Kermit Lynch
Kermit Lynch, author of Adventures on the Wine Route (noted above), opened a retail wine shop in Berkeley, California, in 1972 and later began importing and distributing wines nationwide. Among the noteworthy wines he imports is Domaine Tempier Bandol, which I discovered by reading Adventures and is now one of my favorite wines on earth (a bottle is even featured on the cover of my previous book on Provence, the Côte d’Azur, and Monaco).
“Wine is, above all, pleasure,” notes Lynch, and this tenet is abundantly clear in his writing. Though I’ve not yet met him, I believe his enthusiasm for wine is infectious; when his talented staff members write about wine in the store newsletters, they, too, enthuse with unrestrained pleasure in their tasting notes. The store’s online newsletter, by the way, is fantastic, educational, and somewhat legendary—if you like wine, you will want to subscribe (kermitlynch.com), but you can also read Lynch’s Inspiring Thirst: Vintage Selections from the Kermit Lynch Wine Brochure (Ten Speed, 2004). Nearly all the notes make me want to run out and buy a bottle faster than I can say vin. For example, of the 2007 Château Roûmieu-Lacoste Sauternes Cuvée André, the review states, “I believe that if you don’t drink some of this monumental Sauternes—well, only a masochist would miss the experience this wine provides. It is one of the great bottles of the past few years—an essence of peach, apricot, and orange peel, one of the most delicious things your mouth will ever have the pleasure to contain. A work of art, I say, noble rot and noble sweetness.” And of a 2009 Régis Minet Pouilly-Fumé from the Loire: “You’ll rarely see rounder, plumper Sauvignon Blanc. Thankfully there is freshness and nerve to keep it standing up straight and you have the best of both worlds. This is not quaffin’ Sauv Blanc, it is serious food wine.”
In 1998, Lynch was honored with a Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole; in 2000 he was named Wine Professional of the Year by the James Beard Foundation; and in 2005 he received the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur. In 1998 Lynch purchased Domaine Les Pallières—founded in the fifteenth century and remaining in the Roux family for nearly six hundred years—in Gigondas, Provence, with the Brunier family of Vieux Télégraphe. He and his family live part of the year in Provence, “near enough to Domaine Tempier that I can fill up the trunk of my car whenever I need to.”
Q: When did you first visit France, and what did you find inspiring?
A: My first trip was in 1971. I spent time in Paris and Cassis, and also a lot of time in Salzburg and Barcelona. In all three countries I admired the food and wine cultures.
Q: You often cite your visit to Jean-Baptiste Chaudet’s wine shop in Paris on a trip to France in 1974 as “enlightening.” At the time you had a French vocabulary of about twenty words. How was Chaudet helpful to you, and is his shop still in business?
A: Chaudet’s store is closed, unfortunately, but he taught me that there were great wines in the little-known AOCs (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, the French system of designating, controlling, and protecting the geography and quality of wines, liquors, and foods, notably cheese).
Q: What are some Loire and Chablis wineries that you recommend for visitors, and are reservations necessary?
A: A lot of wineries in Chablis receive visitors. It is best to go and knock on the door. Most will be welcoming, but not Bernard at Domaine Raveneau. He’s closed to the public. In the Loire, same story, but all my producers there will receive visitors. My staff can help, or people can just call or have their hotel arrange for a visit.
Q: Do you often get invited for meals at the homes of winemakers?
A: I am often invited to dine at my producers’ homes and have known some great home cooks like Lulu Peyraud of Domaine Tempier, Gérard Chave, Maguey Brunier, and many others. Some particularly memorable pairings have included bouillabaisse with a cool young red Bandol, leg of lamb with a red Châteauneuf-du-Pape, asparagus with Cheverny, and oysters and grilled sausages with Chablis.
Q: What’s considered your “house wine” at your home, wine that you pour for everyday drinking?
A: I drink white Burgundy often: Pouilly-Fuissé from Domaine Robert-Denogent is a recent favorite around the house. My wife always looks for a glass of Bandol rosé as an apéritif. We drink a lot from my winery, Domaine Les Pallières in Gigondas, which I make to my own taste: a full-bodied red but not heavy, oaky, or aggressive.
Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant is located at 1605 San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley (510 524 1524). Browse the Web site (kermitlynch.com) to search the newsletter archive and to learn more about the wines represented.