Corton Charlemagne For Everyone

On November 16th, 2009 I pulled into the parking lot of my family's wine store filled with anticipation of what was supposed to be an epic week.  My staff (to which I affectionately refer to as "the kids") and I had worked painstaking hours in preparation of the holiday season.  We were intoxicated with success.  Our carefully laid plans were running flawlessly and we were looking forward to reaching new heights.  Instead, I opened the door and fell to a new low.  Greeted by a blast of heat so intense, I searched for my cell phone to dial 911 figuring the building was on fire.  There was no fire. Turns out, someone monkeyed with the thermostat in the offices above us on Saturday evening.  The thermostat short circuited and set the furnace to heat our building to 117 degrees.  The building had been at that temperature for at least 30 hours.  I immediately opened all our doors, windows and turned on the A/C's. Touring our floor it was obvious I was too late.  Our entire wine collection was ruined.  I counted 36 wines from various areas of the store that had corks pushing out 1/4 of an inch.  Fresh wine stains dotted the shelves.  I called in the kids for an emergency meeting.   Systematically, we pulled one bottle of wine from each section of the store,  44 wines in all.  The test confirmed my initial fear, each wine showed signs of excessive heat exposure.  I picked up the phone, dialed and said, "Dad, I don't know how to tell you this.  But we just lost our entire inventory."  All told, the loss was valued at $120K.  It was really much greater.
My family purchased our wine store in 1990.  I found my love for the business while working my way through Colorado State University and finishing my degree at Fairfield University.  I had been working on and off at the store since our opening but it wasn't until 1999 that I began working there full time.  After graduating from Fairfield University in 2002, I found myself making more and more of the important business decisions for the store.  It was clear that dad was grooming me and letting me have more control over the business.  I guess it was 2005 when I noticed I was making all the decisions and dad was hanging around merely as a consult and guide.  He "retired" in 2007 officially giving me full management of the business,  right at the onset of one of our country's worst recessions.  Thanks dad!  Certainly my family's business has had its fair share of hard knocks in our near 20 year history. But I can clearly state that November 16th, 2009 was the hardest day I have ever experienced.  The kids and I sat down toward the latter part of the day to discuss our options.  After 20 months of recessionary cutbacks and survival prior to this heat event, we realized we only had two:  call it quits or roll up our sleeves.  It didn't take long for the kids to answer.  "No way man!  We can do this!  Roll'em up and let's get moving."  I often liken our wine shop and its atmosphere to the hip record store Championship Vinyl owned by Rob Gordon (John Cusack) in the movie "High Fidelity".  I struggle with the kids here from time to time but most of them have been friends of mine since my college days. So when I do struggle with the kids I always remember Rob Gordon's line,

"I can't fire them. I hired these guys for three days a week and they just started showing up every day. That was four years ago."

I digress.  Turns out one of the darkest times I've experienced was becoming one of my proudest.  I realized I wasn't managing a team, a staff or employees.  I was working with a family dedicated to serving our clients and finding the best damn wines we can.  These guys love to be here.  I love these guys!
So, we rolled up our sleeves and started packing.  525 cases of baked wine was packed into boxes and delivered to the basement of my insurance agent's office.  His family had graciously allowed us to store the ruined wine until the State of CT decided what to do with it.  It took a day and a half to pack all that up.  It took another day to clean and make purchase decisions.  By that Friday, with the help of my suppliers, the fire departments of Darien, CT and a few really good friends, we had my family's store 80% operational for one of the biggest wine purchasing weekends of the year.  We threw a party on Friday night in the store.  Sales were through the roof.  We might have just saved the store.  Epic.
I am often asked if we have fully recovered from the event.  Honestly, I'm not sure we will ever fully recover.  My best forecast: it will take another 24 months before our inventory levels are back to normal and we are operating "business as usual".  But there is much to celebrate this year.  We are now one year removed for an event that threatened to close my family's business just 13 months shy of its 20th Anniversary.  While reflecting on today's one year mark, I weighed the significance of a lyric from one of my favorite songs and a monologue delivered by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburrne) in the "The Matrix: Reloaded".  Given the events we have planned in the store this afternoon and evening, Morpheus' monologue seemed more apropos.

"I remember that for 100 years they have sent their armies to destroy us, and after a century of war I remember that which matters most... We are still here! Today, let us send a message to that army. Tonight, let us shake this cave. Tonight, let us tremble these halls of earth, steel, and stone, let us be heard from red core to black sky. Tonight, let us make them remember, THIS IS ZION AND WE ARE NOT AFRAID!"  

After enduring the effects of a recession and then dealing with a major disaster at the worst time of year, the kids and I are not afraid.  We're not afraid because we all believe in the dream and vision. We don't know how to say "die".  We don't know how to give in.  Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon once wrote,

"And when your deepest thoughts are broken, keep on dreamin boy 'cause when you stop dreamin' it's time to die."  

The kids and I  continue to chase a dream and a vision.  But because the kids continue to chase it, it allows me to chase it as well.  I could not be more proud of them for enduring.  So fellas, from me to you, thank you.  It's time to shake this cave.  Corton Charlemagne for everyone!

06 Tuscany - Where It's At.

Over the last couple of months I've submerged myself in the 2006 vintage in Tuscany.  After tasting upwards of 30 wines from this vintage, I still can't figure out where the hype for this vintage went.  It's almost as if this is a lost vintage that no one talked about.  Is it possible that wine lovers just forgot about Tuscany?  Is the market so fixated on Bordeaux and Chateauneuf du Pape that it forgets about the rest of Europe?  Or does the market need further proof of just how good this vintage is?  Well let me help with the burden of proof.  "This is one of the finest vintages I can remember," said enologist Carlo Ferrini, who consults for top producers throughout Tuscany and beyond. "The quality level is high all over, and has taken us a bit by surprise."  Just in case you don't believe him, you should.  Ferrini consults for producers Barone Ricasoli, Brancaia, Castello di Fonterutoli, Fattoria le Corti, Fattoria Nittardi, Poggio Bonelli (MPS group), Fattoria di Petrolo, Poggio Verrano, Castello del Terriccio, Sapaio, Poliziano, Talenti, Castello Romitorio, Casanova di Neri.  Not that I'm name dropping, but clearly the man has skills.
Ferrini also commented in The Wine Spectator that the lack of a severe spring frost, unlike the excellent 97 and 01 is quite significant, "We have the concentration of fruit and overall quality as in 1997 and 2001," he said. "Plus we have quantity--and that's important."  Of course quantity is important.  It means more of us greedy Italian wine lovers can have more wine.  It means we don't have to worry about pulling a bottle of 06 from the cellar four courses and six wines into a dinner party "because you HAVE to try this."  We've all done that before.
Take a look at the spreadsheet below. It details by vintage how many Tuscan wines received 90+ and 95+ scores by The Wine Spectator and The Wine Advocate spanning 10 vintages.

	95 Plus Points		90 Plus Points
VTG	WS	RP	WS	RP
2006	29	32	367	278
2005	10	2	298	238
2004	56	36	479	357
2003	8	1	378	212
2002	0	1	31	34
2001	39	28	397	365
2000	3	7	200	125
1999	17	11	303	200
1998	10	4	178	114
1997	52	16	337	161
1996	4	0	67	27

There's actually quite a bit of data here that I'll have some fun with on a future post.  For all you math and statistic hounds out there pardon the fact that I did not separate the the 95+ scores from the 90+ scores.  Without getting too geeky, the vintage is ranked 4th in both 95+ and 90+ scores.  Furthermore, the vintage received an aggregate score of 96 by both publications. The highly touted 07 vintage in Chateauneuf du Pape vintage was scored 95 points by The Wine Spectator and 98 points by The Wine Advocate.  So where did the hype go?  I digress. 
The future of Tuscan vintages isn't so bright.  2007 was good, but not nearly as good as 2006.  2008 has mixed reviews.  2009 looks good but not great.  Who knows what 2010 will lend.  Initial reports aren't great.  Clearly none of the vintages will crack top 5 since 1996.  With that in mind, it's likely to be three years before we see more truly memorable Tuscan wines hitting the market place. The good news is that if you missed the proverbial boat on 2006 Tuscan wines there's still time to hop on board.  If you shop carefully, there's plenty of interesting wine in the marketplace.  So put down that Chateauneuf du Pape 2007 offer and jump the boarder.  It's time to diversify your collection.

Three 2006 Tuscan Reds I Can't Live Without
2006 Marchesi di Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva
2006 Podere le Boncie "Le Trame" Chianti Classico
2006 Montevertine Rosso di Toscana

If You Wish To Purchase The Wines
Nicholas Roberts Fine Wines