Vincent Ricard's "Le Clos de Vauriou"

Touraine "Le Clos de Vauriou," Domaine Ricard 2008
$12. 12.5% alcohol. Composite cork. Importer: Petit Pois, Moorestown, NJ.

No high-fallutin' tasting note today. Just a quick nod to what's been one of my favorite everyday vins de soif of late. After a couple of recent vintages where "Le Clos de Vauriou" was a bit hit-or-miss due to issues with bottle variation and/or acetic acid bacteria, the 2008 has been rock solid. It delivers a mouthful of joyous fruit, abounds with character and pairs admirably with a damn wide range of dishes. I said it in May and I'm sayin' it again.... Ever so slightly tart acids, energetic texture, berries, pepper and a blood orange kick make it one of my most memorable $12 bottles of the year. As young Vincent Ricard promises/predicts on his website, "Vauriou" is indeed now throwing a deposit of fine, suspended particles, giving the wine a somewhat cloudy appearance but rendering it no less delicious than when it first came ashore.

Oh yeah, just in case you were wondering, "Le Clos de Vauriou" is varietal Gamay. File it under mid-week recession busters.

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Trois Vins Ricard

Regularly tasting through the full line-up of new releases from a single producer is part and parcel of working in a wine shop that cares at least a little about its products. Even though sip-and-spit tasting has its drawbacks, working through several wines from a single producer at one sitting is one of the best ways, short of an actual winery visit, to get a handle on what that producer is really all about.

Such tasting is something, I expect, far too few of us do at home. Economies of scale (not enough people to share with) and economy, plain and simple, both get in the way. For me, a certain level of jadedness acts as a deterrent as well. It’s increasingly rare that I get jazzed enough about a single producer’s full range of new releases to want to take them all home at once. But the motivation still occasionally presents itself, most recently with three new arrivals from Vincent Ricard. The good value/Loire Valley/natural wine trifecta may have had more than a little to do with it. My more than abiding interest in the estate, ever since visiting Ricard in 2004, figured in there as well.


Touraine “Les Trois Chênes,” Domaine Ricard 2008
$20. 13% alcohol. Cork. Petit Pois, Moorestown, NJ.
This was quite the buzz a couple of weeks back when two leading wine e-tailers offered it, at drastically different price points, via e-mail blasts on the same day. I didn’t mind a bit, as the momentary hype brought more than a few “researchers” to my profile of the estate.

“Les Trois Chênes” is arguably Vincent Ricard’s flagship wine. He makes other Sauvignons (his specialty), at lower and higher price points, but this one really captures the balance between his terroir, natural farming and talented winemaking. The Sauvignon comes from a single vineyard of 50+ year-old vines planted on their native rootstock in sand dominated and silex (flint) laced soils. The fruit is hand-harvested in several tris and then sees a slow, three-month barrel fermentation, part of the wine’s total eight-month aging regime, which includes occasional bâtonnage, in barriques.

The end result is not so much creamy and opulent as it is densely packed, firm and sappy. Things open up with a big blast of mineral soaked lemon drop fruit, with a very energetic, full mouthfeel. The vibrant fruit soon yields to the wine’s resinous, structural wood influence. More fruit returns with aeration: kumquat, mango and lemon oil. At the approach of ambient temperature, the woody notes combine with the Sauvignon to form a distinctly spearmint driven aromatic profile. It’s even good at room temp. Only recently bottled and shipped, this has yet to find its harmony but all the voices are definitely there and definitely singing.

The healthy state of Ricard’s vineyards (picture from February 2004) are in stark and welcome contrast to the chemically blasted stretches of Touraine vineyards that Jim Budd (of Jim's Loire) has been on a justified rampage about of late.

Touraine “Le Clos de Vauriou,” Domaine Ricard 2008
$12. 12.5% alcohol. Composite cork. Petit Pois, Moorestown, NJ.
“Le Clos de Vauriou,” as its name implies, is another single vineyard bottling hailing from the family’s small plot of Gamay. Theoretically, Vincent makes this wine only in good vintages, though 2008 marks its third or fourth consecutive release so it may well be on its way to becoming an annual staple. After a 20-day maceration and primary fermentation in steel, “Vauriou” undergoes its malolactic fermentation in barriques and sees only the lightest filtration before bottling.

I have to say, this wine was in the back of my mind when writing (and responding to the comments) on my recent posting regarding some of the inherent risks taken by those making natural wines. When bottles of the 2007 version of “Vauriou” were on, they were delicious – full of juicy, grapey fruit, a pleasure to drink. But there was a spate of bad bottles, gone to one degree or another to vinegar. Whatever the issue was, and I’m guessing acetobacterial spoilage, it seems to have been avoided in 2008, as I’ve tried several bottles that are sound, consistent and even more delicious than the good ones from last year. The grapey, gulpable goodness is still there, but it’s also accented by fine tannins, chalky minerality, a spike of white pepper and very snappy texture. There’s a definite inky/graphite element on the nose as well, along with an enticing twist of blood orange. Very food friendly; at the price, it’s a serious candidate for a by-the-case summer red.

Touraine “Le Vilain P’tit Rouge,” Domaine Ricard 2007
$19.50. 12.5% alcohol. Cork. Petit Pois, Moorestown, NJ.
Childlike renderings of trees, purple grapes dangling above a glass, a devil clinging to a goblet’s stem…. The paintings on Ricard’s labels are all the work of Tours-based artist, L. Bouro. In a comment left here some time ago, Brooklynguy mentioned finding the labels off-putting. I can see that, as I’ll almost always steer away from critter labels. However, a growing number of producers in the natural wine set seem to be going for fun or quirky art on their labels; I’m thinking of Puzelat/Tue Boeuf, Le Briseau/Nana Vins & Cie, and Marcel LaPierre, just to name a few. Point is, I kind of like Vincent's labels, though it certainly helps that I know the winemaker behind them and know that they both capture his spirit and reflect something of the essence or story behind each wine.

Going on memory, the 2007 release of “Le Vilain P’tit Rouge” seems a bit less rich than the 2006. Based on my note for the ’06, though, it’s certainly more similar than it is different, perhaps influenced by the fact that it’s again a blend of 90% Côt (Malbec) and 10% Cabernet Franc. There’s some funky-monkey happening on the nose – dark and sour, loamy and wild. It’s loaded with black cherry fruit backed by flavors of clove, charcoal, hung beef and coarsely ground black pepper. There’s lots of texture, too. Definitely a wine for food; to quote my tasting buddy, "Côt and duck is good." (That's a pic of his oven-roasted wild duck, by the way; gamy and damn tasty.)

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Scenes from Tuesday's Therapy Session

Had a great time pouring wine at Bicycle Therapy on Tuesday. A pretty decent crowd showed up to check out the new urban commuter bikes from Globe.

The Globe lineup ranges from a slick little fixie all the way up through some pretty serious workhorses. The very low key designs remind me of retro/classic British cruising bikes crossed with the utilitarian sensibility of Worksman's industrial bikes. The integrated racks on several of the models not only look pretty cool but are strong enough to handle designated driver duty.

Lola the shop dog took a moment to chill and chew before the crowds showed up for the main event.

Dan, Specialized's local sales rep, gave a quick seminar on the concept and merits of the Globe line of bikes, while his regional manager, Mike, performed a QA test on a glass of the 2008 Touraine Sauvignon "Le Petiot" from Domaine Ricard.

Fastidious wine blogger that I am, I somehow forgot to snap a shot of the juice I poured for the crowd that evening. I did deliver a seminar of my own, though, on a natural wine foursome that included the Sauvignon mentioned above as well as the delicious Gamay-based 2008 Touraine "Le Clos de Vauriou" from Vincent Ricard; the 2008 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie "Vieilles Vignes," made by Pierre Luneau at his daughter's estate, Château les Fromenteaux; and the 2007 Côtes du Rhône "Bout d'Zan" from Hélène Thibon at Mas de Libian.

I did, however, manage to catch a post-sacrificial shot of the mighty tasty hazelnut torte provided by local cyclist and entrepreneur of all things fudgey, Liz Begosh of Betty's Speakeasy, which is located just around the corner from Bicycle Therapy at 2241 Grays Ferry Avenue.

Did I mention that there was local beer on hand, too? No bike shop is complete without some.

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Wine Course: Loire Valley Overview

Registration is now open for my upcoming course at Tria Fermentation School and the seats are going fast. On Tuesday, May 15, I’ll be walking a group of two dozen through an introduction to some of the fascinating wines of France’s Loire Valley. Here’s what we’ll be sampling and discussing:

Sparkling wine:

• Ampelidae “Armance B” NV

White wines:

• Château Les Fromenteaux Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine Sur Lie “Clos du Poyet” 2005
  
• Domaine Étienne Daulny Sancerre “Clos de Chaudenay” 2004
  
• Domaine des Baumard Savennières 2002

Red wines:

• Domaine Ricard Touraine “Le Clos de Vauriou” 2006
  
• Fabrice Gasnier Chinon “Les Graves” 2005
  
• Domaine du Carrou (Dominique Roger) Sancerre Vielles Vignes “La Jouline” 2004

Moelleux wine:

• Prince Philippe Poniatowski Vouvray “Clos Baudoin” 1990

The registration fee of $50 is inclusive of wine, cheese and the course itself. Sign up for the last remaining seats at Tria’s website. I hope to see you there.

* * *
Recommended reading:

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Winter at Talula's Table

This, the fourth and final installment of "What We Did During the Big Bachelor Party Weekend," takes us almost all the way back to the beginning, back to the lowest key, highest toned night of the three-day fest. The big splash. Dinner for four in the kitchen at Talula's Table.


Four guys (including me behind the lens), representing three time zones and four regions of the country, formed the core group of the weekend's revelers. You may recognize the man of honor, Steve Litvin (at right), from my fall adventures in Northern California. Steve came all the way from Monterey, where he is a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station, to celebrate his impending nuptials. Joining us were his old college water polo pals Carleton Yoder (at left), who's now based in Vermont, and Todd Dolan, who flew in the day before from Denver, Colorado. Carleton and Steve had both eaten with me at Django when it was under the purview of Talula's owners, Aimee Olexy and Bryan Sikora, but Todd was a virgin diner.

While the rest of the weekend may have revolved primarily around some of Philly's best spots for beer, tonight it was all about good food and wine. Though late in January 2010, the Winter 2009 menu at Talula's was (and still is, as of this writing) in full swing.


Hors d'oeuvre
with
Vouvray Brut, Foreau (Clos Naudin) NV
Since my last visit, the kitchen has changed things up just a bit, sending out a series of small bites to the diners lingering in the market area rather than plating a single amuse bouche at the dinner table. I'd left my camera back in the kitchen, so you'll have to do without pics, or any real details for that matter, of the three nibbles we were served. Suffice it to say they were as tasty, artful and soulful as is most everything done at Talula's. With them, we toasted a fine start to the evening with Foreau's Vouvray Brut, which, though not on the same plane as Huet's vintage Vouvray Pétillant, was still pretty darn good.


Short Stack, House-Smoked Smoked Trout, Shaved Pickled Carrots, and Pennsylvania Maple Syrup
with
Mittelrhein Bacharacher Riesling Kabinett trocken, Ratzenberger 2006
There seems to be a mini-movement of late to pair fish eggs with something sweet. It may sound odd but it works on the same principle of "sweet and salty" that makes chocolate covered pretzels so good. And, when done right, it works. Here, the sweetness was delivered ever-so-subtly by the essence of maple syrup that permeated the "short stack" of tiny little pancakes. Along with excellent quality smoked trout, this was a standout first course — even if the Vermonter among us was perturbed that it included maple syrup from PA — that paired quite nicely with Ratzenberger's dry Riesling.



Winter Kale Soup, Burgundy Snail Tortellini, Toasted Garlic, Rich Tomato Fondue
with
Touraine "Les Trois Chênes," Domaine Ricard 2008
The snails may have hailed from Burgundy but the combination of hearty greens, garlic and tomato made me think of Sauvignon. So, with no St. Bris in hand, to the Touraine we went. The wine was delicous, tropical at first whiff then quickly morphing toward citrus oil-laced, sappy fruit and an intensely mineral finish; a real head-turner for Carleton and Todd who are primarily red drinkers. The soup was in turn delicious, the kale preparation itself taking center stage, cooked, as Steve put it, in such a way as to retain all of the kale's flavor while subduing its bitter, tough tendencies.



Winter Squash Crème Brulée, Cranberry Influence, Chocolate Dipped Chester County Bacon
with
Coste della Sesia Rosato "Rosa del Rosa," Proprietà Sperino 2007
Reactions to this course were mixed, a couple of the guys listing it among their faves while I wasn't so sure. The squash soufflé was delicious in and of itself, but I wasn't entirely sold on the chocolate covered bacon. I know it's another iteration of the sweet and salty principle but, for me, it can be too much of a good thing. There's no question that it was done well, though.

As for the wine, I've been thinking, since it was first produced a few years back, that Proprietà Sperino's rosato should hold up to a little cellaring. While this was hardly old, at two-years plus of age it was indeed showing very well, still full of the watermelon rind essence of its youth but also having developed a rich core of cured meat and vanilla cream flavors, along with a classically Nebbiolo-driven nose of rose petals. Very vinous, too.



Saffron Marinated Monkfish, Lemon Scented White Beans, Chorizo and Fried Herb Panada
with
Touraine "Le Clos de Vauriou," Domaine Ricard 2008
Yes, it's that wine. Again. Blame it on Chef Sikora, who brought it out and insisted on sharing it with us when he saw we'd brought another wine from Vincent Ricard. It was hardly a natural match with the food (the rosato might have been the way to go) but it's a versatile enough wine that things still worked out just fine. The fish dish was another of my favorite courses of the night, not just for the deliciousness of the monkfish itself but even more so for the interplay between the white and black beans, the chorizo, the fish, the saffron overtones and the way that the dish's seasoning, handled incredibly adeptly, tied everything together.



Confit of Canadian Goose, Cider Glaze, Cheddar Polenta, Smoked Onions, and Goose Juice
with
Chinon "Les Picasses," Catherine et Pierre Breton 2004
Though not the evening's last savory course, this was without doubt the heavy hitter of the evening, full of rich, heady, meaty flavors. The polenta is from Anson Mills, the cheese crisp topping made with Cantalet.

I got a kick out of Brooklynguy's recent potluck post and thought he was dead-on when associating good Chinon with the rich, fatty, salty flavors of confit (duck, in his case). The Bretons' 2004 "Les Picasses" was, for me, the most natural, satisfying pairing of the night, its own richness offset by the naturally vibrant acidity and tongue-cleansing texture of well-structured, well-balanced Chinon. I'd planned to save this, my last bottle, for several more years but the bachelor of honor has been on a C&P Breton groove ever since I turned him on to both versions of "La Dilettante" at Terroir back in the fall and I wanted him to try one of their more intensely structured wines. Hey, why save when you can share?



Venison Tenderloin, Potato-Turnip Purée, Caramelized Brussel Sprouts, Raisin-Red Wine Sauce
with
Alexander Valley Marlstone Vineyard, Clos du Bois 1995
Another killer course. I've probably said it here before, in fact I'm sure I have so I'm not even going to go back and look... Bryan has a gift when it comes to cooking game. The venison was meltingly tender and incredibly flavor intensive, infused with the exotic influence of pâté spices and balanced by the subtle sweetness of the wine reduction sauce. Those brussel sprouts didn't suck, either.

The wine? This one might surprise some of my regular readers. Yes, it was highly polished and not loaded with clear sense of place, but at 15 years, Clos du Bois' Marlstone Vineyard cuvée, a Bordeaux blend, was still fresh and vibrant. Plenty of life left to go, in fact. I don't have much experience with more recent bottlings, so I can't say where the wine has headed since, but this was made back in that turning point era between 1994-97, when California Cabs were just starting the leap into their high alcohol, high extract, not-so-food-friendly era. At 14.2%, this was balanced and played just fine with the deer.


Got Goat? A Goat Cheese Collection with Roasted Chestnut Jam
with
Coteaux du Layon "Cuvée S," Château Soucherie (Pierre-Yves Tijou) 2001
In the last few months, the cheese course at Talula's has moved away from the traditional tri-milk mixture toward a single-milk theme, still with a classic progression from mild to more pungent flavors. Soucherie's "Cuvée S" was still a baby. Very fat and honeyed. Even though delicious with the cheese, it turned out to be a better match with the dessert course.


Organic Champlain Triple from Champlain Valley Creamery
On top of being an all-around great guy and huge beer and wine lover, our friend and fellow diner Carleton Yoder is the owner and head cheese(maker) at Champlain Valley Creamery. Though he started his business with a focus on producing fresh cream cheese, which is still one of his primary products, his triple cream cow's milk cheese has quickly become his best seller over the past couple of years. We brought along a few discs of it for the crew at Talula's to try and Kate Stroh, Talula's resident sous-cheese monger, plated one up for us as a surprise course.


Clementine Chibouste, Lemon Curd, Citrus-Champagne Sauce
and
La Colombe espresso
After such a hearty, wintry meal, it was a smart choice to serve a dessert course that was only lightly sweet, its focus more on tangy, refreshing seasonal flavors. That light hand with the sugar helped it to pair so well, as mentioned above, with the sticky Loire Chenin from Soucherie. The coffee was just a digestive. Decaf for me, as I can't handle caffeine much past noon any more, that is unless I want to be staring at the ceiling at 4:00 AM.... As the espresso cup indicates, Philly-roasted La Colombe is now the coffee of choice at TT.

C'est tout! Thanks, Steve, Carleton and Todd, for providing the impetus for such a great meal. See you again in March, my friends.


Talula's Table
102 W. State Street
Kennett Square, PA 19348 [map]
610-444-8255


Previous visits:

• April 2007
  
• October 2007
  
• December 2007
  
• April 2008
  
• July 2008
  
• November 2008
  
• May 2009

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