Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  8/20/2010 (link)

  (MOISIN Moutte Blanc) Moutte Dear Friends, Passion speaks louder than words but the sigh you will exhale once you taste the small batch Bordeaux of Moutte Blanc tells the tale – this is authentic Bordeaux, the type that is oh-so fleeting in year 2010, and it is welcome on my table at any time. From just south of Margaux, the hands-on dedication that runs through each bottle of Moutte Blanc is obvious from the get-go. With only a few hectares to work with for their flagship wine, each grape must be sorted and picked by hand to insure nothing is missed but also that nothing is added to the must that shouldn’t be. The climate is decidedly “Medoc” and the influence of the Gironde in soil and slope is paramount to the success of the wines. The blend is typically Cabernet, Merlot and Petit Verdot but it is the parcel of of 80-100 year old Petit Verdot vines that add an element here that makes their estate stand out. Nearly 30% of the Grand Vin blend is Petit Verdot, an unusual amount and a signature of Moutte Blanc. The old vines suck up the ancient marine “calcaire” left by the river as it scoured the banks over the last several hundred thousand years and the result is a wine that tastes of the sea, soil and vines that worked their hardest to produce a few clusters for your enjoyment. Here you will not find roto-fermenters, technology or tricks – you will simply find grapes, a few barrels (some of them new if they can afford it that year) and the gnarled hands of a man that cares deeply about what you will drink a decade from now. When you see the name of his property on your dinner table in year 2020, his motivation is to have the words Moutte Blanc mean just as much as the memory of the occasion itself. In his mind, you have graciously allowed him to accompany your meal and he is intent on punctuating the celebration with an exclamation mark. If I could sum up this estate in one word it would be “honest” and that’s the biggest compliment I can give Patrice de Bertoli – the proprietor of Moutte Blanc and one of the new stars of Bordeaux. As a consumer first, it’s much easier for me to feel good about supporting a family like the de Bertoli’s than it is about adding to the EBITDA of some of the larger Chateau. VERY RARE – this estate has one of the smaller productions in the region – several thousand bottles of each wine, not several thousand cases. They’ve won numerous gold medals and the Grand Vin was just named the #1 wine out of 150 Bordeaux Supérieur by the Bordeaux aujourd’hui – in other words, time is of the essence as their unknown status in the US is over as soon as I hit the “send” button on this email: 2006 Chateau Moutte Blanc Grand Vin (Bordeaux Supérieur) - (Cabernet, Merlot, Petit Verdot – gorgeous wine with buckets of pure minerality and a classic presence that will much admired by the Garagiste faithful – Petit Verdot gives this wine extra oomph and tannin that should allow it to age for a decade or more – a pure wine that is a joy to sip with each passing hour in the decanter – balanced, low alcohol and lively. A wine I had heard about for several years and finally had the good fortune to try it this summer. The type of Bordeaux that tastes like cold-climate liquid energy – pretty darn great - JR) 2008 Chateau Moutte Blanc “Moisin” (Bordeaux Supérieur) - EXTREMELY LIMITED (only a few dozen cases for export) (100% Petit Verdot from vines up to 100 years of age - truly unique wine that expresses the Medoc in a voice like an old phonograph mixed with a classic film such as King Kong. The 2008 vintage gives this wine an extra dimension of stone and the cool presence of this classic growing season mixes perfectly with what the winery is trying to accomplish. Deep, loaded with crushed sea shells and rock, black color, very tannic but reserved with a touch of the feline from its proximity to Margaux. Very long and resonant on the back end – should be a long-term aging wine that will always maintain a sense of finesse despite its masculinity – excellent and without peers due to vine age and cépage – up in price since 2005/2006 vintage but certainly worth it - JR) ONE SHIPMENT ONLY Please give us your maximum number up to 12 x Grand Vin and 3 x Moisin and we will allocate accordingly PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH NIKI – Bordeaux offers such as this bring out the deepest lurkers on our email list - Niki will try to allocate this parcel in the most equitable fashion possible. If you have any interest in Moutte Blanc, please let her know at your earliest convenience. To order: niki@garagistewine.com This parcel is set to depart from the Chateau cellar – it will arrive in late October (please check OARS for local pick up after October 25th). It will ship at the end of the Fall shipping season. 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. Bord7883 Bord7884