For wine lovers around the world who enjoy wine and the good life Volume 14: Issue 4, October November December 2018 INDIA SommelierTHE WINE MAGAZINE SOMMELIER INDIA WINE MAGAZINE VOLUME 14: ISSUE 4, OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2018 DECEMBER NOVEMBER OCTOBER 4, ISSUE 14: VOLUME MAGAZINE WINE INDIA SOMMELIER J’NOON FRATELLI VINEYARDS’ LUXURY BRAND NOW IN CALIFORNIA page 20 WINE TOURISM AT VALLONNÉ VINEYARDS THE WAY FORWARD page 50 RIVER CRUISE RIESLINGS ON YAATRA THE RHINE YORK’S LATEST RELEASE page 58 ONLY FOR EXPORT page 64 INDIA’S PREMIER WINE MAGAZINE. CONTROLLED CIRCULATION produced at Fratelli Vineyards. California-meets-vibrant-India vibe, thanks J’Noon means passion/obsession in the to Boisset’s portfolio of wines poured from all Urdu language and there was certainly an three regions, paired with chef Victor Scargle’s abundance of passion displayed by both men eclectic menu, prepared from produce grown in for their newly formed partnership. Sekhri Boisset’s organic and biodynamic estate gardens. mused that you can’t get much more global Samosas stuffed with fava beans, than, “Indian soil, French planting and Jean- poppadums topped with Dungeness crab, Charles’ blending.” lamb accompanied by poached-egg biryani – A limited quantity of these wines is these were served with a selection of J’Noon, just hitting the Indian market with a small Raymond and De Loach wines. We also got supply available in the US through Raymond to enjoy the 2012 JCB No. 3 Pinot Noir – a Vineyards’ tasting room in Napa Valley. Boisset/Gallo blend of Burgundy’s Côte de Boisset also hopes to place a few bottles in Nuits and Sonoma’s Russian River Valley. upscale Indian restaurants in the US. “He has the tenacity required to be a FEATURE The wines were uncorked with much trailblazer,” said Gina Gallo of her husband fanfare at an intimate media dinner hosted by as she introduced this wine, which had it’s Boisset and his wife Gina Gallo at their Wappo inception when the two were dating. “Two Hill villa (former residence of the late Robert terroirs came together, it’s a blending of Facing page: J’Noon and Margrit Mondavi), a home decorated wines produced at flavours and terroir expression,” said Gallo. with eye-popping surrealist art and aesthetic Fratelli Vineyards The following day, a Bollywood-style soirée J’Noon makes a in Akluj, 200 miles furnishings worthy of a museum collection. southeast of was staged at Raymond Vineyards’ scenic “You’ll be tasting an expression of our Mumbai. Below: gardens where some 200 guests were welcomed passion,” Boisset declared, welcoming Kapil Kapil Sekhri of with Indian and US flags fluttering high at the Fratelli and Jean- and his wife Puja, along with guests seated Charles Boisset winery’s entrance. More J’Noon and JCB wines splash in Napa at the long table placed by the indoor pool. of the Boisset served with a lavish spread of Indian-inspired Collection pictured at “This is just the beginning; there will be many the Bollywood-style fare prepared by chef Sujan Sarkar of San Jean-Charles Boisset launches Fratelli Vineyards’ luxury more evolutions,” he enthused. soirée at Raymond Francisco’s tony Rooh restaurant. Vineyards brand, J’Noon with great fanfare in Napa Valley. Mira The evening had a distinct Franco- Sarkar and his team whipped up jackfruit Advani Honeycutt attended the launch and is excited about the direction this collaboration could take here’s no limit to Jean-Charles On a weekend in June in California’s Boisset’s appetite for exploring Napa Valley, Boisset introduced his Franco- new territories. His global Indian-American collaboration with Fratelli reach now extends to India. Vineyards, first, in an intimate setting at The French-born vintner, his residence, followed the next day by a Twhose Boisset Collection operates 25 wineries Bollywood-style bash at Raymond Vineyards. in California, France, Canada and England, At his side throughout was vintner Kapil is extremely bullish on the emerging Indian Sekhri, founder/director of Fratelli Vineyards wine market.“When you have such a complex in the minuscule Indian wine region of Akluj. cuisine you have a great palate and when you The two winemakers introduced three new have a great palate you have the propensity to wines — a white and a red named J’Noon enjoy great wines,” Boisset declared. and a sparkling wine called JCB No. 47 – all 20 Sommelier INDIA OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2018 OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2018 Sommelier INDIA 21 Elegant table setting celebrating J’Noon Appetizers prepared by Chef Sujan Sarkar of San Francisco’s tony Rooh restaurant for the Indian dinner at Jean-Charles Boisset and Kapil and Puja Sekhri with guests at the Bollywood-style bash at Raymond Vineyards’ scenic gardens Raymond Vineyards for 200 guests Raising a toast to J’Noon and (right) Puja Sekhri flanked by Kapil and Jean-Charles Above and right: Images from the launch of J’Noon wines at Raymond Vineyards. Right: Kirk and Mira Honeycutt with Kapil Sekhri 22 Sommelier INDIA OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2018 Jean-Charles and his wife, Gina Gallo pictured OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2018 Sommelier INDIA 23 with Puja and Kapil Sekhri at an intimate media dinner at the Boisset residence. Right: Guests and friends at the Raymond Vineyards’ party cornetto, chili sambal prawn and shammi singing with the vibrancy of lime and jasmine. kebabs among the appetizers; vegetable pulao The non-vintage sparkling JCB No. 47 is was assembled with California wild grain rice, 100% chardonnay and named for the year in raita with diced avocado, and smoky beef short which India achieved its independence from rib curry with a jalapeno saalan. There were Britain. Seductively crisp, this bubbly rings Indian accents in the desserts too – mango and with minerality and tropical fruit flavours, saffron highlighted the cheesecake, chocolate layered with traces of toasty brioche. The brownies were flavoured with masala chai and wine is fermented in French oak barrels, and coconut accented the bread pudding. undergoes a secondary fermentation in the bottle as per methode traditionelle, also known ’Noon wines are produced at Fratelli as methode Champenoise. Vineyards in Akluj, located on the right All the three wines, produced in J bank of the Nira River which lies over limited quantities of 200 cases each, were 200 miles southeast of Mumbai. “Nothing enthusiastically received by the guests, many was grown on the land we have chosen since of whom were not familiar with India’s wine mankind was created,” noted Sekhri. “It was production. Before the parties got into full A jubilant Kapil Sekhri just barren, volcanic land and an area that swing, I got a chance to sit down with Sekhri, samples to his winemaking team in Napa Valley With his latest venture Boisset is looking experiences a diurnal temperature swing of whose soft-spoken persona is the yin to who fine-tuned the wines in collaboration with to the future. “We are here to establish a some 20° centigrade.” Boisset’s unbridled high-octane yang. “What Masi, based in India. long term business with Kapil, one that our Fratelli’s 240 acres of well-drained soil was the genesis of this collaboration,” I asked? “It all started with the blending, but for children can continue. If you’re shortterm are planted to 12 grape varieties imported “It all began when Boisset visited India in the next vintages we plan to take inputs on oriented, don’t come to India.” from France. Under the direction of Italian January 2017,” recalled Sekhri, who has long fermentation from Jean-Charles and his Sekhri is delighted with Boisset’s vision. winemaker, Piero Masi the winery produces been an importer of wines from Boisset’s French team,” Sekhri noted. “It’s not every day you meet people going long 220,000 cases annually of which 60,000 and California portfolios. Tasting events held Boisset was also impressed by Fratelli’s in India,” he commented. This collaboration cases are dedicated to budget brands such in New Delhi and Mumbai included Boisset’s state-of-the-art winery and its meticulous will give a boost to India’s wine industry, as Sidus and Vero, which are produced wines along with the local Fratelli collection. operations, as well as the vineyards, the plus it might usher in other opportunities, from outsourced grapes. The company also “We had no inkling that we might have a clonal structure and the overall viticultural Sekhri noted. He cited as an example that produces a red and a white wine label for collaboration,” Sekhri recalled. Boisset tasted practice. “The shape of the vines and the the chairman of Mitsubishi in India was Steven Spurrier, called Master Selection. Fratelli wines and was impressed. The initial pruning technique is tight, similar to how it so impressed with J’Noon wines that he is “We already have Sette, a premium wine tasting led to barrel tastings of all the 2016 is in Europe,” Boisset commented. “It’s not entertaining the possibility of producing sake from Fratelli, and now we have J’Noon,” Fratelli wines. “He liked what he tasted – surprising, because Kapil’s advisor is Italian.” in India! Sekhri declared. Priced at $60, the J’Noon red cabernet sauvignon, merlot, sangiovese and During his weeklong stay in India, Boisset Sekhri sees tremendous potential for India’s stands out as India’s first luxury wine. cabernet franc,” said Sekhri. visited Akluj as well as Nashik, the wine region wine industry. “We haven’t even touched the Cabernet sauvignon driven, the 2016 northeast of Mumbai, home to some 20 small tip of the iceberg.” Indeed, his latest idea is J’Noon red is blended with petit verdot, oisset, being an expert blender was wineries.