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SOPEXA Burgundy Field Trip

Written By: Kasey Carpenter on Thursday, February 21, 2008

Wine trade shows can be an unforgettable experience for wine lovers. The Sopexa Burgundy Gathering was that kind of show.

What a day of tasting. I hate to dangle carrots, but you've got to love trade shows. Wineries vying for distribution, brokers and distributors vying for good juice. Everyone's happy to see everyone else.

I have to admit I was really looking forward to this event, not just from a financial standpoint from adding more horses to the stable, but from a purely epicurean standpoint, with no less than thirty-four wineries in attendance, with a over one hundred and fifty different bottlings to taste, well, it seemed like the most joyous of Sysiphusian tasks, as any attempt to taste them all would fall flat. Not only are there "best buys" afoot, but you will also spy the occasional Pommard, Chambolle-Musigny, Chablis, Gevry-Chambertain, and even a Clos Vougeot if you look carefully, and ask nicely. Quite an eclectic sampling indeed. What's more, is that amidst the big boy negociants you will find small, independent family-run concerns that will manage to keep the ship aright in a sea of competition, a refreshing thing to see on any given day, but especially among the cutthroat and crowded world of Burgundy.

Held in a splendid location, the Regency Center on Sutter Street, in the heart of San Francisco, you are already set pavlovian when you enter the place. You'd expect nothing less than first class Burgundy to be poured in such a venue. Great turn of the century architecture, wrought iron elevator (with attendant), plenty of polished stone to go around, then as you enter the room, you get the vibe of bygone cellars, the kind of low spun ceilings that are all the rage in chophouses nowadays, though this venue has chosen to stay all white, blonde floors and all, not a chophouse color wheel, but great for tasting and examining the Burgundy to come. Your table has been set, so to speak.

The day started with a trade specific discussion of how to present Burgundies to the California market, pretty interesting in its own right, but not the real reason for our visit today.

Then after a break for lunch (and I reserve the right to a future article devoted to those luncheon spots who advertise panini when in fact what they sell is little more than a sandwich on toast - quite the let down) and a room-wide universal popping of corks, checking of bottles, and with approving nods, the races began.

Being a broker, I went for the as yet un-imported attendees, and as an invited member, I went immediately to the table that held the wines I came for, and the winery that made sure I was in attendance.

That winery was Domaine Daniel Rion, with some killer offerings from the more value oriented (value is relative) side of the 2005 vintage (for those of you uninformed, the reds from 2005 are exceptional, and the more well known examples are fetching four-digit bottle prices for the right vineyards) with some exceptional stuff from Nuits-Saint-George, Vosne-Romanee (both declassified and 1er Cru) and topped off by a Clos Vougeot that was stunning, with the classic Burg nose of earthiness and cedar, red fruits, some creamy stuff, and a meaty (smoky) component that almost reminds you of something from Italy. And it continued from table to table.

Domaine Louis Moreau came with five Chablis, which might seem like a one track overkill, but when you tasted the line, it all made sense, like five identical siblings, they each had their nuances and strengths. It was hard to pick a favorite, but I loved the Grand Cru Les Clos (like that's hard) because of the baked apple component along with an almost Champagne like baked goods nose that let you know you were drinking something special.

But what has to be the one that stole the show was a lesser classified vineyard, a Chambolle-Musigny, which doesn't fetch the dollars of the big boys, but really showed that it was competing well out of its weight class. This one was from Domaine Doudet-Naudin, which gave you tons of roses and cinnamon, more humidor aromas, and lovely red fruits (crushed and ripe) that just really sung. It made me look over the other producers for any 2005 Chambolle-Musigny.

All in all there were a half dozen wineries that I'd gladly trade with, and will probably find a way. But this trade tasting was more than just a chance to taste and meet, it was a great example of what a given region needs to do to market their wines. They collectively pool their resources, their talents, and their budgets to stand together as a more powerful sum of their parts. This is the future of marketing small producers, and not to keep going back to Oregon, but all you have to do is look to their Pinot Camps and their market brothers-in-arms market visits to understand the strength of the whole.

This is the future of selling your wines as a small winery, providing you haven't received some killer score, some exclusive and flattering press, or are backed by a billionaire bankroll.

Next week: what do the wine.com shenanigans mean to the collector?

P.S. two words, Michael Austin - check out his wines, I had two this week, the viognier and the Rhone-ish red blend and was blown away by the quality to price ratio - it's not a cellar-dweller but is a bottle I'd readily drink case by case while I was waiting for my bog boys to get their driver's licenses.

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ikigai108
Bernville, PA
Posted on 2/22/08

It seems like these tradeshows are worth going to. I've never been to one, but I might have to look into it.


JS12
Philadelphia, PA
Posted on 2/21/08

It would have been awesome to be in attendance! I am sure you got your hands on some good wines for the cellar. Going to let us in on the investment?

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