B-21's B-Blog » Rhett Beiletti

2005 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Le L d’Or (Loire, France)

Rhett Beiletti (B-21) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 11:00:46 +0000

2005 Luneau-Papin Muscadet L D'or (Loire Valley, France) $19.99

“Le L d’Or is crackling, focused and intense and made to deliver an exciting glass of wine. People wanting wines of purity and no oak influence should be aware of wines like Muscadet. Crisp and fresh, L d’Or is perfect with the Florida fare of the spring and summer, straight from the sea. The qualities of the wine, its saline, lime and fresh white flower and mineral character make it perfect with any shellfish, mollusk or crustacean. A medium-bodied wine with driving flavors and excellent length, this wine will deliver satisfaction to the New Zealand SB, White Burgundy and Sancerre drinker alike.”

93+ Points, Rhett Beiletti
Staff Selection, May 2010

But what about 2009, really? C’est vrai.

Chris Sherman (B-21) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 11:00:26 +0000

The French emissaries who did arrive had no doubts about the 2009. Mais oui, the Americans make a big fuss over famous vintages and ignore others. This time the French agree that this is the big one.

How does Emilie, who grew up in Bordeaux feel about 2009? “Exciting,” she says with a big smile. She returned to Bordeaux for Christmas with her parents and tasted the vintage when it was three months old. ”It already tasted like wine, fantastically balanced, it is never like that.”

“Wonderful” was the word from Coralie de Bouard from the great Chateau Angelus, her eyes widened with surprise. How could I not know or did I somehow doubt. Again, she cited the balance in the wines en primeur; yes they have strong alcohol but they do not taste so.

2009 Chateau Lilian Ladouys (St. Estephe) 19.99 (Futures)

The explanation is in the weather, of course, which Jeffrey Davies explains was optimal in all aspect and exceptional in one — cool nights, “We turned the air conditioning in our house on only twice.” The Bordelaise and their grapes enjoyed long hot days and slept in refreshingly cool nights, giving the vintage more hang time and long slow ripening.

Davies cautions that not all the wines will be terrific and require careful selection but, “The best of them will be the best of my career.”

I’m happy that our selection is in the hands of Messrs. Sprentall and Bieletti, who have already scouted out three smart buys including a rare rosé of merlot from Larcis Ducasse ($9.99) to Ch. Lilian Ladouys in St. Estephe, a spicy cabernet James Suckling calls “a gorgeous young wine”, 92-95 points ($19.99). That’s a a bet I’m happy to make.

- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler

Not so mauvais: Bordeaux from the garage

Chris Sherman (B-21) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:00:42 +0000

2006 Mauvais Garcon/Bad Boy (Bordeaux Superieur) $19.99

The Ministry of Silly Names, would have turned away Mauvais Garcon at the border, except for the winking sheep. Plus, I tasted it. This is not simple happy-go-lucky juice. This is garagiste Bordeaux in grapes, terroir and style. It has strong structure, manageable tannins, deep flavors and lean elegance, not just plump fruit. A grown-up drink: It costs $19.99, a great value, and likes a bit of time and air to emerge in glory.

The “Bad Boy” of the label is not the guy in NAAST’s song but Jean Luc Thunevin, nicknamed by Robert Parker as the leader of the garagist movement in Bordeaux, the wine lovers who worked with tiny batches, from ugly-duckling property and big ideas.

Thunevin now owns Chateau Valandraud in St. Emilion and consults widely. The grapes here come from Fronsac and Entre-Deux-Mers.

Wine Spectator gives the latest Mauvais high marks (91). This has a wonderful nose of crushed blackberry, Christmas cake and dried dark fruits. Full-bodied, with intense berry and toasty oak character. Long and rich. Best after 2014.

Our resident bad-boy/Francophile, Rhett Beilleti recommends it as well. Mais oui.

- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler

2005 Chateau de Carles (Bordeaux, France)

Rhett Beiletti (B-21) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:26:40 +0000

“Way back when, and I won’t bore you with stories, here anyway, about when I was a boy (maybe because I still am) we tasted the 2005 Bordeaux from barrel, it was the commune of Fronsac that towered above all outside of the Cru Classe domaines. Chateau De Carles is called “a model of concentration and elegance” in Bordeaux and Its Wines, the bible of Bordeaux originally published in 1850, and I agree completely. The wine is ripe, rich and restrained and shows a chocolate-y type darkness and deep dark fruits too and is dry finishing and resonant on the palate. It will be one of the best buys of 2010 when it is all over with.”

2005 Chateau de Carles – $17.99

91+ Points, Rhett Beiletti
Staff Selection, April 2010

2005 Chateau Haut-Mazeris (Bordeaux, France)

Rhett Beiletti (B-21) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:08:46 +0000

2005 Chateau Haut-Mazeris (Canon-Fronsac) - 29.99

“Merlot 65%, Cabernet Franc 15% and Cabernet Sauvignon 20%. From vineyards located in the highest point of Fronsac, Haut-Mazeris shows a lot of muscle and is a wine that will develop for many years to come. Dark chocolate and meaty essences are here within an etched and structured frame. A rigorous and polished wine and an excellent example of a classically styled wine.”

91 Points, Rhett Beiletti
Staff Selection, March 2010

2005 Chateau La Tour Martillac Blanc (Bordeaux)

Shawn Reynolds (B-21) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:23:48 +0000

Latour Martillac Blanc $39.99

“White Bordeaux wines of significance, mainly from the villages of Pessac-Leognan, are the most underappreciated of great wines in the world. This could have to do with their rarity, only about 20% of the production of Pessac is white wine; or their prices – they can be cost prohibitive too. Nevertheless, when I think of great wines, Pessac-Leognan is always there. La Tour Martillac, made of 60% Semillon and 40% Sauvignon Blanc exhibits an oaky and exotic exterior that leads to a Chardonnay-like texture and richness. The flavors of the wine are still true to the region, melon and citrus and minerals, also a lushness and plumpness attributed to Semillon, and the grip and intensity of Sauvignon Blanc. This is a very balanced, complex and compelling wine that will develop nicely for the next 10 years.”

93 Points, Rhett Beiletti
February 2010

Returning from the Bordeaux Campaign Trail

Rhett Beiletti (B-21) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:13:14 +0000

: 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

2008 Mas Carlot Clairette de Bellegarde (France)

Rhett Beiletti (B-21) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:49:04 +0000

2008 Mas Carlot Clairette de Bellegarde ($9.99)

From the appellation of Clairette de Bellegarde, made of the Clairette vareital, an exhilarating wine showing freshness and fragrance too, prominently fresh-cut limes, full and fleshy pears, lemon zest, it has simply mouthwatering qualities. Mineral notes, ripe and resonant fruit with fresh and vibrant acids too. This is a complete wine! Incredibly low yields from 60 yr vines, and a very low production. The Best $10 white wine of 2009.

90 Points, Rhett Beiletti
January 2010

Beyond the great houses: Grower Champagne in the fields

Chris Sherman (B-21) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:39:21 +0000

Agrapart Les 7 Crus 1er Cru Blanc de Blanc ($34.99)

Forget for a moment, the Doms, the great ladies and the chandelier bottles of the tetes de cuvee. The true marque of the Champagne connoisseur is the label of a small artisanal grower not a big house with a steady style and heady marketing. Independent growers tend smaller, precise plots of Chardonnay and Pinot, blended and bottled according to their own taste and terroir, not house wishes.

Mind you these are pure Champagne, from the right grapes and the delimited area of the cold chalky north, yet they have personal style, purity and freshness that delivers more excitement for the money than label status. The flavors range from brisk and mineral to creamy and opulent, just like the big boys. Grower prices are great value too: Even vintage bubbly and old-vine Mesnil can be half the show-off bottles. Production is limited but B-21 has wise buys from favorite growers like Agrapart, Egly-Ouriet and Saint-Chamant.

Ranger Rhett’s warning: “Chill out.”

“Keep it cold, very cold”, B-21’s Rhett Beiletti warns this holiday season. He’s insistent on this, “The bottle should be burn cold to the touch.”

How to get that cold?

1. After 3 hours on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator place in the freezer for another 20 minutes before opening.

2. Take time to make a bucket with 2/3 ice and 1/3 water to keep completely chilled.

“It is an action that will be completely rewarded. Sante,” Rhett says.

Brrr, and don’t forget to put out the fire before going to bed.

What are you drinking on Christmas?

Summer Martin (B-21) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 11:00:54 +0000

Well today is Christmas, and all of us elves at B-21 have done our Christmas shopping and have our poisons picked! Here is a list of what we are drinking today! Be sure to comment and let us know what bottles you popped today!

BOB SPRENTALL - “I will be at Momofuku Ko for dinner tomorrow night in NYC. Will report from there!”

Our sources tell us that Mr. B-21 himself was enjoying a bottle of 2005 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny on Christmas night.

SHANNON SPRENTALL - “Van winkle bourbons!!!”
Shannon and fam will be sampling a variety of Van winkle bourbons, and a good time is sure to be had by all!