Nothing is better than to share a good bottle of wine with a friend after a great busy day of work. 

Last Saturday night, after the staff left, my friend Ed and I opened a Marimar Estate Pinot Noir Don Miguel Vineyard Christina 2002 unfiltered from the California Russian Valley. Wow, it was good! We opened the bottle and poured some in the appropriate Pinot Noir Riedel glass. Honestly, it was one of my favorite Pinot from the US that I had. I had this bottle in my cellar for many years and never really had the reaction to pull it and open it. Finally I did. The bottle was unfiltered and was revealing amazing aromas of caramel, beurre noisette, and almost over riped black fruits. The tannin were very soft, a very easy drink at midnight. What better way to end a great day at work with some great discussions. 

More, more and more…. Wine and Friends goes hand in hand. Wine is made to share, not keep for ever in a cellar or basement. The day is today on being special. Don’t wait to long, life go by fast, enjoy it the maximum you can, especially with a glass of wine.

Cedric Fichepain

Owner of Le Voltaire Restaurant and WineInStock.com

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I just received today a gift from a friend of mine who came back from France recently. He and his wife had the chance to visit some common friends in Paris, and went to visit some Chateauneuf du Pape vineyards during the same stay.

VIEUX MARC DU CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE.

Before that, I only knew about their white and red Chateauneuf, but never heard about a marc. A marc is actually an Eau de Vie, its production is done with the pomace (solid remains of grape after the juice pressing and contains the seeds, the skins and the pulp). It is than distilled in copper still twice and is cellared in wood barrels for 5 years.. In this case,  the gapes used are Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault. The color is light brown.

I opened it and tasted it, and the first bursting aromas in my mouth was liquorice. It also had flavors of spices and dry raisins. I am usually not a big fan of after drinks and it was very tasty.

Even being a big fan of Chateauneuf du Pape wines, I never heard of this products. But to be honest, it makes sense. Making wine is like cooking, you get a much as you can of the products you work with. After just a few research, I found out that every wine regions and subregions have a marc or eau de vie based on grapes. The other known one are made with fruits like, apple (Cavados), Pear (Poire Williams)…

In the States you might know better the Italian Grappa. Well, let’s say this Marc of Chateauneuf to Pape, is a lot smoother than the Grappa.

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I was for the Saints, the remaining of my family for the Colts. My friends at the party were split 50/50. One thing we all agree on was what to drink.

Menu:Lucky Bucket lager beer to start, Guigal Hermitage 1999, Duckhorn Merlot 2006 and Louis Jadot Nuits Saint Georges 2001.

WOW! I tell you. They were amazing.

The Guigal had a 90 points from Robert Parker and 93 points from the Wine Spectator. It was perfect to drink. It started just to have this dust flavor that every aged wine have in general. The color was purple to brown and reminded me more of a Bordeaux. We drank it in a Riedel glass, and the aromas were changing and evoluting every seconds. Black fruits, a hint of guava and full earthiness. A beauty.

The Duckorn Merlot got a 90 points from Parker, 92 points from the Wine Enthusiast. That was a big change from the Hermitage. Powerful American (14.5% alcohol) it had plenty of fruits forward, with an almost total black color. With a very ripe tannin, this wine was full of red fruits and spices. An absolute beauty, but a glass of it is almost enough.

I bought the Nuits Saint Georges 7 years ago and decided to forget about it. Well, what a nice surprise to discover it again. It had a deep color with ripe and quite strong red fruits and toasted bread flavors. This Côte de Nuits had the perfect age. Its spices and tannins were dancing in perfect harmony. (I am very happy, I have 5 bottles left in my cellar.)

It was a very nice Super Bowl, and great wines in honor of the Saints!

Cedric Fichepain

Owner of Le Voltaire Restaurant and WineInStock.com

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As a restaurant tour, I enjoyed visiting ”Le Boucher”  for all their diverse meat, “Le poissonier” for its fresh fish off the boat less than 12 hours ago, or “le Boulanger” for the mouthwatering smell of bread at the bakery. But there is also the wine area who can take sometime more than 3 aisles. This is a Mecca for me, where you can find everything you want at any budget. But I find most of my thrills checking the bottom of the shelves where cheaper wines are located. I am looking for wines who have been awarded medals at different fairs (Concours General). They can come from every regions in France. Not all of them are great, but you can find some great buys for less than 3 Euros. Those wines are more affordable because they are coming from little producers who not spend their capital in marketing dollars.

Wine is a Institution in France, we drink everyday a glass with our meal. We need affordable and tasty wine for our daily consumption! Next time you are in France, be adventurous! I gave you the map for this hidden treasurers. On you way out, pick up some unknown cheese as well and a nice crusty baguette. You will be in heaven for less than 6 Euros!

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I stumbled this evening on this very funny cartoon. It reminded me right away of the controversy of 7 years ago when France refused to enter in the Iraq war.

It was not a fun time for the restaurant and pretty much in general. I was receiving hate mail and threats. People were boycotting French wine and dumping them in the sewer, what a waste!!!

But let’s not get into politic, I want this blog to be about wine, food and fun. Wine should be about sharing!

Thanks to the movie “Bottle Shock”, Château Montelena Chardonnay 1973 crossed the border and showed the rest of the world that European Wines were not any more the masters of the world. Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, as we know today are in the front fight in offering excellent products. So many choices, so many different grapes, so many different countries…..

Wines should be enjoyed without borders, sizes, colors, or origins!

Cedric Fchepain Onwer Le Voltaire Restaurant and www.WineInstock.com

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This type of adventure (because it is really one, when you taste wine like this) is priceless. I am already very spoiled being in the restaurant and wine industry, but when you get the chance to try the wine Stars of the world, I will take a 2 minutes break in the middle of New Year Eve rush…..

Cedric Fchepain Onwer Le Voltaire Restaurant and www.WineInstock.com

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More blogs will follow, to keep you updated to what in going on with our vines.

Cedric Fchepain Onwer Le Voltaire Restaurant and www.WineInstock.com

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Last night, Nebraska’s newest brewery, The Lucky Bucket Brewing Company unveiled their first offering, Lucky Bucket Pre-Prohibition Lager. This lager, bursting with flavor, will be widely available on tap over the next few days at bars throughout the metro.

At a kickoff party held last night at the venerable Dundee Dell, brewmaster, Zac Triemert greeted both Dell regulars and well wishers with a broad smile. That smile was highly justified. This was the culmination of years of hard work and planning. It was a rousing success.

I think the only disappointment was from those who had to leave the party early to watch Creighton play arch-rival Southern Illinois at the Qwest Center. The Bluejays stunning come from behind OT win may have mitigated the pain… maybe.

What’s next for Lucky Bucket? In the coming months, expect to see an IPA (India Pale Ale). And just over the horizon are oak aged brews, like the much anticipated Concentrated Evil. Plus, with the new bottling assembly soon coming on line, we’ll be able to bring home Lucky Bucket in convenient six-packs.

In the mean time, march down to your favorite watering hole and ask for a “bucket”. If they don’t have it yet…find another favorite watering hole.

Visit www.wineinstock.com

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I was lucky enough to join some of my French friends in celebrating Christmas Eve. One of them had the foresight to pack a 1997 Edmond Cornu & Fils’ Savigny-Les-Beaune in his checked baggage and spirit it across the pond from Paris.

Let’s stop here and say that subsequent googleing has brought to my attention that this particular wine is not one of the quintessential great wines of Burgundy, nor even an honorable mention. It’s a village wine. It just happens to be made by a very good winemaker.

In the glass, the wine looked well past it’s prime. The browning extended well beyond the 1/8 inch comfort zone, extending well into the glass. Any color intensity that it might have had was long gone. The words weak/pale came to mind. To say the least, what we saw didn’t bode well. BUT, raise the glass to the nose and the aroma was so bold that each and every one of has the same reaction. Our eyes nearly popped out of our heads. The cherry literally exploded, followed by spice and the scent of violet. This couldn’t be. The color, the brackishness…the nose it didn’t make sense. Could this be magic that is Burgundy?

This one bottle has jump started my quest to 1) find the wines of Edmond Cornu & Fils here in the US and 2) renew my interest in the Bourgogne.

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