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!

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

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 …

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

Back by popular demand, my good friend and colleague, Tim Reno, organized another very successful “Secrets of Montmartre” wine walk 2009 Edition.  This year we added a slightly more focused wine portion to the tour.  My role was that of choosing the wine and dropping a few fun facts on the crowd throughout the tour, regarding the bottles I chose.

This year’s wine walk coincidentally enough fell on the same weekend as the annual Montmartre Harvest Festival “Fete de Vendange”.  So naturally the whole area was buzzing with activity.  Essentially Tim, accompanied by my wine tidbits, led a guided tour through the beautiful Montmartre district of Northern Paris.  Watch the movie Amelie for anyone who’s unfamiliar.  Basically the way it works is, we walk through Montmartre, stopping at relatively unknown sites, selected by Tim, and at each site Tim gives his shpeel and then I give my shpeel, and then we uncork a bottle of wine and toast.  This year the crowd was double, 40 students strong, incorporating both the first and second years from the Sciences Po Master of Public Affairs.  And what a blast I must say!  The tour included roughly 6 sites but the 3 main sites were the Montmartre vineyard, Le Passe Murraille and the “I love you” Wall.

Without going into detail here’s a quick summary of the three sites.  The vineyard at Montmartre is nestled on one city block of land and is the only remaining vineyard in Paris, planted on public land after the prohibition, in memory of the former parcels of vines that had been removed or destroyed due to urbanization and the phylloxera famine.  The wine is not found in the stores and is only sold locally during the festival, with sales going to charity.  The next site, Le Passe Muraille, essentially meaning walking through walls, is a statue in commemoration to the legend of Mr. Dutilleul, the hero of a novel written by Marcel Aymé.  The way the story goes Mr. Dutilleul discovered that he had the ability to walk through walls.  He used this ability to orchestrate a few successful burglaries.  Eventually he was caught however it proved quite hard for the police to detain an individual with the ability to walk through walls.  Jumping to the end of the story … Mr. Dutilleul ended up falling in love and one day while wondering the streets and walking through walls on Rue Norvin in Montmartre, Mr. Dutilleul’s love for this women was so strong that he lost his ability to walk through walls, becoming enshrined in the wall.  The last site, the “I love you” wall is located by the Place des Abbesses in the Square Jehan Rictus.  It was conceived by Frédéric Baron with the help of artist Claire Kito.  The wall consists of “I love you” written 311 times in 250 languages.  Below are pictures of the sites in order of the tour.

And now how about some funny pics of Tim and I “caught in the act” …

Below is a listing, in order of tasting, of the bottles I selected, all around 10 Euros, all purchased at La Grande Epicerie at Le Bon Marché.

Below is a listing, in order of tasting, of the bottles I selected, all around 10 Euros, all purchased at La Grande Epicerie at Le Bon Marché.

2006 Domaines Schlumberger “Les Princes Abbes” Alsace, Gewurztraminer
Tasting Notes: This event was not meant as a formal tasting and I didn’t take any notes.  But this was a fairly straight-forward, off-dry, simple, aromatic, fruity wine with the characteristic litchi notes and a prickly effervescent texture on the tongue.  On the price-quality scale this is a good wine.  Overall, the crowd loved it.  The wine merchant recommended it.

2001 Château Côte Montpezat “Cuvée Compostelle” Côtes de Castillon
Blend: 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasting Notes: This bottle scored a very close second in the value category at the first MPA wine tasting last year.  Here’s a peak at some of the tasting notes from last year’s crowd.  “plums, acidic, earthy, strong, tannic and full-bodied, leather, vegetable, herbaceous, cassis, blackberry, wet wood and mushrooms, a park on a rainy day, rubbery, smelly rocks, licorice, tar and sandalwood”

2006 Ferraton Père & Fils “La Matiniere” Crozes-Hermitage
Tasting Notes: This bottle was the preferred value wine at the first MPA wine tasting last year.  Here’s a peak at some of the tasting notes from last year’s crowd.  “cassis, black pepper, smoke, floral, acidic, earth, oak, vanilla, barnyard, plum, tannic, full-bodied, British garden, peas, floral bouquet, graveyard rather than garden, prunes”

My last two weeks on the job at Guigal were spent completing the extraction of the reds.  Additionally, a few days before my departure we began pressing the first few vats of reds as the maceration was wrapping up.  As a nice icing on the cake, on Friday in the afternoon, Eve, Philippe’s wife, treated me to a fairly complete tasting of Guigal’s domaine and négociant wines.  So please see below for the two final photos in my Guigal 2009 vintage montage, as well as a summary of my tasting.  These past five weeks have certainly been intense, very educational and unforgettable.  A whole-hearted thanks goes out to the Guigal family, the team of “cavistes” and the 2009 harvesters!

… on Wednesday, September 30th we began pressing the first vats of red grapes.  The approximately 3 weeks of fermentation and maceration was coming to an end, meaning that it was time to rack out the wine and move the remaining cap (red grapes, including skins, seeds and in some cases stems) to the press.  The grapes were pressed and the wine was mixed back in with its corresponding vat’s free-run wine.  As a quick wine geek reference, during maceration about one third of the vat is made up of the cap and the remaining tw0-thirds is free-run juice/wine.

… the 2009 harvest and vinification team in the flesh! Bernadette and Marcel Guigal are on the far left.  Philippe is in the back row fourth from the right while Eve is kneeling down in front of Philippe to his right.  And yours truly I’m in the middle in the very back row to the left of the tallest baseball capped head.

A summary of my tasting with Eve …

2008 Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc
Blend: 55% Viognier, 20% Roussanne, 10% Clairette, 10% Marsanne, 5% Bourboulenc
Tasting Notes: Simple nose with aromas of apple, mineral, and citrus.  Pretty plain in the palate with good acidity and a mild bitterness.  Flavors of apple, spice, mineral and lemon.  A great picnic wine for a hot summer day.
Rating: 12/20

2007 Crozes-Hermitage Blanc
Blend: 95% Marsanne and 5% Roussanne
Tasting Notes: The nose is tight with notes of mineral and apple.  More apple coming through in the mouth as well as minerals, peach, citrus fruits, and bitter apple peel.  This wine is a little plain but has a smooth texture and good balance.
Rating: 13/20

2006 Hermitage Blanc
Blend: 95% Marsanne, 5% Roussanne
Tasting Notes: Great complexity, richness and floral notes on the nose.  In the mouth this wine has a nice lemony acidity, silky texture and overall complexity.  There are hints of brioche and a nuttiness, maybe hazelnut.
Rating: 14/20

2007 Condrieu
Blend: 100% Viognier
Tasting Notes: An elegant and pretty nose with pronounced notes of violets, followed by apple.  In the mouth this wine has a smooth and silky texture with flavors of peach, apricot, minerals, wet rocks, and apple.
Rating: 15/20

2008 Condrieu
Blend: 100% Viognier
Tasting Notes: A little more closed in the nose than the 2007, yet the minerality comes out more pronounced.  There’s a stronger acidity in the mouth with flavors of lemon and orange.
Rating: 13/20

2008 “La Doriane” Condrieu
Blend: 100% Viognier
Tasting Notes: In the nose there is minerality, spice, black pepper, apple and subtle floral notes.  The mouth is quite linear, although expressing some richness and a fleshy texture.  There are flavors of minerals and apples.
Rating: 13/20

2008 Tavel Rosé
Blend: 50% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, 10% Clairette, 5% Syrah, 5% others
Tasting Notes: An herbal nose with notes of spice, grass and strawberries.  Pretty complex in the mouth for a rosé, although nothing too compelling.  There are flavors or mineral, bitter apple and strawberry.
Rating: 13/20

2006 Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge
Blend: 55% Syrah, 35% Grenache, 8% Mourvèdre, 2% others
Tasting Notes: A jammy, sweet richness on the nose with hints of red fruits, including raspberry.  Strong tannins and acidity in the mouth this wine is very fruity.  Raspberry comes out pretty strong, followed by a hint of apple.
Rating: 13/20

2005 Saint-Joseph Rouge
Blend: 100% Syrah
Tasting Notes: A big, rich nose of black fruits, black pepper and spice.  The mouth is balanced with good tannins and fruitiness with notes of blackberries.
Rating: 14/20

2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge
Blend: 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre, 5% others
Tasting Notes: There’s an elegance on the nose with notes of blackberries and minerality.  In the mouth this wine is big and rich with notes of blackberry and a fruity, jammy mouth feel.
Rating: 14/20

2004 “Brune et Blonde de Guigal” Côte-Rôtie
Blend: 96% Syrah, 4% Viognier
Tasting Notes: More minerality on the nose than the Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  There are also notes of flowers, black pepper, blackberry and piquant.  The mouth is rich and big, expressing a good balanced acidity, jammy flavors and a slightly course texture.
Rating: 14/20

2005 “Brune et Blonde de Guigal” Côte-Rôtie
Blend: 96% Syrah, 4% Viognier
Tasting Notes: More aromatic than the 2004, the nose is rich and has aromas of mineral, flowers, and black fruits.  In the mouth this wine has a balanced acidity and flavors of blackberries and black cherries.
Rating: 15/20

2004 “Château d’Ampuis” Côte-Rôtie
Blend: 95% Syrah, 5% Viognier
Tasting Notes: A subtle yet expressive nose that opens up very well to notes of minerals, spice, and flowers.  A great balance and acidity in the mouth with minerality and black cherry flavors.
Rating: 16/20

2005 “La Turque” Côte-Rôtie
Blend: 93% Syrah, 7% Viognier
Tasting Notes: More complexity in the nose showing nice minerality and a very mild yet elegant muskiness.  There are strong tannins in the mouth, which overall is very big and powerful, expressing good acidity.  There are flavors of black fruits, chocolate, minerals and graphite.
Rating: 17/20

2005 “Ex Voto” Côte-Rôtie
Blend: 100% Syrah
Tasting Notes: Minerality, flowers and black fruits on the nose.  Fruity in the mouth with good tannins and a jammy flavor structure.  There is also a complex and compellingly pleasant dirtiness with notes of minerality and hoisin sauce.
Rating: 17/20

Alerting The Grand Crew.

Over the past week or two I’ve noticed minor issues with the WordPress theme integration with The Grand Crew site.  Many of the links on the right bar have gone missing. Now the problem appears to be worse.  I will look into these IT issues and hopefully the site will be back to normal soon!

Either case, posts will keep on coming.

Cheers !

Kenny Galloway, Founder and Editor

Week three on the job at Guigal was basically all about fermentation and extraction. We finished Domaine Guigal’s harvest on Thursday and the negociant grapes came in until Sunday. We would have finished sooner; however, rain forced us to cancel Wednesday’s harvest.

… a refactometer, which measures the potential alcohol level of incoming grapes. The meter measures the reflection of light in a sample grape must, which is affected by the changing sugar content. This year’s harvest came in roughly between 12.5% and 13.5% potential alcohol. In theory, according to viticulture and vinification characteristics in the Rhone Valley, the higher the alcohol level, the better the harvest, up to about 14%. This differs in Burgundy, for example, where the focus tends to be more on acidity.

… a little over 2 tons of table sugar, the same thing you may put in your coffee in the morning. However, this sugar is used for chaptalization, which is the process of adding sugar to the must in order to increase the alcohol level. As most of you probably know the yeast cells feast on sugar, producing CO2 and alcohol as a byproduct. So the more sugar the yeast has to eat, the more alcohol will be produced. Although at a certain temperature and alcohol level, the yeast will die and fermentation will cease, even if sugar remains in the must. This of course must be avoided as Guigal makes strictly dry wine. Based on the refactometer reading, among other measures, Philippe and Marcel Guigal will decide whether or not to chaptalize.

… a density meter. Every day we must measure the density of the must and fermenting wine. As a reference, at 4 degrees Celsius H2O has a density of 1,000 grams per liter. At 20 degrees Celsius pure ethyl alcohol has a density of 789 g/l. As a gross simplification the must enters the tank with a density of around 1,100 g/l. As fermentation commences, the sugar content drops and the temperature rises. Additionally, the resulting density slowly drops and the alcohol level slowly rises. Within about one week the density reaches roughly 990 g/l, meaning that all of the sugar has been consumed and the alcoholic fermentation is completed.

… oak barrels filled with Condrieu white wine that is well into the fermentation. In order to ensure proper balance and structure in the resulting wine, the temperature must be cooled. A hot ferment would impart unwanted characteristics.

… a “turbo pigeage” pump resting in between extractions. Based on the the density readings, daily tastings, and other analyzes, the Guigals will decide how much extraction to carry out for each individual fermenting vat. In a very brief and general sense, extraction is the process of mixing the upper level cap (grape skins and seeds) with the lower level juice or wine. Generally speaking the most extraction is done at the peak of the fermentation when the yeasts are most active. The least extraction is done after fermentation is completed and when maceration ensues. Extraction is essentially only done for red wines, as the process requires the interaction between the juice or wine and the grape skins, seeds, and sometimes stems. In this particular case turbo pigeage is the process of pumping the juice/wine from just below the cap, over the cap. The process is similar to “pumping over”; however, the exact technique and mechanics are different and in the case of pumping over, the juice/wine is typically pumped from the bottom of the vat.

… the turbo pigeage in action!

… a liquid nitrogen tank. Another extraction technique. Nitrogen gas is pumped into the must from the bottom of the vat, generating bubbles, which force the juice up through the cap.

… “pumping over” in action! As I already mentioned, pumping over is an extraction process where the must is pumped from the bottom of the vat over the cap on the top. In summary, regarding all of the above extraction techniques, there are countless theories as to what to do, when to do it, and how much to do. At Guigal, the vinification style entails a lot of extraction, two times a day for 2 to 20 minutes, using as many as four different extraction methods in each individual vat. Of course the extraction ceases as soon as the wine is pumped into barrels. Three general techniques were not covered in the above photo montage–(1) punching down or “pigeage”, (2) continuous extraction through thermal kinetics, and (3) rack and return or “delestage”. Briefly, pigeage is the punching down of the cap into the must, either by hand or by a pneumatic device. Continuous extraction is done on the “La Landonne” label and was briefly described in last week’s post. An additional tank is attached over the main vat, allowing for the juice/wine to naturally collect on top, due to liquid expansion during fermentation. Since the cap is not allowed to pass through to the attached tank, the cap is trapped between the juice/wine on the bottom and the juice/wine on the top and thus soaks perpetually in the must. Additionally as the temperature of the must rises on the bottom the must ascends through the cap and as the temperature of the must lowers on the top the must descends back through the cap. An endless cycle of extraction is created. Finally, delestage is very similar to pumping over, except that the entire vat is racked, leaving only the cap. Then the juice/wine is returned to the vat, mixing back in with the cap. Delestage is the only extraction technique not performed at Guigal.

… I don’t know if you can appreciate it from the photo, but these are “clean” wine hands, after about 5 repeated washes. The red wine is temporarly tattooed on my hand, regardless of repeated washes. Typically it’s a lot worse than this! A small price to pay I guess for making one of the world’s top wines!

The 2009 E. Guigal harvest kicked off on Monday the 7th.  I hope ya’ll enjoy enjoy the photo homage below …

… I spent 12 hours hiking through Guigal’s 30-something hectares of Côte-Rôtie vineyards.  Many of the vineyards were planted on 45-degree slopes! Additionally, the temperature reached 35 degrees Celsius and the sun was blazing! I accompanied Marcel Guigal, his two viticulture directors (Daniel and Stephane), and Guy, the General Director and winemaker of Vidal Fleury.  All five of us picked our way through the vines, taking grape samples, in order to measure the potential alcohol level, which allowed Mr. Guigal to schedule the date and order of the harvest for each individual parcel.

… the Condrieu Viognier grapes arrived at Guigal’s harvest reception. I work hand-in-hand with the two guys in the middle, Aurlene and Jean-Michel (left to right). They’ve been on the wine making team at Guigal for 4 and 15 years respectively.

… Eve, Philippe Guigal’s wife, and Philippe’s godson sorting Syrah grapes. Overall this year’s harvest has shown nice maturity, fairly good potential alcohol levels, and a small quantity of moldy and under ripe berries.

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… France Channel 3 arrived to film footage of a Guigal special that should be airing some time in January.

.. I hereby christen myself the Messiah of the snail world. I easily saved over 20 lives during the first week of harvest.

… another live saved. I’m still waiting on a call from PETA for an exclusive interview of the latest animal rights guardian… ME!

… Viognier grapes being loaded into the destemmer and then pumped into the presses!

… a fresh arrival of Viognier into the press.

… a close up.  As you can see the grapes are alive, prepping themselves for the native yeast fermentation, which initiates naturally a day or two after the harvest.

… regarding the Viognier grapes, during the entire first week, Monday through Saturday, I manned the presses from 8 to 9pm, while at the same time eating dinner with the Guigal family. A boring job but somebody has to do it. Every 10 to 20 minutes we have to pump the freshly pressed must into the stainless steel vats in order to avoid over-oxidation. I learned that pressing grapes is a science in itself.  Guigal discovered about 10 years ago that a slow and calculated press over roughly a six-hour period yields a much larger amount of high quality must than a quick, higher pressure press. In essence the press is divided into 3 stages, a low press, a medium press and a high press. Each stage lasts between 1 and 2 hours, according to the program that Philippe Guigal has set. During all three stages (T4, T5, and T6), the entire pneumatic press rotates intermittently in order to break up the berries and allow for a complete press. The first press yields the purest, highest quality must; however, the second press also yields very good quality must that imparts structure and complexity. These first two presses are pumped directly into the stainless steel vat. The final high pressure press yields only about 200 liters of must. It is separated from the first two presses, and is pumped directly into an oak barrel. This final must is much lower in quality, as the proportion of harsh tannins from the skins and seeds is much higher. PS: I must disclaim, to ensure that I don’t divert any attention away from the Guigal family, that Philippe and Eve, manned the presses every night after dinner, from 9pm until 12am – 2am!

… regarding the Viognier grapes, after one day in the stainless steel vats, a layer of cloudy, sediment-filled must collects at the bottom of the vat. The cleaner must is racked off and this bottom layer must is pumped through a filter that utilizes “Randalite” filter aid, which to a layman looks like flour. As the must passes through the filter, the excess filter aid is collected in a bin.

… a fresh arrival of Syrah after being pumped directly into the stainless vat, skin and all! The berries will be pressed in about one month, as soon as the fermentation and maceration is complete.

… the famous and EXPENSIVE “La Landonne” grapes freshly pumped into the vat. The Landonne vineyards are special in that they have a very high phenolic potential. In order to exploit this quality throughout the vinification, first, all sorting is done in the vineyard by the harvest team. No sorting is done at the grape reception. Second the stems and all are pumped into the vat, so that the maximum phenolic potential can be reached. Third, in order to maximize extraction, you’ll note the smaller vat mounted on top of the main vat. When mounted together, due to the natural must expansion during fermentation, an automatic system of continuous pumping over ensues–i.e. continuous extraction. And voila… one of the most sought after wines in the world is created!

… filling the newly cooped oak barrels with water. The barrels are left soaking in water for about 48 hours. This is an important part of the prep work involved in aging wine. The water causes the oak to expand, sealing any gaps that may have remained in the barrels. After all, it is only a very slow and controlled oxidation through the porous oak fibers that is desired.

… no this is not me rehearsing for the sequel to “I know what you did last Summer”. This is me preparing to rinse and wash the presses, after finishing the final press of Viognier. Oh man did I EVER get soaked!

… you’re looking at a Filtrox AG wine filter. All of Guigal’s wine is pumped through this filter just before bottling. First Kieselgur filter aid (which also looks like flour but is essentially crushed rock) is mixed with the wine. Second, the wine-Kieselgur solution is pumped through the multi-layer stainless steel filter on the right. And out comes a freshly filtered, protein-free wine.

… Guigal’s public tasting room, situated at the end of the main barrel aging cellar. In front of you are the super star wines of Guigal. In no particular order–Landonne, Mouline, Turque, Ex Voto, Chateau d’Ampuis, l’Hospice, and Doriane.

St Emilion’s train station is a great place. You gotta love it. Why ? Well if you’re there, it means you’re in an absolutely gorgeous part of France. Imagine the picture: vineyards everywhere, the blue sky, 5 min walk time from the beautiful village of St Emilion, and this unique French lifestyle atmosphere.

Toward the end of July, something made this place even more special when I came across a young man approximately my age. Obviously he wasn’t from here, so I asked where he was from:
“USA.”
“And what brings you here ?”
“I’m here until September, and am visiting as many Chateaux as possible. Wine is my passion.”

I then paused for 2 seconds, thinking about how this area seems to be synonymous for passion, and therefore attracts passionate people from all horizons. And meeting Kenny this day reminded me it’s always a gift to connect with such people.
As we started to discuss back and forth, Kenny proposed to add me as a contributor to his blog. The desire to contribute was quite obvious from the beginning, even though I had no precise idea about what my contribution could be about.

Here is some info to give you an idea of who Seb is :
Name : Seb Zar Bourcheix
Age : 31
French, currently living in St Emilion area.
Profession : no such word in my language, I make a living with my PASSION. My passion is to create Art. Sculpture, and more.
See my work here : www.sebzar.com

You will learn more as we go on this journey together. I’m really looking forward to this adventure. While I’m certainly not a wine expert (yet !), wine is in my DNA and I am convinced that the value for thegrandcrew visitors is the different perspective that I can bring. As you perhaps suspect, the process of producing wine and the process of producing art, have more similarities than one would expect.

Talking about expectations, make sure that you work on your French, as there will be posts 100% in French, making this blog your multi-cultural / polyglot wine rendez-vous.

Alors levons tous nos verres pour célébrer le partage de nos passions qui nous rassemblent !

Seb