At dinner on Tuesday evening I was reminded how much I love Châteaneuf-du-Pape Blanc by a bottle of 2004 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe.  We choose it as a white to cover the entire nine-course Chef’s tasting menu at Crush, a restaurant that isn’t scared of meat, and it not only performed admirably, but was a delight to drink.

This is a wine that won’t get written about much for the next year or so.  Wine writers (me included) and editors are jumping all over one another to write about a very narrow definition of “value” which often sounds a little like “cheap”:  because only about 10% of the production of Châteauneuf-du-Pape is white, these, due to their scarcity, are not.  That said,  I would argue that the best (often priced between $40 and $100 per bottle) represent a great value in the sense of getting  a delicious and unique bottle of wine for the money.

Legally, white Châteauneuf-du-Pape can contain any of the thirteen varieties of grapes permitted in the AOC, but in practice, only the white grapes, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Clairette, Picpoul and Bourbolenc, are used.  Because of the Mediterranean climate and the prevalence of high-alcohol grape varieties, these wines are often quite rich: but the best maintain plenty of fresh acidity. Flavors of apricots and peaches, as well as more tropical fruits are often complimented by creamy, waxy and nutty flavors and textures, and occasionally some spice and vanilla from new oak.  This is a wine that, though always good, has definitely benefited from the more modern approach that many of the wineries have employed.

I was first smitten with Châteaneuf-du-Pape blanc on a wine trip, very early in my career, to Château de Beaucastel, one of the leading estates in the region.  The Perrin Family, proprietors of the estate, had recently been to a dinner in which the chef had asked a number of producers to bring their oldest white wines.  The story they told was that, while they obliged the chef and brought a very old white, they also brough a much more recent one that they were sure would still be good.  It turns out that the other producers had all done the same.  When it came time to open the older wines, they were all supendously good, which was a little bit of a surprise to even the winemakers.  I benefitted peripherrally from this dinner,because at the time that we were visiting, the Château was opening a number of their older whites to evaluate, and I got to taste wines from the ’50’s (this was the early 90’s).  Needless to say, I fell in love.

Châteaneuf-du-Pape Blanc shares  a peculiar ageing cycle with it’s brethren whites from the Northern Rhône.  On release, the wines are usually vibrant, and fruity, and rich, and very showy.  Over the next five or ten years, the wines quiet down, but develop a more complex flavor and a very powerful, elegant texture.  At a certain point, usually about ten years from the vintage, the wines go very quiet, and for a significant period of time, often ten years or more, don’t exhibit much in the way of flavor, and can even taste old and tired.   But many of them spring into a second, much more intriguing life after this sleepy period that is filled with baked fruit, butterscotch, spices and smoky characters, and is a revalation if you ever get to taste it.

Another quirk of Châteaneuf-du-Pape Blanc is that it often posseses an unusual mixture of oxidative (nutty, rich, waxy), and reductive (crisp, fruity, even sulphury) flavors.  Another type of wine that exhibits this tendency is Chenin Blanc from Saviennieres.  In both cases, the wines benefit from decanting (yes, it’s perfectly okay, and sometimes desirable, to decant whites) before drinking.

Regardless, drinking the 2004 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Blanc reminded me exactly why I love Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc.  What a treat.  I say forget about the economy and prepare to experience a value in the grander sense of the word!

David Clark was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Scottish Parents (I know, still not promising).  They sent him back to the United Kingdom for school, and he finished up with an engineering degree from Cambridge.  He worked for a brief time for IBM, but became infatuated with wine, and after drinking his way through France decided to pursue winemaking.   He worked the 1997 harvest at Mayacamas in Napa Valley, and the 1998 Harvest at Tahbilk in Australia.  While in Australia, he became a software engineer for the Williams Formula One Team.  He traveled the world with them for four years, eventually becoming the director of pit stop strategy.  In this time, he saved enough money to go to enology school.  In 2003 he attended the one-year course that the Lycee Viticole in Beaune.  Upon graduating, he purchased a tiny plot outside the village of Morey-St.-Denis.  Thus Domaine David Clark was born.  

By 2005, an outstanding vintage on all accounts, David had accumulated a bit (1.5 ha) of land, and made nearly 6,000 bottles of wine (bottles, not cases).  The wines are stunning.  His meticulous vineyard practices and hard work (he is his only employee) have endeared him to his neighbors, and some of the best vignerons in Burgundy sing his praises, no small feat for a foreigner in France, much less the hyper-insular world of Burgundy.  Christophe Roumier even sold him a small plot of Gamay to use for his Bourgogne Passetoutgrains, which is the best wine of this appellation that I have ever had. 

This wine is from the single vineyard Au Pelson, which David Clark farms organically (he will be certified beginning in 2009).  1888 bottles were made (157 cases) were made, of which only a few boxes made it to the US.  The vineyard yielded 28 hl/ha in 2005, and David made no additions of any sort to the wine (everything here is 100% natural).  The wine was aged in 1 four year-old barrique, and one new barrique, though the wine from the new barrique was racked to another old barrique after four months.  The resulting “humble” Bourgogne has a depth of flavor, and a focus of fruit and earth that is rare even among Grand Crus, and an aroma that is slow to develop, but haunting when it arrives.  In a 2007 interview with Jancis Ronbinson, David said that he is now “getting to the point where [he] wants some more glamorous vines.” (update: he has 4 Ouevres of Vosne-Romanee).  The good news here is that the wine is produced in such miniscule quantities that it will take a while for anyone to find out about it.  The bad news is that it is awfully hard to get even now.   

Although this is a shoe-in for classic red Burgundy pairings like wild mushrooms, braised beef, and anything with truffles, it is also stunning by itself, and probably deserves a little contemplation before being tossed around with food.  This is a wine that is drinking wonderfully now, but will also age admirably through 2015 and beyond: I am conservative here, because it is the first vintage, and has no track record.

To have wines like this shipped to your house every month, sign up for Jake’s Extraordinary Wine Club

This is one of my favorite white wines that nobody has ever heard of.  Just thinking about the charmingly old-fashioned label spawns waves of good thoughts.   

Savoie, located on the French side of the Swiss border, and nestled in the Alps, is nearly as large as Bordeaux, yet produces only one-fiftieth as much wine.  The majority of wine here is made from the Jacquère grape, and is crisp and refreshing: like an alpine stream.  This is not one of those!   Roussette (sometimes called Altesse) is a less-common, but more prized variety, producing wines that are richer and more complex, yet still refreshing and reflective of their alpine environment.   

When Pierre Boniface took over Les Rocailles from his father they made one wine (Apremont, from Jacquére grapes) from just under 20 acres of vineyards.   Pierre now makes nine different wines, has  greatly improved the facilities by adding stainless steel fermentation tanks to capture the purity of fruit, and has increased his vineyard holding ten times over.     He makes about 6,000 cases of Roussette de Savoie from just over 22 acres of vines.   Eighty percent of his wines are sold within Savoie, and a further ten percent throughout the rest of France.  This leaves a measly 600 cases of his Roussette for the entire rest of the world! 

This wine has a perfect combination of richness, fruit, and acidity, and a wonderful texture to boot.  It’s a really, really, pretty wine.   It’s also very flexible with food: the locals drink it with veal and pork (wild boar, actually) and it does wonderfully with Reblochon and Tomme de Savoie (the two most famous local cheeses).  I also love this wine with just about any roast root vegetable.  This is the most age worthy of the whites this month, and will last well into 2012, but I have a lot of trouble saving wines that taste this good now.

This is  a selection from my Extraordinary Wine Club, where members recieve wine and information and have a unique forum to discuss what they’re drinking online.  To learn more, or check out other selections click here

This is nothing short of thrilling Champagne, as is everything produced by this stunning, and totally off-the-radar producer in the exceptional Côte de Blancs cru of Vertus. Veuve Fourny & Fils was founded in the 1930’s as Champagne Albert Fourny, based around 8.5 hectares of vineyards, all in Vertus, that had been owned and managed by the family since 1865. In the 1950’s, when Albert passed away, the house was renamed Veuve Fourny. Since 1993, Albert’s grandsons Charles Henry and Emmanuel have been in charge.

The house owns 8.5 hectares of vineyards, and purchases fruit from another 4 hectares, which are for all intents and purposes controlled by them. This makes them a grower-producer in all but name, and their approach is much more that of a grower than of a negociant. All of the grapes in their wines come from Vertus, and they believe that that is one of the purposes of the house to produce wines that reflect the terroir of Vertus (this is a very unusual attitude in Champagne). Only the Cuvées (the light, first pressing of the grapes) are used for their base wines, which are fermented and aged in a combination of temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and oak barrels. After blending, bottling and secondary fermentation, the wines stay in the cellars for a minimum of 3 years before disgorgement (the minimum time for NV Champagne is 18 months).

Grande Reserve Brut is a blend of three vintages, and is made from roughly 20% Pinot Noir and 80% Chardonnay with about 40% of the blend coming from reserve wines. 10% of the base wine was aged in barrel. This wine has a gorgeous, tiny, even bead, with fresh, intriguing nose, and a rich, elegant mouth feel. It’s really exactly what I want in a glass of Champagne. This Champagne is a wonderful candidate for ageing, and will continue to get more complex through 2012, but again, it’s awfully good now, so I will have a hard time waiting.

The food to eat with this wine, is, well, just about anything. But as there is a bit of delicacy to this style, I wouldn’t have this with a steak. This is my favorite new (to me) Champagne that I have tried this year.

This is one of the wines from the December shipment of my Extraordinary Wine Club.  To see what that’s all about, click here.

Note from Jake: This post has been updated, revised, and generally improved.  In part in reaction to an email and phone call from Keith Johnsen, who imports some of these wines, and in part because on reading the post, it was really badly written.  - Jake

Yesterday (December 4th), I went to one of those incredibly frustrating tastings that are so much a part of what I’ve been doing for the last twenty months or so.  It was a tasting of Georgian wines, sponsored by the Georgian Ministry of Agricultureand USAID.   The frustrating part of the tasting wasn’t that the wines were bad — in fact there were a lot that were quite good, or that the tasting was badly organized (topic for another time), but rather that some ofthe best wines, and a stunning brandy that was being shown, aren’t currently available in the United States. 

Will more of these wines (and more importantly those brandies) make it to the US?  It’s an interesting question, and there isn’t an easy answer.   The wines are unfamiliar to us both from the point of view of some of the traditional styles (amphora aged wines, and semi-sweet reds anyone) , and in grape varieties  (when was the last time you drank a Tsinandali, or a Rkatsiteli?).    But the best of the wines are better than just interesting, they are quite good, and probably worth a bit of our time.   

Georgian wine is some of the oldest (from a historical point of view) in the world, with a sophisticated wine making tradition dating back several thousand years.  The market for Georgian wine has traditionally been at home, and in recent history also in Russia: immediately before, during and after the Soviet Era.  Because of this they haven’t had much need for Western Europe or the United States as markets, because everything that was produced was consumed and paid for quickly in Georgia or Russia.  Beginning with an seemingly politically motivated ban on Georgian wine Russia, in 2006, and continuing to the present situation (Russian invasion et al), Georgian winemakers are looking for new places to sell their wines, and with one of the fastest growing wine consumption rates in the world, the United States is high on their list. 

This, admittedly limited, tasting was the most extensive selection of Georgian wine that I had tasted by a longshot.  I thought that at the lowest end of the price spectrum (under $10 retail) these wines couldn’t compete with similarly priced wines from Spain, Argentina, and even the US.  However, the next tier of wines  ($10 - $25 retail) provide some excellent values, and even a few wines worth seeking out regardless of price.    The most interesting of the wines, those aged in kvevri (amphora) are not going to appeal to everyone, likewise the off-dry reds, but in the best cases, both are worth a try, and there are plenty more straightforward wines in the mix for the less adventurous . . . . The trick is finding them.   

With this in mind, I offer an abbreviated list of the wines (and the Brandy) I tasted that stood out along with information about whether they are available yet in the states.

Teliani Valley  - This winery from Kakheti is probalby the most common Georgian wine in the US, and it represents a great introduction to the others.  In fact, I’ve had a mixed case of this at my house that I have been slowly pouring over for the last six months or so, and there are many pleasant surprises here. 

The real hits of this line-up are

2004 Teliani Valley Tsinandali  - from the Tsinandali sub-region of Kakheti, a white wine blended from Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane grapes.  The wine is crisp, with lots of fresh apple, lemon and pleasant apple cidery flavors, but also has a waxy texture that some people will no doubt love, and others will be less attracted to.  About $12 retail.

2005 Teliani Valley Kindzmarauli - This is an off-dry red (really, and its really good) that is a traditional style in Geogia.  the wine is made from Saperavi grapes, that are cold-stabilized to end fermentation before the wine is completely dry.  The result is a wine that has a very vibrant, nearly electric red fruit character that balances the acidity and firm tannins perfectly.  It’s not a dessert wine, but rather something to drink with a particularly rich dish at dinner (it would be a great holiday wine).  About $19 retail.

Mildiani -  Some of you might be familiar with this producer because three of the wines are floor-stacked at Whole Foods right now.  Unfortunately, they are not my favorite wines from the region (or even wines I liked).  The pricing here is attractive, with most of the wines retailing for less than $10, but they are thin and simple, tasting green and unripe to my palate.  It’s  worth noting that not everyone agrees with my opinions here: both the buyer at Whole Foods in the Northwest (Erez Klein) and the owner of the Daqopa Brands (Keith Johnsen) who imports Mildiani’s wines referred me columns by respected wine writers Paul Gregutt and Richard Kinsies who agree with them that Mildiani wines are really good, and excellent values.  (The link on each writers’ name is to their columns).  I have also agreed to re-taste the Mildiani wines this week and will post any updates to these notes that I think are warranted at that time.   

Vinoterra - This is a producer that is more committed to using some of the traditional Georgian techniques than the previous two, despite its recent purchase by the German  firm Schulman.  Of the wines already available in the US, these were far and away my favorites, both in terms of quality and of character.   The traditional wines from Georgia are often fermented, macerated and aged for long periods of time in buried amphorae called kvevri.  The result here is some wines in the line that are a bit esoteric for some tastes, but all were exciting and worth seeking out. 

2006 Vinoterra Kisi - a white from another native white grape, Kisi.  This wine has character to spare, with lots of fresh, baked and candied red appple, cinamon, steel wool, and spice on the nose and palate, a medium body, plenty of acidity, and a nearly pink border from extended time on the skins after fermentation.  This is a perfect holiday white.  About $20 retail.

2007 Vinoterra Tsinandali - White wine blended from Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane grapes.  Notes of apricot, honey, green apple and apple blossoms on the nose, with a beautiful acidity and hints of saltiness on the palate.  Long and pretty.  About $15 retail (coming soon, but not yet availble)

2005 Vinoterra Tsinandali - again, a white wine blended from Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane grapes.  This wine is full of apricot, green apple, waxy characters, and has big, elegant acidity and a very long finish.  really pretty wine.  Available at Whole foods in the Pacific Northwest for $15

Now the producers who aren’t imported yet, but hopefully will be soon

Telavi Wine Cellar - I don’t have much information about this Kakheti winery, but some of the wines were outstanding.  The had 3 of the off-dry reds that are so much a part of Georgian wine making, and two were quite good. 

2005 Telavi Wine Cellar Napareuli - Napareuli is a sub-appellation of Kakheti, and the wines there are red wines from the Saperavi grape.  This one was typical, but better than many of the others I tried.  Dry, medium-bodied with notes of red plum, quince, raspberry and white pepper.  The wine was layered and substantial and very tasty.  Unfortunately, not available.

2005 Telavi Wine Cellar Kindzmarauli - an off-dry red from Saperavi grapes.  it is a stunny Magenta color, with a nose of blackberry and plum jelly, lots of clove and mace like spicey notes, and a pleasant hint of Volatile Acidity (its okay in this context, really) that makse the nose smell like apple cider.  On the palate, there were lots of silky tannins, a hint of sweetness (no more than an over the top Zinfandel) and a long, layered finish.  Really tasty, unfortunately, not available.

2005 Telavi Wine Cellar Khvanchkara - this off-dry red, made from Aleksandrouli and Mujuretuli grapes from Racha was one of the standouts of the tasting.  A vibrant ruby color, aromas of spiced plums, apple jelly, cinamon, clove, and a bright, medium-full bodied palate that was just sweet enough to make the tannins and acid seem soft.  Again, unfortunately not available.

Tbilvino - the winery that stole the show, and is, alas, not yet imported to the US. 

2005 Tbilvino Tsinandali - A white wine from the Tsinandali sub-appellation made from Rkatsiteli and Mtsvane grapes.   This one is full of smoky apricot, quince and honeysuckle aromas with a fresh, dry palate, lots of bristling acidity, and a pleasantly rich, long finish.  A really tasty wine that would probably retail for about $12 in the US if it were available.

2004 Tbilvino Tsinandali Special Reserve - Oak aged version of the above wine.  Though the oak is noticible, it provides a pleasant richness, and adds a spicy note that really fleshes out the flavors of yellow apple, apricot, flowers and smoke.  The texture of this wine is truly classy, with a richness that balances the substantial acidity and a long, seductive finish. 

2007 Tbilvino Saperavi- A red wine made from the Saperavi Grape.  Dry, medium-bodied, hints of oak, lots of spicy red fruits: cherries, raspberries, red plums, white pepper, mace, caradmom.  Not a rich wine, but rather a spicey red wine that would be great as a starter (or a bit chilled).  really fun, but alas, not available. 

2002 Tbilvino Saperavi Special Reserve - This dry, medium-full-bodied red exhibited cedar, blackberries, black plum and hints of smoke and pepper on nose.  On the palate, it was classy, with elegant tannins, a long finish, and a rich mid-palate.  Another really classy wine that we can’t get (are you beginning to see why i’m frustrated!)

The reserves here are in a very international style (read: rich and oaky, with expensive, pretty pakaging) that some purists might not find authentic enough for their tastes.  It was even suggested to me that the oak regime wouldn’t stand up to serious scrutiny in the US or Western Europe.  But I liked both the main line of wines and the reserves a lot.  I thought it was notable that the grapes stood up the solid oak very well: maintaining balance and character, and even becoming a little more complex. 

Bagrationi 1882 - the largest sparkling wine producer in Georgia, making some really good sparklers using both the Traditional Methode (2nd fermentation in the bottle) and the Charmat Process (2nd fermentation in presurized vats, then bottles under pressure to retain the gas) using native Georgian grape varieties.   The say that they are negotiating a deal to be imported as I write this.

2007 Bagrationi 1882 Royal Cuvée Brut - this wine is the homage to their namesake Prince Ivane Bgrationi-Mukhraneli who first produced sparkling wine using the Methode Tradtional in 1882.  It’s also the best of their wines that I have tried.  Fine bubbles and a complex nose of peach, toast, cocoa and acacia.  The nearly dry palate was delicate and floral, with a distinct mineral character, and the bubbles were quite fine.  The wine is made from Tsitska, Chinebuli and Goruli Mtsvane grapes. 

Sarajishvili - not a winery, but a brandy distillery.  Their representative told me that they use Copper post stills, and age the spirits in French oak.  Further, he said that the grapes they use are Rkatsiteli and Tsitska.  Some of these, particularly the older ones, were truly outstanding.  Again, not imported to the US.

Sarajishvili VSOP - though not regulated by the strict ageing requirements of Cognac, the representative assured me that this was in fact aged in oak for 8-10 years (much longer than a VSOP Cognac).  The color on all of these brandies was strangely yellow, and this was no exception, with a mohagany hue and pale yellow edges.  On the nose, the spirit was wheaty with notes of vanilla, brown sugar and baked lemons.  On the palate, the spirit was mellow, had a layered, rich mouthfeel, and lots of burnt sugar and peppery notes on the very pleasant, warming finish.  This was pretty good stuff.

Sarjishvili Very Old (12 Years) - This was seriously classy.  Again, a mohagany color with a pale yellow edge.  Notes of caramel, fresh baked bread, pepper, caramlized orange peel and a long, layered finish that was pleasantly marked by acidity, peppery spice and brulee character. 

Sarajishvili Eniseli (14 Years) - This was the winner, from a single village, aged 14 years in oak.  The color here wasn’t darker, but for the first time, the Mohagany dominated the yellow.  The nose was explosive with all manner of baking spice, caramel, molasses, candied citrus and peppery spices like cardamom and white pepper.  The palate was mellow, but with an undercurrant of brooding spice and a really long, layered, complex finish.  This outshined the 18 year XO by quite a bit.