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One of the
parts of my job that I take greatest pride in is the hunt for
new and exciting artisinal bottlings from around the world.
With 3000
choices in the Crush inventory at any one time, and literally
millions of bottles out there on the world market, I rarely
can afford to drink the same wine more than once.
The fact
that I've indulged in Rene
Favre's stunning 2005 Petite Arvine "R" on *four*
separate occasions in the past six weeks is simply shocking.
This fact,
however, speaks strongly to the quality and mesmerizing nature
of this wine. For its price, I
unhesitatingly declare it's
the
best white wine I've had all year. In fact, if
the quantity produced weren't painfully miniscule, this
old-vine Petite Arvine (vines planted between 1927-1955!)
would be on my short list for 2007's "Wine of the Year."
 Petite
Arvine is among Switzerland's finest grapes - it is certainly
the star of the Valais region (see sidebar below). In the
right hands, the grape
produces a wine of incredible intensity and unctuous
concentration.
"R" is a "must-try" for lovers
of top Chenin Blancs (think of the Vouvrays of Huët and Foreau)
as well as Riesling fanatics. Those obsessed with rich
Chardonnays or even the Rhône's heady floral whites will be
floored by the dream-scape of aroma and flavors this wine
unleashes.
But you don't have to take my
word for it. My first rendezvous with this wine was
with a friend who is in the business (or "ITB") who proclaimed
it "delicious" as we polished off a bottle on his lanai. The
second encounter was with my friend (a med school resident,
definitely not "ITB") who flipped for its "crazy uniqueness."
The third time it was a supporting player in a romantic
dinner-date; with its myriad complexities and verve it paired
perfectly with a lovingly homemade spaghetti-carbonara.
Finally, I
couldn't help but open a bottle one night at "Crush U" (our
weekly staff tasting and education forum).
The group flipped, and four of
the junior staff members named it the best white wine they'd
had since working at Crush. This accolade is truly
saying something, given the caliber of bottles that Managing
Partner Bob Schagrin shares with the staff.
So what's
the wine like? While flirting most closely with qualities of
Chenin and Riesling (as suggested above), the wine is also
obviously neither. It shows a
deep golden color matched to an unparalleled richness on the
nose, despite the fact that it is clearly a dry wine.The
amount of body and concentration is shocking given that the
wine is nearly bone dry with only 2 g/l residual sugar.
I've
combined my tasting notes, with various impressions from all
my multiple occassions with this wine.
"The
body, structure, and richness of the palate meld with a
multi-layered apple, peach-apricot, stonefruit heaven, with
simultaneous notes of floralality and buttery pecan.
There are also slight candied notes of grapefruit, green apple
Jolly Rancher and light muscat-esque banana. I've been told to
mention quince and wisteria, though I'm not sure what either
of these smell or taste like. On the third bottle the word
'braised' kept coming to mind."
"This
potpourri of smells and tastes occurs on a frame of zippy
underlying acidity that demands a bit of a decant to reveal
all of the colors in the kaleidoscope." Seriously:
This wine showed best after a
decant of 2-3 hours!
At "Crush U"
a staff member declared it "a Willy-Wonka wine, one that
impossibly contains all the elements of the other white wines
that I've had and liked."
This is a
wine that is just so compelling, and just so unique, that I
encourage all to try one (or four!) bottles whether it be
with
raclette
or on your porch on a late summer evening.
Unfortunately, this will be
your only chance to pounce on the exceptional 2005 "R":
With only 500 cases made for the world each year, and the
savvy Swiss likely consuming 400 of the 450 that leave the
winery, there is simply not enough wine to go around to every
worthy recipient.
Due to this
incredibly small quantity, it is with reluctance that we must
impose a 6-bottle
limit per customer (that's how many I will personally
be taking to cellar).
To secure your
bottles of "R", please reply to this email or call (212)
980-9463 ASAP.
Tom Stephenson
General Manager
Crush Wine & Spirits
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