Courtesy Napa Valley Vintners

Earlier this month the Calistoga AVA was finally approved by the TTBafter 5 years of review and consideration.  AVA is the abbreviation for American Viticultural Area, which is America’s version of AOCs in France.  In the U.S. AVAs do not prescribe strict grapegrowing and winemaking requirements like AOCs (Appellation d’Origine Controlee).  However, AVAs are still supposed to be grapegrowing regions in which the area if significantly different from its surrounding areas and 75% of the grapes in a wine must be from the AVA before a winery can display that AVA name on the label.  Unfortunately, for two existing wineries, Calistoga Cellars and Calistoga Estates, they will need to change their business names in order to abide by this regulation, which is tough for any organization that has build its brand and reputation under a single name.

A well-established wine region that is still having challenges with the use of its name continues to charge ahead with its campaign to stop the claimed “unauthorized” use of it, especially in the U.S.  Of course, I am talking about Champagne.  The name is legally protected in the European Union and has been so since 1891.  Canada, Australia and Chile recently signed agreements prohibiting the use of the label outside of the region in France.  Even the U.S. now prohibits the use of Champagne on any new wines, however, labels using the term prior to 2006 were grandfathered in.  I cannot recall the last time I saw a California Champagne or similar, so I don’t really know how prominent its use is out there.  Yet, I did receive a marketing email earlier this year from a Washington, D.C. group lobbying for complete agreement and compliance of the use of Champagne only on sparkling wines from the Champagne region in France.

So, what’s in a name?  Several things.  It helps consumers so they can get a better understanding of where the wine is from and possibly an expected level of quality.  It helps winemakers and producers who can now be more specific in applying a known and identified region name instead of a broader designation (i.e. Napa Valleyor Bourgogne) which may help in marketing efforts as well as increased market valuation.  Just think about the reputation of Chablis due to the cheap stuff made here in America all those years under the same moniker.  Yuck.

Like shyly asking out that girl in school you’ve always kind of liked, but have never gotten around to it because the bold, aggressive girl next door was so much easier and quite a lot fun… if you know what I mean I am reaching out and looking for some more elegant wine love with Burgundy.  With the storied history and romance of that region, perhaps she is merely allowing me to do so.

Burgundy is a 200 mile long region in France that runs North-South following along the west side of the Saone River from Chablis down through the Cote d’Or, Cote Chalonnaise, Maconnais and ending in Beaujolais.  The main grape varieties used to make wine here is Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gamay (mostly in Beaujolais) and Aligote.  Burgundy has an extensive wine history going back to at least 200 A.D. with ownership changing hands multiple times including the Romans, the Catholic Church, and the Benedictine Monks.

Sure, you may be grumbling to yourself, assuming you’re actually still reading this post must less this blog… “so, there’s a lot of history, romance and mystique, but how do those wines taste?  Are they too refined for my overly oaked and jammy-flam-blasted American palate?  And how can I even tell what I’m getting with all that French and cryptography on the labels that prevents me from even looking in that section of the wine store?”  Well, for some, it is tough to give France a chance as a lot of the wine here can be found to be more refined, elegant and often comes with distinct old world characteristics (musty, dank, barnyard, brett, etc.) that many aren’t familiar with, though that is not always the case.  If you’re used to drinking big fruit bombs, it will probably be an adjustment.  However, to completely experience wine, it is my opinion that your palate absolutely must pass through this region or you will be robbing yourself of not only tasting very good wine, but the nifty insights this arguable source of the moden wine world has to offer.  Here are a few I recently experienced and I wanted to share:

2007 Macon-Pierreclos Jean Claude Thevenet - Pierreclos is a village in Maconnais.  Yes, in many cases you need to learn a few of the AOCs to know where the wine is coming from and there’s a whole hierarchy to the AOCs (Appellation d’Origine Controlee) that relate to quality, but we’ll discuss that in more detail separately.   Just know that almost all white wines in Burgundy will be Chardonnay, though many bottles now include the varietal on the label as well as words like “White Burgundy Wine” or similar.  This wine was a Chardonnay that displayed apple notes and mineral on the mid-palate and had fairly high acid making it quite crisp.

2006 Mestre Michelot Bourgogne - This one is a little easier because “Bourgogne” means Burgundy in French.  “Chardonnay” was identified on the label and this particular wine presented a distinct hazelnut and toast aromas I enjoyed.

2005 Chablis Saint-Pierre Jean Dauvisatt - Here, Chablis is the AOC and region that makes Chardonnay with flinty/mineral characteristics due to its unique “kimmerdgean” soil of oyster shell fossils, and St. Pierre is a specific vineyard.  This Chard had some serious funk, wet newspaper and mushrooms on the nose with lemon lime and wet rock on the palate.  Very distinct, indeed!

For those of you who do not enjoy the heavy cream and buttery nature of some new world Chardonnays, give Burgundy a chance as many are made with either older, less oak or none at all for a more refreshing juice like I’ve described above.  From the red part of the spectrum, every Beaujolais is made from the Gamay grape variety.  Also, reds from Cote de Beaune will tend to be more feminine in character and structure than those from the Cote de Nuits, which will be more masculine and pair better with meats.  Two reds (rouge) that we liked:

2006 Vosne-Romanee Hudelot Noellat - From within the Cote de Nuits, this wine has an awesome aroma that included asian spice with big red fruit and cherries, medium mouthfeel/texture and a long finish.

2005 Gevrey-Chambertin Drouhin Laroze - Also from the Cote de Nuits, this wine had a darker hue, some gamey-ness on the nose and was very “plush.”  There were medium tannins and also a long enjoyable finish.  This would go well with venison.

Now, I’m starting to warm up to the quiet, less-brash, elegant young lady in the back of the room… hey, you… yeah, I’m talking to you, come sit next to me and let’s get to know each other better… if you know what I mean