‘Le Grand Legume’ was ‘in the house’

It doesn’t take one very long to notice the passion and intensity of the man known as ‘Bobby.’ Bobby Kacher may be the most driven individual that I have ever met. Believe me, when dealing with wine marketers and salespeople, you see plenty with drive. None can touch Bobby though. Although it has been around five years since I have seen him in person, it seemed like it was just yesterday after Bobby gave me a big hug and a bearded kiss on the cheek. Bobby and his largest producer, Yves Grassa of Domaine du Tariquet stopped into the Warehouse on Monday to sample our store managers on the vibrant wines of Domaine du Tariquet.

I think that Bobby and I have known each other for around twenty five years? My favorite Bobby story originates from the time that we were both living in the D.C. area nearly twenty years ago. Bobby was traveling around to different markets with Burgundy producer Jean-Marc Joblot and I was invited to have lunch with the two of them. Jean-Marc was working on his English and seemed in awe of traveling through America with Bobby who was really beginning to garner a lot of attention for his portfolio of wines. I asked Jean-Marc how the trip was going. He replied that the trip was fantastic as he was able to visit America with ‘The Big Vegetable.’ Apparently ‘le grand legume’ is their equivalent of our ‘the big cheese.’ Every now and then I’ll refer to Bobby as just ‘legume’ to cut out the formality.

Nearly 25 years ago Bobby left the importer that he was working for and founded Robert Kacher Selections. His aim was to associate himself with growers and producers who had both the passion and energy to strive to become among their country’s most renowned winemakers. Bobby has spent the first two decades of Robert Kacher Selections almost half the time in France, in an effort to select and to develop a fine portfolio of French boutique estate wines that he imports into the US. Through this hands-on approach of working side by side with growers and producers, Bobby is able to ensure the quality and authenticity of every wine in his collection. Bobby’s detractors would say that he has perhaps too heavy a hand in the production of the wines that he imports? History has proven that the wines that RKS brings in have a following and have been and continue to be extremely well received.

Bobby continues to work as a partner with the growers and winemakers in all aspects of viticulture and vinification, constantly pushing them to produce an even higher quality product. Some of Bobby’s mantra to his growers and wine makers include lowering yields, using state-of-the-art trellising where allowed, green harvesting of fruit at ‘veraison’ (the point at which grapes start to change color), hand harvesting of fruit at the point of physiological ripeness (not analytical ripeness) and doing a triage (a sorting of the grapes to rid them of damaged fruit) as the fruit is harvested. This formula is straightforward, basic and has proven to be a great success.

Bobby’s dedication and passion for the wine business has resulted in numerous awards and accolades: Recently Robert Parker named him “one of the 20 most influential wine personalities of the past 20 years.” Previously in 2004 Bobby became Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole, one of only a handful of U.S. importers to ever receive the prestigious honor.

Robert Kacher Selections was recently named the exclusive importer of the wines of Domaine du Tariquet. Domaine du Tariquet was the first property to produce crisp, refreshing and award-winning white wines in southwestern France’s Armagnac region. As the demand for the family estate’s Armagnacs dwindled in the 1970s, proprietor Yves Grassa started experimenting with wines made from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The results were astounding and many of his neighbors have followed him into wine production. Currently Grassa’s Tariquet Chardonnay happens to be the single best selling white wine in the Bordeaux region of France. In provincial France, this is indeed an oddity. Robert Parker has called Yves Grassa, “one of the most talented winemakers” of southern France.


Grassa had spent some time in the US studying viticulture and winemaking, gaining the knowledge of specific techniques from the UC Davis program. These techniques allow him to maintain freshness and elegance in the must by minimizing exposure to air. Fermentation is carried out in cool tanks, maintaining the primary fruit aromas and flavors of the grapes. In the vineyards at Domaine du Tariquet, grapes travel from field to tank in refrigerated wagons that are essentially wine tanks under a layer of inert gas. In the tank, the juice and skins are kept at cool temperatures for hours and then fermented slowly. For even more attention to detail on the freshness spectrum, all of the new Domaine du Tariquet wines being imported by Robert Kacher Selections will use the screw cap rather than a cork. “This guarantees fresh wine every time,” says Grassa. A few of the wines in our stores will actually have a cork. This is because of a shortage of bottles in France for the screw cap technology that the French invented. Go figure…….

Under Grassa’s direction, Domaine du Tariquet stays in step with environmental issues as well. No waste is discarded, everything is recycled, and water and electricity are under close watch. The winery enjoys International Standards Organization (ISO) certification, a guarantee of cleanliness and quality control with standards for meeting requirements of climate change mitigation and sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture or ‘lutte raisonee’ is one step below organic. Tariquet has adopted environmental best practices, such as organic manuring. In order to limit the impact of treatments on the grape juice, they use partially de-mineralized water with a lowered pH level to dilute active ingredients. The results have been spectacular as pesticide treatments have been cut by 40% and their effluent treatment plant ensures that their waste water no longer has an environmental impact. In the vineyard and winery, the use of sulfites has been reduced to the strict minimum, as antioxidants such as Vitamin C are used as a partial alternative.

Wine production is strictly controlled within the Domaine from viticulture to bottling and adheres to sustainable agriculture. To prevent oxidation the grapes are taken directly from the vines to the vats in isothermal tanks. The estate features a water treatment facility and they recycle and reuse all materials. As wine tends to oxygenate quicker in smaller containers, Tariquet keeps the wine in large temperature controlled tanks until bottling is needed which helps to guarantee consistent quality and freshness. Tariquet then bottles in lots as needed to maintain freshness and vibrancy in their wines.

Yves Grassa is not only the first in Gascony to dare to plant Chardonnay, Sauvignon or Chenin Blanc grapes; he may also be the world’s most efficient vintner; making wine in the middle of his vineyard. There must be a carbon credit in there for Yves somewhere……..

Domaine du Tariquet Classic White 2006, Retail $9.99 Warehouse $7.99

A delicious, light and refreshing wine as it has only around 11% alcohol. With floral aromas, it displays citrus flavors with a touch of exotic fruit. I mean this as a compliment....this is the ideal poor-man’s Albarino.

Domaine du Tariquet Sauvignon Blanc 2006, Retail $10.99 Warehouse $8.99

This 100% Sauvignon Blanc displays intense floral notes, as well as a degree of minerality. Green apples and green melon lead the flavor charge with a medium bodied texture and a refreshing zingy finish. This wine is New Zealand meeting California in style.

Domaine du Tariquet Chardonnay 2006, Retail $12.99 Warehouse $10.99

An elegantly styled Chardonnay that is partially aged in French oak barrels. Ripe honey, pineapple and vanilla are evident in the nose and on the palate. A hint of granny smith apples also finds its way into the mix that finishes with a fresh and vibrant aftertaste.

Domaine du Tariquet ‘Cote Tariquet’ 2006, Retail $15.99 Warehouse $12.99

This wine is a blend of equal parts Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. It is delicious and displays pink grapefruit, pineapple and citrus flavors on the palate, with a touch of spice. It has a beautiful if not slightly oily texture. Its exotic aromas and flavors make it a candidate to pair with spicy and Asian food.

Domaine du Pouy Blanc 2006, Retail $8.99 Warehouse $6.95

Aromas of grapefruit and flowers jump from the glass of this straight-forward light-bodied, stainless steel-fermented wine. Layers of flavor are present, most notably citrus, and orange peel. Fresh, vibrant and built for speed. This wine is made by Yves Grassa with grapes that come from neighboring Patrick Bize’s farm.

Salut.......

Larger than life; Vinny 'G' hits his stride in 05

Daniel Haas is Vineyard Brands French wine buyer and I take his comments about Burgundy very seriously. Vineyard Brands has a fabulous selection of independantly owned Burgundy producers which has enabled Daniel to visit Burgundy up to four times a year for decades and thus know every nook and cranny of the Cote D'Or. The long and the short of this blog is this: 2005 Red Burgundies are some of the finest Pinot Noirs that this planet has ever seen. Unlike Bordeaux, many Burgundy producers talk about their wines in terms of barrels, not thousands of cases. Snooze now on the offer and they will be gone. Below are some of Daniel's comments on the vintage. After that you will see some reviews by Daniel 'DH' and Steve Tanzer 'ST.'


Vincent Girardin's wines are always the most modern examples in Vineyard Brands stable. Modern Burgundy to me means bright fruit, depth, concentration and a well balanced finish. 2005 reds by Girardin may be his best range that I have ever tried. Now on to Danny's comments.



Every once in a while a vintage comes along that is everyone’s fantasy. If you could create a perfect vintage, it would be 2005 for red Burgundy.

I saw pictures taken by one producer of grapes hanging on the vines and they were poster-child perfection – not a blemish. Clusters that were a work of art. This was a season to sit back and watch nature work its magic. There was no reason to use sulphur spray as there was no rot; there was neither overproduction nor underproduction; the grapes weren’t too big or too little.

The temperature during the season was never too high nor too low; rainfall was minimal until some small rains came in mid-August which refreshed the vines. As far as the entire growing season was concerned almost every month was of average temperature. January: normal. February: cooler than nor­mal. March: slightly warmer than normal. April: slightly above normal as well as in May, June and July, but only slightly. August had below normal temperatures but not by much. September was average.

Precipitation was below average for January, July, August and September – the perfect scenario for no rot and a perfect harvest. As far as rain was concerned, only May was wetter than normal and June had normal amounts of precipitation; during all the other months drought conditions applied. The precipi­tation in June was 30% of normal rainfall; less than 20% in July and August; less than 10% for the entire month of September.

The amount of sunshine was normal but not all the time, so the grapes ripened slowly with good hang time. Green shoots emerged around the 23rd and 24th of April – not early or late. Full flowering of the 2005 reds came on June 11th in the Côte de Beaune and June 13th in Côte de Nuits. The temperature at the beginning and middle of flowering for the whites produced shatter; the reds, which flowered about a week later, had warmer temperatures and didn’t experience shatter – those grapes were in perfect condi­tion. Since it wasn’t too hot the rest of the summer the skins were not very thick and with a lot of pulp loaded with juice.

August was uneventful save for a little rain in the region on August 24th and 26th. These rains re­started the vegetative cycle and helped with the water stress. The temperature never got above 29º (84ºF) with the exception of the 31st of August. September was warm early up until the 9th with daytime highs in the upper 20s, (80s) then it cooled down. There was one rainstorm on September 7th and another on the 9th, both about 8mm (.314”) and then no precipitation until the 17th when another 6mm (.23”) fell. After that only a trace till October came around and harvest was over.

In most of Burgundy, the harvest began between the 16th of September and the 19th. Most of the Côte de Nuits started on the 19th. The harvest was perfect, not a drop of rot, no reason to use the sorting tables, no reason to chaptalize. Nothing to do, the harvest made itself. Since the grapes were ripe on all levels you can have a perfect reading of alcohol of 13º but the skin and pulp is not phenolically ripe and you can have alcohols of 122 to 125 that are truly riper than the 135 ones. In 2005 you had alcohols and phenolic ripeness, not over ripe or with pruniness. The wines also were slow to evolve in the cellar. They did not need pump-overs or heavy extractions. They were naturally extracted. Since malolactic was so slow the wines were not racked so they were resting on the lees which were healthy giving them fresh­ness. The end result is powerful wines without any astringency, sweet, ripe tannins, balanced acidity, color and elegance and finesse from the long hang time and slow evolution in the cellar. There is nothing more to say other than if you don’t buy this vintage, just skip this grape altogether. My only refrain is, alas the prices are up 25-30% from the 2004s and with the falling dollar it’s a double whammy. DH

From Steve Tanzer: “Ever the flexible merchant, Vincent Girardin increased his purchases of Pinot Noir grapes in the sexy 2005 vintage, then cut back drastically again in 2006, making only 30 barrels of red wine in the latest vintage. (The only parcels he will continue to buy every year are Clos Vougeot, Charmes- Chambertin and Chambertin-Clos de Beze, because he’s happy with his sources.) Girardin told me that because 2005 featured very strong material his objective has been to make “a classic vintage.” He used 60% whole clusters to vinify his wines from the Cote de Nuits, and about 30% for the Cote de Beaune. He did no pigeages, relying instead on two remontages per day “in order to coat the entire cap and to avoid getting rustic tannins.” The premier crus are aging in 30% new oak and the grand crus in 40%, and because he believes the wines need long elevage, he won’t bottle until April. Girardin told me that the 2005s are currently carrying 13.3% to 14% alcohol without chaptalization.





Vincent Girardin was born in Santenay, in the Cote de Beaune and is part of a winemaking family with roots back to the 17th century. Now in his forties, Vincent began his winemaking career in 1982 with only 5 acres of vines. When his father retired, Vincent took over another 10 acres to which he could devote himself. In order to sell his wines, Vincent did not hesitate to go from door-to-door in the big cities to convince his first clients. Vincent and his wife Veronique have grown the Domaine to one that is relatively large in Burgundian terms. The key here is the attention to detail that the Girardins maintain which keeps their reputation in the upper echelon of both red and white Burgundy producers.

At Domaine Vincent Girardin the grapes are harvested by hand, then sorted twice, once in the vineyard and for a second time in the winery. The sorting process eliminates all elements that are not fully ripe or not in the best condition. The presses are pneumatic in order to preserve the purety of the grapes. Next the wines are aged in oak barrels. This carefully controlled ageing process allows the wines to achieve their full potential. In order to preserve their natural qualities to the utmost, the red wines are neither fined nor filtered.

The work in the vines is carried out with respect for the environment and nature. Vincent Girardin’s vineyards are farmed organically and the soil is worked to ensure proper aeration. Vincent Girardin rigorously controls the yields by pruning, adding only natural-slow release fertilizer, severe removal of excess buds, and green-harvesting.



“Vincent Girardin, the extremely talented owner and winemaker of this négotiant house...(his) top wines, the grand and premier crus, are at the same quality level as those crafted at Burgundy’s other excellent domaines and négotiants. What sets this firm apart is the bevy of delicious, eminently drinkable wines it produces from lesser known appellations.” The Wine Advocate

“Girardin’s wines are vividly fresh and full of life, saturated with vibrant pinot and chardonnay fruit. Vincent Girardin’s wines...test the boundaries of tradition, but never quite break them, with results that are both consistently impressive as well as a pleasure to drink. Their strength isn’t delicacy and grace, but neither is it simply brawn – and in that way they offer an intellectual paradox as well.” Wine & Spirits

“Vincent Girardin, the Côte de Beaune’s golden boy.”
Wine Spectator

2005 Bourgogne Rouge Cuvée Saint-Vincent Pinot Noir
Stelvin closure. Good color – light crimson. Smoky, rustic, raisined nose; earthy, too. On the palate, smoke and nuts; ripe, raisined fruit, very silky coffee/mocha, with a bit of jammy toast. Nice for the ap­pellation with no tannins but nice baby succulent, sweet Pinot fruit on the finish. 17.9/20 DH

Vincent Girardin Bourgogne Rouge 2005, Retail $21.99 Warehouse $18.99

2005 Emotion de Terroirs Pinot Noir
Stelvin closure. 75% Marsannay, all hillside vineyards. 10% Gevrey, 15% Bourgogne old vines, next to Chambolle and Vosne-Romanée. All purchased grapes. Deeper color; more vinous, with more depth and class. On the nose, smoky and rustic. On the palate, some black licorice and silky acidity. Easy, lush, minty chocolate; has more tannins but they are ripe. Very easy and grapey, very pure and elegant for a Bourgogne. 18.2/20 DH

Vincent Girardin Emotions de Terroir Rouge 2005, Retail $24.99 Warehouse $19.99

2005 Santenay Villages Charmes
55 year old vines; located under the premier cru Santenay Clos Rousseau. Deep color tinged with purple. Arustic nose; very earthy and rustic on the nose but on the palate it’s beefy and bacon. Anice balance of very sweet fruit; very luscious and all in balance. Jammy on the finish with strong tannins. 18.4/20 DH

Vincent Girardin Santenay Charmes 2005, Retail $32.99 Warehouse $26.99

2005 Santenay Premier Cru Gravières
Even deeper in color than the Maladière. Ariper and more foxy nose of woods and meaty bacon, too. Toasty, smoky fruit with some oak present but the wine has more power than the Maladière and is juicier, more intense and classier. Racier, with juicier acids that are long on the palate. Quite classy, very typical Pinot with a beautifully balance mint chocolate finish. 18.8/20 DH

Vincent Girardin Santenay Gravieres 2005, Retail $39.99 Warehouse $32.99

2005 Puligny-Montrachet Villages Rouge
175 cases. Smoky tobacco nose, very herbal. On the palate, it has the most tannin of all the wine so far; thick, textured, milk chocolate fruit. Alittle less juicy with more smoke and tobacco on the palate. Finishes with some compact tannins. 18.6/20 DH

Vincent Girardin Puligny Montrachet Villages Rouge, Retail $42.99 Warehouse $36.99

2005 Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Clos St. Jean
Not tasted. DH


Vincent Girardin Chassagne Montrachet Clos St Jean 2005, Retail $42.99 Warehouse $36.99




2005 Savigny-les-Beaune Premier Cru Serpentières
375 cases produced. 40 year old vines, from 3 growers. Very deep in color. No rustic elements on the nose or bacon fat. Cleaner, more pure Pinot. Mostly chocolate licorice on the palate, it’s all in the texture and acidity. Very round at first then the acids refresh the wine. Some smoky bacon fat with no tannin, just luscious, lively acids but the finish has a bit of tannin. Smoky. 18.9/20 DH

Vincent Girardin Savigny les Beaune Serpentrieres 2005, Retail $39.99 Warehouse $32.99

2005 Beaune Premier Cru Grèves
425 cases produced. 50 year old vines, from 2 producers. Deep color. Juicy fruit nose. Mint chocolate, more vegetal and quite acid, and more dry tannins. Tobacco and mincemeat, smoky bacon. Al ittle less structure than the Savignys but a little but more classy. Finishes with tobacco and bacon. 18.7/20 DH

2005 Beaune Greves (from 45-year-old vines on limestone-rich soil) Good ruby-red. Ripe aromas of black cherry, minerals and chocolate. Sweet, fat and fruity, with firm acidity and mineral character giving energy to the middle palate. Finishes with substantial ripe tannins. This should offer early appeal. 88-91pts ST

Vincent Girardin Beaune Greves 2005, Retail $54.99 Warehouse $44.99

2005 Volnay Villages Vieilles Vignes
35 barrels from 5 vineyards. A very classy nose; black in color. Tobacco on the palate. It’s very rich and creamy coffee/mocha and has power and racy acids and a luscious middle. Toasty fruit with tannins on the side, like a barbecue sauce - a sweet and smoky finish. 18.9/20 DH

Vincent Girardin Volnay VV 2005, Retail $49.99 Warehouse $39.99

2005 Pommard Vignots
Very rustic on the nose, foxy like a Pommard should be, along with bananas and nuts. Very spicy on the palate, with milk chocolate and café au lait. Lots of thick texture with no tannins and a little bit of side acids. An opulent, juicy, Raisinette finish. 18.9/20 DH

Vincent Girardin Pommard Vignots 2005, Retail $49.99 Warehouse $41.99

2005 Pommard Premier Cru les Grands Epenots Vieilles Vignes
The deepest color so far, so deep you can’t see through it. Smoky tobacco, very bacony nose. You can sense the depth of fruit. Very penetrating on the palate; it’s massive, with lots of oily, powerful multi layered fruit; smoky and multidimensional. Long, long flavors and sweet ripe tannins; candy-like with jammy raisins. So concentrated it’s incredible; powerful, like a grand cru. 19.3/20 DH

2005 Pommard Grands Epenots Vieilles Vignes Bright ruby-red. Wild black raspberry, smoked meat and a minty nuance on the nose. Sweet on entry, but less expressive than the Greves, in a tougher, more solid style. But then this is Pommard. Finishes with broad, dusty tannins. 88-90pts ST

Vincent Girardin Pommard Grands Epenots VV 2005, Retail $79.99 Warehouse $69.99

2005 Pommard Premier Cru les Rugiens
Black in color. Tar, tobacco and bittersweet chocolate on the nose. Massive and ripe with tons of inky, thick textured fruit. Cherry licorice and more red fruits than the Epenots; more acids. Lovely, elegant, all in up-front fruit. Luscious red licorice and smoke. Very Pinot and elegant, but big. 19.3/20 DH

2005 Pommard Rugiens Deep, full ruby. High-toned, complex nose offers currant, flowers, nutty oak, tobacco, spices and an earthy element. Dense, lush and concentrated, with a suave, fine-grained texture. There’s plenty of material here. 89-92ptsST

Vincent Girardin Pommard Rugiens 2005, Retail $79.99 Warehouse $74.99

2005 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes
Pitch black in color. The typical rustic, coffee tobacco notes, along with a little vanilla bean. Toasty oak, silky fruit on the palate. Alittle bit metallic with lots of coffee without a lot of sugar, but enough baby acids. Smoke and toast on the finish and a bit of tea leaves. 18.2/20 DH

Vincent Girardin Gevrey Chambertin VV 2005, Retail $59.99 Warehouse $47.99

2005 Chambolle-Musigny Villages Vieilles Vignes
Animal nose – very leathery and rustic. A bit of mint chocolate also. The fruit is very Chambolle, lacy and silky with round extracted flavors. Sweet but bittersweet, too. Baby tannins and acids all in balance. A silky finish of tobacco and black licorice. 18.4/20 DH

Vincent Girardin Chambolle Musigny VV 2005, Retail $54.99 Warehouse $47.99

2005 Corton-Perrières Grand Cru
Deep color, crimson and black. Avery deep, powerful nose of black coffee; very floral. On the palate it’s fat and oily with strong tannins but not overpowering. Typical black cherry and currants and raisins on the mid palate. Very typed Pinot with a tobacco and coffee toasted finish. 19/20 DH

Vincent Girardin Corton Perrieres 2005, Retail $79.99 Warehouse $69.99

2005 Corton Renardes Grand Cru
The color of ink. Aripe, salty iodine nose, with some milk chocolate. On the palate, more richness, easier, more luscious than the Perrières. Abit of cherry pie – sweet, candied sugar-coated tannins but mostly lively acidity. Quite thick and palate-staining super meaty bittersweet chocolate rustic finish. 19.1/20 DH

2005 Corton Renardes Bright ruby-red. Highly aromatic nose combines redcurrant, tobacco, dried flowers, spices and iron. Offers more mid-palate precision and verve than the Bressandes, with redder fruits and attractive floral lift. A bit less stiff today. Finishes with dusty, ripe tannins. Despite the rather soft extraction he did, Girardin says that all of these wines still need further “refining” in barrel. He finds them quite reserved today but still believes that 2005 will be a vin de plaisir. 90-93pts ST

Vincent Girardin Corton Renardes 2005, Retail $89.99 Warehouse $74.99

2005 Corton Bressandes Grand Cru
Another opaque wine, again the smell of salt and iodine – a sign of a classy wine. Milk chocolate and burnt toast along with cherry juice, too. Abit of rum, super ripe and lacy with compact, square fruit all in elegance. Very classy, black fruit with the most tannin of the three grand crus, but also the biggest acids and finish. Cherry syrup. 19.2/20 DH

2005 Corton Bressandes Moderately saturated ruby-red. Very ripe aromas of black plum, mocha, chocolate, spices, game and earth, with a whiff of menthol. Plump and sweet but a bit unrefined and austere; this needs further elevage to gain in definition. Most promising today on the sweet, juicy, oak-spicy finish, where the solid tannins arrive late. 89-91pts ST

Vincent Girardin Corton Bressandes 2005, Retail $89.99 Warehouse $74.99

2005 Echézeaux Grand Cru
A very classy nose of milk chocolate, very ripe. Deep purple in color. On the palate, lots of creamy, intense, jam-packed fruit of cassis and cherry with tobacco notes. Long fruit with generous tannins. Sweet, candied jelly paste; a sugar-coated bittersweet finish. 19.4/20 DH

2005 Echezeaux Good medium ruby. Expressive aromas of black raspberry, minerals, game, tobacco and smoke, lifted by a floral topnote. Sweet black fruit flavors show good definition but offer less lift than the Suchots today. This is more stern and tannic-and a bit high-toned on the back. 89-92pts ST

Vincent Girardin Echezeaux Grand Cru 2005, Retail $169.99 Warehouse $139.99

2005 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Deep, deep color. A raisined nose. Fat, luscious, oily fruit. Meaty, all in silky elegance. Low in tannin but high in sweet, pungent raisined fruit. Very floral and minty; some side tannins but not dominating. A compact, jammy black cherry finish. 19.3/20 DH

2005 Charmes Chambertin Bright medium ruby. Cool, reserved aromas of red cherry, flowers, brown spices and minerals; this is rather Chambertin-like. Dense, suave and deep, with ripe acids and enticing floral character. But this still needs more elevage and definition. Finishes quite broad, with a fine dusting of tannins and noteworthy aromatic
persistence. Very promising wine, best today on the nose and aftertaste. 91-94pts ST

Vincent Girardin Chames Chambertin 2005, Retail $169.99 Warehouse $139.99

2005 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru
Purchased grapes from behind the château, in front of Grands-Echézeaux. Rustic, leathery, somewhat animal. The color of ink. Tobacco on the nose. Bittersweet chocolate and black fruit, mainly black cherry and café au lait. All in texture and finesse. Round and silky with good fruit and extension and lively acids. Smoky coffee and burnt toast, stones and minerals; an elegant finish. 19.3/20 DH

2005 Clos de Vougeot Bright ruby-red. Scented aromas of black raspberry, rose petal, minerals, licorice and blood orange. Racy and light on its feet; not a dense style of Clos Vougeot but quite refined and perfumed. Finishes with very suave tannins and subtle aromatic persistence. I like this! 91-94pts ST

Vincent Girardin Clos de Vougeot 2005, Retail $179.99 Warehouse $159.99

2005 Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
Black/purple in color. On the nose, ripe rôti of roasted nuts. Very elegant and classy already, you can tell it’s a grand cru. On the palate, it’s the best in the cellar and very floral, all in finesse. Long, long cherry juice, layers upon layers. Smoky, herbal, spicy, roasted peanut and chestnuts with black cherry jam – tobacco soaked in jam. 19.6/20 DH

2005 Chambertin Clos de Beze (five of the eight barrels come from very old vines planted next to Mazis-Chambertin) Moderately saturated red-ruby. Knockout nose of red cherry, faded rose, minerals, brown spices and red licorice. Perfumed and sharply delineated, with superb inner-mouth lift and delicacy. The potential alcohol here was 14.2% but there’s no sense of excess weight. This really stains the palate on the back, with the tannins arriving late. Made entirely from tiny berries, notes Girardin.
Offers great potential and is likely to evolve in bottle for a long time. 92-95pts ST

Vincent Girardin Chambertin Clos de Beze 2005, Retail $299.99 Warehouse $259.99

The value of Single Quinta Ports……..

Blue-purple madness. If you’ve never tried a young, quality Vintage Port just after release, you now have a chance to purchase from the Wine Warehouse a few stellar offerings from Taylor Fladgate and Fonseca. The blatant fruitiness and power shines through on these Ports.

Approximately three in every ten years we can expect to see the major Port houses declare a Vintage Port. This phenomenon is certainly due to Port houses only declaring in the most formidable and age worthy vintages. The reputation of a Port house will continue to be judged in fifty years from now based upon the quality of this Port as it develops. To declare a vintage in a less than spectacular year will be unfortunate for the next generation who is running the house. The other reason to declare vintages very selectively is to keep the supply down and thus demand and price up. As the core of a Port house’s Vintage Port is often from its finest vineyard, in non-declared years this vineyard will often produce formidable wines.

Produced in exactly the same way as a vintage port, Single Quintas are bottled after two years in cask. Single Quinta Vintage Ports are neither fined nor filtered, and thus develop a "crust", or deposit, exactly as does a vintage wine. They also represents a superb value, often priced at roughly half the cost of a declared vintage port of similar age.

As for the ubiquitously stellar 2005 vintage, the growing season in the Douro started with budburst from about 24th of March, later than usual as a result of the cold weather and the shortage of water. The whole growing season was marked by low vigor and small berry size for all grape varieties. The Douro Valley experienced its first rain since November 04 on the night of 06 September which interrupted a port harvest that had started earlier than any other.

Producers are reasonably optimistic about the quality of wine likely to be produced, and overall quantity, which was threatening to be dangerously low, was boosted by the six hours, roughly 20 mm, of rain on sep 06/07. The first grapes harvested were tiny and almost raisiny things but the rain really boosted volumes and potential alcohol levels were back to 12.5 to 13 per cent after a few days of the uninterrupted sunshine that has characterized the 2005 Douro growing season.

On to the Ports…………….

The Port house of Fonseca and Guimaraens was not formally founded until 1822, when Manuel Pedro Guimaraens acquired control of the company through purchase of the majority of the Fonseca holdings. Consistency of style has remained one of the fundamental principles of the Fonseca philosophy since its founding. The firm has traditionally purchased wines from the same growers whose operations have been under its control. The practice of shippers investing in vinification equipment to make their own wines from purchased grapes is a phenomenon only prevalent since the mid 1960s.

In the early 1970s, it became obvious to the top houses that consistent supplies of high-quality grapes would be seriously jeopardized unless they took decisive measures to secure their own resources. During the 1970’s, Fonseca Guimaraens purchased three exceptional quintas, all classified grade "A", which continued to strengthen its position in the Port hierarchy. These three properties are among the finest in the Douro. Perhaps their finest is the Quinta do Panascal?

In 1978 Fonseca acquired the Quinta do Panascal, a property located in the spectacularly beautiful Tavora Valley, also in the Cima Corgo to the south of the Douro River. At present, 67 of its 97 acres are planted, supporting 114,800 vines which produce 860 hectolitres of must annually. Adjacent vineyards produce another 196 hectolitres. New plantings at Panascal continue to focus principally on Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa and Tinta Roriz.

Quinta do Panascal is now firmly based as the backbone to the famous Fonseca vintages. The Fonseca Viticultural team developed the first organic vines in the Douro valley, in a designated region of Quinta do Panascal. Using recognised viticultural methods, the team has been able to refine these techniques, over several years, for growing quality organic vines in the Douro valley.A lot of work at Quinta do Panascal is focused on “batch” planting of the top five of the six varietals. Batch planting affords not only the advantage of harvesting the varieties efficiently at optimum maturity and vinifying them separately, but also naturally coincides with planting each varietal in microclimates that are best suited to it.

Tasting note: Opaque purple black with a narrow magenta rim. The nose is rich and exuberant, brimming with dark, seductive blackberry and cassis aromas laced with licorice and a hint of sweetness. The round, luscious palate follows through with a dense jammy blast of wild berries and a mouthful of rich and supple tannins.


Fonseca Quinta do Panascal 2005, Retail $62.99 Warehouse $49.99


The original company that became Taylor, Fladgate & Yeatman was officially founded in 1692. Taylor Fladgate’s top vineyard is the Quinta de Vargellas; a spectacular vineyard in the far upper reaches of the Douro Valley which is the source of the wines which embody the character of Taylor Fladgate's vintage ports in declared years. This property, acquired by the house in 1893, covers 101 hectares (250 acres), half of which are planted in vines on the slopes which descend to the banks of the river. The unsurpassed quality of this vineyard was recognized as early as 1808, when that vintage Quinta de Vargellas appeared for sale on the London market in the early 1820s, surely the first single-quinta port ever to be commercialized.

Commenting on the 2005 vintage, wine maker David Guimaraens noted: “2005 will be remembered as a hot and dry year. However the effects of the drought were offset by rain in early September and by perfect picking conditions. The crop on all the Taylor estates was one of the healthiest we have seen for years.”

The 05 Vargellas displays inky black color with a hint of purple on the rim. The bouquet displays strong blackcurrant, cherry and blackberry aromas. Hints of cedar and violets provide an exotic twist which is the hallmark of classic Vargellas Vintage Ports. On the palate the first impression is supple and restrained but the finish reveals a tightly knit fabric of well defined but supple tannins that then unleashes a powerful surge of rich black fruit flavor.

Taylor Fladgate Quinta de Vargellas 2005, Retail $69.99 Warehouse $53.99

It is commonly thought that Vintage Ports will remain in a fresh state after opening if the wine is decanted and taken away from any sediment that may be present. These Ports should remain fresh for nearly a week once opened. They are perfect to enjoy after dinner either on their own, with a salty cheese such as Stilton or can match quite nicely to a chocolate dessert. Of course one can age these Ports for decades if they are properly cellared. Enjoy, but remember at 20% alcohol, they pack a punch.

Wine blognostications for 2008

We’re officially in the second week of 2008 and I thought it might be a good time to look ahead to what may be the trends for the coming year. As always, we thank you for your patronage in 2007 and look forward to seeing you often this year in our stores.

Wine values will be stronger than ever for selected products. Savvy shoppers are looking for value in wine. With new vineyard and winery technologies available, wineries are able to produce better wines every year for seemingly less money. As always, the Wine Warehouse is at the leading edge of sniffing out these value products.

A few wacky values currently in our stores:

Smoking Loon Cabernet Sauvignon, Retail $8.99 Warehouse $5.99
Smoking Loon Chardonnay, Retail $8.99 Warehouse $5.99
Smoking Loon Pinot Grigio, Retail $8.99 Warehouse $5.99
Turner Road Cabernet Sauvignon, Retail $8.99 Warehouse $5.99
Turner Road Chardonnay, Retail $8.99 Warehouse $5.99
Turner Road Pinot Grigio, Retail $8.99 Warehouse $5.99
Talus Pinot Noir, Retail $6.99 Warehouse $4.99

For collectors, fine wine prices rose to new heights in the first two thirds of 2007, falling back a little from these new heights as global markets suffered but they are still 40% up against last year. The US is now competing for the classics and gems with emerging and newly affluent countries. Fine wine has come to the attention of more potential investors around the world – new buyers coming largely from east rather than the west. Couple the world’s new collectors driving up demand and thus prices combined with a weak and ever shrinking dollar, making one long for prices from the 2000 vintage release five years ago - even though we thought that at the time that prices couldn’t get any higher. Look for selected 2005 Burgundy, Bordeaux and Rhone to arrive at the Wine Warehouse stores early in 2008. Prices being what they are……this is still one of the finest vintages on record.

Wines from South America will continue to increase in importance. The Argentine currency is one of the few that exhibits more weakness than our dollar. The Chilean wines tend to be sold from wineries based on the dollar. These facts lead to price stability. Continued increases in quality and value make the South American continent a ‘go-to’ player in 2008. Malbec from Argentina will continue to grow in popularity. Malbecs continue to be one of the best overall values in our stores.

With Australia’s 2007 crop was down by nearly 30% on the 2006 harvest and 2008 is expected to be even smaller, Australian wineries have had to consider price increases in the wheelhouse of their production; the value segment. Severe drought in the areas which supply the majority of Australia’s wine values wine have made the Australians try and figure a way to tap the higher price points and hope to continue their importance and market share.

The French comeback is happening in spite of the dollar/euro conversion. Some of the world’s best wine value at present is in France’s wines currently retailing at under $20 a bottle. Check out our 2005 Bordeaux wines at under $20 for some of the best Cabernet and Merlot wines at that price point. Loire Valley whites and reds from lesser known regions show incredible flavors at under a twenty and there continues to be fantastic Rhone and Languedoc vales at around a ten-spot.

The planet is going green and the wine market has a number of producers following the trend. Sustainable, organic and biodynamic viticulture will continue to grow as wine buzzwords. As governments look to the health of their people whether it is a worker or consumer, chemicals in the vineyard and in the winery will be legislated towards minimizing their use. Organics will increasingly have a larger section in stores and biodynamics will be understood by more and more consumers. The are now reportedly 400 wineries that use biodynamic techniques which involve following the lunar calendar and burying homeopathic doses of various ‘dynamised’ preparations in cow horns at strategic points in the vineyard. Wine Warehouse has been featuring organic and biodynamic wines for years now. Just check out our price tags with a ladybug on them.

The ever increasing green consumer population will look to reusable carriers for wine. We will have available ultra-convenient 6-bottle recycled polypropyline wine bags that will make shopping easy, carrying the bottles more secure and with re-use, inevitably more green for the planet.

In the vineyards, whether or not global warming is responsible for the increasing alcohol levels in wine, wine producers will continue to be frustrated by the fact that flavor, tannin and color refuse to ripen as fast as the grapes fermentable sugar levels rise. This phenomenon is a complex amalgamation of the emergence of new clonal selections in the vineyard, better canopy management techniques and more frequent heat spells than have occurred in the past. It seems that older vines and vines that are in better balance to their environment can mitigate the unevenness of grape ripening. Winery technology will be increasingly used where legal to compensate for the higher levels of alcohol. Spinning Cone or Reverse Osmosis anyone? If only this technology was able to produce water it might help regions that are completely dependant upon water to grow their grapes. Droughts over the last few years are wreaking havoc in many winegrowing regions. Another dry year may push some growers to throw in the towel.

Napa will continue to be the Disney World of wine. Top-your-neighbor, build-your-own-legacy wineries are being built no matter what the real estate market does. The talk of the town is the new Hall winery that was designed by Guggenheim architect Frank Gehry. Funny enough, Hall’s prices are up significantly on last year. Go figure…..




Pinot Noir will continue to ride the resveratrol and ‘Sideways’ bandwagon. I’m still amazed at the unabated price increases that continue to be accepted by the consumer in this category from Burgundy, California and Oregon. Pinot Noirs from less likely parts of the world will grow in percentage within the category. The Languedoc and Chile come to mind here, yet I shouldn’t forget the $6.99 Smoking Loon and $4.99 Talus from California.



More and more wine sites will have videos that bring the consumer a closer look at the wine and winemaker. Consumers will continue to respond favorably to information on the products that they choose.




And as always, there will be new and ever improving wine gadgets. The most interesting new gadget that we have found this year is the Pek wine preservation system. This system lets you fill the headspace of any open bottle with the inert gas ‘argon’ in place of oxygen which lengthens the shelf life of the wine. This is the easiest and best value way to keep wine open without it deteriorating as quickly. For an additional $299.99 plus $35 for shipping and handling, the Vino Vault is a sleek stainless steel wine fridge that works together with the Pek system.

Pek Preservation Metal Box, Retail $49.99 Warehouse $39.95

Pek Argon Cartridges (4), Retail $14.99 Warehouse $11.95

The wine swami wishes you and yours a fantastic 2008…………………

Fizz in December, a couple of nice ones to try……

There was a time in my life when virtually half of the wine that I consumed was sparkling. While at University and working in an ancient version of The Wine Warehouse, there had to be a decision made about which wine was going to be brought home to have with dinner. For the selection criteria to be met, first and foremost the wine had to be ready to drink. Invariably, all of the Champagne in the cooler was ready to drink, chilled and at a good price. The nice price on Champagne was due to The Wine Warehouse buying Champagne at great prices for nearly thirty years now. You will find that the 2007 holiday season is no exception.

A couple of sparkling wine properties from the Taittinger family:

The mother ship of the Taittinger wineries is in the heart of Champagne. Until recently the Taittinger family headed a group of businesses producing luxury goods, but in 2005 the group was sold to Starwood Capital, an American investment group. Starwood then broke up the group of businesses and in the end Taittinger was purchased by a partnership between Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, grandson of the original founder, and the French bank Crédit Agricole with a value of 660 million Euros. Now that’s full circle……..

The winery was originally founded in 1734 by Jacques Fourneaux who was a merchant of champagne wines, establishing the company that would eventually become Taittinger. Taittinger is thus the third oldest Champagne house. Located in the finest regions of Champagne, the Taittinger vineyards cover nearly 720 acres in 34 different sites. The varietal mix is 47.2% Pinot Noir, 16.2% Pinot Meunier and 36.6% Chardonnay - a good reflection of the style of wines produced by the House and in which Chardonnay plays an essential role. Regionally, only 27% of the vineyards of Champagne are planted with Chardonnay. Taittinger’s own production is supplemented by contracts with local grape growers operating the finest vineyards in Champagne.

Produced each year from the first pressings of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, the wine is a carefully styled blend from up to 25 different crus. The final blend includes a proportion of reserve wines to ensure consistency from year to year. Prior to release, the Brut reserve is aged for 3-4 years giving the wine depth while allowing the component parts to become fully integrated. The house style at Taittinger is of elegance with creamy richness.

Shows elegance and finesse, but also an understated power, as the initial richness gives way to the firm structure, setting the stage for biscuit, honey and ginger notes. Fine length. Drink now through 2010. 91 points Wine Spectator magazine.

Taittinger Brut Reserve n/v, Retail $44.99 Warehouse $35.99

The other sparkling property from Taittinger is in the Carneros region of the Napa Valley. The Domaine Carneros château is a landmark of the Carneros region. Completed in 1989, the classic 18th century château-style building was architecturally inspired by the historic Château de la Marquetterie owned by its principal founder, Champagne Taittinger.

Domaine Carneros farms four separate Carneros sites organically. Vine clones were selected for subtle differences of flavor and intensity. The winemakers blend the wines from the different clones, each of them adding complexity and depth to the final cuvée.

Winemaker Eileen Crane’s career path has taken her to Domaine Carneros after a few stops. After graduating from college and teaching nutrition for two years at the University of Connecticut, Eileen made the decision to turn her passion for wine into a profession. Heading west, she enrolled in the U.C. Davis Enology and Viticulture program. Upon completion of her studies, she was hired by Domaine Chandon, where she progressed to the position of assistant winemaker. Eileen was then hired as winemaker and vice president of Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves and the onto Domaine Carneros. She oversaw the planning and development for both Gloria Ferrer and Domaine Carneros.

A venture between Champagne Taittinger and its American importer Kobrand, Domaine Carneros is located in the heart of the Carneros Appellation. Carneros is famous for the production of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes which are both integral in producing a premium sparkling wine in California. The Carneros region is blessed with long, cool growing seasons, which tends to produce grapes which are well suited for sparkling wine as they have near perfect fruit maturity, which is the perfect balance between fruit character and acidity.

The 2004 vintage for Domaine Carneros happened well before their normal harvests. 2004’s early spring was followed by nearly ideal ripening conditions resulting in the first presses being filled as early as July 29 which is 2 to 3 weeks earlier than normal.

The 2004 cuvée is comprised of 61% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay and 2% Pinot Blanc. Approximately 9% of the cuvée underwent malolactic fermentation prior to blending the cuvée for bottle aging. The final wine was aged for three years prior to release and will continue to improve for several years.

Appealing aromas of Gala apple, toasted almond and vanilla lead to focused, creamy Asian pear and spice flavors that finish with a vibrant crispness. Drink now through 2012. 89 points Wine Spectator Magazine

Domaine Carneros Brut 2004, Retail $24.99 Warehouse $19.99