May 16, 2012

The King of Pinot Noir

I met Gary Farrell for the first time more than 20 years ago. He was a modest man making very good wine under difficult conditions in California's Russian River Valley.

The difficult conditions were self-imposed, for Farrell specialized in pinot noir. California pinot noir, at that time, was anything but a ringing endorsement for the potential of California viticulture. The pinots of that era were either colorless, thin and acidic or ponderous and boring.

The elegant pinots Farrell made for Davus Bynum and his own small label were the exception, not the rule. Few winemakers from that time had the first clue about pinot noir. They didn't know where to grow it and certainly didn't know how to make it.

In my earliest discussions with him about California pinot noir, Farrell laid much of the blame at the feet of University of California, Davis, the pre-eminent university in the nation for aspiring winemakers. Farrell stumbled, just as everyone else had, with his first attempts at producing world-class pinot noir that would rival the great red wines of France's Burgundy region.

He eventually blazed his own path, and the Gary Farrell winery eventually became a source for some of California's finest pinots. Farrell sold his "namesake" winery in 2004, and in 2007 hooked up with neighbor and colleague Bill Hambrecht to launch Alysian Wines.

Alysian is a Russian River Valley winery dedicated to small batches of high quality pinot noir and chardonnay. I hadn't spoken to Farrell in years when a sample pack of five Alysian pinots arrived at my office recently, to be followed by a brief email.

I was intrigued first because of Farrell's involvement, and later when I perused the technical information that accompanied the wines. Two of them were below 14 percent alcohol by volume, and the other three were nominally above the 14 percent mark.

Could it be that Farrell was up to his old tricks, making elegant pinot noir that wouldn't clobber you over the head with alcohol and massive fruit? The major difference between New World pinot noir today and the finest red Burgundies is structure.

New World pinots tend to be soft and voluptuous, and sweet to a certain extent. They taste good and have forged an impressive following, but they barely resemble the wines of Burgundy that inspired winemakers such as Farrell in the first place.

The Alysian pinots are that rarity in New World pinot, exhibiting the firm structure and weightlessness on the palate that are the hallmarks of great red Burgundy. This is accomplished without sacrificing aromatics, fruit concentration or flavor. The bright acidity and firm tannins are the bones, and superb Russian River Valley pinot noir grapes ensure there is plenty of flesh on those bones.

The landscape for California pinot noir has changed radically over the past 20 years. There are numerous other RRV producers doing stellar work with pinot, but as a group I do believe the five Alysian pinots sampled recently are the finest I've ever tasted.

I used to think of Gary Farrell as the king of California pinot noir. I still do.

(Click here for reviews of Alysian Pinot Noir.)

April 27, 2012

Best of Times in Burgundy & Bordeaux

ROBERT WHITLEY
Creators Syndicate

These are the best of times for the vignerons of Burgundy and Bordeaux, arguably the world's most important — certainly the most famous — vineyard lands.
 
Over the course of the past three weeks, I've had the rare opportunity to immerse myself in the wines of both regions, tasting all of the most recent vintages as well as a number of older wines, including a fair sampling from the controversial 2003 harvest.
 
As I reflect upon the experience, a few observations come quickly to mind.
 
The Bordelaise have never had it so good. In my experience, the only stretch that compares to the run of good vintages in 2009, 2010 and 2011 is the outstanding trio of vintages from 1988 through 1990. The latter three were all very good, and 1988 will likely go down as one of the most underrated Bordeaux vintages of all time. But the current streak is much better than that because 2009 and 2010 are superior to 1989 and 1990. And despite all the hype over the vaunted 2009 vintage, in my humble opinion 2010 is even better.
 
Although the quality in 2011 isn't as even throughout the region as it was in 2009 and 2010, the wines from the top chateaux in the better districts are just as good. If you accept the evaluation that 2008 is a sleeper vintage, much better than advertised, then you could also point to a four-year run of high quality vintages that would be unprecedented in the history of Bordeaux.
 
The big issue in Bordeaux at the moment is pricing. The top wines are simply too expensive for the American market, except for those who purchase for investment purposes and intend to put their stocks on the auction market at some point. Driving the price ever higher is the recent and intense interest from the Chinese market. The Chinese also, to some extent, are playing a big role in the red-hot auction market, as well as the red-hot "after" market for older vintages of Bordeaux from the top chateaux. The fear is that Bordeaux will eventually lose the American market to equally fashionable but less expensive fine wines. No one wants to lose the American market, but the possibility is very real.
 
The 2003 vintage was hailed as a "miracle" when the wines were first presented "en primeurs" during the spring of 2004. The miracle was that the Bordelaise had somehow survived the heat wave that gripped all of Europe in the summer of 2003, turning many of the grapes in the most famous vineyards into raisins. Turns out the kudos were both premature and flat-out undeserved. The 2003 Bordeaux are pretty much a disaster. The tannins, masked by uber-ripe fruit when young, are extremely coarse, and the wines lack elegance. You can drink them now, but you likely won't enjoy them so much. But better now than a year or two from now. "No one had seen or experienced such a vintage," said Stephane Pariaud of Chateau Greysac in the Medoc. "Having been through it once, all of the chateaux would be better able to cope with such extreme heat, and would make better wine." Now they tell us.
 
Burgundy is riding the quality wave much as the producers and negociants are in Bordeaux, having experienced back-to-back outstanding harvests, though the 2009 vintage in Burgundy is not at the same level as the 2009 vintage in Bordeaux.
 
It was a warm year that produced generous, fleshy wines that have immediate drinkability and appeal. The whites are slightly lower in acid than normal and may not age as well as usual, but they are delicious now. The reds are riper and softer, too, and will be attractive to drink much earlier than usual.
 
The 2010 vintage, however, is a classic and rivals Bordeaux 2010 in quality. It will be a good year to load up on Bourgogne and village wines, for all sectors saw quality rise. For my cellar I am deeply interested in premier cru reds from the Cote de Nuits and premier cru whites from the Cote de Beaune. Unlike the top wines of Bordeaux, I can actually afford premier cru Burgundy.
 
Over the course of a week in Burgundy, I had the opportunity to taste a number of older vintages, both at professional trade tastings and while dining out. The 2007 vintage was everywhere, and now I understand why it has popped up on so many wine lists in and around Beaune. The 2007s have matured quickly and now exhibit advanced secondary aromas (tobacco, leather, mushrooms) that you might expect to find in much older wines. The wines from 2007 that I tasted were far from awful, but it was apparent they have already passed their peak and will not last. If you happen to have 2007 red Burgundy on your rack, you may want to think about consuming it sooner rather than later. As they say, "Drink up!"

April 25, 2012

Discovery in the Cote de Nuits

ROBERT WHITLEY
Creators Syndicate

BEAUNE, France — Once upon a time, a hefty selection of Burgundy was a staple of virtually every fine wine shop in America. Burgundy was the benchmark for any wine made from pinot noir or chardonnay, so much so that winemakers from the New World hardly ever missed an opportunity to characterize their style of chardonnay or pinot as "Burgundian."
 
Of course, few of them were, for Burgundy's aromas and flavors, the structure and textures of its wines, are driven as much by the unique soils and climate of the region as they are by the hand of the winemaker.
 
Red Burgundies are generally firmer when young and significantly more tannic than New World pinots, while white Burgundies tend to be less fleshy and exhibit less fruit and more minerality than the chardonnays of the New World.
 
At some point, perhaps a decade or two ago, the "Burgundian" style, or profile, became less attractive to wine consumers drawn to the ripe, fleshy, creamy pinots and chardonnays that came into fashion in California and Oregon in the 1990s.
 
As the pendulum swings back the other way and more and more enthusiasts seem to be searching for wines that exhibit structure, finesse and minerality, particularly pinots of that ilk, now seems like an appropriate time to take a peek at some of the producers in Burgundy who are making the wines that customers want, and at a very high level.
 
My observations are drawn from tastings last week during Les Grands Jours de Bourgogne, a week-long spin through the vineyards and cellars of Burgundy for members of the professional wine trade and wine media.
 
The Grands Jours is conducted every two years. The wines presented this year were primarily from the 2009 and 2010 vintages, both of which were very good, although very different. The growing season of 2009 was warmer and produced softer, rounder wines that will be ready to drink earlier. The 2010 vintage was cooler and produced more classically structured wines that will age beautifully.
 
In one of a random series of columns on Burgundy that I will offer over the next couple of months, today's Wine Talk focuses on the red wines of the Cote de Nuits. I have further sharpened the focus by concentrating on producers I either didn't know or hadn't tasted often, or in some time. My tastings in the Cote de Nuits were all about discovery.
 
The following were the producers who caught my eye:
 
Domaine Bart, Marsanny-La-Cote — The wines of Domaine Bart are neither grand nor expensive (you can find most everything this domaine produces for less than $40 a bottle), but they are some of the most satisfying from this less heralded part of Burgundy. The 2010 Marsanny rouge Les Finottes and 2010 Marsanny rouge Clos du Roy both scored will in my evaluation at 90-plus points each. Both wines are richly layered and exhibit the firm structure of the vintage.
 
Chanson Pere et Fils, Beaune — Vastly improved in recent vintages, the Chanson wines all exhibited firm structure along with extraordinary depth and complexity. These are sophisticated red Burgundies that cry out for additional age in the cellar. Chanson presented one of the better Marsannays I tasted, a 90-point wine from the 2009 vintage, but the two show-stoppers were the 2009 Chambertin Clos de Beze at 97 points and the 2009 Charmes-Chambertin at 95 points. Both wines are layered, powerful and spicy. If you haven't had a Chanson lately, you might be surprised.
 
Domaine Ghislaine Barthod, Chambolle-Musigny — Those who write off Bourgogne as the generic quaffing wine of Burgundy would be well advised to sample a bottle of the 2010 Bourgogne rouge from G. Barthod. This is a rich, firmly structured red from one of the top producers in Chambolle-Musigny. The village Chambolle from 2010 is another eye-catching wine, showing aromas of violets and black and red raspberry fruit. Then there is the stunning Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras (94 points), a firmly structured, layered, masculine wine that exhibits the classic depth and elegance of the best reds from the Cote de Nuits.
 
Domaine Michel Magnien, Morey-Saint-Denis — These are the domain wines that are made by the son, Frederic, who also produces exquisite wines under the negociant label Frederic Magnien. Michel, a longtime grower in the Cote de Nuits, inherited a number of plots in premier cru and grand cru vineyards in the 1990s, and turned to producing wines from his own domain. Frederic is celebrated as one of the brilliant young winemakers of the new generation of vignerons in Burgundy. Wines that impressed were the 2010 Chambolle-Musigny Les Fremieres (92 points), 2010 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers (94) and the 2010 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Chaffots (94).
 
Domaine Anne Gros, Vosne-Romanee — The brilliance of the wines of Anne Gros is well known among connoisseurs of Burgundy, but I don't have the opportunity to taste them with any frequency. The village wine exhibited, the 2010 Vosne-Romanee (91), was one of the finest village wines I've ever tasted from the Cote de Nuits. But that said, the three grand cru wines presented — Clos de Vougeot, Echezaux and Richebourg, all from the 2010 vintage — are as good as red Burgundy gets and blew away the village wine with ratings between 94 and 96 points.
 
Domaine Michel Gros, Vosne-Romanee — This is a producer with which I had no prior experience, so I was pleasantly surprised by the exceptional quality across the board. The 2010 Vosne-Romanee was yet another exceptional village wine at 90 points, and I rated the Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Clos des Reas and the Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru AuxBrulees each 95 points. These are sophisticated, cellar-worthy Burgundies that are well worth the time and effort to seek out.
 
Domaine Philippe Rossignol, Gevrey-Chambertin — No longer imported into the U.S., Rossignol was one of the finest producers I encountered over the week of Grands Jours tastings. Although well known to devotees of importer Kermit Lynch, Rossignol and Lynch recently ended the partnership. I doubt very much that these wines will be absent from the U.S. market for long. The 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Corbeaux (94 points) was a showstopper, with a gorgeous nose, exquisite balance and silky tannins, while the 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Estournelles St.-Jacques exhibited more minerality and firmer structure, with an attractive spicy nuance.
 
Domaine Tortochot, Gevrey-Chambertin — The domain of Chantal and Michel Tortochot offers a house style that runs through all of the wines save the grand cru Mazis-Chambertin. The wines are feminine, delicate and sophisticated, the personification of Burgundian elegance. The standouts were the aforementioned 2010 Mazis-Chambertin (95 points), 2010 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru (93) and 2010 Gerey-Chambertin 1er Cru Champeaux.

April 18, 2012

Bordeaux 2011: The Verdict

ROBERT WHITLEY
Creators Syndicate

BORDEAUX, France — Prospects for another good vintage in Bordeaux appeared grim as the harvest approached in September 2011.
 
"It was a complicated vintage," explained Florence Cathiard of Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, a top-notch property in the Graves district of Bordeaux. "We had summer in spring, then spring in summer and summer again in fall."
 
The challenging conditions came on the heels of two spectacular harvests — 2009 and 2010 — that had driven interest in Bordeaux, and prices, to unprecedented levels. The wine critic Robert Parker Jr., a highly regarded authority on Bordeaux, signaled the gathering storm when he tweeted, "Absolutely no interest in this vintage if my instincts are correct," prior to the recent en primeurs tastings that are a ritual in the region every spring.
 
During the period of primeurs, chateaux prepare barrel samples to be presented to visiting wine buyers and journalists for critical evaluation. All of six months old at this stage, most of the wines presented will not even be bottled for at least another year. Bordeaux is unique in the sense that many of these young wines will be sold as "futures" in the coming weeks, with payment made well in advance (sometimes two years) of delivery.
 
Establishing the quality of the vintage is therefore critical to making an informed decision prior to purchase. More than 6,000 credentials were issued this year despite the low expectations. About 150 of those were media from around the globe.
 
My take after five days of sampling the wines presented under the auspices of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux is probably not the conventional wisdom, although Parker would concede in a tweet that "2011s were better than expected."
 
This is a very good vintage, more typical, indeed, than either of the two glorious vintages that preceded it. What you will discover in time about the 2011 vintage of Bordeaux is that the top chateaux from the better terroirs produced wines with good balance between abundant fruit and firm acidity, and mouth-puckering tannins that make the wines appear to be austere at the moment, but which will soften over time and unleash the underlying fruit.
 
The major difference between 2011 and the acclaimed vintages of 2009 and 2010 is that quality is not across the board. Lesser terroirs such as Moulis-en-Medoc and Haut Medoc achieved neither the ripeness nor the quality of tannins that are the signature achievements of the better AOC, such as Margaux, Pauillac and Saint-Emilion.
 
After a careful review of my tasting notes, I have concluded the Left Bank outperformed the Right Bank, and the wines of Pauillac and Margaux will be recognized as the class of the vintage in the years to come. When I compare 2011 to past vintages, the vintage that most often comes to mind is 2001.
 
Wine journalists didn't have much love for 2001, and the trade gave it short shrift. Much as it was in 2011, the 2001 vintage was not one that produced great wines from lesser terroirs or poorly managed chateaux. But the consensus now is that the finest wines of 2001 outshine the wines made in the much warmer 2000 vintage, which is universally regarded as one of the finest in Bordeaux, even standing alongside the outstanding vintages of 2005, 2009 and 2010.
 
And for the white wines made in the Graves and Pessac-Leognan districts, and the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac, 2011 will go down as memorable, with exquisite structure and balance.
 
I did come away with a few favorites, and I am pleased to report that most of them are in that rare category of well-priced Bordeaux. All of my recommended wines were tasted blind.
 
TASTING NOTES
 
Wines are rated on a 100-point scale. Wines are chosen for review because they represent outstanding quality or value, and the scores are simply a measure of this reviewer's enthusiasm for the recommended wine. Barrel samples are scored with a four-point range because of the potential for changes in the wine prior to bottling.
 
AOC GRAVES
 
Chateau Pape Clement — Nose of ripe plums, violets. Firm tannins. Good acid. Very elegant. Outstanding potential. Rating: 90-93.
 
Chateau Rahoul — Good concentration, good balance of acidity and fruit, some minerality. A very good wine, well-made, classy. Rating: 90-93.
 
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte — Good concentration. Firm tannins. Plum- and black-fruit profile. Very good potential. Rating: 89-92.
 
AOC MARGAUX
 
Chateau Dauzac — Spicy nose. Good concentration. Notes of violets and plum, with black cherry and black currant fruit aromas. Very, very good. Rating: 92-95.
 
Chateau Giscours — Good concentration, plenty of flesh. Not too weighty, with good mouth-feel. Fruit aromas of plum, black cherry and black currant. Firm acid. Rating: 90-93.
 
Chateau Kirwan — Elegant wine. Inviting red-fruit profile, with a hint of floral. Firm acidity with fine tannins. Good potential for aging. Rating: 91-94.
 
Chateau Labegorce — Beautifully textured with fine mouth-coating tannins. Good acid. Nicely balanced. Concentrated. Shows a red-fruit profile. Excellent but will need time. Rating: 91-94.
 
Chateau Lascombes — Good concentration. Juicy core of spicy red fruits. Firm acid; fine tannins. Very elegant. Rating: 92-95.
 
Chateau Malescot Saint-Exupery — Concentrated black fruits on the nose. Not a hint of green fruit. Ripe tannins, with good acid balance. Well made with excellent aging potential. Rating: 90-93.
 
Chateau Marquis de Terme — Suave on the palate, with fine tannins, firm acid. Good minerality. Floral nose, with complex layers of red and black fruit. Rating: 93-96.
 
Chateau Rauzan-Segla — Rich, ripe, powerful and concentrated, with firm tannins and firm acidity. A blockbuster wine that will need a minimum 10 years to reach its potential. Rating: 93-96.
 
Chateau Siran - Concentrated, with good richness and weight without being ponderous. Firm tannins but not coarse or green. Very good acidity. Excellent aging potential. Rating: 93-96.
 
AOC PAUILLAC
 
Chateau d'Armailhac — Juicy mid-palate, rich cassis, fine tannins, well balanced. Lovely wine. Rating: 90-93.
 
Chateau Clerc Milon— Good concentration and weight, with fine tannins and nice balance. Very good potential. Rating: 88-91.
 
Chateau Lynch-Bages — Good concentration and weight, with juicy fruit, firm tannins and very nice acidity. Good potential. Rating: 89-92.
 
Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste — Floral nose, with red and black fruit aromas, fine tannins and good acidity. Nicely balanced. Wonderful potential with some age. Rating: 90-94.
 
AOC PESSAC-LEOGNAN
 
Chateau Carbonnieux — Powerful and rich, very extracted, lovely fruit, with firm tannins and good acid. Will take a while to come around. Rating: 89-92.
 
Domaine de Chevalier — Plum and black currant fruit, firm tannins, good acid and exceptional elegance considering its youth. Wonderful potential. Rating 90-93.
 
Chateau La Louviere — Very elegant, though tannins are firm. Fruit is precise. This is a lovely wine with good minerality. Excellent acidity. Outstanding potential. Rating: 91-94.
 
AOC POMEROL
 
Chateau Beauregard — Red-fruit nose. Black fruit on the palate. Very complex, layered. Tannins are extremely firm. Acids are good. Rating: 90-93.
 
Chateau La Croix de Gay — Very pretty fruit, firm tannins, good concentration, excellent length, with a persistent finish. Quite nice but will need time. Rating: 91-94.
 
Chateau La Pointe — Excellent concentration, firm acidity, good minerality, good length, plum fruit aroma, with floral notes. Very good potential. Rating: 90-93.
 
AOC SAINT-EMILION
 
Chateau Franc Mayne — Red fruit, floral nose. Lovely fruit on the palate. Excellent structure. Firm tannins. Well balanced between fruit and acid. Outstanding potential. Rating: 91-94.
 
Chateau Cap de Moulin — Red fruit nose. Very fine, very firm tannins. Elegant, well-defined red fruit aromas. Sophisticated and elegance on the palate. Well balanced between fruit and acidity. Tremendous potential. Rating: 92-95.
 
Chateau Figeac — Red fruit nose. Good concentration. Hard tannins, but underlying fruit is juicy and complex. Good acid. Excellent potential. Rating: 90-93.
 
Chateau Balestard La Tonnelle — Floral nose. Sweet, ripe red fruits. Good concentration. Outstanding length. Rich and voluptuous. Outstanding potential. Rating: 91-94.
 
Chateau Pavie Macquin — Good minerality, suave texture, firm tannins, good acid. Exquisite balance. Very attractive red-fruit aromas. Rating: 93-96.
 
Chateau Clos Fourtet — Richness on the palate, with firm tannins. Plush, layered fruit. Very concentrated. Good potential. Rating: 89-92.
 
Chateau La Dominique — Meaty nose. Red fruits on the nose, with hints of floral. Lovely on the palate. Firm tannins, good acid-fruit balance. Rating: 89-92.
 
Chateau Canon — Inviting red fruit on the palate. Firm tannins. Not overly aggressive. Structure and balance make this one of the finest reds tasted in the Right Bank. Rating: 91-94.
 
Chateau Larcis Ducasse — Attractive bing cherry and plum fruit aromas. Firm tannins. Good balance between fruit and acid. Excellent potential; a very classy wine. Rating: 92-95.
 
Chateau Beau-Sejour Becot — Cassis nose. Ripe red-fruits on the palate. Mouth-puckering tannins. Excellent potential to be a blockbuster but will need quite a bit of time to come around. Rating: 93-96.
 
AOC SAINT-ESTEPHE
 
Chateau Phelan Segur — Good structure, pretty red fruit, fine tannins and good acid. Excellent potential. Rating: 90-93.
 
Chateau de Pez — Juicy black and red fruits, moderate tannins and good acidity. A very lovely wine with excellent potential. Rating: 91-94.
 
AOC SAINT-JULIEN
 
Chateau Lagrange — Very good, extremely well made, with focused, layered fruit complexity, fine tannins and excellent acid balance. The finish is long. This is a sophisticated, classy wine. Rating: 90-93.
 
Chateau Saint Pierre — Juicy fruit, good concentration, fresh acidity, firm tannins, outstanding wine. Rating: 91-94.
 
Cheateau Leoville Barton — Juicy mid-palate, good weight, well proportioned, with firm tannins and bright, fresh acidity. Good potential. Rating: 91-94.
 
Chateau Gloria — Lovely red fruits, with a floral note. Good weight and concentration. Fine tannins and good acidity. Well balanced. A good wine to cellar. Rating: 92-95.
 
Chateau Beychevelle — Sweet juicy fruit with strong, aggressive tannins and bright acidity. Will need extended aging but overall quite good. Rating: 90-93.
 
Follow Robert on Twitter at @wineguru.

APRIL 10, 2012

When in France

ROBERT WHITLEY
Creators Syndicate

BORDEAUX, France — It was only last night that I visited the iconic restaurant La Tupina, in the heart of the old section of Bordeaux. La Tupina specializes in the cuisine of southwest France, and it still does things the old fashioned way, grilling its meats over a wood fire.
 
If the food at La Tupina is extraordinary, the wine list is the next level up, whatever level that might be. The offerings are arranged by price, so when I thumbed all the way to the back page, I found the ultimate garagiste wine, Le Pin, that I could have had for a mere 7,000 euros (approximately $9,300).
 
I opted instead for a half bottle of the superb cru bourgeois Chateau de Pez, a Saint-Estephe from the outstanding 2005 vintage, and saved $6,945 euros for another day.
 
Dining out in France, with wine, can be an expensive proposition even in a modest bistro, which makes it all the more important a traveler chooses wisely when deciding where to go. It will almost never be cheap, but at least you should eat well.
 
From my experiences of the past two weeks, I can offer a few recommendations should your vacation plans include a trip to France to sample the wines and enjoy the cuisine.
 
In Paris, my ambitions for the wine and food experience run the gamut from bistro to brasserie to the ultimate in gastronomy, the restaurant with a coveted Michelin star, or two.
 
On my recent visit, I took in Willi's Wine Bar, the much-heralded bistro and the first modern wine bar in Paris, established more than 30 years ago by a Brit named Mark Williamson. The food at Willi's is solid, and the wine list heavy on selections from France's Rhone Valley, although Burgundy, Bordeaux and the Loire are represented, as well.
 
At Willi's, the discerning wine lover doesn't have to settle for the ubiquitous "verre de vin blanc"� or "vin rouge" that is the nameless, generic wine-by-the glass offering at most bistros. Williamson, as knowledgeable on wine as anyone I've ever met, hand picks the daily wine-by-the-glass offerings.
 
While the food and wine are good, Willi's may be most famous for its annual poster art. Wine enthusiasts often come to Willi's simply to purchase the latest poster, or perhaps one that is missing from their collection.
 
Willi's appeals to me because it has never tried to be anything more than it is.
 
"Our aim is to serve simple bistro fare with unfussy service," Williamson told me when I stopped in before my trek to Bordeaux. I like to sit at the bar at Willi's, but the table service is cozy and comfortable if a bit cramped. Willi's is easy to find, located as it is on the Right Bank, just behind the Palais Royal on Rue des Petit Champs, and a three-course prix fixe menu costs around $50 ($75 to $80 with wine).
 
Just around the corner from Willi's, literally steps away, is Le Grand Colbert, the famous Paris brasserie that was immortalized in the movie "Something's Gotta Give."� Some regulars complain that the fame showered upon Le Grand Colbert by the success of the movie has turned this Parisian dining spot into a tourist trap. I would tend to disagree, but let's face it, if a restaurant in Paris has a good reputation, it's going to attract foreign visitors. That's Paris!
 
The cliche dish to order at Le Grand Colbert is the roast half chicken, because that's the signature dish touted in the movie — but the chicken really is good, and the portion is large enough for two people to split. So split one of the impressive seafood platters as a starter and split the chicken as your entree, and you will have plenty of room left for a profiterole, one of the best in Paris.
 
The wine list at Le Grand Colbert is quite good, with many offerings at reasonable prices, including a good selection of half bottles for those going the seafood followed by meat route. All in all, expect a meal there to cost around $100.
 
Now for dining on a grand scale, there is no place like Paris, and for the single diner, no place like L'Atelier Joel Robuchon.
 
The first thing that will strike you about this restaurant is the absence of dining tables. Everyone eats at the bar, with a bird's-eye view of everything that goes on in the kitchen.
 
It's sort of like sitting at the counter at your neighborhood diner, but not really. L'Atelier has two Michelin stars, and Joel Robuchon is perhaps one of the world's five most famous chefs. It has been my habit in recent years to pop in on L'Atelier at its location in Saint-Germain des Pres, just off the lobby of the Pont Royal Hotel.
 
On this most recent visit, I discovered L'Atelier now has a second location, on the Champs Elysees just a block or so from the Arc de Triomphe. They are distinguished from each other as L'Atelier Saint-Germain and L'Atelier Etoile. The second location also has two Michelin stars and is much easier to be seated if you are more than a party of one because it takes reservations. The Sanit-Germain location only takes reservations for the first seating at 6:30 p.m.
 
I sometimes order the degustation menu at L'Atelier, but more often than not I go in craving the jamon Iberico, which is as good as any you will find in Spain, and the langostines. And the selection of wines by the glass is superb, among the finest in France.
 
L'Atelier is expensive. A single diner with wine should expect to spend in excess of $200, even ordering a la carte. The degustation menu will be more.
 
So with what I saved by passing on the Le Pin at 7,000 euros, I see many more visits to L'Atelier, Willi's and Le Grand Colbert in my future Paris travels!

MADE IN MERCUREY

The eternal conundrum over Mercurey is that it is hard, tannic and unyielding when young. Young Mercurey is not a pleasant drink. So the rustic wines of this village need time for the tannins to soften and the fruit to emerge. Of course, that's a logical conclusion, but it seldom works out that way. Older Mercurey tends to be thin and simple, and hardly worth the wait. There are exceptions, most notably Domaine de Suremain, which specializes in Mercurey.
 
From its simple village Mercurey through a raft of premier cru Mercureys, the wines of Domaine de Suremain from both the 2008 and 2009 vintages are impressive. Even the premier cru blanc, En Sazenay 2010, is stellar.
 
I wouldn't hesitate to purchase any of the premier cru reds — Les Crets 2009, Les Croichots 2009, Clos l'Eveque 2008 and 2009, and La Bondue 2008 and 2009 — for when I sampled them at Les Grands Jours de Bourgogne tastings last month in Burgundy, they exhibited a sophistication lacking in most Mercurey reds.
 
And how do I know they will reward anyone with the patience to cellar good wine for decade or more? As luck would have it, a colleague and I wandered into the village of Mercurey for lunch following our morning tasting session. We stumbled into a modest restaurant called Le Mercurey, where we proceeded to order what turned out to be a surprisingly delicious meal, which we washed down with a half bottle of 1999 Domaine Suremain Mercurey Villages.
 
The Suremain was sublime, and got better and better the longer the bottle was open. Given that it was a simple village wine, and that it had been aged in a 375ml bottle (which would tend to mature a wine more quickly than those kept in a larger 750ml bottle) for 13 years, there was no escaping the conclusion that Domaine de Suremain is the real deal in Mercurey.

AMERICAN IN PARIS, SORT OF

Maison Alex Gambal is that rarity in Burgundy, a Beaune wine company owned and operated by an American. Alex Gamble was originally from Washington, D.C., and later Boston, before falling in love with Burgundy and abandoning a career in real estate to make wine in France. The year was 1997.
 
By now Maison Alex Gambal is well established in the Burgundy wine trade, even if production is small, with fewer than 1,000 cases a year produced.
 
His reds from the Cote de Nuits and whites from the Cote de Beaune are exceptional, especially the grand cru. But I also very much enjoyed a few of his lesser wines from the fabulous 2010 vintage — the village Chorey-les-Beaune, Savigny-les-Beaune rouge and the Beaune 1er Cru Greves.
 
These wines are available online from such retailers as KL Wines of Los Angeles.