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Open That Bottle Night

4/29/2010

The other night, a good friend brought an aged bottle of wine for a casual Friday night dinner. I don’t think he was inspired by Wall Street Journal’s Gaiter and Brecher’s “Open That Bottle Night,” but I was certainly thrilled he decided to share it with us. He came with a 1978 Pouilly Fuissé made by the glorious Madame Ferret.

Pouilly Fuissé (made from all Chardonnay) is an area within the Mâconnais in Burgundy, France. All together the surface area of vines planted in the area is approx. 776 hectares (almost 2,000 acres). Other areas in the Mâconnais are more affordable and not the same quality level than their northern counterparts up in Côte d’Or, but Pouilly Fuissé is the exception. 1978 was not a great year, due to poor weather conditions, but some winemakers were able to create a spectacular showing despite what obstacles Mother Nature put upon them. The conditions also drove up prices in ’78, since there was scarcity of good products.

The Ferret property was established in 1760 and Madame Ferret was the trailblazer winemaker who made the 1978 bottling we drank. She was one of the few winemakers that had adopted the practice of aging wine in small barrels and the Domaine is said to be one of the first to bottle its own wines. My friend who brought the wine is an importer and he shared the story of when he first met Madame Ferret on a trip to France to source some wines to bring into the US. When he first met Madame Ferret, she purposely poured a corked bottle of wine for him to test his knowledge and palate—very cheeky! If she was going to be that discriminating on who was going to sell her wine, then she must have a discriminating palate to boot. And DID she! She took great pride in her wine. She passed on in 1993 and her daughter, Colette Ferret, took over the reins until the vineyards were sold to Maison Louis Jadot after her passing.

Understandably, we were excited to taste this wine. Maybe a bit nervous AND excited would be more accurate. With aged wines, you just never know, even with the all the pedigree in this wine. As I was putting the finishing touches on dinner, my guest opened the bottle. An Osso opener (a cork puller which has two parallel prongs that can coax out older corks) was not needed since the cork was still in great condition, and he was able to use a regular corkscrew.

After all the running around, I sat down to a plate of shrimp in a saffron broth served on couscous with golden raisins and a beautifully golden hue in my wine glass. A spine-tingling minerality lept from the glass with just a kiss of butterscotch. On the palate, the complexity of flavors was rousing and the finish was breathtakingly long. It was worth the wait. My friend noted, “This shows how well Chardonnay marries with limestone,” and on the oak usage, “With the kiss of butterscotch, you know there's substance behind the oak.” As for the food pairing, as wine opened up, the shrimp began to taste metallic but the golden raisins in the couscous picked up on the wine and let the minerality drive it home.

All in all, it was a fabulous night. It was a total crap shoot that depends on whether the wine is any good, if the pairing works or not, and the condition of the aged wine. I've been blessed to have shared some special bottles of wine in my lifetime. But for me, the sharing is the best part. I love hearing about how people acquired the bottle and why it's special to them. This night was made special not only by the inspired moment on the palate, but for my friend’s story about Madame Ferret. It meant something to him and it was an honor to have shared it with him. So go ahead, head into your cellar for your own “Open That Bottle Night," to share stories in a great glass of wine.

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A Quick Day Trip to St. Helena

4/20/2010

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Yes, there are many reasons living in San Francisco is fabulous but in my top 5 is our proximity to the many wine regions of Northern California. During the Easter break, I took a day trip up to St. Helena to have lunch at Farmstead with my sister and to take in the change of the seasons.

Farmstead is a new restaurant in St. Helena run by the owners of Long Meadow Ranch Winery and Long Meadow Ranch. An ideal set up—they have their own first-rate supply of seasonal ingredients to be inspired by. I had the California halibut with roasted beets, asparagus, lemon and mint which was heavenly. The sauce was rich and buttery with a perfectly balanced profile of Meyer lemon, tarragon and a few other herbs, a delightfully bright homage to the season. But even while enjoying my halibut, I was eyeing the featured grass-fed beef cut of the day at the table next to us. I really wanted to order it but went with the lighter halibut since we were planning on dessert—be sure you do, too!

The wine list was one of the most exciting elements about the restaurant. They featured wines from around the world, all extremely reasonably priced and their corkage fee was only $2 (which is donated to a local charity), not typical of the area. I know Michael Bauer of the San Francisco Chronicle criticized the decision to pair a menu centered on local foods with a wine list made up of wines from France, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, and Austria. I see his point but I'm okay with it because this wine list truly rocks! They didn’t reach for big brand names, but selected wines of character and more importantly.... GREAT FOOD WINES at GREAT PRICES!

The restaurant has only been open for a few months and is still working a few kinks on the service side. All in all, I found the meal, ambience and wine a real inspired find for the area. There are many restaurants I love in the area, but they tend to be more expensive. I think Farmstead did a nice job carving out their niche.

During our visit, we also stopped for a behind the scenes tour with a friend at Vine Cliff Winery. The view from the winery was magnificent. On the way home, we HAD TO make a stop at Bouchon. If the French Laundry is a stretch for your budget, then stop at Thomas Keller’s bakery and grab some bread and macaroons. I even bought a foie gras biscuit for my dog Frank! I'm very thankful that we are close to the area and will be back soon for to be inspired by the scenery, great food and great wine.

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Three Wolfgangs and a Lagrein

4/12/2010

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How often do you attend a tasting where 3 out of the 5 panelists were named Wolfgang? Well, I knew I was in the right room, since we were discussing wines from Alto Adige. Alto Adige is the northernmost region of Italy in the middle of the Alps. Since the region is bordered by Austria and Switzerland, the wine labels will not only be in Italian but also German, and apparently, many men are named Wolfgang.

Alto Adige is a small wine area, about 12,750 acres total, which features just over 150 wineries. Out of that, only about 40 export to the US. That's less than 1 percent of Italian production. This area is packed with many microclimates at various altitudes and a warm valley floor. The varying temperatures combined with the varying soil types create a multitude of terroirs. The benefit of the varying terroirs is there are many varieties grown here.

White wine production just edges out red, the whites being Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay Müller Thurgau, Sylvaner, Moscato Giallo, Riesling, Kerner, Veltliner and Riesling Italico. The main red varieties are Schiava, Lagrein, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvingon Cabernet Franc, Moscato Rosa, and Malvasier.

Have you heard that bad joke, you know the one: The definition of heaven is where the Germans are in charge of engineering and the Italians are in charge of design and the definition of hell is where the Italians are in charge of engineering and the Germans are in charge of design. There are many variations on this joke, but I like to look at Alto Adige as the best of both worlds: German engineering surrounded by Italian cuisine.

Most wines from Alto Adige are meticulously crafted. Case in point, Pinot Bianco. Historically, this grape has a esteemed background, but today many areas can’t seem to capture the fine nobility of this grape. Even in Alsace, Pinot Blanc is not a grand cru. Here in Alto Adige, Pinot Bianco captures the beauty the Alps. These wines can have an expressive nose of citrus and wet stones with a sense of clean lines. On the palate, it expands and the lines become fast driving lanes that whisks you away.

The Pinot Noirs (sometimes labeled as Pinot Nero) are closer in style to Alsace than Burgundy, but don’t hesitate to reach for them if dinner includes pork and mushrooms. Lagrein is a red varietal that really struts it stuff from this area. An earthy wine that can show spice as well as herbaceous character and is a phenomenal food wine. I haven’t carried them much since the American palate might not like the herbaceous character as much as I, but these are truly a treat to experience.

Today, Alto Adige continues to strive for perfection. They have one of the best cooperative wineries that continues to press for excellence and quality. One of the challenges the wineries in the Alto Adige region face today is global warming. They are finding that their microclimates are changing and are beginning to experiment with other varietals. Tempranillo seems to be one that could be promising for the future. So I guess we will have to add a Spanish punchline to the bad joke. I, for one, will be embracing whatever the area can deliver to us.

Trentino Alto Adige Map © 2006 by James Martin, Europe for Visitors

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Open That Bottle Night

A Quick Day Trip to St. Helena

Three Wolfgangs and a Lagrein

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