, April 2: Drove from south of Barcelona to La Ciotat on the south coast of France.<br /><br />Sunday, April 3: Drove to Treiso in Piedmont, Italy.<br /><br />Monday, April 4: Tastings around Piedmont. Some really bad wines ... still find it difficult to get my head around young nebbiolo, but being in the region really accelerated my understanding. Found an excellent producer of Dolcetto, Barbera and Barbaresco. Add one to the list: Giuseppe Cortese.<br /><br />Tuesday, April 5: Another goal: Francesco Scanavino will supply us with spumante (I couldn't believe how good this vintage methode champenoise was!), moscato d'asti, arneis and barbera. Then drove via Pisa to Montalcino for a Tuscan tasting.<br /><br />Wednesday, April 6: Several tastings around Tuscany, none satisfying. Then drove north of Verona to a great view, terrible location for our needs!<br /><br />Thursday, April 7: Day 1 of Vinitaly. Got in thanks to a friend and made several tasting visits. Should do this to start my Italian trips, then follow up those who show well. Found a great source of pinot noir and budget reds from Sicily, plus a couple of quirkly varietals.<br /><br />Friday, April 8: Another long drive -- to Alsace via Switzerland. Gee, the Swiss make like they don't want visitors. Will try to avoid in future.<br /><br />Saturday, April 9: Three tasting appointments around Alsace, from one extreme to the other (and over an 80km span). Might take two of them.<br /><br />Sunday, April 10: Fabulous lunch and then drove to Silz in the Pfalz area of Germany.<br /><br />Monday, April 11: Tasting at Rebholz in Siebeldingen. Fantastic range of 2010s. Wondered why they told me they didn't deacidify. Was soon to find out -- it is the hot topic (or should be) of the German vintage. Followed this with tastings at Schafer-Frohlich and Emrich-Schonleber. Lots of great wine.<br /><br />Tuesday, April 12: Quick tasting at Knebel in Winningen (09s mostly sold out, 2010s not finished fermentation), then a leisurely drive along the Mosel to Schmitges in Erden.<br /><br />Wednesday, April 13: Carl von Schubert in the Ruwer, then Reinhold Haart in Piesport and Willi Schaefer in Graach. Have to be quick with my orders as yields were down by up to 50%!<br /><br />Thursday, April 14: Fritz Haag and Schloss Lieser, what a double! Brothers with contrasting approaches and results. Queueing up! Had to skip Van Volxem cos they have no 09s left, and 2010s are sold out before they have even finished fermenting!<br /><br />Friday, April 15: Zilliken looking lovely, and a great opportunity to try some back vintages and see the vines.<br /><br />Saturday, April 16: Driving back into France and straight to Bouzy for a tasting and chat with Benoit Lahaye. Awesome bio champagne.<br /><br />Sunday, April 17: A crazy five-hour walk and talk and vertical tasting with Vincent Laval in Cumieres. We drank the last bottles of several vintages, back to 1988. Looking forward to finally landing these in Australia. Then an interesting dinner in Ay, with 18 rare and older champagnes matched to tapas dishes prepared by two three-star chefs. Great night!<br /><br />Monday, April 18: The Terres et Vins event. I tasted pre-release champagnes and the 2010 vins clairs of my four producers there -- Lahaye, Rene Geoffroy, David Leclapart and Chartogne-Taillet. Then tried those not represented in Australia and was keen on a couple. Mouth almost numb from two days of high acid, I raced off to Sillery for a tasting with an Italian importer friend, then went south to Congy for an incredible afternoon and evening, chatting with the livewire Olivier Collin of Champagne Ulysse Collin. Take the tip, the Wine Advocate is calling his 2008s the Coche Durys of Champagne!<br /><br />Tuesday, April 19: Another trade tasting, this time Artisans du Champagne, in Reims. I have my eye on a few here, but Pierre Gerbais and Lancelot-Pienne are definites. Then off to the legend, Fallet (or Fallet-Prevostat) in Avize. Two dozen bottles safely in tow, I popped in to see if I could get some Selosse. Sucess there too!<br /><br />Wednesday, April 20: A day to be sick and do paperwork :-(<br /><br />Thursday, April 21: Tastings at Ployez-Jacquemart, Henri Billiot and Rene Geoffroy. Wow, the latter collection is screaming hot. So glad to have a restock shipment on the water now.<br /><br />Almost up to date! That'll do for now. Will add a pic or two when I have better internet signal.<br /><br />Cheers<br />.Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-29755627047693435882011-03-26T19:53:00.005+11:002011-03-26T20:14:00.739+11:00The week that wasSo many great stories to catch up on and share. Here's what's been happening:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Thursday:</span> Visited JF Hillebrand in Beaune to talk about my shipments they handle<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Friday:</span> Camille Giroud and David Croix for tastings of 08s and 09s, and Fabienne Bony in Nuits St Georges, which only confirmed my opinion on how difficult it is to sell wines from that appellation. Dinner at Cave Madeleine.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Saturday:</span> Spent a long time at an Orange store to buy a SIM for my phone. Wasn't thrilled when it ran out of the 35e credit in one day. Turns out the assistant had forgotten to turn off the roaming 3G. Caught the tail end of the farmers' market, and went to the Athenaeum. Dinner at Comptoir des TonTons.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Sunday:</span> Visited Stephane Aladame in Montagny les Buxy to taste the 2008s and 2009s. I added some half bottles to my order they had just packed (2008s). Then went to Domaine Dublere in Savigny les Beaune (American Blair Pethel). Finally caught up with David Clark in Morey St Denis. It was meant to be for a coffee, but he didn't have any, so we tried the 2010s out of barrel and a bottle of 08 and 09. Looking fantastic. Dinner at Picq Boeuf.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Monday:</span> Late decision to say in Burgundy for the Trilogie en Cotes de Nuits, a biennial tasting in Vosne, Chambolle and Morey St Denis. Lots of 08s and 09s on taste. Many surprises -- on how insipid and dirty some domaine's wines are -- and a couple of discoveries. I'll be trying to import at least one. Then drove to Roanne for dinner at three-starred Troisgros. Was interviewed on French TV to coincide with the local translation of Aur Revoir and All That, a book by an American on the decline of French cuisine. We protested ... but spent the last part of the evening and the rest of the night in the bathroom. It must have been something I ate at the tastings ... PS, if you go, save some money and stay at the Grand Hotel next door.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Tuesday:</span> No breakfast, no lunch, cramps all day ... Drove to Beaujolais for tastings with JM Burgaud (2010s and some 2009s), tried to confirm my final order of 09s (but I'm still not sure as he doesn't seem to like emailing); tasted with Stephane Aviron of Potel-Aviron, who has bought fruit from several crus; visited Paul-Henri Thillardon and Alain Coudert, who I will import from (Chenas, Fleurie and Brouilly, although the Fleurie is on the border of Moulin a Vent). Worst dinner ever at the Atelier near the town hall in Villie-Morgon. Rude waiter told people we were English and therefore couldn't handle meat being rosé (pink), when in fact the meat was like an old boot and I couldn't even cut it!<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Wednesday:</span> Visits to Faury and Barou in northern Rhone, the latter a run-down 200-year-old farmhouse but intense wines made by passionate no-nonsense people. Organic since 1971. The whites were incredible, and there's a St Joseph that goes into new oak for two years. Then on to Espiers near Vacqueyras. Great visit. Checked out a few vineyards and tasted some wines. Ordered a pallet of the 2010 white, and will get even more of the reds (200 cases of the CdR already on the way to Aus). Stayed just up the road, but had to drive about 15km to find a restaurant, and again it was awful.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Thursday:</span> Driving day ... did some work in the morning and then drove 500km to Pau in southwest France. I've been using booking.com to choose hotels. Stayed in Montpensier for two nights. Pretty good, and only 67e a night. Found an amazing bistro and couldn't get in, two nights in a row. Will post the details later. Ate at a pub called Le Bureau (The Office). Nice burger and beer.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Friday:</span> Another great tasting day and two more new producers. Will be buying from two stars of Jurancon. Third visit to Madiran was not so successful. The winemaker, a smoker who said he was an alcoholic, was lovely but I couldn't get my head around his wines, a tannat, a tannat-cab franc, a petit manseng and a special cuvee blended with the sixth barrel from three producers and hence labelled 666. Drove back to Pau (an hour) and ate at a little crepe restaurant facing the chateau.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Saturday:</span> About to drive to San Sebastien in Spain (maybe for lunch) and then to Santander on the coast. On Sunday we will drive on to Vigo to be handy to Pontevedra for Albarino tastings on Monday.<br /><br />I have some great stories among all that and hope to come back to them at various points. Better I at least recorded some thoughts than let them pile up though! Feel free to ask for more detail about anything.<br /><div><br /></div>Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-75815324291494294292011-03-20T02:12:00.010+11:002011-03-20T02:26:13.887+11:00An "old" favouriteSecond visit of the tour was to Dupont-Tisserandot in Gevrey Chambertin. This was the first estate I approached for export to Australia in 2008, and that was on the basis of a sensational 1964 Mazi Chambertin that I had enjoyed thanks to the generosity of a friend. The wine and the old label inspired me, and I wanted to know more about a producer that could pump out such a wine and remain unknown.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjX5SHR4yOiU74-iDMgTd1V81qIRVzadeXcMhddL7tXfsa9hChmnom56zk6mr_t3-YnvNB7YSPI1LwMpsO0773l7gspQGXjpXFX8lBCBWY6v2JkBi4WhJexVkguEdXQF2thb2q_56Ew4F/s1600/dupont1.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjX5SHR4yOiU74-iDMgTd1V81qIRVzadeXcMhddL7tXfsa9hChmnom56zk6mr_t3-YnvNB7YSPI1LwMpsO0773l7gspQGXjpXFX8lBCBWY6v2JkBi4WhJexVkguEdXQF2thb2q_56Ew4F/s320/dupont1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585810257313279074" border="0" /></a> Didier's wife and her sister are actually the co-owners of the estate, having inherited it from their father. Didier is the driving force here and the person I always deal with. We have rugby in common, and I sealed our partnership on my second visit with a Wallaby jumper, although I'm not sure he wears it in his role as chairman of Gevrey Olympic Rugby Club.<br /><br />Our visit coincided with the local oenologist coming to test the premiers crus and grands crus in preparation for bottling. Having recently been racked and sulphured they weren't showing much fruit or finesse, but having tried them in barrel a year ago I know how sensational they will be. The bunches were so ripe that for the first time Didier decided to use 25-30% whole bunches for the first time, to add complexity.<br /><br />We also ran through the excellent value range: passetoutgrains (half Morey St Denis old-vine gamay, half Gevrey Chambertin pinot), bourgogne, Marsannay, Fixin, Ladoix, Gevrey Chambertin and Savigny les Beaune. The 2009 is already in Australia alongside the full range of 2008s.<br /><br />I told Didier the 2008 Marsannay Les Echezeaux and Ladoix, and the crunchy, almost tart passetoutgrains had been well received by restaurants and wine bars. He agreed they were all looking good but said the Fixin had shut down and might stay that way for six more months. The Gevrey was still open, however.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTldYHK7_bC32-0dMo3-nO8Otf8gw3sHAyT5uwN4akGVrzKKl5J7_Ol1ZS_VkmMkcRxoV9YNL2YjgL_xOZccuHnAx9MutK2CcvEu4FFEHItW5Zk-cRD0t3UEv27_pKb7LJ5EUUyreV1RL/s1600/dupont2.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTldYHK7_bC32-0dMo3-nO8Otf8gw3sHAyT5uwN4akGVrzKKl5J7_Ol1ZS_VkmMkcRxoV9YNL2YjgL_xOZccuHnAx9MutK2CcvEu4FFEHItW5Zk-cRD0t3UEv27_pKb7LJ5EUUyreV1RL/s320/dupont2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585811755800589602" border="0" /></a> It was a quick but satisfying visit, and I'll probably return to have a look at the vineyards and maybe try a couple more wines in late April. As it was, Didier had to get ready for a business trip to Brussels, so I let him go. Another piece of good news for those who had bought the 2007 Mazis Chambertin and wanted more -- Didier still has 60 bottles in the cellar so I'm going to buy another two dozen.<br /><br /><div></div>Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-18385303659290113802011-03-20T00:49:00.013+11:002011-03-20T02:02:50.108+11:00Birth of a new starFrom Charles de Gaulle Airport north of Paris to Chablis is about two hours' drive down the A6. Having gone the wrong way around the Paris Peripherique (ring road) in the past, I pulled over just outside the airport to let the GPS get its bearings before setting out. The traffic wasn't too bad but I wouldn't like to be trying to read a map to take the various exits and links before hitting the A6. We didn't put a foot wrong (for the first time) and lobbed in the village of Courgis just after midday for a catch-up with Thomas Pico of Domaine Pattes Loup.<br /><br />I imported 25 cases of Thomas's 2008 AC Chablis last year and they were snapped up by some top restaurants in Sydney and Brisbane. I'd been out of stock of Chablis (stupidly) for quite a while, but on Friday a healthy 112 cases of 2009 Pattes Loup landed at the warehouse in Sydney. Many of the 08 buyers already had reservations in for the new wine.<br /><br />I tried the 09 from bottle for the first time, and it's a cracker. The best villages wine he's made, Thomas confidently declared. He works his vines organically and handpicks the grapes. They are then fermented in stainless steel and 700-litre concrete biodynamic eggs, which enable lots of lees contact for texture and extra body.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9YPbXOBkETDAt_Bk1zkQ_-SR_2NF7rhGn0DxV6t-WpHZK_zEzazGrUmR4mpiDNkHNqDP9lXzAiVjyd2g33FYQh74egk_EsHE2-CZWkj5ttiUEAeagw2aF7sQzBefYklu3AF1izU5dl7-/s1600/pico1-11.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9YPbXOBkETDAt_Bk1zkQ_-SR_2NF7rhGn0DxV6t-WpHZK_zEzazGrUmR4mpiDNkHNqDP9lXzAiVjyd2g33FYQh74egk_EsHE2-CZWkj5ttiUEAeagw2aF7sQzBefYklu3AF1izU5dl7-/s320/pico1-11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585798339489882562" border="0" /></a>The result is a wine of intrigue. It's chardonnay with palate weight despite the absence of oak in the vinification. We also tried the three premier cru 09s. The Cote du Jouan was bottled in January and was looking sensational: fruit sweet (ripe grapefruit) and minerally, and a persistent finish. The Beauregard and Montmains (from the Butteaux section of the vineyard) might turn out even better but just a week after bottling they were reluctant to show their best.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmMyqdvMwMGAIDKsS1NnINW6g0MC0pD_r61OEV3JDIkcmL01x-hQjBUEgZs1bw6eCt-WaOr_LLUii40eiz8TXvKgB9j9FzuVpds5pNvpmJjJPhUkFyTXXmzUnmhyphenhyphenZM4niI9oZIQ_cK8-y/s1600/pico2-11.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmMyqdvMwMGAIDKsS1NnINW6g0MC0pD_r61OEV3JDIkcmL01x-hQjBUEgZs1bw6eCt-WaOr_LLUii40eiz8TXvKgB9j9FzuVpds5pNvpmJjJPhUkFyTXXmzUnmhyphenhyphenZM4niI9oZIQ_cK8-y/s320/pico2-11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585798341047323330" border="0" /></a>Australia's allocation of these three wines is a miserly 34 cases in total, and they should be available in mid-May. Thomas's 2010s were in an awkward phase of development, the cold winter delaying malolactic fermentation, so we grabbed two bottles and headed off for lunch. Thomas was feeling worse for wear, his partner and newborn second child having come home just the night before to ensure he didn't get much sleep. It was a big week all round, his 30th birthday due just two days after our visit.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ePIwxhadh87-gnp4jOigJXtJcPpRXsDueJhJdzdUoeZVid0FpfedDxgg6UYBIK21ML6ujraZCr7u3Ka7h00NXhst6c-LQtvrc5vfHfC-GoVVFfY1eMtjHj_HAtBIcYzttRxwJLwGPF9u/s1600/pico3-11.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ePIwxhadh87-gnp4jOigJXtJcPpRXsDueJhJdzdUoeZVid0FpfedDxgg6UYBIK21ML6ujraZCr7u3Ka7h00NXhst6c-LQtvrc5vfHfC-GoVVFfY1eMtjHj_HAtBIcYzttRxwJLwGPF9u/s320/pico3-11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585798348722884386" border="0" /></a>He drove us to the quaint old village Noyers-sur-Sereine, where many of the buildings were constructed with a combination of mud and straw between wooden beams. It's a gorgeous little place of narrow cobblestone streets, crooked houses and an imposing church, plus our destination -- Maison Paillot, a cute two-storey restaurant and store.<br /><br />We scoffed down one of the local delicacies, gougeres (cheese-puff rolls), then Miriam and I launched into a salad containing rabbit liver and neck. Sensational. Miriam went for the Coq au Vin main while I scarfed the veal. Delicious and we probably didn't eat as much as we were allowed for the E19.60 lunch special.<br /><br />We had the 09 Chablis and Cote du Jouan with the meal, plus a typically funky cabernet franc from the Loire. I thought the nose was a bit dirty but the palate pleasant, while Thomas thought the palate didn't deliver what the nose promised!<br /><br />We drove back to Courgis to get our car, then virtually backtracked to get to the A6 and onwards to Gevrey Chambertin for our second appointment, with Didier Chevillon at Dupont-Tisserandot.<br /><br /><div></div>Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-10056969626010463392011-03-18T05:15:00.004+11:002011-03-20T02:03:32.533+11:00Chaotic start to tripFor once I didn't try to deliver 50 cases of wine the day of an international departure. I did go to the warehouse and the cellar, but I was home on schedule, packed and into a taxi on time so we arrived at the airport 2hrs before the flight. What a miracle.<br /><br />I then proceeded to spend every spare second on the phone, up until the plane started down the runway! I booked a truck to pick up two new pallets of Clos Marguerite Sauvignon Blanc that had just landed in the country, and I attended to a couple of simple matters. But I wasted ages on the phone (and on hold) trying to get some sense out of Telstra. I am distraught that I switched carriers to someone that appears even worse than 3. Philippine call centres have no idea ... can't get a phone number ported five days after we got two numbers connected instantly. Of course that was going to be the number my mobile would be diverted to ...<br /><br />Flew Virgin Atlantic to Hong Kong (beware, they weighed our carry-on luggage and have a 6kg limit), which was fine. The seating was a 2-4-2 configuration, and even though the plane was fairly empty we stayed in our window-aisle combo. I think I watched one movie and did a bunch of work on the laptop. Carlsberg was the beer on offer but the wine looked awful.<br /><br />In Hong Kong we found the very crowded Cathay business lounge and had a snack and recharged laptop batteries. Couldn't get a shower, which was a drag. We had some cheap business class seats on Swiss for the next sector to Zurich, and enjoyed the lay-flat seats and ample food and drink. Had a couple of glasses of lovely 07 Rioja. Slept a bit, clear immigration without a word, then somehow took a wrong turn looking for the business lounge, got processed as leaving the EU, then walked down the corridor and entered again past the same bemused border control cop! Three stamps in the passport in five minutes!<br /><br />A quick flight to Paris (long enough for breakfast), collected our bags and rental car (Peugeot 3008) and then set off for Chablis.<br /><br /><div></div>Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-34870539190591901082011-03-13T14:35:00.005+11:002011-03-20T01:56:18.330+11:00On the road againOK, six months, no posts. I'll use this as my notebook on the next big roadtrip, starting on Tuesday! I'm flying to Paris with Mrs Eurocentric and taking a rental car straight to Beaune. I'll do a few tastings there, then head through Montagny, Beaujolais, the northern and southern Rhone, Jurancon, Spain, across to Italy via the Languedoc, then up to Germany via Alsace, into Champagne for some special treats (I mean really special), then Chablis and back to Burgundy, plus a lightning trip to the Loire. Then we go to New York for a week as Mrs E is presenting at a conference.<div><br /></div><div>It's a massive trip (massively unplanned) and I hope to be able to announce our new Spanish and Italian labels as we go, plus some of the new French producers. There won't be any new German producers! Twelve is more than enough ... Fritz Haag completes the team, although I am going to get some Knipser and Huber for a sommelier friend.</div><div><br /></div><div>Right, the plan is to post briefly and often. Give feedback if you want to know about anything in particular!<br /><br /></div>Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-62769014302871409542010-09-15T01:05:00.005+10:002011-03-20T02:05:26.480+11:00No regrets, no surrenderI’m in the mood for a bit of niggle, and why not? It might be a combination of barometric pressure (electrical storm in Sydney tonight) and hayfever (I’ve been sneezing my head off for a week). But in the wine world, what irritates me is a lack of experimentation by many people in positions of buying authority – the people who decide what will be stocked in the bottle shops and on the wine lists of your favourite restaurants.<br /><br />Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a lot of success and am tremendously grateful for the support I have had over the past 2½ years, with many of Australia’s leading restaurants buying the wines I have chosen and imported.<br /><br />Marque, Aria, Quay, Tetsuya’s, Rockpool Bar & Grill, Vue de Monde, Ortiga, Fins, Glass, Fino, Bouchard, Must Wine Bar, Bentley Bar & Grill … you can find our wines in all of these fine establishments and many more.<br /><br />But looking at other wine lists, as I am compulsively and obsessively inclined to do, I note a mundane repetition of certain brands that I believe just don’t cut it any more, if they ever did.<br /><br />I suspect -- and have been told by more than one sommelier -- that some people buy those wines “because we always have”. Perhaps they don’t explore further to realise there is a greater choice out there these days, often better quality and often less expensive. Perhaps they just can’t be bothered looking at new products. Or dealing with more suppliers. Or risking their bonuses, incentives, overseas trips with the major importers … there must be an explanation for it.<br /><br />From what I can tell it extends from German Riesling to white Burgundy to red Burgundy to Champagne, and of course these are the regions I love and focus on with my imports portfolio.<br /><br />Much to my relief there is a wave of young guns out there and they are open-minded, tasting everything they can get their lips on. And then they’re buying those wines for their tiny wine bars, their enotecas, their laneway establishments, even their mainstream restaurants looking for an edge. And it seems to be these people whose businesses are booming, who are the talk of the town. It also seems that Sydney is doing it better than Melbourne, which appears to be a bastion of vinous conservatism.<br /><br />Rather than denigrating any producers – because I’m sure they’re all doing their best – I would ask you, my very limited mailing list, to keep your mind open when new products come along. Maybe you haven’t heard of the producer, but who’s to say their wines can’t be great if you and I think they are? Why shouldn’t we enjoy the fruits of people who labour away out of the spotlight, away from the beaten track that Robert Parker, Jancis Robinson, David Schildknecht, Stephen Tanzer or John Gilman tread?<br /><br />The beauty of the vast Eurocentric Wine Imports portfolio is that you are getting the world brought to you: the best wines I have sourced <i style="">so far</i>, trucked, shipped and stored in temperature-controlled conditions, and available to you in whatever quantities you like. It’s up to you when, where and how. You can buy direct or you can buy through your favourite retailer or restaurant, it doesn’t matter to me, but I hope you – and I – can keep an open mind whenever a wine comes along that we might not know.<br /><br /><div></div>Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-61596750717067715082010-06-12T01:10:00.002+10:002010-06-12T01:39:58.552+10:00Skipping aheadSorry to those two people who keep coming back to the blog looking for updates. I have been snowed under with tax and assorted paperwork, not to mention a mate's wedding in England, but I hope to get back and complete the European journal.<br /><br />I must write shorter entries!<br /><br />On the road in Australia now. First day I stopped at Caveau in Wollongong, that city's only one-hat restaurant (that I know of) and they have ordered Aladame Montagny 1er cru Cuvee Selection 06 and Alluviale Anobli 08 sweet wine.<br /><br />Then to the fine wine store in Berry, where the Dombeya Stellenbosch Boulder Road Shiraz 07 will find a home, alongside Mantra Shiraz Viognier 06 and Alluviale Merlot Cabernet Franc 07.<br /><br />Unfortunately I didn't hear back from Banisters, which I thought was keen on some grand cru Burgundy. Not too many restaurants these days say they don't need entry level, they want top end!<br /><br />Stayed in Bateman's Bay with a lovely lass who has been a good friend for 26 years. The friendship is easy, even if we don't see each other for months.<br /><br />After a typical 2.5 hours' sleep on Wednesday I managed 6.5 in BB, had a fairly lazy morning and then set off for a couple of appointments in Canberra. As it turns out they were next door to each other and my last-minute hotel is across the road! I even got free parking. To make up for it, Rydges charges a ripoff $29 a day for internet access, although I have tapped into another hotel's service for $15 a day.<br /><br />Flint's restaurant wine buyer was very keen on the wine and has promised to order, and also gave me a good lead for a keen French wine lover in the Blue Mountains. Next door, Peter Bell at Parlour Wine Bar ordered the Dombeya Merlot to run by the glass, and is going to look further at the portfolio. Then he filled me to overflowing with good food and lovely wine from his own list.<br /><br />On Saturday I have an appointment at Onred and will try to make one or two other calls, then I'm meeting with a winery to discuss distribution across NSW.<br /><br />Another exciting bit of breaking news: I have a fantastic cult Spanish wine on the way. I've also had a look at a solid quirky cheapie, and have leads on some good Italians. All the gaps I want to fill should be taken care of by the end of the year. Or maybe next year if I get to visit those places.<br /><br />In the meantime I am still shaking trees trying to raise the money necessary to pay my bills and get a couple of containers on the water. The wines to come really are fantastic and should sell quickly.<br /><br />The business is two years old, sales more than doubled in year two, and momentum seems to be building. People are starting to talk. Or maybe they are just listening to the wines.Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-51935552979973749452010-04-15T07:18:00.002+10:002010-04-15T09:02:43.621+10:00Day 14: Taxing the tastebudsMade a bit of a late and lazy start to the day. Eventually drove south of Beaune looking for the Mercurey venue for a regional Grands Jours tasting. I figured if the GPS could get me to the town then surely there would be signs out to the venue, as there was no street listed in the program. Nope, no signs from the main road into town, so I drove around and around until I happened upon a sagging arrow, and eventually parked almost outside the front door of the hall.<br /><br />When I mentioned to the hosts that it might have been an idea to list the road in the program they replied "but this road has no name". Hard to argue with that. I would find more of those sort of roads in many other villages in the days to come!<br /><br />Stand No.1 happened to be occupied by Stéphane and Cecile Aladame, a young couple who make the gorgeous 1er cru chardonnays I import from Montagny-les-Buxy.<br /><br />I tried their range of 08s, with a couple of new names appearing on the labels, which have been tarted up with different colours for each cuvee. Smart. My favourites were the Vignes Derrieres and the Cuvee Selection. I hope people finally cotton onto the 06 and 07 so I can buy the 08s. Matthew Jukes went nuts for the 08 Selection at a British trade tasting, buying some and giving them a rave review.<br /><br />Cecile is a sweetheart who can speak a bit of English, whereas Stéphane had always avoided any attempts. Now he is doing classes, and proudly told me: "The cat is in the kitchen." I think he's got a way to go ;-)<br /><br />Cecile gave me a couple of tips on producers to check out, and I did the rounds of others I knew or had heard positive whispers. Not available but worth tasting were the Aubert de Villaine wines, two of which were lovely. Others I tried were dry, reductive, oaky or too extracted. Another had abandoned his post -- possibly for lunch, but I'm sure no one would have been surprised if he didn't return.<br /><br />No point in flogging a dead horse, so I drove back to Beaune for a couple of semi-private tastings. The first was at Maison Alex Gambal, where I ran through the 08 whites and reds that hadn't been shown on Tuesday. Then I tried a bunch of 09 samples from barrel, and they were mighty impressive. They will even have a Genevrieres 1er cru after doing a swap with someone.<br /><br />Back upstairs and bumped into the delightful and gorgeous Geraldine Godot, the new winemaker at Gambal. I proceeded to make up any excuse for conversation, including a cork/screwcap debate. She looked ready to thump me, which I would have accepted as some form of affection, and then Alex made it worse byremembering some 03 Bourgogne Blanc that they had bottled under screwcap. He raced off to find a bottle and to everyone's surprise the wine -- from a hot, low-acid year -- was bright, fresh and in perfect condition.<br /><br />On that evidence alone Alex was convinced he should convert, but Geraldine is a tough nut, and while she conceded the nose was impressive she wasn't so fussed on the palate. I offered to debate the matter further over dinner but she saw right through me and, suitably humbled, I left with my tail between my legs.<br /><br />It's only two blocks from the Gambal winery on the peripherique to the Camille Giroud offices and winery, where a full range of 08s was open for tasting, as well as two verticals and a smattering of ancient vintages.<br /><br />I had some definite favourites among the 08s, keeping an eye on price, and the verticals of Vosne Romanee (02-07) and Corton Le Rognet (03-07) panned out pretty much as expected, the Vosnes looking good (an the 02 starring for me), whereas the Cortons seemed to improve from year to year, the 07 fine and subtle and showing real finesses and class.<br /><br />The older wines were: St Romain blanc 99, which had a bit of an odd goat's cheese nose but was pale and quite complex, showing some baked quiche, honey and caramel notes; 1995 Volnay 1er cru Carelles smelled a bit like a Bordeaux, with sweet leather and ample but fine tannins; 1990 Nuits St Georges 1er cru Perrieres was full bodied and rich, showing some iron filings and lots of tannins still; 1978 Volnay Champans was a little tired in the fruit department, smelling of smoke, leather and blood, but still with tannin to burn; and the 1976 Lavaux St Jacques was quite appealing, with a little framboise and leather combo going on.<br /><br />The evening's activities promised to be quite grand: 40 grands crus fro 2002 and 2008 at the Chateau Clos Vougeot. It wasn't until later that I realised the wines were all supplied by negociants.<br /><br />I could list all 40 but that would be a yawn, wouldn't it? They were all masked, so it was interesting seeing what I liked and didn't like among the many Chablis GCs, Batards, Chevaliers, Corton Charlemagnes, etc, and for the reds the Clos Vougeots, the Charmes, the Clos de Bezes and so on. The surprises for me were how bad the two Laroche chablis were: the 08 under screwcap was flat and lifeless and the 02 was a bit oxidised. Another wine was served corked and no one complained.<br /><br />I bumped into wine writers John Gilman and Bill Nanson and had a bit of a chat, and then it was off to an upstairs dining room for some speeches and a bit of food. My table included a German magazine publisher, a Czech TV producer, a couple of winemakers and one or two others, and later the winemakers were told to rotate tables and the viticulturist from Laroche joined us. There was an awkward moment when I shared my enthusiasm for the other winemaker's wine but had to play dumb with the Laroche guy!<br /><br />The dinner wines were: 2001 Jadot Criots-Batard Montrachet (bit fat and flabby for my liking); 1990 Joseph Drouhin Grands Echezeaux (some loved this but I found it a bit leathery and simple); 1988 Bouchard Le Corton (not memorable but better than the others). I suspect it was a good opportunity to write off a bunch of disappointing old wines.<br /><br />OK, for my own records, the 40 pre-dinner wines were:<br /><br />2008 Drouhin Chablis Bougros: Rich and vibrant, with a hint of botrytis. So much fruit density and length. Great.<br /><br />2008 Simmonet-Febvre Chablis Les Preuses: More refined and minerally. Still heaps of body but more focused.<br /><br />2008 Henri de Villamont Chablis Vaudesir: A little toast, oats, grapefruit. Lots of body, power, a lick of honey.<br /><br />2008 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Valmur: Much tighter. Some honey, sesame seeds. Not lacking intensity, but not exactly open.<br /><br />2008 Simonnet-Febvre Chablis Les Clos: A little mealy, iodine, minerality, finesse, less intensity.<br /><br />2008 Laroche Chablis Les Blanchots (s): Soft, even developed. Smells buttery and lacks intensity. Tried a second bottle: mercaptans aromas, pretty bad.<br /><br />2008 Lupe-Cholet Chablis Les Blanchots: Creamy, lacks acid, almost cloying. Growing suspicion of cork taint. Second bottle shows more intensity and focus.<br /><br />2008 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Les Blanchots: Rich, almost resiny, lots of grapefruit, quite intense mid-palate but finishes quickly.<br /><br />2002 Laroche Chablis Les Blanchots: A little oxidised: fat, rich and quite awful.<br /><br />2008 Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne: A little soapy, vanilla essence, boring.<br /><br />2008 Roux Pere et Fils Corton Charlemagne: More intensity, honey snaps, vanilla wafers. Length. Could be great.<br /><br />2008 Seguin Manuel Corton Charlemagne: Rich, intense, full bodied, with a hint of honey on the finish. Broad but not long.<br /><br />2008 Corton Andre Corton Charlemagne: Paint resin -- my least favourite aroma on CC -- intense grapefruit. Lacks a bit of acid.<br /><br />2008 Patriarche Pere et Fils Corton Charlemagne: Broader, rich fruit, very ripe, heading towards orange and mandarin. Presume botrytis.<br /><br />2008 Albert Bichot Corton Charlemagne: Unyielding nose but an intense palate with lots of extract, but lemony, less oak. Oh, love this one.<br /><br />2008 Olivier Leflaive Corton Charlemagne: Ripe, rich but good. Not too much oak. Heaps of power.<br /><br />2008 Bouchard P&F Chevalier Montrachet: Power and minerality, silky, finesse, restraint. This is a class above the Cortons.<br /><br />2008 Olivier Leflaive Batard-Montrachet: Quite intense on the front palate, and the flavour lingers. Bit of vanilla, green olive and grapefruit.<br /><br />2008 Jean-Marc Boillot Batard-Montrachet: A little toastier on the nose, with grapefruit and honeycomb. Nice length and balance.<br /><br />2008 Michel Picard Batard-Montrachet: Paint resin, sesame seeds, toasty. Meh.<br /><br />2008 Louis Jadot Batard-Montrachet: Honeyed oats, creme fraiche, bit of vanilla oak. These Batards are huge!<br /><br />2002 Jean-Marc Boillot Batard-Montrachet: Not tasted.<br /><br />2008 Corton Andre Corton Bressandes: A little meaty, good mouthfeel. Nice intensity, some florals, silky fruit, bit of grip. Love this.<br /><br />2008 Stephane Brocard Corton Bressandes: Meaty, earthy, iron filings, strawberries, pretty fine but shows a bit of wood on the finish.<br /><br />2002 Louis Latour Corton Grancey: Soapy, mousy, lot of tanin. Will get more leathery. Pretty bad.<br /><br />2002 Prosper Maufoux Corton: Blood, oven-roasted tomatoes, lot of tannins. Needs heaps more time.<br /><br />2002 Louis Jadot Corton Pougets: Meaty, earthy, tannin overload. Leave another 10+ years.<br /><br />2008 Bouchard Aine & Fils Charmes Chambertin: Fresh and pretty. Blood and juicy strawberries, bit of grip but heaps of bright red fruit, even though the colour is quite pale.<br /><br />2008 Jean-Claude Boisset Clos de la Roche: Luscious red fruits, strawberries, red cherries, bit of tannin. Needs a fair bit of time.<br /><br />2008 Louis Max Clos de Vougeot: Really heady florals. Love it. Pretty, intense red fruit and spice and a bit of underlying earthiness. Grip is OK.<br /><br />2008 Seguin Manuel Clos de Vougeot: Really dark crimson. Very plush and sweet in the mouth. Heaps of power. So dense. Lot of acid too. Holy crap. Tannins are there but not too dry.<br /><br />2008 Albert Bichot Echezeaux: Big boy. Plush, refined and long in the mouth. Linear. Lots of power. Fair bit of tannin at the finish. For the long haul.<br /><br />2008 Bouchard Aine & Fils Echezeaux: Pretty nose, florals on the palate, red fruit, sappy, very fine, bit of grip, lasting tannin.<br /><br />2008 Henri de Villamont Grands Echezeaux: Pretty, very fresh nose. Framboise, a little cream, smoky, hint of spice. Lovely already.<br /><br />2002 Joseph Drouhin Grands Echezeaux: A little meaty, not complex, quite fine, masculine style. Not my type of wine.<br /><br />2002 Bouree et Fils Charmes Chambertin: Quite pale, browning on the rim. More gamey, raw meat, iron filings, getting tired.<br /><br />2002 Prosper Maufoux Charmes Chambertin: Rich, crammed with red cherries and strawberries, fine tannins and a little acid on the finish. Nice.<br /><br />2002 Jean-Claude Boisset Mazis Chambertin: Very fine. Some high-toned fruit, little bit of iron filings, tough of game. Nice oak. Excellent.<br /><br />2002 Michel Picard Mazis Chambertin: Meaty, animale on the nose. Quite fresh, with nice fruit on the palate. Very fine tannins.<br /><br />2002 Bouchard P&F Chambertin Clos de Beze: Soft, round, roast tomato, good persistence, fine tannins, oak a little murky. Becoming meaty, more animale.<br /><br />Make of all that what you will!Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-91508984319307601852010-04-07T07:23:00.004+10:002010-04-07T08:47:22.524+10:00Day 13: Easy does it, TigerNo, this isn't a story about Tiger Woods, although you do know that I watched him win his first US Masters at Augusta National in 1997 and got him to autograph the program, don't you?<br /><br />I can name drop with the best of them, but the Tiger in question was a stuffed toy in a window in a store on the Rue d'Alsace, just a couple of doors up from where I've been staying in Beaune. My friend Helena has a fetish for collecting a stuffed toy from each place she visits (I'm not sure how long she has to be there for the place to qualify ... perhaps it's one souvenir per trip) and she spied this particularly dashing Tiger and gave me instructions for its capture. Luckily for David, it easily exceeded her limit of 40 euros. The miserable cat was a whopping 53 euros!<br /><br />Strange that this stands out as the event of the day, but that's what happens when you leave blogging till days after the fact. Well, I did eventually haul my sore head and tired body down to the Palais de Congrès in Beaune for a triple-header of tasting.<br /><br />I had high hopes of finding a decent producer from the Macon region, but anything decent was well overpriced, in my opinion. I mean, I have a great producer from Montagny, with 1er cru chardonnays selling for less than $50, and people resist, even though they are listed in many three-star restaurants in France. It's like the current fascination with Chablis -- which is cool, I love the stuff -- while people reject the whites from the Cote de Beaune. OK, guys, you know it's all chardonnay, right? Is it the absence of oak that makes Chablis so appealing, or the price, or do people think it is another grape variety altogether? And is white Burgundy confusing? Do people think it is decoloured pinot noir? Or are they worried about premature oxidation (seems strange, given that most wine is drunk almost immediately). Are they took oaky or too expensive?<br /><br />Anyway, there was nothing to move me from 131 Macon winemakers ... right, I didn't try them all, but I used the scientific method of sampling every bottle that stood out on the trial bench, whether by label appearance or the "je ne sais quoi" of the domaine name. Then I worked my way around the hall to those that had appealed from the run-through, and to those I already knew and had earmarked for investigation.<br /><br />From this I decided there was nothing that would woo the unadventurous drinkers out there in the big brown land. I moved on to scour the 64 producers from Aloxe-Corton, Chore-les-Beaune, Ladoix-Serrigny, Pernand-Vergelesses and Savigny-les-Beaune (are you starting to get the idea of what a momentous task this event presents?) and checked out the two stands of interest in the Beaune lineup of 25, Domaine des Croix and Camille Giroud.<br /><br />It was a good opportunity to catch up with the charming David Croix, winemaker at both domaines, and have a look at some of their 08s. He never obfuscates, but then again that's the first time I've used that word in a sentence, so I can't be too sure ;-) No, there is no deceit about the man: if you call reduction and it's there, he'll concede it. If you tell him his 05 and 06 Corton Charlemagne were fat and heavy, he will tell you why (the vineyard ripens so quickly it caught him off guard the first two years, and, just like that, the 07 and 08 are light, fresh and mesmerising!)<br /><br />Right, enough of this. I hadn't eaten anything all day and was feeling light-headed. I beat a hasty retreat and prepared for one of the dullest nights of my life, the Saveurs du Monde, an event when the organisers try to showcase just how adaptable Burgundy is by offering the wines of several producers with some odd dishes from some of the best local chefs.<br /><br />The food, although served in tiny portions to people who had to queue for ages to get it, was nice enough, and the wines satisfactory, but the event started late and then groaned into gear with a couple of boring speeches, the worst by a woman from the sponsor company, who went into excrutiating detail about how and why her decanters and glasses were so wonderful. I hate that company now and will never buy their products. I hope she's happy ;-)<br /><br />I couldn't stand this for long ... I left after an hour or so and went back to my friends' place for a proper dinner. Sigh. It's tough getting beyond the superficial sometimes!Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-61812089888038098942010-04-07T06:53:00.003+10:002010-04-07T07:22:24.218+10:00Day 12: Packing down in the Grand scrumI've got a lot of posts to catch up on ... some great stories to tell. Will try to catch up a few days at a time. Day two of the Grands Jours is a bit of a nightmare. It's the busiest day, the most producers and the most important regions spread over four venues. It's insane, really.<br /><br />Two years ago I started at Nuits St Georges and was pulling splinters within an hour. The palate was soon shot and the rest of the day was tough work. This time I figured I'd start in Marsannay-la-Cote for the "Jewels of Cote de Nuits" session, the venue for 69 producers from Gevrey, Marsannay and Fixin.<br /><br />It was a good chance to look at the 2008s of Dupont-Tisserandot and Humbert Freres against some of the other producers I had been thinking of, and also to look at several vintages of Camille Girouds, including 06 and 07 Chambertin and Latricieres. There was also a table containing a bottle from each producer, which gave the opportunity to try one wine and decide whether it was worth exploring more and enduring the inevitable awkwardness of a wary importer meeting an eager producer.<br /><br />Overall it was pretty hard work, the recent bottling of most wines reflected in their dry finish and protruding structure. I'm not sure I learnt a lot, except a couple of producers to avoid.<br /><br />From there it was off to the Gilly les Citeaux for the Chambolle Musigny/Morey St Denis tasting, and what a relief it was. So much sweet fruit, soft tannins and finesse from some of the 46 exhibitors here. I made a beeline for the Mugnier table as I'd tasted twice previously at this domaine and like to badger them regularly. Freddie is affable and his assistant Audrey is gorgeous -- although now a married mum of one, I'm a sucker for her dark Audrey Tautou eyes and hair and, strangely, her English accent! She spent a couple of years in Kent, it seems.<br /><br />Mugnier was smart enough not to bottle before the show, so the 08 Chambolle Musigny, NSG Clos de la Marechale and Musigny all looked fine, fruity and friendly. He's too cagey on where to place the vintage, let alone the 09s that the Americans have been going gaga about, but he admitted he wasn't about to rain on their parade if they wanted to start another buying frenzy. Mugnier has no need to pour wines at such a show but to support his community and try to attract more punters for his peers.<br /><br />Other highlights were Camille Giroud (they showed each wine in the relevant appellation venue), Lucie & Auguste Lignier (great to compare 07s, 08s and 09s for various cuvees) and Faiveley, whose new softer approach has made the world of improvement to their wines.<br /><br />A few more quick swirls and spits and it was off to the Chateau du Clos Vougeot for 60 Vosne Romanee exhibitors. This was apparently a scrum for most of the day and hence why I wanted to save it for late in the piece when the crowds had dispersed. The tactics worked perfectly -- it wasn't so much of a drama to get a pour and then to get to a barrel spittoon.<br /><br />The acids showed quite prominently here, but I enjoyed tastings at Anne Gros, Meo-Camuzet, Comte Liger Belair and Alex Gambal. Was tempted by Lamarche but the wines looks a bit dry and stern, while Jean-Marc Millot has great holdings but I am still concerned about hygiene and reduction in some of the wines.<br /><br />Actually I've learned a fair bit about the olfactory signs of reduction and the role different vineyard soils can play in creating this character: clay is a big contributor.<br /><br />I skipped the NSG venue altogether and just as well. By the time I had circuited three venues I had major palate fatigue and it was getting harder and harder to avoid tannin overload. I don't know how some people taste and rate hundreds of wines in a day. As I was to find out, liking or disliking something in the middle of a tasting didn't necessarily mean anything when it came to sitting down with a bottle at the end of the day.<br /><br />Hmmm, as if the first two days weren't busy enough, my evening entertainment involved having dinner with my wonderful friends David and Helena, who are soon to be Mr & Mrs Jenkins.<br /><br />David has just bought into a wine business in the UK and was over to scout for good value producers from just out of the mainstream. I might have been better off tagging along with him! Anyway, we had an acceptable meal and three decent bottles of wine while we solved the problems of the world. Not such a good idea was a 1964 Armagnac as a nightcap. At 40 or 45% alcohol, it was tough work for me, a non-spirits drinker. David seemed to be getting his second wind and at 6.30am I could only hold my throbbing head as I pictured the two of them having to get up for the three-hour-plus drive to Champagne for their next appointment!Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-13441831263921890022010-03-30T08:26:00.004+11:002010-03-30T08:46:22.645+11:00Day 11: Not such a Grand startDay one of the Grands Jours de Bourgogne, a biennial wine trade fair in multiple venues in Burgundy. There were apparently a lot of complaints about the stacking of events on two days after the previous edition in 2008, the first time I attended, but nothing seems to have changed.<br /><br />Not only are the most appealing events crammed into two days, but the first two days of the Grands Jours clash with the last two days of Prowein in Germany.<br /><br />Oh well, there is no lack of people focused on Burgundy, as I found out when I turned up in Chablis on day one at a respectable hour -- after midday -- to find most people's snouts already in the trough of free grub (and getting their photo taken with a pig on a spit, appropriately enough).<br /><br />That seemed like good timing to get around some of the more intriguing of the 90-odd producers on hand, but my mood was soured when I found their were no guidebooks available. These have all the producers' contact information, what they are exhibiting, and more importantly where they are located in the three tasting rooms.<br /><br />How could you not have one book for every person who registered, I asked. We did, they responded. Well, clearly not, I said. But more people turned up than we expected, they said. Stuff them, you should have kept a guide for those who registered in advance, I replied. Well, finally came the admission, we didn't think everyone who registered would turn up, but they have, and that's why we don't have enough books.<br /><br />I borrowed one from an acquaintance who was off to have a rice cracker for lunch, and proceeded to tick off my major targets. I was looking for a new producer to replace the cad Jean-Claude Bessin, who sold to another importer after agreeing to work exclusively with me in Australia. That importer subsequently told JC that I was selling his wines too cheaply and he refused to sell any more to me. So there you go: not only was the other importer happy to make 20% more per bottle at wholesale, but the producer actively encouraged such extravagance. He didn't seem to care that I was using refrigeration for transport and storage, or that I had his wines listed in several top Sydney and Melbourne restaurants.<br /><br />Sadly for me the two standout producers of the day already seemed to be tied up. I don't want to cut anyone else's grass, and after checking with a respected colleague that he was going ahead with an order, I confirmed to the winemaker that I wasn't interested. The wines were fantastic, and cheap, and he made it more difficult by offering to sell me the same wine under different labels! I would hate that if he did that behind my back, so I was happy to walk away.<br /><br />I eventually made a shortlist of four or five other lovely producers to revisit in a couple of weeks, and after wearing myself out with 200 or so samples, I pulled up stumps and dashed back the hour and a bit to Beaune for refreshing bottles of champagne and riesling with Gav & Gen.Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-34706038796179605292010-03-28T02:13:00.003+11:002010-03-28T02:42:07.167+11:00Day 10: One for the roadNice little hotel last night but it could have been better if I had known the internet modem was in a cupboard down the hall and I could have reset it myself every hour that it seemed to lock up.<br /><br />Finally got connected and caught up with a ton of emails before skipping breakfast and driving north to a quaint restaurant for lunch -- along with about 20 families wheeling their grandmothers out for the day!<br /><br />We had pre-selected two very interesting wines, and decided to have two courses to go with them. I had a lovely fish and scallop dish with truffled potato and rice for entree, along with a wine I'd never had before -- a 2004 Faiveley Corton Charlemagne. Quite rich -- you'd be tempted to call it an oxidative style, although it's one of those ones that seems to get leaner and tighter with air. A bit of the 04 celery/pistacchio character that I don't mind. An interesting wine at the very least, if not particularly long, focused and intense. We saved almost half a bottle for later.<br /><br />Main course was young duck with foie gras, and the accompaniment was a 2004 DRC Vosne Romanee 1er cru Duvalt Blochet, which I believe comes from the young vines of DRC's various grand crus. Not at all green, with interesting spicy notes, quite a supple, easy-drinking style, rather than a wow wine.<br /><br />Full and ready for a nap, but it's not to be. We buy an 06 Duvalt and an 06 Coche Dury Volnay 1er cru for later inspection and hit the road to Beaune. Well, a little detour to Domaine David Clark to pick up some wine I had stashed there and to share some wine and tales with David and his father (who was busy at the time building Vine Buggy Mark VI).<br /><br />We polished off the two lunch wines, which both looked better rather than worse for the three-hour drive, then enjoyed an 08 Bourgogne from David -- such a juicy, clean, fresh, pure, fine-tannined drink, and I will be getting only 10 cases for all of Australia! -- plus two German reds from Schafer-Frohlich. These were both interesting and quite impressive, but I don't want to give away what they were just yet. Oh ok, an 06 Nahe Spatburgunder (pinot noir) and an 05 cabernet sauvignon from the Pfalz. Really well done! I might import a bit of these as an oddity.<br /><br />We tore ourselves away for dinner at Gav and Gen's pad in Beaune, and forced down a bottle of Vouette et Sorbee Fidele champagne to celebrate my first night back in Burgundy. It's a big, rich, oaky pinot-dominant champagne with low fizz that really needs food. A lot more delicate than the 04 disgorgement, but a style that will divide the punters, I reckon. Love it or leave it.Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-72985282351690340212010-03-23T09:51:00.004+11:002010-03-23T09:59:02.692+11:00Day 9: More eating<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdr5nrZ4MhUA8FVWUnHy_lSAXugTX81MPn6HT71I3hHRnhD25lP2QeJGpvJ0FEKhuPD1JDotZx-fsAB6nsleGj_5uk4HlEI7vg5Im-SLMszUH20ZDY-v3hyphenhyphen6lKeCdLL9T-V0diRWuFhXq/s1600-h/storks1.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdr5nrZ4MhUA8FVWUnHy_lSAXugTX81MPn6HT71I3hHRnhD25lP2QeJGpvJ0FEKhuPD1JDotZx-fsAB6nsleGj_5uk4HlEI7vg5Im-SLMszUH20ZDY-v3hyphenhyphen6lKeCdLL9T-V0diRWuFhXq/s320/storks1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451596542764767378" border="0" /></a><br />A pretty relaxed schedule today -- my first day off in a week. With Gav & Gen over for the weekend, we drove to one of our favourite restaurants in Alsace for lunch. One course each and a bottle of Coche Dury 2005 Meursault which unfortunately wasn't a touch on a bottle I had a year previously. Thankfully it was only a quarter of the price it goes for in Australia.<br /><br />We then drove to a little village to check out a special wine shop but it was closed, so we shuffled on to Munster to pick up some stinky cheese. It was a bargain at 11 euros for probably a 500g wheel. Vacuum sealed, too, to spare our noses.<br /><br />Then we drove south to our hotel for the night, enjoyed a free wildlife show from the local stork population (pictured) and then went out for dinner at our third favourite restaurant in the general area. Yes, I'm being vague on purpose. I can take you to these places, but I'm not telling anyone where they are for obvious reasons!<br /><br />Alas, this was a disappointment too. The food was good enough, but that's not why we go there. We ordered a 2000 Coche Dury Perrieres, which I'd had 18 months earlier and loved at Trois Gros, but this was painfully shy. To make matters worse, the local water was way over-chlorinated and the glasses smelled terrible.<br /><br />Our second wine choice was a Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze 96, and we didn't say a thing as the waitress produced a Chambertin 96 and proceeded to open it. Again, a bit disappointing, not least because of the glassware. We were wondering about the fruit days/root days bio calendar about this time.<br /><br />Full but far from satisfied, we retired for another decent night's sleep ahead of our fourth and final shot at wine nirvana ...Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-50374926008156596582010-03-23T09:46:00.002+11:002010-03-23T09:51:20.896+11:00Day 8: Last drop, first splashDrove another 90 minutes south to Siebeldingen in the Pfalz for a tasting at Rebholz. I find the dry wines here harder to gauge as young wines. We ran through some interesting varietals -- silvaner, pinot blanc, pinot gris, riesling, gewurztraminer, a clear pinot noir (they call it blanc de noir), a rosé pinot noir ... some could work better than others.<br /><br />Germany is ahead of the curve when it comes to dry whites. People might scoff at some of them but dry riesling sales are soaring in Australia and the US at the very least.<br /><br />Anyway, Hansjorg Rebholz is confident the 09s are his best yet -- he has two levels of many wines and he feels that the standard wines are as good as the reserves of some other vintages.<br /><br />We had lunch in a cute little joint in the next village where a famous chef has returned to treat the locals. Lovely stuff and no hiccups :-)<br /><br />Will stomach full and a bit of wine on board I struggled the two hours or so further south to a regular favourite stop of mine for a night out with friends. We stayed in a local pension, ordered two pretty smart wines -- a 2002 Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne and a 1976 DRC Richebourg -- and let the restaurant match a few courses with it.<br /><br />I managed to stay awake but it was difficult with the restaurant being so hot. A decent sleep-in beckoned though ...Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-90039147733509598672010-03-23T09:36:00.002+11:002010-03-23T09:45:51.572+11:00Day 7: Nahe two ways about itA quick drive an hour or so from Winningen and I was at Monzingen for a tasting with Frank Schonleber at Weingut Emrich-Schonleber. This was hiccup day. I had the hiccups for the whole drive after stuffing my breakfast down in the morning. I actually got rid of them while I waiting in the tasting room for Frank, but then they came back as soon as we finished trying the 09s!<br /><br />We tried a lovely sparkling riesling brut which I will import, then a range of rieslings from dry to eiswein. There were two TBAs fermenting away and not ready to taste. They'll either blend them and sell it direct, or bottle two and sell one direct and send one to auction.<br /><br />It was interesting to see the differences between their two main vineyards, Fruhlingsplatzchen and Halenberg. I preferred the Fru spatlese and the Halenberg Auslese and, fortunately, Frank agreed. Who knows in a few months' time though, and we were splitting hairs. They are just different styles and will suit different people.<br /><br />We had a nice lunch and tried matching four wines with a sea trout with a creamy sauce. Then Frank got the hiccups. Heh heh.<br /><br />I drove about 15 minutes from here to Bockenau for a tasting with producer of the year Tim Frohlich at Schafer-Frohlich. We went through about 20 wines and my hiccups returned mid-tasting, damn it all. It was so annoying ... Tim reckons sweet wine cures them and in fact they stopped when we hit the residual sugar of a kabinett.<br /><br />Again, a knockout collection. Tim won a lot of awards for his 2008 range and I am wondering how they are going to justify not giving them all to him again when this vintage is even better! He can seemingly handle a lot of different varietals too -- I really enjoyed his pinot blanc and pinot gris, and will probably buy a couple of reds from here as well!<br /><br />I wanted cheap digs for the night but Frank booked me into a hotel at a local spa resort. I had a room well away from the main restaurant, but it was nice and they eventually forgot to charge me for dinner or the internet ... at least at checkout. I am sure they will catch up with me before long. I struggled to stay awake at dinner too but I enjoyed horrifying the waiter by ordering a Donnhoff spatlese (06). The menu was full of trockens so I wanted to shock him. He thought I would taste it and reject it, but I enjoyed it will all three courses, even steak.Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-13526652623255169662010-03-18T17:19:00.002+11:002010-03-18T18:02:14.775+11:00Day 6: Haart to HeartIt was freezing in the morning -- zero degrees and foggy. But apparently this meant it would be a nice day, and sure enough the sun eventually broke through and the temperatures reached the mid teens.<br /><br />My day had started at 5am when I must have heard my phone vibrate and I got up to answer about 30 emails. I never got back to sleep but I had a fun day. I went back to Willi Schaefer to pick up some drinking stocks for a friend, then went to Reinhold Haart, where Johannes guided me through their 09s. Again lots of lovely ripe fruit, burying the minerality somewhat, but good acid and excellent balance. We tried a 01 dry wine that had been open 10 days (and still looked great) and a 1982 auslese -- really smart wine for a weaker vintage, and this wine had also been open 10 days!<br /><br />Dry and sweet riesling end up in similar shape after 10 or 20 years in bottle -- the fruity styles lose a lot of sweetness and the dry styles put on body and complexity.<br /><br />From here I went back to Schloss Lieser to pick up some goodies, then set out for Winningen, about an hour north, near Koblenz.<br /><br />Gas stations seem in short supply around villages in the Mosel but I finally found some fuel for the car and myself -- diesel for the Peugeot 5008 and a massive bratwurst in a bread roll for me. Yum.<br /><br />Cruised along at 180 to Winningen and then caught up on emails and orders till 5pm, then went to see Matthias and his mother Beate at Weingut Knebel. There I tried a few 09s, including two awesome auslese goldcaps and an eiswein. Mmmm, more sugar. Yum again!<br /><br />Went out for dinner in Koblenz and had a lovely 99 spatlese and a fairly yeasty Burguet Gevrey village 00. I was falling asleep though so it wasn't a late night. In fact I stole a 30-second shutdown and reboot in the toilets to get me through!Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-11802237180747821892010-03-17T09:01:00.003+11:002010-03-23T09:35:10.372+11:00Day 5: Mosel madness<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMihhj5LRiTytQK9WprkRDg0jOBH-90oQl7YH93OzOumPQ6LWge5UJZQUBjA146yLWDN0AzLFsJMXjqXw7cX5sPDngrYsvRuAiSZMVSlflLF9_24Poquu0AUBJumPIWPlaYzBf8-cwYEI5/s1600-h/will09.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMihhj5LRiTytQK9WprkRDg0jOBH-90oQl7YH93OzOumPQ6LWge5UJZQUBjA146yLWDN0AzLFsJMXjqXw7cX5sPDngrYsvRuAiSZMVSlflLF9_24Poquu0AUBJumPIWPlaYzBf8-cwYEI5/s320/will09.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451590352643904386" border="0" /></a><br />An overwhelming sugar-hit today.<br /><br />Spent three hours at Weingut Willi Schaefer, trying all the 09s. A sensational range, with the auslese being pants-wetting material ... then an eiswein and a BA! Gorgeous stuff. Golden delicious all round.<br /><br />Then lunch in Mulheim with Christoph before making my way to Lieser to meet with Thomas Haag. We moseyed around his vineyards for a while before settling in for a couple of hours of tasting his 09s.<br /><br />The goldkaps rocked my world and that was just the start. We finished off with a long goldcap and then two TBA goldkaps! One had 470 and the other 530g/l of residual sugar!<br /><br />Quick dinner with Thomas and then back to the Schmitges guesthouse. Back on the road tomorrow.Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-77100217836330303972010-03-17T08:56:00.003+11:002010-03-17T08:59:46.668+11:00Day 4: Ruwer and MoselDrove back towards Trier -- loving the 280km/h commute -- and wound my way to Mertesdorf to meet with Dr Carl von Schubert at Maximin Grunhaus.<br /><br />We tasted through the range of 2009s, ending with a sensational eiswein, then settled in for lunch with his wife and eldest son.<br /><br />Loving the lamb lettuce here ... weird name though!<br /><br />Had a 1981 Herrenberg Kabinett and 1988 Herrenberg Jungfeinweine for lunch, then headed back to Erden.<br /><br />There I ran through the Schmitges lineup, now resplendent in Stelvin Lux closures for every single wine.<br /><br />Again, an awesome eiswein completed the lineup. Then I wandered down the road for a typical stodgy German mean and a painfully chemical weissbier.Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1355231535241877403.post-55158666182626099692010-03-17T08:49:00.004+11:002010-03-17T08:54:46.103+11:00Day three: Land of the giantsI'll post briefly now and expand later. <br /><br />After waking at 4am and pottering around for hours we had breakfast then went to Zilliken to pick up some goodies for Gav and David Clark in Burgundy. Dorothee served us a 1983 Rausch auslese that had been open for days but still looked as fresh as a daisy. And she is comparing 2009 to 1983 ...<br /><br />Raced along the river past some precarious vineyards to Van Volxem in Wiltingen. Cellarmaster Dominic entertained us while Roman was delayed on a flight. We had a quick look at the bubbling cellars (dry wines on a long slow ferment), then looked at the exposed Scharzhofberger vineyard and some of the other sites overlooking the Saar.<br /><br />Went back to the house and started tasting some 08s, including fabulous grosse gewaches -- Volz and Gottesfuss. Then Roman arrived, gave us a history lesson about riesling fetching higher prices than top Bordeaux around 1900, and served up three 2009s. Very smart.<br /><br />I drove on to Erden while Gav and Gen set sail for Burgundy. I arrived at the Schmitges lodging to an empty house but thankfully they turned up, surprised to see me a day early, and we settled in for the evening.Eurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03096199322144342300noreply@blogger.com0