Send an e-mail to Joe Dressner, The Wine Importer
Click to Read An Exciting Exposé of The Three Tier Schnook System!
Click Here to Speed to the Non-Fictional Louis/Dressner Selections Website
My Friend André Iché, An Appreciation
View current pageHere are the maximum 50 results for buster:
View current page
...more recent posts
Back in New York City!
We arrived yesterday on the fabulous Swiss International Air from Geneva.
A Carmel mini-van picked us up at the airport.
Buster was delighted to leave his cage and eight hours in the cargo of the plane.
We arrived on our street, Buster jumped out of the car and someone asked what breed he was.
Denyse replied Mutt. I usually reply Celtic Schwant.
We're back in town!
Several Reasons Why I Have Only Blogged Four Times in the Past Six Weeks!
I've become a pathetic blogger and have received numerous e-mails from my readers complaining about my lack of blogactivity.
There are several reasons I have been inactive:
- I am in France
- I had house guests for two weeks
- My two children visited us and we took time off
- I toured the Loire Valley without an internet connection
- I traveled twice to Alsace to see my in-laws
- I spent huge amounts of time shopping and barbecuing for 14 house guests
- I received endless phone calls from the Pacific Northwest from 9 pm through 11 pm
- I have arthritic pain around my thumbs and it is painful to type
- I have been drinking great older wines from my personal cellar and feel no particular compunction to share this experience over a blog
- I'm hostile, aggressive and don't care
- I've been blogging so long, don't forget I personally invented the wine blog, that I fear constant activity will land me a profile on Tom Wark's wine blog
- Now that Alice Feiring's book is out, the battle has been won and I no longer need to crusade for real wine
- My home's sewage system overflowed when we had the 14 house guests and we had to have an emergency vehicle come here from Mâcon.
- I spend my afternoons fishing on the Saône River
- My main interaction with wine is through the vignerons we work with and the wines we import, not my blog
- I've been busy mounting and dismounting the new tent I bought at Decathlon
- I read Neal Rosenthal's autobiography three times since mid-June
- I read Eric Clapton's autobiography since I came here
- Eric Clapon finds he has digestive problems when he tours and he doesn't have to eat huge meals at vignerons
- Imagine how I feel! Clapton doesn't have to eat andouilettes!
- I don't get daily e-mails from Rick Franco
- I have been enjoying my dog Buster, who has had a burst of youthfulness out here in the Mâconnais
- I am demoralized by my feud with the Grocery Guy
- I'm an old man and it is inappropriate for someone my age to be blogging
And we're off....
I know readers are dying to know the details of my personal life since we arrived in Poil Rouge.
- We arrived last Tuesday in the rain and had nothing to eat at home.
- We ate Pizza at La Dolce Vita in Mâcon. We ordered a carafe of delicious plain Beaujolais from Marcel Lapierre. It had no color, no intensity and was lovely. This may be the only pizzeria in the world which carries Poulsard from Pierre Overnoy, Fleurie from Yvon Metra, Dard & Ribo and Henri Roch in Vosne-Romanée. Mâcon rocks!
- The weather has been unbearably hot since Wednesday
- I mowed the lawn
- Denyse took care of our bushes, flowers, trees and plants
- Buster ate lots of grass
- We are at one with nature
- Jean-Paul Brun is releasing his Beaujolais as Table Wine
- We ate a lot of saucisson
- We drank a 1992 Clos Vougeot from Amiot-Servelle with no color, no intensity and which was just lovely
- We drank a 1999 Côte du Py from Louis-Claude Desvignes which was way too young
- We drank a 1996 Mas des Chimères which was dark, intense and just lovely
- We drank a 2000 L'Ebrescades from Marcel Richaud which needed time to open and should have been decanted but bordered on the profound
- We bought a flamethrower to destroy weeds in our courtyard, allowing us to avoid using Round-up. I'm looking for a homeopathic treatment so I can declare our courtyard in biodynamie
- Windows Vista sucks and keeps crashing
- I finished Neal Rosenthal's book
- Received a phone call from Interpol about possible criminal activities in Poil Rouge
The summer coincided with our arrival.
I have to pack and leave or we will be late seeing Pierre and Monique Luneau. It is a long drive to the Muscadet from Poil Rouge, nearly seven hours. I've primed the GPS and filled the tank and am looking forward to fighting sleep as I drive toward Nantes.
See you soon.
Don't Miss the Real Wines Only! (No Spoofulation Please) Class at Astor Center!
Mark your calendar!
Thursday, March 27th from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at New York's Astor Center! Call (212) 674-7501 to reserve your spot and ensure your attendance at this event!
I will be giving a class on Real Wines vs. Spoofulation at the new Astor Center conveniently located in the same building as my corporate office. That is, on Lafayette near 4th Street in Manhattan.
I will present a series of real wines and contrast them with horrible fake wines. I will explain what makes real wines real and what makes horrible fake wines horrible. Or something like that.
You will enjoy drinking real wines and find drinking them a profound and pleasurable experience. You will also drink crappy industrial wines and be physically repulsed by their aromatics and taste.
There will be an informative lecture, tasting, questions and answers, and signed copies of Alice Feiring's new book.
Dress is formal, although not black tie. Bloggers are prohibited from attendance as are copyright lawyers.
Don't miss this major event -- it costs less than 5% of the current cost of the 2005 Screaming Eagle!
The informative Astor Center website, Step Right Up to the Astor Center, has a definitive biography of myself:
Joe has a dog Buster, a daughter Alyce and a son Jules. He enjoys bicycling and has an entertaining blog: www.joedressner.com. He is 6' 2" and overweight and lives in the East 50s and St-Gengoux-de-Scissé in Southern Burgundy.
Other parts of the site also mention I have a wife Denyse Louis who is a partner in our company.
The Astor Center website has a description of the class:
Joe Dressner, founder and partner of Louis/Dressner Selections, will lead this emotionally charged class centered on the difference between "real wines" and those of modern industrial production. Joe will show how great work in the vineyards allows the vigneron to rely on nature, rather than "spoofulation."
What is spoofulation, you ask? To Dressner, spoofulation is a form of manipulation which takes wine away from nature and into the technological world of fake extraction, fake aromatics, fake flavors, fake density, fake acidity, fake tannin levels, fake color and fake sugar levels. Basically, spoofulation, for Dressner, is the process that yields fake wines.
Joe presents the argument that the popular notion of what wine tastes like is being ruined by the flood of horrifying industrial products which dominates the market today. Over the course of the class, you will taste through a total of eight wines, two wines each from four different regions: Beaujolais, Muscadet, the Rhône, and the Mâconnais. One of each pair will be from a producer who spoofulates, the other from someone who works naturally. Joe will argue that the natural wine is not only more "politcally correct" but is finally tastier and more satisfying for the consumer. You may not agree with every point in his argument....Dressner not only thinks that spoofulated wines are repulsive, he also thinks they are morally reprehensible! But this is a great opportunity to hear the viewpoint and taste the wines of one of America's leading specialty importers.
The whole evening sounds great and I am planning to bring numerous unannounced wines, including my wine of the year in 2007.
Don't miss this exciting event. I'm planning to attend myself!
A Mediocre Blogger
I have been an irresponsible blogger all summer and have barely written anything here. I've been busy like crazy, travelling all over France and Italy to see growers, and just haven't had the time. My apologies to my readers.
We're returning to New York tomorrow, then going to Montreal to buy goods at Ikea for our children, then returning to New York, where we will once again be like fish in the sea of the fabulous wine trade.
I've had some wonderful moments this summer, wine-related and otherwise, including:
- A fabulous stay in Corsica hosted by the incredible wine-making family of Marie and Antoine Arena
- The hospitality, vineyard work and wines of Luca Roagna
- The incredible Comté cheeses of Philippe Bouvret, available at Essencia in Poligny
-
The insanely profound Savignin Ouillé 2000 of Emmanuel Houillon and Pierre Overnoy which will be available exclusively at Chambers Street wines this winter....one of the greatest white wines I have ever consumed.
- The Saucisse de Morteau from Salaisons Bouhéret
- A great meal at the Relais de Montmartre in Viré
- Drinking the 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998 and 1999 Mâcons from Henri Goyard
- Watching the various salutes to 1967 and the Summer of Love on the French television channel Arte
-
Staying outdoors until late at night to watch the apocalyptic thunderstorm at Moulin Pey-Labrie during Vinexpo
- The fun neighborhood meal we had here in Poil Rouge Sud
-
Having my two kids come to France and spend time with us before we go to Montreal to buy them furniture at Ikea
-
Discovering Erika Stucky, the San Francisco born, Swiss singer, whose video of Jailhouse Rock should be factory pre-loaded on all IPODS
But on the whole, it was a great summer for me and I hope it was also a great summer for you.
Do come to see me as I tour the country promoting our wines. I'll be in your town soon, at a liquor store conveniently located near your home.
For those of you lucky enough to be in the glamorous wine trade, place a mark on your calendar next to October 17th. That's the day we will be having our annual trade tasting, at an undisclosed location.
I have to get back to packing....see you all soon!
We've Been Invited to Dine at Captain Steubing's Table!
Alyce, Denyse, Buster and I are on board the Corsica Victoria on our way from Savona to Bastia, Corsica.
Tonight we dine with Julie and Captain Steubing.
Tomorrow we scale the Carco vineyard with Antoine Arena!
Off to the Loire Valley!
Coinciding with Josh Rosenberg's trip to the Loire, Denyse and I will cross France today and sleep in Chavignol.
As usual, Buster, Denyse and I will be staying at Georges LePrêtre's, famed Musée du Miel.
This is a deluxe private residence on two floors which is right next to LePrêtrés honey musuem. This fascinating multi-level visual experience takes us behind the scenes of the honey industry and shows nature in all its splendor.
The museum is only open for private showings, but don't miss this attraction when you are in the Sancerre region.
New Cuvée Buster Unearthed near Ingersheim!
We visited Laurent Barth in Bennwihr yesterday and came across a barrel of Alsace Pinot Noir which was vinified as a white wine. The wine is not yet finished and is weeks from being bottled, but it will soon join the glorious pantheon of Cuvée Busters.
Only 300 bottles of this beauty will be available so you would do well to reserve now. No one has pricing and no one is certain we will sell them this wine. This should not stop you from rushing to your local retailer to grab some bottles. Unfortunately, they will only sell you three bottles and there will be various tie-ins with merchandise they are having trouble moving that the retailers bought from our competitors.
The wine has sublime aromatics and you feel like you're sipping an Alsatian fruit brandy, as if the wine has somehow distilled the Pinot Noir grape into a perfume. It will probably have a light rosé color, but then again it might not.
Can this be the future of Pinot Noir?
Barth is a young guy who has only made two vintages, having recently taken his family's vines out of the local cooperative. The guy is doing great work and it was heart-breaking to tour his vineyard sites in Bennwihr, where a catastrophic hailstorm last week touched over 1000 hectares of vines and literally destroyed 150 hectares. Laurent has nothing left on his vines for 2007, a year that looked to have considerable promise. His vines appear to be the victim of a deliberate scorched earth policy!
Even though the wine industry is doing everything it can to industrialize and process wine, nature still holds all the power. This horrible storm will take a terrible toll on the farmers who work the land touched by the hail.
Of course, there will be other vintages and other harvests. The 2006s, a very difficult year, tasted great because Laurent eliminated nearly 40% of the crop in the fields during the harvest. After tasting, Laurent took us out to eat at a great resturant in nearby Ingersheim that I heartily recommed to my readers. Even to my nonreaders.
The restaurant is the Taverne Alsacienne and the cooking by Philippe Gugenbuhl was great Alsatian cuisine. M. Gugenbuhl was gracious enough to serve us blind a bottle of Henst Gewurztraminer Grand Cru 1993 from Josmeyer which he took from his personal cellar. The wine was dry but absolutely luscious, even thought it was from a minor vintage here in Alsace. There were some telltale signs of a Gewurz, but note of petrol and nuts with great complexity and charm. Plus, it was delicious!
You need reservations to get into the restaurant and you can contact them by phone at 03 89 27 08 41 or fax them at 03 89 80 89 75. They don't have a web site and are not preparing an IPodCast for the IPhone which will be introduced on July 1st.
The restaurant management will ask IPhone users to turn off their ringers during their meal, as a courtesy to their fellow diners.
Off to Glamorous Vinexpo!
The wine world's biggest event starts on Sunday and Denyse and I will be there!
Vinexpo!
We can't wait. Unfortunately, Buster will not be able to go with us and we have to leave him tomorrow morning at a kennel in the ancient/lost town of Messé-sur-Grosne. I'm not sure how we found this kennel, but they have a sterling reputation here in the Mâconnais.
We then drive 6 1/2 hours to Bordeaux, where the charming Colette and André Texier will be putting us up. Coincidentally, they are the parents of Eric Texier the vigneron/winemaker/négociant/paysan.
I've attended Vinexpo for the past 16 years, or maybe 18, or maybe 14. I can't remember. This year, I will have the privilege of attending Vinexpo without actually setting foot at the conference.
All the best vignerons have organized satellite tastings, what we like to all offs in France, and nearly 40 of our vignerons will be in attendence at various shows. Then again, maybe it is only nearly 30.
There will be lots of other great vignerons at these shows and there is always the hope we'll meet someone new and exciting.
So, we have four packed days, starting Sunday, of whirlwind tastings and glamorous events. Even Elin McCoy and Alice Feiring are rumored to be attending this year!
Vinexpo Fever!
Vinexpo is coming!
This enormous wine exhibition will be held on June 17th through June 22nd in Bordeaux and tens of thousands of wine industry bigshots will be attending.
I plan on joining them, although this year I will go to Vinexpo but manage not to enter the grounds of the show even once. There are a range of satellite tastings with real wines and real vignerons going on nearly every day. Denyse Louis will be joining me, but unfortunately we will have to leave our dog Buster in a kennel in Messey-sur-Grosne, which is conveniently located near our family compound in Poil Rouge.
My e-mail box is sagging with the hundreds of solicitations from wine industry bigshots to come meet them in Bordeaux and to taste their wines. My spam filters are working overtime.
For instance, I just received the following solicitation:
These nice people, who look to be having the time of their lives, are looking for distributors. They offer a compelling package:
"We seek distributors who realize that a family history and a brand name that is easy to pronounce and remember is thus easier to promote and sell. We offer a full service export and marketing department with all promotional items....We want to work with people who will distribute a brand that can grow with their clients needs while supporting the traditional sector.”
Frankly, it is a tempting offer.
A Big Thank You to Dr. Aubrey Claudius Galloway
It seems like only yesterday, but seven years ago today I had quadruple bypass surgery under the skilled hands of New York University Medical Center's Dr. Aubrey Claudius Gallloway.
Since then, our firm has imported 4.732 cases of Romorantin, 3,272 cases of Pineau d'Aunis, 338 cases of Grignolino, 462 cases of Poulsard and 84,323 cases of Les Hérétiques (made from the Carignan grape in the Minervois).
The surgery was rather traumatic but things turned out well afterward. I had several spiritual revelations before, during and immediately after the surgery which have greatly changed my life. Since this is not a spiritual blog, I will not go into detail here, but readers might want to consult my spiritual blog for more information:
Discovering Our Lord and Becoming a Better Wine Importer Through Quadruple Bypass Surgery
Pictured below is the actual surgery:
I had hoped to have a live cam cast, but the NYU administration reneged on a prior commitment as I was being wheeled into the surgical theater. What a lost opportunity!
Of course, in those days we didn't have podcasts and my heart is filled with regret when I think of the marvelous podcast I could have made out of my surgery. All told, I was on the operating table for five hours and thirty-eight minutes and I would have had to find capable compression software to get the entire surgery on an IPOD, but I'm sure it could have been done without sacrificing the graphics quality.
I need to thank some people. Foremost, my wife Denyse Louis and my kids (who wish to be anonymous because there is nothing more embarassing than having a father who writes a blog) and my parents, Sam and Irene Dressner. I'd also like to thank Kevin McKenna, my partner, who kept our business running during and after my convalescence (and who wrote a bitter letter to NYU complaining about the thwarted cam cast of the surgery). I'd also like to thank my dog Buster who went out of his mind with joy when I finally returned from the hospital. Lastly, I'd like to thank Céline Mantovani, my niece in France, who took care of me in Poil Rouge as I recovered.
This is an embarrassing column to write, but try having quadruple bypass surgery and you'll see....every so often you get sentimental.
The other advantage of having had quadruple bypass surgery is that I milk my surgery for every little advantage I can get. In particular, I ask to board airplanes with passengers needing special assistance, given my heart condition, so that I can get on the flight before the teeming masses fight to get to their seats and stuff their oversized luggage into the overhead storage bins.
I'd be able to afford business class if only we sold more Poulsard.
I Had a Nightmare about Henri Marionnet!
Photo by Bertrand Celce
My wife is in Italy and I'm home alone with my dog Buster.
I had trouble getting to sleep last night and had a nightmare about Henri Marionnet, the famous Touraine wine producer. I can't remember the details but it had something to do with giant reptiles and vineyard sites with 150-year-old Romorantin.
April 1st is my wife's birthday and she is dining with a group of famous Italian vignerons like Jo Pithon and Claude Maréchal.
Happy Birthday and all my love!
Everyone is Getting Old!
Even Buster has aged incredibly over the past year.
This is probably the last year we will do a Cuvée Buster Sancerre at Thomas-Labaille. We've been doing one too long there. We need to move on and call this bottling something else.
Tomorrow is my 64th birthday. The Sherff, a regular contributor to my comments sections, has graciously invited Denyse and I to eat at Alain Ducasse's four-star, New York restaurant.
My Dog Buster
Pictured above is a recent picture of my dog Buster.
Buster's favorite industrial yeast is the VQ15 to get concentrated reds.
VQ15 was isolated by Vinquiry and selected in collaboration with winemaker Jeff Cohn from spontaneous Rockpile Syrah fermentations. This new California isolate is used in concentrated reds, particularly Syrah, Zinfandel, Cabernet sauvignon and Merlot where a moderate fermentation rate is desired for rich, lush, balanced mouthfeel and full bodied wines. VQ15 has a moderate nitrogen demand and will allow good results with varietal flavor and red fruit and mineral aromatic note development when carefully rehydrated using Go-Ferm and inoculated into musts.
Buster particularly likes wines which combine VQ15 with Oenotan. Oenotan gives those sort of suave tannins which Buster likes so much.
Six Things I Like About Marc Ollivier of the Domaine de la Pépière!
1. Marc hunts bécasse (woodcocks) and sometimes serves them at the mind-blowing meals he and Genviéve make.
2. His beard
3. The way I think I'm at a high altitude when I'm in the Muscadet when I'm actually at sea level.
4. Reading back issues of Bécasse Passion in Marc's bathroom .
5. His contempt for my dog Buster (whom he views as one of the ugliest mutts in God's creation).
6. His wines.
Poupette!
The Château d'Oupia in the Minervois is releasing a special bottling, in conjunction with our company, of 100-year-old Carrignan from one of their best sites. Only 97 cases of this exceptional wine will be available in this country, sometime after December 14th.
The wine is called Hommage à Poupette. Poupette was Marie-Thérèse Iché's beloved French poodle, who died two years ago after a 17-year residence at the Château. We at Louis/Dressner were always very fond of Poupette, although my dog Buster and Poupette never got along. Poupette was proprietary, chez elle and resented Buster's presence on her turf during our visits to the Minervois.
Poupette was quickly replaced by Caline, also a French poodle. Caline is even more frisky than Poupette (whom I was privileged to meet in her youth many years ago) and avoids Buster like the plague.
This is an exceptional wine from the 2004 vintage that is not to be missed. These old vines produce a wine of great character and in this age of standardization it is a true pleasure to go back a century.
Food & Wine Magazine Awards This Blog the Top WIne Blog!
The October issue of Food & Wine Magazine has an article on the Seven Best Wine Blogs.
Incredibly, this site was the first one mentioned! I suppose this means that I author the top-rated wine blog!
It is difficult to know if I should be proud or ashamed of this coveted award. Being a blogger is a full-scale admission of egomania and self-indulgence. Being rewarded for blogging and boasting about it on one's blog is the act of a confirmed madman.
All my thanks to all the little people who helped in the long blog climb uphill.
I'll never forget you!
I haven't mentioned Jim Bassett for some time. Jim is the guy who came up with this blogging software and has been incredibly generous and patient in allowing me to maintain this site (along with the Louis/Dressner site which uses his software).
Thanks Jim!
And I'd also like to thank my wife Denyse, without which none of this blogging would have been possible. My children who have given me so much blogging support over the years. My parents, who have stood by my blog in the tough times and the good times, My business associates who have suffered my blogging when there was actual work to do. Then, of course, there is my dog Buster, man's best friend, who was loyal during the blogging lows and the blogging highs. Not to forget....
Food & Wine writes:
Joe Dressner is part-owner of Louis/Dressner Selections, an American wine importer specializing in small producers, mostly French wines from highly regarded names like Bernard Baudry and Didier Barouillet. When he's not traveling the world on business, he publishes one of the least pretentious blogs on the Web. It's wise and unspoken, as in a post about the state of wine tasting today: "Wine is not a vehicle for egomania, boastfulness and self-promotion. All the great 'tasters' I have known are able to submerge their ego and understand what is in the bottle."
I'm Dreaming of a Great 2005 Harvest
Denyse, Alyce, Buster and I are returning to New York on Thursday..
We are spending our last days seeing vignerons we haven't seen, packing, cleaning and dreading a return to New York.
We always stay here long enough to feel settled in and then poof!, it is time to return to our other life in New York. The one with tasteless radishes and tasteless haricot verts.
France remains extremely dry and the vineyards could use some rain. But domaines who maintain living vineyards, with vines that extend into the soil, are not suffering even if they could still use some rain.
Most important, the weather has turned splendid over the past few days and hopefully we are heading into a period of sun and cool nights before the harvest. It appears to be a smaller harvest than 2004, thankfully, and could be of very good quality if the weather holds.
Then again, it is always too early to tell until the harvest actually starts. But if nothing else, it looks promising.
What Sort of Egomaniac Runs a Commercial Web Blog?
Yes it takes a lot of ego and a lot of free time.
Someone demented enough to spend their spare moments indulging in endless self-promotion.
Yes, self-indulgence is the word.
But sometimes, there is something else lurking behing the successful Egomaniacal Web Blogger.
My real motivation:
Posting pictures of my dog Buster on the internet.
Rumors About a New Cuvée Buster
We have not had a Cuvée Buster in some time now. There are rumors on some of the wine internet boards about what the next Cuvée Buster will be.
Photographed by Josephine Young
I'm not at full liberty to say right now. Negotiations are going on between our firm and the wine producer.
The wine will be 100% Carrignan and the vines will all be over 100-years-old.
There will be a dog pictured on the label, but it may not be Buster.
In fact, it might be a former nemesis of Buster.
More later.
Goat Cheese and Folk Wisdom at the Clos Roche Blanche in the Touraine
A group of Americans descended on the the Clos Roche Blanche today for a lavish tasting followed by lavish meal at a ferme auberge that makes goat cheese.
The 2004s are fruity and light and a pleasure to drink. The estate bought a destemmer last year, which was extensively used for the 2004 reds to avoid vegetal tastes. RIpening was uneven, but the domaine did several passages to get the ripe fruit. Even the basic Sauvignon Blanc had two passages in the vineyard, the first time the estate ever did this, to ensure the best quality.
The wines average about 12 degrees and are not blockbusters. But Didier Barouillet purposely vinfied with a light hand and treated each cuvee and parcel gingerly to bring out the fruit, warmth and charm of the Clos' wines.
After the tasting we had a fabulous meal at a local farm that producers exceptional unpasteurized, artisian Selles-sur-Cher goat cheese. By the time we arrived, the goats were asleep and out of view.
The main course was a lamb dish from a lamb that had been raised at the farm. Unfortunately, the lamb was not only out of view but was also dead.
I had an extensive discussion with Didier about the important of adapting to the vintage. Of course, the most important work is in the vineyards and in an area where 90% of the harvesting is done by machine, it is only the rare hand harvested in the Touraine, like the Clos Roche Blanche, who can sort the fruit in the fields and do successive tries.
Didier's main point, one he repeated several times during the evening, was:
"A kiss without a moustache is like a steak without mustard."
Colossal Error of Judgement!
Those were strong words from Senator Kerry last night. That's how he described President Bush's invasion of Iraq -- "A Colossal Error of Judgement!"
I know what that means. Here in my Manhattan neighborhood of Sutton Place, there is now a lynch mob mentality against the owner of pitbull who killed a Chihuahua a few weeks ago. The owner of the Pitbull is a local shopkeeper and there is now a movement in the neighborhood for her to be evicted and for her three pitbulls to be killed.
The pitbull owner is now walking her pitbulls with muzzles and truly regrets the attack and murder of the Chihuahua. My wife is actively defending her, but I am still undecided, much as I am undecided on the present presidential campaign.
But what I cannot tolerate is the neighborhood frenzy against pitbulls. Sometimes, one has the feeling that we are one step away from a Sutton Place Lynchmob and that pitbulls will soon be eliminated from the native dog population.
I own a dog and Buster is part pitbull. He is a very sweet dog and I can assure you that pitbulls are lovely creatures when trained to be lovely creatures. To condemn all pitbulls would truly be a Colossal Error of Judgement, as Senator Kerry so eloquently stated!
I felt like I had to do something to aid pitbulls and am supporting Damian Mateo, of Geneva, New York, in his struggle against Pitbull Hatred Frenzy (PHF). Mr. Mateo is being accused of having Rex bite off the nose of Katrina Dahl, Mr. Mateo's girlfriend, Mr. Mateo says that the dog did attack Katrina but only after Katrina started a dispute with Damian and threw a telephone at Damian's face. Damian's mother has pointed out that Rex is a gentle dog who "doesn’t even bite his own fleas."
Please click on the below hyperlink for more information on this case and my involvement with Mateo and Rex:
Pitbull Hatred: A Colossal Error of Judgement!
As of Friday morning, October 1st, neither Senator Kerry or President Bush have commented on this case. E-mails to the websites of both candidates have gone unanswered.
Off to France
I'm off to France on Wednesday for a couple of months.
The entire family is going -- my wife, daughter, son, dog (Buster) -- and we are hoping for an exciting summer. We will be setting up shop at the Louis/Dressner compound in Poil Rouge. Poil Rouge is located in an indeterminate part of Southern Burgundy.
Follow our adventures on this web site.
The Pastoral Serenity of Poil Rouge
Who is Russell Briggs?
My dog Buster came into bed at 5 am this morning and starting licking my toes. He likes doing this.
So, I was up and decided to surf the web.
Most of my web surfing these days involves planning the educational future of my children. My son Jules is planning to go to school next year in Montréal and I am quickly becoming an expert on Montréal's lifestyle. I am totally obsessed with all the details and am micro-managing the transition to University life. At least it keeps me off the porn sites!
This morning, I learned that the University of Montréal is having a special week to encourage car pools. The headline on their web site is:
Semaine de covoiturage: un ami de plus, un char de moins!
My son has been accepted to this University, but doesn't want to go there. Perhaps he is against covoiturage. Who knows?
I also discovered this morning that students between ages 18 and 25 are eligible for a special transit pass, la Carte Privilège, which gives them unlimited monthly use of the excellent mass transit system for only $31.00 Canadian a month, as opposed to $59.00 Canadian. I then went to www.xe.com, which monitors currency rates, and learned that $31.00 Canadian is the equivalent of $23.31 American. Of course, these currency exchange rates are the inter-bank rates and are based on transactions of millions of dollars. Nevertheless, it is clear that Montréal's mass transit system is a bargain for students.
It being only 7 am, I surfed on to some web sites. The Garagiste, a great retailer with an active internet site, has an article about a New Zealand Wine Importer named Russell Briggs. The article states:
Forget your preconceptions of what New Zealand wine has to offer and start with a clean slate. These are wines of immense natural acidity and terroir rarely found anywhere in the world. If you are a fan of the searing, nervous energy of great un-oaked Chablis or the eccentric offerings of Joe Dressner you have found a new friend in Russell Briggs. This is certainly one of the most important new portfolios in the last several years.
One hour later I get an e-mail from Wine Personality of the Year Michael Wheeler asking me if he could bring some of the Russell Brigg's wines to our tasting party next week!
The internet is a fabulous place, despite its many detractors.
By the way, what an embarassment to have George Bush as President of the United State. What they ought to have is a consitutional amendment to keep the entire Bush family out of public office. What a repulsive and despicable individual.
Polls got you down? Play the anti-gay card.
Things I Don't Understand About the Wine Industry
I spent most of October visiting various Americans trying to convince them to buy our wines. Although I have been a member of the Wine Industry for 16 years now, many things about the industry continue to battle me:
- How can a top restaurant not have a top Muscadet on their wine list?
- How does Robert Chadderdon run a multi-million dollar, successful business with only one person working for him?
- How can Mr. Chadderdon eat out at a top restaurant nightly and still remain fabulously healthy?
- How can Sherry-Lehman run the exact same ads in the New York Times, only with vintage and price changes, for the past 16 years?
- Are the owners of Sherry-Lehmans really good friends with Jean Sauvion, the Wizard of the Loire Valley?
- Does Sherry Lehman's good friend Georges Duboeuf, the Wizard of the Beaujolais, really makes special bottings for Sherry-Lehman?
- Are Jean Sauvion and Georges Duboeuf also good friends?
- Did the ownership of Sherry Lehmans introduce Jean to Georges?
- Who picks up the check if Jean Sauvion, Georges Duboeuf and the owner of Sherry Lehman go out to dinner together?
- Who set the industry-wide profit margins for wholesalers, restaurants and retailers? Is there a secret committee somewhere?
- How many Vin de Pays Merlot can the Costieres de Nimes region be producing?
- Why does no one talk about Heidi Barrett anymore?
- Why does no one talk about Russell Herman anymore?
- Where does Michel Rolland find the time to consult to so many wineries all over the world? I barely have time to run my business, see my wife, talk to my children and walk my dog Buster. Let alone write this blog. Perhaps Michel Rolland does not have a dog?
- Who are all these PR agents in the Wine Industry? Since there are only two or three journalists who sell wine, what accounts for the existence of so many pr people? How many events can Robert Parker attend a week? I know for a fact that Robert Parker also enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter and dog.
- Why are Gris du Toul sales flat? Is there still so much anti-French sentiment out there?
- Why would anyone in their right mind want to make Marquis Philips or Yellow Tail?
- Why would anyone in their right mind want to drink the above?
- Is it possible that there is not a single bottle of Romorantin in the entire state of California?
Buster Will be Attending October 2nd Louis/Dressner Tasting!
Don't miss this rare opportunity to meet the dog behind the wine!
Returning to New York
Buster, Denyse, my son, my daughter and I will be returning to New York on Monday.
Despite the unbearable heat of this horribly hot summer, I've had a great time.
Some of the summer highlights for me, in no particular order, included:
- Eating saucissons. How can Americans live without the saucisson?
Knowing that we are in a Marquis Phillips-free country. This is wonderfully reassuring for me and my children. By the way, how did the Marquis become a Marquis? What exactly is he the Marquis of?
- Watching Mamies drive their mobilettes on backcountry roads, wearing helmuts and dressed in their blue housewife dresses.
- Tailgating aggressive drivers on the French autoroute. At first, you see them in your rear-view mirrors. In France, you can only pass a car on the left side, passing on the right side is a felony. Sometimes you will be driving in the left lane of the Autoroute and all of a sudden a car bolts out of nowhere, flashing their brights (even during the day), forcing you over to the right lane. They come up right behind you and practically touch your rear fenders. You have no choice but to go the right lane, at which point the guy who passed you puts on his right signal and goes over to the right lane directly in front of you. This makes me angry. As revenge, I have followed cars for 300 kilometers for playing this trick on me. They slow up, I slow up. They speed, I speed. I stay a reasonable distance behind them and they can't shake me. They stop for a cup of coffee, I hide in the parking lot of the gas station and pull out when they pull out. They do 180 Kilometers an hour, I do 180 kilometers an hour. My children greatly enjoy this game. It makes long trips on the Autoroute go by much quicker.
- Going to Béatrice Klein's 50th birthday party at some mountainside hostel somewhere near Thann where everyone seemed to know famous Brooklyn restaurant impressario Arnaud Erhart.
- Watching the Tour de France. It was a great race!
- Spending time with my kids, even though they were all over France and I didn't see them so much, and enjoying their ascendency into adulthood.
- Walking Buster in Poil Rouge. Even though we're in the country, I have a dog who is used to being taken out for a walk. So, we can't just open the door, we have to take him for a spin.
- Finally meeting Stuart Yaniger and getting to spend some time with him.
- Not talking about SKUs, Brands, Depletions, Stock, Parker ratings, Core Items, Case Discounts since June 18th.
- Spending three days with Catherine Roussel and Didier Barouillet of the Clos Roche Blanche.
- Seeing Didier's vineyard experiments with wild flower arrangements to balance out the life cycle of an active vineyard.
- Spending three days with Marc and Genvieve Ollivier at the cultish Domaine de la Pépière. Mostly hiding out from the heat!
- Our annual seven hour lunch with Monique and Pierre Luneau. Pass that Langoustine, please.
- My father-in-law's 80th birthday celebration at the three-star restaurant in Modenheim.
- The hospitality and generosity of Eric Texier's parents, who put me up during Vinexpo.
- Tasting absolutely fabulous 2002s (!) at Marcel Richaud! Nothing grandiose, just fabulously expensive, well made, fruity C-D-Rhône. Marcel has declassified his Cairanne in 2002 and the Garrigue Cuvée is just yummy.
- It is an honor to be working with growers like Marcel, who is at the top of his AOC these days, let alone Marc, Didier, Catherine, Eric and so many others that we work with. Not to mention Pierre Breton, Nady, Catherine, Catherine (we work with a lot of Catherines), Theirry and his brother Jean-Marie, Sylvie, Guilhelm, André, Georges, Antoine and Hippolyte.
- Eating goat cheese from Marc Groseiller in Blanot, and buying tons of charcuteries and cheese transported from the Jura by Lizette.
- Spending time with Manuela and François Chidaine. One of the reasons America cannot produce great wine is that it is incapable of producing François Chidaines. This might be a question of terroir or lack of terroir. Great minds can figure this out.
- Eating lunch in Poupillin with cult winemakers Pierre Overnoy and Emmanuel Houillon, and eating Pierre's omelettes and eathing the bread he baked.
- Charollais beef
- Drinking old vintages of wines I've hidden in my cellar here.
- Watching my children turn into alcoholics.
- The discovery, just today, that our house here in Poil Rouge was built in the 1650s. This is almost like having a pre-war apartment in Manhattan!
- Learning the French word ballonné. Every year, I notice a word that I never heard or used before. This year, J'etait bien ballonné!
- Spending time with Denyse Louis, who is the Louis in Louis/Dressner and who is my wife.
I have already reserved a van to meet us at Newark International Airport. The van will be driven by a recent immigant who will be angry over the weather, the traffic, his lack of pay, the Taxi and Limousine Commission, the world situation and Mayor Bloomberg.
I can't wait!
Uneven
I've been calling around France the past few days.
It is an awfully strange year with an awfully early harvest. There are many disquieting notes -- leafs falling, grapes drying out, a lack of juice with too much dry material, high alcohol and grilled grapes. On the other hand, there are parcels that look superb.
Parts of the south seems fine, although these are the regions with grapes that are more able to support the summer's sun and heat then Pinot Noir, for instance. Nevertheless, these grapes could use some water. They need some water to reach maturity. They're thirsty.
It is too early to make any evaluation. I am pessimistic but I am always pessimistic. I believe the glass is always half empty.
Regardless, until the grapes are picked and vinified, no one has any idea where we are. There is still plenty of room for surpises -- both bad and good ones.
No one is harvesting yet in the Mâconnais hills opposite my home. Nevertheless, they are authorized to start as of yesterday. My neighbor, Daniel Bonin, tells me they are going to start on Sunday. One of the problems is that the president of the Lugny Cooperative (which controls all the vines in the area) is on vacation in Spain and can't be contacted by phone. So everyone is hesitant to start.
Every morning I take my dog Buster for a walk in the vines. There are spots that are overripe, spots that are still green. I suspect this will be a vintage of uneven character throughout France, with wild excesses of quality and character.
Today, we had about 15 minutes of rain. It has cooled down to the point of being horribly hot, rather then excruciatingly hot. Small progress that is important for vintage 2003.
Safe and Sound in St-Gengoux
My family, dog Buster, and I left New York on Tuesday and will be spending the summer in lovely St-Gengoux-de-Scissé, a lost village in the Mâconnais. We had some concerns about Buster -- there are new regulations for transporting dogs -- but everything went smoothly. Buster is as happy as could be and spent the morning rolling in horse dung, being hosed down and shampooed, and sleeping from all the excitement.
St-Gengoux looks good this time of year. It is hot, but the fields have been cut and the vines have been treated with every treatment imaginable to make another year of Mâcons for the Cave de Lugny. This lost village, the ancestral home of my wife's family, has about 400 inhabitants spread out over six hamlets. There is no shopping here, but there are markets in neighboring villages. We used to have a butcher, but no one was interesting in buying the store when the butcher retired ten years ago.
Anyhow, what is strange is I find that I eat far better here then in New York City, a world center of gastronomy. Yesterday, I barbecued bavettes that I bought from Monsieur Aubertin, my butcher in Lugny. Aubertin buys all his beef from a farm in Charolais, which is a neighboring region. The Charolais cows (the ones with the white coats of hair) are the local species in both the Charolais and the Mâconnais and I love beef from that cow. Just a simple bavette, onglet, or my favorite cut, the Araignée (a rare piece that I have to order in advance) is so much better then any steak house that I know in New York. The meat has texture, requires chewing, has fibre and is delicious. What more can you ask? We drank a bottle of Claude Maréchal Savigny-les-Beaune VV 1999 with the steak, which was just right. We're all out of Armand Rousseau Chambertin so we had to settle for Maréchal.
Today, I went to the weekly market in Lugny. The first stop is always the goat cheese stand of Marc Groseiller, a local farmer who works in biodynamie. Marc's goats romp around Blanot, which is a beautiful village in the hills between St-Gengoux and Cluny, and which has always been reputed to have the best grass for goat grazing. There has been a heat wave here in France, but there is lots of vegetation, and Mark told me his goats are happy. We bought fresh, demi-sec and sec. I've tried Humboldt Fog and some decent goat cheese from Wisconsin, but nothing ever comes close to Groseiller. Let alone the fabulous chévre I eat in Touraine from a local farmer who is friends with the vigneron I import in the area (Clos Roche Blanche).
Unfortunately, Joseph's truck was not at the Lugny market. Joseph is on vacation and will be back next week. Joseph drives down from the Jura with a truck filled with Brézi (a mountain-dried beef), vieux comté, vieux morbier, tomme, reblochon and declicious yogurts form the national cheese-making college in Mamirolles (this school is in the Jura and my brother-in-law studied there, but unfortunately only makes industrial cheeses from powdered milk in Abidjan). So, we had to buy a range of cheese from another cheese merchant, who gave us generous samples of everything we ordered. Nice, raw milk, fermier cheeses.
There are only about 8 stands at the market. Lugny is a small town and larger markets are in Mâcon, Tournus and Pont de Vaux. There is one excellent farmer who sells only fresh produce from his farm and several "wholesalers" who buy fruits and vegetables from all over France.
There's a wonderful ambience, everyone welcomes us back (this is the 19th consecutive summer I've spent in St-Gengoux) and it is great to see food being sold by its producers. Particularly, as it is food that is delicious, seasonal and local. We also picked up a farm chicken from Bresse, another adjoining area, which is the only region in France to have chickens in AOC.
Speaking of AOCs, I also found some walnuts from the AOC Noix de Grenoble. Man, what sweet and delicious walnuts!
Of course, all this is being threatened by EEC regulations and globalization. Small farmers now have to follow draconian and expensive hygiene legislation and while Blanot used to have four goat cheese producers, only Groseiller remains today. Plus, French food is dominated (both on the wholesale and retail level) by huge hypermarchés that sell in bulk and cheap. The small agrarian producer is being pushed out of the market as the French public runs to these hypermarchés to buy substandard products at great savings. This rush to hypermarché is so short-sided and sad -- it threatens the continuity of so many grand French traditions. If price and scale are all that matter, then there is no room for the small artisan, whether in produce, meat, cheese or wine.
The major drawback to summering here is that we do yet have an outpost of Grand Sichuan. I don't go to Paris, where one finds great Asian food, so I miss it sorely during the summer.
More later. I have to run and make lunch and then go to Puligny-Montrachet to see Paul Pernot.....
Grand Sichuan 2nd Avenue
I eat regularly at Grand Sichuan on 50th Street and 9th Avenue, like every other wine geek in town.
A new Grand Sichuan opened in my neighborhood in September at 1049 Second Avenue between 55th and 54th Street. At first, the rumors were that this was a rip-off of the original restaurant on 24th Street and its extension on 50th Street. Even the New York Times had an article on the proliferation of Grand Sichuan Restaurants several months ago.
Yesterday, I walked my dog Buster on Second Avenue and saw that there were numerous pages posted on the Grand Sichuan on Second Avenue. It was a long text, with pictures taken of restaurants in Shanghai, by the owner of the restaurant. The text explained that this was his third restaurant and that he is, in fact, the owner of the 24th and 50th Street outlets.
Anyhow, the text went on to explain that he decided that he should have something different on 2nd Avenue then his older restaurants. After a recent visit to Shanghai, which he had not visited for some 12 years, he decided to feature the "New Cusine" of Shanghai.
We ate there last night and had a fabulous, but fiery meal. Incredibly precise and hot flavors, with some tastes that were totally new to me, my wife and Buster.
Be certain to check this out if you live in New York or visit here.
Wine Spectator Awards 92 Points to Sancerre Cuvée Buster!
Just a couple a weeks after giving 90 points to a Mas des Chiméres Cuvée Buster, the Wine Spectator has given 92 points to the Thomas-Labaille Sancerre Mont Damnées Cuvée Buster.
The wine was their highest ranking Sancerre. They wrote:
"Lemon pound cake, peach, honey and white asparagus
flavors are buttressed by an underpinning of wet stone
and minerals in this remarkably lush and complex
Sancerre. Long finish resonates with the honey and
great combination of flavors.—J.M."
The regular bottling from Thomas-Labaille received a lowly 90 points, with the following commentary:
This “regular” bottling from Thomas-Labaille is also
outstanding. It has lovely fig, straw, white peach,
gooseberry and flint notes in a racy, distinct package.
Nice cut here, with wet, stoney notes fanning out on
the finish. Very, very solid.—J.M.
In related articles on their internet site, The Wine Spectator reports that the French are basically anti-American and that French wine sales are down 17% since America decided to pursue a regime change in Iraq.
Nevertheless, it is an encouraging sign that The Wine Spectator has begun to review and praise Cuvée Busters.
90 Point Buster!
From The Wine Spectator of 15 May, 2003:
90 Mas des Chimères Vin de Pays des Coteaux du Salagou Cuvée Buster 2000 -- Smooth, silky, and elegant red with loads of dried cherry, coffee, cardamon and milk chocolate flavors. Lingering finish of spice, saddle and aged beef. Drink now.
Thanks for a Great Week!
I want to thank all the vignerons who showed up in New York for taking the time and spending the money to come over here and promote their wines.
I also want to thank the folks at Polaner Selections for throwing a great tasting last Wednesday. Hordes of New York wine types attended and the event was one of the more exciting wine schnook events I have ever been to in this town. They're a bunch of geniuses over there at Polaner.
I want to thank David Lillie at Chambers Street, Jeff Connell at Astor, Amy Pommier at Prospect Wines, Bruce at Sea Grape and Evelyn at 67th Street for all the tastings in New York.
I also want to thank Rick Franco in New Canaan for throwing an Eric Texier tasting at his store and taking out a fabulously expensive ad in The New York Times.
I would like to thank my wife Denyse for all her moral support, my children Jules and Alyce, and my parents Sam and Irene. Not to forget Buster, for all the fun and joy he brings to my life.
Lastly, I want to thank Harvey, who shared a dormitory suite with me our freshman year at a unspecified university many years ago.
Harvey, who has perfected the art of the acceptance speech.
Harvey gets to make acceptance speeches every year at the the big movie award ceremony. He has a big budget and runs whirlwind publicity campaigns to make sure his films win.
I have no budget.
I blog.
Sometimes I have blogger's block.
But knowing how much my work is appreciated by my readership is enough to keep me going, blogging away.
I want to thank Jim for making this blog spot possible.
Thank you very much.
Prominent New York/New Jersey Wholesaler's Top 100 List of Louis/Dressner Wines
We received an important note from New York's top wholesaler with a numerical rating of the top Louis/Dressner wines of the year. The scores and commentary are below:
My top eleven Louis Dressner wines for 2002 include some tasted at the LDM office as well as from the local distributor.......
#1 2000 Montlouis "Clos Habert"
#2 1989 Closel "Isa"
#3 2001 Angeli Rose
#4 1999 Texier Hermitage
#5 2001 Angeli "La Lune"
#6 2000 Montlouis "Tuffeaux"
#7 2001 Closel "Papillon"
#8 1998 Clos Rougeard "Poyeaux"
#9 2000 Peillot "Buster"
#10 2000 Thomas-Labaille
#11 2000 Pepierre "Eden"
#12 2000 Guigal Tricastin (Négoce)
Prominent Seattle Wholesaler's Top 100 List of Louis/Dressner Wines
We received an important note from Seattle's top wholesaler with a numerical rating of the top Louis/Dressner wines of the year. The scores are below:
I remember it as the top ten but...from the first sip this summer I knew my number one was:
- Marc Angelli Rose d'Anjou -- the pinnacle of vinuos pleasure
- Francois Chidaine Montlouis Clos Habert -- pure genius
- Clos Roche Blanche Gamay -- the finest expression of gamay?
- Pierre Breton Bourgueil Perrieres
- Mas de Chimeres cuvee Buster
- Puzelat Pineau d'Aunis La Tesniere
- Franck Peillot Altesse d' Montagieu
- Renardat-Fache Cerdon du Bugey
- Terre Doree Beaujolais Nouveau Vieilles Vignes
- Bois de Boursan Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Felix
- Eric Texier St. Gervais Cadinnieres
- Quinta da Pellada Dao Tinto Roriz
- Francios Legros Nuits St. George Perrieres
- Marc Angelli La Lune
- Luneau-Papin L d'Or multi vintage binge
- Guigal Chateauneuf
- Guigal Hermitage
- Guigal Ventoux
- Guigal Napa
- Guigal Barossa
- Guigal Toro
- Guigal Walla Walla
Holy Chimères!
I'm here at my office sipping on the 2000 Cuvée Buster VDP Coteaux du Salagou and the 2000 Coteaux du Languedoc.
The Buster has great Grenache intensity and aromatics, the CDL has depth and finesse.
Both efforts are just terrific.
Thanks Guilhelm.
The General Public is Invited to a Louis/Dressner Tasting in NYC
Please come to Chambers Street Wines, 160 Chambers Street, this Saturday, October 5th from 4pm to 9pm, for a fabulous tasting.
Meet Joe Dressner!
Meet Denyse Louis!
Possible guest appearance by their dog Buster!
Taste the following wines:
- Manuela et François Chidaine Montlouis Pétillant
- Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet 2001 (91 points)
- Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Sauvignon Blanc (91 points)
- Clos du Tue Boeuf Cheverny Blanc Frileuse 2001 (90 points)
- Domaine de Bellivière Côteaux du Loir Vieilles Vignes Eparses 2000 (92 points)
- Domaine de Roally Mâcon-Village (formerly Viré, Special Retirement Bottling)
- Hérétiques 2001 (94 points)
- Pierre Breton Trinch Bourgueil 2001 (87 points (only Breton cuvee that did not get 90+ points, but a personal favorite)
- Mas des Chimères Côteaux-du-Languedoc 1999 (90 points)
- Cosmic from Domaine Viret (scored on a different numerical grading then the other wines)
- Eric Texier Hermitage 1999 (from someone’s vineyards in Hermitage. Honestly, no kidding) (94 points)
- Eric Texier Brézéme Rouge 2000 Opened at 4 pm (84 points)
- Eric Texier Brézème Rouge 2000 Opened on Friday night (95 points)
- Renardat-Fache Cerdon-du-Bugey – Non-vintage and non-scored, to clean-up your palate after all the above.
Please Note: There might be some last-minute substitutions, due to shipping problems we are currently experiencing. In that case, we will be serving: - Didier Champalou Vouvray Pétillant
- Andre Bregeon Muscadet 2001
- Domaine des Acacias Touraine Sauvignon Blanc
- Domaine des Salverts Cheverny Blanc 2001
- Didier Champalou Sec 2000
- Kermit Lynch Mâcon-Villages 2001
- Kermit Lynch Côtes-du-Rhône
- Pierre Breton Trinch Bourgueil 2001
- Domaine d'Aupilhac 2000 Coteaux du Languedoc Montpeyroux
- Cosmic from Domaine Viret (everyone is serving this wine!)
- Hermitage 1999
- Domaine du Durban Beaume-de-Venise Rouge 2000 Opened at 4 pm
- Domaine du Durban Beaume-de-Venise Rouge 2000 Opened on Friday night
- Botix Cerdon-du-Bugey -- Non-vintage and non-scored, to clean-up your palate after all the above
Buster in Languedoc!
That's right.
A Cuvée Buster will be available this fall from the Mas des Chimères. Make sure to reserve large quantities of this exceptional bottling of pure Grenache at your local retailer.
Your local retailer is selling this now, en primeur, at 15% below the landed cost in October. So don't delay!
I'm in a hotel room in Toulouse.
Have to run.
Buster Tatooed!
Denyse and I are off to Portugal on Monday the 15th and have to do something with Buster.
Our only choice is a kennel and kennels in France will only accept a dog that has been tatooed with an official numerical identification. As barbaric as this practice sounds, we had no choice and Buster was operated on today.
Our hope is that, finally, we will find a Cuvée Buster in Portugal. Remember, a Cuvée Buster must be 600 bottles or less, made only on exceptional occassions, and must be terrific wine.
We owe this to Buster.
By the way, their are rumors here in Poil Rouge concerning Buster and Jacky.
I want to state categorically, for once and for all, that they are categorically untrue.
Safe in France!
Buster and everyone else.
On the other hand, I have no web connection. I seem to have a corrupted TCP/IP and cannot reinstall a healthy version.
Help!
Please call if you have any ideas.
Off to France!
I'll be checking back into this space on Sunday.
My entire nuclear family is off to our family compound in romantic St-Gengoux-de-Scissé.
As in summers past, we are worried that our dog Buster will arrive safely with us. Faithful readers will recall that Buster was lost by Air France five years ago during our New York/Paris flight, only to miraculously reappear in the pilot's cabin of an Air France flight to Morocco some three weeks after his initial disappearance.
We never understood how the dog got loose from our New York/Paris flight and how he wound up on the flight to Morocco.
But, Buster is still with us.
See you all soon!
Buster Scouring Through the Hermitage Vineyard Last Year in Search of a Great Site
Douglas Polaner Selections Burgundy Tasting is a Smashing Success!
Hundreds of New York/New Jersey Area Wine Schnooks attended the exciting Douglas Polaner Selections 2000 Red Burgundy Tasting.
While this is a non-glamorous vintage (appraisals of the vintage range from shitty to difficult), there is no doubt that the best growers still produced interesting wines. Particulary, if their importers have a large Australian book filled with blockbuster wines raised in gobs of new oak!
One highlight of the tasting was the appearance of a delegation from the Chevaliers du Tastevin, straight from their home in the Clos Vougeot. The group lead the assembled tasting in a round of cheerful songs, ending with the old classic: Je Suis Fier d'Etre Bourguignon.
Various Members of the Tastevin at the Douglas Polaner Selections Tasting
Calamity!
A Guest Blog from International Financier Norman Plotkin
Last Saturday, a serious mishap occurred in the gray-floored, bottle-lined headquarters of Louis/Dressner Selections.
However, before I relate what happened, a little history is in order. Before I became a financier, raising millions from other people for absurd and useless projects; before Dressner himself became the world’s foremost wacky wine importer, Joe and I were good friends. Regrettably, our friendship fell on hard times (I choose to omit the details, not flattering to Joe), but we didn’t see each another for 16 years. It was a long 16 years.
Not long ago, however, we resumed our comradeship where it left off. After 16 years, we had a reunion dinner on Hudson Street. We regaled the waitress with our reminiscences—luckily she didn’t speak English. Joe thought the dinner stunk, of course—since our days at New Chicago Lunch, in Buffalo, New York, he’s become extremely discriminating, hard to please at table. I found out about his heart surgery (although he refused to show me his scar), his children (two), his business, his blog, his dog, Pierre Overnoy. Needless to say, I was agog with admiration.
I visited his impressive new offices, he bought me lunch at Yonah Schimmel’s (where of course he mocked the waiter) and, when we repaired again to the office, we drank a little wine. I loved, at first sip, Bourgueil, by Catherine and PierreBreton and especially, Arbois Pupillin, by Pierre Overnoy.
I understand that there’s some controversy about this wine. I don’t see why. Not to enjoy it seems effete, pompous, absurdly and foolishly over-refined. As many of you who read this blog know, I’ve been all over the world raising multiple millions to help Joe expand Louis/Dressner on (we hope) a global basis. And I believe that much of my success has come simply from serving prospective investors attractive plastic tumblers filled with the Bretons’ beautiful Bourgeuil and, in particular, Overnoy’s ineffable Arbois Pupillin.
At any rate, last Saturday we followed our usual routine: conversation, lunch, back to the office for a little wine. And here the trouble occurred. We were drinking Arbois Pupillin; we got a little tipsy; then, in a moment—catastrophe! Calamity doesn’t take much time. It all occurred in a fraction of a second. I spilled some wine in the vicinity of Joe’s computer. The vicinity—by accident! The computer shorted out. It died. All the information was lost—gone—irretriveable. Much of it not backed up. On Saturday afternoon, April 22, 2002, a calamity occurred on East 4th Street!
Friends, it was an accident! It wasn’t on purpose—as far as I know. Now, the subconscious is a mysterious thing. Can one really claim to know the workings of the subconscious mind? No, certainly not. I feel no conscious hostility toward Joe. Therefore I can claim (and do) that I did not destroy Joe Dressner’s life, did not disable his computer, cripple his business, cause him endless misery, anxiety, expense and (not the least of it) backbreaking hours of donkey-like labor reconstituting his business files—I did it by accident (as far as I know). I did it with a clear conscience. And I’m not glad, I feel no glee. Except for the gap of 16 years, Joe is one of my oldest friends. What do I feel? Sorrow and compassion.
Now, as a result of this horrible accident, a fascinating question arose. No more than two ounces of Overnoy’s wonderful wine was spilled on the computer. The little laptop shorted out at once. We began to ask ourselves: would the same amount of industrial wine have caused as much damage? The same amount of damage? Or less? Does this say anything about the potency of the wine? We don’t know and can’t decide. Maybe you, Joe’s readers, can help us.
At any rate, I’ve made my abject apologies to Joe. I apologize to his readership. To wine-lovers everywhere. To his wife and children (two) and to Buster Dressner, the venturesome dog. I apologize to the citizens of France, all except for one (Le Pen). To the staff at Astor Place. To Kevin (whom I’ve never met). To the new employee of Louis/Dressner. To all to whom an apology is due, I apologize and renew my claim: it was an accident (as far as I know). I hope everyone will forgive me.
Norman Plotkin
Come Meet the Wine Importer and His Lovely Life Partner in Seattle!
Some restaurant in Seattle has been foolhardy enough to organize a Louis/Dressner Selections Loire Valley Dinner.
The restaurant is Campagne and the dinner is being held next Tuesday on May 7th. You are all invited to this fabulous night of hedonistic pleasure, romance and comedy. The price is exhorbitantly expensive and Campagne can be contacted at (206) 728-2800.
Attending the dinner will be Joe Dressner (The Wine Importer) and his Lovely LIfe Partner Denyse Louis. Rumors that Buster will be in attendence are patently false.
We were planning to show the 1999 Côte Rotie Cuvée Belle Hélène from Stéphane and Michel Ogier, but the restaurant insisted we keep to a Loire Valley theme. This excellent wine is imported by our colleague Robert Kacher.
Back from the Salt Mines! The Return of The Wine Importer!
First of all, I want to thank Kay Bixler for the excellent work she has done here in my absence.
I just concluded a month-long swing of non-Bordeaux viticultural France. I have reached many stunning and important conclusions about what the future holds for wine lovers.
One nice thing about being back here on my web site is that I can refer to myself in the third person. The Wine Importer enjoys a certain air of pomposity.
It is 6:21 am, I am suffering from jet-lag and I have to walk Buster.
Everyone has priorities.
Franck Peillot Altesse Cuvée Buster 2000 in Edison, New Jersey
The latest vintage of the famed Cuvée Buster Altesse has arrived in a warehouse in New Jersey. I haven't tasted this wine since August, when it was still happily and slowly fermenting away.
The Altesse Vineyards in the Village of Montaigneu
This Buster is from a vat somewhere in the Bugey that is vinified with indigenous yeasts and a longer élévage then the normal bottling of Altesse. It is a bubbler, a wine that we want to take forever to finish. And then some. All precautions are taken to extend the wine's fermentation as long as possible to extract every last bit of flavor and complexity. It may be unscientific but it works.
I'm hoping to taste the wine before I go to France on Tuesday, but I may not be able to arrange getting a bottle. Our Bugey Brand Manager has tasted the finished wine and tells me that it is terrific. Of course, Eddie might just be shilling.
Hopefully, it is a good wine. Let us know.
Seattle Wine Personality's Top 10 Louis/Dressner List
This person is a household name on the Seattle Wine Scene, but has requested anonymity.
1. Thierry Puzelat 2000 Pineau d'Aunis La Tesniere
2. Breton Bourgueil Perrieres 1999
3. Francois Pinon Vouvray Premier Trie 1996
4. Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet "Cuvee Buster" 1997
5. Eric Texier Brezeme 1999
6. Thomas-Labaille Sancerre Mont Damnes 1999
7. Clos Roche Blanche Gamay 2000
8. Terre Dorees Beaujolais Nouveau Vieilles Vignes 2001
9. Marechal Savigny-les-Beaune Vieilles Vignes 1999
10. Chateau d'Oupia "Les Heretique" 2000
Boston Retailer's Top 10 List of This Year's Louis/Dressner Selections' Imports
Of course, the Top 10 List of This Year's Louis/Dressner Selections' Imports has nothing to do with the Top 100 List (see below)
The Boston retailer has asked that his store and name remain anonymous, I found this a thoughtful selection.
10. Pineau d'Aunis Tesniere
9. 2000 Vouvray Tradition Francois Pinon
8. 2000 Pineau d'Aunis Rose Montrieux
7. 1998 Mas des Chimeres
6. 2000 Fleurie Roilette
5. 2000 Beaujolais L'Ancien Brun
4. 1999 Bourgeuil Senechal Breton
3. 1997 Muscadet Buster Pepiere
2. 2000 Muscadet Pepiere
1. 2000 Muscadet Clos des Briords
What do you think?
Is it possible that Marc Ollivier will sweep the top three spots?
Cult, Garage Champagne
My partner Kevin McKenna has written a great article on our firm's new champagne house. The article is so good that Kevin doesn't have to use a picture of Buster. That's my literary trick when I have nothing to say. I just pop in a picture of my dog. This pleases my readership a great deal.
Anyhow, our new Champagne house is not even a house. It is a garage. Make sure to read Kevin's article. Now. Stop whatever you are doing and click here to go to the Louis/Dressner Selections Website and read about David Leclapart. Forgive the typos, which will be cleaned-up on Monday.So Click Now.
3 Strange Things About Detroit
I just got back from 2 and 1/2 weeks in Detroit.
Some odd things about the town:
1. No one talks about the World Trade Center.
2. Everyone thinks business is good and has confidence in the economy.
3. There has been a media blackout concerning the Cuvée Buster.
4. Many restaurants put figs on top of their pizza.
5. Elie Boudt is a great wine merchant, fabulously gracious, and a helluva of a guy!