MAISON L’ENVOYE FLEURIE 2014

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever”…. Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma isn’t remembered for his fondness of wine.  Nor is India well known for viticulture, though the country has a significant area in the SE and a smaller area (Kashmir and Punjab) under vine in the north. But old Mahatma was on to something.  Keep learning, he said.  So when I made bigos (Polish “Hunter’s Stew”) the learning opportunity came in thinking about what wine to pair with it.

Bigos is made from sauerkraut and white cabbage.  Then almost anything is all right: Wild game, fowl… whatever you have or is being contributed by your neighbors. I used portions of ham steak, pork tenderloin, smoked ham shank, some Applewood smoked bacon, a thick cut pork chop and Polish sausage (kielbasa) with onion and mushrooms (Polish, or use shiitake).  I left out the tomato and vodka. Since I don’t drink beer (piwo), it was going to be wine.  It’s always wine anyway.  But pairing a wine was the challenge, and a little counter intuitive since beer is the reflex option. 

And here’s where I may lose some followers:  I selected a 2014 Maison L’Envoye (Fleurie Cru) Beaujolais.  There are ten crus in Beaujolais, with the crus of Fleurie, Chiroubles and St. Armour being considered the lighter styled.  Chenas, Mouilin-A-Vent and Morgon are age worthy and heavier with Brouilly, Cote de Brouilly, Julienas and Regnie in the middle.  Now if every SOMM hasn’t already written me off, let me finish the job by reminding them that Fleurie is French for “flowery.”  So I paired a flowery, lighter styled Beaujolais with a steaming dish of pork meats and cabbage.

Except Maison L’Envoye isn’t typical. Darker in the glass (medium vs. pale ruby) than many Fleurie, its overall character is unique. Lots of dark berries on the nose, it wafts with an unusual smokiness.  Nothing excessive, it is classically French.  But the smokiness (carried onto the palate) made this wine of medium body an excellent companion to the meats, playing nicely against the sausage and the smoked ham shank. The wine is finessed and elegant.  Plum and blackberry accented with white

pepper join in the aromas.   Fruit is juicy, yet restrained and in balance; most important – it’s presented as part of the whole.  Allspice adds complexity peaking interest above the primary tastes of blackberry and black cherry. A hint of black olive joins in.  Lifting all this is strawberry and raspberry red fruit.  Along the way, juicy blackberry see-saws against taut black cherry.  A harmony of tannins and acidity in Wallenda like balance against fruit envelops the package delightfully.

Pairing this wine with bigos wasn’t so far off after all, though no one will police your kitchen to see what you're serving with it.   Recommended are pork rillettes (surprise!) or meat terrines; a stew of ham and white beans (keeping it French but using the same protein).  I like it with pate or a charcuterie.  You’ll find it goes well with many of the same foods you would pair with a Pinot Noir.  And if you want to get cross-cultural about it, consider enjoying it with Chicken Milanese made with a sage and lemon butter sauce.  Then again, cold sliced ham works well too on the day after. 

Point being, Beaujolais Crus suffers under association with Beaujolais Nouveau – that baby aged wine released the third Thursday of each November.  Fun, careless, celebratory, even ceremonial – but not the same wine as others of Beaujolais.  And the crus – all ten of them – represent the best of Beaujolais, each worth exploring.

Sante!

……………. Jim

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TECH SPECS & ETC.

Grape:                  Gamay (Noir)

Maturation:        11 Months in 2^nd Use French Oak Barriques

Vines:                   80 Year Old Gobelet

ALC:                       13%

TA:                         5.9 g/L

pH:                         3.63

Acclaim:               91-92 pts Vinous, 91 Wine & Spirits, Awarded “Best Buy”

Imported By:     Old Bridge Cellars (here)

Website:              www.maisonlenvoye.com

ARP:                      U.S. $18

BEAUJOLAIS, DOMAINE DUPEUBLE (2015)

“For everyday, we like Beaujolais, Grenache or Syrah, and we like a lot of it! It's a family tradition: We would never consider having a meal without wine.” ….. Jacques Pepin

Beaujolais. Not Nouveau, but not a cru (one of ten) either.  And not Beaujolais Villages. Just Beaujolais.  A simple pleasure, it is joy in the glass; a smile to meet the approach of summer’s warmth.   The wine to enjoy at a picnic with charcuterie.  Somehow these wines got lost between the sophistication of the ten crus and the disdain for the Nouveau.  Too bad. 

Domaine Dupeuble has been making wine

since 1512 in the hamlet of Le Breuil in southern Beaujolais (Eastern, mid-France, south of Burgundy and north of Lyon).  With a simple “Beaujolais” appellation, wines are inexpensive (ARP for this bottle is about $15, but I found it at $12.99).  All Beaujolais is made from Gamay and handpicked, and there’s a lot of it made.  Making your selection easier among the many on the racks is the labeling of Kermit Lynch on this bottle as the importer on both the front and back label.  Lynch was born in Bakersfield California. In 1972, he founded KLWM (Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant) and became an importer, retailer, and distributor of wines reflecting terroir. His “Adventures on the Wine Route” won the Veuve Clicquot Wine Book of the Year award,” and he has twice received the James Beard award. If that was not enough, he was also knighted by the French government with their prestigious “Legion d’Honneur.”  He knows wine and I have never been disappointed with any of his line.

Beaujolais is fresh red, something not often said together.  Light bodied, serve it just slightly chilled.  Consider that suitable for all Beaujolais (not all crus).  But when looking at Domaine Dupeuble Pere et Fils, appreciate that this bottling is made with all the care and attention that goes into making the crus. Carbonic maceration (different than conventional alcoholic fermentation which involves crushing the grapes) makes for wine that is fruity and with low tannins. That too is standard for Beaujolais.  But the Beaujolais rouge of Domaine Dupeuble (they also produce a blanc) is from vines averaging 50 to 100 years of age.  That’s a span, I admit. But vineyards need to sometimes be replanted, and fruit is concentrated at any point along that spectrum. Soil is granite, clay and limestone – so suitable for Gamay.  And all plots face Southeast, South and Southwest. Vines are tended without any synthetic fertilizers (natural compost is used) and no chemicals are used.  Yields are severely restricted by both pruning and “green harvesting.” 

Only natural yeasts are used and the wine is aged in cement and stainless allowing for primary aromas and preservation of fruit.  It is vinified without the use of any SO2 and the wine is not degassed or filtered. What you’re tasting here is pure, pleasurable Gamay.  Lots of cranberry and cherry on the nose, the palate is vibrant with red fruit accompanied by a note of violet that serves to calm things down.  Balance? It’s Wallenda-like.  Bright raspberry and cherry offsets clove.  Earth offsets fruit.  Dark berries (black & blue) offset the bright red.  Tannin and acidity is just enough to remind you it’s there.  Nothing except simple joy is excessive. And who can get enough of that? 

Vinous assigned this wine 90 points, stating: “… much more serious and powerful than its appellation would suggest.”  Wine Advocate   stated “… most impressive of all was just how well both their whites and reds age.”  Normally, the crus of Morgon, Moulin-A-Vent and Chenas would be those you would think suitable for some ageing, but in this and other aspects, Domaine Dupeuble exceeds standards and does so at “mizerly” pricing.

A votre sante!

…………………………. Jim

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