Tasting Wines of Southwest France
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Southwest France DAVID DENTON, CWE, CSS, IBWE A panel samples French varieties ranging from the familiar to the esoteric. Assembling wines be blended with Cabernet Sauvignon or Caber- for a Southwest France net Franc. This flight has four different produc- tasting can be a daunt- ers from Madiran and two Irouléguys.” ing project. This di- The panel gathered to taste the 12 wines at verse area, made up Ruth’s Chris Steak House, just north of Dupont of relatively isolated Circle in Washington, D.C. I acted as moderator, subregions, is home and the other participants were Elli Benchimol, to some of France’s beverage director of Chef Geoff’s Universal, a least-known appel- local family of restaurants; Julie Dalton, CWE, lations and most ob- the Terry Theise national portfolio representa- scure grape varieties. tive from Michael Skurnik Wines in New York Stretching from Bor- City; Brent Kroll, wine director of Adour at the deaux to the Pyrenees St. Regis; Kathryn Morgan, MS, sommelier and and from the Atlantic wine director of Michel Richard Citronelle; and Ocean to Languedoc- Michael Williams, beverage director of Occiden- Roussillon, it com- tal Grill and Seafood. prises more climates, “It seems that every one of these wines can aspects, and soil types be good recommendations for guests who ask than any other region for more internationally known grape varietals, in the country. It also and they would be more than pleased,” Dalton produces what seems remarked. “Plus, the wines are more afford- to be an endless vari- able.” Kroll agreed: “My guests rarely want to ety of wines. Do we go know about first-growth Bordeaux; they want with the esoteric and to know what the best value is, what I drink in exotic, such as Gros my spare time, and this can fit that niche. These Manseng and Man- wines show that you can have a lot of power and sois, or stick with the more comfortable and fa- complexity without sacrificing acid, which is miliar, like Tannat and Cabernet Franc? great with food.” As Dexheimer noted, “We have Fred Dexheimer, MS, the U.S. spokesper- to remember that this is a food area, too. Foie son for Wines of Southwest France and a mem- gras comes from here, and duck confit and cas- Advanced sommelier ber of Sommelier Journal’s Editorial Advisory soulet, and these wines are fantastic with food, David Denton is an Board, helped our panel pare the list down to a whether you want a salad or lobster or steak. international Bordeaux few representative, but perhaps still unfamiliar, We didn’t taste sparkling wines or sweet, which wine educator with the selections. “There is no Cahors in this tasting, they also have. Also, Tannat is one of the most CIVB. A sommelier at since it is hard to just do one or two Cahors,” he heart-healthy grapes in the world. As somme- Charlie Palmer Steak in said. “I did this in two flights: indigenous vari- liers, we are the gatekeepers to consumers, and Washington, D.C., he eties, like Len de l’El, Mauzac, Gros Manseng, so, hopefully, one or two of these on a wine list is also an instructor at Petit Courbu, Petit Manseng, for the signature can cause a spark.” the Capital Wine School and the only American white grapes, and for the three reds, we have a “When I taste a wine, I think of how I can faculty member of the Fronton, which is Négrette; a Gaillac, which is sell it,” said Morgan. “I have sold Madiran many Wine Academy of Spain. Duras; and a Marsillac, which is called Fer Ser- times to California Cab and Bordeaux drink- Contact him at davidd vadou or Mansois or Braucol throughout the re- ers—anyone who likes a big wine with lots of [email protected]. gion. The second flight is all Tannat, which can tannin loves Madiran, whether they know it or 22 November 30, 2011 TASTING PANEL snapshot: first flight Snapshot “box and whiskers” graphs used by Sommelier Journal are designed to portray the Tasting Panel consensus while also representing the diver- sity of opinion. In general, the shorter the box, the more agreement among the group. A wider box, longer whiskers (the thin lines extending outward), and numerous outliers indicate more disagreement. Visit www.sommelierjournal.com/about-us/snapshot for a detailed discussion of how the boxplot graph works. Prices are current estimated retail. not. I can also see that Irouléguy would be good Williams: On the nose, I got a lot of sweet grape- for Chinon drinkers. This indigenous flight fruit and citrus, like a citrus punch (but not as of wines I found most interesting—incredibly sweet as that may sound). I loved that the texture food-friendly because of that intense mineral- was round, but it had a lot of acid. It was coating, ity and acid that works well in food pairings. I but clean. It finished with a nice chalky mineral- think that these wines would be great for a tast- ity. This one made me think of hot weather in ing menu.” “Tannat is a very distinctive varietal, the shade. and there are a lot of distinctive wine styles in Kroll: This was bright and clear. On the nose, this region,” Williams concluded. “I wouldn’t I got summer melon and pear juice, wet stone, want any of these wines to soften themselves or and green tree fruits, like a youthful Grüner seek to try and make the wines more accessible. Veltliner—very juicy. On the palate, it had more I feel like the last thing that anyone wants to of a dry, raw quince note, kind of starchy. I found do with Southwest France is to internationalize it balanced and pleasant, but fairly neutral. it—they are supposed to be a little evil.” Morgan: I liked this wine a lot; it was a pleasant The panelists, including Dexheimer, tasted surprise. I thought it was a bit floral, and I can the wines blind and scored them on SJ’s 20-point definitely see the Grüner comparison because I scale. As usual, they were told that the conclud- got white pepper and tarragon along with that ing discussion was more important than their little bit of jasmine and lime juice and cantaloupe ratings. Representative comments from that rind, which I tasted for more than 40 seconds. discussion are presented in order of the wines’ Dalton: This was my most highly rated wine be- ranking on the “snapshot” graphs. cause it is just the kind of wine I like to drink that goes with the foods I like to eat. I picked up First Flight on the creamy after-texture that might be bâton- nage, but it was still crispy and crunchy, which 2009 Domaine des Terrisses I totally love. Gaillac Blanc “This wine is from Gaillac and is a blend 2008 Domaine Le Roc Fronton of Len de l’El [50%], Mauzac [30%], and Sauvi- La Folle Noire d’Ambat gnon Blanc [20%], so you are going to get a lot of “This is the prettiest of the three reds in green notes, like green apple and quince,” Dex- this flight,” said Dexheimer. “It is from Fronton heimer pointed out. “What I really like about and is 100% Négrette, which is a low-acid grape this wine is that there is also a textural note that with high tannins. It has spice, but also a pretty complements the citrus elements. It is fun, well floral-violet character.” balanced, and a nice way to start the tasting.” Dalton: I found this wine to be the least aromatic Sommelier Journal 23 of the first flight. I just kept finding black fruit; dark, dark Morgan: There was such a strong mineral presence in these rocks; and cocoa nibs. I thought it was relatively easy drink- three reds. It was like Spain, but without the alcohol for me. ing, with manageable tannins. I didn’t dislike it, but it’s rath- I got a lot of dark rock, bell pepper, raspberry, Maraschino er forgettable. Pair with a dish where the food is the star. cherry, ferns, herbs, and a little bit of leather. Benchimol: This was my favorite of the flight. Once you get Dalton: When I first smelled it, I thought there might be a past the tannin, it has a really pretty spice to it. It was simple bit of semi-carbonic maceration—it seemed to be like a cor- and easy and good. nucopia of berries with a little banana. But then as it opened Williams: My favorite, too, because of its interplay between up, it turned into a Rhône—it had black fruits and smoke. It bergamot and really drying, focused tannins, and then this was my most highly rated red wine, and I thought it was deli- wonderful combination of tart red and black fruits and their cious. Give it a slight chill and give me some ribs. skins. There was an intensity of spice and aromatics and Benchimol: I had barbecue as a pairing as well. It was a simple headiness to it. If we were drinking these wines with food, it wine, easy to drink, and possibly a nice entry level to these may not have been my favorite, but by itself, I really loved it. wines because it’s not in your face. It’s softer, with really pret- Kroll: I got a lot of roasted, dark fruit. It smelled really fruit- ty spices and fruits. forward, and I wasn’t getting a lot of complexity on the nose, Williams: This one wasn’t my favorite.