Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
Las Monday and Tuesday, So Paulo hosted its second biodynamic wine fair, organized by the importers of Coule de Serrant in association with Renaissance des Appelations. Nicolas Joly couldnt come because of a minor stroke (from which he is recovering well), but sent his daughter, Virginie. Many participating wineries didnt show, while others sent bottles but not staff, so several stands were empty, while others were manned by fact sheet wielding employees of the various importers and wine stores involved.
I managed to get myself drafted as part of a trio serving Chateau Le Puy, a Ctes de Francs about which I had only seen a smattering of favorable mentions here. Every bottle of the two cuves I opened on both days 2005 Chateau Le Puy (regular) and the more expensive 2004 Cuve Barthlemy was either bretty or reduced, but all improved with air, and were quite tasty. All fruity and balanced, with satisfying weight and texture. Surprising, given the liver-sparing 12%. I would cast my 85% merlot pearls with the words finally, my friend, a Bordeaux for those who are tired of Bordeaux! Most didnt even know they were supposed to be tired of Bordeaux, and were being offered ennui and relief in one, easy-to-drink, package.
My favorite wine of the event was 2006 Coule de Serrant, slightly (but far from off-puttingly) oxidative, astonishingly mouth-filling, with intensity, texture and flavors. Virginie was exhausted on the second day, so I filled in for her part time, and would say to everyone "this is the most celebrated Chenin Blanc on the planet and one of the great wines of the world; if you dont love it, you should have your head examined!" Oh, the joys of being a free agent. No wonder Im not ITB.
Took no notes, so this is purely impressionistic. Avoided Nikolaihof because I could not face the two red-faced Austrians serving it in the indoor heat dressed in lederhosen. AND I TASTED THEM ALL AT CHAMBERS LAST YEAR. The Chilean star winemaker Alvaro Spinoza was serving his Antiyal reds, full of that jammy flavor I so not like. I asked him if any had to be acidified. He answered all of them. Im 100 on that for honesty. Tasted a few Pierre Frick whites, none of them Riesling or Gewurz, and found them all too sweet. Their pinot, on the other hand, was fruity and pleasant. A Comte Armand 2002 Auxey-Duresses was attractive, the 2003 less so. A 2002 Rateau Beaune 1er Cru was hopelessly reduced and bitter. The Villaine aligots were OK, I preferred the more balanced 2007 to the sweeter and riper 2009. The red cuve (not Digoine) was just OK. I enjoyed a white from Emmanuel Giboulot called La Combe dEve (2008). The Chardonnay and Trousseau from Tissot were appealing as always, but no surprise. Three Pierre Andr Chateauneufs: the 2004 nice enough, the 2006 and 2007 not as much. Preferred the deep, minerally and clean 2009 Granite from Domaine de lEcu to their 2009 Orthogneiss. Tasted Mas Estela from Catalonia because Victor had mentioned them in one of his posts. The white was 20% Muscat and quite interesting. The reds were chrome-stripping, massively tannic, 15% ball-busting Grenaches, designed for those who think southern Rhone is beer. The lovely Elisabetta Foradori was serving her wines in a forlorn corner of the fair, visited by few. To those not in the know, Teroldego Rotaliano sounds like the Rotary Club chapter of an obscure Italian town. The 2007 regular and Granato were pleasant, but had a strong lactic note. I asked her about it, and she said it was a "caratteristica dell'annata" (characteristic of the vintage). I asked if that was due to unusually high lactic acid or vanillin, and she stoically and gracefully repeated that it was a "caratteristica dellannata." The inner shrink couldnt help thinking that, if Lacan were a fly on the wall, he would have remarked, with a wink, that "caratteristica dellannata" sounds the same as "caratteristica della nata" (characteristic of the cream). But that still wouldnt give me my answer.
All-in-all, an organizational disaster and public relations non-event, but it was fun, for once, to be on the other side of the fence, telling consumers what they should be experiencing.
I managed to get myself drafted as part of a trio serving Chateau Le Puy, a Ctes de Francs about which I had only seen a smattering of favorable mentions here. Every bottle of the two cuves I opened on both days 2005 Chateau Le Puy (regular) and the more expensive 2004 Cuve Barthlemy was either bretty or reduced, but all improved with air, and were quite tasty. All fruity and balanced, with satisfying weight and texture. Surprising, given the liver-sparing 12%. I would cast my 85% merlot pearls with the words finally, my friend, a Bordeaux for those who are tired of Bordeaux! Most didnt even know they were supposed to be tired of Bordeaux, and were being offered ennui and relief in one, easy-to-drink, package.
My favorite wine of the event was 2006 Coule de Serrant, slightly (but far from off-puttingly) oxidative, astonishingly mouth-filling, with intensity, texture and flavors. Virginie was exhausted on the second day, so I filled in for her part time, and would say to everyone "this is the most celebrated Chenin Blanc on the planet and one of the great wines of the world; if you dont love it, you should have your head examined!" Oh, the joys of being a free agent. No wonder Im not ITB.
Took no notes, so this is purely impressionistic. Avoided Nikolaihof because I could not face the two red-faced Austrians serving it in the indoor heat dressed in lederhosen. AND I TASTED THEM ALL AT CHAMBERS LAST YEAR. The Chilean star winemaker Alvaro Spinoza was serving his Antiyal reds, full of that jammy flavor I so not like. I asked him if any had to be acidified. He answered all of them. Im 100 on that for honesty. Tasted a few Pierre Frick whites, none of them Riesling or Gewurz, and found them all too sweet. Their pinot, on the other hand, was fruity and pleasant. A Comte Armand 2002 Auxey-Duresses was attractive, the 2003 less so. A 2002 Rateau Beaune 1er Cru was hopelessly reduced and bitter. The Villaine aligots were OK, I preferred the more balanced 2007 to the sweeter and riper 2009. The red cuve (not Digoine) was just OK. I enjoyed a white from Emmanuel Giboulot called La Combe dEve (2008). The Chardonnay and Trousseau from Tissot were appealing as always, but no surprise. Three Pierre Andr Chateauneufs: the 2004 nice enough, the 2006 and 2007 not as much. Preferred the deep, minerally and clean 2009 Granite from Domaine de lEcu to their 2009 Orthogneiss. Tasted Mas Estela from Catalonia because Victor had mentioned them in one of his posts. The white was 20% Muscat and quite interesting. The reds were chrome-stripping, massively tannic, 15% ball-busting Grenaches, designed for those who think southern Rhone is beer. The lovely Elisabetta Foradori was serving her wines in a forlorn corner of the fair, visited by few. To those not in the know, Teroldego Rotaliano sounds like the Rotary Club chapter of an obscure Italian town. The 2007 regular and Granato were pleasant, but had a strong lactic note. I asked her about it, and she said it was a "caratteristica dell'annata" (characteristic of the vintage). I asked if that was due to unusually high lactic acid or vanillin, and she stoically and gracefully repeated that it was a "caratteristica dellannata." The inner shrink couldnt help thinking that, if Lacan were a fly on the wall, he would have remarked, with a wink, that "caratteristica dellannata" sounds the same as "caratteristica della nata" (characteristic of the cream). But that still wouldnt give me my answer.
All-in-all, an organizational disaster and public relations non-event, but it was fun, for once, to be on the other side of the fence, telling consumers what they should be experiencing.