Wine Community

A good frined of mine, who is a long time wine collector, recently wrote this article. With his permission he has allowed me to post it on our blog.

I occasionally enjoy a glass of wine, mostly wine sourced from Burgundy, with the infrequent tipple of wine from the Rhone Valley, and on rare occasion some claret from an area of France called Bordeaux.

I buy wine occasionally, mostly on release from local and sometimes North American importers. I also buy wine directly from the great Domaines of France..which then winds its way to our cellar . I have been known to purchase a bottle or two from auction houses, including Butterfield’s, Sotheby’s, The Chicago Wine Company, Zachy’s, Acker-Merrill, Hart Davis, Wine Gavel…and a few others….

Fortunately, I have never sought the wines that some of our esteemed treasure hunting, cult wine seeking friends have gone after. In the last 30 years there has surfaced a new entity in the wine world, from here on known as the “Wine Fraudster.” Most professional wine writers do not want to linger on this topic, as it is their role to promote the sales of wines, rather than discourage those who are attempting to backfill their cellars with older wine….usually from either friends…. or from a local or distant retailer … or auction house ( some may consider these as the foes ).

The time has come to draw this topic out into the open. As recent as last week there has finally been some preliminary justice with the recent arrest of a huge perpetrator of wine fraud. Rudy Kurniawan was arrested last week in Los Angeles, and to understand the basis for arrest will no doubt make a great movie of the week. For those of you with time on their hands, please read the entire formal complaint at: http://winediarist.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Kurniawan-Rudy-Complaint1.pdf

United States Federal prosecutors gave further details on the basis of their arrest here:   KurniawanBailAppeal.pdf Following that there were photos taken of some of the paraphernalia, found in Rudy Kurniawan’s residence, used in his wine fraud scheme including labels, capsules, etc…

So,

What does this all mean to a wine lover, especially those young wine lovers who are not old enough nor have the means to have enjoyed some of these great wines. In short, if you are buying any red or white burgundy from the wine Domaine, or an authorized importer… you are certainly safe to do so. If you are buying older wine from a retailer anywhere in the world be cautious.    If you are purchasing wine from an auction, anywhere in the world…be extremely cautious!

In the realm of burgundy, there are certain Blue Chip wines that no doubt have been a target for the wine fraudsters. Essentially any burg that sells for big bucks is fair game for these weasels, and thus the most commonly counterfeited burgs are : DRC, Leroy, Roumier, Mugnier, Coche- Dury, Ponsot, Rousseau and Jayer. So if you are planning to purchase any of these older wines from a retailer or

auction house, you better employ due diligence, in terms of wine provenance, to confirm the authenticity of the wine prior to bidding or purchase. If you are planning to purchase big buck wine you must absolutely be able to inspect and handle the wine prior to purchase, or ideally have a taste of wine from the same case at a pre auction tasting. If you cannot easily confirm the authenticity of the wine that you are considering to bid on…or to buy outright… then you are crazy to even consider it. YOU WILL get burned !!!

This is merely ONE case of wine fraud that indeed may lead to prosecution. I imagine that there are thousands of Rudy Kurniawans out there…consider that when you can throw a few labels and capsules on a few bottles of wine and make at least a 2000 % profit in a down turning economy…pretty great margin… if you can pull it off. Is it time to give up your day job and start pumping out counterfeit wine….maybe…..

Montelpuciano

Unfortunately for this trip, we didn’t have time to do site visits in Montelpuciano.  But we decided that since we had to drive through it on-route to Umbria that we should stop in for lunch and try to try into track down a bottle of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (from a producer we are interested in) DEI.  They are not as famous as Avignonesi (already at Marquis) but come highly recommended!

Leah in Montepulciano

We made our way to this lovely towering city on top a high hilltop (lots of stairs to hike up)!  Apparently this is also where the latest Twilight movie was recently filmed (New Moon).  Since I am totally out of the loop on these things and could really care less and didn’t think much of it (however there is movie paraphernalia everywhere and the locals are quite proud to have had this in their town.

Fabulous drive between Montalcino and Montelpuciano – the gentlemen from our hotel described a certain part of the route that was near being UNESCO certified but we couldn’t tell where!

We climbed the windy roads and arrived with a clear mission and little time.  Hiking our way to the main piazza, we were struck by how quiet it was.  There have been very few tourists in most places we have been so far, and Montelpuciano is no exception.

What a cool, secluded little town…..and locals are so proud of their Vino Nobile di Montepulciano – a red wine made from Sangiovese .  They call it “Prugnolo Gentile”. After a simple pasta lunch, we headed down to the wine shop recommended by our server.  CLOSED!!! 2:00pm and closed.  SKUNKED!  We would have to find DEI at VinItaly!

Onward to Umbria, a region we are stoked to support and discover.  We have been reading a lot about the value/quality ratio found here and also of the beautiful landscapes and food – let’s hope we don’t get lost!!!

More to come from the Italian Stallions from Umbria!!

Leah & Cole

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Montalcino

We loved Chianti and wished we could stay longer.  The mountains and elegant wines moved us, but we had to trek onwards to Montalcino….where new adventures and Brunello awaited!  The drive from Chianti (Rufina) to Montalcino was about two hours (moving south).  Once again we had cloudless skies and bright sunshine.  Most everyone has been noting the sudden change in weather from what has been a very cold winter. 

Part way through, the roadway (cut out on a mountain side), sits high above Florence.  We did jump out at a rest stop to take some pictures of Florence and the surrounding area – wow what a gorgeous city.  Our first non-wine stop and what a fabulous view it is!!  As we drove into Montalcino, we quickly began to see the differences from Chianti.  Rolling hills and a much more vast and open country side feel.  Additionally there is a lot less density of surrounding forests as.   It is obvious that agriculture (other than vines) is also important here as well.

Cole having fun in Florence

The town of Montalcino is ancient looking and perched high up on a hill.  Knowing we are about to taste some fabulous Brunellos, our yearning for Chianti quickly fades as we make our way to Pertimali (an existing Marquis producer).  We will be including full details of wines tasted in our offering booklet

Looking up at Montalcino from Pertimali

 The estate is nestled on a slope in the prime “Montosoli” cru to the northeast of Montalcino, where the Sassetti family has produced wine and olive oil for more than a century. The Montosoli hill is historically reputed for producing wines that are a perfect balance of the power of southern Montalcino with the finesse of the north (most producers own properties in both zones and blend).

Lorenzo manages the family estate (vineyards and winemaking) and lovely fiancé Sabina is in charge of Marketing.  A lovely couple who were extremely hospitable and warm to us.  Sabina’s mother made us a lunch (one of our best meals to date).  Livio (Lorenzo’s father), now doesn’t work in the winery but rather spends most of his time hunting.  We enjoyed some boar hunted by Livio throughout the meal.  We enjoyed wines from the Sessiti family’s second winery (a project started in the 90’s in Montecucco Maremma which became a DOCG in 2011), Brunello and Grappa .  The wines from Montecucco are also Sangiovese (grosso, clones producing thicker skinned grapes) based wines created for earlier drinking than the Brunellos which need a lot of time to come into their own.  We were extremely lucky when they opened up a bottle of 1985 (Cole’s birth year) Brunello.  The colour, freshness and life in this wine had us truly flabbergasted! Consistent with many of the producers we have been visiting growing and winemaking is done in a more natural way but what stood out for us about Lorenzo’s production is the aging that the wines see (5 years for the regular and 6 years for the Riserva Brunellos).

Our next stop – Salvioni (a Brunello producer on our hot list).  We had tasted the wines at Terre di Toscana but when we arrived to the estate, we were told we had to head into town to confirm our appointment at the company’s wine shop.  With not enough time to do so and not be late for our next appointment, we decided to continue on to Fuligni (our next appointment).  We look forward to the opportunity to carry the Salvioni wines and are excited to share them with Marquis clients cause they are damn good…..

Fuligni (a highly rated estate) has 4 main vineyards producing a total of 50 000 bottles a year (28 000 of which are Brunello).  The young gentlemen now managing estate operations is Mike eagerly met us to show us the estate and wine making equipment.  It is a family owned estate with a generational gap issue (oldest family member is in his 80’s and next possible successor is only two years old).  More modern winemaking and style here but nice Brunellos (see pic 4 of Cole in the cellars with Mike).  An estate to watch for in the coming years for sure.

Our last stop here in Montalcino is with Poggio di Sotto, which is perhaps an estate we are most excited about potentially bringing into the store.  Why?  The wines are FACE MELTING GOOD!  Being that both Cole and I are huge Burgundy fans – that is partly why we are going crazy for Poggio di Sotto.  There is an extremely romantic story behind this winery that includes more than a couple of very famous winemakers, but regardless there is soul and character here combined with beautifully elegant wines.  We  were both a loss for tasting notes.(pic5 leah_montalcino)

Leah in Montalcino - looking way too serious

As we drove out of the driveway, we were speechless with excitement.  We had fallen in love with Brunello all over again and with Montalcino.

Our hotel was just off the main Piazza/square.  Montalcino is a very small and yet a very classically beautiful town.   Cole has tucked himself away in his room to study and I decided to take my laptop to a cafe and compose this blog.  Every enotecca shelf is filled with Brunello!  Not many people speak English which forces us to be better with our Italian.  I go against the grain and order a nice glass of white Vermentino with my SALAD !  Cool in the evenings here when the sun goes down.  Time to head back for some shut-eye!

We woke up to a huge fog covering the area with Montelpuciano on the mind.  As much as we love Montalcino, Montelpuciano is only 35 mins away and we here the sights are fantastic!  We don’t have time to visit any producers but we want to pass through for lunch on our way to Umbria….more to come from the Italian Stallions!!

Salute!

Cole & Leah

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CHIANTI TUSCANY Saturday Feb 10th – Wednesday 13th

Sunday Monday 10th & 11th -

TERRE di TOSCANA – UNA HOTELS & RESORTS (Viareggio outside of Pisa)

Tuesday – Weds 12th & 13th – Producer visits: Isole e Olena (Chianti), San Giusto A Rentennano (Gaiole), Montraponi (Radda), Caparsa (Radda), Colognole (Rufina)

ARRIVING TO ITALY

Upon arrival to the Pisa airport, we purchased our train ticket to get to Vihhareggio and quickly found ourselves lost in the confusion of Italy’s train system (terrible maps, confusing schedules and no one around to give a damn). Despite what had already been a 30 hour journey, we found ourselves taking the wrong way – a scenic tour of Pisa’s country side!But the Acqua Buona crew greeted us at the Viareggio station with warmth and excitment and we quickly forgot our travelling troubles and headed to the lovely Una Hotel where we were being hosted for Terre di Toscana.

What is Terre di Toscana? It is an event that we were very randomly invited to by organizers (who can’t even recall how they found Marquis Wine Cellars). It runs over two days in the Una Hotel and features 127 producers from all over Tuscany (Chianti, Brunello, Bolgheri, IGTS). And considering that we are talking about Italians here, it was relatively well organized. 127 producers in two days – how were we going to tackle this? We had (previous to the show) identified producers with acclaim and simply split up, split the rest of the list (alphabetically) and went our separate ways to taste.

It was truly a unique experience to taste wines and speak to so many producers from a given region. Additionally the tasting room space had a tone of natural light, was spacious and not too crowded (by our standards). This gave you time (and you could hear too) to speak with the producers. Many principals did not speak English.

The result:
• We tasted close to 300 wines and can say that our sense of Tuscan wines and specifically Chianti is that of a greater understanding.

• New (to us) varieties: Pelevegra Piccolo (sort of gamay/frappato esq) – light and quite rustic, easy drinking, Ciliegiolo (Bolgheri, grenach/gamay esq) – light, fruity, gulpable.Montalina (again reminiscent of beaujolais).

• Trends: A lot of freshness. Producers talked about going back to the classic or traditional style of Chianti which is light, easy drinking, fresh and elegant. Taking a more burgundian approach (considering similarities of pinot and sangiovese). High elevation pinot and syrah. Organic or sustainable farming. Going back to traditional winemaking techniques (fermenting in concrete, old sloveignian oak, natural yeasts etc). We also had more exposure to cannaiolo and colorino than we have been before (Cannaiolo for body in the blend and Colorino for Colour and spice).

• New producer potentials: Cant let the cat out of the bag yet, keep posted on Twitter or Sign Up for our Newsletter so we can keep you updated. Please make sure you write in Italy.

• Other favourites: Amerighi Stefano (high altitude single vineyard Syrah in Cortona – crazy naturalist, unique outstanding wines), Poggio argentiera (Very hip, modern, gulpable Bolgheri wines using some indigenous varieities), Riecine (wacky brit, rarely at his table, biodynamic unique chianti), Rampolla, Stella di Campalto (strong women who didn’t give two dams if you liked her wine or not and her wines are damn good), Podere Concori (out there naturalist – outstanding Chianti), La Porta di Vertine (high elevation single vineyard Chianti – very good)

• Vintages:2008 (not a great vintage) 2009 (outstanding similar to 07 but better) ,2010 (more classic good potential) ,2011
Forget sleep – it’s over rated anyways. Two dinners and two days of tasting at Terre di Toscana was a truly memorable experience.

Following Terre di Toscana, we picked up our rental car and headed out to the country side to do some producer visits. We couldn’t believe how high up, how bumpy and windy the roads are! The Chianti region is truly beautiful. Very dry. The past two years have had less rain than usual and you can see it when you look across the region.

I think Cole has been pleasantly surprised by my driving abilities (haha!). During our two days we visited 5 wineries and will provide more detailed coverage on these wineries in our offering of wines scheduled to come out upon our return. All were different personalities, sub regions and styles – unique to themselves. What a ride (fortunately neither of us have been car sick).
All for now from the Italian Stallions!

I have spent half of my life in the wine business, approaching 26 years this year, there is one thing I have come to realize things change. Wide-eyed and ambitious I traveled to the south of France in what feels like a lifetime ago not knowing what I would discover, rustic wines and on an occasion a surprise or two, but the pickings were slim.

This is, I think my fifth Vinisud, and I can tell you I was hard pressed to find a wine I did not like. I am tickled to death to tell you there is a plethora of wines which are simply pleasure to discover.

They are authentic and are simply a pleasure to drink and enjoy with friends and family.  Over the next few months these wines will be trickling in. I can honestly say buy them without hestiation. Certainly we will have tasting’s maybe the odd dinner or parking lot BBQ, but man-o-man I am excited, stay tuned.

Almost French - Driving Pierre Clavels 1975 Citroen 2CV & his dog Garrigue

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There is an incredible amount of wine to taste,  700 plus, here is my strategy & a PARTIAL list of wines to taste

Make a Plan

Get on the festivals web site and pick the wines you want to taste in advance, see my list below

Don’t Wear Perfume or Cologne

Self explanitory

It Gets Hot in the Room Part 1

Wear good shoes, pumps for women and good support it’s a long night, seen ladies walking in bear feet at the end of the night

Arrive Early

Need I say more?

Elbows Up

The room gets crowded too, move ahead with your shoulder while keeping your glass protected behind you, if all else fails, elbow your way through

It Gets Hot in the Room Part 2

Get a small plastic bottle of Evian and put it in your pocket this way you wont have to fight for water – hydrate

Opposite Day

Go where the people are not

Star System

Make your own rating system, I use a star system anyting above three stars is a must buy, if you don’t know the price put a $? Beside the wine then ask or find the price. Or write killer, VG, Ex for excellent

It Gets Hot  in the Room – Part 3

Wear clothes that breathe – or none at all

Stained teeth

Wait several hours before brushing your teeth, if you brush too soon it weakens your enamel. I am serious about this.

Bring a Credit Card

This is obvious

WHAT TO TASTE

I am presently in France, I looked at the Wine Festivals web site, it does not list specific wines, so knowing what I know here is PARTIAL  list of wines to taste

CHILE

Since this is the themed country let’s start here

Vina Montes

All their high-end wines, killer

Emiliano

The star of Organic & Bio-Dynamic wines see what the fuss is about

Vina Errazuriz

Had a great visit there super wines, hope they pour high end wines, ask for Kai, Max Reserva, Don Maximiano, Le Cumbre

Mont Gras

Good value

Tarapaca

Full flavoured layered

Luis Felipe Edwards

Stunning estate, solid wines, the future looks bright.

 CONCHYO Y TORO

Have never been disappointed, Don Melchor is killer

AUSTRALIA

Inland Trading

See what the short guy is pouring, good Aussie Juice

Penfolds

Bin wines only

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Painted Rock

The future first growth of BC, hassle John Skinner for me, tell him hockey os safer than biking

Osoyoos Larose

The Grand Vin

Le Viex Pin

See what Severine or Rasoul has to offer

Burrowing Owl

Good wines

FRANCE

Chapoutier

High end wines please, Hermitage white and red, Chateauneuf is good as is Les Granites

Henriot

Ahh Champagne need I say more

Latour

Top white & red Burgundies please

ITALY

Accordini

That’s Amarone

Antinori

Top stuff

SPAIN

Jorge Ordonez

He reps tops Spanish wines in the US, camp out there

CALIFORNIA

Signorello

Padrone – badda bing

Bennett Lane

Zin

Caymus

Cab, Zin & Special Select, their Belle Gros Pinots have gotten bette

Beringer

Private Reserve, Private Reserve, Knights Valley & Alluvium are good

Stags Leap

Cabernets

I am qualifying this as only a PARTIAL list but its a start

For one reason or another I am fond of the south of France. Perhaps one of the reasons why is not far out from any city is a wee bit of paradise.

Take last Saturday night. I had dinner with Irene Trollert and her husband Philippe; they are the owners of Mas D’Auzieres in Pic St. Loup.

Picture the UBC endowment lands a wee bit further out of the city, with Cypress mountain in the back ground, with of course the odd vineyard planted.

View from Mas Des Dames

We finished dinner at 11:00pm, cleaned the dishes and went to bed. Much to my astonishment I woke up at 11:00am on Sunday rested. No horns, motorcycles racing around, no parties just restful sleep, it should the rule rather than the exception.

With passionate people like Irene the once lauded region is full of promise. It’s an international who’s who, Dutch, Americans, and Brits and yes the French fed up with Paris leaving their successful careers and starting over again, this is s huge leap of faith, good thing they have money. Those blessed with great terroir, they all tell you its great, will make profound wines, and the best is yet to come.

The real strength in the region is value wines. I don’t come here looking for the next $100.00 bottle of wine 99 point wine, no way, not a chance. I come here looking for values. Wines with authenticity, made by people who enjoy wine, food and friends, and these wines are aplenty. Many of them will retail for under $20.00 and man do they pack a punch. They are not boring, the whites are fresh and vibrant and the reds full and refreshing.

Lidewij Van Wilgen - the new face of the Languedoc

After more than 25 years of traveling the wine world you would think I would have the basics down pat. Imagine my surprise when I checked into my hotel on Wednesday February 15th and found out my reservation was for the day before.

I was even happier when I looked at my train ticket for Marseilles and it was for the day I arrived, ten hours earlier along with my car rental.

Lesson one make sure your travel agent gives you all of your stuff more than 48 hours before you leave so you can check it over.

I was bit nervous when I arrived in Marseilles, the city is a labyrinth of one way streets but my appointment at Domaine Tempier was in an hour or so the last ting I wanted to do was drive around the city for an hour trying to find my way out, surprisingly getting out was no problem, other than traffic.

I arrived at time Daniel and I jumped in his car went to tour La Migoua vineyard, there was problem he told me, I asked what it was, he said you’ll see.

Imagine my surprise when I saw a small front-end loader tipped over the terrace on its shovel listing dangerously sideways.

Francois, the 70-year-old owner was rebuilding the wall of the terrace from the wrong side, you do it looking up to it not from the top. No roll bar, no seat belt he is luck to be alive. We left in such haste that I left my camera in my car.

Off we went to see La Tourtine, passing a massive housing development on hill, some 40 years ago one a negociant told Daniel, these were the best vines in Bandol, sadly they are gone, no one knows how good his wines or Bandol could be.

Off we went to lunch then our tastings of the 2010 & 2011 vintages. More on them later

After our tasting Daniel asked me, so what do you want to taste, jokingly I asked for the 1959, my birth year and like 2009 generally a kick ass vintage around the wine world.

Imagine my surprise when he held in his hand a bottle of 1959, only three bottles are left now.

The cork was soft and unfortunately the wine was oxidized. However most of the colour was till there, there is no doubt in my mind if anyone finds a bottle of 1959 Domaine Tempier Bandol they well be rewarded.

Undaunted, and somewhat disappointed Daniel went in the back picked out a bottle of 1986 La Tourtine, which at that time had a part of Cabassou in it.

The 1988 La Louffe, mostly made with Cinsault and was only made for two vintages 1987 & 1988. It is hard to describe Cinsault, suffice it to say the bightness of the acidity has kept the wine alive.