L'Enoteka Marseille

Wine Bar L’Enoteka


Marseille, France

Visited 16-12-2010

Hello all and welcome to France! Yes that’s right, I have hopped the border and moved out of the land of pasta and tomatoes into the land of cheese, cheese, and well more cheese….plus lots of really good wines. I do of course love my Italian wines, and always will, but my absolute favorite varietal is Pinot Noir, and the Mecca for Pinot Noir is Beaune-Bourgogne (Burgundy). Don’t worry we will get there.

As I sit here it is the 22nd of December and I am on the floor of a train headed from Lyon to Bordeaux to spend the next week in the red wine capital of the world, Bordeaux being the most famous wine region known the planet over-well maybe second to Champagne. The train is small and overfilled, packed in like sardines, but I have plenty of time to reflect on my past few days and enological/culinary adventures.

We begin with the first place I visited to enjoy some Southern French wines the night I arrived in France, wine bar L’Enoteka, which was remarked for being hip well placed and known for having Italian wines as well. This made some sense to me being so close to Italy, but why not represent your own backyard and the great wines of Provence? Well their Italian selections were comprised of a couple bottles tucked away deep down in a dusty corner….great selection. They were all about French wines, and that is totally understandable.

When I found the place I thought they were closed and not in the best part of the city, Marseille overall reminds me of the cleanliness of San Francisco the morning after New Year’s, but worse. The lights in the front were mostly off or very dim, and I only saw one woman in the place behind the counter. She came to the door and opened it and said they were open, and spoke in English, but seemed to be surprised by my presence there. I asked to do a tasting which was agreed upon if I was going to eat, so I said I would have something.

There was no menu for wine and the bottles seemed to be disorganized on the counter, none with cork in, and she began to pour me room temperature whites. In all I tasted 4 wines-3 whites and 1 red- and 2 of the whites were served such, one came out of the wine fridge. I feel like the bottles were almost left over and they were just pouring them off.

1) Causse Marines ‘Zacmau’ Gaillac 2009
A southwestern French wine which was served room temperature. It was not a proper way to serve and I felt it may have suffered also from exposure to oxygen. I was also disappointed to find out it was unknown the varietal that goes into a Gaillac.

2) Jean Paul Brun Jeres Dorees Beaujolais Blanc 2009 (Chardonnay)
Served proper temperature, Chardonnay is becoming more common as the white wine of Beaujolais, which does fall into the South of Bourgogne (Burgundy). Very fruity but subtle, with a warm plump palate. Green apple and candied lemon with no signs of oak influence and more tart crisp acidity. Rocky cement cool minerality was subtle as well.

3) Producer Unknown…Macon Les Clos Rucches 2008
Another Chardonnay, another white served at room temperature. I did not get a chance to really see the bottle and missed the producer. Macon is North of Beaujolais, but still very far South in Burgundy and should deliver riper plumper styles with less mineral and warmer grassy/straw flavors.

4) Beatrice et Pascal Lambert Chinon Les Terrasses 2009
Pure Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley in the Northwest of France. A wine from a region that in my opinion usually delivers good flavors and good qualities. Some may find the Cabernet Franc flavors less than enjoyable, especially compared to the darker fruitier Cabernet Sauvignon.

Bright ruby red color that softens towards the rim with a med+ concentration. The wine is still youthful on edges though with medium tears and some staining. Spicy red berries and graphite minerality have a firm intensity on the nose, backed by tones of green bell peppers and the traditional vegetal tinge. A dry wine with a medium body and a medium finish, which was balanced.

I ate a Rillettes of Oie (Goose) with my wines. It was sold by the jar, which was way too much for 1 person and so I had to abandon the effort about half way through and felt glutton-ish even there.

Overall, not very impressed (1.5 Stars) and would not return. There are much better options in Marseille….like the next wine bar I will right about, ah anticipation. Patience is a virtue, Salute!