Words: Bastardo
Photos: Kim Adams

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or many years now, some of our favorite wines have been imported by Berkeley, California wine merchant, Kermit Lynch. We've read his book, Adventures on the Wine Route with fascination, we've visited his retail outlet in Berkeley and have come to find more and more that we just like the style of French wines that he brings into the U.S., an appreciation that we share with our pals Tom Natoci and Putnam Weekley (right), at Cloverleaf Fine Wines in Southfield, Michigan. So when they announced that they would sponsor a tasting of many of the wines in the Lynch portfolio that are available in southeastern Michigan, Kim and this taster were among the first to ante up and sign on.

The event was held on Thursday, June 30th, at Tapestry, a well - appointed banquet facility in Southfield, replete with large fireplace, tapestries, a suit of armor and an overall elegant, but not ostentatious ambience. A buffet table was set up with a variety of none too dubious delectables, which included:

I tasted most, but not quite all of the wines presented. Here are my "snapshot" impressions of the 20 I sampled:

2002 Roland Lavantureux Chablis, $25, 12.5% alc.: Pale straw, with a character reminiscent of under ripe apples and chalky wet stones; medium body, with good acids, good depth and a nice finish. Solid Chablis.

1999 Domaine Francois Jobard Meursault Poruzots, $80, 13% alc.: Medium straw, with rich, if under ripe, apple and pear shaded with undertones of mineral on the palate and floral hints on the nose. Balanced and tasty; both Jobard Meursaults presented here were wild yeast fermented.

1999 Domaine Francois Jobard Meursault "en la Barre," $55, 13% alc.: Pale straw, with flinty aromatics that carry over into the flavors, revealing a core of under ripe apples and pears; excellent cut and a fine finish. I like this even better than the pricier Poruzots.

2003 Chateau Thivin C

2002 Alex Mathur Montlouis Sec Les Perruches, $21, 12% alc.: Pale straw with a tinge of peach; fragrant, somewhat floral apple and peach bouquet carries over onto the palate, being rich yet restrained, and almost delicate, with excellent cut. Nice Chenin Blanc.

2003 Domaine de la Chanteleuserie Bourgueil Beauvais, $14, 12% alc.: Pretty ruby garnet color, with earthy black and red currant flavors and aromas on a medium full bodied frame; nice with a roast beef sandwich. A middle weight Cabernet Franc from a 10 acre vineyard of 35 year old vines in a region that we need to explore more thoroughly.

2003 Charles Joguet Chinon Cuvée de la Cure, $25, 13% alc.: Wow! This ruby dark garnet Cab Franc almost smells like Gamay, with its effusive, floral red currant, raspberry and strawberry bouquet; not quite as intense in the mouth as on the nose, with medium to medium full body and a good finish. Also very nice with that same roast beef sandwich. We've enjoyed several fine Joguet Chinons over the last few years, and this one, sourced from a five acre vineyard of 23 year old vines, is no exception.

Paul Bara Champagne Brut Réserve Grand Cru NV, $60, 12% alc.: Pale lime tinged straw, with rich, fairly ripe apple character underscored with an element of chalk, good froth and acidity and a long finish. Made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay; I'd like to try this again in five years.

2002 Domaine de Fonsainte Corbiéres, $12, 12.5% alc.: Ruby dark garnet color; not much on the nose, but nice earthy red currant, raspberry and cherry flavors, medium body and medium intensity. Nice for the price; Kim took a shine to this one. Made from Carignan, Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvedre and Syrah.

2002 Château de Lascaux Coteaux du Languedoc, $12, 13.5% alc.: Ruby dark garnet, with a candied red currant raspberry nose that doesn't exactly jump out of the glass; the plum and red currant flavors show a hint of earth, and medium intensity. Good wine, but not up to many others tasted here, and I've enjoyed previous vintages more. Made from Syrah and Grenache.
 

2002 Télégramme Châteauneuf du Pape, $30, 14% alc.: This ruby dark garnet declassified Vieux Télégraphe is made entirely from Grenache, and it smells like it with its dark plum, red currant, cherry and strawberry aromatics; the flavors echo and expand with some added dark plum and an earthy core. Drinks well now, with good promise for short - to - mid - term cellaring.

2000 Domaine de la Charbonniére Châteauneuf du Pape Mourre des Perdrix, $35, 15.5% alc.: Ruby dark garnet, with earth and underbrush dominating the nose, and plums and berries in support; rich and flavorful in the mouth, with the fruit coming to the fore and some added earth and smoke. Good structure and not too hot at all, given the alcohol level; a wine with a fine future, made from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. Excellent Châteauneuf du Pape.

2001 Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf du Pape, $55, 14% alc.: Smoke tinged ruby dark garnet, with a smoky plum, red currant red berry nose that also shows a little sea air with swirlatude; deeper and darker on the palate, but still more red fruit than black. Drinking surprisingly well, and not nearly as tannic as I expected; we've loved the wines from this producer for some time now, and we'll sit on our little stash of this for at least another few years.

2002 Domaine le Sang des Cailloux Vacqueyras Cuvée Doucinello, $23, ?? alc.: Very much as remembered from recent tastes, earthier and more rustic than the Châteauneuf du Papes, but lacking that little something that the vintage can't quite deliver.

2002 Domaine Tempier Bandol Migoua, $50, 11 - 14% alc.: Ruby dark garnet color, with an earthy nose that screams Tempier Bandol; darkest fruit of the reds so far. Rich, full black plum, black currant, lots of earth and even a little smoke; good structure here, and a nice finish. Real wine, and one of my favorites of the evening, made from Mourvedre, Cinsault and Grenache.

2001 La Grange de Quatre Sous, Lo Molin Vin de Pays d'OC, $25, 14.5% alc.: Ruby dark garnet, with good Cabernet (Sauvignon and Franc) character in the form of earthy black currant and leather flavors and aromas. Medium full body, good intensity, nice wine.

2003 Hyppolyte Reverdy Sancerre Rouge, $25, 12.5% alc.: Ruby garnet, with a red and black cherry nose that shows just a hint of smoke; medium body, with smoke and red cherry flavors, moderate tannins and a decent finish. A nice, light Pinot Noir.

2002 Domaine Zind - Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Wintzenheim, $45, 16% alc.: Medium gold color, with effusive, floral peachy, litchi and apricot aromatics that follow through on the palate with hints on earth and mineral underneath it all, a nice density and a long finish. Not as unctuous as I expected it might be, and while it gives an impression of sweetness, it is not a sweet wine; rich would be a better description. Very nice, and very well received.

There you have it, 20 wines from Kermit Lynch, and if a few didn't quite perform up to the standard of most, nothing sucked. The tasting was a sellout, so everyone went home happy. I've picked up some of our favorites already, and will likely be bringing more home in the near future.  Many thanks to Tom and Putnam for making this such an enjoyable tasting! 

(Presented with apologies to Putnam for copping and amending the title of his excellent column, “Waiter, may I have a glass of Kermit Lynch?”)

Reporting from Day-twah,

Bastardo
 

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© George Heritier July 2005