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More Adventuresome
Wines
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DUXOUP WINE WORKS
 Andy and Deborah
Cutter are the "Duxoup" people. They've been making
obscure wines that only serious wine drinkers are interested in for about
25 years.
Who in this age of Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay, would stick to making
Charbono and Gamay? Who in this age of blockbuster wines, high in
alcohol and loaded with oak would even think of making 12.5% alcohol wines
that are not matured in highly-toasted, brand new French oak? Who
would even consider selling wine from California for less than $20 a
bottle?
If you're guessing the Cutters at Duxoup, you've hit the nail right on the
head!
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The 2005 Duxoup Napa Charbono, as usual, comes from the Frediani vineyard. It's
got the typical blackberry/blueberry fruit notes you'll find in the few
Charbono wines still on the market. We chided Andy about making wine
that can actually be consumed a whole, entire bottle at a sitting since
it's not 14-15% alcohol. "If the fruit is farmed right, you can
get mature flavors without the extremely high level of sugar." Andy
explained.
This wine seems to taste good with practically anything, from
Mediterranean fare to white meats to grilled or roasted red meats.
We like it served a bit on the cool side, about 55-60 degrees. A few
minutes of "breathing" (the wine, as well as yourself) seems to
be beneficial here.
Andy also makes a small amount of Gamay. Not a fruity,
Beaujolais-styled red, this is a medium-bodied wine that's got a bit of
backbone along the lines of a lighter Zinfandel. We
"road-tested" this with a beef stew and it was right at home.
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Currently in stock: 2005 Charbono Sold Out
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- DOMAINE LAFFONT
Madiran "Erigone" $19.99
DOMAINE LAFFONT Madiran "Hecate"
$32.99
 - The owner of this property, Pierre Speyer, must have taken the wrong exit from the
freeway in his homeland of Belgium and ended up running out of gas somewhere in Gascony.
He hasn't left Gascogne and is running a small domaine in the Madiran appellation.
Maumusson is the "center" of the Madiran universe.
As this fellow took over this property in 1993, he's just starting to
attract the attention he deserves.
 Taste Monsieur Speyer's "Erigone"
bottling (Erigone seduced the Greek God of Wine, Dionysus, or so I'm told) and you'll
agree Speyer is well on his way to making a name for himself.
Here's a François Boucher painting from 1745 depicting this seduction.
The local grape is Tannat and Speyer blends some 20% of Cabernet Franc to create a deep,
dense, rich red wine. Using some new French oak barrels, Speyer offers a wine with
deep red or black fruit elements and some mocha-like notes from the wood. The wine
is rather full-bodied and is delicious with a grilled steak or rack of lamb. This
will probably cellar nicely for another 3-8 years.
 A
"reserve" bottling is offered from time to time. Called
"Cuvée Hecate," it's named after the Greek Goddess of magic and
spells. I can certainly see why people might be entranced by this
wine! It's entirely Tannat with no "foreign" grapes getting
in the way. Speyer makes about 4,500 bottles in vintages he feels
warrant this elevated designation.
A friend of ours who did an internship at a top Bordeaux estate told us how
in blind-tastings, frequently a Madiran wine from Montus would win the
tasting over the Cabernet-based wines for the Medoc. You simply have
to taste this wine to see how much intensity, yet elegance, is on
display! Very fine now served with roasted or stewed red meats, this
probably has a number of years of cellaring potential. Very exciting.
Barrels in the Laffont cellar.
Pierre shows off the vineyards.
Sampling the new vintages in Pierre's home.
As you can see, the color is rather intense, so please don't wear light
clothing when drinking this.
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