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On this edition of NOLADrinks from November 3, 2016, it’s wall-to-wall guests! We welcome Henri Bungener of Le Clos de Caveau, Leora Madden of Pearl Wine Co., Jeff Runquist of Jeff Runquist Wines, Jack Jalenko of Partners Wine, Liam Deegan of Barrel Proof, and Darrin Ylisto of Sylvain. Of course, they’re not all on at the same time…
Pictured Above (from left) – Bryan Dias of NOLADrinks, Leora Madden of Pearl Wine Co., and Henri Gungener of Le Clos de Caveau.
NOLADrinks – November 3, 2016 Summary – Le Clos de Caveau, Runquist Wines, and “At the Bar”
Right off the top Leora and Henri join the show to talk about Henri’s family-run winery, Le Clos de Caveau, located in the Southern Rhone region of Vacqueyras. The winery was purchased by Henri’s father in the 70’s from a famous figure in the wine world (if you’ve seen Bottle Shock or, better yet, know the real story of the “Judgment of Paris” in 1976, the name “Steven Spurrier” will mean something…) Producing red wines made primarily from Grenache, as is the case with most in the region, Henri shares the interesting terroir they have. Also, we discuss how his father was pioneer in organic wine-growing in the region, a process he carries on today. Of course, we taste a couple wines, which are truly excellent, balanced, and showing wonderful acidity – ideal for New Orleans’ (or many other places’) cuisine. The wines are also a nice value and can be found at Pearl Wine Co. (see the map below.)
From the Old World to the New, we then welcome Jeff Runquist (at left) of Jeff Runquist Wines along with Jack Jalenko (at right) of Partners Wine, which represents Jeff’s wines in the area. The winery is located in the Plymouth area of California’s Amador County – part of the larger Sierra Foothills wine region. We discuss Jeff’s approach to winemaking that begins with working with independent growers from around the state to source the fruit he wants to use in the program. In some instances, he works with diverse varietals such as Tannat, Charbono (which is also known as Bonarda or Douce Noir), and Petit Verdot (as a single varietal wine.) We taste the Petit Verdot and Jeff’s Petite Sirah, as well.
Lastly, we are joined by Liam Deegan (at right) of Barrel Proof and Darrin Ylisto (center) of Sylvain – both a part of the LeBlanc+Smith Restaurant Group. We kick-off this “At the Bar” segment with some fun #CocktailHero conversation swapping some stories about certain behaviors in the bar. We then move to talk about fall beverages and menu changes, what to drink at the Thanksgiving Day horse races (a popular event in New Orleans) at the track, and we taste a little Calvados.
Below the map that highlights some of the locations mentioned, you can stream, download, and subscribe to the podcast. Cheers, You All!
