Aloha All:

Some extra cases of Beaux Freres 2005 have arrived on our doorstep, way out here in the middle of the Pacific --- a late-season gift from Mike Etzel -

AJ

 

Beaux Freres 2005:  Wine Spectator:  93 Points (May 31, 2007). "Firm in texture at first, but then blossoms into a panorama of flavors, fanning out its raspberry cream flavors and hinting at floral, mineral, green tea and Asian spice notes as the finish picks up steam. Not a big wine, but has many layers to explore."

Beaux Freres and the 2005 Vintage

Often we read these winery vintage notes and wonder if there is ever a difficult vintage anywhere. It seems as though every vintage, year in and year out, is the best vintage that anyone at the winery can remember. How is this possible? Has the challenging vintage gone the way of the $2.00 gallon of gas? Have modern viticulture, winemaking, and years of experience rendered the challenging vintage obsolete? Or are our memories too short and jaded by ceaseless marketing clamor? Actually we believe all of these things to be true in varying degrees, but would ask you to consider this thought for a moment.

Does a challenging vintage necessarily equate to a mediocre wine?  While the best things in life may be free they are definitely not always easy.

Could it be that somewhere in the midst of adversity something really good or even great might emerge? If nothing else, perhaps the attributes and qualities that define a vintage as unique are forged.

In Mike Etzels’ opinion 2005 was a challenging vintage – And yet one of which he is extremely proud. Following a sometimes stressful growing season; the set was less than perfect, the threat of mildew high, he persevered and finally things settled down. By the end of August a promising, slightly late harvest seemed to be at hand.  September brought mild daytime temperatures and chilly nights. The weather was excellent for ripening, although very slow. On September 30th, with a mere 10% of their harvest completed they got their first real rain. This was followed by day after day of cool, damp drizzle. Optimistic forecasts of warmer, sunny weather failed to materialize, only to be reforecast to the same end. Michael waited, spirits began to dim; doubt began to creep in.

As the color of the vineyard canopy changed so did the color of everybody’s hair, the leaves to yellow, theirs to grey.

Finally they began to see signs of botrytis – the waiting game was up. The plants had given ‘em all they could and now it was the winery’s turn. The chemistry revealed the lowest sugars in 7 years. At this point, he couldn’t say that he did not consider abandoning their naturalistic approach by taking advantage of modern technical procedures. But Michael stuck to his (and Parker’s) principles, and we are all glad they did. These wines have far surpassed anybody’s expectations. Although the sugars were modest, the phenolic maturity of these wines was outstanding, giving them great balance, purity, and presence. These wines are, as always a reflection of a time and place, made all the more unique by the idiosyncrasies of the season. This vintage was a challenge, but Michael thinks that all of the effort was worth it. Ultimately you are the final arbiter. Taste these wines, decide for yourself....

 

The Winemaking

Please remember that Beaux Freres uses very traditional vinification techniques in the cellar. They do not fine or filter their wines before bottling. In addition they use the lowest possible levels of sulphur in their wines. To achieve this Michael intentionally leaves higher concentrations of carbon dioxide, (CO2) in his wines when he bottles. CO2 is a by-product of fermentation and functions as a natural preservative protecting the delicate aromas and purity of fruit. If you are planning to drink these wines within two to three years from the vintage date, I suggest a decanting for air as this quickly dissipates the CO2 and allows the wine to open. 

 

The Wines

#4243   2005 Beaux Freres Pinot Noir  -  6 btl case  -  $61.50 per bottle / $369.00 per case

This wine is made from fruit grown on the original estate vineyard. It consists primarily of Pommard & Wadenswil clones on their own roots planted between 1988 and 1995. Mike Etzel farms organically, does not irrigate, and is beginning to follow the path of Biodynamic farming.

After 16 vintages it would seem easy to compare the 2005 with a previous year, but it is actually quite difficult. They have had vintages where the wines are delicate, light, and feminine. And in other years the wines are powerful, rich, and dense. 2005 appears to be a blend of both styles. The color is dark ruby with plenty of purple highlights. The nose is very extroverted and shows no intention of shutting down. At present the wine reveals pure blue and black fruits, (primarily black cherries, raspberries, and a hint of blackberries) along with tell-tale beet root, earth and herb notes. In the mouth the wine is rich and full bodied, yet displays a lighter, more delicate finish. It is somewhat of a paradox that such an intense wine could also be light on its feet, but that is the style of this vintage. Michael believes that this season’s unique growing conditions gave him the ideal grapes to produce a wine with impeccable balance in acidity, alcohol, tannin, and depth of fruit.   2700 Cases Produced.

Aloha,

Alan