Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  8/11/2009 (link)

  (LES MALBECS Tire Pe) Bordeaux Dear Friends, When Henry David Thoreau threw caution to the wind in the 1850's and lived an introspective existence near Walden Pond, his goal was to discover (or re-discover) simplicity in life. By removing himself from the hustle and bustle of modern life and the man-made scrape of the Industrial Revolution, he hoped to better understand it. By immersing oneself in something completely foreign and isolating, the human mind is forced to expand beyond its comfort level and Thoreau's classic tale of self-exploration and newfound spirituality needs little introduction. While Walden has had far reaching influence over the last 150 years, what is interesting to note is that his peer group (and much of the intelligentsia of the day) found his method steeped in complete madness. Even his dear friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson (who donated his property near Concord, MA for Thoreau's experiment) never understood the motivation for living a life this way. He deemed the exercise complete folly, even long after Walden was published. In retrospect, Thoreau was considered so far ahead of his time that he is the one laughing last. I make this reference as today's offer brings a similar analogy to our often closed-minded world of wine. It's rare to find a new terroir in an established region but even rarer to find one in a region that is among the oldest centers of wine trade in Europe. Today we head to Bordeaux with a new discovery that has as much potential as anything on either side of the Gironde (or Walden Pond for that matter) but it doesn't really qualify as Right or Left Bank? In fact, it doesn't really qualify for any designation. This is Tire Pe - the bastion of David Barrault who can easily be referenced as a modem day Thoreau set among the stogy establishment of Aquitaine. If the wine of Frank Cornelissen or Francois Blanchard has you excited, you may want to read further... If you were looking for prime red wine terroir in Bordeaux, where would you search? More than likely, north or east of the city. Except for Pessac, which is just to the south, the principle production of red wine takes place in a crescent shape around Bordeaux proper with one tip in the northern Medoc and the other somewhere south of St. Emilion, taking in the Blaye and Bourg as well. The far southern reaches of the Bordeaux appellation have been deemed too warm or subject to humidity and mold growth for serious red grapes but they are just about perfect for the production of botrytised sweet wine. This southern area along the Gironde is precisely where Barsac and Sauternes have made shriveled Semillon a prized commodity for generations but this area is much farther from the other growing districts of Bordeaux than people realize. It is a good 100km south of the Medoc, almost in its own distinct appellation with vintage variation that really should be thought of as separate and distinct. Enter David Barrault who realized the climactic potential of this southern region, but he did so for red grapes. His theory was that if you could find elevation above the humidity (that tends to sit at ground level on the flats) you could harness the stronger sunshine and heating degree days of this area mostly removed from the influence of the Atlantic Ocean (but still cooled by the Gironde). To do this, he would have to find hillside land east of Langon to allow for cooling winds to blow up and over the Gironde but he did not want to be far enough inland that the wines would take on a character of the much warmer Duras. He found the perfect site between Langon and La Reole and the rest of Bordeaux is nervously watching this "folly" with eager anticipation. You see, if Barrault proves this area to be just as good (or better) for certain Bordeaux varietals than the Medoc, the game has the potential to change. But that's not all. Inspired by the rogue circuit that has pushed the established norm in European winemaking to the limit (some would say, too far), Barrault decided to produce Bordeaux unlike anything else - naturally made in the spirit of Clos-Rougeard or Nikolaihof but with the individual isolation of the mountain man himself: Frank Cornelissen. The goal was to forget the tricks of modern Bordeaux and get back to basics - get back to making wine by hand where each vintage was solitary and not a blueprint for a house style. This dedication to a new, distinct terroir and natural methodology has Tire Pe in a position to influence far more than any one man on top of Mt. Etna - it has the potential to influence the most important establishment in the world of wine: Bordeaux. Which brings us to the wine. Tire Pe, in production since 1997, has finally hit its stride with 2007. Unlike the rest of Bordeaux, in 2007, Sauternes and Barsac had a grand vintage and so did Tire Pe. This southern area escaped much of the inclement weather of the north and east and the vintage is much like 2001 for red wine - expressive and transparent. I could have started with 2005 or even 2006 but the 2007's reflect exactly what Barrault set out to do in 1997 when he came upon this sloped set of vines near Barsac - inspire and encourage self-reflection in wine....just like Thoreau: 2007 Tire Pe "DieM" (maximum 12/person) This is Barrualt's signature wine - it is the entrant he has become most known for. In my judgment, it is his Contadino 4 or 5 with a similar eccentricity at heart. Best described as the "freshest pressing of diffuse fruit", this very individual wine will have a staunch underground following in no time. It is almost too cool for its own good but it is not pretentious in any way - sort of like James Dean. Not really red wine, not really Bordeaux at all, the Diem challenges all norms with vinification in concrete a la Henri Bonneau except it is a mix of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (not Grenache). The color is translucent at best (like Puzelat Pineau d'Aunis) and the texture reminds one of Vosne-Romanee. With only 11.5-12.0% alcohol, this waif of a wine transcends what could legitimately be described as Bordeaux and introduces all of us to something completely new. Full of nascent whiffs and flavors that range form orange peel to wet gravel, For $7.99, every person on this email list should try at least one bottle of the DieM - it broadens your reference and education while permanently moving the barometer a few notches to the left. My only tasting note read "crazy". 2007 Tire Pe (Chateau label) (maximum 12/person) This is a similar wine to the Tire Pe Le Cote but it is raised in cement instead of wood, preserving the delicate flavor and nuance of each vintage. Known as the "Chateau" label, it is Tire Pe's most transparent expression of their site. 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, while not as delicate as the DieM, it still delivers a broadly feminine expression of the site and vintage in more of a real red wine. Simply delightful to drink, as my UK merchant friend said perfectly "We search our entire life to find inexpensive claret for everyday that drinks with the detail of Burgundy and this is it". The Chateau bottling tastes of tangible fruit and minerality, not just of extractive or caramel - the grapes, soil, mineral tone and the light hand of the Barrault family mix together in a new expression for Bordeaux - one of delicacy and freshness rather than just tannin and grip. 12.8% alcohol - laughably low by modern wine standards. 2007 Tire Pe "Les Malbecs" EXTREMELY LIMITED From a miniscule 0.5-0.75ha parcel of massale Malbec, this wine gets the proverbial "wow" - it is among the best wines of the vintage. It is the entrant that Barrault dreamed of when he was out to prove this new terroir and its strength with red grapes. Very dark in color with painfully pure and expressive aromatics of dark fruit and ground Punjabi spices that spill forth in a sinfully perfumed cacophony of sensory perception and stone. This massive, amazing expression of "Bordeaux" is still only 12.5% alcohol - in a word "insane". Quite RARE. In the world of wine (or life for that matter) it can take a pioneer, naysayers at their heel, to make all of us step back and take a much needed deep breath. If we take the time to re-evaluate our knowledge of something we believe we know so well - our perception of that something will ultimately go beyond the reaches of comfort, beyond the borders of the known, to a place that looks an awful lot like Walden Pond. Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Bord4588 Bord4589 Bord4590