The Humble Gourmand

Chers Amis,

A word on storage: I’m sure I don’t have to bang you over the head with the tidbit that great wine becomes more elegant with a little rest, and age — like people. A fabulous aspect of living in Paris is that with practically every apartment comes a share in a dank basement — luxury I’ve never known in my 3,000 New York apartments. A friend offered to let me leave some wine in his cool Park Slope cellar, a simple and effective solution, as I can’t imagine drinking my better bottles before they are ready.

If you don’t have a cellar, there are easy solutions (there are basements across America) - it’s a crucial investment in your future. So here’s one for the cellar:

Lucien MUZARD et Fils, Santenay 1er Cru, Clos Faubard, 2006

Santenay is an ancient commune on the south end of the Cote d’Or Burgundy (in ‘Southie’). Henry V hung out here drinking wine in 1599, where reds have always been the more regarded. There remains here some risk of buying plonk — important to be careful in finding the great Santenays (this is where I come in). Never having been quite understood by the American market, Santenay is too often referred to as simply “earthy” by yellow tail drinkers who cannot understand fragrance, delicacy and complexity. In this bottling, such wonderful qualities will multiply with age, making for gorgeous cherry-rose petal, creamy, exotic-spice Burgundy magic.

Already, I am dazzled by its minerally pure fruit, gorgeous vibrations, concentration and balance. Here’s why: The Muzards have been doing this for 350 years. This tiny premier cru, Clos Faubard, rests just below the larger 1er Cru ‘Beauregard,’ which is known for its microclimate — heat coming from the stones above, owing to its nickname, “Le Micro-ondes.” On chalk, clay, and some Argovian limestone, the vines average 35 years (a good age for complexity and vibrancy). The grapes are manually harvested and sorted, 100% de-stemmed, and the fermented wine is aged for 12 months in 30% new oak before bottling — oak which is unobtrusive now, and with time will age into delicate sandalwood, complimenting flavors of crushed raspberries, cherries, a hint of cool forest, coffee beans…

Given their fantastic holdings and due admiration from contemporaries, I’m quite surprised that the wines of Lucien Muzard are not more ubiquitous in the US fine wine scene — not that there’s much of it to go around. Good for us, I’ve certainly never seen it come up at Sotheby’s. Two kindly brothers, the 9th generation, are at the helm, and since 1990 have brought Muzard into a new stratosphere. (We tasted at the domaine with Claude and his wife Michelle just yesterday). Sir Clive puts a star next to Muzard in his fantastic new book, noting their masterful style and achievements toward biodynamic winemaking.

During a heavenly eternity today in Beaune, otherwise known as “lunch,” my wine-snobbish companion was quite pleased: he found “pure pinot fruit” and said it was very “digestif,” aka dangerously drinkable. Better to age for 4 years, yet if you can’t wait, it does drink beautifully now — just take your time, and decant!

Price: $46.50 per bouteille - best price in the US

Ordering: 1 bottle minimum, but you would be better off with 6

How to order: It’s quite simple. Email me with desired amounts and indicate where you are so we can figure out delivery or shipping.

Bisoux,

mary
 mary@thoreauwinesociety.com