Only a few weeks ago Xavier Gerard contacted myself and a few other guys who have visited his winery that he would be coming to Finland for a couple of days. He had been here six years ago and fallen in love with the nature, sauna and Jaloviina (a true local classic, a mix of Cognac and vodka) and had been wanting to return ever since but due to being tied to running his winery it took a little longer than expected. Six of us got together and we kicked things off by spending almost three hours at a local public sauna (Kotiharjun Sauna, highly recommended), alternating between the 80-90 degrees celsius inside and the -2 degrees outside. Xavier would have wanted to stay even longer but some of us - myself included - were getting hungry and thirsty for wine.
Before hitting the private room of a local restaurant slash wine cellar we stopped at a newish restaurant called Wino (highly recommended as well if one is looking for great unpretentious food and very nice list of mostly natural wines). The sommelier happened to be part of our group so he knew what he wanted and popped a bottle of Emmanuel Brochet’s 2010 Les Hauts Meuniers, a superb 100 % Meunier of tiny production - only 24 bottles imported. This is the sort of Champagne that would deserve a lot more time and contemplation but already in the 20 minutes or so we spent with it we noticed the clear development in the glass. At first there was a raisiny quality to the flavor which concerned me a bit knowing that it was generally a challenging vintage but by the last sips the fruit felt a lot purer and fresher. This is a rather serious wine with very high acidity and tons of energy - clearly Meunier but pretty much unlike any other. Based on the one glass I had it is not on the level of the 2009 but a really good wine nevertheless.
We did not get to drink a lot of Xavier’s wines this time but he did bring his 2014 Condrieu Côte Chatillon, Rigotte de Condrieu cheese of various maturity and same tasty charcuterie. If was really cool to hear his thoughts on the different wines we had and what’s going on in the Northern Rhône. He said that he’s really happy with the recent vintages (2016 and 2017 especially) and thinks the times are good for the fans of the region. I didn’t know it but he said that when it comes to other producers Levet is one he is best friends with. He told that Levet is unique in the sense that a huge majority of the production goes to the U.S. - there is not much sold in France at all. Come to think of it I beliee´ve I saw some bottles in Lyon but otherwise I do not recall seeing them at all and at the Ampuis wine fair last year they were only pouring one cuvée. For Xavier 2019 is looking to be an exciting year as he is currently building a new winery which will also have a proper tasting room for visitors. It is supposed to open in June and it will be on a great location right by the main street of Condrieu.
It was a great night with great guys and I have been paying the price today. We finished the wine drinking with some green Chartreuse, went to a pub for some refreshing cask ale/real and finally ended up in a night club where one lager was enough for me.
The wines:
N.V. Beaumont des Crayères Champagne Brut Grand Prestige ‘Pirkka’: This was poured blind and was said to be “something really rare”. When someone asked whether it was rare in Finland or in the whole world the answer was rather mysterious “especially outside Finland”. This could have clued us but no one came even close guessing that this was a fantasy label produced for a major supermarket chain in Finland. The joke there is that wine cannot be sold in supermarket here but the chain decided to create their own Champagne, Saint Emilion and Chablis a while ago just to show what could be. I think it was rather solid for an entry level Champagne being that it was quite flavorful, well-balanced and not too sweet. It had a certain earthiness to it which I found attractive.
N.V. Pol Roger Champagne Pure Extra Brut: Non-blind, enjoyed as an aperitif and charcuterie. Well-balanced and not austere despite being an Extra Brut. Enjoyable and very drinkable yet perhaps it lacks distinction somewhat. Not that many developed notes.
2008 Weingut Willi Bründlmayer Grüner Veltliner Lamm: Blind. An overwhelming note of botrytis both on the nose and the palate, it was impossible to nail the variety here. That said I had the best guess, somehow ending up in Austria as the botrytis and the weight seemed to fit there. Despite the noble rot and 13,5 % ABV it had freshness to it on the palate and good structure. A fascinating wine though one could complain about the lack of varietal character.
2014 Xavier Gerard Condrieu Côte Chatillon: I believe Xavier said that he considers this his best Condrieu thus far. It is a really superb Viognier indeed with really freshness and harmony - a lot of people who are not fans of the variety would enjoy this one as it does not go overboard aromatically and it is not one bit flabby. Also the alcohol is perfectly in check, you don’t really taste any oak and the fruit is very, very pure. Xavier noted that he is aiming for Burgundian expression. He also made an interesting comment about Viognier being very easily recognizable when young and often extremely difficult to nail blind when old even for himself as the wine evolves so significantly.
2003 Domaine des Tours Merlot Vaucluse: Blind, my bottle. I was sure no one would have a clue about this one but was interested to see which way people would go. There weren’t a lot of guesses though, the best one being Grenache which totally made sense. It was a rich wine with still a sweet edge to its fruit. There is the same dustiness that is present in Reynaud’s Grenache-based wines and I would say overall it has quite a lot in common with them. I think it has excellent structure and finishes very fresh. It has certainly benefited from ageing but it is most definitely still far from its peak, I would say 10 years at least. One person guessed it to be a 2013! It is a very good wine and if I find more I will definitely buy as the QPR is fantastic.
1996 Tenuta Col d’Orcia Brunello di Montalcino: A rather ripe-fruited Brunello in a slightly difficult phase. Does not offer much tertiary notes yet and seems to still have some baby fat and as such is not as interesting as it might be in another 5-10 years. Appropriately proportioned and quite well-balanced though, definitely drinkable and fairly easy-going even.
2009 Georg Meissner Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes Vindemiatrix: Blind. A 100 % Carignan, this was a tough one. Ripe-fruited yet not massively big or structured. Its leafy/earthy quality made me think Cabernet Franc although it was definitely richer than most Loire CFs. Not a very showy wine but one I would happily drink with food anytime. Seems like a quite honest wine.
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