More Reasons Why Chardonnay Doesn't Suck

I could live happily on a desert island with a cellar full of François and Antoine Jobard's wines.

In his 11/08 newsletter, Kermit Lynch described Jobard's 06s as "the best I have experienced from Jobard since his 1989s. Why? The vintage itself is opulent and showy. You combine that with the Jobard style—firm, mineral, discreet—and you have the best of all possible worlds. "

You should treat yourself to a bottle of their delicious Bourgogne Blanc 06. It gracefully hits all the classic notes (peach skin, toast, hazelnuts) but the vintage gives the wine a definite voluptuousness.

It's also reassuring to see, with François and Antoine, another example of continuity.

The Vin de Pays des Gaules is Here!

Emilia and I are long-time fans of Lapierre's wines. We remember when the price for his Morgon was south of twenty dollars. His son, Matthieu, is now working alongside him. They make wine the way it should be made: vinify without SO2 and without adding additional yeasts. They cultivate their vines biodynamically, without weed killers or chemical fertilizers.

Yes, for a long time we've had an obsession with cru Beaujolais. From the time we opened, we sold the Gang of Four, and a slew of other cru (a kind of insane thing when you're operating a small store). There's something so alluring about the Gamay grape. It's hard to beat its versatility and food friendliness. What I love best, though, about the Lapierre wines is their purity.

Marcel & Matthieu Lapierre's Vin de Pays des Gaules 2008 is a true vin de soif (thirst-inspiring wine). It's super refreshing, best enjoyed with friends at picnics and barbeques. Serve it cool. It's a steal at $13.

We discovered the VdP des Gaules at a salon tasting with the Gang of Four Plus at the Lapierre property in January. I wish we weren't in such a rush to make it to the next stop because I could have spent an afternoon there, chatting with Matthieu, eating the delicious home-made food, and drinking the various wines. That's Matthieu on my right.

Amiot & Fils BGO Chardonnay 07 has Arrived!

The wines from our January trip to France begin to trickle in.

One of our missions is to educate people about the beauty of Chardonnay, white Burgundy in particular. Early on at Thirst I conducted a tasting called "Why Chardonnay Doesn't Suck!" The wines from Guy Amiot & Fils we have in the store demonstrate how much finesse and structure Chardonnay can have. Yes, there's a lot of sucky over-oaked Chards out there, but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

(Fabrice Amiot is pictured along with Claude-Geoffrey Thivin from Chateau Thivin at a Kermit Lynch Winemakers tasting at the store last October. )

I adore the supple richness of Amiot's old vines Chassagne-Montrachet, but the price tag isn't for everyone. When we tasted the latest vintage of Amiot's BGO Chardonnay at their property, we immediately became excited at the thought of selling (& drinking) it for a measly twenty bucks. It's delightful--un-oaked, crisp, with hints of limestone--a great Spring/Summer quaffer. It'll be regularly stocked in our personal refrigerator and I suspect, once you try it, you'll do the same.

Lunch with Lulu

There were so many highlights on our January trip. But THE highlight was meeting and having lunch with Lulu at Domaine Tempier. This was our last view of her prior to our departure. You can see her vivacity.

We learned about Lulu Peyraud, and her late husband Lucien, through two books that remain tremendous influences: Kermit Lynch's Adventures on the Wine Route and Richard Olney's Lulu's Provencal Table. Lucien was instrumental in the ascendence of the Bandol appellation and made Tempier into arguably the best winery in Bandol. I wish I could have met him.

Lulu is legendary for her food, generosity, and gracious hospitality. Meeting her was a dream realized. The reality far exceeded our expectations.

Very Happy Indeed

Here I'm pictured, looking very happy indeed, with Thierry Allemand. We'd just finished tasting his deep purple, richly textured, gorgeous wines in his small, immaculate cellar.

Thierry is another fantastic producer imported by Kermit Lynch, and another one who didn't come from a family with a history of winemaking. Thierry grew up in Cornas fascinated by the vines and the wines that surrounded him. He worked as a cellar rat and managed to purchase an abandoned vineyard, Les Chaillots, in 1981. His first vintage was 1982. Later, he acquired a plot of old vines, Reynard, from Noel Verset.

His Syrahs are a real treat. Unfortunately his production is very small. Even less of his wines are available than Barral. However, Thirst will be getting some so, if you're curious, inquire.

Didier Barral & Maxime Magnon

As you're beginning to see, on our January trip we had the pleasure of meeting many of our favorite winemakers, as well as discovering new ones. Here I'm pictured with Didier Barral on my right and Maxime Magnon on my left -- both true practitioners of natural winemaking.

Every year too little of Didier's wines are available. This year unfortunately there's even less than usual. Didier is a great champion of biodynamic farming and biodiversity. He firmly believes that his vineyards first and foremost must be diverse and healthy. His philosophy is that "all living things must be at home in my vineyards" -- and if you go to his website you'll see the evidence. His wines are truly unique: stony schist, Mediterranean sun, no SO2. They have perfume, depth... Get them whenever you have the chance. We have a miniscule amount at the moment at Thirst of three of his cuvees.

Maxime is a winemaker I first came across when he was mentioned by Kermit Lynch in the profile Eric Asimov wrote about Kermit in the New York Times in November 2007. I immediately had to try his wines and, ever since, have had them in the store. He too farms organically and his wines are expressive and fruity -- truly Thirst wines. He started making his own wines about five years ago with no vines and no money, renting vineyards and an abandoned shed. His wines have a definite sense of a place -- Corbieres -- but infused with the spirit of cru Beaujolais (he apprenticed, he told me, with Yvon Metras).

One of My Favorite Young Winemakers

Christophe Buisson is one of my favorite young winemakers. I hadn't met him before this picture was taken. But from drinking his wines, learning his story, and selling his wines, I felt like I had. I was so excited finally to meet him! Most Burgundian winemakers inherit their vocation and their vineyards from their family. Christophe didn't, but from an early age KNEW he wanted to be a winemaker.

As you can sense, I'm very proud to represent his wines. His Sous le Chateau vineyard is on a slope that's super steep and faces east, which means morning sun covers the entire vineyard. The soil is chalky, which adds delicacy, pungency, character. He uses neither herbicides nor pesticides, and his approach is biodynamic. You must try his wines, which, because they come from a lesser known Burgundian appellation, St. Romain, are excellent values.

Meeting Marcel

I was particularly pleased to meet Marcel Lapierre and his son Matthieu. We've enjoyed Lapierre's Morgon for a long, long time, and have sold it from the moment we opened, along with all the other Gang of Four producers, and many other cru Beaujolais as well. These are wines that can be relished young but yield special rewards when aged for several years in a good cellar. Marcel is one of the leading figures in Beaujolais and a critical figure in the natural wine movement. It was refreshing to see his son Matthieu's enthusiasm to make wine and spread the gospel. One of the many items we picked up on this trip is their Vin de Pays des Gaules, which I think is going to be a big hit at Thirst this spring and summer.

Back in the saddle again

Since returning from our wine-buying trip in France I've been too busy to post. The trip was a super fantastic productive tasting marathon--and it felt exactly right. We learned a lot, tasted, tasted, tasted, tasted, tasted ... including many crazy older vintages, met some exceptional winemakers, and found some exciting new wines for the store. I will try to post more regularly and soon will put up pictures...

Awe-Inspiring & Unbelievable

Penguin's in the rear view mirror. My exhaustion dissipates. After sleeping in four days straight, I work out four days in a row. My energy comes back!

What an unbelievable joy it is to sleep in, leisurely read the NY Times, listen to NPR, meander, brainstorm, run errands, focus exclusively on the store.

Thirst has a number of in-store tastings coming up that I'm eagerly anticipating. In the immediate future, we have a Beaujolais Nouveau Celebration this Thursday, Zev Rovine on Sunday, and, wow!, host Amy Lillard from La Gramiere on Tuesday.

Emilia and I are excitedly planning our January wine trip!

And, yes, my birthday wish was granted. Thanks to everyone who made it happen! Our 44th President is a thinker, a reader, one real smart dude! Yay!

The Present I Want

Less than two weeks before my exodus from Penguin, it feels as if I’m on the brink of Liberation. My last day happens to be my birthday. The only other present I want is President Obama!

The Kermit Lynch Lollapalooza Tasting was an absolute unfiltered blast. Emilia and I were a bit nervous about hosting six winemakers in our little store, but it went off without a hitch. It was great to see so many of our regular customers happily tasting the wines, interacting with the winemakers, and eating the meat and cheeses that Emilia selected.

Afterward we had dinner with the winemakers at Abistro. Everyone there, as always, was warm and hospitable, and the wines were showing great, especially Amiot’s Chassagne-Montrachet, which a number of our customers told us was a highlight (along with Thivin’s Côte de Brouilly). We also sampled a few that aren’t currently in the market that I hope Thirst will soon be able to offer. It was a pleasure again having dinner with Bruce Neyers and catching up with him. We settled on a plan to visit with him in France in a couple of months. I can hardly wait to meet Lulu Peyraud, who has had such a tremendous impact on us, and to taste with Aubert de Villaine!

Near the end of our dinner, which was excellent, especially the plantain gnocchi, Nucomme, who manages Abistro, greeted us looking like a latter-day Josephine Baker. She was made up for a performance she was giving later that evening nearby. I wish we could have checked it out but Emilia’s been fighting the flu and we’d already had a long day setting up the store for the tasting. Next time I have to make it to one of Nucomme’s shows--and you do too!