FLY ON THE WALL—IT'S BACK!

Better Red Than Dead

Notes & thoughts on food and wine from
Ron Alonzo aka Don Merlot

When would be the best moment to be a fly on the wall for me? I thought about it and thought about it and it had to be a story I read when I started my wine journey. Had I been given the choice it would have been when deciding what wine was best between Bordeaux and Burgundy during the Ancien Régime, Yes, were I there, I would have wanted to be included in that exchange, and if I were included then I would have been invited to the next rendezvous of the connoisseurs to join at chez madams to savor her next wine tasting - the best French reds because no conclusion could be reached that evening and another gathering for tasting those reds was to be scheduled. I thought that was a great story. I think that in most classic wine circles up until the 1970s that discussion was the paramount discussion, and there are several more claimants and varietals today.

I am sure some great oenologist has died concluding what red wine is the best, but overall there is no winner, no superior one wine that takes all the medals, so, is this a discussion between these Frenchmen since the 18th Century and continues today? But still not settled; because other cultures and interlopers have butted in? Or other varietals want to be included? In the post WW II culture local tastes feel left out; regional differences vary; Gastronomy is regional and varies too. The senses like umami have been added to the 5 senses, and wine is not just European Culture but global that includes the old classical World and the New World?

I remember this story as I heard from friends and read in wine stories and tales; colleagues and oenologists from all over my French and European wine travels refer to this story. “Which nation’s vineyard produces the finest red wine?

The story goes that – “The question is which is the winner? – The Classic Bordeaux or the grand vin de Bourgogne? It would be impossible to decide.” One can only decide with the jurist of the Ancien Régime who when asked by a Marquise at supper one evening which he preferred, answered , “Madame , in this sort of trial I get so much pleasure examining the evidence that I postpone giving my verdict from week to week. ” Oh, yes, I wish I could have been there.

So, mes amis, the discussion continues. Since the 1970s the Wine world has crossed paths with many wine vineyards, and award-winning wines, solicited and demanded the best be brought forward. A plethora of literature has been written and published and sommeliers have perfected the oenological research, yet a unanimous conclusion has not been reached. No winners superseding the original Bordeaux or Burgundian rivals.

To me early in my wine journey I found P. Morton Shand’s quotation from a Burgundian Vigneron: “on Croit avaler le bon Dieu en culottes de velours” --one seems to have swallowed the good Lord himself wearing velvet pants. ” It happened to me one evening while having dinner – a roast beef matched with a Grands Exchezeaux – that velvety experience going down my throat. I hence developed a bent for Burgundy – the pinot noir of the Cote d’Or. But I was young and my mentors who were avid Bordeaux aficionados later introduced me to Médoc’s, St. Emilion’s and Pomerol’s. My business Travel to France educated me too and but I soon found out that these were not table wines and were special wines and expensive wines, so I read about them but did not find them in ordinary restaurants or on bistro menus.

Bordeaux tastes tended to go to St. Emilion and Pomerol. I found that was because the Merlot grape was used and aged quicker than the Cabernet Sauvignon which was heavier in tannin. So, my likes in Bordeaux were – Pomerol, and in Burgundy I was attracted to Morey St. Denis. For me I was lucky to be introduced to two of the greatest Reds of each through Wine retailer in Chicago and New York and my wine groups (clubs): La Tâche – Burgundy and Chateau Lafite Rothchild – Bordeaux considered by the wine connoisseurs the top wines in their category. Of course, they were fabulous, and I had them with food and at a restaurant or at someone’s house and not at a tasting to compare one against the other. I was totally untrained to determine to say which was best. Nor did I look at each from that perspective. Just to know that I had been there was fortunate for me because of my French wine connections and New York connections that I was able to taste many of the top Bordeaux’s and Burgundy’s.

So, my early learning curve was never having to decide which red wine was better. Best for me and I kept an open mind for the next tasting. Eventually I continued to taste wines in other country visits that opened my vistas to other red wines and vineyards. Even within France lurking west of Burgundy are the vineyards of the Rhone valley and the varietals are different and the gastronomie of France and I encountered a renaissance with chef des Cuisines when they revitalized French Food.

I learned that the classical world was the Old World (Europe) and the New World was post Christopher Columbus (and all Western Europe) discovery so that included Americas, Africa & Oceania. My initial business assignments in addition to France took me to Italy, Spain which have deep wine cultures. In the last 20 years there are Italian red wines that would like to Challenge the two French wines. There are Spanish red Wines that would like to Challenge the French wines. There are American red wines that would want to challenge the French wines.

The Modus operendi in Burgundy is perfecting the Pinot Noir in the Cote d’Or to create the perfect red wine. In Bordeaux the approach is to blend varietals to achieve the perfect red wine. Both Bordeaux and Burgundy classified their premier wines. The prime great wine of Bordeaux in Medoc uses Cabernet Sauvignon – except in Chateau Petrus in Pomerol which uses Merlot.

The varietals that have developed are regional and national.

• Syrah – The Rhone France, California, Shiraz (Australia)

• Nebbiolo – Italy

• Carmenére – Chile – Originally French

• Malbec – Argentina – originally French

• Tannat – Uruguay – Originally French

So, what are these red wines that want to be included in the top red wine selection over the last 50 years? This is not my selection, but wines I have been introduced by conocedores, cognoscenti, connoisseurs that are the best red wines that match the king of wines for me are:

• Vega Sicilia, Ribero del Duero, blend Tempranillo/Cabernet Sauvignon- Castilla y Leon, Spain

• Penfold’s Cabernet Sauvignon - Grange - Adelaide, Australia

• CVNE- Imperial Gran Réserva Compania Vinicola del Norte de España – Tempranillo - Rioja, Spain

• Casa Lapostolle Limited, Release Clos Apalta, Cabernet Sauvignon Colchagua, Chile

• Brunello Di Montalcino - DOCG - Sangiovese - Tuscany Italy, Biondi-Santi.

This is what I encountered as I traveled and went on my “Marco Polo Travels” and learned about red wine in many wine growing countries and picked up the nom de plume Don Merlot, but as I saw and read there is no court of appeal of what the established best red wines is. The standard is already set. The Bordeaux standard is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (or Merlot) and other Bordeaux varietals and in Burgundy the Cote d’Or has the Pinot Noir that is non blended and its Climate Geographically exclusive: These rules were set and have become irrevocable. It was set in the Ancien Regime.

So, if the Marquise invites the Judge again and hopefully includes me, I will be prepared to savor the best of Bordeaux and Burgundy and try to conclude which is the best, or postpone it until the next tasting, n’est ce pas?

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