Cinsault

It's Nouveau Beaujolais season but that's not what we're writing about right now.  Instead we're looking at a kindred spirit, Cinsault (SAHN-so), which has a similarly light and lively character and like Beaujolais, you may even chill the wine and serve it in white wine glasses.  This is obviously not your over the top, big tannic red.  It's more like a less is more, pleasant, easy-drinking sipper.

Cinsault is a Cotes du Rhone variety that, when blended with Grenache and Carignan, collectively will soften a more formidable grape like Syrah or Cabernet Sauvignon.  It also adds floral and cherry-berry type aromas and flavors along with minerality and freshness.  It aromatically lifts a blend of more structured varieties.

An ancient variety that may have originated in the Herault region of southern France, Cinsault may actually go back to wherever the Phoenicians were sourcing their fruit in Eurasia.  But that's ancient history and on balance, it's the future that should interest Cinsault aficionados more.  It is heat tolerant with a natural benefit from dry environs so climate warming may work for this one.

Why this post subject now?  Because we just got in a case of Lubanzi Cinsault which proved to be a huge hit at a recent tasting.  Lubanzi is from South Africa and Cinsault it HUGE down there.  It's as prolific as Zinfandel in California  and provides half of the parentage of the signature wine of that country, Pinotage.

We're a little late for Thanksgiving dinner wine but do yourself a favor and find some time this season for some tasty Cinsault.  

Alsatian White Wines

Ninety percent of the wines of Alsace are whites.  That should tell us something.  You may figure either reds don't do well there or the whites of Alsace are so good, why bother with the reds.  For what it's worth, Pinot Noir makes up the bulk of the ten percent non-white grape composition and it's pretty ordinary.   

There are six notable white wine grapes allowed in Alsace.  By vineyard plantings they are Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Auxerrois, Sylvaner and Muscat (which is actually a couple of related varieties under that heading.)  By sales, Riesling ranks first followed by Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Blanc.  By critical acclaim, it's Gewurztraminer first, then Riesling followed by Pinot Gris.  What's my point here?  Actually, I don't know, since we've already said everything white from Alsace is great.

All varietally labelled wines in Alsace must be 100% of that variety.  The only blending allowed happens in Edelzwicker and Gentil, which are clearly second class citizens in Alsace.  All of the varietals are AOC recognized by French wine law.  The blends, as a rule, are vin de table.  But like we have said, by world standards, the blends are exceptional also.

The obvious question for this admittedly polemical post is, What makes Alsatian whites so good, and perhaps relatedly, Why are they labelled varietally when no other French appellation does that?  In short, that's because they are so true to type.  They are models for the rest of the world to imitate.  Their charm starts with their very aromatic character which the rest of the world has noticed.  Alsatian wines are ascendent in popularity while other French regions are in decline.

Alsatian Rieslings are always very dry.  The very popular Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer are a little less so.  Auxerrois is genetically the same as Chardonnay, coming from the same parentage, and since oak barrel aging is rare in Alsace, it tastes more pinot-like than what we think of in Chardonnay.  Unfortunately, as the neighboring German wines have gotten drier, in general, Alsatians seem to be getting less so.  

Want to really know why Alsatian whites are so good?  History.  And viticulture.  Alsace displays a diversity in soils, elevations, microclimates and so on and winemakers there have planted the different types accordingly.  They have taken advantage of the natural barrier to oceanic influence in the Vosge mountains to the west and of course, they have utilized the temperature moderating Rhine River influence to the east.  They have high trellising to maximize sun exposure and protect the vines from frost and since viticulture has been here since the entry of the Romans in the first century, the lengthy viticultural learning curve has panned out quite nicely.  In short: Alsatian winemakers just know how to make great white wine.   

Uruguayan Albarino

Uruguayan wines are flying under the radar right now but don't expect that to last.  Their flagship Tannat red has already been recognized for its world class status and now we want everyone to know about their Albarino (alba REEN yo) white.

In the store at this time we have FAAA! Albarino.  Yeah, FAAA! is the sorry name for the wine.  We can't do anything about that but the wine is a great example of Albarino.  Just to recap: Historically, Albarino is seafood wine from Rias Baixas on the Atlantic coast of Spain.  Over there it shows stone fruit, zippy acidity and salinity from the ocean influence.  In Uruguay it is recognized as that country's great white wine with a similar profile but perhaps even more complex and intense than the Spanish version.

FAAA! is from Canelones, the best of fifteen wine producing departments in Uruguay.  The soil is granite and schist yielding minerality and a creamy texture to wines.  Of the same latitude as South Africa and Australia, Uruguay has a similarly temperate maritime climate.

Tannat came to Uruguay with the earliest Basque and Italian immigrants in the 1870's.  It wasn't until 1954 that Albarino made it there.  The 180 small family wineries that make up the Uruguayan wine industry are mostly owned by several generations of the same families that started them, which is refreshing when contrasted with the mass-marketers of California.

Uruguayan wines enjoyed a forty percent increase in international sales in 2024.  They are now fourth over all in South American wine sales.  Uruguay also ranks first in several South American quality of life surveys so they must be doing a lot right down there.

Trebbiano

What can you say about Trebbiano?  It's the most widely planted white wine grape in both Italy and France...but with a caveat.  In Italy the name Trebbiano refers to a family of similar grapes that got lumped together under that heading; while in France, Trebbiano is called Ugni Blanc and is almost always distilled into brandy; notably, Cognac and Amagnac.  And by the way, Trebbiano is also the base wine of Balsamic vinegar.

So why write about it now, especially now that red wine season is upon us?  We tasted one recently and it was a nice simple dry white wine and caused us to wonder why this type seems to get no respect in the marketplace.  To our tastes, Trebbiano is at least as enjoyable as most everyday Pinot Grigios yet those Pinots get more than their share of the business, no doubt, because of the pinot name.

Orvieto is the Italian white wine that currently shows the best of Trebbiano's potential.  Frascati is also Trebbiano-based and quite good.  And if you like Italian Soave, the Garganega grape is a close relative of Trebbiano.

Earlier we said Italian Trebbiano was a family of grapes.  Lugana used to be the best Trebbiano we knew of but it has now been spun off as Turbiana.  We suspect the genetics showed there was no real connection to Trebbiano.  So now we have to wonder about all of the other regional Italian Trebbianos and just how connected genetically to type they may be.

Trebbiano can show aromas of green fruit, lemon, stone fruit, apple and pear.  On the palate you may get nectarine, peach and a floral component.  The finish may show bitter almond.  When blended with other grapes it adds those aromas and flavors along with distinct minerality and crispness.

Trebbiano is a versatile summer wine suitable for simple lunches and seafood, salads and Italian cheeses.

And now, an anecdote: My friend was an importer of Italian wines.  His wife worked for the largest distributor in Atlanta.  They were attending a major industry banquet where Caymus Special Selection Napa Cabernet Sauvignon was on each table.  The Cab was a $150 bottle at the time.  After she tasted the red she asked for a glass of Tolo, my friend's bargain brand ($7.99) Italian white.  She said she preferred it to the Caymus...and instantly became my hero! 

Comte de Bernadotte

We just got in a couple cases of Comte de Bernadotte Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, probably the best buys in the store for those two types.  Wanting to learn more about them, we reached out first to our supplier which was no help; then to the importer, again, very little help and finally to the source, one Jean-Marc D'Anjoux.  

Why didn't we start there in the first place?  Because these wines are negotiant wines and there is a lot of secrecy in where they are sourced.  Another name for these kinds of wines in the trade is zipcode wines.  Zipcode wines always have a series of numbers on the back label that, if you have the industry map in front of you, you can pinpoint the location where the wine is sourced.  Bernadotte has two sets of numbers, one where the juice is sourced and one where it is bottled. 

Jean-Marc's name isn't on the label anywhere.  Les Vins Aujus is on the label but it too was a dead end in our research.

Before we go any further down this rabbit hole, if you like pinot and/or chard, you should try these wines.  They are priced humanely and the wine is made in the less-austere style we Americans like.

It turns out home base for Jean-Marc and Les Vins Aujus is in southern Burgundy, France where their main business is making Beaujolais and Macon Chardonnay.  The finest chards and pinots in the world come from a little further north in the Cotes d'Or.  We have learned that Comte de Bernadotte is made right there in the Aujus winery.  The grapes are sourced from elsewhere.  One of the hats Jean-Marc wears is that of negotiant so his job is that of a middleman in the production of wines and getting them to market.  We have also learned he owns property in Herault in the Languedoc region where half the wines of France originate.  So Bernadotte may be sourced there in Herault, but without the zipcode map, it could be from elsewhere in the Languedoc.

The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are both 100% varietal wines.  The Chardonnay shows citrus and floral flavors along with a little vanilla.  The Pinot goes through a cold maceration and fermentation to create a round fruity structure with some strawberry-ish flavors.  Since the winery is located in the Beaujolais region I'm betting we have the same carbonic maceration fermentation here as we've been writing about recently.

Alta Maria & Presqu'ile

One of our favorite suppliers sold us on Alta Maria Vineyards Pinot Noir and Presqu'ile (press-keel) Chardonnay.  We tasted the Chardonnay and it was magnificent and consequently sold very well.  We didn't get to taste the pinot but were assured it was also quite good.  Unfortunately that one has a problematic label and in this business, labels will either make or break a wine...so we decided to do our homework on the stuff.

Alta Maria is the project of the Ontiveros family of Santa Maria Valley where they have farmed for ten generations since 1855.  The winery was established in 2005.  But there's more...the Ontiveroses have traced their family tree back to Rioja, Spain in the 1500's!

Presqu'ile is the project of the Murphy family who farmed for four generations through the twentieth century in Louisiana.  The name Presqu'ile is creole for "almost an island."  They bought their Santa Maria property in 2007 and invested heavily in their vineyards and winery to the point where they have become a destination for both wine lovers and lovers of natural beauty.

The Ontiveroses have always collaborated with others in the Santa Maria Valley and have multiple partners at this time.  When the Murphys came along "just down the road" from them they seemed like a natural partner.  That partnership was formalized in 2012.  Now all Alta Maria wines are made at the modern Presqu'ile winery.

Santa Maria Valley is a cool weather haven in southern California courtesy of the transverse mountain range that funnels ocean breezes into the valley.  Pesqu'ile is located sixteen miles from the Pacific Ocean.  Both wineries do a lot of the whole grape cluster fermentation that we just wrote about.

Manchego

We've covered Manchego cheese here several times, yet somehow we still found a few new factoids for your files.

We knew Manchego was popular but did you know 60% of all Spanish DOC cheeses are Manchego?

Manchego was historically formed in grass baskets.  The zigzag pattern on the rind of all Manchegos is a reproduction of the weave embossing from the grass baskets.  

If the Manchego rind has a wax exterior, do not eat the rind.  (Duh)  Otherwise the rind is perfectly fine to eat.

Olive oil is brushed onto the rind of all Manchegos.

The only permitted additive in Manchego is rennet.

All Manchegos have a standardized size and shape.

Manchego cheese is not recommended for melting.

And finally, there are four types of Manchego depending on the age of the cheese but you will only see two.  The fresh Manchego (aged 2 weeks) doesn't travel well so it stays in Spain and the Viejo (aged 1-2 years) has not caught on with the international market.  So our choices are the Semi-curado (aged up to 4 months) and the Curado (aged up to six months.)

Most cheeses pair with red wine.  It is our considered opinion that Manchego will go with reds, whites, roses and bubbly.  So stop in and pick up some Manchego!

Carbonic Maceration

The inherent charm of French Beaujolais doesn't come about by traditional fermentation which converts sugars to alcohol using yeasts.  Carbonic maceration is how the winemakers in Beaujolais (and elsewhere) do it.  This fermentation process uses an anaerobic tank of carbon dioxide to initiate fermentation using the enzymes of whole, not crushed, grapes as a catalyst.  The release of the enzymes in such an environment breaks down the grape sugars into alcohol without introducing yeasts from somewhere else.  CO2, being heavier than oxygen, permeates fruit skins forcing oxygen out while breaking down sugars and malic acid to produce alcohol.  This is intracellular fermentation.

Does wine made using this process taste different from wine traditionally fermented?  While Beaujolais and other whole grape fermented wines still show the polyphenols (antioxidants), color, flavors and tannins in traditionally fermented wines, they are lighter, fresher and fruitier and lower in tannins than traditionally made wines.  It's a wine style very much in keeping with modern tastes.

Our preceding post was about the ten best vineyards in Beaujolais.  Each region has their own winemaking methods.  The more southern regions have the benefit of a longer growing season and the region's Mediterranean climate.  Carbonic maceration makes sense there.  The northern parts want a more Burgundian product so they typically finish their fermentation the traditional way to get a bigger wine.

Carbonic maceration is as old as grapes, themselves, by the way.  Whenever fruit is held in a container, even a slatted wooden crate, the weight of the fruit at the top crushes to some extent those at the bottom releasing carbon dioxide facilitated by ambient yeasts.  The heavier CO2 forces the O2 away creating a carbon dioxide-heavy environment.  The whole fruits higher up in the container will then naturally start to ferment.  

Cru Vineyard Beaujolais

If you like French Burgundy, and I'm talking Pinot Noir, but can't afford the good stuff, look south to where the Gamay grape is king.  It's still Burgundy (geographically speaking) but without the pretense and pricing of the great wines to the north.  

Further to the south is Beaujolais proper where oceans of light fruity quaffing wine originates.  What we're talking about is the area in between where the qualitatively better Gamay comes from, the stuff that approximates the pinots to the north at that more comfortable price point.

There are ten crus in the region, ten vineyards that have historically produced wine of superior quality.  About halfway down this north-to-south list the terroir changes.  The first five crus resemble Pinot Noir country climate-wise while the last five to the south, with one outlier, resemble the Mediterranean Cotes du Rhone climate to the south.  This is a generalization but the bigger reds come from the north and the softer reds come from the south.

All Beaujolais show berry flavors in abundance and our northernmost cru, Julienas, is all about strawberries and lingonberries.  St. Amour is difficult to peg down flavor-wise.  It's sort of all over the map.  Chenas is big age-worthy red wine.  Moulin a Vent is decidedly full-bodied and tannic.  It's big red wine that turns more pinot-ish with age.  Fleuries are floral, as the name implies, but still capable of aging well.

The five crus to the south start with Chiroubles, a soft, lighter-styled, delicate red.  Morgon is the outlier mentioned above.  It is a full-bodied, rich and powerful, meaty, age-worthy cherry bomb that also turns pinot-ish with age.  The last three; Regnie, Cotes de Brouilly and Brouilly; are all soft and rich fruit bombs.  They are more like the Beaujolais to the south but still qualitatively better. 

So, to summarize: The big reds are Morgon, Moulin a Vent and Chenas.  All three are capable of aging up to ten years.  In a good vintage any cru should hold/improve for three to five years.  And the lighter ones you can enjoy anytime. 

So why this post now?  Because these wines are selling better than ever.  Maybe they've been discovered.  You should try one. 

Coffee, Wine and Tea

Coffee, wine and tea have historically consumed the beverage category in my life.  I used to tell people I drink a pot of coffee every morning, a pot of tea in the afternoon and a pot of wine in the evening...and that's not far from the truth!  But things change when you get older and tastes have to be tempered.

What I find fascinating in life is how our tastes change over time and relatedly, how we think about what we consume.  I have never been a coffee connoisseur, but at the same time, I'll pass on a bad cup any time.  My cup of coffee has to be just good enough, as I define that term, to pass muster with me. 

I always thought tea was tea, whether hot or cold.  Why waste time considering the merits of a product that is so basic; that is, until I recently picked up a couple jugs of the pre-made stuff from the grocery store.  I had forgotten my home brewed tea from bulk leaves that day and figured the jugs would suffice.  That's when I learned there is a difference.  I know now that my appreciation for tea has evolved.

So what's my point with this vacuous post? It's simply that it's all so personal what we like in our beverages.  Me?  I like good enough coffee and tea that others may not.  And I'm admittedly not a connoisseur of either.  Wine is different.  I am a connoisseur of fine wine but I'm also realistic.  I can't afford the great wines so I look for value.  And if that's got you curious, you should stop in the store.

And forget what others say.  Especially the experts.  Like what you like.  And remember, whether you think you know your stuff about coffee, tea and wine; it's always subject to change.

Mylonas Assyrtiko

Mylonas' vineyards and winery are located in the Attica region on the east-central side of Greece.  This region is also home to Athens.  The specific region of Attica where the winery sources its grapes features ash-rich volcanic soils containing seven hundred different minerals.  Eighty percent of the wines produced there are white so when you consider the minerality of the vineyards and salinity in the air from the coast, you get a good idea of the flavor profile of the wine.

Mylonas' seventeen hectare vineyards at 200-350m elevation are the highest in Attica.  They are dry farmed for low yields before hand-picking the grapes.  Their modern winery controls temperatures both in its pre-fermentation maceration and in its stainless steel fermentation.  The wine is then aged on the lees with regular stirring for three months.

The result is a full bodied, aromatically complex (citrus, green apple, stone & white flowers) wine with ample acidity and a long satisfying finish.  This wine has concentrated expressive fruit intended to complement Mediterranean cuisine or with grilled fish or shellfish with lemon.

Although blended with Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, this wine is really about the Assyrtiko, one of the oldest varieties on the planet.  It's possible the grape got its start on the island of Santorini 3,500 years ago.  Written documentation of winemaking there from 1600bc means this wine may have been enjoyed by the likes of Plato, Aristotle or Socrates.

Santorini is known for its sandy soils which saved their vineyards from the phylloxera plague of the late 1800's.  Nearly all of the vineyards of Europe were destroyed by the American plant louse that hailed from our own southeastern American states.   Those European vineyards had to be re-planted using American disease-resistant rootstocks, but since the bug didn't like sandy soils, Assyrtiko still has its original roots.

Joseph Phelps Vineyards

Established in 1973, Joseph Phelps Vineyards is one of California's premier Napa estate wineries.  With winemaker Walter Schug at the helm, Phelps released California's first signature red (Bordeaux) blend, Insignia, in 1974.  Twelve years later in 1986 the Meritage (Bordeaux blend) category would be created by the industry and then in 2005 that same Insignia red blend would be named the Wine Spectator's "Wine of the Year".

Insignia currently sells for upwards of three hundred dollars a bottle.  Their regular Napa Cabernet is a hundred dollar bottle.  So when our vendor offered us Phelps' Innisfree Napa Cabernet at a very affordable price we went ahead and picked up a case.  We checked the reviews and they were good, so...what the heck.

Then we read up on Phelps and we learned Joseph Phelps Vineyards was sold in June of 2022.  Uh oh.  Our Innisfree is a 2019 vintage, which is, at the very least, concerning.  Whenever a winery is for sale you have to wonder what the level of care is going into the product.  After all, if you're checking out of the business and you have product in the works, how much care are you going to put into it.  If it isn't up to standards, it's going to be someone else's problem.  We've seen this movie before.

Now we have learned the new ownership of Joseph Phelps is Moet Hennessy, a division of LVMH, Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE.  So at the very least it's an industry player and not a Wall Street insurance company wanting to bleed a prominent label.  Then we read what was included in the purchase: the winery itself, the brand name, inventory and 500 acres of vineyards in Napa and Sonoma.  So they really did buy the estate and not just the brand name.

Joseph Phelps Vineyards is now a part of the LVMH portfolio which includes Moet & Chandon (Dom Perignon), Krug, Veuve Cliquot and Dom Ruinart Champagnes, Chateau d'Yquem and Cheval Blanc Bordeaux, Bodega Numanthia in Rioja, Clos des Lamprays in Burgundy, Napa's Domaine Chandon and New Zealand's Cloudy Bay.  Nice company to hang with.

The vineyards included in the purchase are in St. Helena, Oakville, Rutherford, the Stag's Leap District and South Napa.  Once again, nice neighborhood to play in.  From where we sit we think the Phelps future looks pretty good. 

The Paring

We think the easiest way to sell The Paring wines is by selling their provenance.  The wines are from Screaming Eagle, the most expensive wine from California.  From there you can go on to share what prices those wines command in stores and restaurants ($1,000+), consumer demand, points, scarcity and so on, ad nauseum.  This pitch works for me anyway.

Truth is, The Paring Red Blend is probably as good of an example of a Bordeaux Blend at its price point as there is coming out of California.  The Paring Chardonnay likewise is an equally fine example of type.  So the Screaming Eagle hype is just that...hype.  But it's easy to play off of.

Screaming Eagle also markets wines from Jonata Vineyards and The Hilt so The Paring is way down the list from their flagship label.  But that doesn't diminish what's in the bottle.  Screaming Eagle is, of course, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (hence the price).  The other labels are from Santa Barbara County so it's apples and oranges anyway.

Jonata is in the Ballard Canyon AVA within the Santa Ynez Valley AVA and The Paring Red is largely sourced from Jonata's younger vines.  Other vineyards used to support this juice are in Santa Maria Valley and Sta Rita Hills where the Chardonnay is also sourced.

So what makes The Paring Red so good?  In a word, balance.  And structure.  It's not just about jammy forward fruit like so many California wines.  The wine is refined and elegant and features herbal and savory dimensions along with intrinsic dusty tannins and acidity.  

The wine is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Cabernet Franc, 14% Merlot and 7% Petit Verdot so its inspiration and focus is on Cabernet fruit.  Cassis, tobacco and chocolate are all readily there in this distinctly new world creation.

Taleggio and Smear-Ripening Cheese

Taleggio is a semi-soft Italian cheese from the Val Taleggio region of Lombardy in the foothills of the northern Italian Alps.  We feel we can take at least some credit for its popularity around here since we introduced it to Gainesville some time ago and have kept it as a staple here ever since.  Being complementary with good European red wines is probably a factor also.  

While red wine affinity is what we look for in cheese, Taleggio also pairs well with white wines, fruit, nuts, honey, crusty bread, risotto, polenta, fondue and cured meats.  At this point you might ask, is this the only cheese I will ever need?  Since it even works on pizza AND as a dessert cheese, well, yeah, it very well may be all you need!  Are we salivating yet?

Taleggio cheese dates to the ninth century making it one of the oldest soft cheeses.  It has its Italian legal protection (PDO) as the only cheese allowed to be made in the Val Taleggio.  However, because cheese is a commercial product, it may now be made elsewhere.  It is a cow's milk cheese that is fruity and buttery when young but develops a spicy complexity with age and that's where the smear-ripening comes into play.

Smear-ripening is the same process as hand-washing the rind of a hard cheese.  Just different terminology.  The young cheese in this case is in a square mold and gradually forms a pinkish-brown rind around its pale yellow interior.  To prevent mold they brush a brine mix on the cheese weekly, lifting and turning the cheese to cover all sides as its firmness allows.  This gives Taleggio its unique nutty, savory, tangy and bitter flavors overlaying the intrinsic simplicity of the cheese.  The depth of flavors created by smear-ripening is matched by its pungent aromas, all of which makes this cheese a centerpiece worthy of being paired with an equally special red wine. 

Vinho Verde

(Not a new subject here at the ol' blogspot, but still worth a look-see considering its popularity.)  

Vinho Verde used to be a niche item reserved for a cult following; that is, until more recent times when our vacationers to Portugal came home with a taste for the stuff.  Even some of our most inveterate Napa Cab lovers now seem to have taken to Vinho Verde, especially now that it's toasty outside.  

If anything Vinho Verde is the anti-cab white wine of the world with mouth-zappingly fresh fruit flavors of lemon, lime, melon, gooseberry and grapefruit.  This straw-yellow tonic is subtly carbonated, low in alcohol and marries well with seafood, sushi, salads and picnics.  It is the quintessential white wine of summer.  

Vinho Verde comes from the Minho Province in the northwestern corner of Portugal right on the Atlantic coast.  It's a huge chunk of property with 21,000 hectares in vines; that's 9% of Portugal's total vineyards with 86% of those being planted in white grapes.  

There are six indigenous white varieties earmarked for Vinho Verde production with another twelve obscure varieties legally allowed in the blend.  The red varieties are similarly obscured by their nativity but that shouldn't concern us since the red wines generally don't leave the country.  Roses, though, are imported here and they are quite good.

Winemaking in this region goes back to the time of Christ but wine regulations and laws are a twentieth century creation.  First demarcated in 1908, then legislated in 1926, Vinho Verde received its DOC in 1984.

Minho Province has nine subregions and the best of these for wine production is Moncao in the northeastern corner facing Spain where the granite soils and cool (continental climate) weather produce a fresher and somewhat richer wine.  At the opposite (southern) extreme lies the Douro River and Port country and if that doesn't constitute an extremity in wine styles I don't know what does.

Elouan and the Oregon Wine Appellations

We recently got a case of Elouan Pinot Noir, which comes packaged in a good looking box that says, "Grown in Oregon, Made in California."  The obvious question here is, Can you do that?  Can you take grapes from one state and turn them into wine in another?

The American Viticultural Area wine appellation system is the ultimate legal arbiter in situations like this and in 2018, under pressure from Oregon wineries, they found Joe Wagner of Caymus fame did not have the right to name specific wine appellations on his wine labels or boxes.  So, no Willamette Valley may appear on Wagner's Oregon wines made in California.  Apparently, the Oregon place name is okay though.

Furthermore, Wagner was listing Rogue and Umpqua Valleys along with Willamette on his labels which sort of defeats the purpose of the appellation system.  If someone is purchasing a premium wine, they have the right to know where the grapes for that wine are sourced and you can bet if all three appellations are listed, most of the grapes will be from the lesser regions.  Willamette becomes just window dressing.

Why would vintners in Oregon care about the issue?  Oregon's wine laws are stricter than California's, so to take Oregon grapes to a California winery compromises the integrity of the Oregon product.  In Oregon (and much of the rest of the world) Pinot Noir is a single varietal wine.  In California they allow blending up to twenty-five percent.

So lets unpack this a little bit at this point.  Pinot Noir is the finest red wine grape in the world if you consider fineness to mean finesse and longer, finer and more nuanced complementary flavors.  When it's right, it's practically transcendent.  Unfortunately, that rarely happens.  Moreover, the American palate wants mouth-filling rich forward-fruit red wine, so that is what California gives them.  Hence you have blended reds masquerading as Pinot Noir.

Want to know if your pinot has been blended?  One way is to see if it's a cherry red color in the glass.  Another is to taste red fruit flavors in the wine as opposed to black fruit.  Want to know if other additives have been worked into it?  Can't help you there.  As long as California won't list ingredients on the back label of suspect wines, we'll never know.

2021 Brancatelli Valle Delle Stelle Cabernet Sauvignon

We've been selling this one for a few years now so it's about time we learned something about it.  Like...why is it so good?

Brancatelli features intense dark fruit flavors, black cherry in particular, with a distinct black pepper, savory herb and spiciness; all of which is embedded in the wine's definitive soft tannic structure.  Definitely a dinner wine, enjoy with any lighter red meat or hearty poultry dish.  

Giuseppe Brancatelli and Graziana Grassini are co-winemakers here but Brancatelli comes from a food background while Grassini has winemaking at Sassicaia (!) on her resume.  So it's safe to assume she is making the decisions there.

The vineyards for Brancatelli were planted in the clay and calcareous soils of Val de Cornia in southwestern Tuscany in the late 1990's.  The eighteen hectares of certified organic grapes in cultivation are located a mile from the Mediterranean Sea, lending a vibrancy to the wine.

The Cornia Valley site had never been cultivated before Brancatelli.  Historically, it had been densely populated beginning with the indigenous Etruscans in the Iron Age (900bc).  Their rule was ended by the Romans (circa 265bc) as winners of the Etruscan-Roman wars.    

Valdadige & Alto Adige

Have I mentioned how confusing Italy is to me?  Today we are looking at the northeastern corner of that peninsula.

Valdadige is the Adige river valley extending from Trentino-Alto Adige to the north down to Veneto in the south.  It extends through three provinces: Bolzano, Trentino-Alto Adige and Verona in Veneto.  Vineyard cultivation there may go back to the Iron Age with the wine industry as we think of it today being jump started by monks in the Middle Ages.

Valdadige received its DOC in 1975 but clearly plays second fiddle to the Alto Adige  DOC.  Alto Adige, or Sudtirol to the German population there, extends from Vento to the east to Lombardy in the west and Tirol, Austria to the north.  It encompasses the northern half of the Trentino-Alto Adige province.  Alto Adige is where the finest Pinot Grigio comes from.

Why this subject now?  Aside from just passing the Memorial Day seasonal marker, we have a couple stellar pinots in the store from both places.  San Pietro has the Alto Adige pedigree while Santi has the Valdadige value.  Both are great summertime pleasers.  Try them both.  You'll be needing them when it gets hot.

Stag's Leap Winery

Restaurateur and builder, Carl Doumani, bought Stag's Leap Winery in 1970, essentially reviving a moribund winery in ruins.  He was able to restore the historic buildings on the property while enjoying the early 1970's winemaking zeitgeist, creating a product competitive with the Napa standards of the time.

The Stag's Leap District AVA wouldn't be created for another thirty years but it's notoriety was established when Stag's Leap Wine Cellars won the 1976 Judgment of Paris wine tasting.  By besting the great classified Bordeaux everyone assumed would win, a new found prominence for the Stag's Leap name benefitted Stag's Leap Winery.  Sales boomed as the Winery was regularly confused with the justifiably acclaimed Wine Cellars.  

The Carl Doumani-Stag's Leap Winery era ended in 1996 when Treasury Estates bought the winery.  Coincidentally, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars would be sold within a year to Constellation.  (And so it goes - The great estate wineries of California fade into history; replaced by mass market efforts from industry giants intended to be just good enough  to keep the dollars coming in.)   

Today the same Atlanta distributor represents both labels and we are told Stag's Leap Winery is the better product.  So kudos to Treasury.

Gummis

I make no apologies for this post...just trying to stay current here.

The most successful thing we've done in recent years has been our chocolates and now that supplier has recommended we try their chocolate covered gummis, like it's the latest thing.  Well, I guess, from their perspective it is the latest thing.  So we'll give it a try.  I figure it's got to do better than the chocolate mints, which were a real bust.

Anyway, here's what we now know about gummis.

Chewable sweets resembling gummis were first created in Lancashire, England in 1864 as a church charity confection.  They became commercial gummis in 1920's Germany under the auspices of the Hans Riegel candy company, which would soon become known as Haribo, a company still in existence today.

Apparently trained dancing bears in street shows were popular in Europe a hundred years ago so Haribo gummis were made in bear-shaped molds.  To say these bear candies were popular would be to understate things a bit.  They were sold successfully everywhere on the continent.

Gum Arabic was the original gumminess of the candy before gelatin became the base ingredient.  Other common ingredients include corn syrup, sucrose, starch and water, food colorings and flavorings.  The flavorings may be sharpened by adding food acids like citric or malic acids.

The gelatin base is most commonly sourced from pork which is frowned upon in some circles so starch and pectin may be substituted.  And the chocolate coating is the same chocolate our customers say is the best in town.

So what do we pair with this fine confection?  Boylan's Cream Soda, of course!

Cinsault

 Cinsault (san-SOH) gets short shrift in the Rhone Valley where Syrah dominates in the northern valley and Grenache in the south.  So it's basically a blender, adding light fresh red berry flavors to soften Syrah and using those same traits to broaden the profile of Grenache-based reds.  Someone said, Cinsault in a blend is "like squeezing lemon on fish."  It adds complexity, balance, freshness and finesse. 

Cinsault is also an ancient variety, either native to southern France or imported by traders centuries ago.   While flying under the world radar for most of us, it has impacted this industry through its success in the Rhone.  It's now planted in Chile, Algeria, Australia, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, South Africa and Lodi and Paso Robles in California.  Total Cinsault vineyard acreage worldwide approaches 57,000 acres.

Why this post now?  Clearly, after it was such a hit at our recent Lubanzi South African wine tasting, the word needs to get out.  This is your ideal all-purpose summertime red.  Light, fresh and fruity; you can marry this one with basically any similarly lighter-styled summertime meal.  And if you feel like passing on your big Cabernet because of the hot weather, try Cinsault with your steak. 

Gigondas and Gattinara

This takes me back a ways.  Gigondas and Gattinara were amongst the first great wines I was introduced to back in the day and of course, I had no reference points to compare them to, which is confusing if you think about it.  When you taste them you know they are special but just how special means you have to taste a lot more of what's out there for perspective.

Gigondas is a southern Rhone Valley wine appellation comparable to Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but usually at a better price.  The wine must be at least 50% Grenache with Mourvedre and Syrah usually making up the balance.  The southern Rhone has alluvial soils with red clay, gravel, sand and limestone.  The climate is Mediterranean.

Gattinaras are a DOCG Nebbiolo-based wine from the Verceli province of the hallowed Piedmont region of Italy.  Bonarda and Vespolina grapes are allowed in the wine but it still must be 90% Nebbiolo.  The appellation soils are red in color and rocky with granite and iron composition.  The region has a Continental Climate with the much desired diurnal temperature swing that works so well ripening red wine grapes.  

A Gigondas has aromas and flavors of red fruit, plum, herbs and white pepper.  With age, you may get licorice, dark chocolate, mocha and tobacco.  The Gattinara nose shows floral and spicy aromas while the flavors are a dry and complex mix of fruitiness, earthiness and minerality.  Both wines would complement roasted or grilled red meats and aged cheeses.

Ampelidae

Ampelidae is a French Loire Valley IGP (Indication Geographique Protege) wine producer that we have long known to be very good at what they do.  IGP wines are produced from the appellations designated on their labels but are freer in their winemaking practices than the pedigreed AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controlee) wines.  Those must reflect the historical practices that made the wines great in the first place.

The Loire Valley is home to the finest Sauvignon Blancs in the world so it is no surprise that Ampelidae specializes in these also.  They market a dozen different wines including both still and sparkling Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay-based offerings and just a couple reds, a Pinot Noir and a Cabernet Franc.  We believe our supplier in Atlanta only stocks the Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir since that is all we've ever been offered.  

The Ampelidae.com website leaves much to be desired.  We would love to know where their grapes are sourced but that information is not provided.  What they are proud of is their organic bonafides.  Apparently Ampelidae has been on an extended trajectory toward purity.  While organic accreditation in Europe only requires organic farming, Ampelidae now boasts no sulfites added.

Ampelidae's Sauvignon Blanc is a lively, minerally, balanced yet intense tropical fruity offering.  The Pinot has savory aromas before getting into soft floral and round red fruit flavors.   The finish is long and satifying.

Grenache Blanc

Grenache Blanc is the trendy white grape in southern France nowadays and for good reason.  It makes a heady, blowsy, high alcohol, low acid white with citrus and herbaceous flavors.  What's not to like there?

Well..the blowsy part.  That means flabbiness, which applies to a very flavorful wine that is too low in acid.  It uninspiringly just hangs in the mouth.  If there is no concurrent acidity going on, a wine lacks structure and is frankly just dull and...flabby.  Which is why grapes are blended.  What one type is lacking, another will make up for the deficiency. 

Grenache Blanc has siblings in Grenache Rouge and Grenache Gris (gray) that are its most common blending partners.  It is believed Grenache Rouge is a parent to the other two which mutated long ago in Spanish vineyards before moving eastward into France.  All three types are often intermixed in vineyards since original plantings were indistinguishable from each other which also explains the interblending.  Since genetically all three are very much the same, they still need another type to provide acidity.  In Spain it's often Macabeo; in France, Roussane is most common but it also partners with any of a number of types.

The Spanish example we would love for you to try is Les Argiles d'Orto Vins from Montsant.  Our French bottle is Chateau Saint-Roch Old Vine White from Cotes du Roussillon.  The Spanish is a little lighter and finer so enjoy with seafood and salads.  The Frenchie shows stone fruit flavors and is a bit more substantial (oilier) so something more formidable may make this one shine.

Enjoy!

Dao

Earlier this week we tasted eight types from a Spanish wine importer and we brought them all in except for the one that was equally fine but just a little too hard to sell.  We especially liked the red and white Prunus labeled wines which the importer avowed were, in fact, her best sellers.  

That these wines were Portuguese, not Spanish, in origin was good information that we must have missed at the time of our tasting; but it makes sense that the Portuguese would be the cream of the crop based on our history with the region.  Spain is, of course, one of the great wine regions of the world but Portugal is seriously underrated.

If you consider Mateus Rose during the college years, we have a fifty year history with Dao region Portuguese wines and that history has always been one of numbing, head scratching appreciation for what they do.  They just don't get credit for making wonderful wines over there.

Dao is located in north-central Portugal just south of Douro, the great Port region.  It is a plateau with vineyards at 500-1,500 feet elevation sheltered on three sides by mountain ranges.  That shelter moderates temperatures and protects the wine country from heavy weather off the Atlantic.  The name comes from the Dao River.

Dao is an old wine region, receiving its DOC back in 1908.  For most of the twentieth century the region was run by wine co-ops which maintained an acceptable quality level for producers there but once the EU brought back competition in '89, everyone's quality improved.

The great red grape of the region is Touriga Nacional with Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo) a worthy second best.  The esteemed white grape is Encruzado.  The reds are rich and full-bodied, cherry-ish wines.  The whites are fresh, fragrant, forward and stone-fruity.  You ought to try them both.

2022 Trig Point Diamond Dust Cabernet Sauvignon

Trig Point Cabernet has always been a fave here at the store.  Although it's only been available sporadically in recent years, it's here now and here are three reasons you may want to pick some up:

1.  Alexander Valley is home to Trig Point and the terroir there has been likened both to Napa and Bordeaux.  That pretty much means Alexander Valley is going to produce a fine example of Cabernet Sauvignon.  Certified as an AVA in 1984, Alexander Valley has actually been known for superior Cabs since the 1960's.

2.  Our winemaker here is Nick Goldschmidt who specializes in 100% Cabernet wines like this one.  He is a highly educated winemaker with an industry resume to back it up.  Among his affiliations in the past have been the following wineries: Carneros Creek, Caliterra, Cloudy Bay, Terrazas, Ruffino, Clos du Bois, Gary Farrell, Atlas Peak, William Hill, Buena Vista, Geyser Peak, Simi and Wild Horse.  Currently he makes and markets his own wines under the Forefathers and Goldschmidt Vineyards labels.  I think he knows what he's doing.

3.  This is Clone 6 or Jackson clone Cabernet Sauvignon which was first brought to California from Bordeaux in the late nineteenth century.  It is best known as Beaulieu Vineyards' clone of choice for their reserve wines including their top of the line George de Latour Cabernet Sauvignon.  On the vine the grapes are small berries in small loose clusters, leading in winemaking to concentrated flavors with robust tannins. 

Los Vascos

Los Vascos is the project of Chateau Lafite Rothschild of Bordeaux; in some wine circles, the finest wine in the world.  While we accept that appraisal, we still prefer Burgundy (when it's right).

We have known Los Vascos since Lafite established the brand in the late 80's.  As one might expect, Cabernet Sauvignon is the bread and butter of Los Vascos with two thirds of their holdings devoted to that one varietal.  The press says it's modern yet traditional; that is, it has the finesse coming from modern technical expertise and the precision that comes with exacting historic standards.  It is elegant and freshly aromatic yet has too much depth to be trendy.  It is deserving of its Lafite patronage.

Lafite acquired this 3,600 hectare estate in 1988 but its history goes back to the 18th century when Basque farmers first planted vineyards there.  The property is in the Central (Colchagua) Valley of Chile 200km south of Santiago.  It lies between the Andes and the Coastal Mountain range at 150m above sea level.  The soils are volcanic, consisting of granite, shale, clay and tosca, a compacted ash product.  The climate has a thirty degree temperature shift between days and nights which is especially good for slowly ripening Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

Our Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon is from their entry level Classico tier drawn from their Perlillo Vineyard on the valley floor.  Their other locales going up the hillsides provide for three higher quality level Cabs that we are quite certain get very expensive.   This Los Vascos Classico Cabernet is here both because our vendor raved about it and because of our long history with the wine.  It's always been a superior product at its modest price point. 

The wine is an estate grown and bottled, fresh and juicy styled 100% Cab sourced from 15-60 year old vines.  The nose shows plum, cherry and strawberry with hints of nutmeg, cocoa, thyme and black pepper.  Because this moderately tannic wine is of such good quality, decant twenty minutes or so to fully appreciate its concentrated and persistent varietal flavors.

Castello di Titignano

From Tenuta di Salviano comes this Umbrian blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  It's a full-bodied, soft-tannin red that shows a pomegranate color with complex spicy, intense red fruit flavors.  One critic thought the more savory aspects made the wine Rhone-ish in character.  

The Salvianos aren't novices at winemaking.  This estate has a twenty year history with the family but before that they were in Tuscany where they founded the Sassicaia Super Tuscan, one of the great red wines of Italy.  Umbria is adjacent to Tuscany to the north so they just moved to a lower rent district to create this more affordable version.

Turlo is the name of the Salviano vineyards in Umbria and they are located between Todi and Orvieto at an elevation of 150-380 meters on the north side of Lake Corbara, giving the vineyards a southern exposure.  The volcanic soils are red clay, limestone and pebbles.  The climate is Mediterranean, meaning mild winters and warm summers.

The Salvianos built a modern state of the art winery for this Umbrian IGT effort.  The grapes are hand harvested with types fermented separately with frequent pumping over before undergoing a malolactic fermentation.  Everything is temperature controlled at the winery including time spent aging in steel barrels.  Smaller lots see time in small French oak barriques.

Manchego

Sixty percent of all cheese made in Spain is Manchego.  It is the signature cheese of Spain and an EU protected DO (denominacion de origen) as Queso Manchego.  Manchega sheep provide the milk for this cheese which comes in four varieties: Fresca (aged two weeks), Semicurado (3 weeks-4 months), Curado (3-6 months) and Viejo (1-2 years).  The cheese may be either a pasteurized or raw milk version.  Ours is usually the pasteurized Curado and often labelled with its specific aging time.

Manchego is legally made only in the La Mancha plateau region in south central Spain.   This arid, windy and cold plateau of Don Quixote fame has long been known to us for its formidable dry red wines that scream for a savory red meat accompaniment.  These are legacy wines that must be appreciated with a meal and without varietal labelling.

Inside its brown herringbone exterior Manchego has an ivory colored paste with tiny pores.  Depending on age the texture moderates between its creamier style and hardness.  Manchego has a pleasantly sharp piquancy featuring fruit and nut flavors finishing with the customary sheep milk flavors at the end.  

If you are looking for something to go with your glass of red wine, this one is textbook.  It is also one of the few that would pair well with many white wines.  Check out the last sentence of the previous paragraph and imagine that taste with your favorite wine.  Salivating yet? 

Kanonkop

Hey red wine lovers - you want a real treat?  Check out the Kanonkop Kadette Cape Red Blend from Stellenbosch, South Africa.  Whether it's a versatile dinner wine you need or just an anytime red, this is it.  The blend is a sixty percent Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot + forty percent Pinotage, the signature grape of that country.  And whoever thought of this mix nailed it big time.

Now ordinarily I would start cribbing from a half dozen wine industry websites to fill out the text of this post but after going to www.kanonkop.co.za, I got more information there than I could possibly use here.  This is the best winery website I have seen.  Please, everyone, check it out and see what is possible if a company wants to share their business with an interested audience.  In particular, the Viticulture and Winemaking headings are where you want to be for getting a toehold on what they're doing.  

My takeaway from the experience? The two headings above show an expansive understanding of the importance of vintages.  The winemakers don't just take what the vineyard gives them at harvest time and make a wine out of it.  Well, they do...but their intention is to capture the unique expression of a harvest.  That starts with the old school, tried and true hand-picking of grapes.  Then, using modern technology, evaluating for sugar content in the juice and tannin content in the skins and making sure the acids balance with the sugars and that the pips are not green.  Now, just to be sure, lets restate the intention - They want to do everything in their power to capture the unique expression of the vintage.

Classy!

Brusco dei Barbi

This is a big red Tuscan IGT wine.  IGT wines are an Italian wine classification created after DOC, DOCG and VdT were shown to be inadequate for wines better than Vino da Tavola but made using methods outside of DOC rules. 

If it's Tuscan, you can assume it's Sangiovese-based and Barbi is, but this one has a Cabernet-like grip to it that makes it appealing for red meat dishes.  The wine is a bright ruby color, has a vivid red berry nose and shows supple fresh red berry flavors on the palate couched in soft tannins.  It's a fresh and fruity, yet structured versatile red that would ideally accompany anything on the grill.  

Barbi also has a pedigree.  It comes from Giovanni Colombini of Fattoria dei Barbi in Montalcino, "where Brunello was born."  Colombini studied modern winemaking extensively in the 1960's and 70's with an emphasis on cold fermentation.  Barbi actually has a pre-fermentation chilling to kill polyphenols and anthcyanins before the twelve day cold fermentation and that shows in the indelibly fresh Barbi.  Hand harvested Sangiovese, Caniolo and Colorino are what go into the wine which goes on to see some time in oak before bottling.

The Colombini family has a seven century history of winemaking.  Their current winery was established in 1790 but the family has been in Montalcino since 1352.  They are one of five today to have a one hundred year (continuous) winemaking history there where they remain a major Brunello producer today.