Bees On the Road & In the Vineyards
Returning from the Bordeaux Campaign Trail
- On a scenic and rainy drive through Fronsac, a beautiful terrain…
I’d intended to make little journal entries on the campaign trail, but that would have cut into my drinking and eating time, so I do it now, on my first day back and before jet lag jumps me. Maybe the delay makes it a simple report, which is fine, because blog sounds to me…well…so crude.
From 12-16 Jan we met in Bordeaux and tasted with 13 sources over 4 days. The mood there is confident toward the 2009 vintage. While the red wines are being heavily anticipated, Sauternes are said to be stellar too. It is the first vintage in some time, since 1990, that the stars have aligned in so significant a way to have such expectations between both the dry wines and the sweet. We are encouraged about the prospect of the vintage hearing what we did, but the prices will have to be right. We will return to Bordeaux and this topic in late March once we taste from barrel and sense the market’s motion toward opening. To speculate further may have no point at all.
Bordeaux is a market like no other though, and there is more to buy there than Bordeaux — many Chateaux own property in other countries, like Argentina for instance — and often more than 1 vintage of Bordeaux is available at a time. That is why we go there more than once a year. Meeting with negociants, the direct buyers from the Chateau(x), has proven to be quite a resource, and it seems to be the way of the future, one negoce head actually saying that “the middle man is being squeezed out”. But we are the end of the market and moving in this compression ever closer to the source, and that is good for all involved with B-21. It allows us to offer better pricing and to handpick our selection more finely and to offer more as well. For now, it is a bit premature to talk about just what we we net from this trip, because the business still has to be done; it’s not always how good something is, it is what it presents in terms of value too.
Monsieur Rapet in Pernand-Vergelesses
And then to Burgundy we went for 3 days of touring and tasting. We visited 14 Domaines and tasted 2008s from barrel, over 170 by my count (and we tasted other wines from bottle at a few offices too). Many white wines of 2008 were stunning, and there are many values in red wines. The whites are wines to be completely excited about; the fruit is lustrous, intense and pure and the acids abundant; the vintage is collectible and will evolve well for those that buy with that in mind. It is a vintage that many vintners compared to 1996. Meursault will be a haven, and Puligny-Montrachet will produce many exhilarating wines. Chassagne-Montrachet will also be a solid source too along with Saint Aubin and Auxey Duresses. The Grand Cru white wines I tasted, from Batard-Montrachet, Bienvenues Batard-Montrachet and Corton-Charlemagne were simply sublime and showed that special threading of a needle, combining texture and minerality into ethereal elixirs that will develop for years to come. I will break my personal bank for these kinds of wines to be able to share them with others on some special occasion in the future– thinking positively that will be some to merit this type of extravagance.
In the months to come we will begin to unveil expected arrivals as they develop… and they will.
- Rhett Beiletti, B-21 Correspondent to France
Day 1: The Road to Napa with Steve
- The Estate Vineyard at Turnbull taken from my trusty blackberry!
9:41 am
Its 39 degrees and foggy as we make our way through the wine disneyland known as Napa Valley. Our destination is in the town of Oakville but the view from the road is a “Who’s Who” of wineries and vineyards. Even through fog, the sites of wineries such as St. Clement, Beringer and Freemark Abbey elicit “oohs” and “ahs” in this idyllic setting. Check back often as I will be journaling my trip to Napa and ZAP convention (Zinfandel Advocates & Producers). I’ll be taking pictures along the way. Here is a shot of the estate vineyard at Turnbull I just took from the road.
- Steve
1:12 pm
Here's a snapshot I got of Winemaker Peter Heitz with B-21's Proprietor Bob Sprentall
The day has warmed up a bit and the sun is shining. We tasted with winemaker Peter Heitz at Turnbull Cellars. He is doing good things here with natural yeast fermentation and I’m also impressed with the vineyard management. Best of all the wines are delicious from Sauvignon Blanc on up. This is a winery to watch. I wonder how many people know they are just north of Opus One and across hwy 29 from Robert Mondavi winery.
We also had a quick visit at Louis Martini which is one of the oldest wineries in Napa valley having been established in 1933. Its interesting that their Sonoma Cabernet is our best selling Cab.
Back on the road…
5:28 pm
- Robert Foley, Winemaker
This afternoon we drove way up Howell Mtn. Rd. into Angwin and then kept going further into the boonies.
Our goal was to see Bob Foley and we accomplished that. Felt pretty honored too, as we later learned not many get that invite.Bob’s a passionate guy about wine and music, and co-runs an amazing winery with his wife. Besides Robert Foley and Switchback Ridge he also handles winemaking for a couple of other tiny-production wines.
Iconic gryphon atop a barrel at the entrance to Robert Foley's aging cave on Howell Mountain
This was a nice continuation to our time with Peter Heitz at Turnbull as both Bob and Peter, I would say make wine more by taste than by numbers. And you know it when you taste their wines. These may or may not be your favorite wines but then you won’t ever think they taste just like someone else’s wine. Both Peter and Bob are experts at coaxing flavor that reflects the terroir of the grapes with little winemaking signature. I think that increases the chances of creating something great. Actually it may be the only way.