grange des rouquette viognier

Bobby Kacher's work with small family owned wineries in France regularly rewards us with excellent values. Because he works exclusively in France, he is a specialist. I can't remember every being disappointed with his wine. He works directly with the winemakers, often bringing them up to speed on modern production techniques, but also focuses on small producers who grow their own grapes and make their own wine. All Kacher wines are made by the farmers with usually very limited production (1-4000 cases). Though this kind of work is admittedly changing the old world style, Kacher stays committed to actually preserving the old world tradition of family grown wines by preserving the old techniques of small family wineries while updating them with modern handling, pruning, etc. He does encourage growers to lower the yields and concentrate the wine, which is no wonder that Robert Parker often points to Kacher as one of the most important French wine importers in the world.

I was at a sit-down wine tasting at Union Square Wines with Kacher last fall and had the good fortune to taste an entire flight of over $100 wines. In his words, "I want you to be able to taste, probably for the first time, what a true Bordeaux and a true Burgundy taste like." Since very few of the tasters could actually afford to buy the wines, the tasting was simply an education in what old world wine from small farmed acres in the heart of France tastes like. It was incredible.

Kacher can come off as a pompous son of a bitch to some, but after he guided me around the store, hand picking an entire case of wine for me, I was pretty well smitten. I can't help it. I like his taste. Our palettes must overlap perfectly because I haven't had a Bobby Kacher wine I didn't like yet. I hope it stays that way. Here's to more Kacher wines in the future.

(The Frenglish on the back of this label is particularly good. You know you are drinking the family wine "since five generations" when they haven't hired anyone to grammar check the English.)

Given what I've just said above, this particular wine was in the end "ok." Nothing incredible, but drinkable on a warm Sunday afternoon as I hoped it would be. I'm glad I brought it out from New York for a toast with my brother, Josh, and Keel.

Tasting notes
Color: Young golden with a bit of lemon
Nose: Crisp, steely pear, sweet green apple
Taste: No real fruit in the mouth except some carmelized apple, dry light stone flavor with good acidity.

As we drank through the bottle prior to starting dinner, I noticed more and more a slightly bitter tongue with no real reward. A bit weak on taste overall. The reason for drinking this bottle was simply to get the pallete ready for the bottle of red we opened up next, and before the steak went on the grill. And for that, it's perfect. The acid gets the saliva moving and made me hungry, as it should. This would be great with oysters on the half shell and a crisp caesar salad. Not my favorite Kacher wine, but it worked just fine to fuel pre-dinner conversation.