Southern France Wine Dinner at Mon Ami Gabi in Bethesda

The wines were presented by Lucien Walsh of Chesapeake Beverage Group, and I believe they were all Kermit Lynch selections. In retrospect, there was probably a bit too much of everything - the food was quite rich and the wine pours were six ounces w/ automatic refills by the staff - but for sheer bang for the buck, this event takes the cake.

Cream of chestnut soup
Petillant de Savoie Quenard NV
This is the first sparkler I've had from Savoie. Pale gold, fine bubbles, yeast and chalk and ripe apple aromas, nice acidity that cut through the thickness of the soup. Very nice, retails for about $17, I would absolutely buy this.

Mache w/ roasted beets and warm, walnut crusted goat cheese
Chateau de Lascaux Blanc Languedoc 2006
Medium gold, the first aroma to occur to me was that petrol-like quality that one finds in reislings, as well as pear and some nutty characteristics that were brought forth when tasted with the walnut crusted goat cheese. $12.

Pan seared trout topped with cured ham, parsley and brown butter
Domaine Fontsainte Corbieres Rose 2007
Fontsainte's website describes the color as "crystaline salmon w/ amethyst hints" but to me it was simply a very bright, clear, intense candy-apple red. The nose was equally intense and bursting with sweet, red fruit followed up by a secondary aroma which was very familiar to me but which I could not name (cotton candy? nail varnish? grape jelly?). The wine then takes a more subtle turn at the palate, which was bright and refreshing and well balanced but more subdued than the nose. This was a wine that you expected to be silly upon sniffing, but that turned out to be an excellent food wine and handled the salty, rich flavors and textures of the ham and trout very nicely. $12

Pate???
Domaine d'Aupilhac 2005
They threw this course in at the last minute, so neither the wine nor the food were on the printed menu and my notes are lacking as to specifics. D'Aupilhac makes several reds, and I'm not sure which this was, although I'm assuming it's one of their Rhone blends and not the single-varietal carignan, cinsault or the bordeaux blend. Leather, leather and more leather. Some chocolate and coffee. And more leather. Smooth and high in alcohol but not obnoxious at all, I usually like my wines a little more rustic but this was very well balanced and gorgeous and I would love to drink more of it.

Seven hour roasted lamb shoulder w/ white beans, garlic and confit tomato petales
Sang des Cailloux Vacqueyras 2006
I was getting close to sensory and stomach overload at this point, but fortunately the wine was rustic enough to cut through the richness of the course. Similar nose to the previous wine, although not as intense. Very nice, I think the $30 retail pricetag is probably fair, although I'm not sure I'd spend it personally.

Warm crepe w/ brandied cherries and creme patisiere
Domain la Tour Vieilles Banyuls
I woudn't have thought that I could possibly stuff anything more down my gullet, and the sheer size of this crepe was daunting in and of itself. However, I rallied and was able to finish half of it, and was glad I did because the cherry flavors in the sauce played well with the banyuls. $25

Lucien was a really enthusiastic presenter, talking not only about the wines but sharing amusing stories of his visits with the winemakers. You can tell he's really passionate about this region.

$55 plus tax and gratuity.

Thanks for this write-up, Kyrstyn.

I just put the crepe on my list for when we pick up another bottle of Banyuls. (We had dinner guests Saturday night and the entire bottle we had on hand was consumed!)

WOW, 6 oz. pours...my kinda event when I'm in the mood to get hammered and have a designated driver.

Truly a lot of food and wine for the dollars. Most wine dinners I attend are in the $65-$75 range and go with slightly smaller pours. The last wine I had from Vacqueras was also quite rustic (a little TOO rustic for me.) I suppose that rustic quality is typical for the region?

Warm crepe w/ brandied cherries and creme patisiere
Domain la Tour Vieilles Banyuls
I woudn't have thought that I could possibly stuff anything more down my gullet, and the sheer size of this crepe was daunting in and of itself. However, I rallied and was able to finish half of it, and was glad I did because the cherry flavors in the sauce played well with the banyuls. $25

Tad surprised at this match but there again, I have come up with some unlikely match-ups!

The last wine I had from Vacqueras was also quite rustic (a little TOO rustic for me.) I suppose that rustic quality is typical for the region?

JC, this prompted me to type "Vacqueras rustic" into google just to see what's out there on the subject, and I found two completely contrasting statements on two wine-store websites:

From J&R Selections: Vacqueyras wines are not as rustic and earthy as Gigondas wines, tending to be fruitier, softer, and finer.

From PJWine.com: Vacqueyras is between Gigondas to the east and Beaumes-de-Venise to the south and the best wines crafted in this AOC tend to be more rustic, concentrated and decidedly more distinctive than their more esteemed neighbors.

You've gotta wonder if some of these people who write this stuff have any idea what they're talking about, and just do so assuming that the majority of the reading public is ignorant. Or maybe it's subjective...I don't know. I guess part of the fun is just finding out for ourselves.

I'll let others argue about the actual differences between Vacqueyras and Gigondas. I don't drink enough of either wine to have a strong opinion but I remember earlier threads on this topic and I think the terroir differences are relatively minimal (in comparison to Nuits St. Georges vs. Chambolle-Musigny for example ) although certain specific vineyards in each appellation may have distinct characteristics.

However, I agree with you that quotes like this are particularly frustrating:

more rustic, concentrated and decidedly more distinctive than their more esteemed neighbors

What the hell does that mean? Nothing.

From J&R Selections: Vacqueyras wines are not as rustic and earthy as Gigondas wines, tending to be fruitier, softer, and finer.

From PJWine.com: Vacqueyras is between Gigondas to the east and Beaumes-de-Venise to the south and the best wines crafted in this AOC tend to be more rustic, concentrated and decidedly more distinctive than their more esteemed neighbors.

J&R Selections is run by J C Mathes, a retired Michigan St. professor who has specialized in importing wines from the S. Rhone. I tend to like his selections and respect his judgment. As always, though, to answer this question one needs to ask which Vacqueyras and which Gigondas you are comparing. On the basis of the Gigondas that J&R brings in, I'd suggest that they are earthier and more rustic than all but a few CdPs, too. There are comparatively fewer top quality producers in Vacqueyras, so I'd guess that on the whole that AOC produces simpler, lighter, more forward wines than Gigondas. I don't have the breadth of experience to state that as my opinion, though. From the perspective of terroir there's little difference and the mix of grapes that goes in is essentially the same, though Vacqueyras AOC permits a slightly higher percentage of Grenache than does Gigondas.

Mark Lipton