Irouléguy "Ohitza," Domaine Brana 2003

Yesterday would have been my friend Marc's 38th birthday — should have been — had he not lost his life to cancer three weeks ago. I wrote about what it meant to me then, a part of my process of mourning and a way of paying respect to a great guy who I didn't appreciate nearly enough when he was still with us. Last night I was aiming more simply, wanting to celebrate his birthday like we should have, with good food and wine. While I thought about opening something "special" for the occasion, I ended up changing my mind, instead opting for something that made me think of him, something that I can remember him selling and discussing with just as much animation as did I back in the years when we worked together on a semi-regular basis. It just felt right. Happily, the wine did too.

Irouléguy "Ohitza," Domaine Brana 2003
$15 on release. 13% alcohol. Composite cork. Importer: Wine Traditions, Falls Church, VA.

Though arguably better known for their top-notch eaux de vie than for their wines, Domain Brana produce high-quality, traditional and expressive examples of Irouléguy in all three colors. The entry-level of their three reds, "Ohitza" is a fairly typical Irouléguy blend of Tannat (50%), Cabernet Franc (30%), and Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), all of which is manually harvested and completely destemmed before undergoing a 15-20 day fermentation followed by about a year of aging in previously used barrels.

Here's a $15 wine (a few years back at any rate) that's not merely lasted five-plus years but actually rewarded the time and patience spent in the cellaring. It's also an excellent example of wine from the oft scorned 2003 vintage. Where the heat and drought of the year brought out over-ripe, over-cooked flavor and structural tendencies in many a region, here in Irouléguy, at least in this case, the vintage conditions simply brought out a touch more roundness and generosity than in a more typical growing season. The wine is still fantastically balanced, as evidenced by a more than solid showing over the course of the last two days. When we're talking about terraced vineyards cut into 65% gradients on a meager soil base (red-hued, mica-flecked sandstone) at reasonably high-elevation, perhaps a hot year isn't such a bad thing.

That generosity of which I wrote showed most clearly when I first opened the bottle with dinner last night. Rich blackberry fruit mingled with aromas of rosemary and leather — not the dirty, brett-y side of the leather spectrum, just a resolved (and quite attractive) aspect of the inherently savage character of Tannat and Cabernet Franc grown in the Basque country. The longer it had to open up, the more aromatic and, seemingly, terroir expressive it became. Clove and cherry stones after about an hour; leafy, spicy, tree bark aromatics and red currant fruit another half-hour later. Tonight, it was still rock solid and just as, if not even more so, aromatically open, redolent of iron and drying tobacco leaves, showing less overt spice, more earth/mineral clarity.

Suffice it to say it was a damn nice bottle. And yes again, it definitely felt right.

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Wine Traditions

Ed Addiss, owner of the import company Wine Traditions, based in Falls Church, Virginia, stopped in Philly last week to conduct a seminar at Tria Fermentation School. I sat in on class, welcoming the chance to catch up with an old friend and business associate and to taste a few of the current releases from his portfolio.

Ed’s book dabbles in Bordeaux, mostly with a handful of Cru Artisan estates. He also works with a neat handful of producers in Burgundy, primarily in the Yonne Department. He’s even stepped, somewhat begrudgingly, into the Rhône recently, nudged there by the demands of market competition. The heart and soul of his work, though, is split between two areas: Beaujolais and Southwest France.

Mr. Addiss in repose after a well executed class.

On this night, Ed focused solely on the wines of Southwest France, pouring selections that demonstrated the typicity of their AOCs and represented the workhorse entry in each winery’s lineup. There was a time when I sold all of these wines but, alas, that time passed a couple of years back. I’ve also written many of them up here in the past. So, in more than one respect, it was a real pleasure to check back in with them.


The Mauzac-dominated non-vintage Blanquette de Limoux “Le Berceau” from Domaine des Martinolles got things started. A very fresh bottling, brimming with apple fruit, waxy aromas and invigorating texture.

In previous experiences with “Mission La Caminade,” the second wine of Château la Caminade in Cahors, I’d found it to be a little on the rustic (bordering on dirty) side. The 2006 version, in welcome contrast, is showing nicely. Pepper and tanned leather on the nose lead to a medium bodied, gently gripping palate of dried blackberry and raspberry fruit. It’s definitely a solid, quaffable bistro wine.

If there’s a wine I most miss having conveniently at hand, it’s the Marcillac “Lo Sang del Païs” from Philippe Teulier’s Domaine du Cros. It’s made from Fer Servadou (the locals call it Mansois), a vine that joins Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon in the Carmenet family. Ed sometimes describes Marcillac as “Cabernet Franc Sauvage” and as a “nosey wine.” Both descriptions seem perfectly apt. The 2007 is a tad lighter than in most years but is still packed with brambly fruit and the aromas of blood, iron and pepper that so clearly mark its scents.

The most pleasant surprise of the lineup, largely because it’s a wine I’d never really thought much of, was Château Bellevue la Forêt’s Fronton (formerly Côtes du Frontonnais). The estate’s basic red offering in 2005 was much cleaner and deeper than I could recall from past vintages. Charming nose of licorice and fennel seed. It’s 50% Négrette blended with varying proportions of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Gamay – low acid but with just enough grip to support its framework.

Ed's slide show featured some picturesque shots of the farms in his portfulio.

I thought Ed’s last minute decision to throw a white in to the middle of a red-dominated lineup was inspired. A good way to refresh and re-kick the palate. I knew as soon as it hit my mouth that Camin Larredya’s 2007 Jurançon Sec “À L’Esguit” was more generous and honeyed than in past vintages. It was also stunningly good, tasting initially of melon rind and full of grippy acids. It didn’t take much coaxing to find aromas and flavors of honey, lavender, rosemary, orange peel, apple skin…. Ed confirmed that Larredya have stepped up the concentration of their wines, aiming for business with starred restaurants. Oh yeah, it’s a blend of Gros Manseng and the thicker skinned Petit Manseng.

The flow quickly shifted back to red, with the last two dry wines of the night being the tough customers in the crowd.

My first glass of Madiran “Reflet du Terroir” from Château Laffitte-Teston was corked. The second was sound but still showing some musty, damp earth oriented flavors. Very, very tight, redolent of struck iron and macerated bay leaves. Definitely in need of a roast leg of lamb and plenty of air. 80% Tannat with 10% each of Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon.

The 2005 edition of “Ohitza,” the entry level Irouléguy rouge from Domaine Brana wasn’t much more giving. If you’ve found Loire Cabernet Franc to be vegetal, you really need to drink this wine in its youth to put things into perspective. This is wild, mountain grown Cab Franc, far from tempered by the Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Skeletal and stalky but with a temptingly spicy core of sinewy red fruit.

We headed back to Jurançon for the finale, served up via Camin Larredya’s 2005 Jurançon “Au Capcèu.” An absolutely delicious finale it was. This is late harvested Petit Manseng. Minty and viscerally herbaceous, it sent waves of fig and clover honey pumping across the palate with a well honed edge of acidity keeping it frisky.

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After Ed's wines more or less disappeared from the Philadelphia area market a couple of years back, they have begun to reappear at a choice handful of restaurants around town, including Tinto, Tria and Royal Tavern. They’re now being cleared into PA via The Wine Merchant, Ltd., and I’m also happy for Ed that some of the core products from the Wine Traditions portfolio are now available at Chambers Street Wines in New York City. They’re characterful wines that deserve a broader audience than they’ve historically reached. And the Wine Traditions marque is one that should be added to your list of trusted importers – see the name on a back label, buy the wine… and enjoy the exploration.

A quick bite to eat and a glass of Drie Fonteinen Oude Kriek at Tria's Rittenhouse location put a nice finishing touch on the evening, just as snow began to blanket the streets in downtown Philly.

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Wines at the Bistro

Friends and I headed out to Bistro on the Brandywine for dinner a few nights ago. Taking advantage of their BYOB policy, which continues in spite of the recent approval of their liquor license, we carried along a few bottles with a view to ensuring enough versatility to suit the restaurant’s French bistro influenced menu.

Cheverny, Le Petit Chambord (François Cazin) 2006
François Cazin’s low-yield farming shows through in spades in the richly concentrated fruit and slightly unctuous texture of his 2006 Cheverny Blanc, a blend of 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Chardonnay. Given its high alcohol (14.5%) and marked residual sugar, I can’t help but consider this atypical for Cheverny. The herbaceous and mineral edge I expect from the AOC are missing and subdued respectively, replaced by round, ripe lemon and tangerine fruit and aromas of white tree blossoms. Cazin was obviously working with some pretty ripe raw materials in this vintage. The wine stops just short of being fully honeyed. On the up side, its alcohol is not at all apparent. There’s a chalky acidity that stands out on the mid-palate. In spite of all the concentration, its purity of fruit, along with that high-toned acidity, helped to make this pretty satisfying as an aperitif. It also worked well with the daily salad special of field greens, goat cheese and roasted golden beets. $16. 14.5% alcohol. Natural cork. Importer: Louis/Dressner, New York, NY.

Irouléguy Blanc “Ilori" ("Les Jonquilles"), Domaine Brana 2004
When I learned a few years back that the shop where I spend my days would be dropping the Wine Traditions portfolio, I was dismayed. Importer Ed Addiss brings in a book of characterful wines from a cadre of small estates, with particular strength in SW France. I made sure to snag a couple bottles each of a few of my favorites before they’d no longer be easily accessible. This is one, especially tasting it now, which I wish I’d gone long on.

“Ilori” is Basque, “Les Jonquilles” French, for Narcissus jonquilla, the yellow wildflowers native to southern Europe that grow widely on the terraced hillsides in Irouléguy. This is Domaine Brana’s “basic” white, a blend of Gros Manseng and Petit Courbu, vinified without wood influence. At first sniff, it gave off a cheesy pungency that I’ve noticed before in Jurançon Sec and other Pyrenéean whites. With air, that funk transformed into a much fresher expression of lime pith, kumquat and hay, with mountain meadow floral and herbaceous notes evocative of the wine’s name. Although it’s a tad lower alcohol than typical for Irouléguy Blanc, it still shows the area’s savage power and dryness via its combination of visceral acidity and intense persistence. Lip smackingly good even at first, it just kept getting better right up to the last drop. Spot on with the saffron cream sauce in which our mussels were cooked. $14 on release. 13.5% alcohol. Composite cork. Importer: Wine Traditions, Falls Church, VA.

Barbera d’Alba “Cascina Francia,” Giacomo Conterno 2005
What can I say about this that hasn’t been said before? The wines of the Giacomo Conterno estate are a benchmark for the traditionalist style in Piedmont. They are widely considered to have few if any peers, particularly in the context of their famous Barolo Riserva, “Monfortino.” Though the winery is located in Monforte d’Alba, this Barbera is sourced from the estate’s 16-hectare vineyard, Cascina Francia, located high on the hillsides of Serralunga d’Alba. This is wine that somehow manages to capture the innately rustic personality of Barbera yet express it with elegance, structure and fine balance. The characteristic muscle of Serralunga fruit is all there. Plum and mulberry fruit and dense earthiness are followed by a hint of cocoa-driven opulence and restrained spiciness, the influence of a two-year aging regimen in old botti of Slovonian oak. Hardly every day Barbera, this is profound, a real vino di meditazione. There may not be a better pairing out there for the short ribs and gorgonzola gnocchi served at the Bistro. $30. 14% alcohol. Natural cork. Importer: Polaner Selections, Mount Kisco, NY.

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Irouléguy, Domaine Brana 1999

Time may have softened the tannins of Domaine Brana’s 1999 Irouléguy but it’s done little else to calm the wine’s inherently sauvage nature. Initial aromas of dry-aged meat, dried herbs and stewed green peppers meet the nose, followed on the palate by slightly angular wood tannins and firm, somewhat narrow texture. As the wine opens in the glass, herbaceous aromas give way to wild plums and sour cherries. The dry woodiness also blows off, letting the ferrous quality and wild fruit of this typically Basque wine show through. Finally, again with air time, riper, rounder grape tannins take over from the subsiding wood tannins, giving the wine richness in the mouth that belies its medium-bodied scale and old-school alcohol level.

This is arguably the most typical of Domaine Brana’s reds – more solid, fine and age worthy than the rustic Ohitza and less rich and modern than Axeria. All three are blends dominated by Cabernet Franc, supported by Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat. There’s structure here to allow further cellaring but I’m not convinced that patience will reap further rewards as this seems to be riding its plateau now, retaining solid fruit yet showing the tertiary aromas of bottle development.
Approximately $25 on release. 12.5% alcohol. Natural cork closure. Importer: Wine Traditions, Falls Church, VA.

Opening this bottle was unplanned. It just seemed to call to me when I opened the cellar door in search of something to pair with Christmas dinner. Though I was hardly preparing a traditional Basque meal, the Irouléguy nonetheless seemed an appropriate match to roast duck magret served with a woodsy Portobello mushroom risotto and, just to get some green on the plate, steamed broccoli. The risotto was a fine match but it was really the duck that made the wine sing.

I like to keep a couple of D’Artagnan's duck breasts on hand at all times. They hold up extremely well in the freezer. Once thawed, they require nothing other than a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper followed by a good pan sear over medium heat to render and crisp the fat layer, followed by roasting in the oven, fat side up. Pouring off and saving the rendered fat is just an added bonus, one that will add a wonderful depth of flavor to eggs, beans or potatoes at a future meal.

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Relevant goodies:

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