I’ve been a jerk, and I owe Chablis an apology.
My readers and followers all know I’m a massive fan of white burgundy. But I doubt they have any idea I’ve been a lifelong fan of Chablis, because I hardly mention you in recent years.
Chablis, I’ve always loved you. It’s true. But I haven’t shown you the respect that I have for you, and for that, I apologize. You were a major influence early in my understanding of wine, and you deserve to take massive credit for helping me both find my palate and understand the beauty of chardonnay from your unmistakable region. I met you early in life, respected you for your delicate color and nose, your gorgeous citrus flavors and seaside perfume, your reserved fruit, your singular focus, your gorgeous linearity, your finish of limestone, oyster shell, and chalk. Chablis, without a doubt, you are the one region where the terroir is so incredibly evident in your wine. And I assumed that everyone, like me, just KNEW about Chablis.
And so… I realize now, that I ignored you. I took you for granted. I’m so sorry.
In time, I met many other wines, from all over the world. Nothing else was like you, but I began to follow other regions of Burgundy, and started to pay more attention to them. In turn, that allowed me to appreciate the beauty in chardonnay across the world- Australia, Argentina, the oaked USA. Chablis, you have always remained a baseline for me, but as I began to collect beautiful chardonnay from around the world, I kept treasuring Burgundy, but skipped over you time and time again in my search for top quality white wines of distinction…because I already knew how amazing Chablis was. I was so lost in translation- I entirely lacked the significance, the true understanding of what I was doing at the time.
I apologize. I hope you’ll understand, and forgive me.
You’ve been there for me. You’ve been waiting all this time, in good years, and bad. Waiting for a mutual friend to pour me a glass and offer you up, to watch as my palate, my nose, and my tongue recall that first kiss. What beauty and intensity! In a sip I can recall the sea that covered your AVA millions of years ago, left tiny crustaceans, shells and exoskeletons mired in the limestone rock that is now the basis of the terroir we recognize as yours and yours alone. Pure, perfect, Chablis. or… #PureChablis.
There are even a few, -more than a handful- of your tremendous offerings in my cellar.
With special tags, of course.
Because… nothing else is Chablis!
Just a few of your fabulous offerings include:
Domaine Jolly & Fils, L’homme Mort, Premiere Cru 2014; around $27/bottle.
Tasting note: “Very Pale in Color, nose of lemon peel and orange. Gentler but savory up front, bright across the top palate. Such a pleasure to drink, like imbibing a glass full of perfect afternoon sunshine.”
Domaine Gilbert Picq & Fils, 2015, around $20/bottle.
“Color of pale sunshine. Nose is faint, issuing grapefruit and limestone. Acid up front in the mouth, followed by lemon-lime citrus. Opening into a savory palate. Pairs beautifully with either beet, goat cheese, and gruyere puff pastry.”
Chablis William Fevre Champs Royaux, 2015 around $18/bottle.
The easiest Chablis to find in the states, Fevre is a huge producer. “Classic lineage, so familiar. Pale straw with a green tinge, linear acidity and fruit with a soft style in the front- and mid-palates, yet a tightly focused finish. Such great memories, brought back cleanly.”
La Chablisienne Petite Chablis 2015; around $17/bottle.
“Pale straw in color, Honey-lemon nose. Steely, driven flavors of citrus, lemon-lime, oyster shell, hints of clay. Pairs best with the raw crudo.”
Domaine Louis Moreau 1er Cru Fourneaux 2013, around $30/bottle.
“HUGE nose on this wine. It shifts in personality to me: on the palate: first savory with oyster brine, meaty and thick with citrus and chalk, then a more gentle, flint and steel approach. A lovely finish, with high acidity. I could drink this forever.” – My personal favorite of the night.
Patrick Piuze 1er Cru Forêts, 2014, around $45/bottle.
“What gorgeous citrus and salinity on the nose. Huge acidity, big citrus; a meter-lemon wine. This is an oenophile’s wine, a wine nerd’s dream! Singular, focused, & driven. It simply screams of the Chablis terroir. You could identify this in a blind tasting without any thought. Perfect pairings both with the foie gras and scallop dishes.”
Louis Michel & Fils, Chablis Grand Cru Grenouille 2014; around $80/bottle.
“Pale in color, complex nose with citrus, mineralogy, & sodium. A full-bodied wine with bright acidity and a long finish. A beautiful expression of chablis, no more expensive than a good California Chardonnay or a good buy in white burgundy. Amazing with the risotto balls and the braised tenderloin. Stunning to be such a good pairing for such rich selections.”
And just in case you are still thinking about Chablis… here’s where she lives. Her Grand Cru, her Premiere Cru, her Petite Chablis… all of her beauty and delights.
My thanks for a tremendous tasting to Françoise Roure from Bourgognes, Marguerite de Chaumont Guitry from Sopexa, and Sommelier John Kearns from Ai Fiori Restaurant, whose service and presentation were top notch, and whose hand cradles the bottle in most of my photographs! Deepest appreciation for the tremendous pairing menu & service from Ai Fiori’s Michael White, David Schneider, Scott Schneider, Mari Gaube and their teams.
And of course… my apologies to Chablis. Will you ever forgive me? Maybe I can come and see you over the summertime, if Provence and Bordeaux won’t get too jealous.
#MWWC32
à votre santé!
Not Every Glass Is A Win.
5 JunRemember the old adage, “You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince”? Some days, that is SO TRUE. We had better accept it: some days just aren’t going to be successful, so the best thing we can do it learn from them, and move forward. You’re not always going to win that race, beat your opponent, or make your quota. On some days, you might try your damnedest just to continue- to live and fight another day.
#MWWC33
We have a lot of sayings backstage in the entertainment business. “Once Upon A Time”, is one of them. Others are more self-evident: “early is on time/on time is late”, “make hay while the sun shines”, “just do it again”, “nobody died”, “All the world’s a stage”, “break a leg”,”we’re burning daylight”, “It isn’t rocket surgery”, “back to one” just to name a few.
One quote I particularly like is: “We can do this one of two ways. Either My Way, or My Way Angry.” This statement is also known as “my way or the highway”, if you prefer. That really has no application to this story whatsoever, but the black and white of the statement is darn true that it makes me smile, so I wanted to share it. Sometimes, you have to choose and commit to one side of the coin, and see how your luck fares.
Fortunately, wine is rarely such a black and white world.
Everyone can have their own opinion about wine. And we all do! Not everyone is going to want the 1892 Haut Brion, the Screaming Eagle, the Romanee-Conti Grand Cru…but those are some of my fairy tale wines, my “Once Upon A Time” bottle dreams. Feel free to send me one! The JvB Make-A-Wine-Wish Foundation…well, it has a certain je ne sais quoi, doesn’t it? But I digress.
Likewise, we are going to have disappointments. Not every bottle is going to be good.
Today was a great reminder of that lesson. I met with a winemaker and we had a lovely lunch and conversation. But something went wrong with the shipping, and to no fault of the winemaker, his wine (the whole point of our meeting) just didn’t make it. So when the waiter came by and asked what we’d like to drink, I said something that often reaps killer rewards. “What are the unusual or weird wines on your list?” I asked. Usually a sommelier or wine director has some unusual picks on (or off their list) that have personal meaning, maybe at a great value. Trying their “insider” wines can be like being handed a gift- a killer pairing, a great value, or a rare wine. He pointed, I nodded. Let’s give it a try!
Not today. Oh, no, not a chance.
Today was the first time that the “unusual” wine on the list was truly sub-par. It showed brett, showed far too much alcohol, and I felt, accurately or not, that it was a major blunder on my part. The winemaker and I laughed it off- but I really wished that his wines had arrived, or that I’d had my own cellar handy so we could have enjoyed and tried a few different things.
It’s important to remember, that whether it is a glass or bottle of wine, business, politics, or marriage:
Not Every Day Is Going To Be A Win.
I’m going to take that one step further: Not every glass is doing to be a win.
“Yes, JvB,” you’re thinking, “That’s obvious.” Sometimes it is obvious. Other times, not so much.
I am constantly telling people that the old wine rules no longer matters and that we should all “Drink What They Like” but at the same time, I also want everyone to try something new, to step out of their habits and taste a different grape, region, or winemaker. And for every few people who thank me for turning them on to a great wine that increases their love of wine, there is someone who hated it.
Learn and move forward. Not Every Day Is Going To Be A Win.
A cool thing did happen at my meeting today. This winemaker said a lot of things that made a lot of sense to me. I was secretly thrilled to hear him talk about making room in the vineyards and planting grapes specifically to make a great rosé wine. Why? Because I’ve heard other winemakers tell me how much of a drag it can be to make rosé for their customers, and when someone is passionate about making great wine, you can see their determination, understand their struggle, and taste the results, win or lose.
If every glass was a win, we would not appreciate the path, the struggle, or the passion that goes into the glass.
Accept that it takes hard work, it takes grit, determination, and often several failures, to finally achieve success.
When we finally drink that wine, it tastes better than we can imagine.
Not every glass can be a win. But when you find one, I hope that you will appreciate it that much more, because of what it takes to make the jump from ordinary to extraordinary.
Here’s to you finding, and loving, your fairytale wine.
And then, you can tell us: “Once Upon A Time…”
à votre santé!
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Tags: #MWWC, Wine Commentary