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Gomer's Midtown Weekly Newsletter
The Greatest Syrah, and a Temporary Oasis!
We were told not to check luggage. One carry-on only. How, one
wondered, would we make 10 days in France with only five days worth of
clothes in a small bag?
The simple answer was the peerless hospitality of the Chave family.
Sadly, Jean-Louis Chave was away in Japan during our visit, but that
allowed his lovely wife Erin, originally from St. Charles, Mo., to have
what she called her "American weekend." It also allowed us a laundry
stop, which prevented us from duelling with cheese odors on the second
half of our trrip.
The Chave family is one of the most important in Hermitage. Most of the
top vineyard plots on the Hermitage hill are owned by a few large
firms. The Chaves are one of the only family Domaines to own
substantial parts of Hermitage, and they are also one of the only
significant wineries not to release multiple single-vineyard cuvees. In
fact, they sell off a fair bit of their production to maintain their
position at the very top of France's wineries (more on where the rest
of the juice goes in a minute). From these small plots they make one of
the world's greatest wines - both red and white.
We arrived at the Domaine on a Saturday night, and Erin had food
waiting for us, including what seemed like an endless supply of pork
terrine (an army couldn't have finished it). She also had some of the
most beautiful duck we'd ever seen marinating. Chefs Ted Habiger of
Room 39 .and Jonathan Justus of Justus Drugstore immediately stepped
into the breach. While the rest of us enjoyed food and some Chave
wines, they commandeered the grill and began to put out what may have
been some of the best duck I have ever tasted. The American chefs did
well in France.
The Syrahs matched the duck perfectly - there were several mature reds
that verged on sublime, but perhaps the standout for me was the
Domaine's St. Joseph - a very small production Syrah from a choice
vineyard site on the other side of the river from Hermitage. Food and
wine paradise. We get a whopping one case of the wine, and I've already
sold most of it by hand - it may be sold out by the time you read this.
But it never hurts to ask!
I think for most of the group, the real revelations came with the
Hermitage Blanc. Made from the Marsanne grape, the Chave Hermitage
Blanc is one of the few white wines in the world that competes with
Grand Cru White Burgundy for richness and complexity. They are famously
ageworthy, and have a tropical/mineral/nut mix that is quite singular.
I have had 20 and 30-year old examples that were brilliant.
The day after. we were treated to a tour and a tasting in the caves,
where we sampled a few older "off" years (French wineries love to do
this - bring out a mystery wine and make you guess the year - it is
almost always from a poorly-received year and is meant to prove how
good their wines can be in such years) and the pre-blended components
of the 09 red and white. The different characteristics of each vineyard
were fascinating.
We have exactly one bottle of their Red Hermitage in the store right
now. It is the 2007 vintage (a year whose characterstics I prize). We
also have a few bottles of the 06 White Hermitage.
The last thing we have (at least until we get some 08s), is an 06
Hermitage from the Betts & Scholl label. This "winery" is a
partnership between a Master Sommelier and an Artist who receive much
of the fruit that the Chaves choose not to include in their wine. I
tasted the 06 Red Hermitage last week, and promptly bought a case. It
is 80% of Chave's quality for 25% of the price. Gorgeous dark fruit,
layers of spice and retaining some approachability. If you want a taste
of great Hermitage, but don't want to wait 20 years, this is a great
choice!
Domaine Jean-Louis Chave 2007 Hermitage Rouge - $210.49/bt (there's just one bottle!)
Domaine Jean-Louis Chave 2007 Hermitage Blanc - $210.49/bt (there's just five bottles!)
Betts & Scholl 2006 Hermitage Rouge - $54.59/bt
Rion Burgundies!
One of the first Burgundy producers I really fell for was Domaine
Daniel Rion. The wines were wonderfully elegant and complex - not just
Pinot Noir but resolutely Burgundy. I opened my last 98 last year, and
was pleased to find a that it had entered a delicious maturity.
It's easy to forget that these famous Burgundy vineyards are in small
towns. Small towns that have their petty gossip and their blood feuds.
Neighbors and family members who haven't spoken for years.
The Rion Domaine split into several smaller wineries at the turn of the
century. Patrice Rion had been the face of his father's Domaine, but he
branched out under his own name, and maintained the high level of
quality he bought to the family name at his new address. His son Maxim
is now involved, and my most awkward moment on the trip came when I
mentioned Olivier Rion - one of the other branches extended from
Domaine Daniel Rion.
Maxim had been a bit of a stoneface through the initial meet-and-greet
(confusion over the size of our group), and the little bit of a thaw
was gone.
"Ah, yes. Olivier. He is my father's brother. Perhaps he has a winery."
I changed the topic quickly to their new vineyard acquisitions. The
wines themselves are as silky and subtle as ever. and the 2008
Gevrey-Chambertin 'Clos Prieur' was a delight with Michael Smith's
chicken dish earlier this week. Clos Prieur is one of those vineyards
that always seems to show well for me.
We also have the Rion Cote-de-Nuits-Villages in 2008 under screwcap
(!). This appellation covers a few parcels North of Gevrey in an area
called Brochon, as well as a small region named Comblanchien near
Nuits-Saint-Georges. The Rion vines are in Comblanchien, and they
produce a juicy, sappy, red-fruited wine for short-term conxumption
while their more serious wines age.
Patrice Rion 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin 'Clos Prieur' - $59.49/bt
Patrice Rion 2008 Cotes de Nuits-Villages - $37.49/bt
Upcoming Events!
Pinnacle 2011 World Tour -
Pinnacle is one of our favorite distributors to work with, and every
two years they put on one of the best tastings he;d in Kansas City. On
April 11th, the World Tour will be in the Power & Light District at
801 Chop House. For $70 a ticket or $110 per couple, you will have the
chance to taste over 300 wines and meet dozens of top winemakers from
around the world. Tickets are available by calling 816-994-8800.
We hope to see you there at what will be one of the top wine tastings
of the year!
Continuum Wine Dinner at Starker's -
.If you love Napa Cabernet and fine food, you should sign up for this
dinner at Starker's on April 14th. Continuum is the new project of Tim
Mondavi (a last name you might recognize!), and his wines have rapidly
ascended the heights and are counted amongst California's very best.
Cost for dinner is $95 plus tax and tip. Call 816-753-3565 for reservations.
Reception With Small Bites
Lucien Albrecht NV Brut Sparkling Wine, Alsace, France
First Course
Crawfish Gratin with Ham, Peas and Lemon Cream
Lucien Albrecht NV Brut Sparkling Wine, Alsace, France
Second Course
Local Spinach Salad with Poached Campo Lindo Egg, Tamworth Bacon and Local Pecans
Laurentz V. 'Sunny' Gruner Veltliner, Austria 2010
Third Course
Seared Dry-Aged Vintage Ribeye with Fava Beans, Roasted Cipollini Onions and Jus
Continuum 2006 Cabrenet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Fourth Course
Braised Beef Short Ribs with Wild Ramp Risotto and Morels
Continuum 2008 Cabrenet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Dessert Course
Strawberry Shortcake with Vanilla Spiked Milk Shake
French Press Coffee
Jim Coley
Wine Director
Gomer's Midtown
Oct 20 Newsletter
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