The Tasting Panel magazine

August 2017

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The Ransom Note is a monthly column by The Tasting Panel's East Coast Editor, David Ransom. Each month, David connects readers with some of the people, products and events that are making news along the Eastern Seaboard. Wines for Late-Summer Sipping story and photos by David Ransom 22  /  the tasting panel  /  august 2017 R osé is all the rage right now, but sometimes even the most summery of menus calls for a good red or white wine. Here are some that caught my eye (and enthralled my palate) recently, all perfect for warm weather and early fall—or any time of the year. First, I had dinner at New York's DB Bistro with winemaker Cyril Chirouze of Château des Jacques in Beaujolais, who is crafting some of the region's greatest Gamay-based wines. For many, the Beaujolais region has long been considered a producer of light-bodied, fruit-forward, not particularly ageworthy wines. This was largely due to the advent of carbonic maceration practices in the 1950s, when Beaujolais wines were tough to sell and producers were looking for new ways to get it noticed (think Nouveau). While some Crus—the villages around which the grapes are grown (there are ten total)—are well-suited for this style, some, like the Cru of Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent, produce fruit that, when vinified in the traditional way, make wines that, according to Chirouze, "rival Northern Burgundy's Pinot Noir–based wines in both complexity and ability to age." Château des Jacques is owned by Louis Jadot and imported by Kobrand. Next, I spent an enlightening evening at Avra's stun- ning new East 60th Street location (the old Rouge Tomate space) with Yiannis Karakasis, MW, and the folks from Dougos Winery in Greece, a pro- ducer of truly wonderful handcrafted wines in the Tempi Valley, at the foot of Mount Olympus. Started in the 1990s, Dougos is run by siblings Thanos and Louiza Dougos, who cultivate both native Greek grapes and Rhône and Bordeaux varieties to make their wines. Key wines include a Rapsani PDO red blend made from Xinomavro, Krasato and Stavroto, and Meth'imon 7, a blend of primarily Syrah and Limniona. Dougos also makes a pair of Sauvignon Blanc–based wines, one from 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc and the other a fascinating wine named Meth'imon Acacia, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Assyrtiko fermented and aged six months in acacia barrels. Dougos Winery are imported by Cava Oinos. Château des Jacques Winemaker Cyril Chirouze at DB Bistro. Thanos Dougos, The Tasting Panel's East Coast Editor David Ransom and Yiannis Karakasis, MW, at Avra. Dougos Winery's Rapsani and Meth'imon 7.

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