Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  11/30/2010 (link)

  (DOLE Beudon) Chairlift Dear Friends, We have an interesting December in store for you (one that has me giggling at the thought of what’s to come) so we may as well end November with one of the more incredible finds of 2010... This is one of those offers where many around the world will question my sanity but it’s why I do this everyday and I will not be deterred by something as simple as turning a profit (someone forgot to tell me back in 1995 that we were supposed to generate income from this Garagiste endeavor?) If you have a few moments to day-dream, come along this morning to a place that is unlike any other in the wine world. Accessible only by funicular or a treacherous 45-60 minute hike up steep alpine trails, this is one of the more dangerous plots to farm in Europe but it is what vinous discovery is all about. There are times when I rudely fall prey to self-gratification, where I start to believe that I actually know something about wine - today’s inspirational producer teaches all of us (including this scribe) that I actually know nothing. First discovered on the Vinous Tour de France – a little known bicycle race that winds through valleys and mountainous back roads along some of the oldest/traditional vineyard land of the Savoie and Switzerland (with stops along the way for “refreshment” - ok, maybe this isn’t as serious as the regular Tour de France but who wants to work that hard? Blood doping is out of the question on the VTF unless it’s spiked with Jacquere). At one of the pit stops, a weathered/handwritten sign was posted at a trailhead in the Swiss Valais - “If you wish to taste our wines, please hike up the trail for approximately 45 minutes into the wild – please avoid large wildlife - if you prefer, we will ride the funicular down from station #1 and accompany you on the hike” Hmmm....funicular? They’re joking right? Not joking – see here: http://bit.ly/91cqGV After considering whether to bring my telemark skis for insurance, the day’s cycling activity was abandoned in favor of a much more intriguing pursuit – that of mountain wine – mountain wine from a place that time forgot. Domaine de Beudon is a Swiss wonderland – in the literal sense. It is pure as the driven snow (also in a literal sense as snow often dusts the vineyards, even in September). I'm not sure what to liken this unspoiled, hyper BIO estate to as there is really nothing like it in the world of wine. Part Frank Cornelissen, part Clos Rougeard, part Puffeney and part Belluard this is not only one of the greatest personal discoveries I’ve encountered in the wine trade but it furthers a personal journey of progression that can loose the plot when not stoked on a regular basis. Consider Beudon a torrent of mountain fire. From the winery: “The vineyards are on granite and gneiss. Even though the parcels which make up the domaine are quite close to each other as the crow flies, they are separated by cliffs and extremely steep hillsides. In the plain, we grow potatoes, pears, medicinal plants and herbs and vegetables in three parcels in the lieu dit of Grand Blettay. On the first hillside of Fully, near the depart of our ski lift, at the foot of the cliffs are two parcels of vines. On the upper plateau of the cliffs, reachable only by steep paths or our ski lift, is the heart of the domaine; 6 hectares exposed to the south on a plateau at 740 to 890 meters altitude dominating the Rhone. We grow aromatic and medicinal plants on this plateau as well that influence the grapes. Because of the variety of soils, vegetation and the micro climate, there is a large variety of animal life. For example, the most diverse butterfly population in all of Switzerland (they forgot to mention the bears, rams and mountain lions - JR). To the west of the domaine is a torrent in a deep gorge. It supplies the water necessary for the domaine and we have installed a small hydro electric contraption which supplies all electricity.” As an added concern post-tasting, one needs to be quite sure of their geography - a compass and spiked shoes perhaps? The edge of the cliff beckons and it’s far too easy to stumble and loose your footing...thankfully, the wines are very low in alcohol or my fate may have been quite different... ...and the wines? Incredible liquid gem stones with no comparative equal that I know of – I don’t mean they are the best wines in the world, what I mean is, there is “no comparative equal”. The terroir, climate and struggle to bottle even the smallest amount of wine is so severe that certain vintages only produce 10-20 cases of an individual varietal. At Beudon, Chasselas and Petite Arvine are queen and Pinot Noir and Gamay are king – their expression is unlike anything in the wine trade and my further research uncovered a number of smitten wine pundits that are not easy to please: Michel Bettane on the top wines of the Valais: "There is an extraordinary positional here. The best of the wines...are among the great wines of the world. They are original and have personality. They are unique." I will try to avoid bombastic descriptions of their wine below - I would rather have you taste them and make your own unbiased judgment. They are expensive, but my instinct tells me the experience is worth even more than the investment. (As a side note, my Parisian friend Velo, the astute cyclist, had a luncheon with Pierre Frick of Alsace and they discussed Beudon – it turns out Frick is a big fan of Beudon – so much that he sent his son to work the harvest there – sort of Outward Bound meets the wine trade. Frick has vintages going back 15 years and all of them are still young, even the whites. While his son worked the harvest, to get the grapes from the upper plateau in the Alps down to their cave in the lower valley, they hook a pallet onto the underside of the funicular and load the bins with grapes on the pallet. One day the pallet was loaded unevenly, it tilted as the lift headed down to the valley and the boxes slid off the pallet into the void of alpine morning mist...maybe that’s why the bears were so happy on my hike up?) All are VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as a leap of faith that will open a new door in your understanding of what humans are capable of when passion, nature and determination collide: 2007 Domaine de Beudon “Fendant” (blanc/reserve) - Like solid stone mixed with a freshly blasted salt mine. Fabulous cut and energy that plays on liquid rock and lime peel. Fascinating citrus/high alpine wild flower notes with a touch of young, delicate peach and the first bite you’ve been waiting for as you’ve watched that peach gently ripen on the counter for a week. If you can imagine the anticipation of that initial bite mixed with the further excitement of the next, it’s this wine (while being slapped in the face by a Swiss Alp of course). The 2007 version of Beudon's Fendant is technically a “reserve” wine, released several years after the vintage (where others in the Valais are on 2009 and soon to be 2010 at this point). This wine comes with one of the all time great quotes on life and wine from Jacques Beudon, when referring to the 2007 Fendant: "La jeunesse est un défaut qui se corrige avec le temps (youth is a flaw that corrects itself with time)”. 2009 Domaine de Beudon “Petite Arvine” (blanc/special bottling) - This is the rarest wine in Switzerland - I say that almost tongue in cheek as few have any context regarding rarity or worth of Swiss wine. In this case, numbers speak louder than context. 132 bottles were produced. Yes, you read that correctly. Are our few bottles of this BIO, dry white brimming with peach pit, tangerine, red citrus/grapefruit and a basket of rock blasted nervous exotica worth the rigmarole to bring them to the US (when the cost of doing so exceeds what I am charging)? Yes. When you’ve dug deep, really deep that your boredom with wine leaves you at a crossroads, that’s when to finally open this – not a moment sooner or later - at the exact second when wine begins to fail you, let this be your guide... 2006 Domaine de Beudon “Dôle” (Pinot Noir/Gamay/special bottling) - (new vintage – haven’t tasted it yet but all vintages seem to age in an incredible fashion - see Jonathon Nossiter quote above. Price has nearly doubled since 2004 but they know what they have...) I’ll leave it at that. All are EXTREMELY LIMITED – one shipment only for the US. To order any of the above: niki@garagistewine.com This parcel is set to descent the funicular – it will arrive in late January/early February (please check OARS for local pick up after Feb 15th). It will ship during the Spring shipping season with designs on your attention come this summer... 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 SW1000 SW1001 SW1002 Click here to view the status of your orders in O.A.R.S.