| Time for turkey, wine |
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By: TOM MARQUARDT & PATRICK DARR, The Wine Guys
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Posted: Thursday, November 24, 2011 9:36 am
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Jean-Noel Formeaux of Chateau Potelle is a character — and a survivor.
Since founding Chateau Potelle in 1988 he has survived a divorce from his winemaking wife, a sale of the original vineyards and winery to Jackson Family Farms, and a bout with three different types of cancers.
Despite the setbacks, he retained the rights to Chateau Potelle’s name and wine inventory.
But before he got back in business of making wine, he spent nearly a year walking across India and climbing Annapurna in the Himalayas, one the world’s tallest mountains.
This is a man who doesn’t have time or interest in television — one piece of equipment he doesn’t even own.
We recently met with Jean-Noel to talk about the prelaunch of Chateau Potelle and his current line of VGS wines.
Before his problems cascaded, Chateau Potelle sold more than 22,000 cases per year in 30 states — currently the winery sells about 5,000 cases in 10 states.
We tasted a number of the VGS wines with Jean-Noel and the following were our favorites:
• VGS Explorer Chateau Potelle Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley 2010 ($25).
This is a very well made and agreeable sauvignon blanc.
Citrus and ripe fruit dominate the nose with lovely ripe peach and tropical fruit flavors in the mouth.
It is 97 percent sauvignon blanc with 3 percent semillon. The semillon is a nice rounding and body building agent for this wine.
Jean-Noel commented that this was a good example of how a very small percentage of a blending grape can make a significant impact on the final wine.
• VGS Explorer Chateau Potelle Epice Napa Valley 2010 ($26).
This proprietary wine exhibits a very aromatic nose from the inclusion of 28 percent gewürztraminer and 11 percent viognier in the 61 percent chardonnay base.
Very complex in the mouth with good tropical fruit flavors and a nice spicy quality.
This wine is great by itself or with spicy or boldly seasoned seafood or chicken dishes.
• VGS Explorer Chateau Potelle The Illegitimate Napa Valley 2007 ($37).
“The Illegitimate” is a parody of the French winemaking rules that would never allow a blend like this wine.
It is 39 percent cabernet sauvignon, 33 percent merlot, 17 percent zinfandel, and 11 percent syrah.
Aged for 14 months in French oak barrels, this wine is very drinkable.
The cabernet sauvignon dominates in the mouth with big berry fruit flavors and a hint of mocha.
Very smooth in the mouth.
• VGS Chateau Potelle Zinfandel Mount Veeder 2009 ($65).
This wine is 100 percent zinfandel and aged in French oak barrels for 17 months.
It offers nice berry fruit in the nose , and a lovely overall roundness in the mouth with berries and and a nice spice element.
This wine should pair very well with roasted or barbecued red meat dishes.
Beaujolais not nouveau
In this season of nouveau silliness, it’s refreshing to find a Beaujolais winemaker who takes his craft seriously.
Although wine has been made in this region since the 7th century, Jean-Marc Burgaud has been crafting high quality beaujolais only since 1989.
His youth has brought a new perspective to a region that many still refuse to call a part of Burgundy.
Made from gamay noir grapes — a cross between the pinot noir and goulais — beaujolais effuses youthful fruit flavors that aren’t meant to be anything but simple.
However, Burgaud has taken gamay to a new level by using indigenous yeasts, adding some aging and reducing the filtering that can strip a wine of its character.
The 34 acres he farms also influences the quality of these wines.
Old vines dig into rich soil that is a combination of broken granite and schist and add mineral flavors to the wines.
These are good wines to serve with turkey too.
• Jean-Marc Burgaud Regnie Vallieres 2010 ($20).
Declared in 1988, Regnie is the most recent of the designated crus. Typically, wines from this region are more feminine with delicate, youthful raspberry fruit.
We liked the tartness in this wine, which like acidity, can perk up a slumbering palate on a cold afternoon. It was Pat’s favorite of the group.
• Jean-Marc Burgaud Morgon Cote du Py Vielles Vignes 2010 ($24).
Morgon is probably best known cru and the one most associated with complexity and quality.
Unlike the Regnie, it is more masculine with dense raspberry and sour cherry fruit. The old vines give it a new dimension and the crushed stone from the schist soil of these hillside vineyards is apparent.
It was Tom’s favorite. |
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