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April 11, 2014
One of the objectives on my recent nearly month-long trip to France was to pay a visit to the 2013 Sommelier Challenge Winery of the Year, Domaines Paul Mas.
Paul Mas is a relatively new winemaking operation launched in 1982 by Jean-Claude Mas, a bit of a Great Gatsby character in that he's charming, erudite, loves fast cars (he once dreamed of being a Formula One driver) and American jazz and blues.
Jean-Claude is the man behind the Arrogant Frog brand, too. But it's the top-notch reds and whites from the various domains he has acquired in recent years that caught my attention at the Sommelier Challenge. Four of them were awarded platinum medals and Domaines Paul Mas was an easy pick as Winery of the Year.
One of my personal favorites from the portfolio is the Cremant de Limoux rose under the Cote Mas label. The property in Limoux was purchased in 2011, so it's just now beginning to make its mark under the Domaines Paul Mas umbrella.
Like most of the top properties in the Languedoc, Domaines Paul Mas has exceptional vineyards. The quality of the vineyards in this region was a well-kept secret for several decades after World War II, for the best grapes invariably ended up going to co-operatives, where the quality was diluted.
Jean-Claude Mas is at the forefront of a renaissance in the area, taking advantage of the beautiful terroir the Languedoc affords Syrah, Carignan, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Grenache and so on.
Paul Mas produced a short video after winning Winery of the Year at the Sommelier Challenge. It showcases the region and the vineyards, and some of the history, such as the Canal du Midi and the walled city of Carcassonne.
Click here to view the video.
Posted by Robert Whitley at 12:58 PM
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April 9, 2014
I have just returned from more than three weeks in France, the last week tasting the primeurs presentation of the 2013 vintage of Bordeaux. My report is here.
On a happier note, I renewed my acquaintance with Chateau Siran, an AOC Margaux that was left out of the Medoc classification of 1855. I tasted both the 2009 and 2010 over the course of a week in Bordeaux and marveled that both of these superb vintages, where available in the United States, retail for less than $40 a bottle.
 Given where Bordeaux prices have gone, that's a stunning price. I note in my primeurs report that Siran also made one of the better wines in this cursed vintage.
As did Prieure-Lichine, always near the top of my list when I look at value for the money in Bordeaux.
There is an undercurrent of discontent in Bordeaux these days, for the rich seem to be getting richer and chateaux without so much cache continue to struggle. Chateau Pavie and Angelus, for example, unveiled new cellars this year and it's easy to see where all that Chinese money went.
But everyone wonders if that bubble is about to burst. The Chinese presence at primeurs 2013 seemed diminished, and there is word on the street that the government is doing its best to discourage lavish gifts, such as expensive Bordeaux, in the course of doing business.
And if the Chinese market for Bordeaux continues to soften, would this necessarily bring Bordeaux back to earth? That's the question. In the meantime, when I need a superb Bordeaux at a reasonable price, give me Siran or Lichine.
Posted by Robert Whitley at 11:25 AM
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April 2, 2014
The wine world lost one of its brightest lights on March 29, when Christine Valette, proprietor of Château Troplong Mondot in Bordeaux’s sub-region of Saint-Émilion, departed after a long battle against cancer. Cheerful, inquisitive, warm and witty, she may be the single most  charming vintner whom I have ever met, and I have met more than 1,200 of them during site visits over the past two decades. In addition to being an absolutely sparkling human being, she was also an exemplary wine producer who greatly elevated Troplong Mondot’s stature during her time at the helm.
After assuming control in the early 1980s, Ms. Valette oversaw dramatic improvements at Troplong Mondot, elevating it from a middling position in the Bordeaux firmament to uncontested star status, and ascending to the rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé B in the 2012 St.-Émilion classification. She thoroughly modernized all of the winemaking facilities and drastically lowered crop loads in the vineyard to assure full ripeness and concentration in the finished wine, which became much more open and expressive--just as the property itself was vastly enlivened by her vivacious presence.
I was fortunate to dine with Christine twice in the venerable chateau (dating from 1745), and both evenings were ones to remember. In the first instance, in 1996, I was traveling with my  friend and WRO colleague Paul Lukacs. Christine somehow managed to get wind of the fact that our visit was falling on Paul’s 40th birthday, and consequently spent all day thoughtfully preparing two gracious offerings--for two people whom she had never met.
She scoured local sources to secure a wine from the year of Paul’s birth, which was no small feat, as 1956 was an exceedingly bad vintage marked by a catastrophic frost. When we arrived at the table, there sat a bottle of Carraudes de Lafite ‘56, next to a home-made version of Lamproie a la Bordelaise, which is a classic local dish of Lamprey Eel in a Bordeaux wine sauce. It was Christine’s first attempt at the dish, which her wickedly funny husband, Xavier Pariente, criticized ruthlessly. Christine took this with amazingly good cheer, laughingly layering her own self-deprecating critique of the dish atop that of her husband’s.
Who would do such things, for total strangers, while running an important business and raising four daughters? I was astonished at the time, and I’m astonished still.
The eel was indeed pretty awful, and the wine was just okay, but the night was truly wonderful thanks to Christine’s endearing overture. I won’t belabor the details of my second dinner with her, in 2010 along with WRO’s Marguerite Thomas, except to say that it was an en famille evening at the kitchen table, discussing politics and religion and life--but not Troplong Mondot. How cool is that? And how admirable and smart, too?
Not incidentally, the wines speak for themselves. (2010, 2011 and 2012 were all among the very top achievements of their respective vintages.) At the same time, though, they speak for--and of--Christine. May her graceful and beautiful soul rest in peace.
Posted by Michael Franz at 8:32 PM
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