Emilian Gillet Vire Clesse 2004
Dear friends,
Allow me to introduce yet another wine cognoscenti and fellow Thoreauvian, Mike Drapkin, who has spent a good part of his career academically tasting dozens of wines. Former blogger of ‘The Schist,’ he contributes today a write-up of a wine that I love dearly and wholly endorse. So hit it, Mike:
Driving south in France from the noble hills of the Cote dOr, you will come upon the bucolic landscape of the Maconnais. After departing the brisk climate of northern Burgundy, there is a feeling that the tiled roofs and salt aromas of the Mediterranean are near. The land of southern Burgundy is green, rolling, innocent and pure, which in a poetic sense, is also a fitting description for the everyday vin blanc coming from these hills. Chardonnay finds a resting place here and a comfort in the limestone soils of the best vineyards. Large co-operatives and negociants produce a vast amount of the wine exiting the Maconnais, a majority of which ends up as thirstquenching bistro wine destined to be vigorously slugged by bohemians in Paris, Lyon, or New York. But the terroir of this region has more to say and greater potential than the common in the right hands, Chardonnay from the villages of Vire and Clesse can transmit the secrets of the earth; and such gentle hands can place them in your glass to imbibe. This is where Jean Thevenet enters the story.
Jean Thevenet has been a vigneron or winemaker around the Maconnais for multiple decades; and the Thevenet family has a long, rich history in these parts dating back several hundred years. Consider the Thevenet family as winemaking royalty. The Domaine Emillan Gillet is named after Jeans great grandfather and the Chardonnay vines of the domaine rest in two revered villages: Vire and Clesse. Located in the southeastern edge of the Maconnais, these two villages are blessed with a slice of the same pristine limestone soil which runs north into the Cote dOr.
Chardonnay here, and under the direction of Jean, can easily compete with its northern cousins(and at half the cost). Jean is a humble farmer and passionate believer in terroir-driven Chardonnay. An aristocratic landholder he is not, but rather an hommes de terre, or man of the earth, with dirt under his fingernails and pruning shears in his pocket. Its in the Maconnais, where you will find Jean and his son Gautier laboriously tending to the earth and their beloved vines. Their work in the vineyard is meticulous, organic, and focused. They push their Chardonnay grapes to maximum ripeness, minimum yield and harmony. Everything is done by hand and the long growing season ensures complexity, and longevity in the finished wine.
In the cellar, Jean takes his cues not from modern winemaking technology, but from the template his kin created generations ago. The ripe Chardonnay grapes, combined with wild yeasts and a protracted fermentation imparts the finished wine with an exquisite golden hue. The color and aroma reminds me of autumn in the northeast. This wine will inspire you to pause, notice, and appreciate the artistic grace of mother earth and a family who respects her message. There is more to this wine than alcohol and fruit flavors. In each whiff and sip you receive the stories of Jeans ancestors and the time-honored traditions of past generations. 2004 was a wonderful year for Chardonnay in Burgundy and a rare treat to have in 2009. If I may, this wine has class and breed. The acidity, maturity, and transparency in this offering will surely compel. Several weeks ago, I paired it with butternut squash soup garnished with grilled scallops, and it made me feel like royalty.
Emilian Gillet Vire Clesse 2004
$20.25
Offer closes by Sunday
A votre sante, Michael
Please reply with desired amounts and I, Mary, will confirm your order. We ship to 48 states. Have a lovely holiday weekend.
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By Mary Taylor
Mary Taylor, a Bostonian who has been involved the New York wine trade forever, recently moved full-time to Burgundy to send dispatches from the trenches: “It’s dirty work, but someone has to do it.” Mary is known for her love for elegant and nuanced European wines. She works for the Thoreau Wine Society, where members receive weekly wine offerings along with musings about life, love and travel (ThoreauWineSociety.com).
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The Humble Gourmand is published the first Friday of each month, edited by Alison L. McConnell, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. It is designed to offer straightforward lessons and advice to aspiring cooks, oenophiles, and all other eaters and drinkers.
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lori Maskovsky
February 21 4:14 p.m. 1Not sure when this came out but I'd like to order a case of this wine. How does one do that? Thanks, Lori