TDF 2010 Stage 16 Revisited: Where's Ulrich?

For your rest day reading pleasure, a look back on yesterday's Stage 16 by Karen Ulrich, author of Imbibe New York and, like me, a "retired" regional bike racer.

It’s been a few years since I’ve followed the Tour with fervor—the same number of years since I sold my Zipps to study wine. For four to five seasons I raced, following the wheels of a one-year romance with my first road bike. Racing became everything, and then, worn from training and competition, I picked up the bottle to study and started to run.

“Andy Shleck is out for blood,” the announcers state and set the tone. Eight seconds behind Contador, who took the yellow on Andy’s mechanical, Schleck begins the race with a protest, situating himself in the back of the pack.

I’m glad to see that Andy’s got game.

Though so out of the loop, my Comedy Central team bike still hangs from the rack. Cannondale System Six. I open a bottle of Chateau Jolys Jurançon Sec "Terrae Escencia" 2007, as the lead group of ten shatters the peloton and begins to climb. Up Col de Tourmalet—2,115 meters of grind. Armstrong, Vinokourov, Sastre—the old names are still players, but I miss Jan. Yearning for Ullrich—and not for name’s sake—I think back a few years and swirl the straw yellow contents of my glass.

Jurançon—nearly 2000 acres of vineyards dot the foothills of the Pyrénées near today’s finish line at Pau. Undetectable from the motorcade, vines on steep inclines produce Petit Manseng, Gros Manseng, and Courbu. The thirty-fifth time I hear Armstorng’s name mentioned, I lift my glass. Floral lemon with a whiff of chalk and a touch of licorice—the acidity sears as they begin their descent around technical bends—fearless at 62 mph.

Jurançon Sec is typically made from Gros Manseng, while Petit Manseng is reserved for the production of sweet. Climbing the Col d’Aubisque, Armstrong and Barredo go off the front. Fedrigo follows. Damn that’s got to hurt. Another acceleration by Armstrong on a 7-8% grade…where’s Ullrich? Lungs afire, legs screaming, deplete. The Chateau Jolys finishes with an ocean mist that coats my tongue with salinity. Watching, I break a sweat. Armstrong dons a poker face. I always found it difficult to think in this state, which made it hard to react. Chess played at high speed, my teammate Sarah used to say. And so I favored time-trialing, the individual’s race against time.

Slapped in the face by flags flown in the crowds, the riders peak Aubisque and begin their descent. Barredo rips down the mountainside and now they are five. Watching, I recall a few memorable descents—at Bear Mountain, Fitchburg’s Wachusett Mountain Road Race, and Housatonic Hills. It’s no small feat to fold oneself inside the pack at 50 mph, while maintaining position for the next ascent.

En route to Pau, I watch the terrain for vineyards without a glimpse. Rocky mountains and verdant grass. Somewhere off in the distance vines grow, but for now I return to my glass. Peloton +9:07, with Contador and Schleck tucked safely inside the pack. At 44 km to go, Barredo attacks—time-trialing his way home—5-4-3-2-1 km to go, Barredo gets caught. I feel for the guy, but that’s the nature of the sport. Sometimes you flat or crash, only to watch your goal race for the year slip through the cracks…a year’s worth of training for that A race and now you’re done.

Rooting for Schleck, I hope he takes his 8+ seconds back. As Contador steps to the stage to accept his yellow, boos from the crowd emulate and indicate that I am not alone.

Colette, a writer who knew her men, fancied Jurançon—its steely sec known to encourage thirst, leaving one’s appetite whet and forever wanting more….

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TDF 2010 Stage 16: Bagnères-de-Luchon to Pau

The logic exercised by the organizers of the Tour de France sometimes befuddles me. Take today's stage. Lead what's left of the original peloton, after two-plus weeks of long miles around the French countryside, up four massive climbs, two of them Category 1, the other two beyond category. Put one of the most famed, most feared climbs in Tour history, the Col du Tourmalet, at the midway point of the stage. Then plan the same stage to culminate in a long, flat run-in of over 40k from the top of the last climb to the eventual finish...? It's like unabashed punishment for the pure sprinters, who will never make it over all those climbs with a chance, and painfully titillating torture to the pure climbers, who won't attack for fear of spending themselves — or simply being caught by the less gravitationally gifted — on the long, flat run to the finish. Such was the case today....


One of the most inspired rides up the Col du Tourmalet I can remember witnessing — albeit from afar and via the wonders of modern technology — was that of Claudio Chiappucci in the 1991 Tour. A climbing specialist who raced on pure grit (and a little EPO as was later discovered...), Chiappucci made up in spirit for what he lacked in form and style. He was all over his bike, never the epitome of elegance, but nonetheless a force to be reckoned with. After coming oh so close to robbing Greg LeMond of his third Tour wine in 1990, Claudio went on to win the polka-dot jersey and to finish third overall in the '91 Tour, a dual success based largely on his performance up and over the Tourmalet (the highest point in this year's Tour) and on to a victorious stage finish at Sestrière.

Claudio Chiappucci, winner of the Maillot à Pois and first to crest the Col du Tourmalet in the 1991 Tour de France.

I've been loath to comment on the intricacies and specifics of this year's Tour for fear of playing spoiler to those who are running behind, as I often am myself, with catching the details of each day's stage. But after yesterday's action, I can't hold back.

Those of you who have been following the Tour closely will know that SaxoBank team member Andy Schleck, riding in the yellow jersey, dropped his chain just after putting in a strong attack on the upper slopes of the day's final ascent up the Port de Balès. Astana rider Alexandre Vinoukourov, who had been monitoring Schleck's wheel, put in an instant attack, followed closely and swiftly by an even more explosive attack from Alberto Contador. The twice winner of the Tour went on with his attack, joined by contenders Denis Menchov (Rabobank) and Samuel Sanchez (Euskatel).

A good friend of mine, in a brief discussion that night, excused Contador for his actions. The ensuing film footage, just after Schleck's mechanical, showed Contador glancing back over his shoulder, suggesting he may have been concerned as to his competitor's misfortune. On top of that, as the race continued, he was just following along with the driving pace of Menchov and Sanchez....

At first I was inclined to agree. But after watching several repeats of the footage, it's clear to me that Contador knew perfectly well what had happened to Schleck. And he purposefully chose to attack, and to continue with that decision through to the stage finish.

I generally make an effort not to make gratuitous use of f-bombs and other such curses here at MFWT. One such word, one that I wouldn't have expected to ever have need of in this forum, cropped up in a comment from a cohort of mine just the other day. Who knew I'd find use for it so quickly....

Alberto "Douchebag" Contador, no doubt relieved to have a reprieve from Andy Schleck's promised vengeance in today's stage. Thursday should prove interesting....
Photo courtesy of Roberto Bettini.

Alright, that's enough venting for now. Did I mention that today's stage finished in Pau, just after crossing through the town of Jurançon, one of the most important white wine producing regions of Southwest France. No? Well, I should have....

For those who don't know Jurançon, it's a white-wine-only AOC centered around the village of Pau in the northwestern foothills of the French Pyrénées. The long standing tradition in the area was for production of medium sweet to sweet white wines made in the passerillage method from Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng, varieties specific to the southwestern corner of France. Though current trends of ambivalence toward if not dismissal of sweet wines has led to a more prominent market position for the dry wines of Jurançon, such dry wines still bear the add-on tag of "Sec" to designate their dryness, in respect to the old traditions in which Jurançon was generally expected to be moelleux in style.

Jurançon Sec, Camin Larredya (Jean-Marc Grussaute) 2004
$15 on release. 14% alcohol. Cork. Importer: Wine Traditions, Falls Church, VA.
One of my long-time favorite producers of Jurançon is Jean-Marc Grussaute at Camin Larredya. Grussaute's Jurançon Sec is a blend of roughly two-thirds Gros Manseng and one-third Petit Manseng, with just a dash of Petit Courbu thrown in for nuance. This is the cuvée now known as "a l’esguit," but in 2004 it was still simply labeled as Jurançon Sec.

According to Grussaute, this wine is best kept for about two years from the vintage. Having enjoyed his wines for years, though, I've always had a gut feeling that his Sec has the potential to grow a good deal further than that. While I've enjoyed bottles at 3-4 years of age in the past, I'm not sure I'd ever drunk one quite as old as this... at least not until tonight.

Straight off, I was surprised at how little obvious evolution the wine had undergone, still displaying a really solid tone in the glass, morphing only slightly from its original silvery green tones to its now subtly golden hue. A whisper of volatile acidity has developed in the bottle, but not nearly enough to be off-putting. What has more markedly changed is a rounding of the wine's textures and flavors, to a more honeyed, caramelized and intensely apple-y flavor profile. While it's much rounder and more perceptibly sweet-fruited than when young, it's still packing a monster punch of acidity, a signature of honest Jurançon Sec. Seriously masculine wine that's very interesting to drink at this point in its evolution.

Am I saying you should age your Jurançon Sec? No. I'm not sure this has "improved" so much as it has simply changed. But I am suggesting that, should you find occasion to procure three-to-six bottles of said wine in the current vintage, it wouldn't be a bad idea to forget about one of the bottles for several years, just for the sake of experience.

By the way, I'm drinking this as I watch today's stage coverage, eat my dinner and write this post. Whoever it was that said men can't multitask was cleerly worng.

Up next: Tomorrow is a rest day at Le Tour, but there's no rest here.

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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.

* * *
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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Some Sips from Southwest France

To allay any fears that I somehow made it through an eight course tasting menu without a drop of wine, here are a few tasting notes from a recent dinner at Talula’s Table. When picking out bottles to cart along for the evening, I quickly saw a mini pattern developing with the whites, both of which were from the greater southwest of France. So I decided to continue that theme straight through the evening.

Blanquette de Limoux “Le Berceau,” Maison Vergnes (Domaine de Martinolles) NV
Although technically located in the Languedoc-Roussillon, Limoux’s situation in the eastern foothills of the Pyrenées often leads its wines to be considered in the context of the greater southwest of France. Maison Vergnes produces some of the best quality and best value wines of the AOC, with this, their flagship non-vintage Méthode Traditionnelle bottling, slotting into the always sweet under-$15 price range. It’s a typical blend to the area, constituted mostly of the local specialty Mauzac, salted and peppered with small quantities of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.

I was particularly keen to see how this bottle would show, as it had been hiding in my cellar for a good three or four years since purchase. The verdict was good. Hay-toned colors suggested continuing youth. The characteristic yellow apple fruit of Mauzac, along with brioche and lanolin, were still in plentiful evidence right up front. Medium mousse, generous texture and medium-bodied impact. With a bit of air, elements of bottle development began to appear, with a touch of oiliness in the rear palate and a finish redolent of roasted brazil nuts and hazelnuts. $12 on release. 12.5% alcohol. Natural cork. Importer: Wine Traditions, Falls Church, VA.

Jurançon Sec, Domaine Castera 2006
Moving deeper in to the Pyrenées, Jurançon is an appellation noted first and foremost for its sweet, passérillage influenced wines; thus, the dry whites from the region always carry the “sec” designation for clarification. A blend of Gros Manseng and Petit Courbu, this is seriously big wine, not from oak – there is none – or rich, fat textures but rather from a combination of high acidity, intensely vinous texture and naturally high alcohol. It wears that alcohol well. Grippy texture. Loads of lime oil, wildflowers and white stone minerality. Not for casual sipping but great with food where something with cut and power is demanded. It was a brilliant match with the falafel-crusted halibut served at Talula’s and would pair extremely well with Basque sheep’s milk cheeses such as Ossau Iraty or Pyrenées Brebis. $16. 14% alcohol. Synthetic cork. Importer: Wine Traditions, Falls Church, VA.

Côtes de Bergerac, Château Haut-Bernasse 1999
Like the Blanquette de Limoux, this had been resting in my cellar for quite a few years. Unlike the Blanquette, I hadn’t planned to keep it for so long, it had just gotten away from me. I was curious to check in on its development, wondering if it would still be holding up. The color was good, a deep garnet red, semi-opaque and showing only moderate hints of maturity. Alas, a quick sniff was all it took to end the show, as the bottle was profoundly corked. Regardless of price, it’s a much bigger drag to run into a cork tainted wine when it’s been cared for so well and for so long as opposed to when it’s just come home from the wine shop. This bottle was stoppered with one of those hideously cheap composite corks that seem to be even more prone to TCA infection than “whole” corks. $14 on release. 12% alcohol. Natural cork composite. Importer: Petit Pois, Moorestown, NJ.

Cahors, Clos la Coutale (V. Bernede & Fils) 2004
A more than adequate stand-in for the spoiled Bergerac. When first opened, this showed classic Cahors rusticity, with wooly, stewed black fruits and earthy, iron-like aromas. Tannins were not as intense as in some of the more powerful wines of Cahors but were still typically dusty and chunky. As it opened, purer blackberry and plum emerged. Texture became more refined. Then, as the night wore on, country wine character returned, with aromas of tar and sun-baked rocks leading to a finish laced with hints of clay, leather and sour black cherries. An excellent value, this would be great to keep around for summer grilling. $17. 12.5% alcohol. Natural cork. Importer: Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, CA.

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