Best

(After the guests had left)

It happened again last week.  My old wine club met at my house and like the most natural thing in the world we individually concluded which wine(s) we liked the most.

Why do we do this and why is wine always subject to this rather simple algorithm??

When you make your call about the best, you have a fairly good argumentation for making that assessment. It’s even measured against your knowledge, experience and preferences. But how come the valuation and ranking of wine is something we do like a reflex and would it be possible to find an alternative??

Wine has always been highly opinionated and consumer guide orientated. We as consumers can’t escape this routine and it’s the DNA of the learning curve. Finding out what wines you like. Bring order to chaos and by the end of the journey we can finally say; “All the good wines are left – no need to turn right anymore”.

Furthermore being an experienced taster, would naturally lead to others wanting to hear your opinion.  “So what’s your favourite wine?”….”Which of the two do you like the most?”

There is a grey area we don’t pursue, when we make this analogy. In my opinion we are too busy breaking the equation by the constantly ranking. Thing is – tasting wine is a quick and dirty process. Gathering, discarding - plusses & minuses. We are demons, hunting great dopamine memories and our brain is a drug addict wanting a specified fix over and over again.

We have to bring ourselves out of this straitjacket. Wine has to be more than this. We should stick to expressing our opinions, but we have to be more diverse, as we risk reducing more than enhancing.

Personally I think I am getting better at this – not that in itself is a quest I force myself to complete. Yet I often find myself haunted by my habits and in the end far from the perfect student. Yet I try to say to myself; better might in some cases just relate to “different?”

I like complex and geeky wines with my wine club – I like simple honest wine with my wife. Simple is not necessarily worse – in some cases better. I like Champagne every day of the week, I like Italian wines better with Italian food. I like wine A because it paired better with carrots, but wine B better because it paired better with celery. I like some wines at summertime – some better at winter. I like mostly wine with food, but can do without in some cases. Some wines don’t appeal to me when I am stressed, so wines do.

And so on….

With this short intro – I present Italy’s best red wine ;-).

2001 Soldera Brunello di Montalcino “Case Basse Riserva”

100% Sangiovese

Winemaker: Gianfranco Soldera

Fermantation: Slavonian oak casks for five years

Winemaking: Organic

Vineyards:  Located in an Ecosystem, which works as a refuge area for natural predators where Gianfranco wife Graziella grows a large range of wild roses.

Alcohol: 13%

Other: Opened 10 hours in advance – but no decanting.

Glass: Zalto Bordeaux Grand Cru

I have been fortunate to taste a lot of Case Basse…and I mean fortunate, because my wallet is running out of credit to finance such extravagance.

Case Basse is the essence of Italian wines to me. It’s a benchmark wine – an icon and despite I don’t like the idea of putting some wines on a pedestal I have to make exception here. Whenever I truly get exited about Italian wines, there might well be a reflection towards Casse Basse.   

I can’t say to you where the 2001 fits into the ranking regime of my best experiences with Case Basse. There are too many great experiences, which have all occurred under very different occasions and circumstances. It doesn’t really matter, because it’s mind-blowing wine to me and extremely emotional. The essence of wine is here and why at all I have this obsession and use time writing these lines.   

The tasting note is needless here. It’s the soul of Italy, Tuscany, Sangiovese and Brunello. It’s also food, people, culture, landscape and authenticity.  If you have never tasted Case Basse – you haven’t tasted a Brunello. If you can’t afford it, but are infected with the Italian wine bug, you have to save up. 

Taste it just once – but be warned, it’s addictive. 

Short summary from a tasting

Some weeks ago, I had the chance to taste these wines @ Søllerød Kro, as my good friend Bent had invited a bunch of wine lovers.

First time in several years, I didn’t bring my camera and I must say it was so much more relaxing. So the images are from the archive.

(The colour of Les Ursules 2009 is something else)

Cedric Bouchard "Les Ursules" (2009)

Selosse 1996

Selosse les Carelles

Agrapart Experience 2007

Clos des Goisses 1996

Meursault Goutte d’Or Comte Lafon 2004

Meursault Genevrieres Comte Lafon 2004

Chassagne Montrachet La Romanee Maltroye 2007

Vosne Romanee 1 cru DRC 2008

Vosne Romanee les Genevrieres Leroy 2007

Clos de Vougeot Leroy 2001

Clos de Vougeot Meo Camuzet 2002

NSG les Cras Comte Liger Belair 2006

Grands Echezeaux DRC 2007

Echezeaux Comte Liger Belair 2007

La Romanee Comte Liger Belair 2003

Richebourg Hudelot Noellat 2007

Chambolle Musigny les Amoureuses Lucien de Moine 2005

Chambolle Musigny les Amoureuses Bertheau 2005

Chambolle Musigny les Amoureuses Roumier 2006

Billecart Salmon cuvee Elizabeth 1998

(Søllerød kro once again the scene for a tasting)

The 2009 Les Ursules is dynamite juice – so intense and precise. The ooze of tarragon, black cherries and diamond dust are thrilling. The colour was once again amazing.

1996 Selosse – one of the best examples I have had of this wine. Incredible deep Champagne with exotic fruits, buttery sensations and deep quince notes. The taste is shocking long and balanced. Perhaps the best 1996 out there.

1996 Clos de Goisses was completely wiped out by Selosse. I tried to give it some spotlight, as being in a flight with Selosse is mostly a losing game. It didn’t make the wine any better and it stands out as much more impure with low energy and way too much dosage.

Selosse "les Carelles". I am not 100% sure, but I think this was the 2004, which is blended with a bit of ‘03. It’s overwhelming concentrated with supernatural powers. Almost too much – but Selosse balances it out. It has Selosse typical oxidized character. I expressed my concern about a little too much wine making and trademark of Selosse and not the chalky Mesnil character. But then again – it’s his interpreting of the terroir and it also has a beautiful salty finish. I look forward to taste it again and especially follow it over a whole evening as the oxidized expression so often caves in with air.

I have looked forward to taste the 2007 Experience from Agrapart. First of all placing it in this flight with Selosse was a mistake in my opinion – they were completely opposites. Many around the table didn’t like it all – especially the nose. I loved it – absolutely fascinating stuff and I think Pascal have managed to bring out something very unique. It plays on many strings – ranging from sea breezes, floral waters, pineapple, mango, buttercup, mint and jasmine tea. It’s outrageous pure, zippy fresh and sleek. Magnificent stuff.

The whites were a big step down from Champagne and once again a white Burgundy disappointment.

I can’t go into all of the reds, but my favourite was without a doubt Leroy’s 2001 Clos de Vougeot. What a thrilling wine it was. Best because it had the best energy, vitality and purity and it actually reminded me most of natural wine.

Both DRC wines were also lovely. The 2008 Vosne Romanee had a sensational note of roses and the 2007 Grands Echezeaux displayed notes of tealeaves, pine needles, egg whites and rounded up with a adorable slim - yet very deep finish.

If to talk about disappointments, it would be the wines from Liger Belair. These wines were at all times very polished and oak driven (not alcoholic and extracted) and easily detected in the flights. I have tasted some of these wines before outside such a big line-up, where they did better with a very seductive appeal. They are however quite polished, which in this big line-up was not a plus. So it happens that blind tastings is not necessarily the “truth”, but of course an interesting study.

The last flight was the Amoureuses wines. I was expecting delicate and refined strawberry perfumes to burst out of the glasses. However, very dark, dense and somewhat clumsy wines was present in all three glasses. Around the table were several Burgundy fans, which all believed these wines (especially the ‘05s ) will shine in future. I am no expert here – I didn’t really like them now, but let’s see.

Overall I must say it was a very fine tasting.

Thank you Bent.

Norms

We Danes are proud of our strawberries. We honestly believe they rank among the best in the world – because they both posses depth in flavour, good acidity and lots of delicate freshness. Most Danes are however missing out on the best varieties, because their yields are too low and they go too fast in putrefaction. Fast like you should eat them almost instantly after they have been picked.

You can source these typical old varieties from local farms or grow them yourself and they are so incredible intense.

If turning to wine, we connect wines ability to age with something graceful and a positive aspect. For sure understandable, as it adds to the storytelling that wine is a living organism and will unfold secondary nuances, revealing (sometimes) the true identity and scope of a wine.

However some wines are also adorable when young and can at times be even better. Overall it’s very difficult to find a generalizing thumb rule for what people like the most. The compromise would probably be that wines ability to age is associated with greatness – but it will be a more individualistic perception preferring wine young or old.

However – wines that can’t age and even will disintegrate soon after you have pulled the cork would be something we look upon as bizarre and not great wine – regardless how it actually tasted. We would even mark most of these wines as flawed because they would flirt with an oxidized profile.

Have you ever asked yourself who has defined those standards? Are wine – or any kind of other passion/hobby not truly more fascinating when you can relate fully to it?  Are we not seeking to understand how our own assessments align with all the experience we have obtained? How can we have such strong passionate opinions about something we have not fully discovered? Aren’t experts – or nerds expected to go an extra mile and be even more detailed and curious?

I have to say that I am somewhat puzzled – especially when turning to my local backyard, how confident the Danish wine journalists are when defining what is right and wrong. I believe strongly in scepticism when it comes to wine – but not when the norms are already pre-defined.

Learning new things, taken a new stand should be logic wisdom as we expand our knowledge and experiences. The result is changing your opinion. Saying out loud; “I was wrong”. This is no way near ok, when it comes to wine, because the fine stiff-necked wine culture establishment believes in nothing but their own standards. No one can teach them anything new.

You can probably guess that the wine in the spotlight is not your everyday bonanza wine. It’s once again a wine from Jean-Yves Péron. Opening a wine from him is always associated with a degree of dipping ones toes into the unknown.  I can’t hide that this kind of excitement factor is something I really appreciate. Curious and restless  - yep, that’s probably me. But it also comes down to being naked, having no pre-defined rules, for what’s fine wine and why can’t wine taste like this?

2010 Jean-Yves Péron “Les Barrieux”

Blend: 100% Roussane

Terroir: Mica schist with aluminum and oxide-iron. Soil is quite light, draining out and warming up quickly

Vineyard: 0,2 ha.

Vines: Planted in 2005/06

Viniculture: Organic

Vinification: 10 days of Carbonic maceration - aged one year in barrels on lies.  

Sulphur: Zero in all steps. Natural sulphur was less than 2mg/l

Location: Savoie
Alcohol: 12,5%

Glass: Zalto Universal

I have tasted it two times, but the post-preparations were a little different. First time – from having been stored horizontal in the wine cabinet for about 3 weeks and standing upright in the fridge for a day. Second time it was upright for a week in the fridge.

So why is this important?

The wine has some degree of sediment, which accelerates the oxidized character, when in contact with the juice. If you let it stand up for a week it feels slimmer and less crazy. I liked both experiences, but I think if you have it upright for a week you have a more balanced expression and a more clear wine in the glass.

Make no mistake that despite maybe not being crazy; it will probably raise an eyebrow or two.

First of all the Roussane can attract a lot of exotic fruity notes, which is also the case here. It starts almost like a dessert wine, with really overripe fat peaches, mango, apricot and some degree of sherry resemblance oxidation.  There is also a deeper and darker baseline, which has a slightly herbal touch to it. The taste is however no way sweet, but quite demanding, intense – but at the same time bone dry with a really long finish.

That as close as I can describe it – forgive me, but this tasting doesn’t really give justice to how it really tasted. I can’t give you any other advice of trying it yourself. It will not be for everyone and you have about 4 hours before it dies out.  But those 4 hours are worth it all.

Sexy

Wine descriptors are among many parameters also associations and known to include the word “sexy”. That’s however just an appetizer, because today’s so called tasting notes uses parallels to famous characters, which personality acts as a hybrid to describe the taste or feel of a wine.

The idea in itself is not bad.

With one stroke you can connect a wine to a person, who most people will probably know and have an idea how that person fits into the tasting note.

But here the allure starts to fade out…..

You see – most descriptors are really corny, sleazy and mostly written by men. They tend to swing in a direction of describing voluptuous women - actresses, models or rock stars.  A Pamela Anderson wine – a classic and we all know what that is – or do we? The Italian equivalent: A Sophia Loren wine, Spain:  Penélope Cruz and France has to be Bridget Bardot – or?  

We could try to replace the female names above with some male celebrities. So how about a John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart or a Darth Vader wine? Not really – maybe a George Cloony wine…I know my wife will like that and I can imagine such a wine – can you? The Italian version… Berlusconi..naaahhh not really, what about a Eros Ramazotti wine? The Spanish red has to be a Pedro Almodovar, right? And the French wine could be a Jean-Paul Belmondo…not that I would look forward to drink such a wine.

The more I think about it – it’s kind of sick really.

Anyway – I don’t really know were I am going with this, other than I am about to present a wine, which label should make theses sexy descriptors redundant.

2010 Jean-François Ganevat “J'en Veux”

Blend: 17 different grapes

Terroir: Most likely several – coming from Ganevat 1,8 hectare, which ranges from schists, clays and marls

Vines: Ungrafted – some over 100 years old.

Location: Jura

Sulphur: zero

Alcohol: 11% 

Other: All grapes are de-stemmed by hand

Glass: Zalto Bourgogne

How does 17 forgotten grapes taste like? “Dangerous wine” one of my friends said – and the importer just smiled…and what’s is Ganevat trying to say with this label? I can’t answer that – but I can try to give you an idea what’s underneath the panties.

The wine is pure bliss and fulfilling almost everything I am looking for in a red wine. Red fruit of fresh raspberries, rosehip and a super delicate spicy note, which I simply couldn’t nail – other than it was something like a combination of some earthy notes, mineral spine and iodine. The taste is super light – super clean yet, powder sleek texture, yet with enormous precision and with a stunning drinking pleasure. It’s one of those wines you know will not rest for a day 2 and it’s gone pretty fast. 

Bella

Imagine an Italian wine being incredible aromatic – cool tempered like a red Burgundy, carrying 12,5% alcohol –shaping sophisticated notes like roses, nutmeg, liquorice and lavender.  It carries on with a sleek texture, refreshing and firm acidity – crushing the aromatic package into a breed like no other Italian wine I have ever tasted. A wine that grows on you – new shapes & angels, keeping you constant alert. You drink the whole bottle in one go – because you can’t resist.

I wish such a wine excited….and it does. I have tasted it three times now. I  just wish I had found out before. I have even seen the label many times before and also seen friends around social medias posting empty bottles of this wine. Yet I never bought it. I had lost faith in Italy. Hugely disappointed with their Barrique obsession, blending international grapes, masking their terroir and selling out on a wines ability to tell a story and drink well.

However – it's my own fault. I got lazy. I forgot that Italy is so diverse and much more than those wines appealing to the “rating agencies”.   

This wine is the biggest Italian eye-opener I have had in 10 years. A truly emotional wine to me, which against all odds are made in the burning hot Sicily. 

There is hope for Italy after all. BRAVO!!!!

2010 Arianna Ochhipinti “Il Frappato”

Blend: 100% Frappato di Vittoria

Terroir: Red Sand from Sub-Apennines chalk

Age of wines: 55 years

Altitude: 270m above sea level

Aging. 14 month on 25hl large Slovenia oak

Agricultures: Organic without chemical intervention

Location: Sicily – Vittoria (southwest – province of Ragusa)
Alcohol: 12,5%

Glass: Zalto Burgundy – for the aromatic threat. Zalto Universal - for an even more cool tempered expression with an overly sophisticated spice window. Compared - I preferred the Burgundy glass. 

The B-sample

 (The colour of the ’09 has a dark amber colour – really spectacular.)

One of my friends insisted I tried the ’09 Les Ursules from Cédric Bouchard again. After having tried it several times he strongly disagreed with my “closed” analysis, when I  tasted it in May-2012. He also claimed it was the finest “Les Ursules” he had ever tasted…..hmmmmm

Well actually he didn’t have to insist that hard, as I had already planned to taste it again during my summer holiday – but I was for sure even more curious now.

2009 Cédric Bouchard "Les Ursules"

Blend: 100% Pinot Noir

Terroir: Argilo-calcaire

Vineyard: 0,9721ha located in Celles-sur-Ource

Age of vines: Planted in 1974

Production: 2.500 bottles

Dosage: 0 g/l

Disgorged: July-2011

Glass: Spiegelau Adina red wine “Water goblet”

The opening was like I had imagined - in the sense of Cédric’s sleek signature with insanely gorgeous currant perfumes and terrific sensorial sweetness. However it quickly became apparent, that I had a bottle in front of me, which was far more accessible than the bottle back in May. The Champagne unfolded quite a scenery with mind-blowing complexity and depth.

The drum of currant perfumes kept its constant heart beat, but rooted deeper into dark cherries, liquorice and tarragon. It even took one step further, taking you deeper into its terroir formations and revealing scents of seashells, which I have never seen before. The taste is very deep, bombastic in the sense of the tight wrapping of the flavours, but beautiful wrapped in the sleek structure and with long perfumed mouth coating finish. Magical.

Could it be better than the ’08? Very hard choice – I think I prefer the ’08, but the ’09 is more diabolic….maybe….I will test the side by side someday.

I have to thank Ine and Ries for this bottle – you are too kind. 

Limitations and 2006 “L’Apôtre”

The tasting note has its limitations. It originates from a desire to give the audience a flavour profile of the wine and most often follow by a mouth feel (structure, density) and the overall valuation of the taste itself. There can be several associations’ descriptors in a tasting note – ranging from realistic >> creative >> ridiculous - adding more nuances and attempting to draw a more visual frame of the wine.  Yet there is risk of the tasting note falling into a grey area, blending in with several other wines and being completely useless. A white wine or Champagne being flowery, buttery and with notes of citrus fruits would fit an endless amount of wines. However the taster would claim the difference, despite the tasting note looks almost similar – like two women with long dark curly hair, brown eyes and the same height.

If we don’t have any information’s about the personality of the wine/person - we are not willing to engage in real thoughtfulness. But can a tasting note do that? Not always in my opinion.  The real mojo in wine aren’t about writing groovy tasting notes, it’s intercepting the impulses of wine, understanding their complexity and valuate the emotional impact. This mind game can’t always be explained and fitted into a tasting note and doesn’t’ need to be addressed to an audience and thank God for that.

With this introduction I present to you a tasting note of the 2006 “L’Apôtre” from David Léclapart.

Blend: 100% Chardonnay

Dosage: 0 g/l

Vines: Planted in 1946 

Vineyard: Lieu-dit La Pierre St-Martin

Fermentation: Oak-barrels from Leflaive. 

Other: Biodynamic stuff
Glass: Spiegelau Adina red wine/water goblet

I truly admire the style of David Léclapart and it’s not something I can explain to you in the simple schematic framework of a tasting note. His wines do something to me. I pick up energetic impulses, which are stronger than any producer I know of.  There is no fuss or special effects when it comes to his Champagnes, as they are so direct and filled with enormous soil intensity.

The 2006 “L’Apôtre” are incredible compact in its fruit core. Obviously in some kind of young/closed phase, yet it’s not like the 2004 vintage, which feels more like a flower, which has been frozen. The 2006 are more like big clump, trapped in a tiny square box with no way to go. Yet there are room for notes like peach, apples and flowers followed by bright breezes of citrus and raw soil intensity. With air the drumbeat turns deeper with notes of almonds and marzipan. The taste is unbelievable energetic with an enormous pressure on the tongue followed by lots of young and unresolved bitter minerality components. Despite it’s highly intense character and the most concentrated “L’Apôtre” I have tasted so far, it still has the edge to feel uncompromising elegant.

The 2006 might not have the complex depth of the 2002 (yet) and the bright energetic Bouquet of the ’04, but it’s seriously the most compact frame of them all and there will be more than awarding pleasure waiting for the patient consumer.