Apr 25, 2010
Robert Smith-Hald and Cuvée Raoul 2006
This being my 100th post here on vinosseur, what better topic than the two things I love: music & wine. And what better day to publish this post – on my birthday!
This video was recorded on the 23rd of April at Café Herman in Leikanger, Norway. It was recorded with my old Nokia, so forgive me, primarily for the audio quality. If English is your language, then skip to 1’25” in the video (the first 1’20” is in Norwegian) for the English intro and dedication.
The artist: Robert Smith-Hald. Born in West Chester County, Pennsylvania into a secluded, nearly self-sufficient religious community called Camphill. Robert’s upbringing, according to him, has definitely shaped his relationship to music quite keenly. His lyrics and melodies reflect who he is and where he comes from. Please also visit his MySpace page.
The wine: 2006 Domaine Le Mazel Cuvée Raoul – Gérald & Jocelyne Oustric have been making wine in the Southern Rhône without the use of sulfur since 1998. The 2006 is a blend of Syrah and Grenache (approx 70/30) spontaneously fermented, macerated for 30 days, stored in cement and then bottled without filtration, fining or the addition of sulfur. One of my favorite wines and one of the most stable natural wines I know. The wine improves for up to 10 days after opening and doesn’t begin to fade until around day 18. I love it!
A very sponty nose with aromas of dark berries lifted by red fruit, farmyard and just enough volatility to make me want to jump up out of my chair and dance! Fantastic concentration and structure, gripping tannins and enough freshness to help get the bottle down in minutes. The 12-12.5% alcohol makes it also quite food friendly.
Enjoy the video!