Dear Friends,
I thought to send a short note about the mysterious Yves Gangloff, since I have acquired a small allocation of his legendary wine.
As you drive from Lyon to the south, the first things you see after you cross the Rhone River on that beautiful stretch of autoroute are the looming towers of vineyards directly overhead. Cote Rotie is the home of the Syrah grape and some of the steepest vineyards in the world, at times requiring a harness to get to the bunches. (Maybe the Mosel in Germany is steeper, I have yet to measure). The sun beats down on the Syrah but the wind coming up from the south has a cooling effect so that the grapes stay in balance if picked at their ideal point of maturity. There are no machines here because of the steepness, so you tend to find winemakers of an intense sense of craft, true artisans making spiritual and historical wine. Why else would you brave such heights? I can't think of a Cote Rotie I don't like.
In January there is an excellent wine fair in the town of Ampuis called "Marche aux Vins". It is essentially a gymnasium in which every Condrieu and Cote Rotie producer sets up shop: Ogier, Jasmin, Gerin, everyone. It is a fabulously humble and festive affair. I had heard about Yves Gangloff but it was at this event where I understood just how much people are tuned in to his incredible wine-making: there was an interminable line for the Gangloff table, although he had no wine to sell.
Gangloff is a soulful man, wiry and intense; he is known for his romantic guitar playing, among other artistic ambitions. If you walk into his atelier in the village of Condrieu, he is immersed in music, sculpture, art, wine--all things transcendental.
These stunning wines are completely etched and delineated--probably the purest and most musical Cote Rotie I've ever tasted. I figure if I'm going to devote my life to the wine business, it might as well be for wine like this:
Cote Rotie "La Barbarine" 2008
(7% Viognier, 93% Syrah - Cote Blonde Fruit) By Josh Raynolds
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Jan/Feb 11
($85) Deep ruby. High-pitched, expressive aromas of cherry, black raspberry, spice cake and violet. Bright and perfumed in the mouth, with a supple texture and alluring flavors of dark berries and candied flowers. A classic cool-climate syrah, finishing with silky tannins and good verve. 90 points
$82 per bottle
Slainte,
Mary
Looks like must visit place for the wine loves.Wine brings a classic touch with it.It is essential to have a good cellar at home to store the wine for a long time.
Posted by: Solomon | 06/27/2011 at 10:00 PM