On Thursday, Stephane Tissot of the Domaine Andre and Mirielle Tissot in the Jura region of France (one of my absolute favorite wine regions in France) will be tasting his wonderful wines at the new wine bar Racines, located at 94 Chambers Street east of Church Street. This event is $100, which is not inexpensive, but is totally worth the price. Don’t wait – these events often sell out really quickly. Please see www,chambersstwines.com for more information on what wines and foods will be served.
Stephane Tissot in his Jura vineyards.
Racines is a new wine bar that’s about to open in Tribeca. David Liilie, an owner of Chambers Street Wines (one of my very favorite wines stores in all of NYC), has joined forces with David Lanher of the popular Parisian bistros Racines and Racines 2, for this exciting new venture. Racines in NYC will be a French farm-to-table restaurant and wine bar that is scheduled to open on April 16th according to the website. Another partner is sommelier Arnaud Tronche, who is rumored to have brought the two Davids together. The chef is Frederic Duca, who was awarded a Michelin Star at L’Instant d’Or in Paris. For more information, please visit http://www.racinesny.com.
The Jura in France produces some of the most interesting wines around. The whites are mostly made with the Chardonnay and Savagnin grapes, and often made in an oxidative style that somewhat resembles sherry. I think the white wines from Jura are terrific, but are definitely made for pairing with food. These are not sipping wines. The main red grapes are: (1) Poulsard (which is lighter-bodied and great in the summer for those who still need to drink red wine like me); (2) Trousseau – a mostly medium-bodied red wine that is also known as Bastardo in Portugal according to DNA testing and (3) Pinot Noir.
Thank you, Wink Lorch, for your wonderful new book: “Jura Wine: with Local Food and Travel Tips”.
Stephane Tissot’s wines are some of the most popular wines from the Jura region. His estate is 35 hectares in total and certified biodynamic by Demeter. They are very dedicated to the idea that soils in which the grapes are grown must be healthy, chemical-free and to allow natural yeast fermentations. The Domaine of Benedicte and Stephane Tissot produces an unbelievable diversity of wines, ie., over 28 different cuvees: (1) thirteen different white wines made with Chardonnay, Savagnin, Traminer, and various white blends; (2) five different red wines made with Poulsard, Trousseau and Pinot Noir; and (3) Cremants du Jura, i.e., sparkling wines made the same way as Champagne – these are a terrific value – their top of the line I believe is the Indigene, which sells for about $30 (I drank this with my bestie when I beacame a great aunt last summer). There are also various and assorted Vin Jeunes and Macvins, which are more specialized wines. Please see http://www.stephane-tissot.com for more information.
These wonderful wines are imported in the NYC area by Camille Riviere Selections, who has a really great portfolio of natural wines from France. Camille’s portfolio isn’t huge, but certainly packs a punch. Not only does she bring in these great Tissot wines, she also brings in the amazing Cab Francs of Patrick Corbineau (hopefully more on this later) and Clos Fantine Faugeres. Both winemakers make terrific wines.
Enjoy!
Brooklyn Wine Geek
Brooklyn Wine Geek 