Kermit Lynch Tasting at Wine Watch

A cause may be inconvenient, but it's magnificent.  It's like champagne or high shoes and one must be prepared to suffer for it.  Arnold Bennett, The Title

Kermit Lynch has traveled the back roads of French wine country for over 30 years and has found some of the most thought provoking unique wines that this country has 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.  Wine Watch Catering's Toni Lampasone will be here with a few tasty treats to accompany the tasting wines.  The fee for this tasting is $35 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.

Kermit Lynch Tasting at Wine Watch
Wednesday August 3rd
7pm

2009 Andre Bregeon Muscadet
Price: $16             Sale $14.08          Case $163

(88 Points)  Kelp, salt spray, and oyster uncannily evoke the ocean in the nose of Bregeon’s 2009 Muscadet de Sevre et Maine Sur Lie. Lightweight yet for its appellation unusually broad and soft to the touch, this nonetheless preserves an appropriate sense of refreshment and its oyster shell evocation – joined by a bitter hint of citrus pip – extends to a satisfying finish. This should perform well for the next couple of years.  eRobertParker.com # 190, Aug 2010

2009 St Martin de la Garrigue Tradition 60% Syrah, 40% Carignan
Price: $14             Sale $12.32          Case $143

When Italian Umberto Guida and his American wife, Joëtta, bought the 62-hectare estate, St. Martin de la Garrigue, in the early nineties, they attached their names to several eras of history. The château is located in the Languedoc, near Pézenas, the hometown of Molière. Surrounded by pine forests and garrigue, it is situated overlooking the Hérault River. The building that stands today dates back to the Renaissance, yet its dazzling little chapel (which could turn the devil into a true believer) was constructed in the mid-ninth century. Records show that the property was gifted to the clergy throughout the Middle Ages by the kings of France. The story goes back even further though—the Romans were said to have built a villa and vineyards here after the conquest of Gaul. In recent years, primitive pottery shards and graves on the property were found, indicating that people have been living here even as far back as the Iron Age! So what is so special about this place? Its proximity to a water source and ideal terroir makes it the perfect spot for growing grapes. The microclimate here is different from St. Martin’s neighbors. It sits at a slightly higher altitude and is therefore cooler, allowing a one-to-two week delay of the harvest. This long, even ripening of the grapes is also attributed to the humidity and the cooling influences of the Mediterranean breezes, as well as bountiful rains in the fall and at the end of winter. Beautiful red and white limestone gravel covers the floor of the vineyards, lending aromatic depth and freshness to the grapes.

2008 St Martin de la Garrigue "Cuvee St Martin"
Price: $25             Sale $22                Case $255

50% Mourvedre, 30% Grenache, 20% Syrah

2009 Fontanes Coteaux Du Languedoc
Price: $19             Sale $16.72          Case $194

40% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 10% Cinsault, 10% Carignan blend. Cyriaque Rozier, the highly acclaimed winemaker and vineyard manager at Château La Roque, makes his own wine under the label Château Fontanès in Pic St-Loup in the Languedoc. A charming man with a strong sense of vocation and relentless drive, Cyriaque often works sixteen-hour days between the two domaines. He first started his domaine in 2003, and undertook the ultimate labor of love in the Languedoc—planting a vineyard. For many years, this plot of land was best known for olive trees, until the great frost of 1956 decimated groves by the hundreds. The land is hard as a rock, quite literally, and composed primarily of limestone and clay. To plant a vineyard here is a game of patience and incredibly hard work. Over the last few years, Cyriaque has been slowly building stone terraces to better protect this challenging terrain from erosion. In addition, he has taken to farming biodynamically, a noble task that forgoes the shortcuts that most vignerons have at their disposal today in favor of producing organic grapes in a rich, healthy soil. In total, he works 4.5 hectares, which are planted with forty-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon vines, as well as Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Cinsault. He cannot help but love his plantings, as the original cuttings for his vines were all selected from his favorite domaines in Côte-Rôtie, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and Bandol.

2009 La Roque Pic St Loup
Price: $19             Sale $16.72          Case $194

The picturesque landscape surrounding the historic Château La Roque appears largely unchanged from how it must have been two thousand years ago. Ownership has changed hands many times since the Romans were first here, yet the soul of this special place remains in tact. Romans were said to have planted the first vines, and Benedictine Monks created the sturdy vaulted-ceiling cellars that still house the bottles today. Winegrowing resumed in the thirteenth century when the de la Roque brothers planted new vines. By the 15th century, another branch of the de la Roque family added glass blowing to the farm’s production. Today, Château La Roque is in the capable hands of Jacques Figuette, who has continued to convert to organic and now biodynamic viticulture, as planned by the previous owner and Languedoc legend, Jack Boutin. Jacques is guided by the talented Cyriaque Rozier, who makes the wine both here and at Château Fontanès. Though the property has responded to circumstance, its destiny seems irrevocably intertwined with its vines.

Thirty-two of the Château’s eighty hectares are consecrated to terraced vineyard land with south-southeast sun exposure, on clay and limestone soils. This is unique terroir. Garrique, the aromatic scrub brush that dominates the landscapes of the South, asserts its presence among these vines. Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre, the noble varietals that Jack Boutin planted here years ago, make up the reds. 2009 Pic St Loup- 65% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre

2009 La Roque Mourvedre
Price: $21             Sale $18.48          Case $214

Cuvee Les Vieilles Vignes de Mourvedre- 90% Old Vine Mourvedre, 10% Grenache

2009 D'Aupilhac Lou Maset
Price: $16             Sale $14.08          Case $163

Three generations of Fadats have farmed the large, eighteen-hectare lieu-dit known as Aupilhac, in the village of Montpeyroux, across the river Hérault from Daumas Gassac and Grange des Pères. While the Fadats have farmed this land since the nineteenth century, and the vineyards date even farther back to the time of the Romans, it was not until 1989 that the current member of the Fadat family, Sylvain, finally registered the domaine as a vigneron indépendant.  Aupilhac is a special parcel for many reasons. It sits at a high altitude, nestled below the ruins of the village’s château, at almost 1200 feet above sea level on terraced land with southwest sun exposure. The soils are rich in prehistoric oyster fossils, which lend an incredible length and minerality to the wines. Sylvain is not one to shy away from hard work. In a volcanic amphitheatre comprised of marine fossils and raw limestone, called Cocalières, he has done what few vignerons dare to do nowadays: he’s planted a vineyard on steep, extremely rocky terrain, and terraced the land himself. This is not only an enormous financial investment, but back-breaking work. This was the work done many centuries ago by the founders of France’s great terroirs such as Savennières and Cornas, planting the best and most promising parcels irrespective of time and money.

Sylvain has also elected to have his fruit certified as organic in Europe, a mandatory three-year conversion process. For him, this is a choice both of conscience and pragmatism. He works the soil vigorously by plowing regularly. This forces the roots to dig deeper and deeper in the soil in search of cooler, humid subsoil, which protects the vines from drought and sun. Ultimately, his rationale centers on helping achieve a natural balance. The 2009 Lou Maset is a blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, 20% Syrah, 10% Alicante Bouchet and 10% Aramon

2009 D'Aupilhac "Le Carignan"
Price: $36.25                       Sale $31.90         Case $370

100% Old Carignan (110-120 year old vines)

2009 Terre d’Avignon Cotes du Rhone
Price: $15             Sale $13.20         Case $153

The growing success we have enjoyed over the last three vintages is proof enough that the KL Côtes du Rhône fits both the taste profile and quality standards that our customers have come to expect. Since 1929, this winery has been bringing local vignerons together from the outlying areas of Avignon in the Southern Rhône to produce delicious wines that epitomize the region’s complex terroirs. Kermit works closely with winemaker Jean-François Pasturel to develop the blend. Pasturel is thrilled to be able to have the chance to produce a Côtes du Rhône he does not have to filter to death. It is his tête de cuvée, his pride and joy.  2009 CDR- 47% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 11% Cinsault, 7% Carignan Gigondas fruit. Very rich, spicy, and garrigue with good structure.

2007 Gallety Cotes du Vivarais
Price: $28.50                       Sale $25.08         Case $291

The bright and talented Alain Gallety began making wine in the Côtes du Vivarais alongside his father. Together, they had a vision. They built a state-of-the-art winery, constructed right into the hillside below their high-altitude vineyards. Today, Alain’s son, David-Alexandre, works with him. Quietly and diligently, they imagine one day making one of the greatest cuvées of the Southern Rhône. One wouldn’t initially think such a goal is easy to achieve in a little known area as the Vivarais.  The Côtes run down the western flank of the Rhône, just south of Montélimar in the Ardèche. Although these hills mirror those of the Côtes-du-Rhône on the opposite bank of the river, the Côtes du Vivarais was only recently awarded A.O.C. in 1999.  Over a decade later, the region is finally starting to receive the attention it deserves, both as a cooler and wetter climate than its neighbors across the river, but with a longer ripening season. The wines here stand as a gateway between the Northern and Southern Rhône, frequently seeing equal blends of the noble grapes, Syrah and Grenache.

Though the Galletys reside here, making their exquisite blends with pride, determination, and focus, their minds are frequently traveling to other regions in France, where they are closely studying the methodologies and techniques of their contemporaries. Alain takes every aspect of the process seriously. To grow the quality of grapes he wants, he farms his fifteen hectares of vineyards organically, as he has done since the early 80’s.  To best insure freshness, he has installed top-loading, hatch doors over their gravity-fed cuves, so that the grapes go exactly where they need to immediately following the harvest—bypassing the cellar completely to begin their fermentation. The wines are then aged in Burgundian barrels, as the Galletys believe them to produce wines with greater finesse. Today, they are planting a vineyard so stony and wild that it will have to be worked by a draft horse. Alain Gallety is indeed a man of vision. Domaine Gallety is a new acquisition to the KLWM portfolio, but one well-positioned for stardom with wines of 2007 Gallety- 50% Syrah, 50% Grenache

Menu

Cheese Plate:  Strong Cheddar,

Panko Crusted Chicken with a Curry Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Pork Shumai with Black vinegar dipping Sauce

Kobe Meatballs in Sweet Savory Soy Glaze

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."