Burgundy & Pinot Noir – Blood Brothers
Brothers can be close and joined at the hip, or they can be distant and not really speak each other’s language. In the wine world such is the case with Pinot Noir, the current rage, a flashy, “hip” wine that wine shops can’t get enough of for their customers; and Burgundy, from the traditional and straight-laced land of France.
Burgundy is made from the Pinot Noir grape, in the Northeast part of France.
For years, vineyards in the west had a severe case of “pinot envy.” It’s the blonde in the red dress… always chased, always one step ahead of the game. It’s a finicky grape. I never really paid much attention to it before the “Sideways” movie. I went to a couple of French Burgundy expos and had an uncomfortable time keeping up with their caste system of perennial great “Gran Cru” and “Premier Cru” wines from the chosen elite families of serious winemakers. Names like Rousseau, la Tour, Luis Jadot, Champy and a cross-continent favorite: Joseph Drouhin.Joseph Drouhin, after a long, established reputation in the Cote d’Or district of Burgundy, expanded the winery and chose to plant roots in the appellation in the U.S. that the family felt would accept and grow the delicate Pinot Noir to their standards, and that place was Oregon.
Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot has intense bouquet, very fruity, silky sensations on the palate, and can be laid down for many years. I don’t recommend any U.S. Pinot Noir be seriously stored, unlike its Burgundy brother which can sit 10 to 20 years and emerge in royal wine splendor. The U.S. version seems a lighter wine with an amazing flexibility to match with a multitude of menu selections. Its velvety texture finds a home with fish, turkey and chicken, veal and, yes, even beef.
This fragile beauty has to be treated carefully in order to conquer. She loves cooler weather, more rain and a higher elevation that most. Sonoma Pinot Noir is an area that I have found exceptional merit. Burgundy, though, is still the stately Pinot. They tell me 2005 was an amazing harvest with excellent weather, producing grapes with complexity and purity of ancestry. The vintage scored near perfect in Wine Spectator advance tastings. We will be waiting until they are shipped later this year.
Truly Fine German Wine
Damon Goldstein and Sabrina Bochen are two engaging pioneers, dedicated to bringing small, finely crafted German wines from young German winemakers to the U.S. They met on a blind date in San Diego some years ago. Damon knew a good life-partner when he saw one and so pursued Sabrina, a visitor from the Mosel area of Germany, a great Riesling wine-growing area, even it meant going to Germany and proposing.Fast-forward to today and these two entrepreneurs have a lovely imported line of small production Rieslings, Pinot Noirs and dessert wines. They have never worked so hard in their lives, getting a foothold with their company, Truly Fine Wines, in the hard-to-please wine distribution business with a direct sales website.
I sat down with them and friends of German heritage, John Haedrich of Tip Top Meats, a well-known German restaurant/deli in Carlsbad, and long-time friends and Tip Top customers, Edgar and Renate Engert, to try these wines. They carry 35 wines with labels you can actually read easily.
After going through a taste-test of a number of the pair’s offerings, these two really broke through as superior brands: the ’05 Blees-Ferber Riesling Kabinett with a cost of $18.95 and the ’05 Spatburgunder Pinot Noir for $24.95.
The Local Sip
I am so looking forward to the evening with the Gaja “Famiglia” of wines Tuesday, June 12th at 6:30pm at the luxurious Four Seasons Aviara in Carlsbad. Gaja is the pearl of wines in Italy. It’s royalty in a bottle. Although the family has holdings in Tuscany, its brilliance lies in what has occurred on the 250 acre Piedmont areas: Barbaresco and Barolo.Gaja (pronounced guy-yah) has vision, intensity and the highest standards of production. When you ask a connoisseur what one bottle is his prized possession, it’s almost always a Gaja. A Gaja family member will present a gala menu complimenting a six-wine list of remarkable entrees. $200 per person. RSVP with Michael Ann at 760-603-3790.
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Continuing with wonderful Italian wines, “Mr. Sagrantino” Marco Caprai of Arnaldo Caprai winery in Umbria will make a rare appearance at Via Italia in Encinitas Tuesday, June 12th at 6:30pm. The Caprai Sagrantino di Montefalco 2003 was my top wine tasting last year, and it will be on the wine list for this dinner, as well as four other lovely wine selections for this classic Italian feast. $80 per person. Call 760-479-9757.***
Carlsbad Wine Merchants has a Father’s Day “Big Cab & Port” event coming on Friday, June 15th from 5 to 8, Saturday and Sunday the 16th and 17th, 2 to 5pm. The Cabernets are from Napa so you know they will be great tasting. $20 per person.Frank Mangio is a renowned wine connoisseur certified by Wine Spectator. Reach him at mangiompc@aol.com.
10631 Vinedale Street, Sun Valley, CA 91352 - Phone (818) 767-3413 - Fax: (818) 767-1410
