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| Huet usually walks away with the house wine WOM medal |
Sniff. Sip. Drink. Definitely the Gevrey landscape: this is animalistic, pungently earthy and true to the appellation idiom; rusty, savory, saline, almost salty, with village wine level heft (like many fine growers, this is de-classified Villages), the only drawback is tannins that grow very dry after an hour. 2008 may well be the most underrated Burgundy vintage of the century. (Sept. 4, 2014)
Bourgogne Brown, 155 NIS.
Telmo Rodríguez, Gaba do Xil,Valdeorras, Godello, 2012
Telmo Rodríguez is a sort of wandering winemaker, exploring backwoods vineyards harboring forgotten varieties, utilizing old school techniques. Or that's the way the story goes. Of the wines imported to Israel, Godello is the only grape that could be said to be half forgotten, although it has been going through a renaissance in recent years. And this is hardly an old school wine, even if there is nothing overtly modern about it. It is clean, with just enough haphazard dirt thrown in for interest, it obviously displays the effects of barrel regime, but the oak is very integrated. I get citrus fruit, a Chassagne-like combination of dry grass and spicy pears, a touch of Gruneresque green herbs, a round mouth feel with no annoying flab, and a spicy finish. Charming and tasty, with a modicum of depth and complexity, but at the end of the day, it doesn't feel like a revelation. So I'm glad Rodriguez is making wines like this, I just don't have a great urge to thank him personally for introducing me to Valdeorras or Godello. (Sept. 7, 2014)
Wine Route, 95 NIS.
However, the Mencia, 2012, which is the red sibling sold for the exact same price, is a wine I'd thank the guy for. It's a joyous, juicy wine, reminding me of a Loire Cab with its light, earthy, red fruit with suggestions of smoke and brine. No excessive complexity, length or depth here, but really tasty and bags of fun. Oddly, although I like it more than the white, I do think 70 NIS would be a more appropriate price. I wouldn't really consider going out for more of the Godello, but the Mencia would make a good case for a repeat purchase, were it priced lower. (Sept. 10, 2014)
Alain Graillot, Saint Joseph, 2011
Graillot is back in Israel, with a 30% price increase, alas. The last vintage for the Saint Joseph was 2007, so we missed the great 2010 vintage here in Israel. I love the way this exhibits the Graillot style: ripe, languid fruit livened up by very juicy acidity, creating a savory, crunchy effect. Not only that, it has that textbook Saint Joseph black pepper and raw meat signature. As well, the soft tannins as usual make for a velvety mouth feel and early drinkability. So yeah, too expensive right now, from a historic perspective, but still a damn fine drink at a price competitive with, these days, a Cru Bourgeois or a generic Barbaresco.Which leads me to two conclusion: prices are crazy in general and we don't get enough Saint Josephs in Israel. I have also drawn a third conclusion. As much as I've always admired Graillot, this is actually at least a small step up from the 2007 (even though I sense 2007 is rated higher in the North Rhone), and I suspect will age longer. (Sept. 12, 2014)
Wine Route, 210 NIS.
Delamotte, Champagne, Cote de Blancs, Brut, n.v
Given my current state of infatuation with Champagne, every tasting note flirts with reiteration and repetition. I really liked this last month, and if you liked last month's note, you can just refer to it, and I'd have you know this bottle shows more roasted nuts, brioche and mushrooms than the previous one. (Sept. 13, 2014)
Fat Guy, about 270 NIS.
Alain Burguet, Bourgogne, Les Pinces Vin", 2011
All the "Bourgognes" in the Bourgogne Crown catalog are young vines or declassified Village crus, and this is arguably the best sample. It shows the more earthy/floral side of Gevrey,with only a touch of hide. It's quite refined and cool, and easy to drink. You could debate the merits of this in terms of depth or complexity, if you think you actually need to do that for a declassified Village wine, but you would not be able to deny how tasty it is. (Sept. 14, 2014)
170 NIS.
Domaine Gobelsburg, Neiderosterreich Riesling, 2012
The world is full of tasty working horse wines. The thing, with a house as excellent as Gobelsburg, even the estate wine is a filigree working horse.This is a simple thing that deftly balances fruit and salinity. (Sept. 17, 2014)
Fat Guy, 89 NIS.
Olivier Guyot, Bourgogne, 2010
A declassified Marsannay, and likely one of the better values in Daniel Lifshitz' catalog. Earthy red fruit, tasty, and clean (as in no oak). (Sept. 19, 2014)
Bourgogne Crown, 100 NIS.
Koehler-Ruprecht, Pfalz, Kallstadter Saumagen, Riesling Auslese trocken, 2007
Like many K-R bottles over the years, this is a dud. There an interesting, mineral-laden, sweet-sour personality at play here, but it just doesn't have the thrilling vividness of a star Riesling. I've been drinking the dude's wines for years and it's been a downwards curve. You know how a great Riesling captures fire and ice, the warmth of summer and the silence of snowfall? This is like being dragged along by your mother on a rainy, boring Sunday to buy a coat, and you hope that the shopping center where the coat store is will at least have a drugstore with a comic book stand. Instead, all it has is another coat warehouse. And it's Sunday, so all you have to look forward to is going back to school on Monday.
Sorry about that, you just got a glimpse into my childhood in Long Island.
Of course, there's always the chance I'm just not getting it and the wine just needs to open. (Sept. 22, 2014)
Giaconda, 160 NIS is what I paid for it about 5 years ago, now the asking price is 200 NIS for club members.
But let's move right along, folks. I love it when a white Burgundy gets it right.
Domaine William Fevre, Chablis Grand Cru, Les Preuses, 2008
This yells Chablis Grand Cru from the first sniff and sip, from the funky iodine and sea shells on the nose, to the long, complex saline and sour finish. Excellent and fresh. (Sept. 23, 2014)
Wine Route, 300-350 NIS (I paid less, but there you are, quality costs money).
Some notes from a Rosh Hashana dinner (Sept. 25, 2014):
The Carpineto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, 2007 was all I expect and want from a Classic Tuscan: mellow red fruit, savory, mildly sour, full of earth and chives.
The Selbach-Oster, Mosel, Zeltinger Himmelreich, Riesling Kabinett halbtrocken, 2012 played more like a regular Kabinett, all granny apples and slate. It had so much of the same electrical vivacity of the amazing 2012 Kabinett that I had to check that I hadn't opened the wrong bottle. And the acidity blazes away straight through to the core of something important I can't put my finger on - which is a trick common to all great Mosels.
Earlier, the Ben-Shoshan, Ovdat, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012 seemed, to me, to display typical desert character, sour red fruit and earth. I do think, though, that the bitter tannins display wine-making shakiness.
Koehler-Ruprecht, Pfalz, Kallstadter Saumagen, Riesling Auslese trocken, 2004
Fool me once - shame on you. Fool me twice - shame on me. I figured if I have a bunch of duds in the fridge, I might as well find out now for sure and free up the space. On to the backup bottle.
Huet, Vouvray, Le Haut-Lieu, Demi Sec, 2009
This is superb, with almost outlandishly (and unexpectedly, I might add) funky nose that is equally toasty and mineral-laden, appropriately backed up by deep, pure apricot fruit. Good traits all, echoed on palate. I know the stuff can age, but this is great right now, I think the only reason to wait is for further complexity to develop on the palate to match that already in place in the aromatics. (Sept. 27, 2014)
Giaconda, 170 NIS, a great value.
Andre et Mireille (now Stephane) Tissot, Cremant du Jura, Blanc de Blanc Cleve en Fue, n.v.
What I've learned from this second encounter (read about the first one here) is to better appreciate where it approaches and swerves from the Champagne paradigm. Unfortunately, that bit of wisdom is not so easy to articulate. But I'll try. The nose is lovely and exotic and that signature of salty cashews and vegetable broth is simply delectable, but there's a funk to it that I haven't encountered in a Champagne BdB, only when some Pinot is tossed into the blend. Then, the palate, while quite tasty and refreshing, is lighter than the original, playing Macon to Champagne's Cote d'Or. (Sept. 29, 2014)
Giaconda, 165 NIS.
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