Some Old Armagnac

In the days before Christmas some old Armagnacs came into the store. The producer was Chateau du Busca from the Tenareze region of Armagnac. The history of the estate goes back to the 16th centery, the family was enobled in the 17th and Armagnac production goes back a long ways. We had some of the vintage products a few years ago. During a staff tasting with Alain Royer, who assembled the released products I remember describing the 1985 as a dreamsicle, with its strong vanilla and burnt orange peel characteristics. Comparing notes with my colleague, he noted the vanilla and orange in more proper technical terms. A few months later, in a tasting with the Countess from the estate, she described the same vintage as having definite vanilla and orange highlights. (Sometimes we get these things right!)

The 1985 was not among the vintages we received, but we did get 1979 and 1982 which just happen to be the birth years of my sons. Opportunities for birth year vintages are rare and even more rarely affordable, so I indulged in a couple of bottles for Christmas presents. After a family dinner at my son's house in Santa Fe on a cold January night, we had the opportunity to taste.

The 1979 was like slipping into an old jewelry box, with patinaed satin and rich warm wood. Musty orange and dried fruits and flowers danced in the warm richness of the distillate. Flavors were deep and long and rich.

The 1982 followed with a slap to the face. Christmas spice and fruit cake laced with candied fruit in the warm molasses cake lingered long on the palate. The '82 was as open and joyous as the '79 was elegant and reserved.

As I contemplated the remarkable difference between the two, I remembered that '82 was famous for the benchmark quality of the Bordeaux vintage. It was the year that made the young Robert Parker into a superstar wine critic.And that is what separates great Armagnacs from great Cognacs. Great Cognacs are blended while great Armagnacs change with the vintage.

BT 11: A Long Time Ago...

On one of the last evenings before the total descent of Christmas madness fell upon us all, a bare quorum gathered around a dark table in a rundown neighborhood in Old East Dallas and drank some fine bottles of old wine and enjoyed another great meal thanks to Mitch and the crew at Urbano Cafe. All notes and descriptions of that event have long since been lost, but the following is set down from what memory still lingers...

Three of us started with a white wine. It was weighty on the palate with unctuous notes of pear and honey, finishing with a minerally richness. Brad said it was the last of the bottles he had bought. To start the conversation I threw out Condrieu. "OK," said Brad, "You win. It's Viognier." I think the producer was Jaffurs, but I could be wrong.

John put out the second bottle. The wine was dense and massive, tight and massive, seamless and massive. We kept going back to it over the evening. Notes of espresso and  black fruits slowly emerged. Any discussion is forgotten, but not the wine. 2005 Clos Fortet.

The third bottle was Brad's. Again, the producer and vintage is lost in time. (reminders would help) The wine remains. Elegant Napa Cabernet Franc. Red and black fruits, but the defining flash of fresh tobacco leaf tagged the variety. Rich, full, elegant and delicious.

The next wine had been decanted for the fourth time when we arrived at the restaurant. Opulent aromatics of red and black fruit combined with the complex savory notes of earth and underbrush let tasters to the Rhone Valley. A massive wine. The extensive decanting allowed a glimpse of what the wine has to offer in years to come.2010 Bosquet des Papes Chantmerle.

Tran joined us for the last two bottles which he brought. The first was a Diamond Creek Volcanic Hills 1996 if I remember correctly and it's not the first time we tasted this wine. The aromatics are always the same cedary potpourri that takes me back to my grandmother's cedar chest. This bottle showed less aging than the previous one with young vigorous fruit.

His second bottle was another beauty from Napa. Graceful, aromatic, yet with elegant power, it was the 1995 Meritage from Cosentino. What a treat it was to taste these older wines. They let the evening coast to a close.

When we were the last customers remaining, Mitch and his chef were able to join us and taste through the wines with us as we finished a memorable evening.


I wrote this post from memory several weeks ago, but did not post. I was too embarrassed to post with incorrect identification of the wines. Finally, I found my notes and am happy to say that I got most everything correct. Well, I got the order wrong on the last two wines. Here's the list in the correct order. Sorry the notes are so late. Having finally finished, I am DEFINITELY READY for our next gathering!

#1    Jaffurs Viognier 2009, Santa Barbara County
#2    Clos Fortet 2005, Saint Emilion, Bordeaux
#3    Ovid Experiment K1.5 2005, Napa
#4    Bosquet des Papes Chantmerle 2010, Chateauneuf du Pape
#5    M Coz 1995, Cosentino, Napa
#6    Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill Cabernet ????, Napa.(Vintage not in notes.)

Great Moments in Retail v1.08: How Busy is Too Busy?

Sometimes this job really sucks.

Dad called me last night to let me know that a former colleague and old family friend died the other day. They both started their career with the same company 50 years ago and both moved their families to Dallas in the early sixties and the two families have been close ever since. The last time I saw John was at my mother's funeral in September. John's funeral was today and Dad was asked to be a pallbearer. I decided to go to represent the rest of our family.

But Christmas madness was in high form this morning and by the time I thought about the funeral it was one o'clock. I guess I could have walked out if I had remembered, but it would have left a number of customers and the store high and dry.

So now I'm angry as hell and feel sad and terrible. And sometimes this job really sucks.

Thanksgiving Pie Fight

It was the last card on a long day. Naps were over, dishes were done. Time for a last piece of pie. Oh... maybe a thin slice of that Pecan.

Oh, and for a last nip to close the evening. Whatllyahave? The early thought was Zaya aged rum, but that seemed too safe and easy and then the decision was Rye or Bourbon and why the hell not, bring out the George T Stagg. And the battle was on!

A little background.

A hundred and fifty years ago legendary Kentucky distiller E.H. Taylor partnered with distiller/financial wizard George T Stagg to build the state-of-the-art distillery of its day, known for many years as the George T Stagg distillery. It was one of only a handful to survive Prohibition and is known today as Buffalo Trace. Every year Buffalo Trace chooses a handful of old barrels of the most powerful aged bourbon they can find and bottle it uncut and release it under the George T Stagg label as part of their "Antique Collection."

Up until a few years ago these bottles sat in dusty lockboxes with other rare old whiskies and waited for the rare collector to show up and claim their prize. Today they are fought over tooth and nail. At the store, we have over a hundred names on the waiting lists for the meager allocation of bottles we will receive. More customers are hurt and angry than are made happy. The sad thing is that there are more great American whiskies on the shelf than ever before, but no one wants to buy goods off the rack.

But come on, it's not about the whisky it's about the coup. Pappy Van Winkle. Buffalo Trace Antique Collection for the new cognoscenti. Jeez, Amerika! Are we drinking whisky or collecting baseball cards?

Ok. Deep breath. Rant over. Eat pie, Drink whiskey. Calm down.

The pie is delicious. Rich, sweet and nutty, Susan adds a layer of broken pecan pieces which float to rest just under the decorative top layer of arranged Fancy Jumbo Halves for extra pecan nuttiness.

However, as delicious as the pie may be, the first sips of the Stagg blow the pie clean off the palate like a flamethrower with its hot, stinging breath of alcohol (70.9%) and massive flavors. But curiously, as I eat more of the pie, it offers more and more resistance to the whiskey. Creamy layers of dark, nutty candy coat the tongue until finally balance is achieved and the flavors merge with the sweet cinnamon tobacco richness of the whiskey in some form of Southern Nirvana.

Happy Thanksgiving.

BT 10: Absolutely!

It was a smaller group that gathered for our double blind tasting session at Suze on a late October evening. None of us really felt sorry for Sepi. We knew full well that he was enjoying some killer wines out in San Francisco. (He always does.) How # 4 made it, I don't know. He had emailed his 'full-time Dad' schedule of birthdays, hockey games, football games and somehow had already fitted in a tasting session before joining us. But he wasn't too late. He even claims he went to work.

There were no preliminaries tonight. We ordered some starters and went right to work. Scott brought the first wine. "White!" we exclaimed. Got that right. The rich amber hue (it was tough to see in the dim light) told us that the wine had some age. Notes of baked pear, burnt orange, butter scotch and toasted marshmallow finished with a touch of acid lift on the finish. We were hesitant to call Napa Chardonnay, because we remembered the old Sauvignon Blancs Scott had brought to the last tasting. Finally Dave went on a rant on the similarity to some old Patz & Hall Chardonnays and called the wine a 2007 Carneros Chardonnay from a high altitude vineyard like Hyde or Hudson. "No, the label said Napa," corrected Scott. Well, it could have been from the Napa section of Carneros, but it was a 2007 from Yountville. A tiny plot of the Gemstone vineyard planted with Meursault clones, a two barrel production by Phillipe Melka, Facets Estate Chardonnay, 2007.

John pulled out the second wine, ruby red with hints of orange around the edges, with a thick glistening rim between the glass and the edge of the color. Ripe but delicate flavors of raspberries, dried cherries and a hint of mint intertwined with silky tannins kissed by lush vanilla on the finish. Brad was quick, Napa Cabernet, 1996. We guessed producers until John pulled the bottle out of the bag. Altamura 1996. Lovely.

Next Brad poured a dark purple wine out of the bagged bottle. No bricking here (that we could see). Pools of black fruit were buried in the skeins of cedar and sage of the dark wine. It had the vibrance of youth with the elegance of age. Napa Cabernet for sure, but we guessed 2001 or 2002. No it was the 1996 Whitehall Lane Reserve, tasting like a youngster.

At this point we're remembering other 1996 wines the group has tasted: Cinq Cepages, Montelena and several Bordeaux. Some great wines!

By now the lamb is on the table and Dave brings out a massive wine. Opulent black fruits with dark hints of espresso and flowers. Fat black fruits and rich textures coat the palate in layers. There is enough acid to keep the wine from being too heavy and give elegance to the power. John immediate goes to Spain, then Italy. The elegance is very European, so it has to be South American. The smoky notes point to Malbec and Argentina. It's a Cabernet/Malbec blend, Cheval Blanc's Argentine project, Cheval des Andes, 2007.

Scott pours another dark wine with silky black fruit with hints of mocha. John has an obsession with this grape, it's Syrah, though this expression misses some of the characeristic peppery notes. It's fine-grained and elegant and does not overwhelm. The wine fights everything you think about syrah, yet it can't be anything else. Not a wine you see everyday, Araujo Eisele Vineyard Syrah, 2005.

One more. Are you kidding me? There's only four of us, but Brad brings out one more. The darn thing's open after all. More deep, rich dark fruit, lush yet light with a kiss of spicy tannin. (Oh please, just kill me like this, OK?)  Napa? Yes. Cabernet? NO. Dave ponders for just a moment then calls it, "Paloma Merlot, 2004 or 2005." BOOM! Brad turns, stares and shakes its head. One of the quickest calls since John nailed the poor guy's Massetto a while back. He spent a lot to stump the group, we've never seen him since! The wine was delicious, by the way, as were all the wines this evening.

We ordered some desserts and "No, you didn't." "Yes, I did" A small bottle of dessert wine makes its appearance. Amber in color, the wine is redolent with honey and caramel, but with a drying almost salty finish. After a moments silence, John (or was it Brad) called out "South African Chenin Blanc." Half-right. 2003 Domaine Jo Pithon Coteaux Layon St. Lambert. (Too bad the kitchen was out of cajeta for the crepes, they would have been perfect!)

And that was it. Another great evening with great food in a wine friendly restaurant. Chef Gilbert Garza came over and sat down with us we visited and revisited the wines with him. The room was empty when he walked us to the door. THANKS!

Great Moments in Retail v1.07: Or Maybe Not...

RIP Mustang Beverages.

For as long as I have worked at Sigel's Greenville Avenue, across the street a small, independent liquor store eked out their share of the market. I'm sure they stocked products we didn't, maybe their prices were a little lower on some items, for sure they didn't style themselves as an 'Elite' store as we did, not only in the new name of the store, but in our high-priced wines and whiskies, tile floors and big screens HD televisions and satellite radio. To quote from their one review on 'Yelp:'

Mustang Beverages is a lot smaller than your normal liquor store and reminds one of a Astoria or Williamsburg bodega.  Though their space is limited, they've done the most with their area and have a large selection of different liquors of all sizes. You won't find much wine or craft beer here, but what you will find are friendly employees that will chat about soccer or basketball and will always remember your name.

We coexisted. Until this week. After an 'inventory reduction' sale, they closed their doors, and one by one, we are meeting their customers. Why did they close?

Because the big dogs have come to town. Total Wines sells most major brands below cost. Other big stores are responding by lowering prices. Survival depends on having good business on other brands which can be sold at a profitable price. The change in the wet/dry lines opening up the city for beer/wine sales changed the game in a big way. Now the grocery and big-box discount stores led by Tom Thumb (Safeway) and Sam's offer an expanded selection of major brand wines at highly discounted prices. It's tough!

Total's MO is to lose large money for a year or more on their new stores. Their goal is to drive 40-50% of the independent stores out of business. And then they'll raise their prices on the major brands. Of course their major goal is to drive customers to their own private labels which have more than enough margin to offset the discounting.

So keep a watch on the little independents stores that populate the city. Support them when you can. Notice when they're gone. Remember that a capitalist economy depends on profit to exist. You don't get somethin' for nothin'!

RIP Mustang.

Great Moments of Retail v1.06: You Can't Have It!

As an industry we do some really dumb things.  For instance....

Whenever a spectacular vintage of a particular wine is released several things are likely to happen. The action/reactions follow a similar pattern usually depending on who owns the wine. It's classic supply and demand. Those who have it want to hold on to it, raise the price and save it for themselves or for customers with insider connections. Those who don't have it want to purchase the wine and those who have favored or insider connections will be able to purchase some.

The great thing is that this model works on all levels where the wine changes hands. From supplier to wholesaler, from wholesaler to retailer, from retailer to customer. The bad thing is that the average customer never sees the wine. All that's left for him is the lesser quality bottlings that still carry the same high price tag. On those special occasions when the customer buys one of these lesser quality bottlings, he is invariably disappointed.

What a great model!

Who would train a dog like this???