The Humble Gourmand - Victuals and Vittles

2006 Sylvain Pataille Passetoutgrain

Dear wine lovers,

Several months ago my eloquent and humorous (thus proving that these two attributes are not mutually exclusive) partner in the Thoreau Wine Society, Mary Taylor, wrote about Sylvain Pataille and one of his superb Marsannays. During this past summer’s International Pinot Noir Celebration, Sylvain showed his top wine—a blend from old vines in several of his premier cru quality vineyards which he calls 'L'Ancestral' — and it stole the show, as they say. Mr. Pataille is as passionate and knowledgeable about wine as he is likable. He has risen to the top in the Cote de Nuits both as a wine maker and consultant for very good reasons: he has exceptional technical skills and a fabulous palate — qualities which do not always exist in the same person. The moment you start tasting his wines and listening to him, you know you are in the presence of the real thing.

Recently I tasted several of Pataille’s wines at a tasting organized by his distributor, Michael Feuerstein of Pas Mal Importers/Distributors. One delightful wine that caught my fancy was Pataille’s least expensive wine: The 2006 Passetoutgrain. This appellation refers to red wines made in Burgundy by the co-fermenting of 2/3 Gamay (The red wine grape of Beaujolais) and 1/3rd Pinot Noir. Passetoutgrains are the only red wines in Burgundy proper that can legally include the Gamay grape which, until the late 1300s was as ubiquitous in the vineyards of Burgundy, perhaps more so than Pinot Noir.

Gamay was banned from Burgundy by Philippe The Bold in 1395 but made its way back to Burgundy in the late 1880s. You just cannot keep a good grape down. By nature, Passetoutgrains are meant to be easy drinking entry level Burgundies. But of course when a grower/producer as scrupulous and enlightened at Sylvain Pataille makes a Passetoutgrain it will and does have an extra dimension of flavor and class easily surpassing the vast majority of such wines.

To the easy charm correctly found in Passetoutgrains there is a voluptuous and vibrant core of rich, mineral-drenched fruit which speaks very clearly the language of northern Burgundy. Pataille’s Passetoutgrain is indeed a synthesis of the best of the 2 grapes from which it is made: Delightful and arresting at the same time. Not many wine makers can pull this off. But Sylvain Pataille so often transcends his peers that perhaps this is not a surprise after all. This is a delicious, sensual, food-friendly and affordable red Burgundy. Can one ask for more?

2006 Sylvain Pataille Passetoutgrain

$21.50/bottle, 2-bottle minimum
Limited quantities- First come first served.

Does not include local tax or delivery / shipping. Pick up option is available (please inquire).

Please post a comment with desired quantities and Mary will confirm your order.

Bob Millman
ThoreauWineSociety

Brunch: Not Just for Sundays at Belga Café This Month

From Belga:

For the entire month of November, chef and owner Bart Vandaele invites guests to sample Belga Café's famous brunch menu everyday. "Brunch Month," a tradition that began in 2008, features breakfast favorites as well as a sampling from Belga's regular lunch menu.

Take a midday break and join Chef Vandaele as he prepares Belgian breakfast dishes such as Mais Wafels, cornbread waffle with poached egg and pulled pork or Groene Eieren, green eggs with fresh herbs, Belgian cheese, spinach, herb pesto, English muffin and bacon. Get into true brunch spirit and indulge with Belga's Bloody Mary with celery foam or a classic Mimosa. A sampling of popular lunch items including The 'B'anini, Belga's Panini with spinach garlic chorizo and cheese, as well as Belga's famous mussel pots with flavors such as curry, Rodenbach beer, and garlic butter are also available during brunch.

November also signifies the launch of Chef Vandaele's new winter offerings, complete with redesigned menus in celebration of Belga's five years on Capitol Hill. Continuing to focus on the use of sustainable and humane products, Chef Vandaele utilizes ingredients such as free-range veal and naturally raised Niman Ranch Pork through the new winter menu.

Belga Café 514 8th St. SE
Washington, DC
(202) 544-0100
(Web site)(http://belgacafe.com)

Thanksgiving Pies for a Great Cause

Food & Friends is trying to sell 6,000 pies to fund full Thanksgiving meals for all of its HIV/AIDS and cancer patients.

More details, from the organization:

On Tuesday, October 20th, Food & Friends will be handing out free, delicious pieces of pie to kick off the third annual Slice of Life pie sale! From 11:30 a.m-1:30 p.m. celebrity pie servers, including members of the DC City Council and ABC7's Cynee Simpson and Caroline Lyders, will be handing out the sweets in two locations, in front of the JW Marriott (1331 Pennsylvania Avenue NW) and in front of the Marriott at Metro Center (755 12th Street NW). Come out, eat some pie, and learn how you can help Food & Friends raise money to provide 3,500 Thanksgiving meals for children and adults facing HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-changing illnesses by purchasing whole Thanksgiving pies for yourself or a Food & Friends client.

Choose from five flavors: Picture Perfect Pumpkin, Oh So Sweet Potato, and Harvest Apple Crumb Pie for $25, and Southern Pecan Pie and Creamy Chocolate Cheesecake for $35.

The pie sale lasts until Thursday, November 19th at 5 p.m. and the pies are available for pick up on Tuesday, November 24, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. at Food & Friends or one of 14 CVS locations in DC, Maryland or Virginia. For more information, check out their site or contact Eliza Yoder at 202.269.6826 or eyoder at foodandfriends.org.

Fun Halloween Goings-On at DC-Area Kimpton Hotels (Updated)

From Kimpton:

Doggie Happy Howloween Costume Contest: Two-and-four-legged guests are encouraged to don their best Halloween getups in front of a judge panel at this event benefiting the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. Prizes will be awarded to the best owner/dog couple, the most glamorous canine, and the overall “top dog.” (Hotel Monaco Alexandria/Jackson 20, 5-8 p.m., Oct. 29)
Pumpkin Carving Contest: Five years running, the annual Pumpkin Carving Contest has proven to be a sure-fire “gourd” time. With the Helix Lounge providing pre-scooped pumpkins, carving tools and great prizes, all patrons will need to bring are creative ideas and a steady hand. (Helix Lounge, 6-8 p.m., Oct. 27)
Yelloween Bash: Topaz Bar invites Washingtonians to add a little color to their Halloween celebration, by attending the “Yelloween Bash,” sponsored by Veuve Clicquot’s Yellow Label. At the event, guests can enjoy tarot card readings, a costume contest and complimentary Veuve Clicquot champagne with hors d’oeuvres. (Topaz Bar, 5-10 p.m., Oct. 31)
Vampire Ball Costume Party: It’s official - the nation has been bit by the vampire craze, and this Halloween, Washingtonians can celebrate their other-worldly fascination in style at Helix Lounge’s Vampire Ball. Patrons can don their favorite vampire-inspired costume for prizes, and enjoy hors d’oeuvres and specialty cocktails. (Helix Lounge, 6 p.m. – 2 a.m., Oct. 31)
“R.I.P.” Rate: No matter what your Halloween plans are, the best way to end the night is at a Kimpton hotel. Trick-or-treaters and party-goers alike are welcomed to “Rest In Peace”, with drop-dead prices starting as low as $99. The RIP Rate is only available Halloween weekend, and includes a late check-out for those who are dead asleep the next morning. (Available Oct. 30-31 at Kimpton’s 12 DC-area hotels and the newly opened Hotel Monaco Baltimore.)
Poste "Ghost Roast" -- Saturday, October 31st 6:30 p.m. Chef Robert Weland and Poste will celebrate fall and Halloween with a special Poste Ghost Roast. The menu will feature:
- Warm 8th Street Market Mulled Cider
- Appetizer: Pumpkin Soup and Salad: foie gras, red onion marmalade, toasted pumpkin seeds paired with: The Linus: Roasted local pumpkin, Flor de Cana 7 year old rum, Bacardi coco, touch of milk, dusted with nutmeg
- Entrée: Wood Roasted Capretto (Baby Goat) served with Anson Mills creamy polenta and charred Brussels sprouts paired with: Post Road Pumpkin Ale, Brooklyn Brewing Co.
- Dessert: Goat Cheese Cheesecake: concord grapes and concord grape sorbet paired with: Wolffer Late Harvest Chardonnay, Sagaponack, NY, 2007
- Parting Gift: Red Wine Caramel Apples and Homemade Petit Fours All guests are encouraged, but not required to wear a Halloween costume. A five-course chef’s tasting for two will be awarded to the guest with the best costume of the evening. Cost for the roast with pairings is $45 exclusive of tax and gratuity. Space is limited (30 seats total) and reservations are required. For reservations and for more information contact Stacy Nemeth at (202) 449-7062 or stacy.nemeth@postebrasserie.com

A California Merlot You Can Drink with Pride and Pleasure (!)

It wasn’t that long ago that Merlot was the most popular red wine in America. Besides, Merlot is the key grape in Pomerol, where it is the basis for a half-dozen of the sexiest, most expressive and expensive red wines made on this planet. But then came Pinot Noir which supplanted Merlot this decade to such an extent that many wine lovers will not even admit to ever having purchased a bottle of Merlot. Fashion is fashion. But quality transcends current sensibilities which change every 10 years. In the meanwhile many fine Merlots and Merlot based blends are being produced both on the west coast and of course all throughout Bordeaux. The trouble with many new world Merlots is that they are too soft and easy, lacking the structural spine of Cabernets and the elegant acidity of Pinot Noirs.

It is always a pleasure to taste a Merlot which is a real wine, not just fermented grape juice. Mary and I recently encountered an example of an excellent Napa Merlot at a trade tasting. This Merlot is from an artisinal, under-the-radar winery called Baxter. Established in 2002 by the father and son team of Philip Baxter Sr. and Jr., their goal is to make wines exclusively from single vineyard sites with vines of sufficient age, to allow fermentation on their own yeasts and to age them in neutral small barrels until ready for bottling. No fining or filtering is ever done. Currently the Baxters produce 2 excellent Pinots from northern sites, 2 Cabernets, a Zinfandel and 1 Merlot from a vineyard called Rodgers in Oakville. The style of the wines is decidedly European with an emphasis on texture, length and classical balance. The Baxters eschew the sweet, lush, juicy style popular with the wine press. This is the 2nd time I have tasted these singular wines and my admiration for them has not diminished.

The 2004 Merlot, just released was aged in 2 and 3 year old barriques for 36 months. Why so long? Because they liked the way the wine was evolving and felt no need to bottle it before their palates told them that it was ready. How old fashioned. I was deeply impressed by the firmness and smoky power of the wine. No fat, plumy sweetness here. This Merlot seems to be more about the vineyard than it is about the grape. The grape as transmission of site and conditions—the very goal of classical winemaking. This is a serious, interesting, engaging Merlot which will convert doubters in but a few sips. Congratulations to the Baxter’s for demonstrating what Merlot can be at its best! Neither inexpensive nor expensive, the 2004 Baxter Rodgers Vineyard Merlot is $32.95. Ask yourself what kind of wine you would get at a restaurant for under $35. Nothing even close to the Baxter Merlot, that is for certain. In my opinion the 2002 Baxter is the equal or better than the vast majority of Merlots retailing for $50-60. Enjoy this Merlot marvel with a roast Rack of Lamb. Or a roast chicken from Bouley’s bakery.

2004 Baxter Merlot Rodger's Vineyard

$29.95 per bottle, no minimum or purchase. Limited quantities - first come, first served.

Does not include local tax or delivery / shipping. Pick-up option is available.

Please inquire via email: mary at thoreauwinesociety.com

Bob Millman
Thoreau Wine Society

Vintage Crystal Coming Up This Weekend

From the Crystal City Business Improvement District (BID):

[We] will host the 3rd Annual Vintage Crystal with a Latin twist offering 30 wines from Spain, Argentina, and Chile, curated and provided by the Jaleo Wine Shop, several premier tequilas and beers and an array of culinary treats from many notable restaurants and eateries in Crystal City and the metropolitan area.

The event will be held on Sunday, September 20, 2009 from 2:00 – 6:00 PM at 220 20th St. South in Arlington, VA.

More than 25 food tastes from well-known area restaurants are confirmed for the event ensuring a wide variety of savories to complement the wine. Among the restaurants participating are Jaleo, Kora, Lebanese Taverna, Morton’s the Steakhouse, King Street Blues, Café Pizziaolo, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and many more! Offering a palette of tastes, celebrity chef Carson of MIX 107.3 will create his famous "Guac of Ages," while Jaleo will be showcasing their giant paella production. Fifteen partners have also signed up to pour wine and select tequilas and beers, and provide great giveaways to event attendees. For a complete listing of wines, tequilas, beers, and participating restaurants and partners, visit www.crystalcity.org.

Music and dance will accompany the sips and tastes. Performers from the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival will add some Latin jazz flavor, while the Salsa Room, brought to you courtesy of the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization (CPRO), will spice it up with dance performances. Attendees can join in and twist it up on-site with Rumba, Salsa, Samba and Cha-Cha-Cha lessons.

Tickets will be available to purchase on site the day of the event for $20 and will include sips, tastes and a commemorative wine glass. Food-only tickets can be purchased for $10 and admission for kids is free. For those interested in learning more about wine -- whether experienced or a novice -- there will be educational wine classes offered throughout the event free of charge.

Shaking Things Up

Over the year and a half we've been publishing The Humble Gourmand, I've resisted any urge to use the magazine or its blog as my personal amplifier.

That's because my goals for the site were strictly editorial, and I wasn't keen on inserting too much "I" into my own journalism.

However, since December 2007, when we launched, several things have happened: I've studied the culinary arts, catered small affairs under the table, read mountains of food writing, become a minimally competent food photographer & stylist, and started working at a farmers market & co-op each week.

All the while, I've been plotting a way to cobble these disparate elements together in a career that would satisfy me, philosophically speaking. (Financially is another story, but so far, so good.)

Thus I am extremely, cartoonishly, over-the-moon happy to relay today that I've taken the proverbial plunge. The Humble Gourmand will not publish an August issue because my days are currently consumed with the highs and lows of creating a food business from the ground up. I could go into the ludicrous amounts of red tape that threaten to stymie any would-be entrepreneur in Northern Virginia (or anywhere), but I'll keep it clean for now. I'll quote a friend instead: "Starting your own business is enough to make ANYone a libertarian."

The Humble Gourmand's business side will be designed to connect people with the kinds of food I dream about at night (right now, heirloom tomatoes are at the top of the list). It will be a catering and prepared food business sourcing ingredients and products from Chesapeake Bay watershed farmers and butchers, plus artisan/small-batch producers up and down the East Coast.

Contact me (alison@humblegourmand.com) if you're looking for a source of really terrific grass-fed beef to supplement your grocery-buying; if you have a kickin' party to throw; or if you want wholesome, natural meals prepared and delivered to you on a regular basis.

The magazine will certainly be back, raring to go, in September. I'll also be blogging in this space quite a bit more frequently about my experiences (and, as always, alerting Washington dwellers to any culinary happenings that cross my radar).

If it weren't 11:30 in the morning, I'd be raising a flute of Champagne. Instead, I'll just say, "To new beginnings!"

Best,
Alison

Fear and Trembling (Chevalier Pere et Fils Ladoix 2005)

Dear friends,

Every time I encounter a Burgundy I haven’t tasted before I experience both anxiety and excitement. Why? Because there is nothing more disappointing than a thin, undernourished red Burgundy. The ratio of hits to misses with Burgundies favors Napa Valley reds, Aussie Shiraz, southern Rhones. Burgundy is so mercurial and unpredictable.

Why do we all bother? Because when you encounter a good red Burgundy it as if the gods are smiling. Ask any serious wine person about this. Red Burgundy is the Holy Grail of wine: when you experience a good one you are tasting a little bit of heaven. You know where this is going by now: I had a mini-religious experience recently courtesy of a $30 red Burgundy. Not $300, $30! And the name of this vinous miracle? 2005 Ladoix from Domaine Chevalier.

Ladoix is not exactly a household name. It is a modest village on “the wrong side” of the tracks just the other side of the Hill of Corton. This is the transitional region between the northern vineyards of the Cote de Beaune and the southern vineyards of the Cote de Nuits. What Ladoix lacks in fame it makes up for in the striving for excellence: 3 fines estates are firmly situated in Ladoix, none better than that of Claude Chevalier who has transformed his father’s excellent domaine into a superlative one. The entire classification system in Burgundy prices wines by the status of their geographical source—a kind of caste system alien to the new world where wines are priced and evaluated by the reputation of the grower, not the pedigree of the vineyard. The good news for savvy consumers is that there are a number of wonderful Burgundies which are under-priced relative to their quality because of the hierarchy of the appellation system.

Tasted on its own merits, Chevalier’s 2005 Ladoix would kick the butts of dozens of red Burgundies and new world Pinots retailing for twice the price. The first thing you notice is the breathtaking bouquet: Asian spices, leather, sweet young tobacco leaves and lush dark cherries. It broadcasts Burgundy. It is this kind of aroma that sends Burgundy nuts into another state of consciousness. Fortunately the taste lives up to the superb bouquet with a wonderful silky texture, waves of dark fruit flavors ands lip smacking acidity to keep everything fresh and alive. Sniffed and tasted 24 hours after being opened, the Ladoix had lost nothing of its beauty. Don’t bother to order a mere 3 bottles. Buy a case if you can afford to and drink a bottle every 2-3 months.

Chevalier Pere et Fils Ladoix 2005

$30 per bottle - 1 bottle minimum

Post to the comments if you're interested, and Mary will get you set up with an account.

Bob
Thoreau Wine Society

Podio Alto 2005

Dear readers,

If you love wine (which you should) I would highly recommend grabbing a copy of Kermit Lynch’s fabulous book, Adventures on the Wine Route – the decades-old story of the importer’s comb through France in search of revelatory winemakers.

Monsieur Lynch was recently in town for tasting. In my copy, he signed: "To Mary, the best thing I’ve witnessed tonight. Here’s to you."

Clearly, Kermit’s articulate taste in women corresponds to that of his in wine, as he is responsible for bringing some of France’s most beloved estates to the American market, wines that speak of where they are from in their haunting subtle beauty.

Among the visionary Lynch portfolio, is the Domaine Poujol in the Languedoc – an estate that had been dysfunctional (though endowed with lovely vineyard sites), until 1995 when Robert and Kim Cripps revived it. “We've watched with more than passing interest as the disheveled vineyards they purchased have slowly been converted to organic farming, and through a sheer labor of love have begun to resemble something one more commonly finds at a great baronial estate. There are no barons at Poujol, just an inspirational couple with great plans for the future.”

Some years ago winemaker Robert Kripps and his lovely New York agent passed by Kris’ shack on 14th street to greet and taste with us, (the voyage up to apartment included a 45-minute elevator malfunction and 2 firemen). I immediately appreciated Robert’s humility and the honesty of his wines – this 2005 Podio Alto – a Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre blend of authenticity – a purity of aroma and a structure that was regal, but not extracted. It deserved my highest marks, which generally is not 90 whatever points but a check plus system from school days. I’ve regretted not having before sent an offer on this beautifully southern-French, Languedocian gem which can take at least ten years of ageing, but is drinking very well now. The grapes are handpicked from hillside vineyards that yield vivid fruit in sparse quantity, fermented by local indigenous yeast, and matured in large oak foudres.

The Maison de la Region Languedoc-Roussillon just held a trade tasting of the most highly rated wines of the Languedoc. (How they afford a gleaming glass front in midtown, beats me). I went through the room feeling like too many wines were clunky chunky modern things that I couldn’t quite relate to. Towards the end of the tasting, I ran into a wine that finally had a sense of place – it had a charm of its own – it tasted like the south of France, like the sun, the farm, the earth, the fruit – a purity that felt quite rare for that particular tasting – eh voila, I rediscovered the Poujol, Podio Alto 2005. This is a beautiful effort and a steal for the price. Quite difficult to find in the US retail market (as far as I can see).

Podio Alto 2005

$24.99 – no minimum for purchase
(This is not the cuvee Proteus, which they sell for $15)

Slainte,
Mary Taylor

Thoreau Wine Society

“But then of course Cassis tastes better in Cassis! Debussy sounds better after a walk through the foggy, puddle streets of late-night Paris.” – Kermit

Buy Local Challenge

"I pledge to eat at least one thing from a local farm every day during Buy Local Week."

Doesn't sound too hard, does it?

During the last full week in July every year, the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission sponsors a weeklong challenge for area residents. We here at the HG think it applies to just about everyone.

It's that simple -- pick up a couple of items at your local farmers' market. Starting Sunday, eat something each day. Give it a whirl, and see how you do! Share any tips, recipes, and ideas in the comments.