An Exploration of Burgundy and Piemonte

Fall is here, and that makes us crave rich, hearty comfort foods and the earthy, rustic wines that complement them so well. While we believe in drinking whatever you like all year round, there is something that just feels so right about the pairing of robust stews, risottos, and roasted meats with wines brimming with aromatics that could easily be described as  'autumnal'--from fallen leaves to fragrant herbs to holiday baking spice.  The regions of Burgundy, France and Piemonte, Italy are two producers of such wines--and they have more in common than meets the eye, as do their primary red wine grapes, Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo.  To start with, an overview of the grapes themselves: Pinot Noir grapes Nebbiolo grapes Both of these ancient varieties have complex family trees. Because they have been around for so long, many clones of each variety have developed over time, through the natural process of mutation. Pinot Noir, in particular, is an ancestor to an astounding number of grape varieties, including Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Merlot, Malbec, Syrah, and Viognier--to name a handful. Nebbiolo's resume is a little less impressive, due in part to the fact that the cultivation of much of its progeny, such as Vespolina and Freisa, has not spread much beyond their birthplace of Piemonte. On the vine, Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo almost look like they could be related, although there is no genetic connection between the two varieties. Both grow in tight bunches in a lovely shade of bluish-purple, are late to bud during harvest, very susceptible to disease, and extremely finicky about where they like to be grown. They even prefer the same type of soil--those that are calcareous, meaning that they are partly or mostly composed of calcium carbonate. These chalky soils, high in lime content, allow these difficult-to-grow grapes to reach their fullest potential. To grow Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo on the most suitable vineyard sites is like commissioning the work of a talented yet temperamental artist--at times it can be frustrating or infuriating, but the end result is a masterpiece well worth the hassle. In ideal conditions, it is a widely held belief by wine lovers throughout the world that Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo produce the finest wines in their respective countries of France and Italy. Many would even say they are among the best in the world. In a good vintage, these grapes give highly expressive, hauntingly beautiful wines with excellent aging potential. In fact, while many of the best wines made from both Pinot Noir in Burgundy and Nebbiolo in Piemonte are ready to drink (and difficult to resist!) in their youth, given time to soften and mature they can often continue to improve up to a decade or even two. The patient oenophile will be rewarded handsomely with complex aromas and flavors: red cherry, raspberry, forest floor, truffle, game, and violets can be found in both, along with Nebbiolo's signature notes of tar and rose. Though the flavors can be quite similar, each wine provides a very different sensory experience. Pinot Noir tends to be soft and velvety, while Nebbiolo's surprising tannin and structure are masked by a light, pale appearance.  The growing regions of Burgundy and Piemonte themselves have much in common, as well. Both are highly fragmented, partially because there is great diversity in the terroir of each (and there are arguably no other red wine grapes more expressive of terroir than Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo). There is variance in soil composition, slope, sunlight exposure and more that makes each small pocket of land unique. This can make learning about these regions a bit overwhelming. This is further complicated by the fact that vineyard ownership in Burgundy is governed by the Napoleonic code: when a vigneron passes away, his land is divided equally between his surviving heirs, creating a system where some vineyard owners may posses only one row of vines. Many growers in both Burgundy and Piemonte tend to own parcels of vineyards in various districts within the broader appellation. Both regions have strict rules in place to ensure quality wine production. Pinot Noir is required to comprise 100% of Bourgogne AOC, while Nebbiolo is mandated to do the same for Barbaresco DOCG and Barolo DOCG, the highest quality wines produced in Piemonte. Thanks to these venerable regions, we are able to enjoy an enriched autumn sensory experience. Let a Premier Cru Burgundy delight you with a whiff of damp fall leaves, or get inspiration for a hearty meal from the intoxicating truffle aroma of a great Barbaresco. Here are some wines will allow you to do just that, so you can see for yourself just how similar yet unique these two spectacular wine regions really are: 2011 Lucien Muzard & Fils Bourgogne Medium-bodied and eminently drinkable, this is Bourgogne AOC doing what it does best. Tart, juicy, and mineral with aromas of red cherry, violet, and fresh earth, this wine is velvety on the palate with bright flavors of cranberry and rhubarb. 2010 Domaine Camus-Bruchon & Fils Premier Cru Savigny-Narbantons With a Premier Cru Burgundy, things get a little more complex. Baking spice dominates the nose, particularly cardamom and anise, with an element of wet stone and forest floor. While red fruits like rhubarb and currant make an appearance here as well, the fruit is darker and more brooding than the Bourgogne. The beautiful, complex finish is seemingly endless. 2010 was a classic vintage in Burgundy, showcasing both the Pinot Noir grape and the regional terroir at their best. Camus-Bruchon's Narbantons comes from the Beaune side of Savigny and has a little more weight than his other Savigny wines, which makes this bottling so appealing right now.  2011 Produttori del Barbaresco Langhe Nebbiolo It's hard to find a better deal on Piemontese Nebbiolo than this one. Classic tar aromas and flavors are balanced by high-toned, lively notes of bright red cherries and raspberries and pleasant acidity. The tannins are much softer and more approachable here than in many otherwise comparable wines. This wine could technically be classified as Barbaresco, but since the grapes come from the youngest vines, the winery chooses to label it as Langhe Nebbiolo in order to preserve the excellent reputation of their top-tier wines. 2011 is a year in which the Nebbiolo fruit really sings, and this example from one of the region's top producers truly exemplifies the finesse for which Barbaresco is known. 2007 Sottimano Barbaresco 'Pajoré' Through consistent high quality, the Pajoré vineyard has rightfully earned its status as one of the most famous vineyards in the Langhe. This excellent example from Sottimano shows great complexity with elegant notes of violet, rose, tar, blueberry compote, clay, five-spice, anise, tobacco, and cedar. While it's drinking great now, this highly concentrated wine should continue to improve for years to come--if you can wait that long.  The whites of these regions are excellent as well: 2011 Domaine Romain Collet Chablis 'Les Pargues' This is a great example of Chablis from a vintage that was more about elegance and purity than power and concentration. Light, refreshing, and mineral, this one is perfect for warm Bay Area autumn days with a hint of crispness in the air.  2012 Giovanni Almondo Roero Arneis 'Vigne Sparse' Made from 100% Arneis, this medium-bodied, aromatic wine is brimming with white flowers, lemon, and fresh green pears, and a chalky minerality reminiscent of Chablis. The Arneis grape is often planted near Nebbiolo vines, in order to distract birds with its pleasing perfume so that they refrain from snacking on the higher-market-valued Nebbiolo grapes. With one whiff of this wine, it's easy to understand that logic.

The Stunning Pouilly-Fumé Wines of Domaine Dagueneau

Didier Dagueneau,  maverick of the Loire Valley, produced some of the greatest Sauvignon Blancs the world has ever known. Unfortunately, his life and his career as a vigneron were finished far too soon, in a manner which, though devastating, wouldn't have been much a surprise to those who knew him. A perennial thrill-seeker and risk-taker, Didier, who also enjoyed professional motorcycle-racing and later, dog-sled racing, met his untimely end at the age of 52 when the ultralight plane he was piloting crashed shortly after landing in September of 2008. During his tenure at the helm of Domaine Dagueneau, Didier adopted a similarly unorthodox attitude in both the vineyard and the cellar.

The wines of the Pouilly-Fumé AOC are prized for their minerality and perfume, with a smoky aroma (hence the name 'Fumé', French for 'smoked') often making an appearance in the best examples, Dagueneau's not withstanding. This is largely owing to the presence of flint (which, combined with clay, is known locally as 'silex') in the region's famed limestone soils. These top-tier wines can age longer than your average Sauvignon Blanc--five to ten years for many, and even up to twenty for Dagueneau's finest bottlings. 

Didier was not afraid to break the rules, and those who consume the wines of his domaine will be handsomely rewarded by his experiments. Low-yields were an established constant, but the boundaries of viticulture and viniculture were constantly pushed, from organic viticulture to natural fermentations to experimental barrels. Unlike most Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Dagueneau's wines have always been raised in oak barrels, though the size, shapes, and proportions of new to neutral barrels has varied with both vintage and vineyard. 

Didier may no longer be with us, but his children, Charlotte and Benjamin, have taken over the domaine and continue to produce stunning wines with clarity, precision, and freshness that wine critics agree would make their father proud. The most recent releases are no exception.

The 2010 Blanc Fumé de Pouilly, Dagueneau's "entry level" cuvée, is intended to be a very direct, pure, and typical example of Sauvignon Blanc from a typical Pouilly-Fumé vineyard. It truly is a spectacular example of what wines from this AOC should aspire to be--brimming with chalky minerality and racy citrus. 
The 2011 Pur Sang, perhaps the Domaine's most popular cuvée, is bursting with aromas of citrus, quince, and fine minerals, with mouth-puckering acidity punctuating the intense and ethereal palate. The grapes come from chalky limestone soils that are almost entirely lacking in silex.

The 2011 Buisson Renard, grown on silex soil and formerly the most mineral of the Dagueneau cuvées, is tamed by oak ageing to form a rich, opulent wine held together by a firm, flinty backbone.

Finally, the 2011 Silex is the "Grand Cru" of Dagueneau's wines. Highly sought-after year after year, this wine can be slightly more austere than its contemporaries, due to lower clay content in the soil. This may not be the right wine to pop open tonight, but those who are patient enough to wait for this stunning wine to reach its peak will reap significant benefits. 

Jurassic Wines: They're Not Just for Dinosaurs Anymore (New Arrivals from Jura!)

Jurassic wine: not just for dinosaurs.

Tucked in between Burgundy and Switzerland, the Jura wine region has, until recently, somehow managed to remain off the radar of most American consumers. It's sort of understandable--this area tends to produce the favorites of wine geeks in search of something new and different. However, a bit of understanding can lead to appreciation by any wine drinker for these unique and often 'funky' wines.

Jura's unusually cool climate allows the production of refreshingly crisp whites with mouthwatering, tart acidity and ultra-pale reds that astonish with their unexpected complexity. Sparkling wines, known as Crémant du Jura, thrive here as well, taking advantage of high acidity levels in the grapes to make wines that are similar to Champagne--but a lot more affordable. Easily recognizable Chardonnay and Pinot Noir beckon the uninitiated with their familiarity, a gateway to the more obscure grapes of the region--Savignin (known elsewhere as Traminer), Poulsard, and Trousseau.

The most distinctive, and probably best-known wine style of Jura is Vin Jaune, or' yellow wine'. To make Vin Jaune, very ripe Savignin grapes must be harvested from low-yielding vines. They go through the usual white wine routine--conventional fermentation, secondary malolactic fermentation...seems pretty standard, at first. But here's where things get crazy--the wine is then transferred to old Burgundy barrels that are filled incompletely, and placed in an area that is well-ventilated and therefore subject to temperature fluctuations. This is basically the opposite of how a winemaker would want to store any other type of wine during the vinification process, but for Vin Jaune, this is how the magic happens. Owing to these unusual conditions, a thin layer of yeast (known as the voile) forms on top of the wine, similar to the flor in Sherry. Then the winemaker must sit patiently for at least six years, as the wine slowly oxidizes, protected by the voile from turning to vinegar. This patience is eventually rewarded with the resulting dry, aromatic, nutty wine--often with aromas and flavors of exotic spics such as turmeric, cardamom, and ginger, walnut, almond, apple, and sometimes honey, with a deep yellow-orange appearance. For best results, Vin Jaune should be allowed to breathe for a while before serving, and paired with its neighbor and natural ally, Comté cheese.

A thorough exploration of the wines of the Jura region would comprise a wide variety of flavors and styles. It's always nice to start off with some bubbles, and Domaine de Montbourgeau's Crémant du Jura is an excellent choice. This 100% Chardonnay sparkler is light, fresh, and bursting with racy citrus acidity, making for the perfect aperitif or a great bottle for brunch. 

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To ease in to Jura whites, it's best to start with a good old-fashioned actual white wine, before moving on to those zany orange ones. Michel Gahier's 2009 Chardonnay 'La Fauquette' is a lovely example, brimming with Chablis-like minerality with undertones of dried apricot. Faint nutty aromas hint at the slightest bit of oxidation.

For an introduction to Vin Jaune, look no further than Jacques Puffeney's 2006 Arbois Vin Jaune. Monsieur Puffeney, known to his peers and admirers as "the Pope of Arbois," is one of the most well-known and revered vignerons in the region, and for good reason. This orange wine is produced only from the finest barrels after eight and a half years of aging under voile--two years longer than the minimum requirement. This enticing wine shows intense oxidation, dripping with honey, almond, and hazelnut aromas, dried apple flavors on the rich and creamy palate, and a surprisingly bone-dry finish.

It's not just the whites of Jura that are worth talking about--the reds are pretty fascinating themselves. Often receiving less attention and shorter aging from their white counterparts, Jura reds (made from Poulsard, Trousseau, and Pinot Noir) differ wildly from what most American palates are accustomed to consuming, in that they are so light as to frequently be mistaken for rosés, yet highly complex on the nose and palate, filled with floral and peppery aromas and often a healthy dose of terroir--or less euphemistically, funk. 

Trousseau, the most powerful of the Jura red grapes, is often used to add structure and color in a blend alongside Poulsard--but it can undoubtedly shine on its own as well. Michel Gahier's 2012 Trousseau 'Les Grands Vergers' demonstrates intense, hearty blackcurrant fruit, cherry candy, earthy, smoked tea, and marked peppery and gamey notes, softened by hints of violet perfume. 

Another bottling from Michel Gahier, 2012 Ploussard (a confusingly similar synonym of Poulsard) is much paler in color than the Trousseau, but is by no means lacking in flavor. The nose is lovely and floral, reminiscent of roses and ripe, juicy strawberries and cherries. The palate, however, is no delicate flower. Tannin and minerality give great structure to this faintly tinted wine, making it a "serious" wine that also happens to be very, very easy to drink. Another wonderful example isJacques Puffeney's 2011 Poulsard, which echoes many of the flavors in Mr. Gahier's bottling, which may have something to do with the fact that they are neighbors. The Gahier leans a bit towards a more fruit-forward style, with the Puffeney shows a little more earthiness. 

All of these Jura wines (and many more!) are now available on our shelves. Whether you are just beginning to explore this intriguing appellation, or have been drinking Jura wines since before they were cool, there's definitely something for everyone in this un-sung, under-appreciated, and frequently under-valued region.