Beating Back Burgundy Anxiety: 2000 Baron de la Charriere Volnay Santenots

Aahhh.

Now I see.

I just had my first encounter with Burgundy that was not in a restaurant or at someone's house where I couldn't think about it properly. Recently I bought a selection of red Burgundies from Chronicle Wine Cellar, all of which were Vincent Girardin wines labeled for European markets under the "Baron de la Charriere" brand. This was my chance to start drinking them.

What a good experience--and a reminder that we all benefit from getting out of our wine comfort zones once in a while, whether its drinking more/less expensive wines, wines from a different region, or wines made with a different varietal. We are creatures of habit, and it's easy to fall into ruts without realizing it.

Cautionary note to all readers: I am not well-versed in Burgundian wines, so take this as "notes from a palate in development." I do drink a lot of US pinot noir, but this bottle clarified the differences between French and US style wines made with this varietal--just as there is with any grape. The 2000 Baron de la Charriere Volnay Les Santenots ($19.95, Chronicle Wines) was an excellent QPR wine. It was bright ruby in color with a richness and opulence that was very attractive. It had aromas of herbs and cherries that kept coming from the glass in waves, right down to the very last drops. Flavors of cherries, fresh raspberries, rare roast beef, and a mineral twinge kept this wine interesting. There was a nice juicy finish. My overall sense of this wine was balance: it was fruity without being jammy, velvety without being syrupy, lush without being over the top, with its elements kept in perfect symmetry.

The miracles of podcasting made it possible for me to drink this wine while listening to part 1 of Grape Radio's interview with Allen Meadows of Burghound fame. It's an excellent show, and I learned a lot. If you are new to Burgundy, I recommend you check out this podcast from the American Wine Blog Award finalists at Grape Radio--even if you don't have a red Burgundy or pinot noir to sip with it.

I wanted something rustic, earthy, and warming to go with this wine, so with Allen and the Grape Radio boys playing away through my favorite Christmas present--the IHome under cabinet iPod player--I started cooking some roasted pork with blue cheese polenta. You were supposed to roast the pork in the oven with fresh figs, but they aren't in season right now so I threw a couple of handfuls of whole button mushrooms in around the pork and they were a good substitute. (I also substituted a pork loin for the pork tenderloin in the recipe simply because I prefer that cut--you can, too, but it will take a bit longer to cook so use a meat thermometer to make sure it's done before you pull it out of the oven.) The blue cheese tang of the pinot was a perfect counterpoint to the cherry flavors and aromas in the wine, and I think roasted pork is always great with pinots.

After this, I'm feeling much less generalized Burgundy anxiety. And I'm really looking forward to continuing to explore the wines of Burgundy.

Bordeaux Step 5: Where the *&!% is Pessac-Leognan?

OK, so you know you know you like Bordeaux wines, you understand that they're blended wines that are not going to taste like New World cabs or merlots, and you actually managed to find a cupboard/closet/unused fireplace where you can put several dozen bottles. You've got a merchant in mind, and now you want some Bordeaux.

Then you read the labels. Confusion sets in and your resolve to try Bordeaux begins to crumble.It's like having a bad flashback to 9th grade geography. Where exactly is Pessac-Leognan, you wonder? How does this wine from Pessac-Leognan differ from the wine advertised beneath it, that is from Haut-Medoc?

Every Bordeaux lover discovers that they need to brush up their French geography if they are going to buy wines that they like at a good price, and they have to come to grips with French appellations, too. And we're not even talking about classifications yet (tune in next week). Adding to the confusion, the Bordeaux region is dominated by the Gironde river, which runs through the area. So we have appellations, classifications, and even "Left Bank" (Medoc, Haut-Medoc, and Graves) and "Right Bank" designations (Pomerol and St. Emilion)

It's really nothing that can't be sorted out with a map and a chart (map right, chart below). The French appellation system (AOC) is strictly controlled and covers not only the geographical origins for grapes used in a wine, it also covers what grape varietals can be grown, how they can be grown, how wine is to be produced, and alcohol levels. There are over 40 AOCs in the Bordeaux region (map from Terroir-France, click to enlarge), each specializing in a handful of wines made in a handful of ways. Of course, the genius of the place and the talents of the winemaker make these wines taste different, despite all the precision and regulation.

Most of the AOCs that produce red Bordeaux, and the most popular white Bordeaux like Sauternes, have varietal guidelines that can help you to make the best wine choices for your palate. Like the pencil lead and cassis of Old World cabernet? Head for wines from the Medoc, from St. Julien, or any of the other AOC that produce red wines made predominantly with that varietal. Prefer the softer, fleshier merlot blends? The Right Bank AOCs of Pomerol and St Emilion are for you. And if you like a balance between cabernet and merlot, the Pessac-Leognan, Entre-Deux-Mers, and Graves AOCs all produce wines that should suit your harmonious palate.

APPELLATION	DOMINANT GRAPES
Médoc and Haut Médoc	Cabernet Sauvignon
Margaux	Cabernet Sauvignon
Pauillac	Cabernet Sauvignon
Saint Estèphe	Cabernet Sauvignon
Saint Julien	Cabernet Sauvignon
Pomerol	Merlot
Saint Émilion	Merlot
Graves	Cab/Merlot 50/50
Pessac-Leognan	Cab/Merlot 50/50
Entre-Deux-Mers	Cab/Merlot 50/50
Sauternes	Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc

Next week: professional tasting notes, how to read them, and how to use the classification system to help you sort through them in search of bargains.

WBW #31 Announced: Non-Traditional Packaging

The theme for next month's Wine Blogging Wednesday has been announced. Hosted by Box Wines Blog, the brief is to pick a wine in a non-traditional package (box, tetrapack, goatskin--although I think that's the most traditional, isn't it?), drink it, write up your tasting notes, and post them on March 14, sending a note to the hosts about your submission. For the full brief, click on the announcement link.

Thanks to Sonadora at Wannabe Wino for giving me the head's up that this had been posted!

A Heroic Wrap-Up of an Epic WBW #30

In case you don't know yet, Tim Elliot's pipes burst right over his wine cellar which required some hasty use of saws and soldering irons, resulting in not only a hole in his cellar ceiling, but a smoldering rafter fire.

Despite this (face it, it would have been enough to send most of us straight into the wine cellar for vino!), he managed to pull together a wrap-up for last week's Wine Blogging Wednesday on New World Syrah that boasted the largest turnout in WBW history.

Head on over to Winecast for links to all 50 (not a typo) reviews of 70 (not a typo) wines ranging from $10 to $80, including:

38 Syrah
30 Shiraz
1 Grenache/Syrah
1 Mourvedre

From the following regions:

3 Argentina
27 Australia
25 California
1 Canada
5 Chile
1 New Zealand
3 South Africa
5 Washington State

I think that all these great write-ups from fellow wine lovers and bloggers will keep us rolling in shiraz and syrah for the foreseeable future. Thanks to Tim at Winecast, our fearless leader who bravely continued despite utter mayhem at home, and to all those who participated by sending in their notes. As soon as the theme for WBW #31 is posted, I'll be sure to announce it here.

Think Pink: the NV Blason de Bourgogne Crémant de Bourgogne Cuvée Rosé Brut

It's Valentine's Day this week--the time when you throw your New Year's diet out the window (if you haven't already done so), buy a box of chocolates, trawl supermarkets for flowers, and put together complicated dinner menus for the one(s) you love. And, even if you are averse to pink most of the year, you suddenly find yourself drawn to the color.

Fulfill your need for the pink stuff by trying this N.V. Blason de Bourgogne Crémant de Bourgogne Cuvée Rosé Brut ($7.99, Trader Joe's). A companion bottling to the regular brut sparkler from this winery I reviewed for WBW #28, the rose brut is salmon pink tending towards rose in color. There is not much of an aroma, but what you can smell is slightly biscuity like toasted bread. Once poured, there is lots of froth/mousse, and the bubbles/bead is a little rough and rasping on the tongue. Flavors of raspberry, toast, and yeast come through as you sip this wine. Brut rose wines are not as common as blanc de noirs and other pink or pinkish sparklers that are softer in style. This is not the smoothest brut rose you'll ever have, but it is still very good QPR. And, if you like your wine brut and pink, this is the way to go.

With this sparkler we had a fabulous pink pasta, as well, that I pulled off of Epicurious. Shrimp and bay scallops were tossed with garlic and oil, then added to a sauce made of tomatoes, clam juice, cream, and basil. This rich meal with its shellfish and tomato flavors responded very nicely to the brut wine, and of course it all looked fabulous together, too. If you are in the mood to bake, you can try your hand at this chocolate souffle cake from Cooking Light. It has a nice touch of orange from Triple Sec and deep, dark chocolatey gooey-ness and is surprisingly low in calories. It's a bit fiddly to make but you do need to make it in advance and refrigerate it, so you can hide all the work and whisk it out of the fridge, topping it with a dusting of confectioner's sugar and some orange peel at the last moment. Also: I think you could easily substitute 3 Tbs of Chambord for the OJ/Triple Sec and top with a smattering of raspberries if you want to stay on the pink/red/V-Day theme.