Arnold Waldstein's Blog

There’s a wonderful bouquet, a natural crispness and an ineffable curiosity that connects your palate to the story behind the winemaker and the vineyard.

There’s a saga of an ancient vineyard that since first planting, 1100 years ago, completely side-stepped industrialized farming and modern winemaking techniques.

And there’s a tale of a family estate and the prodigal son who, late in his 20s, gave up his acting career and followed cultural gravity back to his roots to make wine with his father.

All three come together in these remarkable and delicious natural reds from Alain and Julien Guillot’s Clos des vignes du Maynes vineyard.

Sure…the natural wine geek in me is gaga over the winemaking approach, but the wine is so wonderful, so interesting and yes, so natural, that it shushes the pundits, quiets the critics and just pleases.

Alain and Julien’s vineyard, Clos des vignes du Maynes, is in Macon Cruzille, outside the village of Cruzille in the southern portion of Burgundy. A tiny, 16-acre enclosed estate originally planted by the Benedictines of the Abbey of Cluny around 900 AD, it was purchased by Julien’s grandfather in 1954. Julien is now the principal winemaker and manager of the estate.

Rumored to be France’s oldest organic vineyard, this land has never had any chemical treatment. Ever. No chemical sprays or fertilizers or pesticides. Most of the vines are ancient, some 50 to 100 years old, planted on high elevation slopes of crystallized limestone and thin clay. Ancient methods of agriculture have been used here consistently since ancient times.

Since the 10th century, replanting has been done with the classic selection massale method. No modern clone has ever been introduced. New vines are grown from in-vineyard cuttings. The entire estate was certified Biodynamic in 1998.

Clos des vignes du Maynes makes wine naturally from the vineyard to the cave. All harvesting is done by hand, fermentation in ancient oak vats and barrels. Nothing is added, enhanced or filtered out between fermentation and bottling.

This is nature’s way all the way.

Ahh…but the wine itself is the storyteller here. Not how it is made.

I tasted multiple bottles of Julian’s quite brilliant reds over the last month. The 2010 Clos des vignes du Maynes Cuvee Rouge 910 and the 2009 Macon Cruzille Manganite.

The Cuvee Rouge 910 is my kind of warm weather wine. Light and lively and lovely. It’s a true field blend of Chardonnay, Gamay and Pinot Noir where the grapes are grown, harvested and vinified together.  910 refers to the year of the  first harvest on the domaine. The methods were probably not dissimilar 1100 years ago. Hand harvested and bottled, pressed by foot, vinified and aged without sulfur.

This is a light and vivacious bottle of wine. Reminds me of the intense aromatics and long finishes that I find in the very best Trousseau from the Jura. Silky smooth and refreshing. It feels just right with the Chardonnay as an x factor. I’ve served this many times to friends and always met with an aha of pleasure and an empty glass smile for a refill. Available from Chambers Street Wines in TriBeCa  for $23.99

The Macon Cruzille Manganite, produced from 60 year-old Gamay vines has that unlikely combination of both rich fruit and of deep minerality. I’m an unabashed Gamay enthusiast and this bottle has real chutzpah.

Deeply rich flavors, intensely aromatic and an insanely long finish. Julien employs a nine-day true carbonic maceration followed by fermentation in old vats. But the tannins are still tight and you get the sense that this bottle will evolve continuously over time.  It is extremely low alcohol, 12.5%, for such a powerful red wine.

And like all of the reds from the vineyard, there are zero sulfites added.

Julien Guillot’s field blend was a bottle to drink and savor now and tomorrow. The Manganite is delicious but still in motion to my palate. There is pleasure in enjoying this bottle today; there is gravitas that will surface over time.

The 2009 Manganite is a bit pricey at $33.90 from Chambers Street Wines but well worth the plunge. I’m already looking forward to uncorking a few bottles from my cellar at Thanksgiving.

Check out the wines of Alain and Julian Guillot.

Don’t buy them because they are Biodynamic or natural but because they are delicious and a pleasure to drink. They are also as natural as wine can be.

 

This year, I decided to forget about pairing with food and bring just great and interesting Organic wines to share. More tasting and information exchange than dinner planning.

I’m a big fan of natural wines. At their best, they each taste unique, are alive in the glass and speak to the story of place and grape and winemaker. I shortlisted wines from mostly old vines that oozed a sense of place with deep minerality and berried fruit. And are readily available for under $20!

Then I threw them in a very large sack and schlepped them to the assembled Waldstein clan on subway and bus from downtown NYC to Central Jersey.

In tasting order.

Cote-de-Beaune Rapet ’09 Bourgogne En Bully

Something easy and almost familiar to start with. A lite high-elevation French Pinot Noir with pure fruit to open up the palate and lighten up the atmosphere. Perfect opener. Lovely little aromatic fun Pinot. A crowd pleaser.

Olivier Cousin Le Cousin’09 Rouge Vielles Vignes Grolleau

Completely new to this group and to most of us.  A really terrific Grolleau. And biodynamic as well. Tastes pure and rural and is reminiscent strangely of some Trousseau from Arbois. Unique. Almost effervescent.

Rich earthy dark berry taste from these 80 year-old Grolleau vines from the Loire Valley. A winner. The taste favorite.

Try this. It’s wonderful. I can guarantee that this one is being purchased this morning for holiday gifts.

Coudert (Clos de la Roilette) ’09 Fleurie Clos de la Roilette

Exceptional Beaujolais. From Fleurie and richer, deeper more layered than other Beujolais I’m familiar with. Mineral complexity that will get better as it ages although luscious today.

A great pairing with the meal even though that was not the overt intent. For $20, I put a case away for the holidays and ski vacations.

D. Ventura ’09 Viña do Burato

I’m a tireless fan of Ribeira Sacra and a follower of wine maker Ramon Losada. I brought this deep, concentrated and complex Mencia from 80 year-old wines from the terraces above the River Mino to satisfy the big red drinkers in the room.

Ramon is a rock star. He gets how to let the wine inherit the slate soils of Ribeira Sacra and portray a fresh honest vibrancy in a bold, medium bodied red. Great stuff with Turkey or just hanging around.

All the wines are available from Chambers Street Wines in TriBeCa in the store or online.

For my personal view on “Why drink organic wine?” you might check out this post.

Happy holidays to everyone and a special thanks to the team at Chambers Street Wines for introducing me to these and many more incredible organic wines.

I’m a big fan of Beaujolais…and nothing speaks to early spring and lighter fare more than a bottle of rich and layered organic Beaujolais from the hands of a master winemaker.

The Morgan Gang of Five are the winemakers who have transformed the world’s image of Beaujolais through their remarkable organic wines. They are Marcel Lapierre, Jean Foillard, Guy Breton, Jean-Paul Thevenet and Georges Descombes. As a group, they are responsible for bringing credibility and recognition to Beaujolais as a distinct wine region of its own, rather than simply the southern-most part of Burgundy. And they’ve brought a doubting wine world to an appreciation of the Gamay grape as a legitimate cousin of the Burgundian Pinot Noir.

Damien Coquelet, the winemaker behind this luscious bottle of Coquelet 2008 Chiroubles Vielles Vignes, is the 21-year old step son of George’s Descombes. If this bottle is any indication, he promises to become a sixth member to this knightly roundtable of taste and his father’s heir apparent.  There is little information on Damien and no picture of him was available. However, we do know that the old vine Gamay grapes from which this bottle is vinified are from his father’s prize vineyards in Chiroubles.

First, some demystification of the label as this one, even in the complex confusion of French wine labels needs an interpreter.

I’ll start at the top:

• Chiroubles. One of the 12 Beaujolais Crus (basically village appellations) where the vineyards are at some of the highest altitudes among the Cru Beaujolais. Chiroubles Crus are known for their delicate and rich bouquets.
• Vieilles vignes. Old Vines. Vines can grow for up to 120 years. 40+-year-old vines are old and concentrated and rich. Great Beaujolais come from these ancient vines.
• D. Coquelet. That’s Damien Coquelet, the winemaker, step son of Georges Descombes.
• Vermont 69901 Villie-Morgan. That is the physical address of the vineyard.

Label hieroglyphics aside, this is a remarkable bottle of wine. It represents the best of Chiroubles and the epitome of Beaujolais. Earthy. Complex. Strongly aromatic.

In the glass, this wine drinks pure with a velvety smooth mouth. Juicy with just enough acidity to carry the depth of flavor.

At $26 a bottle, this is a great value and not to be missed.

Available from Chambers Street Wines in TriBeCa, NYC.

I’ve long been a lover of Beaujolais, especially those from the Morgan area. These rich, textured, easy drinking wines have been in rotation as one of my daily reds, equally great on my rooftop hanging with friends or with a feast.

But this is the first bottle from Marcel Lapierre that I’ve tasted. His hillside in Cote du Py has been singled out as the specific spot that produces the richest and most powerful of the Cru Morgan Beaujolais. Legend states that you can taste his particular vineyard. Talk about terroir!

The Lapierre name is one of myth. Three generations old. 100% biodynamic vineyards. 45-year-old vines. Hand (and horse) harvested with no sulfites or added yeasts. And a hillside that is as unique in taste as a fingerprint.

This bottle is bright, intense and aromatic. And a finish that just hangs and hangs. This wine is packed with power, 14% alcohol and a bursting of fruit. It feels not restrained so much as… young and restless. There are ten Crus in Beaujolais and Morgan, where Cote du Py is located, is the one that traditionally requires the most time open. I agree completely.

This is a treat to drink and satisfied my palate and my curiosity for the Lapierre terroir. I bought a half-case to put aside for a few years. My bet is that each year it will get more textured, and with a stronger balance as the alcohol and the fruit find maturity.

My thanks to David Lillie, co-owner of Chambers Street Wines for telling me to buy and try this bottle. And to the Wine Digger blog for the great photo of the winemaker.

Available from Chambers Street Wines for $33.99 a bottle.

The great thing about small, boutique vineyards is that the wine, the place and the winemaker are all interwoven in some magic way.

Why drink something wonderful that doesn’t tell a story about people and place? Most of the wines I love do and this one is no exception.

The superstar-in-the-making winemaker of  “Grain et Granit” is Charly Thevenet, son of the well-know producer, Jean Paul Thevenet. He is still in his 20s and grows his Gamay grapes on a tiny plot of land in the Regnie appellation of Beaujolais in Eastern France, north of Lyon. The vineyards are biodynamic and the vines ancient at 70 years old. He hand harvests his grapes and doesn’t use sulfites.

However, just bringing a new slant to organic viniculture and adding them to an old Beaujolais rootstock is certainly not enough. This bottle has character and taste.

This is great tasting Beaujolais. I drank all the ’07s from Charly Thevenet I could find and the ‘08s are really good. A bit richer than the ’07 but well balanced, almost tangy on the palate and with a finish that is sustained, satisfying but not overwhelming.

Beaujolais at their best are silky smooth, low on tannins and with just enough acidity to carry the taste of berries, which always seems to permeate the bottles I favor. To my palate “Grain et Granit” does all of this and more.

This wine seems a natural with food. I must admit, I’ve enjoyed this bottle with steak one night, a dinner salad another and finally with an omelet for dinner the other night while rewatching Godfather II. All seemed great pairings to me. With the food and the movie!

This is a yummy bottle of Beaujolais. Not inexpensive at $31 a bottle but I think well worth it to get wine from a new generation winemaker who is figuring out how to get world class taste from old vines in an entirely new way.

Available from Chambers Street Wines and many online venues.