Jon Rimmerman - Garagiste Wines - Seattle
Julienas Vielles Vignes
Dear Friends
This is one of the more exciting wines of the young year and it gives me great pride to offer it. While a Monday night may not be the best time to send this out, the phone call just came in and our pledge of immediacy takes precedent over what day of the week it is.
If you are looking for a major new force in France, look no further than Laurent Perrachon, President of the Julienas appellation. He not only administrates with aplomb, he is one of the very best winemakers in Beaujolais and you are going to hear a lot about him in the next few years. If you are a fan of Cru level Beaujolais form the northern reaches of the appellation (abutting Burgundy proper), this is a wine to consider with strong interest as it is not only outstanding but (where everyone else is already flogging their 2006’s) Laurent has pulled a stash from his cellar of his best wine from 2005, the Julienas Vielles Vignes “Chateau de la Bottiere” - one of the more decorated wines of the vintage.
Perrachon’s family has been making wine from this area since 1601 and the vines for this cuvee are as close to pre-phylloxera as one can find in Burgundy and Beaujolais. From prized fruit surrounding the Chateau de la Bottiere, the vineyard is 100 years of age with some vines as old as 125 years of age - this is Gamay that has witnessed history. The soil in this vineyard is nearly pure granite with a rocky/stone top soil that is very tough on the vine’s search for sustenance. The plants have been through the war (literally, two world wars) and they stand proud and ready to give the meager fruit that is produced. The grapes are small, concentrated and full of some of the highest levels of minerality that Gamay can provide. These are vines of nobility and, in a vintage like 2005 - all bets are off.
This example of Julienas is an insider’s discovery no more - it just won the Guide Hachette’s Coup de Couer award in their new guide (as the best wine of the region in 2005) and it should age for years - at least a decade but probably closer to two decades. Vinified in a combination of cement and large barrel (old oak, no new oak), the wine is extremely fresh and lively for such a masculine and gnarled parcel of vines. This is fruit intensity and acid balance rarely seen in Gamay and this wine should appeal to a very large percentage of you. While not nearly as tannic as something like the 2005 Descombes Brouilly (with more red fruit than the Descombe’s black fruit), If you intend to drink it now, give it at least an hour or two of air as the material is pent up like a ball of wire. I believe it would be best to hold this Julienas for 2-3 more years but I know many of you can’t wait (life is too short, I know).
All in all, this wine receives one of the highest recommendations of the 2005 Beaujolais vintage as a “first growth” expression that is closer to a 2005 Burgundy in its potential for ageing rather than what is normally thought of in Beaujolais. In my opinion, if this wine were produced in Burgundy proper (in 2005), it would be closer to $50.
Moulin à Vent Cuvée Spéciale
Dear Friends, If you are into Burgundy and you want to try a very interesting wine for a moderate price, this is more than worthy of our attention.
I’ve already downed two bottles of this wine just to see how it evolved over 2-3 days of air and I am convinced that Laurent Perrachon is on the brink of very big things. He has become somewhat famous in France for this wine, his Cuvee Spéciale, produced from a single parcel of old-vine Moulin-a-Vent at the Domaine des Perelles (a parcel in his family since 1877). Like the Morgon Les Versauds, the vines are grown in manganese heavy soil that gives the fruit a piercing red berry and silk personality, much like a great red Burgundy (one of the reasons Perrachon raises this wine in barrel like a Vosne 1er instead of just in tank). Moulin-a-Vent is more feminine than Morgon with a more silty texture and it is the classic accompaniment to squab and small game birds such as quail or even the illegal Ortolan (it’s not bad with chicken or veal as well). The hallmark of this wine is bright and vivid red fruit harmony in youth and a delicate, cashmere texture that comes with age – much like Vosne-Romanee. Raised for the medium to long-term, this is a Beaujolais for the cellar and one that will repay the patient with one of the more tremendous values around. Perrachon is quite proud of this wine, one he claims tastes of “faded roses and spices” but he urges the taster not to be deceived by the delightful nature of the wine in youth. While it is perfectly fine to drink now, it would be a waste – instead allow this to slumber for 6-8 years and then enjoy over the next decade.
There are not many $16.99 wines left in the wine world from old-vine, specific terroir that are built to age like this (and not to drink on release). Perrachon’s Cuvee Speciale is a standout in any crowd and it deserves a place in all of our cellars. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for outstanding value at the top end of Beaujolais
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as a painful but joyous expression of top vintage, vineyard and old vines.
Bourgogne Gamay Noir
We’ve offered many of the cru wines from Perrachon in 2007 (Morgon, Julienas, etc) but this is his top entrant (this wine is more than the Julienas), an amalgam of his finest parcels that is listed as simple “Bourgogne”. Not to be confused with Bourgogne Rouge from the Cote d’Or (Pinot Noir), this Bourgogne is 100% Gamay Noir from Perrachon’s oldest vines. Vinified in a combination of steel, cement, older barrels and a few new it will be very interesting to see what everyone thinks of this wine, especially at $13.93. When a producer puts his or her finest foot forward for under $14, you have to tip your cap and just enjoy the fruits of their labor. This wine would have been closer to $18 but a perfectly timed exchange rate in late winter (when this was secured) has paid off. STRICT LIMIT 12/person until we run out
