Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  10/21/2010 (link)

  (OLIVIER GUYOT La Montagne Marsannay) NOTE: This offer was originally sent last week but it was blocked by over half our email list as SPAM (a problem that’s been rectified since). Considering half of you never received it (and we have a large number of new members this week), we’re sending it again tonight as the wine justifies the time and attention... Thank you - - Jon Rimmerman *************** Guyot Dear Friends, What does chiseled rock and elegant red grape must taste like? This wine. From one of our favorite vineyards in Burgundy, Olivier Guyot knows it like the back of his hand – literally. He slept between the rows as an infant (his parents would place him in a bassinet as they picked the entire vineyard by hand) and he can recite each undulation and outcropping as if his mind were a topographic incarnation of Google earth. The vineyard is in Marsannay and his family is one of the oldest in the village (just to the north of Gevrey-Chambertin). Not only have they farmed the upper reaches of the hill for generations but, before it was fashionable, the Guyot’s treated their land with respect and the result of their long-standing organic approach is a model for soil and vine health now studied by established and would-be vintners from across the Cote. In addition to winemaking history in this region, the Guyot family is also closely associated with animals and specifically the massive cart horse (Indigo) currently “employed” by Olivier. Guyot believes so strongly in the slow and laborious method of plowing by horse and picking by hand (without any mechanization) that he’s featured Indigo on his labels for a number of years. An interesting bit of folklore around Marsannay describes Olivier’s grandfather and his compassion for the family’s horses - so much so that he traded his old-vine acreage in Gevrey-Lavaux St. Jacques (a prized/expensive parcel now used by Claude Dugat) for vineyards closer to home in Marsannay – all to keep his horses well rested and to avoid the 6-8km trot to Gevrey to plow. In other words, that would be like trading Roy Halladay for a minor league player just because you were concerned that Roy was working too hard at the big league level. In Burgundy, trading Lavaux St. Jacques for Marsannay is akin to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. While Olivier Guyot now produces 6-8 different red wines from as far south as Chambolle, the family’s pride and joy is an 80-100 year old south facing parcel on the very highest flank of the Marsannay hill (mentioned above) known as La Montagne. If you want to taste what terroir looks and feels like, there’s no better ambassador than this wine, from this parcel in a vintage like 2007. Call it a triple terroir threat if you will, but the result is pure magic. Before I describe the wine, what tasters must understand at this address is a decided philosophy that allows each vintage and site to reflect exactly what the growing season gave them. Here, you will not find a “sameness” every vintage, but a real showcase of variation that is exciting. This variation provides the scent and flavor of a genuine quality that is all too lacking in the general world of wine but gets to the root (pun?) of why Burgundy is so special in the first place. The 2007 La Montagne is among Guyot’s finest achievements since 2001 – it has an uncanny depth of intensity aligned to a lightly colored, deeply pitched red hue that is magnetic to the eye. The aromas sing of a wild flower field just after the rain, one that leads us to the edge of a rapidly churning brook with jagged rocks and stones to dig for. The old-vine essence is unmistakable in this wine with a potpourri of Morello cherry, wild raspberry and mineral tone that runs deeply into the Marsannay soil (in this case the roots are nearly 50 ft into the ground). The stone-filled flavors linger with the most elegant yin-yang of masculine and feminine that is never aggressive or unmannered – they signal fine days ahead if you have the patience to wait...but that is easier said than done. If you are looking for round and velvety fruit, look elsewhere – this wine is a transparent image of its craggy wisdom and there’s nothing soft about it. Unlike so many wines that ask the taste buds to cave in, the 2007 La Montagne challenges the senses to breathe. It rewards with a time-capsule of a specific place – one that has hosted a well-read set of Pinot Noir vines for almost a century. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as an old-school example of Pinot Noir that few, if any, produce in Burgundy. This parcel is directly from the cellar at Olivier Guyot with perfect provenance: 2007 Olivier Guyot Marsannay "La Montagne" - (compare at $40+ in Europe – this is not the blanc, that is ) Please give us you maximum number up to 12/person and we will allocate accordingly To order: niki@garagistewine.com This parcel is set to depart the cave – it will arrive in late November (please check OARS for local pick up after Dec 1st). It will ship during the Spring shipping season (try to be patient with this wine – stash in the back of the cellar until 2013+) 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.

• By Jon Rimmerman
  10/12/2010 (link)

  (OLIVIER GUYOT La Montagne Marsannay) Guyot Dear Friends, What does chiseled rock and elegant red grape must taste like? This wine. From one of our favorite vineyards in Burgundy, Olivier Guyot knows it like the back of his hand – literally. He slept between the rows as an infant (his parents would place him in a bassinet as they picked the entire vineyard by hand) and he can recite each undulation and outcropping as if his mind were a topographic incarnation of Google earth. The vineyard is in Marsannay and his family is one of the oldest in the village (just to the north of Gevrey-Chambertin). Not only have they farmed the upper reaches of the hill for generations but, before it was fashionable, the Guyot’s treated their land with respect and the result of their long-standing organic approach is a model for soil and vine health now studied by established and would-be vintners from across the Cote. In addition to winemaking history in this region, the Guyot family is also closely associated with animals and specifically the massive cart horse (Indigo) currently “employed” by Olivier. Guyot believes so strongly in the slow and laborious method of plowing by horse and picking by hand (without any mechanization) that he’s featured Indigo on his labels for a number of years. An interesting bit of folklore around Marsannay describes Olivier’s grandfather and his compassion for the family’s horses - so much so that he traded his old-vine acreage in Gevrey-Lavaux St. Jacques (a prized/expensive parcel now used by Claude Dugat) for vineyards closer to home in Marsannay – all to keep his horses well rested and to avoid the 6-8km trot to Gevrey to plow. In other words, that would be like trading Roy Halladay for a minor league player just because you were concerned that Roy was working too hard at the big league level. In Burgundy, trading Lavaux St. Jacques for Marsannay is akin to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. While Olivier Guyot now produces 6-8 different red wines from as far south as Chambolle, the family’s pride and joy is an 80-100 year old south facing parcel on the very highest flank of the Marsannay hill mentioned above known as La Montagne. If you want to taste what terroir looks and feels like, there’s no better ambassador than this wine, from this parcel in a vintage like 2007. Call it a triple terroir threat if you will, but the result is pure magic. Before I describe the wine, what tasters must understand at this address is a decided philosophy that allows each vintage and site to reflect exactly what the growing season gave them. Here, you will not find a “sameness” every vintage, but a real showcase of variation that is exciting. This variation provides the scent and flavor of a genuine quality that is all too lacking in the general world of wine but gets to the root (pun?) of why Burgundy is so special in the first place. The 2007 La Montagne is among Guyot’s finest achievements since 2001 – it has an uncanny depth of intensity aligned to a lightly colored, deeply pitched red hue that is magnetic to the eye. The aromas sing of a wild flower field just after the rain, one that leads us to the edge of a rapidly churning brook with jagged rocks and stones to dig for. The old-vine essence is unmistakable in this wine with a potpourri of Morello cherry, wild raspberry and mineral tone that runs deeply into the Marsannay soil (in this case the roots are nearly 50 ft into the ground). The stone-filled flavors linger with the most elegant yin-yang of masculine and feminine that is never aggressive or unmannered – they signal fine days ahead if you have the patience to wait but that is easier said than done. If you are looking for round and velvety fruit, look elsewhere – this wine is a transparent image of its craggy wisdom and there’s nothing soft about it. Unlike so many wines that ask the taste buds to cave in, the 2007 La Montagne challenges the senses to breathe. It rewards with a time-capsule of a specific time and place that have hosted a well-read set of Pinot Noir vines for almost a century. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as a one of a kind old-school example that few, if any, produce in Burgundy. This parcel is directly from the cellar at Olivier Guyot with perfectly provenance: 2007 Olivier Guyot Marsannay "La Montagne" - (compare at $40+ in Europe) Please give us you maximum number up to 12/person and we will allocate accordingly To order: niki@garagistewine.com This parcel is set to depart the cave – it will arrive in late November (please check OARS for local pick up after Dec 1st). It will ship during the Spring shipping season (try to be patient with this wine – stash in the back of the cellar until 2013+) 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.