Come join us for a fabulous wine and food pairing evening at Bodega Restaurant on Sunday, May 15th.

Our old friend Franck Léonor, owner of Les Cuvées du Firmament in the Minervois area of the Languedoc-Roussillon will be visiting us then. And, coincidently, the latest shipment of his smashing wines will just have been released by the LCBO. What a perfect excuse for a grand repast! Here is what Bodega patron Paul Biggs and I have conjured up for the evening -

Franck, Hélène, your hard-working taster and Oncle André

Franck Léonor and Les Cuvées du Firmament
Here’s a little background. We met Franck several years ago at a trade show held at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes (this wine importing business is most onerous). Franck’s family acquired the marvellously situated vineyard, house and outbuildings, which had been deserted for years, in 1956. Since then they have patiently rebuilt and restored the buildings and property now comprising almost 75 acres of prime vineyards.

Even though he grew up in a winemaking family, Franck first chose a career in academia, becoming a teacher in Bordeaux. But the call of the Minervois and the allure of creating something very special proved irresistible. So, a few years ago Franck returned to the family estate near the village of Siran (and only a few kilometres from Minerve, the capital of the Cathars) in the best part of the Minervois called Minervois-la-Livinière to rejoin his mother Marie Alice and uncles André and Antoine. Oncle André is an expert stonemason whose handiwork can be seen throughout the estate. Among Oncle Antoine’s many talents is his ability to speak the ancient language of Oc.

Their vineyard is situated on a hillside of clay and chalky soil that enjoys more than three hundred days of sunshine each year. The old vines are bathed in the glorious scents of the surrounding garrigue (wild asparagus, thyme, rosemary, maritime pines and evergreen oaks). The grape varieties are typical of great Languedoc wines - Syrah, Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault. The Léonors do everything the old fashioned way when it comes to tending the vines and making the wines and are in the process of converting to organic farming. Yields are kept low through disbudding and summer thinning (vendange en vert). Harvesting is done completely by hand, the grapes are destemmed, traditional vinification methods are followed and the premium wines are partly aged in French oak for twelve to fifteen months. Incidentally, “Firmament” means the arch or vault of the skies – alluding to the over-reaching, mystical character of these fine wines.

Featuring the Three Celestial Reds from Les Cuvées du Firmament
We have selected three smashing wines for your dining pleasure – the 2009 Cuvée Horizon, the 2009 Cuvée Sky and the amazing 2007 Cuvée Star.

Please don’t be leery about wines from the Minervois. Numerous superb wines are now being made there (including these of course) and it is widely recognized as a source of many great values. The grape varieties are the same as in other better known viticultural areas of southern France and new investors are rejuvenating the old, well-situated properties.

2009 Cuvée Horizon – 13.5% Alc./Vol.
This wonderful little sipper is made from 100% Grenache that was hand-picked from relatively young vines. The bunches were destemmed and the grapes hand-sorted before being gently crushed and beginning the fermentation process. It rested a year in cement tanks and saw no oak. This Vin de Pays de l’Hérault is a medium ruby colour and offers up tantalizing aromas of ripe red berries, rosemary and new leather. It is surprisingly smooth in the mouth, possessing excellent, pure, fresh fruit and structure with very nice, soft tannins.

2009 Cuvée Sky – 14.0% Alc./Vol.
This absolutely delicious AOC Minervois red is made from 55% Syrah and 45% Cinsault, all hand-picked and meticulously processed in the usual Léonor manner. The yield is modest 45 to 50 hectolitres per hectare. This is a real ‘terroir’ wine that beautifully expresses the purity and freshness of the fruit. It is a brilliant deep red with an intense nose of black and red fruit, southern France spices and saddle leather. Flavours of black currants, raspberries, strawberries and plums persist in the mouth. It is full, round, complex and amazingly long.

2007 Cuvée Star – 15.0% Alc./Vol.
This AOC Minervois Cru La Livinière is crafted from 75% Syrah and 25% Grenache (selected during two hand harvests to ensure the grapes had reached optimum maturity) from old vines with a yield of less than thirty hectolitres per hectare. And, it is from the stellar 2007 vintage. The juice was held in fermentation tanks for three to five weeks and the wines were aged in French oak barrels (60% new and 40% used once) for a year. This dark purple elixir has a pronounced nose of cassis, raspberry preserve, old leather, dark chocolate, minerals and spice. It is massive, round and very smooth in the mouth with a beautiful tannic structure. The taste of black currants is joined by mocha and pepper which continue right through the very long finish.

And, a Very Strong Supporting Cast That Includes:

2007 Crémant de Limoux Blanc de Blancs - 12.5% Alc./Vol.
A delightful fizz to commence the festivities. This Blanc de Blancs is made from Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. It is a real mouthful … of fine and festive bubbles. This new addition to the Rives-Blanques range of sparkling wines is crisp, clean and refreshing; made the same way as Champagne. Jancis Robinson says, “Pungent nose. Very tight bead. Fine in texture and just a whiff of Chenin. Quite delicate, more than a nod to the Loire.”

2007 Clairette de Languedoc Blanc - Vieilles Vignes - 13.0% Alc./Vol.
Starting the dinner off in fine form, this lovely white is made from old Clairette du Languedoc Blanc, the grapes are all hand picked and destemmed, pressed and left in contact with the skins for a very short time. It receives traditional vinification on its lees (28% in new oak and 72% in stainless steel tanks). Total production is only 8,000 bottles. A full-bodied, fresh and very clean white wine with tantalizing aromas of butter, toasted bread, almonds and citrus fruit. Very smooth, it finishes with a nice citrus aftertaste. Declared a ‘1er Grand Vin’ and given five stars by Guide Dussert-Gerbert.

1994 Vintage Port – Duff Gordon – Osborne – 20.5% Alc./Vol.
From the classic 1994 vintage, this wine presents a fitting end to a delightful evening. 'Highly Recommended' by England's Decanter magazine. Their tasting panel described the wine as a Port with a fat nose and very soft, plump palate. Easy tannins come through on the finish and the fruit flavour is clean, with all the right attributes.

The Site of the Festivities
We knew where to go to find exactly the right cuisine to match Franck’s marvellous Minervois wines and a place in keeping with the discerning tastes of our wine club members – the newly redecorated Bodega Restaurant. As you can see, Paul Biggs was more than up to the task and as the result a very special evening awaits. The price for absolutely everything is $140 per person. Please call Bodega at (416) 977-1287 to make your reservations (have your favourite credit card ready). Bodega is at 30 Baldwin Street in Toronto, not too far from the AGO.

Hélène and I look forward to seeing you at ‘A Minervois Evening’ at Bodega on May 15th. With the help of Paul Biggs, his great staff along with Franck Léonor, we promise to make it a very special evening.

Please pass this invitation on to others you feel would enjoy a grand wine and food pairing event.

Many thanks and cheers,

Jim & Hélène
www.arthursellers.com
jaswalker@arthursellers.com
hbuisson@ofrance.ca