My Friend Bernard

[Ian]

I visited my friend Bernard the other day and was forced to try a couple of his wines. The first was his 2007 AOC Bergerac Rosé. Of course, this wine was still very young at only a few months old but rosé is best drunk young. This one was a very nice, well, rose colour and was very light on the palate although the label told me it was 13% alcohol. I bought a few bottles to drink in the afternoons, sitting on the terrace, when the temperatures reach 35C (96F) and it's too hot to do anything else but have a chilled glass of rosé The wine tasting went on with another 6 or 7 different bottles which I didn't sample as I was the driver!!! However, when Bernard produced a 1984 Monbazillac (pronounced "MON+BAZ+EE+YAC") desert wine I decided that, as I had only tasted the tiniest bit of rosé, I could also taste the Monbazillac. Monbazillac is an Appelation covering about 2200 Hectares (5400 acres) south of Bergerac in South West France. From this tiny region about 6.5 million bottles of a sweet dessert wine are produced every year.

The New York Times recently rated the Monbazillac as one of the best dessert wines available and a "Must Buy" for it's wine collectors.

I love any Monbazillac but the opportunity to taste a 20year old one doesn't come along that often so I allowed my self a half glass and reminded myself of the wonderful way that sweet wines develop over the years. This one reminded me of mango but with honey in there as well. The colour was a rich golden. Monbazillac shows both the percentage alcohol on the label and the percentage sugar. So if you go to buy one, check the 2 figures - something like 14% + 8.5. They should add up to more than 21% and the greater the last figure the sweeter the wine. This is excellent wine to accompany very sweet desserts - or smooth rich pates like duck or goose.

Monbazillac is a very well kept secret with only about 20% being exported from France and most of that staying in Europe. I heard recently that exports to the USA had reached 5% of production but I don't know whether that is true.

If you get a chance, buy it and put it somewhere cool and dark. 24 year old Monbazillac is still quite young as the classic vintages will keep in excess of 60 years. However, please do remember to change the cork every 20 years!!

Ian

[Susan Perry]

How wonderful to have a friend who has a french vineyard. Well, since we're all talking about old wines, I feel impelled to mention the D'Oliveiras mediera 1900. Sam, a retired wine merchant I dated, cracked the top as he opened it one early afternoon before a Thanksgiving feast. His spirits lifted when he saw the petite old glass I offered him to sip from. Later that day after losing power twice, yet managing to serve a moist rather tasty bird, some of my family members were not terribly excited about the deep dark soothing quality my dessert wine had to offer. Just as well, some was left for a friend & me another evening.

[Penelope]

Your blog reminded me that I have a 1988 Chapoutier, Monier de la Sizeranne, appellation Hermitage controlee that someone left on my doorstep following my hip replacement last year. What can you tell me about it? Is it about to be vinegar?

[Heather Wood]

Ah, what an afternoon. My frst husband was in the wine business and I once had the chance to taste an old Monbazillac (extremely rare in the US at that time.) I still remember it. We have a trip to California wine country planned for September, and your post made me want to go right now. Keep us posted on what you're eating and drinking over there. Heather.