Let the Wine Make Itself!

by Joan on Feb 26, 2009

“The role of the winemaker is to let the wine make itself.”

So says Neal Rosenthal, author of “Reflections of a Wine Merchant”.

A group of friends gathered this past weekend at Mad Rose Farm to participate in a wine tasting with Neal Rosenthal and Kerry Madigan, of Rosenthal Wine Merchants.

Neal Rosenthal & Kerry Madigan

Neal and his wife, Kerry, graciously donated this tasting for 12 at their beautiful home in the Shekomeko Valley. (This single wine tasting event raised over $1,200 for the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, one of Hammertown’s favorite charities. The money from this auction item went directly to The Berkshire Foundation Emergency Relief Fund to be used in Dutchess and Columbia Counties.)

There could not have been a better way to learn about wine. The twelve of us sat around a long table and learned about the wines from one of the most respected and knowledgeable wine merchants in the country. Rosenthal Wine Merchants, part of Mad Rose Group, imports limited-production, estate-bottled wines — mostly from France and Italy.

Over the past 30 years, Neal has immersed himself in the culture of Old World wine production. His recently published book, “Reflections of a Wine Merchant” (available at Hammertown), relates how he discovered his passion for wine. In it, we learn how he developed close relationships with small family-owned vineyards in Italy and France. These are strong bonds — he has worked with many of these growers for two and even three generations. To this day, many of their business dealings are settled with “their word and a handshake”. Through these relationships with the local growers and winemakers, Neal has become one of the (if not THE) leading experts on the concept of “terroir” — the belief that a particular vineyard — even a specific part of that vineyard can imbue the grape (thus the wine) with very distinctive qualities.

The Terroir of Burgundy

During Neal’s introduction to the tasting, we learned the importance of terroir in determining the identity of a wine. The climate, soil composition (including minerals like limestone), exact latitude, exposure of the grapes to the sun and the age of the vine itself are all components of what gives each wine its own distinct color, bouquet, clarity and taste.

We tasted 5 white and 5 red wines — all from Burgundy. The fifth wine in each group was a mystery wine, to test what we had learned from our tasting.

Along with the wine, our generous hosts also served fresh bread with two baskets of wonderful aged gouda and parmesan cheeses (from Rubiner’s Cheesemongers in Gt. Barrington). At the end of the evening Kerry also served us each a small plate of boiled potatoes (from their own garden) covered with a gorgeous cheese sauce…sounds simple but oh…was it good!

We all had an amazing evening, and I thank Neal and Kerry again for their donation and hosting such a gracious evening.

Hammertown will again be hosting the “SHOP FOR A CAUSE” event for the Berkshire Taconic Foundation this coming September. I highly recommend the event! Bid on this incredible tasting and wine lecture. Hammertown will keep you posted.

The Tasting Wines:

White Wines -

Chablis “Saint Pierre” (Dauvissat) 2006 (approx. $ 25 to 28 bottle)

Pouilly Fuisse “Les Moulins” (Ferret) 2005 (approx. $30 bottle)

Chassagne Montrachet “Les Chaumes” (Pillot ) 2004 (approx. $50 bottle)

Meursault 1er Cru “Les Charmes” (Bitouzen) 2003

Red Wines -

Julienas “Cuvee Speciale” (Granger) 2006 (Approx $20 To $24 Bottle…Great Value)

Aloxe Corton “Vielles Vignes” (Cornu) 2005 (Approx. $50 Bottle)

Cru “Les Epenots” (Gaunoux) 2004

Nuits Saint Georges “Les Proces” (Arnoux) 2003

LOCAL RESOURCES:
ROSENTHAL WINE MERCHANTS WINES SOLD AT: