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COMING SOON 26 wines rewarded
at the 26th Annual Chablis Wines Competition
The annual Chablis Wines Competition, organized by the Chablis Office, in association with the Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne (BIVB), was held on January 21st.
The 26th edition was presided over by the bubbly Ophélie Neiman, aka Miss GlouGlou, a journalist and blogger who runs a wine blog on the newspaper Le Monde’s website.
With the right words, Ophélie described Chablis wines in a very special way: « To me, a glass of Chablis is like a sunrise on a cold winter’s morning. It is early, a thick mist drowns the sky, but spring is almost here, tender green shows here and there…”
Ophélie had the opportunity to see for herself just how serious this competition is. Indeed, the contest is very selective, as only 26 wines out of a total of 335 are honored.
Another peculiarity: producers and other Chablis professionals are not allowed to judge the wines (as the wines could be theirs!). The 65 tasters were thus journalists, restaurant owners, sommeliers, brokers, oenologists and wine aficionados. They judged the wines in two rounds; the ones that got the best marks during pre-selection moved to the grand jury examination, the only one allowed to designate the winners.
Used by Chablis BIVB for communications and educational activities carried out in France and abroad, the awarded wines will be the Wine Ambassadors of Chablis until the next time the contest is held (in early 2013).
Chablis Wines Contest 26th edition winners
Amount of samples : 335
Amount of Tasters : 65
Amount of companies represented : 90 wine domains or trade
Petit Chablis 2010
Médaille d’Or
- Domaine Yvon Vocoret, Maligny
Médaille d’Argent
- Domaine de Pisse Loup, Beines
- Domaine Roland Laventureux, Lignorelles
- Isabelle et Denis Pommier, Poinchy
Médaille de Bronze
- Domaine Chevallier, Montallery
Chablis 2010
Médaille d’Or
- Domaine Servin, Chablis
- Domaine William Fèvre, Chablis
Médaille d’Argent
- GAEC De Oliviera Lecestre, Fontenay près Chablis
- Maison Lupé Cholet, Beaune
Médaille de Bronze
- Domaine Vincent Dampt, Milly
Chablis 1er Cru 2010, Rive Droite
Médaille d’Or
- Chablis 1e Cru Montée de Tonnerre, Damien & Romain Bouchard, Chablis
- Chablis 1e Cru Mont de Milieu, Domaine Jean Paul & Benoît Droin, Chablis
- Chablis 1e Cru Vaucoupin, Domaine de la Meulière, Fleys
Médaille d’Argent
- Chablis 1e Cru Fourchaume, Domaine Christophe et Fils, Fyé
Médaille de Bronze
- Chablis 1e Cru Mont de Milieu, Lamblin et Fils, Maligny
- Chablis 1e Cru Mont de Milieu, Samuel Billaud, La Chapelle
Chablis 1er Cru 2010, Rive Gauche
Médaille d’Or
- Chablis 1e Cru Montmains, Domaine Pinson Frères, Chablis
Médaille d’Argent
- Chablis 1e Cru Vaillons, Domaine Servin, Chablis
Médaille de Bronze
- Chablis 1e Cru Vaugiraut, Domaine Pinson Frères, Chablis
- Chablis 1e Cru Vaillons, Damien & Romain Bouchard, Chablis
Chablis Grand Cru 2009
Médaille d’Or
- Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses, La Chablisienne, Chablis
- Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos, Domaine Drouhin-Vaudon, Chablis
Médaille d’Argent
- Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir Domaine Bernard Defaix, Milly
- Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot, Domaine Vocoret et Fils, Chablis
Médaille de Bronze
- Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses, Domaine Servin, Chablis
- Chablis Grand Cru Valmur, Domaine William Fèvre, Chablis
Ode to the Beaujolais Crus–and Beaujolais Sorbet
by Sharon Kapnick, written on January 8th on http://sharonswineline.wordpress.com
It’s easy to sing the praises of Beaujolais, for in addition to being a delicious wine–flavorful, fruity or spicy– it has several special qualities:
1) It’s remarkably versatile, the most versatile red wine of all. It’s an ideal all-season wine that’s as appropriate at the picnic table as the Thanksgiving table.
2) Beaujolais has the well-deserved reputation of being the only white wine that just happens to be red. Because it has low tannins, a smooth, silky texture and is best when served chilled (60 degrees is perfect for the Crus), Beaujolais is the red wine that white wine fans will find easy to love.
3) Beaujolais is currently underrated by many and therefore offers very good value.
There are four categories of Beaujolais–Nouveau, Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages and Cru Beaujolais–all made only from the Gamay grape. The Crus, generally considered best because they offer the most character, richness and complexity, come from ten designated sites—Brouilly, Chénas, Chiroubles, Côte de Brouilly, Fleurie, Juliénas, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, Régnié and St. Amour.
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A Giant Fan
with Michael Pope
One of the best tight-end coaches in the business, New York Giants coach Michael Pope has been to the Super Bowl five times, with three rings to show for it. And while he enjoys eating in other cities, he feels the best restaurants are right here in New York City.
I am a big fan of David Burke. The way David has grown his business is a great success story. I have witnessed firsthand how amazing it is to see what you can accomplish when you get everyone as close to their level of competence and direction as possible, and fuel that with enthusiasm. That is what David Burke does in both his kitchen and his dining room. I met Teddy Suric when I called to make a reservation one day, and we became fast friends. Teddy has an incredible memory for names and faces and events, and besides that is a wholesome, good person. We stay in touch through text and e-mail. I was able to repay his kindness when he brought his kids up to our training camp last year.
With David in the kitchen and Teddy in the front of the house, they make for a great team. We held my wife’s retirement party at Townhouse and it was memorable because of the quality of food and unbelievable service. You won’t find nicer people to work with. We had a large crowd and they were able to accommodate us with no problem. In fact, I’ve heard more compliments about how it was all handled that you could imagine! I really enjoy eating at Townhouse and Fishtail, and I have often done so with my sons. The first time I looked at that pretzel-crusted crab cake, I wasn’t sure what to think because I’m not a big pretzel guy. Boy, was I wrong! And just the presentation of the angry lobster alone is worth it! I find the scallops to be incredible.
GIVE US A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF YOUR CAREER.
I started coaching high school after a shoulder injury playing in the World Football League. I worked my way to becoming the freshman coach at Florida State, where I stayed for a while. There, I worked with a lot of the same people I ended up being with on the coaching staff at the NFL. I worked for the Giants from 1983 to 1991, went to Cincinnati for two years, New England for three, and then Washington D.C. for three. I came back to the Giants in 2000 and I’ve been with them ever since.
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MR. HOSPITALITY: TEDDY SURIC
David Burke is like family. I started working with him in 2003 and have been with him ever since. I guess I bought into his philosophy and standards and just loved what I saw. I think he is a culinary genius and a savvy restaurateur. He sees food like no one else does.
Counting on Teddy
Teddy has a lot of great qualities, but the bottom line is he gets me. He is a veteran of the burke Group and is incredibly caring— about the customer, about me, and about the company. Teddy is a pro and really loves what he does. He understands what I want, and sometimes even outdoes what I think, which is what I ultimately need. What I appreciate most is at the end of the night, Teddy will tell me what went right and he isn’t afraid to tell me what went wrong, afraid of upsetting the boss.
Over the years, Teddy has worked hard to develop systems and checklists— maintenance lists of cleanliness and accountability, and all the whys and why nots of running a restaurant. Teddy is talented at dealing with problems and, let’s face it, in this business there are always issues to deal with. His approach is to nip them in the bud and move on. He is a true host who doesn’t want you to leave until he has your number. When he was helping out at Db kitchen, it was not uncommon for him to walk diners all the way up to Jimmy, our rooftop bar. It’s a lot of work when you are doing it five times a night, and a lot of people wouldn’t bother. That attention to detail comes naturally to Teddy—it’s old school, and it’s ingratiating. He’s definitely a go-to guy for me and for our diners. —David burke
Hospitality is an integral part of my life. I specialized in hotel management in school, but even before then our family always did a lot of entertaining. I started working in restaurants in the United States when I was 18. Food is very important to me personally as well. I grew up in a small seaside town in Croatia where everyone was either a fisherman or worked on sand barges. Croatians eat like the Portuguese: There’s a lot of boiled meats, fish, lamb, and fresh vegetables involved. It’s good, clean, healthy living, and I grew up appreciating these basics.
For me, hospitality is everything. The restaurant business is hands-on. Today you find a lot of what I call “dot-com managers”—they have the education and the right resume but they don’t know how to shake a person’s hand. It’s all about taking the food that David creates and providing the service that goes with it. To be successful, you have to have both. The front of the house and the back have to be in sync— you have to find that balance. That’s what I do best. That’s where David and I see eye to eye. And the key to that is communication.
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A Weekend of Chablis Wines in NYC
Three very special epicurean experiences
Friday September 23rd and Sat September 24th
Chablis and David Bouley
Chablis and David Burke
Chablis and Shaun Hergatt
A Perfect Pairing
Michael Chiarello and Thomas Rivers Brown
When Thomas Rivers brown landed a coveted position at Turley Wine Cellars, as assistant winemaker to Ehren Jordan, he could never have guessed that in just two years he would be put in charge of making Michael Chiarello’s wines. Eleven years later, the 2010 Food & Wine Winemaker of the year is still very hands on in making Chiarello Family Vineyards wine—and loving every drop!
When I first met Michael Chiarello he was already a celebrity, so it took me awhile to feel confident enough to interact with him as a peer. We have achieved that balance over time. Today, he does most of the farming, with some input from me, and I handle everything on the cellar end. It’s a good working relationship, and we have eliminated any responsibility holes that existed.
I developed an interest in wine while I was at the University of Virginia. After I graduated, I waited tables in Virginia and helped wine buyers buy wine—whatever I could do to learn and taste. A trip to visit friends brought me to Napa Valley, and since I already knew I loved wine, it was easy to decide to move out here. At that point, I had no idea if I was going to make wine, market it, or sell it. I just wanted a crack at the wine business. I moved, started knocking on doors, and got a job in a wine shop in Calistoga called All Seasons. It was a great place to meet people since I hosted afternoon tastings, and one of the people I met there was Ehren Jordan, the winemaker for Turley Wine Cellars, who hired me in 1997 as an assistant winemaker.
Michael had just put together a nice estate in St. Helena, and in 1998 he decided to keep his fruit and start making his own wine. Because of Ehren’s many other obligations, he passed the project off to me. I am not sure Michael was happy with the arrangement at first, but to Ehren’s credit, he did me a huge favor and convinced them I did the work anyway and that they would be crazy not to stick with the program and bring me on. Michael said fine and we started working together in late 1999.
Over the past 11 years, I have overseen the development of all of Michael’s wines. The first few years they were made at a couple of different custom-crush spots—which is fine, but you do give up some control when you are in someone else’s facilities. We eventually moved all his wines to Outpost over the course of the ’05–’06 vintage, and the wines got so much better with complete control. With Michael taking over all the farming of the vineyard, we made a bigger push for quality—for which we have seen the dividends in the past few years.
Working with Michael doesn’t actually feel like work. I love walking the vineyards with him—it’s like meeting up with an old friend. I try to eat at Bottega as often as possible. There is a deliciousness to the food that other places, even in Napa Valley, don’t quite capture. Michael understands that food—first and foremost—should taste good.
Bottega: The Centerpiece
When Michael Chiarello decided to step outside the restaurant world in 2000 (he was executive chef for tra Vigne and seven other restaurants) to focus on other aspects of his culinary career, he knew he’d be back in the kitchen one day.
Being out of the day-to-day of a restaurant allowed Chiarello to nurture new projects. He debuted his first wines with Chiarello Family Vineyards; created NapaStyle, a far-reaching retail line of artisanal foods, kitchenware, and home décor; he wrote books (Michael Chiarello’s Casual Cooking that won an IACP Cookbook Award in 2002); and co-produced and hosted a cooking show on the Food Network, Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello, which won three daytime Emmy Awards. But then in 2008, Chiarello came back to the kitchen, opening Bottega Napa Valley. It was an easy choice when it came right down to it—he missed cooking for guests.
“I enjoy retail, designing products, writing books, and hosting on television, but nothing compares to the pure pleasure I get out of cooking. I love the community of the kitchen, the dedication that I see culinarians give to their craft, and having the opportunity to help influence smart decisions and the evolution of young chefs.”
Chiarello has a special place in his heart for the connections that he can make with his guests. “It makes me happy to visit the tables during service, seeing the cause and effect of everybody’s hard work. I was born to serve. I really enjoy making other people happy by throwing a great party.”
At Bottega, Chiarello is able to give the restaurant the kind of attention to detail that it deserves, and it shows. In fact, the restaurant is the centerpiece for everything else; it feeds the other entities, providing inspiration for new products at NapaStyle, original content for books and television shows, and a place to share a glass of the latest vintages of Chiarello Family Vineyards.
Chiarello is eager to continue to move forward on all fronts (he just wrapped up filming Food Network’s The Next Iron Chef that will air this fall), but always keeps a watchful eye in the rearview mirror of his life. “I know what the glories are and the pitfalls of doing too much. I am at a place in my life where I am content not to rush off into the next thing. I have a new perspective on balancing all the parts of my life, and I’m happy it’s working.”
All in the Family
Everything just tastes better when it comes with a story. My mission has always been to help our guests and consumers discover and understand the difference between the taste and the flavor of something. Taste is what is immediately recognized, while the flavor component is what you connect with emotionally and intellectually, not just physically. A glass of wine can taste so much better if you know the story of the vineyard behind it. There is a richness of flavor that comes with each background of a product or dish or book, knowing each community that makes it happen. At bottega, we strive to make every diner’s experience great. It’s not just about what’s on the plate but what happens before the dishes are even created—the ingredients, the techniques, and then how it is served. Every business I am involved with shares that need to tell its story, including the business of who I am and why cooking and food is so important to me. Even the story of the evolution of Napa Valley—how each chapter of this amazing area unfolds is so crucial to understanding the whole picture of what we do and why we do it. And so this magazine brings together all the components that make up my life, and how they work together to create the family that I now share with you. —Michael Chiarello
Many chefs will point to family as a major influence on their culinary careers, but Chef Michael Chiarello takes it to a new level. “Although I was born and raised in central California, my passion for Italian cooking comes from my mother, who taught me the Calabrian traditions of food and family. As a kid, a lot of the time I spent with her revolved around cooking— not only picking fresh vegetables in the garden, canning and preserving, but also interacting with what I call our extended family—the local butchers, cheesemakers, and ranchers. These experiences are an integral part of me and continue to shape who I am today.”
Now with four children of his own, three daughters and a young son, food remains an intimate part of all their lives—so much so that his youngest daughter, Giana, recently announced that she wanted to be a chef and this fall is preparing to enter the Culinary Institute of America, where Chiarello was recently named 2011 Alumni of the Year. (He is a CIA graduate of 1982 and was the recipient of their Chef of the Year Award in 1995.)
While all of his children might not be involved directly in the industry, they each weigh heavily on Chiarello’s culinary mind. In fact, he named the different parcels of Chiarello Family Vineyards after them and his wife, Eileen, according to how each varietal reflects their unique personalities.
Chiarello’s roots are now firmly planted in Napa Valley soil. This is his home, the place he has raised his family and cultivated his grapes and his clientele. It is where it all came together: his passion for a food-centric life in a place with abundant like-minded artisans to feed his soul and his business. “Something magical happens when you come to Napa Valley, in the way you receive information. When you get out of a big city like Los Angeles or New York, you can really exhale and inhale something new and fresh. Your receptors open up to things you can’t get at home.” And part of the experience that he offers through all of his businesses is that of enjoying Napa Valley and everything it has to offer.
“I really believe Napa Valley is not a monoculture: it is not just about wine. There’s life beyond the glass. In fact, now it’s even more than food and wine; it’s about other passionate enjoyments too, like filmmaking.” As the Napa Valley story continues to grow, with a Napa Valley Film Festival debuting in November, Chiarello is happy to lend his support to making it a success. Napa Valley might be his home, but he has no problem making everyone feel like family.
