Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  6/11/2008 (link)

  (REGAIN Kerbiquet/Bouchot Pouilly Fume) Pouilly Fume SPECIAL Dear Friends, "Renewed interest in this soil of exception, brings the quality of renewal" - a quote from the Kerbiquet family. The 2007 vintage at this property is fantastic. We've offered the regular 2007 Pouilly Fume already (and skipped the mid-level Prestige in favor of twice as much of this) but it is the Regain that once again acts like the Boulay Comtesse of Pouilly Fume. This is real wine of its place and it has become very difficult to get. Produced by a husband and wife team bent on the showcase of vintage variation and the strengths (or weaknesses) that manifest throughout, if you are a fan of Sancerre, Pouilly Fume and of Sauvignon Blanc in particular, I cannot recommend this highly enough for the price. This is the Kerbiquet family's finest offering in every vintage (and smallest production) with a strict philosophy of renewal in the vineyard and with respect to Pouilly Fume's standing in the consumer's mind (thus the name, Regain). Last year's 2006 Regain won the Gold Medal at the CVI and was one of the most admired wines (red or white) in the entire show (I expect the same for the 2007). The philosophy of the wine is strictly enforced throughout the growing and vinification and it is one of the only sustainable wines in Pouilly Fume (save for Didier Dagueneau) grown organically, hand harvested and hand produced that uses the natural vine cuttings, grasses and a Darwinian natural bug control system that emphasizes survival of the fittest. To put it mildly, this vineyard is alive. The Regain is their wine of expression - one that seeks its own spirit in every vintage (unlike the Prestige which has a longer maceration to make a more unctuous wine that is less vintage specific and not as successful in my opinion). In 2007, that means a Regain with soaring, heavenly aromatics of the freshest order. Like a skip through a gorgeous field on a summer day, this wine is built from the roots up and you can taste the rock, flowers and very specific place this old-vine parcel is plucked from. This wine looks through a window that's been scrubbed clean of all the dirt and dust from the winter and gives a "renewed" and cleansing perspective on the best that Sauvignon Blanc can offer. Pouilly Fume can be quite heavy (with respect to body) in high alcohol vintages (like 2003 and 2005) but in a vintage like 2007, the top wines combine the best of Sancerre with an uncanny sense of terroir-laced weight that is powerful but still weightless. This wine should age like the champion it is, well into its second decade. We have a terrific price on this wine, about the same as in France (most sell the regular Pouilly Fume and Prestige for this price - the Regain is typically around $30) - if you are even considering the purchase of Didier Dagueneau's 2007 wines at $50-100, I think you may want to double down on this... VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for sustainable philosophy, rarity, tremendous reflection of vintage and high quality for the price. 2007 Kerbiquet (Bouchot) Pouilly Fume "Regain" Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Loire8006