I nicked the title for this post from a friend who works in the industry. This is what she said when I broke news of my plans to travel to Jura and Paris. Middle Earth was a dream on the west side of the mountains that separate the French Jura from Switzerland. Sloped vines of Chardonnay, Savagnin, Pinot Noir, Ploussard and Trousseau were within arms distance of roaming cows, horses and sheep. It all seemed tangible. I could snip a bunch of Savagnin and pet a cow in the space of minutes.
Château Chalon was stunning, a mass of hill in the shadow of a terraced cliff bearing the tiny village of Chalone.
“I could almost live here,” I thought. And thought the same thing when I stood in the vineyards of Domaine de Montbourgeau, perched on a gentle hillside, a 360-degree turn revealed the five mountains that give this appellation its name.
Vigneron, Nicole Deriaux, was a treat. I’ve always thought this producer’s razor sharp Chardonnay was a steal and I was equally captivated by her oxidative Savagnin and the, hands down, best Crémant du Jura I had all week. It was dry, yeasty, lemony and bracing. I wanted to be alone at that point. I longed to sit down with her crémant and cry.
The day I left for the Jura my father was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I lived through the Jura as if I were going through the motions and yet the beauty of the region touched me. We don’t know if the tumor is cancerous. We know it is big – 9cm. The size of a small egg is pressing down on my dad’s brain and affecting his speech, his mobility and his mental grasp.
I will leave for Mauritius soon to be with my parents when the doctors operate. I will be sad, I will be strong; I’ll be the daughter they need. Life still continues, I will still drink honest wines that soothe and elate me and I will blog, but from here on, maybe with a tinge of sadness. More on producers in the Jura soon.
SELECTION PAS MAL
Two days after Alice’s champagne tasting, I descended upon the Selection Pas Mal champagne and Burgundy tasting (more about the Burg later). These were new discoveries for me and it was a case of too much good wine under one roof. Plus, we got to chat to the charming Becky Wasserman and witness the enduring moment when, son, Peter Wasserman got all embarrassed when he realized his mother was attentively listening to his enthused rap on of a Burgundy winemaker. OK, enough cuteness, back to the champers.
Jose Dhondt Blanc de Blanc Brut was sensationally chalky, the Mes Vielles Grand Cru 2002 was mineral, earthy and a tad funky, while the Rose Saignee was sooo pretty, wine-y and earthy. From what I gather Jose Dhondt is an RM producer, he emphasizes low yields, hand picks, ferments and elevage in tank.
Vazart-Coquart is located in Chouilly. They have a lot of old stocks and add very little dosage to their champagne. Brut Reserve Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru is a focused wine, bone dry, chalky and delicious. Bouteille Club 2002 Grand Cru had a super yeasty nose and was quite full and sumptuous on the palate. It was aged on the lees for 7 years before disgorging.
Bernard Giradin has been making champagne since the 1950s and his daughter, Sandrine, has taken over the winemaking. The Vintage Brut 2002 is truly beautiful. My note: “intense, full, Krug-like, I-like.” [I refer to Krug before they went commercial]
Bernard Bremont is based in the grand cru village of Ambonnay. His Brut Grand Cru was funky, cheesy and lees-y, the Cuvee Prestige Grand Cru was stunning – earthy, complex, had beautiful fruit, like a Burgundy with bubbles.
Jacques Picard (based in the Berru village of Montaigne de Reims) was a major discovery for me. This family run domaine does partial vinification in oak. Their Brut Cru is INCREDIBLE. I could taste the damn minerals from the soil – it was like iodine. Art de Vigne 2001 was slightly oxidized, showed tremendous yeast autolysis, it was intense and had such beautiful acidity. I was wowed.
I may no longer drink champers tous le dimanche but merely recalling the spine tingling Selosse Substance and Picard Art de Vigne on Sunday afternoons is enough, for now.
When Jim and I were going through our honeymoon period we had a champagne Sunday ritual. We’d purchase different bottles of champagne on our Astor Wines employee discount and lie in bed for the better part of the day drinking bubbles. Some bottles made repeat visits, like Krug (this was almost eleven years ago) and Jacquesson. That was when we could afford the stuff. Over the years, our champagne consumption has gradually diminished but I still love the stuff.
When Alice Feiring told me she was working on a champagne piece for the Wall Street Journal, and said she was thinking of having a tasting at her place, I immediately volunteered participation. Alice’s soirees are always good fun. And to top it all she was pouring Selosse!
It was a fun group tasting. There was Peter who drinks champagne tous le jour IN Champagne, Brooklyn Guy who was getting to taste Selosse Substance twice in a week, Lee Campbell of Louis/Dressner Selections and the famous Honey Sugar, Alice’s long time friend and character in the Battle for Wine and Love.
We tasted the wines blind. The stunner, by far was the Selosse Substance. I LOVE old, oxidized champagne. Substance is made in a solera system (!) from old stocks ranging from ’86 to ’02. It was rich and so beautifully evolved, the oxidative quality was perfect. It was perfection, in an imperfect way. The bottle costs 260 bucks. Will I ever drink this champagne again?
More highlights: Salon Les Mesnil 1997 tasted like crushed oyster shells – loved it. Raymond Boulard NV rose was pretty and graceful. Bollinger NV definitely got me excited. This bottle had a bit of VA, which made me love it even more but it also had gusto and originality. Alice still has my notes but I’ll get them back and report on the other wines. Meanwhile, Alice says it best here.
