The Grand Crew Also Drinks Beer!

Whoever said that The Grand Crew was restricted to wine chat? … Well, technically I did, referring to my “Join the Crew” tab and the title of my blog, “a wine blog”.  But I’m the founder and editor so I’ve decided to do whatever the hell I want and open up this forum to all fermented liquids and spirits.  Thus begins a 3 post series on beer, inspired by my friend Marshall—amateur brew master and my former supplier from Texas.

I am going to keep this rather raw with as little editing as possible, as I was very impressed by some emails Marshall sent me over the summer, highlighting some of his top beer recipes.  So basically I’m copy-pasting the recipe below, extracted from my email exchange with Marshall.  Marshall has over 20 years of experience in home brewing so although he’s not a trade professional, he has the experience and certainly the passion!

Marshall’s recipe numero uno:

“Here’s the Irish Red recipe.  Big rich deep malty taste.  Mild bitterness.  Kind of like an overhopped Wee Heavy.  I haven’t found a good commercial example of this style, but I’m going to Ireland in November and will by-God do it.  Definitely my best and my favorite.  This is morebeer.com’s original recipe.  They have since changed the kit formulation.  This one is better.

7 pounds light malt extract (liquid)

1 pound Chrystal malt (120 deg. Lovibond)
0.5 lb.  Aromatic
0.5 lb Caramunich
2 oz roasted barley
2 oz special B
3/4 oz Target (Galena) hops (60 min)
2 oz Willamette (last 10 minutes.)
1 tsp Irish moss. (traditionally in the last 20 minutes of the boil)

You will have to learn about bittering, flavoring and aroma hops, but it’s not that big a deal.  The primary concern is heat.  You are familiar with tannins, and phenolics.  These are components in beer, as well.  As beer is cooked, however, your ability to control them is in the wort (beer equiv. of must).

Brewing is different than winemaking.  There is about 4 hours of work, then two weeks of waiting, then about 2 hours of work then 2 weeks to 18 months worth of waiting.  You can involve yourself more in a secondary (clarifying rack), but the flavor won’t differ much.  Temperature is important, light is important, foresight is important.  As to foresight:  I had a hops blowoff incident that almost soured the sale of my first house.  A wad of hops during high ‘kruesen”, blowing the hose off of a carboy and depositing said load of hops on the ceiling of the laundry room apparently looks like a termite infestation coming down from the attic, at least according to the buyers inspector.  That took a bit of explaining…

Forgot the yeast.  Besides methodology, the most important thing that a homebrewer can do is buy quality yeast and make a starter culture.  The yeast for the Irish Red is a White Labs WLP 004.  I’ve made it with a dry yeast, but the difference between that and the White Labs is night and day to a good palate.”

Two more recipes will follow in the coming week, but just in case any of ya’ll out there are truly interested in kicking off your own home brews, check out these sources, which are also direct recommendations from Marshall the Brewmeister! …

“If you are going to get into homebrewing, the best book out there is Snyder’s Brewmaster’s Bible for recipes and processes.  He goes all the way from extract to grain with a complete explanation of the processes.  Mine is covered in notes and wort stains. Principles of Brewing Science is also good for advanced knowledge.”

And finally morebeer.com is a comprehensive online supply store, which sells “Absolutely Everything! for Beer-Making”

So happy brewing! … Oh and please understand that The Grand Crew HAS NOT deviated from its wine focus.  But this blog is all about exploration and a community approach … which brought us to Marshall and his passion for beer!  And well I must admit that I have a vested interest in this topic as well since I’ve always been a big beer buff and I look forward to brewing my own beer at home, along with el vino of course, in the near future.

Cheers!

In Vino Veritas Tasting – Domaine Geantet-Pansiot

This week’s In Vino Veritas tasting featured a selection of the 2007 vintage from Vincent Geantet, owner and winemaker of Domaine Geantet-Pansiot.  Vincent was accompanied by Alphonse Mellot, friend and well-known Sancerre producer of artisan wines.  Alphonse is a long-time Burgundy lover, so he helped animate our way through this vinous journey.

Domaine Geantet-Pansiot was founded in 1955 by Vincent’s dad, Edmond Geantet.  Vincent joined the domaine in 1977 and by 1989 he took over the operations.  The estate is located in Gevrey-Chambertin, a village famous for red wine production within the Côte de Nuits of Bourgogne.  The estate currently manages 12 hectares of Charmes-Chambertin grand cru, Gevrey-Chambertin (including 1er cru), Chambolle-Musigny (including 1er cru), Marsannay, and Brochon.

Geantet organically farms all of his vines, using no pesticides.  Touching on some technical aspects of the vineyards, 80% of the vines are managed with the Guyot trellis system.  Guyot is a common choice for low-yielding vines and the system is set up so as to maximize the energy to the canopy and the berries.  Upon the completion of the harvest, a single, vertically-grown cane is trained horizontally along the trellis.  All left-over canes are pruned.  The remaining 20% of the vines are trellised using the Cordon Royat system.  Cordon Royat is a unilateral spur trained system, which provides for flexibility in controlling the vine height and the canopy placement.

Once in the winery, all of the grapes at Domaine Geantet-Pansiot are vinified and aged in the same manner.  The difference truly comes from the terroir.  After the manual harvest the must goes through a cold maceration at 10 degrees for around 8 days.  Then using native yeasts, the fermentation begins and is controlled at a maximum of 33 degrees Celsius.  The wine is then transferred to oak barrels where the lees will be stirred once a week until the malolactic fermentation kicks in.  The wine is aged in barrel for a total of 13 months.  30% of the barrels are new oak, followed by 30% one-year old oak and 40% two-year old oak.  The wine undergoes no fining or filtration before bottling.

Here’s a peak at our 2007 horizontal tasting …

2007 Bourgogne “Les Bon Batons” Rouge
Tasting Notes: Ruby red in the glass.  A fresh, sweet nose of jammy, red fruits, minerals, and cherry.  Medium-bodied in the mouth, with moderate tannins, good acidity, light spice and flavors of sour cherries and under ripe plums.
Rating: 12/20
Price: 16€72 @ wine-searcher.com

2007 Marsannay “Les Champs-Perdrix”
Tasting Notes: Ruby red in the glass.  More complexity on the nose, showing red fruits, minerality, and a mild richness.  A smooth, silky texture in the mouth with balanced acidity, medium tannins and a medium to full body.  Lightly savory flavors along with black cherry, blackberry, and subtle dark chocolate.
Rating: 14/20
Price: 26€00 @ wine-searcher.com

2007 Chambolle-Musigny
Tasting Notes: Violet in the glass.  A subtle mintyness on the nose with notes of dried herbs, minerality, and raspberry confiture.  A silky texture in the mouth with medium tannins and body, and a balanced acidity.  There are flavors of sour cherries and dark chocolate.
Rating: 14/20
Price: 34€28 @ wine-searcher.com

2007 Gevrey-Chambertin “Vieilles Vignes”
Tasting Notes: Ruby red in the glass.  Fresh red fruits and spiciness on the nose.  In the mouth this wine has a supple roundness, good acidity, a mild bitterness and medium tannins, accompanied by flavors of bright red fruits and cherries.
Rating: 14/20
Price: 25€53 @ wine-searcher.com

2007 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru “Le Poissenot”
Tasting Notes: Ruby red in the glass.  Good complexity on the nose with an herbal minty freshness mixed in with black and red fruits.  This wine is medium-bodied, expressing a silky texture, balanced acidity and a jammy richness, with flavors of black cherries and cassis.
Rating: 15/20
Price: 48€49 @ wine-searcher.com

2007 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Tasting Notes: Ruby red in the glass.  Bright black fruits, good complexity and a pronounced minerality on the nose.  The mouth feel is silky smooth with well-integrated tannins, a medium body and precision balance.  There are flavors of cherries and black berries.
Rating: 16/20
Price: 69€40 @ wine-searcher.com

Kick Off to the 2009-2010 MPA Wine Tasting Season!

This past Saturday marked the official kick off to the 2009-2010 season of the MPA Wine Club.  Fellow MPAer Sophie and boyfriend Ben were kind enough to host at their lovely house in the 7th arrondissement.  At one point we were 24 people strong but ultimately 20 of us participated in the tasting.  The attendees and individual ratings are listed at the bottom.  The format was a blind horizontal tasting of the Northern Rhone with the exception of one Vin de Pays from the Southern Rhone.  The three reds were from the 2006 vintage and the two whites were from the 2007 vintage.  As usual we had tons of fun and plenty of laughs!  And it is very interesting to note that after tallying up the MPA average ratings, the first place went to a 15 euro bio-organic certified wine and second place went to the Vin de Pays.  The 30 euro Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu were shamed with fourth and fifth place.  TAKE THAT WINE SNOBS! (all in good fun of course, haha)

Congratulations to our Gold Medalists Christian, Puja, Sabine, and Sheila for correctly picking three out of five appellations.

A quick overview of the vintages and appellations …

Northern Rhone 2006 Vintage: (Wine Spectator 92 Rating) “Drink or hold. Ripe, fresh reds with open-knit structures and fine balance; whites are classics, combining best of 2005 and 2004”

Northern Rhone 2007 Vintage: (Wine Spectator 88-91 Rating) “Not yet ready to drink. Difficult growing season, with a hot, early start followed by a cool, wet July and August; some high yields. Perfect September saved the harvest. Reds and whites fresh, aromatic and forward in style; similar to 2001”

Southern Rhone 2007 Vintage: (Wine Spectator 94-97 Rating) “Not ready to drink. Ripe, rich, powerful reds thanks to long Indian summer during harvest time. Grenache is heady and rich, so Mourvèdre and Cinsault key for balance. Best wines are classic hedonist delights, some over the top but superb”

Côte-Rôtie (230 hectares) produces only red wine. Sryah is the main varietal, however, up to 20% of Viognier is allowed in the blend.  The wine tends to be full-bodied, complex, with firm tannins, and flavors of roasted berry fruit, violets, lilacs, peppercorns, earth, bacon.

Saint-Joseph (1,200 hectares) produces predominantly red wine with a limited production, about 10%, of white wine.  Syrah is the main varietal, however, up to 10% of Marsanne and Roussanne are allowed in the blend.  The wine is generally considered to a step up in quality from Crozes-Hermitage with more structure but sharing the fruitiness and pepper notes.

Crozes-Hermitage (1,400 hectares) produces mostly Syrah-dominated red wine, with up up to 15% of Marsanne and Roussanne allowed in the blend.  However, there is also a small production, around 8%, of white wine made from Marsanne and Roussanne blends.  The wine is characteristically similar to Hermitage but less rich and complex, with a medium to full-body mouth feel and flavors of plumy fruit, blackberries, black pepper and minerals.

Condrieu (100 hectares) produces only white wine, stricly from the Viognier grape.  The wine is characteristically full-bodied and aromatic with flavors of dried and fresh apricot, pear, almonds, and violets in bloom.

Vin de Pays de Vaucluse is nearly 200 kilometers south of Condrieu, within the Southern Rhone Valley. Over 75% of the production is red wine with the remaining split between white and rosé.

A quick run down of the wines and our tasting notes …

FIRST PLACE (14.2/20 MPA rating)
2006 CROZES-HERMITAGE | Domaine Combier (Bio)
Blend: 100% Syrah
Price: 16€50 @ La Grande Epicerie du Bon Marché
Tidbits: 25-year vines, yield 40 hectoliters per hectare, 25-day maceration, aged 80% in oak barrel and 20% in stainless steel vats
Kenny’s Tasting Notes: (14/20 rating) Complex and expressive earthy and minerally aromas on the nose, reminiscent of walking through an old musky wine cellar, but in a very good way.  In the mouth this wine was less intriguing, although still pleasant, expressing good balance between the acidity and tannic structure.  There are flavors of blackberries and dark chocolate.

The MPA speaks out …
Sophie, “poorly done peppercorn sauce; blackberry gummy candy filling”
Bianca, “soil”
Raghu, “burnt tire”
Sheila, “expensive”
Sabine, “mud, oysters”
Ben, “shellfish”

SECOND PLACE (13.5/20 MPA Rating)
2007 VIN DE PAYS DE VAUCLUSE | Domaine du Tix “Cuvée des Grande Pointes”
Blend: 100% Viognier
Tidbits: grapes pressed direct, aged in oak
Price: 16€ @ La Grande Epicerie du Bon Marché
Kenny’s Tasting Notes: (12/20 rating) An alcoholic nose that overall is a little closed, with aromas of mineral, fleshy white fruit, and violets.  This wine is acidic, bitter and fleshy in the mouth with flavors of citric fruit and apple.

The MPA speaks out …
Sophie, “crisp, clean, laundry”
Bianca, “vitamins”
Sheila, “acidic and prickly when I swish it around”
Haitao, “a little sweet, sour and salty”
Ben, “champagne”
Sabine, “Stachelbeere (gooseberries)”

THIRD PLACE (12.3/20 MPA Rating)
2006 SAINT JOSEPH | Ferraton Père et Fils “La Source”
Blend: 100% Syrah
Price: 15€05 @ La Grande Epicerie du Bon Marché
Tidbits: 20-day maceration, daily pumping over and punching down, aged 12 months in oak
Kenny’s Tasting Notes: (14/20 rating) The nose is rather complex with notes of mineral, black pepper, oak and an overall herbalness, suggestive of spice box and graham crackers.  Good balance and acidity in the mouth, this wine is fruity with flavors of black cherry and black pepper.

The MPA speaks out …
Roopa, “brick”
Sabine, “boring”
Sheila, “hint of licorice”
Raghu, “marzipan, forest mushrooms”
Rajul, “chocolate-dipped peppercorn”
Sophie, “aged goat cheese”

FOURTH PLACE (12/20 MPA Rating)
2006 COTE-ROTIE | Domaine Stéphane Pichat “Le Champon”
Blend: 100% Syrah
Price: 33€ @ La Grande Epicerie du Bon Marché
Tidbits: Aged 24 months in oak
Kenny’s Tasting Notes: (13/20 rating) A complex nose of cheese, bacon, pepper, oak and black fruits.  In the mouth a little more straightforward with medium tannins, good acidity and an overall fruitiness, especially plum and cherry, accompanied by dark chocolate.

The MPA speaks out …
Clint, “smoky, whiskey, good with spicy food”
Christian, “very oaky, oaky”

FIFTH PLACE (11.7/20 MPA Rating)
2007 CONDRIEU | Jean Michel Gerin “La Loye”
Blend: 100% Viognier
Price: 31€30 @ La Grande Epicerie du Bon Marché
Tidbits: 20-year vines, yield 30 hectoliters per hectare, aged 12 months 70% in oak, weekly stirring of lees, and 30% in stainless steel vats
Kenny’s Tasting Notes: (13/20 rating) Not too aromatic nose with notes of mineral and apple.  In the mouth this wine is full-bodied, dry but fruity and acidic with a spicy, prickly mouth feel, although at the same time there’s a countering smooth and creamy balance.  The flavors are slightly bitter with notes of apple and grapefruit.

The MPA speaks out …
Valerie, “eau de toilette”
Ben, “bourbon whiskey
Rajul, “acid with a side of nail polish thinner”

MPAers individual ratings broken down …

In Vino Veritas Tasting – Château Sociando-Mallet

On Thursday I attended my first In Vino Veritas tasting of the new 2009-2010 academic year at Sciences-Po.  David Riefenstahl is this year’s president and it’s looking to be another vinous year, loaded with tastings and national competitions.

Château Sociando-Mallet was the featured producer.  Pascale Roby, the estate’s commercial representative, guided us through a brief history of the estate and a vertical tasting of 5 wines, summarized below.  The estate produces Haut-Medoc appellation wines and is located in the commune Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne, less than 5 kilometers north of Saint-Estephe.  Since the 1600s when the Sociando family purchased the land, the estate passed through many hands, including the famous Bordeaux lawyer, Guillaume Brochon.  By the middle of the 19th century Madame Mallet purchased the estate, adding “Mallet” to the estate’s name.  However, by the 1960s, after a succession of owners, the 115 hectare estate had only 5 hectares of vines in production.  It was not until 1969 when current owner Jean Gautreau purchased the estate, that serious quality wine production began.  Today the estate is known as one of the top non-classified producers of the Medoc.  Mr. Gautreau considers his wine to be at par with many of the 1855 Growths but has not yet pursued any elevated classification, preferring the flexibility in vinification that is inherent in lower classifications.

Today over 85 hectares are planted with vines.  75 hectares are dedicated to the production of the first label, with an average age of vines of 35 years.  The remaining 10 hectares of vines, averaging an age of 20 years, is used to produce the second label, “La Demoiselle de Sociando-Mallet”.  The varietal breakdown of the whole estate is roughly ~50% Cabernet Sauvignon, ~50% Merlot, and ~5% Cabernet Franc.  The soil is composed of a layer of gravel covering a subsoil of clay and limestone.  Depending on the year the yields range from 50 to 55 hectoliters per hectare with a vine density of around 8,300 vines per hectare.  Once in the winery the vinification follows a fairly traditional path.  The estate uses 25 percent cement vats and the remaining are stainless steel.  One characteristic of the wine making that Pascale pointed out was the high extraction methods.  Roughly 4 pump overs are completed each day during fermentation and maceration and in some cases a “delestage” (rack and return) is done.  The maceration lasts between 15 to 20 days for the second label and 20 to 40 days for the first label.  Both labels are aged in oak for roughly 12 months; however, the difference is in the composition of new oak.  The first label ages in 100% new oak, whereas the second label is aged in 25% new oak barrels with the remaining wine left in the stainless steel or cement vat.

Below is the breakdown of our tasting.  I must say that none of the wine’s blew me away, but clearly the 2004 was my favorite, followed by the 2001.  And well at least in France these bottles can be easily found for under 25 euros, so look for the ’04!

2006 La Demoiselle de Sociando-Mallet
Tasting Notes: Dark purple in the glass.  A fresh, bright nose of red fruit, minerality, black cherry and vanilla.  Medium tannins and good acidity in the mouth with a silky texture in the mid-palate but becoming a little course on the finish.  There are flavors of black cherry, plum and dark chocolate.
Rating: 13/20
Price: ~$30 @ Snooth.com

2006 Château Sociando-Mallet
Tasting Notes: Dark purple in the glass.  A tighter nose, yet expressing some richness as well as good minerality and notes of black fruits.  The tannins are very strong, overshadowing the nice acidity and flavors of blackberries, dark chocolate and oak.
Rating: 13/20
Price: ~$50 @ Snooth.com

2004 Château Sociando-Mallet
Tasting Notes: Dark purple and slightly hazy in the glass.  A more fruity and aromatic nose with notes of berries and spice.  Unfortunately the aromas dissipate a little too quickly in the glass after a few minutes.  This wine is rich and full-bodied with medium tannins and a great balance, allowing one to almost ignore the slightly course texture.  There are flavors of plum and blackberry with plum dominating the finish.  24,500 cases produced.
Rating: 14/20
Price: $40 @ Wine Spectator on release

2001 Château Sociando-Mallet
Tasting Notes: Dark purple and slightly hazy in the glass.  There’s an immediate minty freshness notable on the nose as well as a subtle hint of meat and additional notes of blackberry, mineral and vanilla.  This wine is very acidic with a light bitterness.  Cherry Starburst comes out on the attack, mellowing out to notes of plum, blackberries, and milk chocolate.  24,580 cases produced.
Rating: 14/20
Price: $25 @ Wine Spectator on release

1996 Château Sociando-Mallet
Tasting Notes: Purple with a hint of mahogany in the glass.  There’s an overall roundness and thanks to Laurence I was able to pick up a little hint of cabbage on the nose.  There are also more standard aromas of mineral and black fruits.  In the mouth this wine is full-bodied, dark and thick with medium tannins and a meaty, bloody flavor profile, accompanied by black-blackberries.  No more ageing is needed for this bottle.  In fact I think it’s already began its downward progression, yet still pleasant to drink, albeit a little eclectic all around.  22,400 cases produced.
Rating: 13/20
Price: $38 @ Wine Spectator current auction