Kermit Lynch French Italian Tasting at the Edge Restaurant at the Four Seasons on Brickell

“An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools.” ― Ernest Hemingway

I wonder if I am the fool or the intelligent man, but I am constantly forced to drink at my desk.  And next week I will be out drinking all over town starting at the Edge Steak and Bar on Tuesday night with one of my favorite portfolios of imported wines from the venerable Kermit Lynch.

Then on Wednesday night we will be discovering the wines of the Southern Rhone at Cafe Maxx with our friends from Stacole featuring an array of Grenache based reds and some very interesting whites.  These two events are only $35 per night so this week is already starting out GREAT, you have already drank 16 wines with appetizers at two of South Florida's hottest restaurants and you have not even spent $100!!

To finish off the week we have two events that we will not need to promote as they have already almost sold out.  Lokoya and Cardinale winery here at the Wine Watch and then our Ultimate White tasting also here at the store.  Check out the line-up for these two events as I mentioned we will probably not have a chance to send out individual notices about them before they are sold out, each of them are limited to 15 wine drinking people.

But back to the subject at hand our tasting at the Edge Steak and Bar on Tuesday, June 4th with our good friend Anthony Pannone from the Florida Wine Company and the wines of Kermit Lynch.

Kermit Lynch has traveled the back roads of French and Italian wine country for over 30 years and has found some of the most thought provoking unique wines that these two countries have to offer.  Most of the wines that we will be featuring tonight are not household names as of yet but you can be assured that they are excellent examples of wines from their particular region.  We have one of Kermit's foot soldiers, Anthony Pannone on hand to show us some new stuff from this outstanding portfolio of wines. 

Chef Aaron Brooks will be sending out a few small courses to accompany the tasting wines. The fee for this event is $35 + tax. For reservations call 954-523-9463.

Valet Service at the hotel is $10 for three hours.

Kermit Lynch French/Italian Tasting at the Edge Steak and Bar Restaurant at the Four Seasons on BrickellTuesday, June 4th7pm

2011 Domaine de la Tour du Bon Bandol Blanc Price: $33.00       Sale $29.04          Case $337

On a bright green color reflections straw, it has a smell amount of citrus and white flowers, exotic fruits in his youth, wax and honey with age. His mouth is full without heaviness. Despite its low acidity, it has a vivacious with a liquorice mineral finish. With a simple charm, this wine is conceived as a scent that is drunk leaving a wake in the singular mind.

2011 Sesti Sauvignon Blanc Montalcino Price: $25.50       Sale $22.44          Case $261

The Sesti estate consists of 102 hectares (254 acres) of land, of which nine hectares are planted to vineyards. The rest is given to olive groves grazing or woodland.  The vineyards are in the enviable position of being on the southern slopes of Montalcino, where some of the most prestigious Brunello comes from.  A fruity dry white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc, bottled early in Spring to retain its characteristics green fruit flavours.

2011 Compte Abbatucci Faustine Rose Corsica Price: $32.50       Sale $28.60          Case $332

In the colorful, picturesque city of Ajaccio, capital of Corsica, you can’t get very far without seeing the name Abbatucci. There are streets, monuments and plazas that carry the name, which is normal given that General Jean-Charles Abbatucci from Ajaccio was a hero of the French Revolution and comrade in arms of another local hero, Napoléon Bonaparte. Step into a wine bar or a restaurant there, chances are these days they’ll pour you a glass of Domaine Abbatucci. The domaine is run by Jean-Charles Abbatucci, a direct descendant of the General, who has now become a local hero of another kind—for providing the local populace with its most sought-after libation.

Corsicans are proud defenders of their traditions and environment, and with Abbatucci they indulge guilt-free. His wines are certified biodynamic, and he believes in following even the most far-out biodynamic practices to the letter. On his large estate south of Ajaccio he keeps a pristine poly-culture ecosystem in place, complete with herds of sheep foraging through his vines, groves of olive trees on ancient terraces, and large swaths of untouched forests. His vines come from cuttings of indigenous grapes, sourced decades ago high up in the isolated and mountainous interior of the island from elderly peasant farmers, effectively saving several native varieties from extinction. To keep his vines happy, he’s known to drive his tractor out to his vineyards and play traditional Corsican polyphonic songs over loudspeakers for their benefit. After the harvest he’ll treat his cellar to the same music as his grapes ferment and come of age. All part of the terroir, he says. Does all this have an actual effect on the wine? Have a taste for yourself. The proof just might be in the pudding.

2010 Diochon Moulin a Vent Beaujolais Price: $24.00       Sale $21.12          Case $245

(89 Points) "Thomas Patenotre – who has rented and farmed Bernard Diochon’s vineyards since 2007 – perpetuates his predecessor and mentor’s practice of multiple cuvees and bottlings, with the Diochon 2010 Moulin-a-Vent Vieilles Vignes that I tasted in June representing the unfiltered cuvee destined for the U.S. and bottled in May (the domaine’s fourth bottling of the vintage), and as usual predominantly from the layered decomposed granite and clay of the lieu-dit Champs de Cour on which the estate is situated. Blackberry, cedar, and smoked meats are shadowed by leafy herbal overtones, and saturate a palpably extract-rich palate suffused with fine but abundant tannin. Tart berry skin and pungent herbs lend a relatively austere cast to a lightly-chewy but impressively persistent finish. While this is short on charm, it suggests that some patience will be rewarded with further intrigue and a versatile table companion that should remain so for at least 4-5 years." (8/11) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2009 Mas Champart St Chinian Rouge “Causse de Bousquet” Languedoc Price: $25.50       Sale $22.44          Case $261

Isabelle and Mathieu Champart were relatively new to winegrowing when they first took over Domaine Bramefan (as her family’s farm is also known), in Saint-Chinian, in 1976. Isabelle was a Parisian with a degree in Geography, while Mathieu came from a family of farmers in Champagne. For nearly twelve years they sold their grapes to the local cooperative. Though they waited until 1988 to bottle under their own label, they won almost instant acclaim, and have become the standard against which other producers in the appellation have been measured ever since. Mathieu tends to the vines, and Isabelle makes the wines—that their home is surrounded by their vineyards makes their division of labor all the more poetic. The Champarts have made significant changes to their business over the years. While the domaine started from just a simple, humble, stone farmhouse, they later added a winery and have expanded the holdings from eight to twenty-five hectares (sixteen of which are consecrated to vineyards, the remaining nine to arable crops and orchards). The terroir here is a patchwork of soils: steep slopes of clay and limestone (Mourvèdre), brightly colored marl (Carignan & Syrah), limestone (Syrah & Grenache) and lower slopes of clay and sandstone (Cabernet Franc). They live among their old vines on a gentle slope and have slowly started integrating more organic practices into their farming. Though the wines are easy to appreciate now for their inky complexity, they age extremely well and shine after some decanting.

2007 Silvio Giamello Barbaresco “Vincenziana” Piedmont Price: $43.25       Sale $38.06          Case $442

Silvio Giamello and Marina Camia. This fourth generation continues to make wine the only way they can imagine: all vineyard work is natural and chemical-free, and the vinification techniques are purely traditional.  a Licenziana remains the archetypal artisanal estate, with very small quantities produced entirely by the family

2009 Riofavara “Sciave” Nero d’Avola Sicily Price: $37.50       Sale $33.00          Case $383

Harvested by hand. Indigenous yeasts used. Low gobelet training and high trellising (according to the terroir of each parcel). "Sciave" (pronounced sha-VEH) is a local nickname for Saverio, the name of Massimo's grandfather. Density of planting: 6,500 vines per hectare. Yield: 38 hl/ha Temperature-controlled maceration in stainless steel with pumping over daily, 14 months of elevage: (1/3 new barriques, 1/3 second passage barriques, 1/3 split between third passage barriques and stainless steel). Four to six months of bottle aging before release. Unfiltered

2011 Fattoria Moretto Lambrusco Secco Price: $23.00       Sale $20.24          Case $235

At first thought, a sparkling red may seem like a strange idea. However, such wines are surprisingly commonplace in Italy, where the straightforward process of bottling shortly after fermentation with minimal additives has led to a long tradition of bubbly reds. The most recognized of these is Emilia-Romagna’s Lambrusco. Fattoria Moretto’s Lambrusco vineyards are located in the rolling hills just south of Modena, in what is arguably one of Italy’s richest regions from a gastronomical point of view. Chill it down and pour yourself a glass to reveal the Grasparossa variety’s characteristic deep, opaque hue, topped with a beautiful layer of purple froth. If that alone isn’t enough to inspire thirst, the vibrant aroma of fresh berries that seems to leap out of the glass is a definite help. Moretto’s trademark is an earthy backbone created by the presence of dusty tannins to give a Lambrusco that is bone-dry and ideal for pairing with the bounty of local meats and cheeses (Prosciutto di Parma, Mortadella di Bologna, Parmigiano-Reggiano...). Try some less traditional pairings as well: the wine’s balance, structure, and lively effervescence allow for countless appealing and unexpected matches

A bit about Kermit Lynch:

Kermit Lynch was born and raised in California. From his youth he remembers that his father and uncle worked for a winery, but he has no memory of anyone in his family drinking wine.

The Lynch family was rich in preachers, too, but at communion they served Welch's grape juice, even though, as Kermit points out, Jesus turned water into wine, not grape juice.

In 1972 he opened a retail wine shop and later began importing and distributing nationally. In 2000 he was named Wine Professional of the Year by the James Beard Foundation, in 1998 the French government presented him with the Ordre de Mérite Agricole award, and in 2005 named him Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur. His book, Adventures on the Wine Route, won the Veuve Clicquot Wine Book of the Year award, and is still in print 21 years later. His second book, Inspiring Thirst, was published in 2004.

In 1988 he planted his little terraced hillside near Bandol with Mourvèdre vines. The juice now goes into Domaine Tempier’s famous La Migoua cuvée. In 1998 he purchased the historic Domaine Les Pallières in Gigondas in partnership with his friends the Bruniers of Vieux Télégraphe.

With his wife, photographer Gail Skoff, and their two children, he lives part of the year in Berkeley, and part in Provence, "near enough to Domaine Tempier that I can fill up the trunk of my car whenever I need to."