2005 Grande Maison Monbazillac Cuvée des Anges

RJonWine.com

• By Richard Jennings
  11/25/2011, (See more on RJonWine.com...) 87 points

  (Grande Maison Monbazillac Cuvée des Anges) 500 ml - medium golden color; coconut, carrot cake nose; ripe, coconut, carrot cake palate, lacking acidity; medium-plus finish

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  7/21/2009, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (CUVEE DES ANGES Grande Maison) UPDATE: Ice Cream Last summer, on a hot and steamy afternoon, I walked hand in hand with my two year old daughter down a narrow street in Paris that is also home to one of the best gelateria shops in Europe. There is nothing like the anticipation of the first lick of ice cream that can motivate a child where all else fails. At two, she already knows this street and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that awaits (scary) - the purest vanilla ice cream I've ever tasted that coats the mouth in what seems like cold puree of vanilla bean. There are few foods that have the ability to evoke memories of childhood and family history the way ice cream does. It almost always brings to mind something positive, something wonderful for child or adult and that is unique among foodstuffs (maybe smores come close but few others have this ability). Ice cream can also be polarizing - we all have our favorites, traditional or experimental and we defend their greatness to the end. Frozen yoghurt is another animal entirely. At the risk of causing a minor uproar the way New York Magazine's current pizza review has (Keste #1? I don't think so), as of July 21st, 2009 the best ice cream and gelato in the United States can be had at the following locations: Grom, New York: Grom causes much ire - you either think it's the best thing ever to grace your palate or you can't stand its pretentious, expensive demeanor. Whatever camp you fall into, you can't deny the actual gelato itself. Two locations in Manhattan dish out their signature organic and small farm ice cream in a pharmaceutical setting that is similar to Rome's San Crispino, which is also worth a detour if you are in Italy. In one of the most obnoxious ice-cream related shows of snobbery, Grom does not allow you to see the ice cream before purchase (a precious summer right of passage for anyone, young or old, is gazing at the colors and flavors behind the counter before making that fateful and often difficult decision - not so at Grom - only a stark row of stainless steel bins will greet your eyes and no ice cream can actually be seen). Despite all of this, Grom is #1 and one bite of their painfully pure organic lemon or raspberry will make you a believer (not to mention their black as night Cru Savage Chocolate from Bolivia or Crema di Grom with meliga biscuits ground into the center). All of this artisanal fussiness does not come cheaply and you will pay dearly for the experience. If money is no object, this is the cr_me-de-la-cr_me of Italian gelato shops in the US but be warned - Grom is addictive. Humphrey's Slocombe, San Francisco: I have to thank long-term email list member Christopher Elmendorf for this one. He pointed me in this direction and it was definitely worth the journey. Located in the new, outer reaches of the Mission at 24th and Harrison, no tourists would dare make their way to Slocombe and that's just what they want. This is the cutting edge of ice cream in the US (Bi-Rite Creamery is a close second in SF but it is ultimately not as good) - bizarre flavors like "Vietnamese Coffee and Lemongrass" and "Rum and Coke" are served by ultra-slackers that can barely lift the scoop they are so hung over from the preceding evening's flirtation with an altered state. There is attitude beyond reason here, the kind that makes you want to lift these people up by the shirt collar and tell them to "get a job" but wait....they do have a job and that's the entire point. Their "job" is creating and serving what amounts to the finest non-gelato style ice cream in the United States with a texture so fabulous, it is worth the trip to San Francisco alone. Thankfully, the hipsters at Humphrey's Slocombe decided to spend their time making ice cream and not writing code for another doomed web site on vintage clothing. Slackers that actually make a living? It's the new breed ladies and gentleman and, in San Francisco, the youth culture is currently running the city as it has for the last four decades. There's a lesson here somewhere. If you wish to chime in on ice cream or have suggestions for your favorite ice cream venues in the US (or anywhere), please do so: http://www.garagistewine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6741 Here's to the simple things in life like a single scoop on a sugar cone, even if the flavor of modern life has caused my beloved vanilla ice cream to become far more complex than I ever imagined as a two year old. Thank goodness for that. - Jon Rimmerman *********************************** Sweet Dear Friends, How does the ice cream story above relate to the wine below? On that afternoon in Paris with my daughter, after her scoop of gelato, she came with me to a wine tasting that had her dad about as excited as I've been in a while - a vertical tasting of Grande Maison back to the early 1990s. Her gelato was great, but this was dessert for adults and it had me jumping for joy... I always hesitate to use phrases like "deal of the year" but, in this case, I'm not sure how I can top this. I know the year is still young but this is one of those deals where I just shook my head and said thank you to the vintner. Despite the incredible QPR, the wine is among a handful of the finest examples from this entire region and it deserves to be tasted by a wide spectrum of the wine-world. I'm not even a big dessert wine collector but I couldn't pass this up - there are many occasions where guests of mine ask for something sweet at the end of a meal (or as a match for the ubiquitous fois gras) and this was like a deer in the headlights blinking back at me - I bought half a case for myself. With that said, this price is not a misprint. You can go back and read the Parker notes for the 1993-1995 versions of La Graviere "Cuvee Madame" (now trading for $200-200/500ml) but they are basically responsible for the US introduction and subsequent chase of Monbazillac by the American consumer (that's what 100pts will do). Grande Maison's 1997 Cuvee des Monstres added fuel to the bubbling cauldron but, since then, there has been little if any mention of Monbazillac by the major US pundits. The absence of coverage has led to a recession in the mindset of the US consumer - an "out of sight, out of mind" occurrence where Monbazillac has a lot of work to do if it wishes to climb back into the US consciousness...that's about to change. This time it's with a year 2009 philosophy of organic/BIO cultivation in the hands of one of the region's foremost authorities on botrytis and dessert wine, Thierry Depres. If nothing else, Thierry Depres knows the potential in Monbazillac and he knows how to over-deliver to his audience (see price of this wine below). He is quite sure his Monbazillac is ever bit as surreal as the finest Sauternes but he also knows few will try it unless he first gives it away. If he can build loyalty around the world with drop-dead pricing in markets that need resuscitation like the US, Canada or elsewhere his customers will reward him with strong support going forward - that is worth everything to a winemaker. Below is a passage I could have written myself as it addresses the still unspoiled approach in Monbazillac, one that is hands-on and still mom and pop but also at the highest level in Europe: The wine of Grande Maison has had scattered availability in the US market for some time and that probably will not change anytime soon - their main source of revenue comes from Europe and the Far East and there are limited stocks to begin with. With that said, Thierry is giving this a go to see if the support is there - I believe we will surprise him. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as a sweet wine that should serve to educate as well as satiate (not to mention, it is from a great vintage). ONE SHIPMENT ONLY at this tariff with perfect provenance - we will have a second shipment in November at approximately $22-23. This parcel is directly from the winery cellar: 2005 Grande Maison Monbazillac "Cuvee des Anges" 500ml (this is not a 375ml, which also exists, this is the full 500ml bottle) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Bord7630