Kysela!

We're doing a tasting tonight at 7 with one of the representatives from Fran Kysela Pere et Fils (Father & Sons), a well-reputed wine importer.

Kysela originally worked as the national sales manager for importer Kermit Lynch before starting his own import firm, which American wine critic Robert Parker has praised for his dedication to demanding accurate, terroir-driven wines without intervening in the wineries stylistic vision.

Kysela is very proud of what he does. On his website is a running total of the wine he's sold during his career. Through 2008, the figure stands at a little under $192 million for his 26 year career, a respectable figure though far short of his stated goal of $1 billion in sales.

Paul has worked with Fran Kysela for over 12 years, including a trip to Argentinian wine country in August 2008. If his name is on the back of the bottle, I know it is going to be something special and it will not break the bank. While he does represent several high-end, collectible wines, he is best known for value. The fact that he is a Master Sommelier shines through the entire portfolio.

Guillaume Pourtalet, regional manager from Kysela Pere et Fils, will be presenting the arrival of the 2007 Rhone's, arguably the best vintage of our lifetime. Mark Grundy of Golden Barrel will also be on hand.

If you're interested in coming, we still have some spots left. The tasting is free but we ask a 2 bottle minimum purchase. Call 573-442-2207 for reservations.

Liveblogging Noah Earle; '07 St. Cosme Cotes-du-Rhone

Noah Earle is finishing up the night for the BlueBird Festival here at Top Ten. He has something of a cult following around town and from the music he's making I can certainly understand why. He's very folksy and expressive and the acoustics here are excellent.

Paul pointed me to the 2007 Cotes-du-Rhone from Saint Cosme ($17), a 100% syrah wine made for the Gigondas firm of Louis and Cherry Barruol. The grapes for the 2006 vintage were mostly declassified Gigondas fruit, with some fruit from Vinsobres and Rasteau. To my knowledge the 2007 blend is the same. Parker is a big fan of Louis Barruol, a winemaker/negociant who learned winemaking at university and in his father's business. The Barruol wines are fairly sought after, typically being made from fruit culled from old vines, with long macerations, barrel fermentations, and bottling unfiltered.

That being said, the wine is really excellent. It's chewy and soft and really aromatic, with a lot of dense black fruit. Parker gives a 90 and I can see why; I think it's as good as most of the wine in the region and should be able to stand up to most of the wines of Chateauneuf, etc.

We'll be tasting a bunch of Rhones on Thursday, the 20th; I know there's some Cote-Rotie and Chateauneufs in the lineup. Paul's particularly excited about the wines from Domaine de la Mordoree. Hope you can make it!