Magnums Flashcards
Rosé Syrah + Grenache + Mourvèdre Matthiasson California USA 2015 - $124
Winemaker: Steve Matthiasson
Vendor: T Edwards
Aromas of ripe Meyer lemon, fresh herbs and hints of the marine preface a supple, juicy and refreshing wine; a calling-card wine from Steve Matthiasson, one of Napa’s leading organic viticulture gurus, and his wife Jill Klein. An unusual blend of 36% Syrah, 31% Grenache, 29% Mourvedre, and 4% Counoise, with malolactic fermentation blocked to preserve acidity.
Gamay Yvon Métras Moulin-à-Vent Beaujolais France 2015 - $325
Winemaker: Yvon Metras
Vendor:
Moulin-a-Vent - can be ‘dark and surprisingly tannic’, known as one of the most substantial and age worth crus (along with Morgon and Brouilly)
1988 was the first vintage vinified by Yvon Métras at a family domain run by generations of winemakers. He withdrew from the cooperative winery to join the gang of Jules Chauvet’s followers whose leader was Marcel Lapierre. The way the 5-hectare vineyard is cultivated is the same as that of the other disciples: no chemicals, plowing, severe pruning, low yields and exceptional terroirs with iconic parcels like “Grille Midi” or “La Madonne”. It’s from these parcels that he sometimes vinifies the “Ultime cuvee”, a wine that greatly contributed to his reputation as a top winemaker. Needless to say the perfectly ripe grapes are hand-picked and vinified with whole bunches before undergoing semi-carbonic maceration.
Syrah Marie et Pierre Bénetière ‘Cordeloux’ Côte Rôtie Rhone Valley France 2010 - $375
Winemaker: Pierre Benetiere
Vendor:
PierreBénétière is a self-made man and staunch Northern Rhone traditionalist cut from the mold of the great icons of the region, Gentaz-Dervieux, Verset, Juge, Allemand, etc. While Pierre grew up in a wine family, his parents did not actually produce wine, but were merchants in Condrieu selling local table wines to the bars and restaurants in the area. He eventually studied Enology and started his winery in the late `80s by acquiring a small parcel of land in the southern end of Cote Rotie (in the lieu-dit of Cordeloux near Condrieu) and clearing and planting the vineyards himself. He later added two small vineyards in Condrieu itself as well as a small parcel of old vines in the heart of the Cote Rotie appellation, on the Cote Brune and right in the middle of Guigal’s famed “La Turque”!
Bénétièreproduces three wines from his small holdings of vineyards: two Cote Roties and a Condrieu, totaling around 800 cs a year. The Cote Rotie “Cordeloux” comes from primarily granitic soils. The other Cote Rotie called “Dolium” comes from the Cote Brune parcel and is only produced in the best years. There are only 2 barrels produced of this wine, one of which is blended into the Cordeloux. Benetiére’s Condrieu comes from lieux-dits of Le Tinal - 1.5 Ha of steep terraced vineyards above Chateau Grillet - as well as 0.2 Ha in Riollement.
Stylistically, the wines are uber-classic. The reds, as you would expect are deep, dark and brooding, oozing minerals, black fruits and lovely floral notes (5% Viognier in the blend). On the palate, the wines are dense and muscular but with good freshness. New oak is around 15%
2010 - Low yields of exceptionally good quality. One of the very best years in the northern Rhône - possibly the best in history! (JC)
Cabernet Sauvignon Mayacamas Mt. Veeder Napa Valley California USA 2009 - $320
Vendor:
Mayacamas has long been associated with unapologetically tannic, acid-driven and herbal styles of Cabernet Sauvignon, which frequently require years or decades to soften.
The vineyards lie between 1,800 and 2,400 ft. in elevation, with the white varieties (Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc) planted at the higher altitudes. All mature vines are dry-farmed. Mayacamas Vineyards sits on an ancient volcanic crater; Chris Travers credits the intensity of Mayacamas’ Cabernet tannins to the volcanic-derived soils on the property, and its acidity to heightened elevation and proximity to the San Pablo Bay.
2009 - Warmer and drier than average: volumes were down and harvest was early. Ripening was quick but complete, and quality looks to be very good.
Chardonnay François Raveneau Petit Chablis Burgundy France 2014 - $395
Winemaker: Bernard & Jean-Marie Raveneau
Vendor:
Top producer for Chablis GS! / The estate was founded by Francois Raveneau in 1948 when he consolidated vineyards with his wife (who was a Dauvissat). His father had spent years selling off his vineyards in Chablis pre-WW II, and the Chablis of post-war France was a place that showed little promise. Regardless Francois persisted and took advantage of cheap land prices in the 1960s and 1970s to expand his domaine/ The most sublime and the most celebrated estate of Chablis, the wines of Domaine Raveneau are a rare find—exceptional because the vineyard holdings are almost entirely made of grand cru and premier cru fruit, painfully finite as so few are produced, outstanding because of their tremendous quality and consistency, and unusual given the modesty of the vignerons who create these world-class wines./ Family owns many of the finest sites in the appellation, steely magnificence that captures the essence of Chablis’s distinctive terror / wines famous for longevity ( 8-10 years recommended) / Raveneau pioneered use of Côte d’or winemaking i.e. barrel fermentation and malolactic fermentation, again a year in ‘feuillettes’ - small oak barrels about 1/2 the size of barrique, meant not to contribute new oak flavors but one wine during elevate enhancing perfume & creamy textures / 2014 - Rather promising wines have emerged from a season that started unusually early after a mild winter and usefully wet early March followed by a very dry spring. Weather during flowering was almost too hot and dry. A cool, damp summer slowed ripening so that a fair quantity of grapes with good acid levels were picked at the usual time. (JR)
spiced apple, toast, lightly cheesy
Riesling Joh. Jos. Prum ‘Wehlener Sonnenuhr’ Kabinett Mosel Germany 1996 - $295
Winemaker: Manfred and Katharina Prüm
Vendor: Opici Family Distributing
Top 2 producer for riesling GS! / Johann Josef was the son of Mathais Prüm, whose ancestor Jodocus built the Wehlener and Zeltinger sundials (sonnenuhr). Today, J.J. Prüm is run by father/daughter team Dr. Manfred Prüm, who has been in charge since 1969, and Dr. Katharina Prüm, who joined her father in 2003. Katharina marks the fourth generation to run the winery. The estate is best known for their sweet wines with long aging potential, and the reputation of the property was built on their Goldkapsel Auslese wines and rare Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese. However, Drs. Manfred and Katharina will insist that they look at the different Prädikat levels not as quality differentiations but merely different styles of wine. J.J. Prüm is a member of the VDP. / The majority of J.J. Prüm’s vines are ungrafted on very steep slopes (some reach a gradient of 80%!). The estate uses mostly ambient yeasts and makes sweeter styled wines. Many consider the J.J. Prum wines unapproachable in their youth, mistaking the young wines’ aromas for SO2. However, Dr. Katharina Prüm asserts that these are due to the estate’s use of reductive fermentation and aging; she recommends decanting the young wines and notes that the wines show very differently after three to five years of aging. / 1996 - Attractive, lightish Mosels and southern wines with more stuffing. A very good year for Eiswein (JR)
sweet, petrol, tons of slate minerality, candied lime zest
Chardonnay + Pinot Noir + Meunier Bérêche et Fils ‘Reflet d’Antan’ Champagne France MV - $485
Winemakers: Vincent & Raphaël Bérêche
Vendor:
This old domaine was founded in 1847. Yet, it has been the innovative work of young Raphaël and Vincent Bérêche that has made this one of the most talked about Champagne houses among France’s sommeliers, cavistes and connoisseurs. With lavish praise from Peter Liem and Antonio Galloni, the same is beginning to happen the United States. / Building on a strong foundation of traditional Champagne making learned from their father, Raphaël and Vincent are two of the region’s most insatiably curious vignerons. To that end, their portfolio not only includes an extraordinarily vibrant NV Brut Réserve, but several micro-cuvées brilliantly conceived to express different aspects of terroir, vintage and grape variety.
A 30-year-old Solera: Arguably the most original of all in this lineup of singular Champagnes is the Reflet d’Antan, one-third each of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, drawn from a solera of 600 liter barrels begun in 1985 by Raphaël’s and Vincent’s father, Jean-Pierre.
Every year two-thirds of the wine in each barrel is drawn off and replaced with that from the latest vintage. The result is a rivetingly complex Champagne that seamlessly marries endless richness, texture and depth with starting freshness and lift.
creamy brioche, hint of almond & hazelnut, chalk, white flowers
