No Wine Over $20-Reviews and the LA Wine Scene

Bravissimo to Paul and Kyle Smith and the WHWCo crew for putting on one of the best breadth tastings we have attended in many years. The tasting featured the wine selections from Louis/Dressner. Mr. Dressner was there and he confidently assured us the new catalogue has expanded considerably since tBoW included him in our Best of Wine Importers group last year, mostly on the strength of the 2005 Clos de la Roillette which was our favorite Beaujolais in 2007 and a Dressner selection. tBoW faked the rest by cruising the very helpful Dressner website. This guy loves what he is doing which is very good for us. The only issue with Dressner selections is they can be hard to find. Enter Farm Wine Imports, the new distribution company for Louis/Dressner tasked with making sure the days of hunting down Dressner Selections wines are a faint memory. You do want to keep a lookout for these very well priced and made wines. Dressner is as opinionated as anyone in his field [ed. tBoW is being sarcastic having conversed with Neal Rosenthal among others] unusual and thank god for that. His opinions are lively and uncompromising about what represents a wine he would like to share with his customers.

Dressner has assembled a traveling road show of winemakers who were all in attendance at tBoW's local wine hang, WHWCo. Think about it. Wines from twelve estates were poured by winemakers whose first language is French or Italian. They are stopping in San Francisco and New York so stay alert for when they come to your premium wine shop. Tour info is posted at the Louis/Dressner website.

All the wines were very good to excellent. Not a dog in this show. We did find wines we had to have. Without taking anything away from any of the wineries presented, here are the tasting notes for those we found to be the most compelling. Many are described on the Louis/Dressner website.

2007 Luneau-Papin Pierre de la Grange Muscadet $14-$18: Muscadet grown in the Loire is known as "melon du bourgogne". Almost clear of color, like light itself. Very nicely balanced, delicate, pleasing wine. Perfect oyster wine that is "light on its feet". The Wine Doctor provides a complete profile of this house. 12%

NV Terres Dorées FRV100 $15-$19: Worst label you ever saw. Buy a case. Dotoré predicts this wine will be the hit of the summer! Pink and sparkling Gamay. What a great idea. With the low alcohol it will compete wonderfully with Moscato d'Asti. Strawberry supreme. And cree-mee. 7.5%

2006 Domaine Louis-Claude Desvignes Morgon Cote-de-Py $21-$26: Big and beefy Gamay from Beaujolais. The 2006 vintage is known for its superb fruit and added stuffing. This one has the muscle too. The brother and sister winemaking team, Louis and Claude, poured. 6,000 cases total including the next wine. A very civilized 13%

2006 Domaine Louis-Claude Desvignes Morgon Javernieres $22-$27: A bit more feminine and elegant. Lighter weight. Delicate. Excellent. tBoW's preferred style. 13%

2007 Franck Peillot Altesse de Montagnieu Rousette du Bugey $20-$25: Another new grape (Altesse) for tBoW. Ain't it great to go to a wine tasting and try new wines? Tapioca in the nose. Full flavors, middle weight wine. Lush. No tannins. A winner. Here is another terrific blog that goes into more detail about the grape and this bottle. 12.5%

2006 Domaine Marechal Bourgogne Cuvee Gravel $24-$29: Entry level Pinot Noir from Burgundy. The whole reminded me of Dave Dascomb and East Valley Vineyard in Santa Ynez. Local guy making straightforward wines at very good prices. I prefer this Cuvee to other Bourgognes I have tasted recently. Smoky nose, sweet flavors. Beautiful. A bit of gamey flavors in the middle palate. Mssr. Marechal spoke little English and tBoW even less French so WHWCo staff David Russell intervened. Marechal makes 2000 cases of this bottle. He tends 30 hectares, some owned some leased, mostly near Pommard. So there is your pedigree and your selection. Isn't it cool Dressner finds under-publicized vignerons from Burgundy? We think so. 13%

2005 Azienda Agricola Montesecondo Rosso del Rospo $22-$28: Bella Signorini Francesca Padovani poured. Her twin sister Margerita stayed back with their vineyards in Tuscany. The sisters think nothing of clearing land, planting vinifera and making wine. Together. Then they make the traditional wine their way risking DOCG status because they followed their own rules more than the DOCG. [ed. they used the obligatory Sangiovese but only two of the other dozen Ital varietals that comprise Chianti]. But then, who could tell them no? She poured a Sangiovese along with this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, both form the estate. This was remarkable wine, tannic and rich. A wine that begs for steak. It will keep a long time. Ripe and powerful without being overwhelming. 14%

2006 Occhipinti Frapatto $33-$42: My notes say "if there is one bottle of wine I have to have..." This is it but you got to love the funk. The nose is sweaty, funky, off-putting to some but not to the Epoises/Tallegio crowd. Then you taste. Delicate, balanced, sweet. Take a look at the winemaker Arriana Occhipinti [ed. oaky peen-tee] which means "painted eyes". Strong features with soulful eyes. 4,000 cases made in Sicily. I was surprised at the number of bloggers reporting similar moonstruck impression. This is a wine to toss in front of the King (visiting this summer, odd years on his calendar). "Oh Mouse, have you tasted many Frapatto wines? From Sicily you know." [ed. he'll know alright] She also makes a Nero d'Avola which Dotoré acquired. Cool. 12.5%

Summer afternoon tastings that morph into evening wine campaigns is what the hottest season is all about. Strategy, tactics and logistical controls are so very important especially when conditions are harsh as in really really H-O-T. And when the tasting theme, suggested by the regent Mouse is Riesling served cold, temperature management is vital. As the outside thermometer burns through 100 degrees the glasses get warm just sitting around. The treatment? Cold conditioning for stemware which means rinse the glass in ice water before each new pour. Wine buckets no more than a quick reach away replenished with ice throughout the day. But what about the taster? Keep a swimming pool nearby, wear trunks or a discrete one-piece and dip every 30 minutes. Throw a towel over the chair and return to the table. Assemble a crack team with the inevitable hangers-on. Tactics include having the requisite plonk for the lumpen. To summarize...keep cool and moist, stratify wine selections, and ensure the tasting cadre are kept refreshed.

This tasting proved to be especially interesting.

2004 Ca' D'Gal Moscato d'Asti Vigna Vecchia ~$15: Peaches and apples, yummy, apple pie, crusty flan flavors. Really really nice especially for 5 years old. And it's a U20. 6.5%

1989 Milz Laurentiushof Trittenheimer Felsenkopf Riesling Auslese ~$80: First older wine. Riesling tastes great young but can be quite extraordinary with as many as 20 years on it. According to Rudi Wiest the 1989 vintage for Milz was "a near great harvest for quality. Best wines of the 80s". But what about 1983? [ed. coming, patience please] Color of a certain dehydrated bodily fluid. Flavors like Galliano. Still some green fruit. Baked goods, did somebody say Pfeffernüsse? [ed. fetching madchen at top and tBoW tasting vet EJ]. 30 minutes later...petrol and anise nose and salty licorice flavors. They don't make' em like this anymore with teetotaler alcohol level of 8%.

1998 Frtiz Herzberger Hochrain Riesling Spitz/Donau Wachau Smaragd ~$40: This bottle wins most-words-on-the-label prize. The wine is from a premium Austrian producer. Smaragd means it is at the Spätlese level of German Riesling wines. Unfortunately, it is over the hill. Long gone. Pretty dried out. Severe although even in its sunset years it has some appeal to the more disciplined tasters. Jawohl!! 10%

1979 Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofberg Auslese $55: An historical producer from Roman times coveted through the Napoleonic era. All the pedigree a German Riesling house could want. This 30 year old Mosel Auslese is very well balanced, with nose of bees wax, aged honey flavors. Very delicate. Not a crowd pleaser; more favored by some than others. Perhaps it was the age.Think Lauren Bacall in her 80s. Another low alcohol throwback at 8.5%

2006 Plantagenet Great Southern Riesling $11: Break away to a Riesling from the Land Down Under. Wild Willy notes the BBQ overshadows any aromas. Switch to oral sensory devices. Dry dry dry. Zesty, acidic, lean, lemon lime flavors. Clean. "Button down collar" says WW. Good value says tBoW. 12%

1992 Geheimrat J. Wegeler Erben Rudesheimer Berg Schlossberg Riesling $45: Splits the tasters. Licorice and anise on the nose and in the mouth. Cooked apples, light weight, petrol presence. It ain't Mosel. Big ticket for controversial wine. 9%

2001 August Kesseler Rheingau Berg Schlossberger ~$30: Great wine from a great vintage and a great winemaker. Perfectly balanced. "This is what Riesling should taste like" says one taster. All the acid, all the fruit. Just right. Shows what regions other than Mosel can produce. Wine of the day [ed. but not the evening!!]. 9%

next post...flight of red wines...and an incredible dessert capper...