Burgundy – Outwines

“And the Oscar Goes to”: Wine Masters Documentary

23 Feb 2019France, MoviesLeave a Comment

I’m a sucker for wine movies. Fact or fiction, drama or documentary – if it’s even remotely related to the world of wine, sign me up. However, even though I will watch most anything about wine – I’ll also know within ten minutes whether I’m going to keep watching it . . .

So when a few minutes into my first episode Marcel Guigal talked about how his father, winery founder Etienne, saw his family’s future on the steep hillsides of Côte-Rôtie, I knew that I was all-in on Wine Masters. Wine Masters is a cinematic documentary series that aims to tell “the stories about terroir, taste and tradition through the experience of some of the most prestigious wine producing families from each wine region.” Currently shooting their second season in Italy, with Spain already chosen for the third season, the producers plan to shoot a total of seven seasons for the series (fingers crossed for a Pacific Northwest season!)

The producer of Wine Masters, Klaas de Jong, provided me with a complimentary screening link to watch the first season of the series in exchange for an independent and honest review. My thoughts are as follows (spoiler alert: I enjoyed the series so much that I ended purchasing it so I could watch in the future when my temporary link expired!).

The first season of Wine Masters covers five different wine regions in France: the Rhône, Loire, Alsace, Burgundy and Bordeaux. In each episode, a local wine producing family is featured who share their winemaking stories – including their family’s history, plans for the future, unique styles of wine and challenges faced. The series does an excellent job of taking wine regions that are rather intimidating (Burgundy and Bordeaux – I’m looking right at you two) and making them more approachable through these winemaking families. These are very recognizable names like Guigal, Trimbach and Drouhin. Families who truly ARE Wine Masters.

Although each family is unique, a major overarching theme is the relationship between the generations and the passing of the baton from one to another. This was probably my favorite part of the series – the interaction (and sometimes subtle conflict) between the traditional/formal older generation and the more experimental/innovative younger one. While the younger generation is focused on issues like internet sales and online presence, the older concentrates on – as Bordeaux winemaker Hubert de Boüard de Laforest so eloquently puts it – “keeping the soul” of the winery.

One of the great things about Wine Masters is that in order to enjoy the series you don’t need to know anything about wine. This is thanks in large part to two very important supporting roles featuring Tim Atkin and Jeannie Cho Lee. In fact, since this IS Oscar season, let’s just go ahead and give these two – and others – their awards…

Live! From the Red Carpet – Outwines is proud to present the Wine Masters Oscars!

Best Supporting Roles.

In addition to the winemaking families, two Masters of Wine are present in each episode to help guide the viewer along the way: Tim Atkin and Jeannie Cho Lee.

These two MWs help set the scene of each region by discussing its location, varieties grown, climate, food pairing (particularly interesting in the Alsace episode!) and more. They also add various anecdotes throughout the series – my favorite being that Napoleon’s troops used to salute Le Montrachet when they went by the famed vineyard (who knew?!).

Tim and Jeannie’s commentary not only make the regions come to life a bit more, but they also explain concepts on a level that even a relative wine newbie can understand (Hubs can attest to this!). From the myriad of soil types in Sancerre to the rather confusing sweetness levels of Alsatian Riesling, the MWs do an excellent job of analyzing these issues in plain English.

Technical Awards.

The cinematography was absolutely gorgeous throughout the series. I’ve only been to two of the five regions (Rhône & Burgundy), and the scenes very much reminded me of being there – particularly Côte-Rôtie. And for the three regions I’ve yet to visit, the producers did a VERY good job of making me want to go there.

Guigal vineyards — I stood right in front of Guigal’s vineyards in 2016!

The score was beautifully done as well. For the majority of the series, it was a lovely, melodious part of the background. Except for that one cooperage scene at Guigal – have your volume button on the remote handy for that one.

And now for some other Awards . . . and yes, I realize these sound more like High School favorites than film categories:

Best dressed. Marcel Guigal is the consummate gentleman. Especially with his jaunty beret and suit jacket traipsing through his vineyards alongside his more casually dressed son, Philippe, who was sporting a Seattle Mariners baseball hat. Which of course gets major props from this Washington native! 🙂

Best line. Hubert de Boüard de Laforest on why Cabernet Franc makes up such a large percentage of their blends: “it makes your mind more happy.”

Most Athletic. The entire Bourgeois Family. There’s a scene where they’re tasting and evaluating their wines – and their beautifully accurate projectile spitting was flat-out impressive. I still have to have a cup literally RIGHT in front of me, and even then there’s the occasional dribble.

Best Foreign Language. Many of the older generation. So unless you’re fluent in French, make sure to have your subtitles turned on so you understand what they’re saying (something I unfortunately figured out once I was well into my first episode).

Most Likely to Succeed. Anne Trimbach. Well aware of the challenges that Riesling has on markets due to lack of clarity as to how sweet the wine will be, Anne discusses implementing a “sweetness scale” on Trimbach bottles in the future. Something like this will definitely help consumers embrace this often misunderstood variety.

Best Scene. Family dinner with the Drouhins where they open their bottling of a 1978 Grands Échezeaux. Seeing some of the family member’s expressions of pure delight after sipping this wine is . . . well, delightful. They’re sharing a simple meal of cheese and bread with a bottle of wine that would cost well over $1,000 in today’s market. Just enjoying an afternoon and each other’s company – and isn’t that what wine should be all about?

I’m already looking forward to seeing what Wine Masters has in store for their second season in Italy. If you’re a fan of wine (if you’re reading this blog, I’m assuming the answer is yes!) – check out the Wine Masters documentary series. To conclude, in the spirt of Sally Field on her Best Actress acceptance speech: you’ll like it, you’ll really like it!

Tasting Notes: Pinot Noir (Burgundy vs. Sonoma)

30 Jan 20185 Feb 2018Tasting NotesLeave a Comment

“So if I asked you about art, you’d probably give me the skinny on every art book ever written. Michelangelo, you know a lot about him. Life’s work, political aspirations, him and the Pope, sexual orientations, the whole works, right? But I’ll bet you can’t tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You’ve never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling.”

-Robin Williams to Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting

I read a lot about wine – I mean, a lot. But learning about wine only by reading books reminds me of Robin Williams’s beautiful lakeside soliloquy in which he implores (a young) Matt Damon to go out and actually experience the world. And so it goes with wine – one of the best (and definitely most fun) ways to learn about wine is to taste it. However, this is a little different from drinking wine . . .

To me, tasting wine means that I’m taking the time to actually evaluate it and assess all of its unique characteristics. On the other hand, drinking wine means I’m just kicking back and enjoying it. The differences between the two are actually quite stark. And while I do a good degree of both, when I’m really trying to expand my wine knowledge I sit down with my trusty tasting notebook and put pen to paper to capture my thoughts.

WSET Grid 1 — *WSET Level 3 Tasting Notes*

Since I’ve been on the WSET path for the past year or so, my tasting notes generally follow their prescribed format – which I freely admit falls on the clinical side of evaluation. And while I completely agree with their premise that consistent and objective tasting notes are ideal for learning about wine, I’m never going to truly remember a wine based on notes like “medium+ acidity” or “clear, pale lemon.” For that reason I also like to add my own thoughts on the wine . . . where was I, what did it remind me of, what was I eating with it, etc.

When doing tastings at home, I often enlist Hubs to be my personal wine steward and set me up with a blind tasting. This way, I don’t have any preconceived notions about what I’m tasting and can just do some “mindful drinking” of what’s in the glass in front of me. Ideally, I taste a couple of wines side by side because it’s much easier for me to pick up differences (or similarities) when comparing wines as opposed to just tasting one wine in a vacuum. As an added bonus, I then have the benefit of having TWO bottles to choose from after I’m done with my tasting. 🙂 I should also add that while my tasting “goal” is not necessarily to accurately identify each of the wines tasted blindly, the truth is I always smile when I do get them right (I imagine that’s the same for everyone!).

Recently I did such a tasting with two distinct Pinot Noirs (Old World vs. New World) when deciding which would pair best with my mom-in-law’s delicious Coq a Vin that she was preparing for a family dinner. Sitting in my in-laws sunny, lush Southern California backyard I was joined by my father-in-law, “T-Bone”, for the tasting. Yes, my 75 year-old father-in-law’s nickname is “T-Bone”…and yes, he’s as awesome and quirky as you might imagine (he once informed me that he stopped drinking Merlot because it is “too purple”).

Domaine Gille 2012 Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru ‘Les Cailles’, Bourgogne. (13% abv)

Color: Pale ruby, tending towards garnet
Aromas: Roses that are just starting to wilt, cranberries, earthy cherries, fall leaves
Palate: Medium- body, medium+ acidity, medium- tannins. Additional flavors of tea, spice and an almost cedar-like note.
My Thoughts: Very delicate wine – honestly, borderline too thin right now. I’m sure I opened this too early and it would’ve benefited from at least a few more years of age. I guessed this was the Burgundy due to the color and dominate flavors of earth & spice with the fruit taking a backseat. I liked this wine, but probably would’ve loved it in a few years. And interestingly, out of the two Pinots, this was T-Bone’s favorite! (Sidenote: One of my 2018 goals is to introduce my in-laws to new wines since they gravitate almost exclusively towards California Cabernets and Chardonnays).
Technical Bits: Domaine Gille has been passed down from generation to generation since the 1500s. Their vines currently range from 45-80 years of age. Soil is stony limestone. All grapes are hand harvested. Natural fermentation. Aged for 18 months in oak (1/3 new).

Hanzell 2014 ‘Sebella’ Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California. (13.7% abv)

Color: Pale ruby, bright
Aromas: Fresh flowers, slightly sweet fruits – raspberries, red plum, hints of Dr. Pepper
Palate: Medium bodied, medium+ acidity, medium (close to medium+) tannins. I’m picking up sweet cherries and some black pepper here too.
My Thoughts: This wine was brighter and more ruby colored, possibly indicating a younger wine. A definite sweetness here that the other wine didn’t have. With all the fresh, ripe fruit oozing out of the glass, I was confident this was the California Pinot. And while I don’t usually go for wines with this degree of sweet fruit, this wine just smelled yummy . . . tasted it too.
Technical Bits: Hanzell Vineyards was founded in 1957 by James D. Zellerbach after he’d spent extensive time in Burgundy. Focus is on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Aged for 10 months in French oak (25% new).

The end result was that we drank both bottles with dinner so the pairing turned out to not be of much consequence – both were delicious! And, I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by my enjoyment of the Sonoma Pinot and T-Bone’s of the Burgundy. 🙂

Chablis AOC

28 Dec 2017France2 Comments

One of the most memorable wines I’ve ever had was a bottle of Chablis with my Dad. I was 22, my Mom had just passed away, and he and I sat on my bedroom floor with a sleeve of saltines, a hunk of Tillamook cheddar, a bottle of Chablis and we went to town.

Oh yeah, and it was this kind of Chablis:

carlo-rossi-chablis_1

Note that I said this was a “memorable” wine, not one of my favorites. 🙂

I’ve obviously learned since then that this jug-juice was, in fact, NOT truly Chablis. It was a blend of various white grapes from somewhere in California. True Chablis hails from the Northern edge of the Burgundy region in France and is made with 100% Chardonnay grapes.

Unfortunately, there are still some wines on the market labeled “Chablis” that have nothing to do with the actual Chablis region in France, or even with the Chardonnay grape. Why is this??

Well . . . in 2006, an agreement between the United States and the European Community on Trade in Wine addressed the use of certain “Semi-Generic” designations on wine produced outside of the specific European country where the wine designation originated (i.e. terms such as “Chablis”, “Champagne” and “Port”). The Agreement states that while no new wines may use these geographical terms incorrectly, wine brands that already use these terms are “grandfathered in” and are allowed to continue this (IMO) misleading, butchering use of the geographical term.

Unlike the jug-juice, true Chablis has been crafted and perfected over thousands of years – since the Romans introduced vines to the region. The area has survived two major World Wars (heavy bombardment destroyed many vineyards), the phylloxera epidemic and numerous winter freezes. In fact, the entire 1957 Chablis vintage was wiped out due to frigid weather.

Chablis is grown on specific soils that exist only in certain, small pockets of Europe that were formed over 150 million years ago. It’s this soil, and the region’s northerly location and climate, that give Chablis its unique characteristics and make this Chardonnay taste unlike anything else in the world: electric and racy, full of minerality and flintiness, with citrus and salinity.

Chablis has earned its name, and the use of it by any other type of wine is complete misappropriation – even though it’s technically “legal.” I’ll get off my soapbox now, and send you to the outline on Chablis.

Oh, and I’ve made plans with my Dad to share a bottle of 2014 Montée de Tonnerre next time I see him . . . he’s 86 years old now, so every bottle with him is memorable. 🙂 Dad

Vougeot AOC

28 Sep 2017FranceLeave a Comment

Exactly one year ago, my hubs and I were in France for two weeks trying to cram in as many of my favorite wine regions as we possibly could. We did amazingly well – visiting Champagne, Burgundy, Beaujolais and both the Northern and Southern Rhône. And while I loved each of these places, I would honestly put Burgundy at the bottom of my list.

It certainly wasn’t the wines of the region – in fact one of my favorite bottles of the trip was a Pernot Belicard Puligny-Montrachet (and a Bouvier Gevrey Chambertin was up there as well). Rather, it was the overarching pretentious attitude that seemed to permeate the region. Granted, we were staying at a 5 star hotel with a Michelin starred restaurant just outside of Beaune. But while I can swing 5 stars America style – the French take it to a whole new level that’s just way outside my comfort zone.

That being said, there were definitely moments when I felt like I was experiencing the real Burgundy . . . like when we pulled off the side of RN74 to watch some workers busy at harvest, or wolfed down Beef Bourguignon at a small, crowded little bistro in Beaune. These experiences were much more memorable than the fancy schmancy hotel or restaurant with a menu full of items I couldn’t pronounce or identify WTF they were when they were served.

Vineyards in Fixin

Classic Beef Bourguignon

So perhaps it’s rather ironic that I recently joined the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin – a group described as “an exclusive bacchanalian fraternity of Burgundy wine enthusiasts.” Just typing that makes my eyes roll it sounds so incredibly pretentious.

Historically, the Confrérie has consisted of older, wealthy, white men (shocking, I know). My “liberal and casual” local chapter was looking to add more women and younger people. Since I can’t remember the last time my 44 year old self was included in the classification “younger people” – I was intrigued. And having access to a cellar full of Burgundy wines doesn’t hurt either. 😉

The Château du Clos de Vougeot is the headquarters of the Confrérie, so I figured I should know something about this area prior to my official “knighting” ceremony – fascinating history of this place, here’s the Vougeot outline.

And P.S. – so far, what I’ve seen of my fellow Chevaliers is a bunch of wine loving individuals who don’t take themselves too seriously. And I’m at least a decade younger than most of them. 🙂