Featured User: Daniel Maquin

Daniel Maquin is a French national currently living in Warsaw, Poland. He has a wife and a 5-year-old daughter, Amelia, and before living in Warsaw, they spent 11 years in Paris. He is originally from Toulouse, France, just in between Bordeaux and the Languedoc region. He likes wine, soccer, running, cycling, reading, watching TV shows and going to the movies. Daniel is a Talent Acquisition Manager for an American Corporation in the finance industry in Warsaw. Delectable: What sparked your passion for wine? Daniel Maquin: I guess wine has always been around. My parents both come from wine growing regions (Bordeaux for my mother, Cognac for my father). One of my father’s uncle is a wine grower, my mother’s grandparents were wine merchants in Bordeaux, my grandfather used to be a consultant to wine growers, and close friends of my parents are either owners or wine directors in the Medoc area. There has always been wine at the dinner table while growing up and while it took me sometime to realize it, wine has been part of who I am from the very beginning. I remember tasting Champagne with a finger during New Year’s Eve with my cousins behind our parents' backs or asking for a sip of red Bordeaux on Christmas lunch. When I started working I met a couple of people who encouraged me going deeper into learning wine. A good friend had a wine shop in Pigalle in Paris for a while where I spent very long hours talking about wine and meeting with wine growers. A former colleague, who was a real wine geek, lead me to read absolutely everything I could find about wine, including web forums like “la passion du vin” which is absolutely mind-blowing for the French speakers out there. And I enjoyed watching Mondovino and reading Drops of God like the next guy of course. D: What wine region are you wild about right now? DM: I am in a long-term relationship with Beaujolais because I feel this is the region in France where your chances to buy and taste a masterpiece for a still very reasonable price are the highest. I like that there are wine makers over there who try new things and I respect a lot their craft. The ones like Foillard and Lapierre are my personal heroes, but Mee Godard is up there too. Lately I’ve been looking more into the Veneto wines of Valpolicella. Ripasso and even more so Amarone are really interesting to me. Especially Amarone which can be so different from one bottle to another, from straight forward, thinner wines with tannins to very wide and opulent wines made to impress. I like that you’ll always find some common markers in Amarone but that you are never sure what to expect with a producer you encounter for the first time. D: What is the most unusual wine you’ve ever tried? DM: It was a 1973 Mouzay Mignot Vouvray demi sec (sadly it was before I opened my Delectable account). The residual sugar had been eaten but the wine wasn’t oxidized nor showing aging. Its robe was still golden and its nose showed some mint and honey scents. The palate was very acid driven, not much matter but an overall fresh feeling. The finish was delicate and fruity, with a hint of honey. I had it on October 12, 2013 and remember it like it was yesterday. This was a beautiful moment. D: What is your golden rule for wine? DM: Never drink or taste alone, always open a bottle for at least 2 (usually my wife) to share opinions and discuss about the wine and its qualities. D: Say you’re not allowed to have wine, what is your second option? DM: Beer is the best option around here, top 5 country for beer consumption per capita according to Wikipedia. D: Choose a movie, book, quote, or song and pair it with a wine DM: I’d say Barry Lindon and some baroque, rich Sauternes like with a very strong acid backbone, and some refinement, noble touches, very sweet and round at first but developing tastes and layers of complexity and a very strong will and character. The finish is everlasting and full of drama. We had a 1955 Loupiac Chateau du Cros a while ago which was still holding itself to be paired with Barry Lindon, or more recently, 2007 Rieussec comes to mind. D: If you were a wine, what wine would you be? DM: I would most likely be a natural wine from the Fronton AOC . First this is the nearest appellation from Toulouse where I grew up. Then Negrette , the local varietal (at least 50% of the blend to be considered for AOC), makes for straight forward wines, a bit wild on the nose, very often exploding of violets at first, so rather communicative, friendly and enabling friendship and discussion. Those wines are never pretentious, always friendly and easy to decipher, and make for good companions to appetizers or grilled meat on a barbecue. And natural because I like to play close to my roots and to always remember where I come from, without bluffing or showing off.

Rabl Winery

Langenlois Grüner Veltliner 2017

Mineral nose with chalk at first. Some hay too and discreet lemon notes along with withe flowers. I would have had issues placing it on the map blind. The palate is rather round and easy going. Some acid in there, some lemon but a round matter that litteraly reminds of a globe in mid palate. Some grip and a bit of silk in there. Rather short finish with white flowers and a lasting hay thing. I like this as an aperitive wine, by itself. — 5 years ago

Peter, P and 5 others liked this

Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup

Tour de Pierres Coteaux du Languedoc Pic St. Loup Grenache Blend 2016

Discreet nose of garrigue, olive, blackberry, pepper. The palate is very fresh with a splendid balance between a rather strong acid backbone and fruit and matter on the sides. Some tannins to kick things up and a fresh finish with fruit. Very lovely. Definitely the kind of Languedoc stuff I want to sip on regularly. — 5 years ago

Severn, Peter and 8 others liked this

Marcel Lapierre

Morgon Gamay 2017

Fourth time tasting Lapierre in 2017. I've got a bit of a cold so I'm not enjoying this one as the previous ones. The nose is still a cherry bomb and bears a violet stamp. The palate is still very well balanced with a strong acid backbone, lots of ripe cherry all over the place, some grip, some width. The palate is a cherry song that plays for a very long while. 24 hours later it's still singing. Great! — 5 years ago

Keith, Peter and 15 others liked this

MGM Mondo del Vino

Sopra Sasso Valpolicella Ripasso Corvina Blend 2014

Cherry, strawberry, almonds, raisins. Nice nose. The à palate is composed of a very strong acid backbone carrying loads of cherry all along and laying some layers of matter on the side : some silk and some sweetness too. The rear is a roller-coaster of tannins kicking up a very long lasting fresh finish with cherry notes. Very enjoyable again. — 5 years ago

Alex, P and 6 others liked this

Bodvin

5 Puttonyos Tokaji Aszú Furmint Blend 2007

A very nice nose of dry apricot, honey, sesame and a bit of brioche. The palate is rather acid driven and gives an overall dry impression which is a bit odd. Very strong acid backbone with dry apricot and honey all along. A very long finish with dry apricots for a long while. A dry one but holding its ground against a blueberry pie without any issue. Interesting! — 5 years ago

Severn, Ken and 3 others liked this

Château Artigues-Arnaud

Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 2012

Second take on this pauillac made by grand puy Ducasse. The nose is intense upon opening with black currant, cedar, cigar, even chocolate. Exquisite. The palate is nice too. Very strong acid backbone and some matter on the sides. Currant, width, a silky layer. Fine tannins to kick things up a bit before a nice curranty, cedary, long lasting finish. Not at grand cru level but still a very enjoyable pauillac. Highly recommended. — 5 years ago

Keith, Peter and 7 others liked this

Château d'Arsac

Cru Bourgeois Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 2015

Nose of black currant, toast, oaky notes, rose a bit too. The palate is well made and balanced with a strong acid backbone and some width. Blackberry and black currant, lively tannins, some oak there too. Finish with black currant and oaky notes. Well done. — 5 years ago

Ron, P and 12 others liked this

Agricoltori del Chianti Geografico

Ferraiolo Super Tuscan Blend 2013

Black currant, strawberry, a bit of iron, limestone too? The palate is well balanced with a strong acid backbone, fruits, a good grip and some lively tannins. The finish is a bit dry but fruity too. An overall Bordeaux impression with an Italian twist. Very pleasant — 5 years ago

Ken, P and 5 others liked this

Château Jansenant

Côtes de Bourg Red Bordeaux Blend 2014

Vanilla, black currant, sugar cane, strawberry, licorice a bit too. Interesting nose. The palate is a bit unbalanced toward acidity with a strong acid backbone, some fruit here and there and a strong grip teaming with pointy tannins before a rather drying, astringent finish. Thin and lean, lacks matter and charm. Better with food but far from great. (paired with a Hungarian style goulash) — 5 years ago

Peter, P and 2 others liked this

Claude Dugat

Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2012

Cherry, raspberry, iron, earth, rose petals a bit of barnyard at first. Is that orange peel too lingering in there. Easy going, no secondary, no tertiary, plain simple and efficient nose. The palate is acid driven with raspberry and cherry all along and some tannins coming in the rear to give a nice mouth feel and an impression of chewing it. The finish is delicate with fruits and rose. Not grand, not overwhelming, not showing off but a delicate, well crafted burgundy which plays above its league. — 5 years ago

Keith, Alex and 12 others liked this