Archive for the ‘Tasting notes’ Category
White and red ABCs
Santa Barbara County 2013, Pinot Gris–Pinot Blanc, Au Bon Climat ($27.70, 12510690)
Pinot Gris (66%) from purchased grapes grown in the El Camino and Sierra Madre vineyards and Pinot Blanc (34%) from old vines grown in the estate’s Bien Nacido vineyard. Barrel-fermented. Underwent full malolactic fermentation. Matured on the lees in neutral barrels for six months. Reducing sugar: 1.7 g/l. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Smoky, slightly sour, vaguely mineral nose with yellow fruit evocative of ground cherry jam. Plump and a little lumbering in the mouth. Round, chewy and, reducing sugar levels be damned, coming across as off-dry. The impression of sweetness is countered by streaming acidity but reinforced by unignorable butterscotch flavours. Dries out a little on the long finish overtoned with white grapefruit pith. Might work better in the context of a meal, especially one featuring white meat, though even then the lack of refreshment would be a downside. (Buy again? No.)
Santa Barbara County 2013, Pinot Noir, Au Bon Climat ($31.50, 11604192)
A blend of Pinot Noir (95%, from six vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley, two vineyards in the Los Alamos Valley and one vineyard in the Santa Rita appellation) and Mondeuse (5%, from the Bien Nacido vineyard). We kept most small lots of Pinot Noir separate for the first 6 months. Matured in oak barrels. Reducing sugar: 2.2 g/l. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Red berries, cola and sweet spice on the nose. A lactic note marks the palate. Fine tannins and fluent acidity give the fruit a semblance of structure but do nothing to counter its candied edge. Finishes clean and spicy if a little short. Supple and admirably un-Syrah-like for a Santa Barbara Pinot Noir but ultimately a bit cloying. That said, the wine will probably benefit from six months in the cellar. In the States, this can often be found for well under US$20, at which price its lack of éclat might be more forgivable. (Buy again? No.)
Technical information for these wines has been hard to find. They may have been made from organically farmed grapes. They may have been fermented with indigenous yeasts. They may or may not have been filtered or fined. Neither the ABC website nor the Quebec agent’s website are particularly helpful in this regard.
While members of the group, myself included, have enjoyed Au Bon Climat wines in the past, neither of these bottles pushed our buttons. Indeed, a couple of tasters declared that both wines’ “sweetness” (more properly termed their perceived sweetness, if the residual sugar figures are to be believed) made them difficult to drink. Even those who didn’t complain weren’t excited about them. A disappointment then.
MWG July 16th tasting: flight 3 of 6.
White and red clay
Domaine des Ardoisières is one of the up-and-comingest estates in the Savoie if not all of France. Its steep, terraced, mountain-side vineyards, formerly forest land above the village of Villard, were created in the late 1990s.
IGP Vin des Allobroges 2012, Argile blanc, Domaine des Ardoisières ($38.20, private import, 6 bottles/case, NLA)
Organically and biodynamically farmed Jacquère (40%), Chardonnay (40%) and Mondeuse Blanche (20%). The varieties are vinified separately. After manual harvesting and sorting, the whole clusters are lightly pressed. The musts are chilled, clarified by settling and transferred to third- to fifth-fill barrels for alcoholic fermentation using indigenous yeasts. Malolactic fermentation is not systematic. The wine is matured nine months (two-thirds in tanks, one-third in thrid- to fifth-fill barrels), then racked, blended, lightly filtered and bottled. Annual production: 10,000-15,000 bottles. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV/Insolite.
Fresh and bracing nose of white minerals (think limestone, talc), spice, pear and apple. Direct and to the point on the palate. Ethereal despite its weight of extract. A mouth-filling matrix of quartz and flint lightly infused with lemony fruit and taut with acidity. The long, clean, faintly saline finish draws you back for another sip. A delight. (Buy again? Yes.)
IGP Vin des Allobroges 2012, Argile rouge, Domaine des Ardoisières ($47.35, private import, 6 bottles/case)
Organically and biodynamically farmed Gamay (80%) and Persan (20%). The varieties are vinified separately. After manual harvesting and sorting, the whole clusters are placed in open vats for alcoholic fermentation using indigenous yeasts. After two to three weeks’ maceration, the grapes are pressed and the must is transferred to vats for malolactic fermentation. The wine is then matured nine months in three- to five-year-old barrels, racked, blended, lightly filtered and bottled. Annual production: around 5,000 bottles. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV/Insolite.
An explosion of red berries and dark minerals with hints of peppery spice and flowers (violet?). Light- to medium-bodied. Lithe, fresh and pure, pure, pure. Lifted by lip-smacking acidity and structured by light, velvety tannins, the tart and juicy fruit lasts well into the long finish, where it’s joined by undertones of dark earth, ferrous minerals and game. A truly memorable alpine red with a definite wild side. Pricey but I kept tasting it on my mind’s palate for days after the tasting – hard to put a price on that. (Buy again? Yes.)
MWG July 16th tasting: flight 2 of 6.
Pithon alert!
Pardon the interruption but there’s not a lot of this left in the system and it’s something fans of the style shouldn’t miss.
IGP Côtes Catalanes 2014, Mon P’tit Pithon, Domaine Olivier Pithon ($20.10, 12574811)
Grenache (50%), Syrah (25%) and Mourvèdre (25%) from organically and biodynamically farmed young vines. The whole clusters are fermented with indigenous yeasts. Matured in oak foudres and stainless steel tanks. Lightly filtered and sulphured at bottling. Reducing sugar: 2.4 g/l. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Ward & associés.
Lilting nose of red berries with hints of graphite, fresh herbs, Asian spice, animale. In the mouth, it’s a fluid and supple welterweight: dry, savoury and clean. The fruit is carried on a stream of acidity and ruffled by lacy tannins. Finishes on a lightly astringent peppery note. Ultra-drinkable, as befits a self-styled vin de soif. Too structured and sun-drenched to be dubbed a Roussillon Beaujo and yet, and yet… Drink lightly chilled. Killer with grilled sausages. (Buy again? Done!)
White and red tears
The July MWG tasting (yes, I’m way, way behind in posting notes, including some from as far back as April) was built around a conceit: six two-wine flights, each consisting of a white and a red from the same producer. As the wines were served double-blind, it gave the tasters a unique set of data on which to base their deductions and wild-ass guesses.
Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio 2014, Bianco, Mastroberardino ($21.00, 972877)
100% Coda di Volpe from sustainably farmed vines averaging 15 years old and growing on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. Manually harvested. Low-temperature (15-16°C) alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel tanks typically lasts 15 days. Not allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation. Matured three months in stainless steel tanks and a minimum of one month in the bottle. Reducing sugar: 2.1 g/l. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Vinitor Vins & Spiritueux.
Discreet nose of ash, white fruit, citrus, chalky minerals and a whiff of pilsner hops. Smooth and fruity on entry, drier on the mid-palate and gaining a bitter edge on exit. There’s a lightly honeyed quality to the fruit, a dusting of minerals, an underlying stream of acidity and some herb flower overtones on the longish finish. Enjoyable if a little tame. (Buy again? Sure.)
Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio 2013, Rosso, Mastroberardino ($23.55, 972869)
100% Piedirosso from sustainably farmed vines averaging 15 years old and growing on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. Manually harvested. Following a cold-soak maceration, fermentation with racking and pump-overs takes place in temperature-controlled (23°C) stainless steel tanks and typically lasts 10 days. Undergoes malolactic fermentation. Matured six months in stainless steel tanks and a minimum of one month in the bottle. Reducing sugar: 2.8 g/l. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Vinitor Vins & Spiritueux.
Initially odd cheese rind gives way to sour cherry and plum, a hint of spice and some smokey minerals. In the mouth, it’s medium-bodied and very dry. The ripe fruit is textured by light, raspy tannins and soft-glow acidity. What minerals there are are dark and in the background. The pleasantly bitter finish is not particularly sustained, though a lactic note lingers. If, on the one hand it’s kind of earthbound, on the other hand it’s got a kind of earthy appeal. (Buy again? Sure, especially to try with the winery’s suggested pairing of grilled swordfish.)
MWG July 16th tasting: flight 1 of 6.
Math problem
The problem: A wine – a delicious and rare wine at that – lists on SAQ.com for $51.25. In the store, however, it has been marked down significantly. What’s more, when purchased during yesterday’s 10%-off sale (which discount applied to the marked-down price), the figure on the sales receipt was $35.87. What, then, is the marked-down price before application of the 10% discount, which, alas, is no longer in effect?
The wine in question is Abbatucci’s 2011 BR, which awed the group at a tasting in February 2014. My note at the time:
Vin de table (2011), BR, Domaine Comte Abbatucci ($51.00, 11930123)
100% biodynamically and organically farmed Barbarossa, a red-skinned grape variety here given the blanc de noirs treatment. The first vines were planted in the 1960s. The grapes are manually harvested and pressed immediately after picking. Fermented (with indigenous yeasts) and matured in stainless steel tanks. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. 2,000 bottles made. 13% ABV. [Quebec agent: Vini-Vins.]
Initially reticent but eventually deep. Minerally and floral with hint of lemoncello and a faint herby overtone, like maquis or hops. Round yet very fresh in the mouth, the fruit structured by a crystalline minerality and enlightened by acidity. A faint, pleasing bitterness threads through the long finish. Breathtakingly pure and pristine, not to mention unique. (Buy again? Gladly.)
After opening it yesterday evening to accompany shrimp marinated in white wine, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, olive oil and puréed basil, wrapped in a basil leaf and a thin slice of prosciutto and grilled (recipe here) – an excellent pairing, by the way – I sat down to pen a new note but quickly realized I had little to add to the one above. The wine is drinking beautifully. It’s as fresh and engaging as it was 18 months ago, perhaps a tad rounder and more integrated, with the final bitterness a shade more pronounced. While yesterday’s double discount made it a rare bargain, it’s still a deal at today’s marked-down price, which by my calculation is $39.85.
Edit (2015-09-06 18:49): The MWG’s network of spies reports that the actual marked-down price at the Montreal Signature store is $41.00. The discount was therefore calculated not on the marked-down price but on the list price, which is not how it usually works: 10% of $51.25 = $5.13. $41.00 – $5.13 = $35.87.
Petit Noir, petit prix
Bekaa Valley 2009, Petit Noir, Cave Kouroum ($13.55, 11097549)
Founded in 1998, the winery is based in the village of Kefraya in the Bekaa Valley. The 180 hectares of vineyards are on the eastern slope of Mount Barouk at an elevation of 900 m. This is a blend of Cinsault (50%), Carignan (25%), Grenache (15%) and Syrah (10%) from sustainably farmed vines. The grapes are manually harvested and sorted. Traditional vinification with both alcoholic and malolactic fermentation taking place. Matured six months in French oak fûts. Reducing sugar: 1.8 g/l. 14.5% ABV. Quebec agent: ABVS.
Pencil shavings, red berry jam, dried herbs, hints of sweet spice and a whiff of alcohol. Smooth, clean and medium-bodied. A really promising attack fades disappointingly fast and there’s not much else to take its place. A bit hot at room temperature, better after a couple of hours in the carafe and 30 minutes in the fridge: rounder, fuller and fruitier with good acidity and a fair finish, though you’ll have to look elsewhere for depth. With its savoury Rhône-ish flavour profile and Bordeaux-ish structure and weight, it’s stylistically between a Côtes-du-Rhône and a cru bourgeois. Memorable above all for being one of the better reds in its price bracket, not that there’s anything wrong with that. (Buy again? Sure.)
Transformer
Langhe Nebbiolo 2013, Produttori del Barbaresco ($24.35, 11383617)
100% Nebbiolo from young vines, all of which are located within the Barbaresco DOC. Fermented with selected “Barolo” yeasts at 28ºC in stainless steel tanks. Macerated on the skins for 24 days. Matured six months in very large oak barrels. No fining, light filtering, minimal sulphur dioxide. Reducing sugar: 1.6 g/l. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Typical cherry, sandalwood and turned earth aromas and a faint dried rose petal note. A supple middleweight remarkable for its silky texture, smooth acidity, fine tannins and overall balance. The clean and very dry fruit is infused with a light astringency and deepened by a mineral underlay. A woody – not oaky – taste colours the long finish. Vintage in, vintage out, this is one of the most consistently delicious, fairly priced wines made. (Buy again? By the case.)
Another Schwartza as miracle fruit-like moment here. Spurred by a rave about the pairing from occasional commenter thomasein, I served this with pepper steak made according to a New York Times recipe, whose stroke of genius is that it calls for a mix of black and Szechuan peppercorns. I don’t know whether it was the magical numbingness of the Chinese spice, the bland richness of the fillet steak (beef is a classic Nebbiolo pairing) or the soothing softness of the cream – though based on the Schwartza experience, I suspect it’s the cream – but the dish tamed the wine’s astringency, debauched its droiture and projected its fruit in Technicolor. Brilliant.
Douro barganha
Douro 2013, Flor de Crasto, Quinta do Crasto ($14.90, 10838579)
Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo, 35%), Touriga Franca (aka Touriga Francesa, 35%) and Touriga Nacional (30%) from vines between eight and 12 years old. The varieties were vinified separately. The manually harvested grapes were destemmed and crushed, then transferred to temperature-controlled stainless steel vats for alcoholic fermentation, which lasted seven days. Matured in stainless steel vats. Reducing sugar: 2.3 g/l. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Enotria International.
Spicy nose of plum and blackberry with considerable cigar box, some moist earth, black pepper and distant peony. Richer and more viscous than expected. Dry and savoury but full of ripe, dense fruit. Structured by cloaked yet firm tannins and sufficient acidity, textured by a pervasive velvet astringency. The finish is decent if somewhat short though a ghostly aftertaste and feel linger long. On the one hand, it’s not a wine of great complexity or depth; on the other hand, it tastes like it should come from the next higher price bracket. For $15, you could do worse. (Buy again? Sure.)
Douro modesta
Douro 2013, Dourosa, Quinta de la Rosa ($18.25, 12640232)
One third each Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo) and Touriga Franca (aka Touriga Francesca) from 20- to 30-year-old vines. Fermented in stainless steel vats at low temperatures. Matured 12 months in large French and Portuguese oak barrels. Minimally filtered. Reducing sugar: 3.0 g/l. 13.5% ABV. SAQ.com says screwcapped (which would be a first for a Portuguese wine in my experience) but my bottle was closed with a cork. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Plum, dark spice, cedar and a little vanilla. Soft and round, both descriptors applying to the fruit, acidity and tannins as well as the overall wine. Medium to full-bodied. Appealing if subdued fruit — as much about minerals and old wood flavour. The flavours are typical of Douro reds but the wine lacks some of the depth, structure and acidic éclat that I recall from earlier vintages and that make its bigger siblings shine. Decent, cocoa-toned finish. Innocuous until you start thinking about it, then coming across as a little flaccid, perhaps the result of the reportedly rainy harvest. A short passage in the fridge, chilling it down to around 16ºC (61ºF), helps. (Buy again? Not when the more interesting estate wine from the excellent 2011 vintage can be had for a mere $3 more.)
Flat earth
Vinho Regional Alentejano 2011, Terra Plana, Monte da Cal ($16.55, 11469795)
A blend of Trincadeira (aka Tinta Amarela, 40%), Alfrocheiro (30%), Aragonêz (aka Tempranillo, 20%) and Alicante Bouschet (10%). The grapes are crushed and destemmed, then fermented with selected yeasts in small, temperature-controlled (24-26ºC) stainless steel vats. Matured six months in French oak barrels. Reducing sugar: 4.9 g/l. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Société de Vins Fins.
Savoury nose of pencil shavings, old leather and turned earth with distant dried herbs. What there isn’t much of is fruit (blackberry? black plum?). The warm room-temperature bottle was popped and poured and the first sip did not impress. Middleweight. Clean. More savoury and minerally than fruity, with keen acidity, fine tannins and no great depth. The finish is lightly astringent and very dry. After 20 minutes in a carafe and nearly as long in the fridge, the wine showed better: fruitier, suppler, rounder and more integrated, with an appealing set of flavours on entry. Still, the fruit quickly fades and there’s not much else to hold the attention. A decent enough barbecue or pizza wine that ought to be a few dollars cheaper. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Brett happens 