Extract of article written by Kerin O'Keefe, american winewriter who has lived in Italy since 1989, and tracks both the Italien and French wine scenes (2D Quarter 2008).
This article has been written for the magazine "The Wine News" (294.000). This article is also available on the web : www.thewinews.com.
Read the extract of the article
Chantal Michel-Tortochot
"C'est un beau métier, très complet, où l'on touche un peu à tout. Même la commercialisation est intéressante, car les gens qui éprouvent de l'intérêt pour les vins sont souvent aussi intéressants". Elle n'a aucun regret d'avoir, à 30 ans, chamboulé sa vie de mère de famille, épouse de médecin, cadre de gestion dans l'industrie, pour reprendre le domaine familial, et attaquer du même coup des études oenologiques, "pour ne pas être seulement la fille de mon père". Quatre générations l'avaient précédée dans cette voie !
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The New Wine in Town
From Burgundy and Tuscany , winemakers make their debut in Birmingham.
by Jan Walsh
Winemaker Chantal Tortochot of Burgundy’s Gevrey-Chambertin recently debuted her Pinot Noirs in Birmingham . Continuing her family’s 200-year-old tradition, Tortochot makes wines of exception at her family’s Domaine Tortochot and wins gold and silver awards at the prestigious Paris Exposition.
Morey St. Denis 2003 is a light, fruity small production, single vineyard wine with soft tannins. France ’s Savor Club wanted all 165 cases, but she brought half to the U.S. instead. Gevrey-Chambertin Les Jeunes Rois 2003 offers citrus, strawberry and plum flavours with firm tannins. Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St. Jacques Premier Cru 2002 expresses its terroir and is deep in color with a rich and intense nose of cherries, currants and oak. And Gevrey-Chambertin Champeaux 1999 is medium bodied with blackberry, dark fruit, herbal qualities and Asian spices.
Asked her favorite Pinot, Tortochot respons, “It is like asking which is your favorite child. All are different, but none is a favorite. One wine is full of fresh fruit (cherries and berries) and another is like a walk through a forest with the smell of leaves and mushrooms.” The wines range from $37 to $119 and are available at Hot and Hot Fish Club, Vintage Wine Shoppe and Western in Mountain Brook .
And from Tuscany to Birmingham come the wines of Marco Ba cc i. His modern production methods and management practices gave new birth to Castello di Bossi. Since buying the historic 9 th Century estate in 1982 (located in Castelnuovo Berardenga, the southernmost part of Chianti Classico), Ba cc i has implemented new technological innovations while embracing the terroir.
For his low production wine Castello di Bosso Corbaia 2000 IGT - a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc, which is vinified in wood and remains in oak for two years before bottling - he demanded a longer cork (37mm x 24 mm). This required two tons of pressure, but comes with his guaranteed that the wine will not be corked for 50 years.