An Unfortunate Coincidence and a Liquid Symphony

17 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by in Old World, REALwine, Tasting Notes, Vinous Aesthetics, White

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An unfortunate coincidence: my birthday (31 today), is the anniversary of Didier Daueneau’s death.

Good things, bad things…thus is life.

If this wine was a symphony…

I cannot read music, but I love this label, it’s simplicity. It makes me wonder what music most inspired this mad genius on his journey…

It was composed by Francois Cristin, a musician friend of Didier’s. It was written for trumpet (b flat major) and french horn (f major).  The first line is the theme, which is taken from a famous song by Georges Brassens, and the next four lines are Cristin’s personal interpretation of that theme.

Does anyone know the song?

2006 Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fumé de Pouilly

Pale golden.

The sheer intensity, resonance and cadence of this wine begins with staccato aromatics of minerals and flint, builds with vibrato of peach skin, honeysuckle, lemon verbenna and ends with legato of dried pineapple brulee, wet stone, ancho, baking spice and treacle.

Dry and bracing tension with vigorous attack and rich intensity, quite mineral and spiced with good persistence. Concentrated stone fruit flavors with cucumber, caraway seed, pine sap, wet mineral richness and lithe structure. Lovely and complex. So mineral and saline, it draws you in with freshness and precision and becomes weighty with judicious barrel spice and herbal tones.

With a couple hours in the glass, the wine develops into notes of grapefruit syrup, chamomille, sage iced tea, ginger. Limed stone and wet rock, ginger lemonade…Volatile and a bit of heat, though I welcome the richness and weight to balance the acidity.

RIP Didier.

On the bright side of things, today we begin vendange at Domaine de Montille. We will process Volnay Champans and more. I am humbled and excited for this journey.

Bonne Vendange!

A label I’d ask out on a date…

28 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by in Old World, Red, Tasting Notes, Vinous Aesthetics

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Beautiful wine labels…

2004 Le Pergole Torte

Tasted blind.

Plum, platinum rim.

Blossoming bouquet of dust, earth and stone fruit. Dried morello cherry, dust, chalk, camphor, espresso, dried orange pith, leather and black tea. Tinny and clay, earthen, floral and dark, some graphite. Precise and elegant, quite expressive and dense.

Lovely texture and weight, spiced and aged leather, black tea, dried red flowers, orange pith, savory herbal tones, cedarbox and cherry pit. Plum coulis and walnut skin finish. Intense and coiled nature with beautiful acid spine, dense dry woody structure and hefty vinous character.

Such a baby, but we just had to…

The Augur, or Next Level

09 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in Tasting Notes, White

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A sinewy, sleek blockbuster offering vital vinous lessons in upstart elegance and pure magnificence. Summer of Riesling started early for me.

2011 j. Brix The Augur Riesling

Kick On Ranch Vineyard

20 cases produced

Platinum straw, nice viscosity.

Great depth of aromas, quite thick and intense. Recalls dripping wet flint and stone, white pepper, dandelion, honeysuckle and lilac, hawthorne, ginger, tropical citrus, green mango, coconut and papaya flesh. Ripe and phenolic yet subtle with verve and direction. The aromas increase with temperature and I find this most enjoyable after being out of the refrigerator for over an hour. Even better on day 2.

The palate is the definition of nervosité: bright, taut and stony with linear structure, good persistence and depth. The wine is intense, clean, very stony and precise with nice tropical richness. Quite wide, rich, sinewy and dense yet lithe, flavors of Meyer lemon pith, plasticine, starfruit, wet flint, grated ginger, crushed stone and mineral.

Simply put, this the most complex, delicious and thought-provoking New World Riesling I’ve ever encountered.

Next Level.

j.brix, you have my full attention.

#REALwine

Uncontainable: Spring in a bottle.

03 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by in New World, Pink, Tasting Notes

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j.brix wines: Les Garagistes

Uncontainable

2011 Vin Gris of Grenache 
Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard                                                                               Fermented in 1 neutral French Oak barrel                                                                 25 cases produced

It was a late winter evening when I opened and shared this wine. As I took in the aromas and ventured my first sip, it was as if Spring suddenly swept through, and brightened up the room…

A pale salmon hue, glowing with unabashed vibrance.

Very strong mineral aromatics, hints of green melon, strawberry, hardy kiwi, pink sage, rosehip and hibiscus. The lithe character of this wine is supported by whispers of neutral barrel spice. Every steely sip is wrapped in soft crushed floral notes and supplanted by tart, brûléed grapefruit pith.

The palate is like Spring: it blossoms.

At first bracing and intense, it is laced with take-no-prisoners minerality and acidity. Tart but welcomely so, quickly widening in the middle with tense but creamy fruit – tart strawberry, wild cherry, mandarine. In an instant, it becomes rounder, almost luscious and certainly vibrant, with saline, floral and green mango flavors before slowly retreating back into a knife edge of citrus-rock essence. And with that, the bottle is empty, the story told.

No nonsense, an über-fresh, pure and REAL bit of uncontainable vinous intensity.

I thoroughly enjoyed it with a simple arugula salad with Extra Vigin Olive Oil, a fried farm egg, cracked black pepper and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

It tasted of Spring…’Tis the season, right?

Read the story, browse the wines, become a fan.

Rose season approaches, better get this one while you can.

the Liquid Magic of Ryme: Agliancico

21 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in New World, Red, Tasting Notes

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Yep, that’s right, Liquid Magic…

2007 Ryme Cellars Aglianico

Luna Matta Vineyard, Paso Robles

Dark and deep aromatic profile of black root, cherry pit, smoked lemon pith, warm stone and mineral, fernet-like dry, bitter, floral and herbal notes. Espresso and black tea, sweet rubber and dust. Quite understated.

On the palate this wine is liquid velvet despite enormous structure and a warm texture. Oh so drying, and I love it, such noble tannins. Bitter walnut skin, sappy and thick black flavors, espresso infused cranberry, pepper crusted cherry, dusty rocks, grapefruit pith and violet stems.

And with that, it’s gone.

Any curious wine-drinker wishing to explore Old-World sensibilities in the New World should jump on the Ryme wagon. The Ribolla Gialla is outrageously beautiful as well…

This is REAL wine. Go get you some.

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