Grape Expectations

The area above the village of Meursault, in the Burgundy Region of France, was originally settled some 4,500 years ago and some say that the name “mouse leaping” is because the vines are so closely planted that a mouse can leap from a Chardonnay plant to a Pinot Noir one.

With 98% of the production Chardonnay, a red Meursault is very rare and we do not carry any. In general I am not a fan of wimpy wines so this wonderful Chardonnay that is known for its rich, full body is a favourite.

We have the Joseph Drouhin 2008 Meursault that should be at its peak from a very fine vintage. You will see a beautiful golden colour and an aromatic palette unfolds with honey, flowers and hazelnut butter. Anyone who enjoys a fine, complex and classic white wine will appreciate this fine gift that will cost you $47.80.

A quite remarkable treat would be the Drouhin Meursault “Charmes” Premier Cru 2008 for $86.60. The nose is concentrated and so elegant and it evokes aromas of almonds and warm bread just taken out of the oven, fine spices and grilled, dried fruits. This wine proves beyond any doubt that Chardonnay is the greatest white wine grape. Drouhin farms their vineyards biodynamically.

Highly respected wine maker Tony Soter, who founded Etude winery in the Carneros District that borders the northern shores of San Francisco Bay, says this of Pinot Noir: “It is the most challenging, unforgiving and quixotic of all wine grapes and yet the most delicate and transparent. Make no mistake, it is a humbling pursuit, but when it is right Pinot Noir is a glorious and moving thing.”

Last evening a few tasting friends shared his creation with me and we were reminded of how wonderful a really top notch Pinot Noir can be. I was asked how the strawberry, sandalwood, smoked meat, underbrush, coffee and raspberry flavours got into the wine. I often have questions of this nature as some folks wonder whether some flavourings are actually added.

I explained that everything we taste and smell on our planet can only come from the earth and the atmosphere, that somehow magically the roots and leaves of the grape vine transmit it to the fruit and can reveal so much in its fermented juice. Etude Winery Pinot Noir 2008 ($48.30), which is farmed sustainably, is quite stunning in its beauty and remember that Pinot Noir will sing with roast turkey!

The label on a bottle of O. Fournier ALFA Crux Malbec is appropriately (for Christmas) cut in the shape of a cross and I suggest this is fitting as Alpha Crux is a star in the Southern Cross constellation that shines down on this architecturally spectacular winery in the Uco Valley of Argentina.

The label features an ostrich that symbolises the joining of the earth and the sky for the Mocovi Indians of the land. Spanish owner Jose Manuel Ortega Fournier was chatting with me in October and he would very much like to visit our Island.

I suggest that one of his fine wines would make a splendid gift that is quite unique. We stock the 2007 ALFA Crux Malbec ($41.55), that along with the complexities of bottle age offers a fragrant bouquet of sandalwood, cinnamon, clove, lavender and black cherry. It is plush and round with no hard edges and it would be so happy to accompany beef, lamb or aged cheeses.

Let me finish by clearing the air on a geographically challenged statement that ended up in last week’s article. Over many years the system of proof-reading has worked very well between The Royal Gazette and I, but on Friday, December 13th, fate placed the area of St Emilion on the “Left Bank” and not on the eastern or “Right Bank” of the Gironde River where it has always been.

Please have a wonderful Christmas, it has been a hectic time of year for me for many years in this trade, but I just love it all.

Michael Robinson is Director of Wine at Burrows, Lightbourn Ltd. He can be contacted at mrobinson@bll.bm or on 295-0176. Burrows, Lightbourn have stores in Hamilton (Front Street East, 295-1554), Paget (Harbour Road, 236-0355) and St George’s (York Street, 297-0409). A selection of their wines, beers and spirits are available online at www.wineonline.bm.