Vol. 2 No. 8
Standard Selection - (1) Red, (1) White
1997 Jean-Paul Champagnon "Les Roches" Fleurie - France
1997 Sobon Estate Shenandoah Valley Viognier - California
Fleurie "Les Roches"
A Flower by any Other Name
The exceptional Grand Cru Beaujolais Fleurie, "Les Roches", by Jean-Paul Champagnon has to be France’s best kept secret - or used to be. Champagnon is a meticulous grower and producer who arduously works rugged, hillside vineyards, full of granite rock (hence "Les Roches"), to produce a mere 800 cases of exquisite Grand Cru Fleurie.
Working as a "metier", Jean-Paul Champagnon works and controls the "Les Roches" vineyard and makes the wine at the estate, but he does not own the property. In a traditional system of land sharing, akin to the American system of sharecropping, Champagnon is free to retain a sizeable portion of the harvest or to sell it off to negociants or brokers. Preferring to let his wine speak for him, Monsieur Champagnon keeps only the best 5% of his fruit for his Fleurie "Les Roches". He then turns the "cream of the crop" into a fresh, flowery (hence the word Fleurie) subtle and delicious gem. The rest of the fruit he sells off to well-known negociants...one of whom you can probably guess.
Packed with lush violet, blackcurrant and strawberry flavors, the handicraft of Jean-Paul Champagnon’s brutal selection is nothing short of one of the best wines of the Beaujolais Appellation, and further testament to the adage: "great wine is made in the vineyard".
Merci mille fois, Monsieur Champagnon. Your wine is a flower in the buttonhole of civilization.
The Grand Cru of Beaujolais
Situated in the extreme south of Burgundy, Beaujolais is a vast region of nearly two hundred villages and communes, spread out on varying "terroirs", or subsoils. Beaujolais forms the unofficial dividing line between northern and southern France. Straddling the un-specified equivalent of the American Mason-Dixon Line, Beaujolais wine flows in copious quantities both north to Paris and south to Lyon and elsewhere.
Undoubtedly, there is a wide variation in quality in Beaujolais, reflecting the differences in soil composition, altitude and the level of production among the thousands of growers. Yet, the Gamay grape provides the common denominator and the defining flavor and character of the region’s wines. In fact, Gamay and Beaujolais are nearly synonymous even though Beaujolais can be bottled as Burgundy if it contains Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, rather than Gamay. However, very little of the appellation’s wines are bottled as Burgundy because of the unique quality of Gamay in the granite rock of Beaujolais and the unprecedented commercial success of the appellation has enjoyed since the Second World War. Gamay reigns supreme in this picturesque region, and, nowhere is this more true than in the 10 Grand Cru villages of Beaujolais.
Comprising the heart of Beaujolais, the 10 Grand Cru villages offer the consumer the best Gamay-based wine in the world. In addition, each township possesses individual characteristics that make for memorable drinking. In the order of ascending fullness and ability to age the Grand Cru of Beaujolais are: Brouilly, Cote de Brouilly, Chiroubles, St. Amour, Fleurie, Regnie, Chenas, Morgon, Julienas, and Moulin-a-Vent.
One of life’s great, and most affordable pleasures is a tasting of Grand Cru Beaujolais. Why not make tasting them a party with a group of friends? Then, and only then, can you fully appreciate the charm and character of the world’s finest Gamay wines. Enjoy!
Tasting Notes: Delicious from start to finish, the 1997 Jean-Paul Champagnon "Les Roches" Fleurie is a real crowd pleaser. Packed with lush fruit (not sugar), violet and strawberry scents leap from the glass. Blackcurrant, cassis and strawberry flavors explode in your mouth, and linger for a full thirty seconds after swallowing. The quintessential Grand Cru Beaujolais, this Fleurie exhibits the royal attributes of the queen of Beaujolais: ripe, voluptuous fruit, backed by substantial flavor and a lingering, distinctive, almost haunting scent that we can even smell long after the wine is gone. Satisfying, yet enticing, there is no wonder that Fleurie is the most popular and sought after Grand Cru Beaujolais, and that Jean-Paul Champagnon is indeed a master craftsman in the noble domain of Fleurie. Too bad so little of this fine Fleurie is produced, and even less is exported. Serve this delectable Grand Cru cool, but not too chilled, (about 60 degrees Fahrenheit). It need not be opened more than a few minutes ahead of serving.
Accompaniments: Lighter flavored meats, such as veal, ham and pork make fine accompaniments to the Champagnon Fleurie, especially when the wine is in its youth and offers the taster its full bloom of vinous fruit. After a couple of years in bottle, light game, quail, guinea hen or squab make for a memorable meal. Traditional, more savory Burgundian dishes, like Coq au Vin, are excellent complements to the wine as well. However, there is no better red wine paring for fine cheese than Grand Cru Beaujolais, and the ‘97 Champagnon Fleurie is no exception. Many a memorable evening we have spent with friends in the company of a plate of excellent cheeses and a couple of bottles of Fleurie. Port Salut, Bel Paese, Double Gloucester, Gouda and Edam are just a few of the selections we have enjoyed recently with this wine. Our preference is for the creamier, non-crusted cheeses, but don’t be afraid to experiment.
Sobon Estate: Shenandoah Valley’s Pride
The Sobon family has been active since 1977 in winemaking and viticulture at their Shenandoah Vineyards site in the historic Shenandoah Valley of California. In 1987, they quintupled their vineyard holdings with the acquisition of the former D’Agostini winery. This new property, aptly named Sobon Estate, continues the family’s firm commitment to making the best Zinfandels in the state with a series of old vine and vineyard designated releases while at the same time expanding the role of Rhone varietals. It is located in the popular Motherlode county of Amador County at a high elevation, (approximately 2000 ft. above sea level).
After extensive varietal and clonal experiments, Leon Sobon has determined that soil, climate and topography make this area the ideal site for growing traditional Rhone varietals; Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne, Cinsault, Mourvedre and Grenache. The plantings, which began in the mid 80's are now some of the most robust and vigorous Rhone style vineyards in the state and the demand for cuttings from these remarkable vines (from fellow vintners and growers to propagate new vineyards) is almost as great as the demand for the intensely flavored, highly concentrated grapes they produce.
The wines themselves pay tribute to the great traditional winemaking of the Rhone appellations of France. The Sobon Estate Viognier is the result of a meticulously managed rare 100% organic vineyard. Low yields are essential; crop thinning is extensively employed to maintain this objective and assure an intense floral wine to match any Condrieu. Condrieu is of course, France’s most renowned Viognier wine.
The estate’s Syrah, situated on a 30 degree north-facing slope, basks all summer long in the most glorious sunshine and is cooled by brisk evening breezes rising up the hill. Again, low yields are the norm. At Sobon, they have the additional advantage of having both the Hermitage clone and the Shiraz clone for Syrah planted almost 50/50. They are harvested and fermented separately giving a unique opportunity to produce a Syrah of almost unprecedented strength and complexity.
With approximately 35 acres dedicated to Rhone varietals and total case production under 3,000, the Rhone style wines are very limited and often sell out very quickly. The remainder of Sobon Estate is still primarily Zinfandel. These vines, planted prior to prohibition, are all head pruned, dry-farmed and like their Rhone cousins, are 100% organic. The Sobon have designated certain site specific vineyards such as the now famous "Rocky Top", "Cougar Hill" and our old Fiddletown vineyard - "Lubenko" as special, very limited releases. The fruit from these vineyards is among the most intense ever harvested. Selected and picked by hand, these wines show a dimension and degree of complexity of incredible proportion. The key of course, are these vines’ proclivity to produce tiny crops, sometimes under two tons per acre. The remainder of the estate’s Zinfandel goes into an exclusive Zingiovese, a blend of Zinfandel and Sangiovese (the Brunello clone). The Sangiovese is planted on old lava flow and because of the soil and low yields, produces one of the most extracted Sangiovese in the state. In short, Sobon produces small quantities of wines that are both exquisite, as well as exclusive.
Organic Farming and The Sobon Family Wines
In 1989, the Sobon family made the decision to start farming organically. After a winter of much research, the following spring they saw the start of their new endeavor; they have never looked back. In 1994, they registered with the County Agriculture Commissioner and the State of California as organic growers of grapes and walnuts. Presently, they farm 125 acres without herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers.
All Sobon wines, both at Shenandoah Vineyards and Sobon Estate, are made by conventional means using a minimum of sulfites to preserve freshness and color. At bottling, their wine contains between 15-20 parts per million free sulfites, which diminish after several months in the bottle. These are some of the lowest sulfite wines we have encountered. Wines with no added sulfites can contain 8-12 parts per million of sulfites - a natural product of fermentation. These are extremely rare - particularly white - wines. Sobon believes the small amount of sulfites they use are necessary to maintain the freshness, stability, age ability and enjoyment of their wines. We agree. Such minimal amount of added sulfite is beneficial and should pose no health risks. In fact, most raw fruits and vegetables contain far more sulfites than Sobon wine.
All of Sobon Estate wines are made with their own organically grown grapes. Three of their growers use their IPM techniques which is the next best thing, but technically not organic. Those grapes are blended into the Shenandoah Sauvignon Blanc and the Zinfandels, but not into the other varietals. All other wines are made with 100% organically grown grapes. Kudos to Lee Sobon and his family for such healthy, beautifully wrought, natural wines.
Tasting Notes: Wildflowers and the faint smell of honeysuckle mark the aroma of fine Viognier, and the 1997 Sobon Estate Shenandoah Valley Viognier is no exception. Beautiful, rich fruit caresses the nose, while light floral tones run across the palate, giving the wine an ethereal, but not unsubstantial quality. Almost in spite of its delicacy, this Viognier’s pure, easy drink flavors pack a punch - this is no wimpy wine. It weighs in at over 13% alcohol, but that’s hardly noticeable in flavor. The Sobon Estate Viognier is one of the most elegant wines we have tasted in quite a while. It combines delicacy, finesse and flavor - all in one delicious format. Undoubtedly, Sobon’s success with the rare, finicky Viognier grape is one reason the future bodes so well for the varietal in California, and in the Shenandoah Valley in particular. Serve this wine chilled, as you would any white wine, and then allow it to open up a few minutes in your glass. You’ll be surprised at the gamut of scents and flavors you garner in a single sip.
Accompaniments: Although pork is the traditional fare served with Viognier in France, it is a very versatile grape. It marries well to most fish and light meats, and it can even stand up to pepper steak and more exotic dishes that contain a touch of the Orient. In fact, any meal that you would serve a Chardonnay with, would go equally well with the Sobon Estate Viognier. However, one of our favorite food pairings with this Viognier is a mild seafood platter, consisting of shrimp, prawns, lobster and grilled salmon. Another favorite of ours is to serve this Viognier as an aperitif, accompanied by caviar on a plain cracker and a selection of lightly smoked salmon with capers. Soft cheeses and fresh fruit, especially ripe peaches and pears, are another winning combination. Enjoy!
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