Just a quick note: My new book, WINE COUNTRY USA, has been out from Rizzoli since early this year. Available on Amazon, B&N, the usual suspects.
My wine book, THE NEW YORK BOOK OF WINE, is at long last available from Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and Borders.com.
Here is the B&N.com link:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=2VBAFMDGNL&isbn=0789309971&itm=1
Anyone who likes, or loves, to drink wine and is planning a trip, or a move, to New York will, I hope, find the book worth the cover price. Actually, for all the fantastic intelligence I crammed into it, I think it's a steal.
A week ago, I had dinner with the president of Burgundy's Maison Louis Jadot. This was not long after my recent story on the current crisis in French wine appeared in Newsweek's online Arts & Opinions section. Gagey was my primary source.
However, at dinner we didn't discuss the problems of French wine. We were too busy tasting through a vertical of Echezeaux. The killer sequence involved a trio of this Grand Cru from 1996, 1997, and 1998.
Now, I'm by no means an expert on Burgundy, much less Grand Crus, which are brutually expensive and very difficult to obtain. They are also a tremendous tasting challenge, mainly because of their unpredictability, even in good vintages.
1997 is regarded by Jadot's winemaker, Jacques Lardière, as the best vintage he has produced in his 30 years with the house. I can see why he loves the wine so much. There is a phenomenally concentrated core, but also a ripeness. The balance between these two aspects--the "center" of the wine, which will determine its ageworthiness, and the powerful fruit, whose evolution will influence the wine's ability to attack the palate--will from my point of view be the measure of how truly great the 1997 vintage is.
Meanwhile, the '96 and the '98 weren't too shabby, either. The '96 is fairly approachable; some prefer it to '97. I think it has a broader quality. It could be a sleeper. I have a vintage chart, obtained in 2001, that actually rates it higher than '97 (18 over 16, on the British 20-point scale).
The dinner was at Bouley, in New York, where I live. It was impressive. I've tended to forget about David Bouley over the past few years; he's slipped under the radar, isn't nearly as famous as he was 10 years ago. I think this has improved his cuisine. It's entered a productive, stimulating middle age. Many of his ideas, now that they've been practiced and practiced on actual food, seem extremely innovative. In fact, I think he has done a better job of incorporating the French bistro revolution--in France, the enthusiasm that young cooks have for combing classic French technique with Asian-fusion influences--into the American dining consciousness than any other prominent chef. His food is sensual, but also cerebral. However, there are no stunts. It all seems completely mature and un-selfconscious.
Gagey was as confident and compelling in relating the story of his wines as I have ever seen him. He also looked very sharp in his medium-gray three-button jacket, multi-hued check shirt, and yellow print tie. I think it was the same suit he was wearing when I last saw him in New York, a good lesson to servile followers of fashion! If you have a good suit, wear it a lot. Make it your signature. Lesson one of Vintner Chic.
This will be forum in which I will post reports, tasting notes, personal experiences and most important off all, shameful
gossip, all from the world of wine.
