day and night

at 10 greek street, we looked in luke's leatherbound book of monthly beverage specials to accompany several impeccably cooked plates of simple food. in such a situation, four hours passed quickly. also note the intelligent and fuss-free container for condiments, menus, and table settings. later that day—much, much later—some decisions were made by others which i approved of completely.

some exceptions

to five months of mostly unmemorable beverages.*

















* neither a comprehensive nor an ordered listing. japan was the anomaly: a mostly unnavigable sea of delicious and drinkable novelty. ultra-low-alcohol cocktails that abandon the bitters model of flavouring in favour of amino acid savouriness, a profusion of what might be thought of as low-intervention terroir sakes, an entire world of umeshu.

the miller's grape

thierry puzelat's wines have always pushed my boundaries pleasurably outward. the 2010 le rouge et mis is 100% pinot meunier, a grape i have hitherto knowingly encountered only in champagne. the scent of ripe strawberries and red dates (also characteristic of the olivier cousin grolleau that i've been drinking a lot of) rises from the bottle as soon as it is opened. though low in alcohol and with not much in the way of tannins, it is surprisingly intense. there is much ripe (possibly even overripe) fruit and, most notably, a powerful but not overpowering vinous acidity. unredeemably cloudy but still limpid in the mouth, it is worthwhile to serve it chilled to start and to pour generously. nor would a decanter hurt. a refreshing, joyous, remarkable wine.

ante phylloxera

this was an odd and beautiful wine from the 2010 vintage, that i had a chance to drink thanks to jake parrott from haus alpenz, beverage advisor to the elite and tasteful and, by courtesy, to me as well. it is made by marc plouzeau from a parcel of 150+ year old, ungrafted cabernet franc in touraine that escaped phylloxera in the 19th century. still a little young, it came together in a most wonderful way about 18 hours after it was decanted. by which time, of course, there was nearly none left. green and vibrating in the nose, cedar, sour cherry, and corn mash. light-bodied but not lightweight, with clean, perfect, evanescent tannins. in my mind as i drank it, i saw a small, narrow, medium-length diffuse block entering my nasal cavity narrow end in.

seeing is forgetting the name of the thing one sees

for at least two years, i've been asking for dry drinks and dry wines, drinks with low or no sugar. sometimes i enjoyed them, other times it was an exercise in cognitive dissonance and unrelenting austerity.

the watershed moment was opening a 2009 clos habert (a demi-sec montlouis-sur-loire chenin blanc from chidaine) a year ago. it was balanced, precise, vinous, sappy, tender, aromatic, pure. all those good things. distinctly sweet but also richly acid, and richly acid because of the balancing sugar. not long after, i experienced some revelations of unexpected balance. and then a gradual awareness that the oxidative wines i favour are those that achieve balance by combining rich, sweet, nut aromas with total dryness and a hint of salinity: manzanilla sherry, vin jaune. balance, not sugar, is the key: a drink can be bone-dry and delicious (probably with slightly lower acid), or off-dry and delicious (sugar balanced with brilliant acidity, or tannins, or salt).

terry theise is a long-time advocate of residual sugar in wine when it makes sense and, in the realm of mixed drinks, so has senior beverage advisor jake parrott. i should listen more.

When we’re starting out we often ask “How much flavor does this have; that way I’ll know how much I like it (or how many points I’m supposed to give it),” but as we gain more experience we start asking “How beautiful does this taste, how fine, how haunting?” And when we finally learn to relax with wine we barely think abstractly about it at all; we just know when our bodies and senses transmit the joy-signal.

terry theise

(btw: seeing is forgetting the name of the thing one sees)

domaine brazilier, "tradition," 2010

after DRINK RIBERA, DRINK SPAIN! at taberna de haro, i stopped into the wine press across the street to see what there was to see. the selection was divided between unremarkable stuff and some promising options. i picked up a bottle of lagrein rosato from cantina convento muri-gries ($12.99, on which, more later; also see this nyt article on lagrein) and the dry chenin blanc "tradition" from domaine brazilier.

chenin blanc can be grimly ascetic, sweet with no character, or, when done right, really beautiful. in the relatively newly minted coteaux du vendômois AOC, compliant white wines must be made with at least 80% chenin blanc and no more than 20% chardonnay. the brazilier blanc sec is a 100% chenin blanc wine at the good end of that spectrum. made with native yeasts, in the glass it is a pale gold with orange tints. full of acid, but balanced with richness and sufficient residual sugar to taste vinous and delicious.

the bottle label says it has "un nez frais et complexe, avec des arômes de pêche blanche et de poire bien mûre." to this untrained nose, it was not particularly aromatic and had an unsophisticated note even after it warmed up to the recommended service temperature (50 to 54F). however, it is true that the aromas were  light, cool, and fresh, and that in the mouth it had the particular juiciness of a ripe packham's triumph pear (combined with the mild fat sourness of dried apricots). this wine's flavours were less distinct than its sensation in the mouth: a mellow and pleasant tartness, hitting at the top middle of the mouth. the kind of delicious acidity that makes me want to sip and keep on sipping.

i kept it open for 4 days and experienced not much change. i liked it best when i started it out very cold (in a chilled glass) and tasting very dry, acid, and austere, then becoming more full-bodied and balanced as it warmed up—this way of drinking wine is admittedly heterodox. particularly nice with ripe pears and comté. a great deal, especially on sale.

producer: domaine brazilier
name: "tradition"
colour: white
country: france
region: loire (coteaux du vendômois AOC)
grape: chenin blanc
vintage: 2010
price: $11.99 (discounted retail at the wine press)
drunk over: 4 days. resealed with the cork and stored cold.
starting temperature: approx 40F
alcohol: 11-14%

availability: this bottle is imported and distributed in massachusetts by vineyard road (selected by thomas calder) and available for retail at the wine press in brookline.