Inspiring Thirst An inside look at wines of Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant.

Today’s guest blogger is Mark Congero. Check out his last two appearances on the blog, here and here.

This is by far my favorite wine story, not only because it is about my daughter Isabella but it is also quite funny. It takes place at Chez Panisse on Bastille Day 2008.

I stopped by the restaurant with Isabella to say to hello to some friends and have a glass of rosé. It was a beautiful, warm Berkeley afternoon and I ordered a glass of Fontsainte’s Gris de Gris Rosé and some olives. One of the bartenders jokingly asked if Isabella wanted a taste, she was one and half at the time. I told him that Isabella is actually quite fond of rosé or vino rosado as she calls it.  The bartender did not believe me so I told him to watch closely. I let Isa hold my glass (which I had not yet tasted), she swirled, sniffed and took a tiny sip. Instead of the big smile I usually get, she made a funny face and said “no Daddy.” The bartender laughed and said something like “I told you so.”

After a few minutes of banter with a friend I went take a drink of my wine and it was CORKED! My two year old picked out a corked bottle of rosé and I could not have been a prouder Papa. I of course let the bartender know that my daughter had picked out the corked wine (and he did not) and that she and I would love a glass from a fresh bottle. She gladly took sip and gave me the big grin that I am used to seeing. Needless to say everyone was very impressed with Isa’s tasting skills and the story is now legend. I’m sure this will grow into one of those stories that she will be sick of hearing as she grows older but Dad will never grow tired of telling it.

Cheers!

Our guest blogger today is 20+ year Kermit Lynch salesman, Michael Butler…

I visited the Piedmont region of Italy a little while back and it was one of the most enjoyable trips of my wine life. I drove there from Beaune after tasting at a number of our Burgundy producers, which was also great, but another story. As soon as I entered Italy, I stopped at a rest area for a snack and was amazed at how good the autostrada panini was — it just got better from there.

View from from Castello di Sinio.

My base of operations was a comfy, classy hotel called the Castello di Sinio, in the southern end of Barolo. It is owned by a couple of Berkeley area expats who used to be clients at the shop. Not only are they the perfect hosts, but also the hotel is extremely comfy and in a great location for visiting the surrounding vineyards. Looking out from my bedroom window in the early morning I had a great view of the old town shrouded in la nebbia, the Italian word for the fog, which helps allow the Nebbiolo grapes to ripen gracefully.

The first night in town I drove to Ristorante Le Torri in Castglione Falletto and had a fabulous meal of classic regional dishes. I drank a lovely Barbera made in the traditional style (no new oak and not overripe) from a vineyard less than a mile away from the restaurant.

The vineyards of Lazzairasco and Santa Caterina.

The next day started with a long walk in the hills through vineyards and hazelnut orchards, then off to see Guido Porro in Serralunga D’Alba for a tasting of his classic Piedmontese wines. Guido’s tasting room overlooks their Lazzairasco and Santa Caterina vineyards, which are perfectly situated to make delicious Dolcetto, Barbera, and Barolo. The estate is also an agriturismo, so if you plan ahead you can rent a room on the farm—nicer people you couldn’t meet and delicious wine!

But for me, I had to jump in the Alfa and race off to the hill town of Barbaresco and taste with Silvio Giamello, an excellent producer of organically grown Nebbiolos.

Sometimes finding these small wineries is easier said than done. In this case I missed the turn-off and ended up in the center of town. I guess I looked like a lost tourist (go figure), after about 2 seconds of looking around someone came up to the car and asked me in English (how did he know?) if he could help me. I said I was looking for Silvio Giamello, he said, “Oh, he is a friend of mine, follow me.” Two minutes later I arrived at Silvio’s. We tasted his excellent Langhe Nebbiolo and a retrospective of Barbaresco going back to the 1996 vintage, Yum!

I ended the day in Silvio’s dinning room that overlooks the surrounding vineyards. We sipped some of his older wines with salumi and cheese from local artisan producers. Sometimes my job is not so bad.

Silvio Giamello

The March newsletter is now available. Download the pdf here.

Highlights from this month’s newsletter…

STAFF SELECTIONS

Staff selections are always a big hit in our newsletters. This time, I’ve decided to take it a step further. We’d like to give you, our clientele, the opportunity to get to know us better. One of the most common requests I hear from clients throughout the year is for the opportunity to work regularly with a salesperson. Please take a look at the bios of the salespeople to see if there is someone who is right for you. Also, during the month, each staff member will be posting on here on our blog about their favorite wines and experiences drinking them.

After the job of finding great wines at great prices, there is nothing more important in our business than making the client feel as comfortable and confident as possible when making a purchase. Let’s face it—buying wine can seem a bit intimidating sometimes. As retail manager of KLWM, I want to make it easy for you to have a positive experience in the store. Feel free to introduce yourself and latch on to any one of us. Like they say in my favorite Bogart movie, “This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” —Steve Waters

PRE-ARRIVAL OFFER
GROS ’NORÉ IN MAGNUM
by Kermit Lynch

From my house near Bandol, I can see Alain Pascal’s Domaine du Gros ’Noré across the valley. He has created a beautiful estate—he came up with the design himself, and with friends even laid the stones and tiles. Now his wines are putting the place on the map.

Gros ’Noré? Well, Alain’s father’s name was Honoré and he was a huge chunk of a man, so people called him Big ’Noré. Gros ’Noré.

Alain and I have become friends. Drinkin’ buddies. We might meet early and go to La Ciotat to await the fishing boats’ return and buy the catch still wriggling. Octopus is often available, slippin’ and a-slidin’. Also, Alain hunts and invites me for roast boar or various fowl cooked over vine cuttings.

Once, he loaned me his shotgun so I could take care of a pesky wabbit that was dining out in my vegetable garden with such appetite that there was nothing left for me. I took my well-fed organic victim to Alain, who skinned it and cooked it with lots of garlic and thyme. I uncorked a Cornas from Allemand, 1995. Zounds and gadzooks!

Another evening, this year before the harvest, Alain brought out a magnum of his 1999 Bandol rouge. For the two of us. I told him his eyes were bigger than my stomach, but he said no, no, he just likes wine better in magnums. He says they always taste better. And then it came out that he has a bunch of magnums he has never offered for sale.

And here they come. My advice? Go for it!

The vast majority of older wines that I’ve tasted have come directly from Kermit’s cellar in Berkeley. He regularly brings down a bottle or two of something old during staff tastings, but every once in a while, the sales staff will head over to his house and have a dinner and tasting of older wines.

These tastings tend to be epic in length and scope. Dozens of bottles are opened covering multiple decades, the rare and obscure, the classic and divine. The tasting portion of the evening is always followed by a hearty meal. This time around the main course was wild boar that a client gave to my colleague Steve Waters. Melissa Fernandez, wife of another colleague, Mark Congero, braised the shoulder for 14 hours and slow roasted the leg for 5. Kermit usually digs into his stash of magnums for dinner wines as not much wine remains in the bottles after the initial tasting.

Choosing highlights from the tasting for this post was a difficult task. With so many exquisite wines, how can I honestly choose just a few? I’ve included the full list of wines tasted/drank at the bottom of the post.

2001 Chablis “Butteaux” 1er Cru • François Raveneau

We tasted through seven fine representatives of 2001 white Burgundy, each showing well now and some with potential to age further in the cellar. The ’01 Butteaux was raring to go the moment the bottle was opened. Chablis experienced a little noble rot in ’01. The winemakers at the time said this imparted a champignon or mushroom/truffly characteristic. This element was seamlessly present along with the edge of richness so often found in aged Chablis. The most attractive aspect of this wine though was the richness and the racy mineral acidity. This dichotomy of flavors, seemingly opposite and opposed can be present at the same time and afford stunning complexity and character. If you own any 2001’s from Raveneau, I’d recommend enjoying a bottle soon. You can definitely continue to hold them for a number of more years but there’s a lot of pleasure to be had now.

2001 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru • Coche-Dury

Bells rang and fireworks exploded as I put my nose into my precious glass of Corton-Charlemagne. There was much jockeying amongst the staff as to who was going to get a small sip of what remained in the bottle at the end of the tasting and for good reason. This wine was everything its name (vineyard and producer together) and reputation led me to believe it would be. I’ve had other Coche Corton-Charlemagnes – 1997 and 1996  – and the ’01 was without question on the same level as those wines. Deep dark grain, an edge of nuttyness, firm acidity, and that classic Corton-Charlemagne spiciness – almost like red hots – are the reasons white Burgundy fanatics turn into diehards when they taste this wine.

1990 Vouvray Moelleux “Cuvée Chatherine” • Didier et Catherine Champalou

Old dessert wines are always a treat to taste. The complexity can be astounding. The Champalou’s Moelleux was layered and thick (heck, you could almost chew it!) but what got me was the bright acidity. How can a wine that is so thick, rich, and sweet also have young, nervy acidity? The Champalous only make their Moelleux in the best years. I believe the next vintage we’ll receive is the 2007. Get a few bottles and forget about it for a long time. Down the line you’ll find a special moment to open it up and you will be duly rewarded.

2005 St. Joseph Vieilles Vignes • Domaine Faury

I was excited to see this wine on Kermit’s kitchen counter as I walked in. I have three of Faury’s ’05 Vieilles Vignes in my cellar and getting a chance to see how it is developing without cracking my own was lucky. This wine was stunning: deep peppery spice, young blackberry fruit, a hearty medium rare steak aroma (or maybe I just really wanted a steak to eat with it), and structure that let me know I made a great decision to put a few of these wines away. I won’t be opening mine for at least two or three more years. We have Faury’s 2007 Vieilles Vignes ($32) available now and I will be putting away what I can afford of them as well.

1980 Châteauneuf du Pâpe “La Crau” Magnum • Vieux Télégraphe

This was a spectacular wine with which to end a grand evening – a worthy climax. We drank it with cheese after having magnums of 1988 Bandol “Miguoa” and 1988 Bandol “La Louffe” with the boar. Rustic elegance is the best way to sum up how the ’80 Vieux Télégraphe tasted. The terroir of the “La Crau” vineyard, the talent of the Brunier family at Vieux Télégraphe, and 30 years of graceful aging in Kermit’s cellar lend an elegance similar to that of older Burgundy, while retaining the wild, rustic, brooding side of Châteauneuf. I would have never imagined that ending a meal with a Châteauneuf could be thirst quenching and refreshing. This bottle hit the spot.

Cellar Tasting 2/9/10 (in the order tasted)
2001 Chablis “Butteaux” 1er Cru • François Raveneau
2001 Meursault “Luchets” • Domaine Roulot
2001 Meursault–Blagny “Genelotte” 1er Cru • Domaine de Cherisey
2001 Meursault “Genevrières” 1er Cru • François Jobard
2001 Chassagne-Montrachet “Les Vergers” 1er Cru • Domaine Amiot
2001 Puligny-Montrachet “Les Truffières” 1er Cru • Colin-Déléger
2001 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru • Coche-Dury
2003 Savennières Sec • Château d’Epiré
2002 Savennières Sec • Château d’Epiré
1997 Savennières Sec “Cuvée Spéciale” • Château d’Epiré
1986 Vouvray Moelleux “Clos du Petit Mont” • Allias
1990 Vouvray Moelleux “Cuvée Chatherine” • Didier et Catherine Champalou
1971 Vouvray Moelleux • Loyau
2005 St. Joseph VV • Domaine Faury
2004 St. Joseph VV • Domaine Faury
1995 Côte Rôtie • Robert Jasmin
1992 Cornas • Auguste Clape
1991 Côte Rôtie • Gentaz
1990 Cornas • Auguste Clape
1988 St. Joseph • Raymond Trollat
1988 Hermitage • JL Chave
1988 Cornas • Noel Verset
1988 Bandol “Miguoa” Magnum • Domaine Tempier
1988 Bandol “La Louffe” Magnum • Domaine Tempier
1980 Châteauneuf du Pâpe “La Crau” Magnum • Vieux Télégraphe

We’ve been on quite a Corsican kick here at the shop, with a sampler in January and a new white and rosé producer from Cap Corse having just arrived. New vintages from longstanding Corsican domaines, Antoine Arena and Yves Leccia, are also available and there’s a lot to be excited about in these wines. The true impetus for my excitement isn’t necessarily the arrival of these new Corsican reds, but a recent affirmation of the potential that the new reds from Arena and Leccia have. By “potential,” I don’t mean that Leccia and Arena’s wines could be good; they are already excellent. I mean that they have incredible potential for being true vins de garde, wines that will age gracefully for years to come. I didn’t come up with this idea simply from tasting these new vintages – Kermit brought in one of his bottles of 2001 Patrimonio Rouge from Leccia that knocked our socks off and left the entire staff thinking, “Why the heck don’t more people just buy these wines by the case and age it like Gigondas or Bandol?”

“Can Kermit do for Corsica what he did for Bandol?” was the question my colleague Sam asked me the other day. In the ‘70s, Kermit began to import wines from the then obscure appellation of Bandol and turned them into must-have additions to the cellar of every serious old world connoisseur.  We’ve imported Corsican wines since the ‘80s, but it wasn’t until recently that we’ve developed a stable of brilliant winemakers who produce great wines that are loaded with class and of course a good dose of rustic Corsican character. Now is the time to start cellaring these Corsican reds. Prices are not as high as quality and they don’t taste like anywhere else’s wines. The prices are equal or less than those of their Rhône counterparts and they offer their own individual style and potential to age.

Antoine Arena in his vineyards.

Our line-up of reds started with the 2008 Vin de Pays Rouge from Yves Leccia ($26). This is a prime example of a wine that can be enjoyed young, but would benefit greatly from just a few years in the cellar. The 2004 I cellared until last year was exceptional and I wished I had held off for a few more years. The ’08 was juicy, with black tea aromas reminiscent of Bandol, and a smoky, resiny garrigue. The blend here is primarily Grenache, with 20% Niellucio, an endemic red grape variety. Leccia’s 2007 Patrimonio Rouge ($34) has almost the opposite blend at 90% Niellucio and 10% Grenache. The depth and structure of this wine is evident right off the nose. There’s a profound character to the dark, smoky fruit, but it’s not heavy or over the top. Leccia’s Patrimonio Rouge might be a “big” wine, but it retains a freshness and buoyancy on the palate that most wines of this size and intensity almost never possess.

The two reds following Leccia also hail from Patrimonio, but come from the life-loving, philosophically minded Antoine Arena, a stalwart practitioner of biodynamics whose wines are a favorite in the best Parisian wine bars. Arena’s two single vineyard reds, the “Carco” ($36) and “Morta Maio” ($36) epitomize his style. The beauty of Arena’s reds is often in their amazing, mouthwatering fruit – like eating ripe black cherries right off the tree. The 2007s also offer the added benefit of well-integrated tannins and bright acidity, giving them serious potential for aging, five to ten more years.

The final bottle of our Corsican red line-up was the 2001 Patrimonio Rouge from Leccia that Kermit pulled from his cellar. What sticks with me is the clarity of fruit on the palate. It was focused, concentrated, and young. The structure was still completely intact, giving it potential to age much longer. This bottle holds the proof that there is huge value in aging your Corsican reds. Join us on our mission to spread the good word about the wild gems of Corsica.