Tag: Jura

Go Go Montbourgeau!

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: Yup, we were making a Negroni. Sbagliato. And were probably going to put prosecco in it since we were going to be featuring it during a prosecco tasting. That all may sound very familiar read from the vantage point of 2024. But look at the date this was originally published. 2011. Yeah, we were just that ahead of our time.

Wine geeks love wines from the Jura. This doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Well, it doesn’t come as a surprise to a certain sect of the world’s wine geeks …the Juranistas, to coin a phrase that really shouldn’t be coined. I’m one of those Jura-loving wine geeks and Frankly Wines stocks more wines from this region than my accountant considers fiscally responsible. So anytime an article appears touting the joys of these obscure, unique wines, I do a little happy dance.

I did a big happy dance following Eric Asimov’s most recent Jura post. This one specifically mentioned Domaine Montbourgeau, which is located in the sub-region of L’Etoile. This estate, overseen by Nicole Deriaux, is one of my favorite. I’ll even admit to a girl crush on Nicole and her wines, of which I stock quite a few, including her “starter” Chardonnay. This Chardonnay – which has nothing in common with big, buttery, Cali-style Chardonnay, beyond the name – is my gateway drug to the Jura. I price it aggressively, at $19.99, a price at which many people are willing to take a chance. It has the twangy, earthy, funkiness so typical of the Jura, balanced by an elegant minerality and a bit of roundness that softens it up a bit. ‘Accessible ’ is probably not the right word – this is not a wine everyone will like – but if you’re looking to try a white from the Jura, made in the classic style, this is a good place to start.

Montbourgeau L’Etoile 2008 (L’Etoile, Jura, France): Pair it with some comte cheese, or with a creamy sauce, possibly involving mushrooms, and you could just find yourself turning in to a Jura-loving wine geek. And if that happens…don’t worry, I can help you get your fix. Price $19.99   

GIFT IDEAS #6, #6.1, #6.2…etc: For Those Who Choose Wine Based on the Label

Many people do it.  You may even do it.  As a professional buyer, I try very, very hard not to do it.  But it’s true.  A cool label or bottle is more likely to get a second look.  And a really ugly label?  Let’s just say I have a few bottles on the shelf that require me to explain, “The labels horrific but the wine is great.”

But it is possible to have it both ways – great wine in a really cool package. While lining up bottles for some newsletter pictures, I realized my sweet/fortified shelf is home to some of the coolest bottles in the store. (Yes, for the eagle eyes out there, I realize the vin jaune is neither sweet nor fortified).

Perhaps it’s because they need all the help they can get to overcome the stigma of being sweet/fortified wines.  Or maybe it’s just because these particular wines tend to continue using the original bottle shapes from back in the day.  And this wines do go way way back in the day.  They’re some of the oldest, most storied wines you can buy.

But they’re not something that most wine drinker will buy for themselves.

Not because they won’t like them – when we open any of these wines at the store, most people are usually surprised at how enjoyable they are. It’s probably because they’re usually sitting on some out of the way shelf. Or because they seem like something only old people drink, while sitting in their library in front of a fire place. Or because we’re trained to never express an admiration for anything sweet.

Whatever…

They’re a great indulgence if you’re getting a gift for someone or looking for something to give yourself.  They’re quite stable and after being opened and will last anywhere from several days to forever.  They taste good. 

And the bottles are really, really cool!

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Photo details:

I’ve been asked how what filter I’m using for these photos.  It’s your basic iPhone photo with the Magazine filter from the CameraBag app.  And it you’re wondering what it’s in the background – it’s corks.  Lots and lots of corks.

GIFT IDEAS #4 & #5: Safe and Not-So-Safe 3-Packs

You know you want to give wine – because you know they like wine. But you don’t know exactly what they like. We put this 3-Pack together with that very common request in mind. Three proven favorites: a not-at-all over the-top Hunter Valley Shiraz, a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and a bottle of Champagne. What’s not to like?

SAFETY SAMPLER 3-PACK*
Keith Tulloch Kester Shiraz 2003 (Hunter Valley, Australia)
Alana Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (Marlborough, NZ)
Duc De Romet Champagne (Champagne, France)

Price: $75

Or…..

Let’s say, this time around,,,

You know they like wine – and you know they’re a bit adventurous. So we put together a 3-Pack featuring wines made from obscure grapes grown in obscure places. A red, white, and sparkling. Nothing too funky, but unless they’re Jura fanatics or roam the heights of the Italian Alps, chances are good they’ll be discovering something new.

NOT-SO-SAFE SAMPLER 3-PACK

Jacques Puffeney Poulsard M 2007 (Arbois, Jura, France)
Grosjean Muscat Petit Grain 2009 (Vallee d’Aoste, Italy)
Domaine de Montbourgeau Cremant NV (Jura, France)

Price: $72

*Don’t worry, we won’t mention “safety pack” on the actual gift pack itself. You giftees will officially be getting a “Holiday Sampler 3-Pack”

Holiday Gift Idea #1: Chardonnay-Hater’s 3-Pack

Originally published on December 8, 2010.

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: This was a fabulous pack back then. And it would still be a fabulous pack today. Maybe it’s time to get another I Hate Chardonnay Pack happening.

Everybody loves to hate Chardonnay. But there’s a lot more variety to the grape than most people expect. Give the hater in your life this cheeky 3-Pack of Chardonnay-based wines that taste nothing like the typical “Chardonnay.”

3-Pack includes:

Philippe Chavy Bourgogne Blanc 2008 (Burgundy, France): Many people don’t realize that white Burgundy is made from Chardonnay. But it is – and it’s generally considered the mack daddy of Chardonnay expression. Other regions around the world strive for the balance of elegance, richness, nuttiness, minerality and subtle fruit that is good white Burgundy (a.k.a. Chardonnay)

Chateau de Beru Chablis 2007 (Burgundy, France): This is miles away from the big, buttery Chardonnay bombs that the haters love to hate. From the cool, northerly part of France, it’s all minerally and razor-edged – like green apples, shimmery oyster shells, and chalky stones

Michel Gahier Arbois “Les Crets” 2006 (Arbois, Jura, France): This doesn’t taste like any other Chardonnay you’ve ever had – unless you’re already a fan of this obscure region near France’s board with Switzerland. It’s made in the Jura’s traditional, purposely oxidized style, which gives it a nutty, twangy, slight sherry note. Sound scary? It’s stunning with cream and mushroom–based dishes.

Price: $69

Thanksgiving Day Suggestion #10: For Those Who are Feeling a Little Extravagant

Originally posted November 21, 2010.

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: I completely forgot this existed. But oh my, was it good. It’s time for the Jura to make a come back! Or… given that the Jura never went away, it’s time for me to refocus on that region and make an effort to sell more of it.

Jacques Puffeney Vin de Paille 2003 375ml (Arbois, Jura, France)
This stuff is so good, you’ll want to beat your head against a wall and rip off your arms. You’ll want to counter the intense pleasure with some serious pain…hence the arm ripping and head banging. It’s made from the same Savagnin grape as the Jura’s more famous Vin Jaune. But in this version, those grapes are laid out on mats to dry (or maybe just in boxes.) This concentrates the sugars, resulting in a sweet wine that brings to mind sweet and savory notes of walnuts, brown sugar, maple syrup, and some sort of spice. If that sounds rich, it is – but that richness is balanced by a sneaky spine of acidity that prevents even a hint of anything cloying. Yes, it’s expensive. But it’s delicious and tastes like absolutely nothing other than Vin de Paille. If you’re feeling spendy, it’s well worth a few bruises and an arm or two. Seriously.

Price: $77.99

What to Drink on a Holiday Weekend: Suggestion #2 – POP TOPS!

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: Oh how I loved that Bornard Poulsard. Some day, when I’m feeling sentimental, I’ll write an entire post about it filled with all sorts of (literally) explosive stories about it!

Originally published on May 26, 2010.

Pop tops. Beer caps. Bottle caps. Whatever you want to call them…(try “crown cap” or “crown seal” if you want to seem really technologically fancy)…they’re popping up more and more often beyond the realm of beer bottles and old school Coca Cola. You’ll increasingly see them topping off bottles of…gasp…wine! Yes, wine!

Here are several reasons you shouldn’t be turning up your nose:

1. You don’t need a corkscrew to open them. And really, who wants to deal with a corkscrew when it’s 92 degrees out and the humidity is at 80%. In a pinch, you can just use your teeth.

2. Even uber-pricey bottles like Cristal and Krug spend a good portion of their life under crown cap before getting dosaged and gussied up with a fancy cork. If it’s good enough for these “luxury bottlings,” surely it’s good enough for your roof top wine.

3. Perhaps most importantly, you’ll miss out on some of the coolest, freshest, most summer-appropriate wines on the shelf.

Frankly Wines currently has at least 4 different wines in stock bottled under crown cap. We probably have 5, but one of those is our last bottle of Rene Mosse’s Moussamoussettes and we’re not letting anyone buy it so it doesn’t count. But we are willing to sell the other four:

Hofer Gruner Veltliner 1 Liter Jug (Niederosterreich, Austria):$11.99
Hofer Zweigelt 1 Liter Jug (Niederosterreich, Austria):$11.99

These jugs of Austrian happiness are becoming a summertime fixture in wine shops across the city. Customers pick up one on a whim (or because we twist their arm) and almost always come back for more. Usually several more.

The Gruner is crisp and clean with a hint of citrus and a zip of minerality that make them perfect for summertime guzzling. If you’re in a Pinot Grigio rut and looking for something a little different, this is one to try.

The Zweigelt is a light, fresh, summertime version of the grape. OK, OK…if you haven’t had a “regular” Zweigelt before, that’s not terribly helpful. Regular Zweiglt, at least the style I stock, is medium-bodied with bright red berry fruits and a kick of black pepper on the finish. This version keeps the bright, fresh berry notes but with a lighter body and a hint of white pepper (for those who are intimate with their spice rack, there is a difference. The jugs are best served with slightly chilled – not ice cold, just a bit of a shiver.

Malvasia Dolce Frissante 2007
(Emilia Romagna, Italy):$20.99
Let’s say you can’t decide between wine and beer. This would be your option. It has a crown cap and the foamy, frothy head of a beer. It even sort of looks like a beer in the glass. It tastes like a cross between a wheat beer and a cream soda. That may not sound appealing, but paired with some cured meats, or just a tall glass and a roof deck, it’s pretty darn good.

Philippe Bornard Tant Mieux Rose (Arbois, France):$23.99
There are very few wines that combine sheer drinkability (Sparkling! Pink!) with utter wine geekery (Poulsard! Jura!) This wine does just that. And it features a cute little fox on the label as an added bonus. It’s a little sweet, but that sweetness is balanced by the bubbles, the acidity, and the underlying earthiness that’s a trademark of the Poulsard grape. Pop one open and you’ll be the hit of the party.

Thirsty? Just pop in and ask for something with a pop top, or be lazy and order at the Frankly Wines on-line store. That’s what it’s there for.

Never Underestimate What Your Customers Can Handle

Originally published on April 26, 2010.

Jura Whites – they’re not the easiest whites to love on first sip. Reds from this region – a totally different story. Leaving aside those hankering for big, extracted monster-truck wines, many Jura reds can easily please both wine geeks and regular-ole-wine-drinkers (like my mom.)
The whites, not so much. Here are some of the typical descriptors:

  • Jura twang
  • Oxidative Sherry kick
  • Rancid walnut
  • Walnut polish
  • Raging acidity
  • Burnt sugar
  • Briney / salty
  • Stinky

These are not words that send most people racing out to buy a bottle.

So as you can imagine, these wines need to be sold very, very carefully. If you bring a bottle up to the counter, we’ll likely ask you if you’ve had a Jura white before. If you haven’t, we’ll mention the distinctive “Jura twang” (credit for this phrase goes to my Rosenthal rep, Clarke.) If that doesn’t scare you off, we’ll sell you the bottle with a warning to open it well before you want to drink it. Like maybe a day before you want to drink it.

But they are wonderful wines that are distinctive, thought-provoking and go blissfully well with Comte cheese, fondue, and anything earthy and creamy and rich. And we had just gotten in the latest arrivals from Jacques Puffeney – his Melon Queue Rouge, Cuvee Sacha, and Savagnin. And we wanted to open them. So we did – at last week’s Thursday tasting.

Now I fully expected lots of wrinkled noses at first Sherry-scented whiff. Like I said, these are not easy wines. And an in-store tasting, even with a hunk of Comte cheese on offer, is a brutal setting in which to first encounter them. But…people liked them! They really liked them! Some were thrilled to find a white wine they really enjoyed. Many started off unsure about what they were tasting and smelling, but worked their way through the three wines, increasingly intrigued by the unusual textures and tastes. Everyone seemed to appreciate the opportunity to try something different and unusual and relatively rare. (I’d say no one spit the wines out, but that’s not much of an indicator because no one ever spits anything out at a store tasting.)

These Jura whites rank up there with the Lopez de Heredia Rosado, Dard et Ribo St. Joseph, and Foundry Viognier for most surprisingly well-received warning-label-required wines. More proof that it’s best not to underestimate what your customers might like.

Hmmmm…perhaps it may be time to break out the Americano.

Thanksgiving Day Suggestion #7, #8, and #9: For the Grab & Go Set

Originally published on November 24, 2010.

Since Suggestion #6 involved a wine I couldn’t even sell, these next suggestions center on wines exclusively available at Frankly Wines. OK, the wines aren’t exclusive to my store, but I dare you to find all these ones at any one place…other than Frankly Wines!

All horn tooting aside, last year, it became very clear that many customers really don’t want to think too much about what they’re serving for Thanksgiving. Sure, there are plenty of customers that do want to discuss the intricacies of their various side dishes or the specific ingredients in their stuffing, but they’ve generally not doing their shopping the day before Thanksgiving. For those last minute shoppers, I’ve put together three different 3-Packs. Each includes a red, white, and rose, all boxed up and ready to grab and go.

Here they are:

THANKSGIVING WINE 101
All three of these wines were Frankly Wines best sellers. They’re all tasty, easy-drinking crowd pleasers that won’t offend your turkey (or your crazy aunt.)

Sebastiani Chardonnay 2007 (Sonoma, California): Creamy Chardonnay goodness balanced by a crisp citrus edge. This is even a hit with those who “don’t like Chardonnay”

Mark West Pinot Noir 2008 (California): Bright, pure fruit with a hint of spice. Not too heavy, not too light – it’s the ideal accompaniment to a table full of Thanksgiving treats.

Crios Rosé of Malbec 2009 (Mendoza, Argentina): Made from the Malbec grape, this is a rose with a kick. Big fruit, big spice – it’s a red wine that just happens to be pink.

PRICING:$36.99 (regular price $40.97)

TURKEY DAY UPGRADE
Show your bird a little love and upgrade the liquid portion of your dinner These grape varieties are just one or two steps removed from the usual suspects – without being weird or wine geeky.

Markus Fries Bernkasteler Schlossberg Kabinett 2007 (Mosel, Germany): Almost-dry Riesling from a tiny producer. Despite fears to the contrary, that tiny bit of sweetness is what makes this a perfect paring for nearly anything.

Noëlla Morantin Mon Cher Gamay 2008 (Loire Valley, France): Think of Gamay as Pinot Noir’s vibrant country cousin. This one is made by a young winemaker from fruit sourced from the culty Clos Roche Blanche vineyards.

Nigl Zweigelt Rose 2008 (Kremstal, Austria): Nigl is a tip top producer in Austria. Zweigelt is a red grape rarely (ever?) seen outside of Austria. And this rosé is a smashing blend of fresh berry fruit and a white pepper kick.

PRICING:$49.99 (regular price $57.97)

THANKSGIVING ADVENTURE PACK
Face it – turkey day food can be a little boring. But you can bring an a little adventure to your table with this 3-Pack. Yes, these wines are at the bleeding edge of wine geek coolness, but they also happen to be pretty tasty. Don’t be scared….

Bornard Arbois Pupillin Melon Le Rouge Queue 2006 (Arbois, Jura, France): In the Jura region, Chardonnay is called “Melon.” But the taste is totally different. Pure, clean fruit with a slightly sherry-like tang. Weird but good.

Cos Cerasuolo Vittoria Classico 2007 (Sicily, Italy): A blend of Nero d’Avola and Frappato from Sicily. You can taste the Sicilian sunshine, but not in a cooked way. It’s all bright cherries, fresh earth and a whiff of spice.

Lopez de Heredia Todonia Rosado 1998 (Rioja, Spain): From one of the last 100% old school producers in Rioja, this is not your typical rosé. A perfect balance of sherry-like tang, exotic spices and ghosts of fruit.
PRICING:$74.99 (regular price $97.97)

The Mom Test

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: This was when the Tissot wines were at Frederick Wildman and they just… sort of… sat there. Somehow I realized they were there, or Rachel, my first Wildman sales rep knew I would dig them and brought me a sample. However it happened, once I was on to them we bought as much as we could. And they were so, so, so much fun to sell. Around this time, over about six months, Wildman wound up going through three, maybe even four vintages of the Poulsard as it started to catch on and buyers started to realize it was there, buried in the Wildman book. The Tissot whites were also starting to move as well, but the Poulsard was definitely the easier sell, so it FLEW!!!!

Originally published on November 12, 2009.

Within two years, Camillie Riviere, who had been a major force in getting the Tissot wines out of the warehouse and onto shelves and menus, would start her own importing company with the Tissot wines as a key part of the founding portfolio. Those were crazy days – she would come into town with a magic bag literally stuffed with more bottles than a human should be able to carry. An appointment with her was always as close to a party as you could get, without actually being a party. The idea was work like hell to sell the wines as soon as they came in, and then get back to France to find more wines.

What does any of this have to do with the Mom Test? Nothing really. I just like to take an occasional walk down memory lane and recall the days when I really did spend most of my time behind the counter, when regions like the Jura were still new and mind-blowing and not just another notch on the coolness belt. It reminds me that for most wine drinkers, the Jura is still as obscure as it was when I was writing these posts over ten years ago, waiting to blow people’s minds. Sure, the wines are more expensive now then they used to be, (a spate of small yield vintages haven’t helped) but there are still ways in. Time to sign myself back up for Jura Duty and go find those ways.

I’m down to my last bottle of Tissot Poulsard 2006, the obscure red wine from the Jura region of France. We’ve sold quite a lot of this obscure little wine over the last couple months, possibly due to the following reasons:

  1. An enthusiastic, well-trained staff that likes the wine nearly as much as I do
  2. A recent article in the New York Times Dining & Wine section.
  3. My fabulous 3-Pack (that’s really a 2-Pack)
  4. A hand-written bottle tag noting that Poulsard is a surprisingly good match with steak (people can’t resist the word ‘steak,’ especially when they see it in print)
  5. Flying colors on the Mom Test

The Mom Test?

Yes, the Mom Test. My mom likes wine, but she doesn’t exactly qualify as a wine geek. So if I sit her down at a meal with one of my more esoteric choices and she enjoys it, than there’s a good chance that most of my customers will enjoy it. It’s a good test because if she likes it, it’s just because she likes it. Not because it’s the newest, coolest thing. Not because it scored big points. And certainly not because she’s SUPPOSED to like it.

So when I tell customers that the Tissot Poulsard is beloved by wine geeks AND my mom….well, it works better than steak.

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P.S. If high scores on the Mom Test have you hankering for a Tissot Poulsard, never fear. My last bottle of 2006 should be joined by some 2004 this week and soon after that, some 2007. Don’t wait too long to get some….my mom may just buy it all.