I was recently in Boise for the annual harvest party, hosted by Boise Co-Op wine guru and good friend Divit Cardoza.  There was lots of great wine and amazing local food, prepared by Divit and the 50-plus friends who gathered under a perfectly clear sky that evening.
 
If it wasn't for the impressive collection of wines on the table, I might have spent the whole evening hovering next to the special "china box" roaster, where Divit was cooking three whole pork legs, or perhaps sampling the excellent local organic chickens slathered with a homemade barbecue sauce of red wine and heirloom tomatoes...but like I said, there were a lot of wines to be tasted, including a good many from North Berkeley Wine.  Everyone at the party contributed a bottle or two, and it was an interesting, if not eclectic, mix.  Magnums of German Rieslings, plenty of California Cabernets, great bottles of cru Beaujolais, dozens of bottles of Champagne, and lots of older Burgundies.  Not exactly the sort of environment for a "serious" tasting, but that wasn't the point.  We were all there to have fun and celebrate the end of the harvest season, in true pagan style.
 
Two bottles that I enjoyed comparing that evening were village Chambolles from the 2001 vintage -- Anne Gros' Chambolle "La Combe d'Orveau" and Michel Magnien's Chambolle "Les Fremières".  Since we were celebrating the natural order of things and cycles of the seasons, it seemed to me, in a brief moment of philosophical contemplation (great barbecue will do that) how complementary yet how different -- how yin and yang? -- these two Chambolles were.
 
Both had the characteristic Chambolle aromas that one would expect, but that's where the similarities ended.  Gros' wine was all angles and poise, with chiseled Pinot fruit and a lighter, more refined profile.  I think that in many cases, purists would say this is "classic" Chambolle, but maybe almost too perfect.  Magnien's, in contrast, was a meatier Chambolle, a much more concentrated wine -- layered and deliciously youthful.  When comparing the two, it was as if Gros showed up in a well-tailored suit, while Magnien sported jeans and cowboy boots.
 
Perhaps it was because we were at an informal event, but without taking an official poll I sensed that most of the partygoers preferred the sensual appeal of the Magnien "Fremières".  Yet I was torn between the two.  It was interesting to reflect on the influence of the grower/winemaker on each of these village Chambolles. Fred Magnien, who makes wines with his dad Michel, clearly prefers denser fruit, more texture and has a more laissez-faire approach in the cellar.  Gros, on the other hand, has a more controlled and "clean" style (this is not a cellar where you spit on the floor), a lighter approach that produces fresh and elegant -- yes, feminine -- Chambolles.
 
Unsurprisingly both these bottles were emptied quickly, despite the casual yet lively discussion around the fire pit.  I'm curious to look at more recent vintages of these two wines, to see if the comparisons hold.  We currently have both the 2006 and 2007 vintage of both Chambolles in stock, for your own side-by-side tastings.

Friday, September 25, 2009/ By David Hinkle