Winning Winemaker Words

I'm always pleasantly surprised when I meet someone once and they remember me on our second meeting.

But I'm dumbfounded when I meet someone once and they don't just remember me, they write me a lovely e-mail a few weeks later, referencing the evening we met, sharing information and anticipating our next meeting.

Such was the case when I just received an e-mail from Jean Francois Coquard of Tenuta Mazzolino, the winemaker I'd met at Enoteca Sogno's wine dinner back at the beginning of the month.

I'd enjoyed his company at dinner (being the only single diner) and his wines were a delightful discovery for me, so naturally I'd blogged the occasion.

He was full of appreciation for the attention, notably, he wrote, because I'd done it in such a "personal and friendly" way.

Actually, I think personal and friendly just happens to be my style, but still, it was a gracious compliment, among others.

He was most excited about today's degorgement of their new Mazzolino Brut Rose, a sparkling rose made with Pinot Noir, after 18 months in bottles.

I was most excited to be promised details of his Asian trip and his sincere hope that we would dine again when he returns to Richmond.

I can only hope to make such a good first impression with any interesting man I meet.

Holding the Red Bull at Enoteca Sogno

How many winemakers can I meet in eleven days?

Two, apparently, and tonight it was the delightful Jean Francois Coquard from Tenuta Mazzolino at Enoteca Sogno's wine dinner. Youngest of six siblings, by the time he was old enough to make wine, all the older ones had claimed the family vineyards, so Jean moved to Italy to stake his claim.

Tonight we enjoyed the fruits of his labor and they were excellent.

We started with a Chardonnay "Camara" with absolutely no oak, so it was fresh and fruity tasting and paired with smoked trout with apples and arugula. More than one person said it didn't even taste like chardonnay, it was that good.

Next was Bonard "Mazzolino" Oltrepo Pavese, their native grape and highly tannic...until you sipped it with the Gorgonzola, salami and Tallegio with fig jam that accompanied it. Then it was pure heaven.

Then came the Pinot Nero "Terrazze," the perfect match for the best minestrone with pancetta and Parmasean/Reggiano that anyone in the room had ever tasted. It was such a great dish for a fall night and the young wine matched it beautifully.

We finished with a 2004 Pinot Nero "Noir" Oltrepo Pavese that smelled so amazing that everyone spent the first ten minutes just inhaling all that beautiful aroma. Eventually, we started drinking it with a risotto with butternut squash and everyone wanted more of this wine. Even those not much a fan of Pinot Noir were blown away by it, and no one was surprised to learn that it was recently rated the top Italian Pinot Noir. It was the one to buy.

Jean was charming, sharing stories about his vineyard, his siblings (one brother makes wine in Wisconsin. Yes, Wisconsin), his hectic travel schedule (an upcoming trip to Singapore and Japan) and the details on how early his harvest came in this year (September 5th!).

He was downright hysterical describing his first Red Bull (my condolences) and first tofu sausage (the visual alone was priceless). More importantly, his French accent and phrasing made listening to him a real pleasure, second only to his extraordinary wines.

A girl could get used to that combination.