week 2

Pouilly Vinzelles

So, what is Pouilly Vinzelles? Well, here is an easy way to figure out burgundies: if it's white it is always chardonnay. and if it's red it's always pinot noir. That is pretty easy isn't it? That is the one and most important thing you need to know about burgundy. And people are afraid of them.
You know how afraid they are? I went to a store the other day (in Dallas), to buy a bottle of red burgundy. There were none on the shelf, so I asked the "wine expert" how come they don't sell any. He told me people don't buy french, because they can't figure them out. You are a f@#$ wine expert dude. You know what you are suppose to be doing? EXPLAIN IT TO THEM!!! My reaction was, why don't you put it on the shelf, and instead of selling it as marsannay or santennay or whatever it is, sell it as pinot noir. I guarantee you, that you will sell it, especially after somebody buys it, they will come back. Jeez, rocket science.
So, how do the french write their labels? According to the law, instead of them writing what kind of wine it's in the bottle (they are French after all, and they like to make things difficult for the rest of us), they write the appelation. In some cases that is the name of the village, in some cases the name of a parcel of land. One of the jewels of Burguny, Corton-Charlemagne it's a hill. The appelation of Pouilly Vinzelles is actually two villages (Vinzelles and Loche) together. Easier?
So, what is Pouilly Vinzelles? It is an amazing, $15 bottle of chardonnay. There are only about 120 acres of this appelation, so chances are you will not find it in every Costco out there. Which, if you ask me, it's a great thing. When you buy a bottle, try and see what you taste in it. If you taste peaches, you are already better than the "wine expert" mentioned above. It has been in stainless steel containers, so you will not taste any oak. It's aromatic and it has the roundness and fullness that you expect from a good burgundy.
Pairing? Whatever floats your boat. Whatever YOU like better. One of my good friends in New York, an accomplished master sommelier, recomends it with steak. And you thought cabernet is the way to go! I had it with steak, and you know what? The guy is right, amazing! Complements the beef just as well as a rounded, full bodied cabernet or bordeaux. Best part is, that if you overdo and have a couple of bottles (which I did plenty of times), you will not wake up the next day with a headache. Try that with KJ, you will be like the guy in the Advil commercial, two every four hours.
It finally cooled down in Dallas, so even though I don't agree with the old saying "hot weather white wine, cold weather, red wine", next week I will tell you about an Italian awesomeness: ripasso