Claude Kolm/The Fine Wine Review

Generally, not. The best wines are reserved for regular customers. I suppose Gates could put out a tender offer, and while that would get him some of the wine, it would not get him the entire production -- for some customers, no price would justify parting with the greatest wines. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

To give you an idea on the density of plantings: in Chateaneuf-du-Pape, it generally runs about 2500-4000 vines per hectare; in Bordeaux, it goes from 5000-10,000 vines per hectare; in Burgundy, top estates have been at 10,000-12,000 vines per hectare, and some are experimenting with even denser plantation. Given that context, ignoring the differences in varietals (which can be a significant factor), 25 hl/ha in Chateauneuf doesn't look so low compared to 35 hl/ha in Burgundy, does it? Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

Back in the early 1980s, Clerc was the chef at a two-star restaurant at Maisons-Lafitte, outside Paris. He then disappeared from the scene (substance abuse?), only to return with these restaurants (there must be five or six scattered around Paris) in the mid-1990s. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

ctgm -- For reverse osmosis, I am told that 7% is considered moderate, and I have heard of cases up to 20%. By evaporation, I meant the technique of removing water that competes with reverse osmosis. I imagine the percentages are the same. The yields that are commonly given out are measurements from the wine in cask, not the weight of grapes harvested (much less an estimate of what was on the vine which would include what was not harvested and what was eliminated in a triage). Moreover, as the yields increasingly ballooned in Bordeaux, I began to notice a practice of giving the yields by what goes into the grand vin. So you harvest, say 60 hl/ha, discard 5hl/ha, have 55 hl/ha in the cellar, make a 60% selection for the grand vin, and voila, you tell the world that you did only 33 hl/ha! (Moreover, the spacing in Bordeaux can vary significantly. What matters is grapes per vine, not per ha. This is why I laugh when one of my colleagues goes on and on about the low yields at Chateauneuf-du-Pape -- where there is very low density of planting.) One interesting exercise is to go to Google! and plug in "Mouton labels". You'll get any number of sites that have the collection of Mouton labels on line. Up through the 1981 vintage, the bottles were numbered and the labels told you how many bottles were produced. Even though 1981 was a small vintage by contemporary standards, compare how much wine was being made then with some of the vintages of the 1940s-1960s. And then came 1982, which was gigantic for the times (but not for today), and guess what, they stopped numbering the bottles and telling you how many were produced. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

ctgm -- Be skeptical of the reported figures -- that represents what is in the bottle, not what was in the vineyard. If you eliminating a large part of your crop for a second wine, or if you are eliminating water through reverse osmosis or evaporation, then you still have the degradation of the fruit that comes from large yields. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

Top winemakers all over France nowadays refer to Bordeaux with disgust as "industrial." They use the word to describe the approach of many of the Bordelais to wine -- as something to be manipulated to please a certain critic's taste, and not as an expression of a vintage, a terroir, and an individual. As an example, I suggest you take a look at Jancis Robinson's website, clicking on the wine news link, and then on the Wines that are Organic and Taste Good link, where she contrasts the difference in approach between Etienne Grivot of Vosne-Romanee and Frederic Engerer of Chateau Latour. The top producers in Burgundy understand the problems inherent in use of herbicides and chemical fertilizers and are going organic (I count biodynamis as a species of organic) or as close to organic as they can; in Bordeaux, outside of Pascal Delbeck, Christian Moueix, and a handful of others, producers laugh if you ask them about stopping the use of chemical fertilizers and herbicides. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

Thanks, Camille. That more or less confirms what I had found before. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

Really. This is very interesting news, as my parents are from Germany and Austria. I looked at the websites of the German and Austrian Embassies once and there was no suggestion of this as a way to obtain citizenship. I'll have to dig harder, now. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review When you take American citizenship, I believe you have to disclaim any previous citizenships (a pal of mine is naturalising at the moment). Does this not work in reverse? Adam Adam -- I believe that once was the case. However, if I recall correctly, there was a Supreme Court decision back in the 1960s or 1970s that held that American citizens can only lose their citizenship by specifically renouncing it, not by taking on citizenship of another country. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

I think Tempier can make great wine. Whether it is the best in Bandol is another question, and one that I am not willing to opine on for the moment. I, too, have had some wonderful old Bandols from other properties (but on a much less frequent basis than Tempiers which have a significant place in my cellar) and there are many excellent properties there, now, too (not necessarily the same as the old properties that made great wines). Sadly, the future of Tempier is somewhat in doubt. Now that Lucien is dead, there has been squabbling among the various children. It is not clear that the property will avoid the fate that unfortunately has befallen so many other great estates in France as a result of the inheritance laws: sale and division of the proceeds among the family members. In the interim, the new winemaker seems to be doing an excellent job. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

They may not taste the same. I had some disappointing Tempiers(red) in France. They are (over)filtered. They are not filtering for Kermit and he may be selecting the best lots because he is the man who put them on the map. This wine is like Chez Panisse's symbol too so I should not mention the brett problem they may have had. Jonathan, their roses are even better and should go well with langouste a la plancha or langoustine a la plancha. Please cheers for us too. I can't speak for Wine Society which I believe imports Tempier on its own (although also buys other wines from Richards Walford), but I am virtually certain that Richards Walford takes unfiltered wine. As for the alleged brett problem, I believe that is just unfamiliarity with young Mourvedre. Beaucastel has also been accused of brett, and when I confronted Francois Perrin with this, he said that it was just the way young Mourvedre smells and that he had done numerous lab tests to see if ther were brett and they all came back negative. He then said that Beaucastel's Mourvedre came from cuttings at Tempier, and everything became clear. If you think that there was a brett problem, I am still drinking my stocks of 1983, 1985, 1988 (barely touched -- one of the greatest years ever at Tempier) and 1990 and they show none of the funkiness that the wines showed young. Admitedly, in the 1990s, the estate did bow to commercial pressure and eliminate the funkiness. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

Sorry, I did mean McKinley -- slip of the mind.

Nevan -- There are many nice wines in Oregon, and there is a refreshing lack of hubris among the winemakers that contrasts with what one frequently encounters in the state to the south. On the minus side, there as been a recent escalation of price to the point that a fair number of the Pinot Noirs are overpriced, that is, one can get better quality Burgundies for the same amount of mone. I've had the Hammacher Chardonnay that you mention, and it is a very nice wine. Broadley, too, produces very good wines. My current favorite in Oregon is McKinstry. Also, Au Bon Climat, in Santa Barbara, makes excellent Pinot Noir from Oregon. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

Really. This is very interesting news, as my parents are from Germany and Austria. I looked at the websites of the German and Austrian Embassies once and there was no suggestion of this as a way to obtain citizenship. I'll have to dig harder, now. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

I've been told that Americans of Italian or Irish ancestry can obtain citizenship in those respective countries, and that way can work in the EU. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

The keystone of my 40th birthday dinner was a magnum of Chateau Margaux from my birthyear, 1949. It was marvelous. I had various celebrations for my 50th, but the two I remember most were (1) at The French Laundry where we had 1996 Huet Vouvray demi-sec and 1993 La Tache and (2) at a friend's house where the centerpiece was 1978 La Tache. I'm in the lucky position of having lots of great Burgundies waiting for the rest of my birthdays, and some Chave Hermitages, too, if I feel like it. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

Gordon -- It's called Domaine de Nizas. I've not tasted the wine, and the description of it as being New World in style and the emphasis on technology don't make me want to taste it, either. Too bad, because Portet made some of the better Zinfandels and Cabernets in California, IMO. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

Bux -- I know of at least two (failed) attempts to grow Zinfandel in France. Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac attempted it at Domaine de Triennes in Provence and Jean-Louis Chave planted some vines on the Hermitage hill for his own personal amusement. Both found that the climates were too cold and they could not get the grapes to ripen sufficiently. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

Well, I subscribe to the opposite view from that expressed by the other posts here. Romanée-Conti; La Tâche; the Musigny of Leroy, Roumier, Mugnier, de Vogüé, Faiveley, Drouhin and Domaine de la Vougeraie; Jean-Louis Chave’s Hermitage; the Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux of Jayer, Rouget, and Méo-Camuzet; the Chambertin of Rousseau and Leroy; the Chambertin-Clos-de-Bèze of Rousseau, Faiveley, and Groffier; the Cornas of Clape, Verset, and Allemand; Château Haut-Brion; the Volnays of de Montille, Lafarge, d’Angerville, and Lafon; the Bonnes-Mares of Roumier, Groffier, Dujac, de Vogüé, Jadot, and Drouhin; the Richebourgs of DRC, Leroy, and Méo-Camuzet; the Romanée-St-Vivants of Leroy, DRC, and JJ Confuron, etc., etc. There is no doubt in my mind that the greatest red wines in the world are French, notwithstanding the recent widespread degradation in Bordeaux. As great as many of the white wines of France are, though, the greatest whites in the world are German Rieslings. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

I am aware of oak chips being (illegally) used by at least one very high profile producer of white Burgundies as far back as the 1980s. To tell the truth, while I don't advocate the use of oak chips, I believe that their use is relatively benign. Unless grossly overdone, they are not going to badly distort the wine. There are other deformations, such as reverse osmosis and juicing the wine with liqueurs, that are far more worrisome. For cheap wines, they are a cheap way of inducing a marketable oak flavor-- if oak is what you, as a consumer, want. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

Jonathan and Robert -- Thank you for the complete report. I have never been to El Bulli, but it sounds very much in the Spanish tradition of Gaudi, Dali, Miro, and Bunel in the taste for deformations (maybe with earlier tracing to the taste at the Spanish court for certain eccentiricities). As with the others that I name, it sounds as though this experience is singular, cannot have effective followers because it is so personal, and thus will ultimately prove to be outside the mainstream. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

Jonathan -- Richards, Walford is the British importer since 1999 (I introduced Roy Richards to the Peyraud at Tempier). You can call Richards, Walford in Stamford (01780 460 451) and ask which London shops carry Tempier. My guess is that Bibendum sells them. I think The Wine Society also may offer Tempier. Kermit Lynch imports a lot of Tempier, but by no means the whole amount. The figure I had heard was 1/3 of the production. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

Jonathan -- I very much enjoyed your post and will look for Les Arcades when I am in the neighborhood. I don't know if all readers appreciate how a true bouillebaisse is a very celebratory and luxurious dish if done right. The finest I ever had was in 1993 at Domaine Tempier when Lulu was still supervising the kitchen. I was very honored that they saw fit to serve me a bouillebaisse. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

Craig -- Even if the garage wines only went for big bucks after Parker gives them a write-up, they still have no track record, and therefore no established reputation. Purchasing them at high price at auction or whereever for resale is a gamble, not based on historical record of how the wines develop, that some years down the road someone will want to pay more. I'd call that speculation. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

I would offer that a sold wine at auction that brings a premium price - promotes speculation ANSI increases the winemaker's profile expotentially. Auction buyers do not experiment. You don't build your reputation on the auction market. Auction buyers are only buying from producers with already established reputations and then only buy wines from the best years. Craig -- I have to take issue with you there. Some of the garage wines go for big bucks at auction even though they have no track record. There has to be a lot of speculation in that. The original Bordeaux garage wine, Ch. Le Pin, didn't sell for any special price until one collector in Singapore started bidding the price up, and now everyone wants it because it has become one of the world's most expensive wines. Meanwhile, Vieux Ch. Certan, owned by the same family as Le Pin and, IMO, a markedly superior wine, sells at relatively pedestrian levels compared to Le Pin. Why? Well, it is a somewhat larger property, but the real reason is that it hasn't created a splash with big auction tags. Here in California, there is a well-known pattern for getting your new wine that has not even had its first release into the very expensive category. Part of that formula includes offering your wine at the Napa Wine Auction and having your friends bid it up to ridiculous prices. Best regards, Claude Kolm The Fine Wine Review

Pleasures of Cooking was easily the greatest food magazine ever. Lots of recipes from top restaurateurs and other authorities and they were (a) creative (b) fabulous and © they worked and were often not arduous. I'm still using recipes such as Girardet's Chicken with morels and Rostaing's Filet of beef in mustard sauce and Dumaine's Pommes de terre Byron (via Lydie Marshall) all the time.