Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  11/15/2010 (link)

  (BRUT ZERO Belluard) Belluard Brut Zero/Truffle Dear Friends, I will say this right off the bat – both of today’s items have a passionate and loyal following at Garagiste which usually means they are going to be fought over by a large contingent of our email list - far more than we can accommodate. Therefore, if you are already familiar with the two items below, you may want to skip the remaining text and hit “reply” (to be first in line). Why am I offering them together? For one, we have limited supply but they also make for interesting bedfellows when enjoyed together. So, here we go... Item #1: While I adore many renditions of grower Champagne as much as the next oenophile, today’s sparkling wine holds a special place in my heart - as it does in many of yours. Belluard’s 2005 Brut Zero has been one of the most consistent re-order request items of the last calendar year and it’s another eccentric offering that defines what Garagiste is all about (like the La Ragnaie Brunello from last week). Typically, re-order requests ebb and flow but this wine has remained near the top of the request chart throughout the year and that means pent up demand will exceed any potential supply. In a quick nutshell, this is a classic example of Savoie sparkling wine - it is a core vinous arrow in our quiver. I'm tempted to pick this as my favorite circa sparkling wine in France but I will say (for now) that it is consistently among the top few and the 2005 is only getting better (which is par for the course for this wine - it tends to reach peak around 6-8 years of age but can last for much longer). Instead of re-hashing my old offers for this electric wine made of indigenous, high-altitude Gringet, here is a link to all the community TN’s plus the original offer (where I reference Huet for the second time in the last week): http://bit.ly/aHoFTf In addition, spurred by today’s Tanzer, many of you have asked for a selection of grower Champagne. We have several en-route but, in the meantime, I can recommend one of my favorite retailers in the US - Chambers Street Wines in New York – they have an excellent selection of natural wine as well as grower Champagne – you can pretty much throw a dart at any wine they offer and it will be of high quality: http://chambersstwines.com/ Please note – these are the last few cases of 2005 Belluard Brut Zero – I had to pilfer their personal library stock to make the acquisition and the winery only has a few bottles left for their own consumption... VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as an effervescent apple and ginger dusted chip of granite falling into a fresh foot of alpine powder... FIRST COME FIRST SERVED up to 6/person until we run out: 2005 Domaine Belluard Vin de Savoie Mont Blanc “Brut Zéro” (sparkling) - (yes, the price is up a few dollars but give them a break, they hardly make any $ as it is) Item #2: What could possibly follow such a lovely sparkler? Almonds of course. In our gastronomic dalliance, the Almonds with Truffle & Salt have come as close to a “cult” item as any we’ve offered. They have a rabid following and we cannot keep them in stock. Customers love these truffle-dusted nuggets so much, most of the containers are consumed within a day of opening (not really what the roaster intended, but whose to say consuming a supply for a dozen people in one night is a bad thing? By yourself?). I often refer to products as “addictive” but this one takes the cake. Made in small batches, by hand, Miller Farm almonds (from a 4th generation sustainable farm near Modesto, CA) are picked, shelled and lightly roasted with extra virgin olive oil and the ever popular Truffle & Salt – part of the salt is “baked” into the almonds and part is dusted on the outside, ready to explode in your mouth with that first crunchy bite. As noted above, 6-8 almonds is probably enough to satiate a craving, but I can understand someone with, uh, less resolve than I popping 30-40 of these in their mouth without a bit of protest from the hypothalamus. In other words, these are good - REALLY good...and they are even better with Champagne or sparkling wine (thus the addition of this item on the same offer as the Belluard Brut Zero). ONE BATCH ONLY (set to arrive in a few weeks fresh from the roaster)... Almonds with Truffle & Salt 8.0 oz - FIRST COME FIRST SERVED up to 6/person until we run out To order: niki@garagistewine.com This parcel is set to arrive in a few weeks weeks directly from the source (please check OARS for local pick up after Dec 10th). The Belluard will ship during the Spring shipping season – the Almonds can ship separately in December for holiday festivities. Out of state orders will be held for free under ideal storage conditions (56 degrees/70%humidity) until shipping is possible. Locals may pick up at their leisure. For current local pick up and arrival/ship information, please see your OARS link below (at the bottom of this offer) - don’t know how to access your OARS? Simply click the link and see your account. You can also paste the link into your browser. If you are having trouble with your link or your account, please contact: support@garagistewine.com NO SALES TO RETAILERS OR WHOLESALERS Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Click here to view the status of your orders in O.A.R.S.

• By Jon Rimmerman
  5/19/2009 (link)

  (BELLUARD Brut Zero) Brut Zero Dear Friends, I've been scouring wine regions over the past decade in search of the finest sparkling wine values that deliver a Champagne-like experience at a sow's ear price. Cava aside, if you are a sparkling wine enthusiast, this is a stunning value from one of Europe's top producers (known as the Huet of the Savoie - with crystalline results to match). It is rare that I purchase every wine from a producer sight unseen but that is the case with Domaine Belluard (I do the same with Huet - thus the comparison). Not only are they the finest producer in the Savoie but my Parisian sommelier friends place them in the top ten of France. Taking everything into account (price/value, etc), their wine reaches a level held for very few and there is little, if any, risk with the purchase of Belluard. When I am in Paris, I never turn down a chance to taste a bottle of Le Feu or Les Alps (Terroir de Mont Blanc) as they always leave me with an energy that is palpable. The Brut Zero is their top sparkling wine. It is a gorgeous expression of stone-faced terroir from a specific growing district most dear to me. The winery produces this beverage from their indigenous high-altitude Gringet - it is considered the very best example of MÄthode Champenoise in the entire Savoie. Culled from a combination of vineyard material that normally makes up the Terroir de Mont Blanc and Le Feu bottlings (two of the biggest surprises for our customers over the last several years), it is aged for three full years on lattes prior to bottling. A wine with very high aspirations, this vintage sparkling wine in a complete knockout. It is one of those wines where I ask a second and third time if they've made a mistake in the price as I do not want any surprises down the line - in this case, the price is indeed accurate. The 2005 is from a fabulous vintage (as in most of France). An incredible nose of lemon rind and syrup topped oat biscuits weaves around the glass with stone cold Ricola-esque mountain herbs and glacial rock that seems to melt like Alka Seltzer in the fizz. Extremely long on the palate with a whitewashed, citric and stone persona that cuts and refreshes even the most tired taster, this wine has a beautiful filigreed fruit component that is delicate but so full of life. With Vouvray-like power, it is precise and clean as a mountain spring - think punctual Swiss train more than an Italian Inter-City. The 2005 Brut Zero is one of the finest under $20 sparkling wines produced in the world - I have no problem saying that. It is a fascinating wine that is not only rare but severely underpriced for the quality (this is not some fictitious attempt to create rarity - only 50 cases were exported from France for all of Europe and the US). In addition, it pairs with a multitude of food choices, as an aperitif or a stand-alone treat of contemplation as you gaze toward the summer horizon... This parcel has arrived directly from the cellars at Domaine Belluard - it is not a pre-arrival: 2005 Domaine Belluard Mont Blanc "Brut Zero" Savoie (MÄthode Champenoise Traditionelle) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA SOFR7977