IF ONLY WALLS COULD SPEAK - Blancpain

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ART DE VIVRE © THIERRY GAUDILLÈRE-ECRIVIN that produce sediment are filtered out— unfortunately, these same elements are the ones that allow the wine to grow and gain depth during aging. No sediment—sterile wine. Mounir’s wines, all unfiltered, do have sediment so that the bottle shape serves a dual purpose, grip and sediment trap. Mounir and Rotem recently came to the San Francisco Bay Area for a tasting of their wines at Jardiniere Restaurant. Sommeliers from several restaurants gathered to taste through a range of reds and whites from the 2003 vintage. Experienced tasters single-mindedly focus on the “top of the ladder”, the wines highest in the pecking order. Trade practice takes account of this so that every tasting is organized from bottom to top. If the most prestigious wines are tasted too soon, then lesser wines will be overshadowed. In burgundy, this means that lesser generic appellations come first, followed by “villages” wines (that is an appellation of the village region, but not of a rated vineyard), then premier crus, then, finally, the stars of the show, the grand crus. After hundreds of tastings, it is easy to skate through the preliminary rounds, so to speak, waiting for real heavy weights to show themselves. This tasting did not depart from pattern as the grand crus were in fact stunning riveting wines. But where the pattern was broken was in the tasting of lesser wines. These were not wines to be overlooked, not merely stepping stones waiting for the big boys to arrive. In their own right, the lesser appellations were distinguished wines of character. The lowest white appellation was the 2003 Bourgogne Blanc. Generally an appellation this low will be an utterly forgettable wine, suitable perhaps for stuffing into a knapsack for consumption on a picnic. Not this one. It had a full-blown chardonnay character in the nose melding notes of melon and butter, followed by a rich body yielding up butter and nuts. While this wine would never be mistaken for a grand cru, it has the potential to shame many wines of higher appellations. While the Bourgogne Blanc gave a hint of the across the board quality of Mounir’s wines, the Pernand Vergelesse added an emphatic exclamation point. Pernand is an often overlooked appellation which sits adjacent to the very famous Grand Cru vineyard of Corton Charlemagne. Despite its proximity, Pernand is not noted for producing wines of distinction. Mounir’s Pernand from the Sous Frétila vineyard was outstanding. Displaying the citrus mineral character of its neighbor Corton Charlemagne, this Pernand had admirable richness and length.
Next up the white ladder was the Meursault Perrières. In a word, this was a lovely text book example of great Meursault. The opulent nose exploded with a nutty apricot note. The mouth had a rich roasted butter character followed by a long-balanced buttery finish. There was an interesting contrast with the other Premier Cru white in the tasting, a Puligny Montrachet Les Folatières. The Folatières vineyard is one of the most distinguished in Puligny, lying along the same road (and the same side of the road as Le Montrachet itself), across from and slightly to the north of Les Pucelles. The Folatières was more restrained than the Meursault, with a nice balance of peach and butter and minerals, followed by a spicy finish. At the top was the Grand Cru, Corton Charlemagne. A great Corton Charlemagne The Hospice de Beaune. The elaborately decorated tile roof is a signature architectural flourish of the Côte d’Or should have a citrusy steely exterior which hides the strength and richness of the underlying wine. Mounir’s again fit the appellation perfectly. The depth and concentration of this wine was extraordinary, so was its steel, citrus, mineral sheath. The reds were stars as well. Like its generic counterpart, the Bourgogne Rouge was a wine of character, displaying sweet pinot fruit with touches of oak. Mounir explained why it performed so well. It was a blend of grapes from Fixin, Marsonnay, Hautes Côtes de Nuits and young Nuits St. Georges. The Premier Cru Gevrey Chambertin Les Cazetiers showed extremely well displaying very sweet cherry fruit, backed by Gevrey earthiness. It would clearly outperform many Grand Cru Chambertins. At the top of the red ladder was Mounir’s Chambolle Musigny Les Amoureuses. Technic- 60 | 61 ally speaking, Les Amoureuses is “only” a Premier Cru vineyard. Yet burgundy cognoscenti know that in the hands of great wine makers (such as Christophe Roumier or Robert Groffier), stunning Grand Cru quality can be found there. Mounir’s offering placed his wines in that same stratosphere. This Amoureuses had remarkable depth and concentration of fruit. It also had the wonderful velvet softness in the mouth that devotees of the Chambolle Musigny commune crave in those wines. One caution about Lucien Le Moine wines. The quantities produced of each appellation can be miniscule. In some instances but a single barrel, 25 cases are available for all the world. A special effort, therefore, is needed to find them, but that effort will be rewarded with wine of uncompromising quality. ■ © FOTOS BY KOBRAND CORPORATION
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APOTHEOSIS TEMPORIS A Classical Col
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DEAR FELLOW WATCH CONNOISSEURS Welc
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CONTENT IF ONLY WALLS COULD SPEAK p
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The Le Brassus atelier known within
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06 | 07 Stairway to the upstairs wo
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Page 15 and 16: Across the hall from the 1735 Room
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Page 37 and 38: DEWAYS As it recounts a several day
Page 39 and 40: set it to the current day, date, mo
Page 41 and 42: using the watch. It is uniformly th
Page 43 and 44: THE PRODIGY ★ EACH BLANCPAIN WATC
Page 45 and 46: 1. Strong-willed effective politici
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Page 69 and 70: BLANCPAIN OPENS ITS FIRST BOUTIQUE
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IF ONLY WALLS COULD SPEAK - Blancpain

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