Archive for the ‘Tasting notes’ Category
A bouquet of bubblies from La QV
Notes from an informal tasting of some of the sparklers represented by La QV. The champagnes are sold at the SAQ; the others can be ordered through the agency.
Bubulle 2009, Méthode traditionnelle, Les Pervenches ($30.00, 12 bottles per case)
2/3 Chardonnay, 1/3 Seyval. Made from biodyanmically farmed grapes grown near Farnham in the Eastern Townships. Produced using the champagne method and with zero dosage. The owners have been making a few cases of sparkling wine for several years now (the 2008 was 100% Chardonnay) but this is the first vintage sold to the public. Only a half dozen or so cases have been released due to a purely aesthetic problem with the other bottles, namely the lees sticking to the side of the bottle instead of sliding into the neck for removal during disgorging. Encouraged by our and others’ assurances that such a superficial blemish wouldn’t prevent us from buying bottles, the winemaker said he may decide to offer the lees-streaked bottles for sale in the new year.
Crystal-clear with a slight green cast and a very fine bead. Appealing nose of brioche and lemon with subtle mineral and floral notes. Soft bubbles. Fruity but bone dry. Bright, clean and long with a gooseberry note (the Seyval?) coming out on the finish. Like the estate’s still Chardonnays, a delicious wine that can easily stand comparison with similarly priced wines from around the world. 12% abv.
Foule Bulles, Clos Saragnat ($15, 12 bottles per case)
This sparkling cider is made from fruit farmed organically near Frelighsburg. Several varieties of apple are pressed to make the base cider but fresh plum juice is used for the dosage. Rusty pink to the eye (due partly to the apple varieties and partly to intentional oxidation of the raw fruit). Nose of sweet apple and, yep, yellow plum. Fruity but with an appealing sourness. Fine bubbles. Long drying finish. 9% abv. As they say around here, original.
Vin mousseux de qualité 2004, Domaine de la Chappe ($22, 6 bottles per case)
Based in the Tonnerre AOC, located northeast of Chablis, Domaine de la Chappe has been organic-converting-to-biodynamic since the early naughts. Chardonnay (80%) and Pinot Noir (20%). Colour bordering on pale pink. Intriguing nose with hints of red berries and roasted coffee. Fine bubbles, soft effervescence. Flavourful with a woody edge. Good finish, with sourish fruit giving way to faint walnut flavours. Unusual and enjoyable.
Cava 2009, Brut nature, Cellers de Can Suriol del Castell de Grabuac ($20.75, 12 bottles per case)
Organically farmed Macabeu (30%), Xarel.lo (30%) and Parellada (30%). Lemon zest and quartz. Fine bead. Fruity and floral on the attack yet very dry. Tastes “white.” Lingering bread flavours. Clean, elegant and refreshing. 11.5% abv.
Champagne, Grand cru, Blanc de Noirs, E. Barnaut ($46.25, 11152958)
100% sustainably farmed Pinot Noir. Brioche, white fruit, lemon, oxidized apple. Less dry than the preceding. Denser, too, but lifted by the bubbles and acid. Long. Not incredibly complex or deep but tasty and good QPR. 12.0% abv.
Champagne 1996, Brut, Fleury ($97.50, 11544062)
Biodynamically farmed Pinot Noir (80%) and Chardonnay (20%). Aged under cork – not the usual crown cap – before disgorgement to allow micro-oxygenation and encourage the development of a finer effervescence. Yellow-gold to the eye. Powerful, complex nose: oxidized apple, lemon, honey and more. Rich and deep on the palate, with layers of flavour. Astoundingly fruity and winey and far from bone dry yet in no way heavy thanks to the soft effervescence and coursing acidity. Long. Assertive yet seductive, a complete wine. 12.5% abv.
Two new arrivals…
…at the SAQ.
Costières de Nîmes 2005, Lou Coucardié, Michel Gassier ($24.95, 11399766)
A white blend dominated by Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Viognier. Fermented in 500-litre French oak barrels. Golden yellow. Wafting nose of sweet lemon, peach and spice with a floral note and a hint of alcohol (14% abv). Off-dry and rich yet surprisingly delicate. Savoury flavours reminiscent of dried herbs co-mingle with the expected white and yellow fruit. The undercurrent of acid surfaces on the finish. Lingering impression of dryness. A delight.
I first heard of this wine in a Chowhound post by the MWG’s namesake moh, whom it wowed as a pairing for the late Bouchonné’s gratin of Yukon Golds, boudin and tripe. Formerly available as a private import, it has just been listed – for the first time, I believe – by the SAQ.
Central Coast 2007, Le Cigare Volant, Bonny Doon ($46.75, 10253386)
Organically – and in some cases biodynamically – farmed Grenache (60%), Syrah (31%), Mourvèdre (5%) and Cinsault (4%). Medium maroon with very slight fading at the rim. Scents of bramble, garrigue, pepper and wood. Medium-bodied and fluid. The ripe but not heavy fruit is brightened by good acidity, buttressed by fine tannins. The finish is tobacco-tinged, long and a bit drying. Tastes more Old Worldish than Californian. Not profound but pure, tasty and enjoyable. Clocks in at a reasonable 13.5% ABV, too.
In 2006, Randall Grahm sold or spun off Bonny Doon’s everyday labels (most notably Big House Red) to focus on his higher-end bottlings. This is the first red Cigare Volant I’ve tasted since the change and it seems a return to form after the disappointments of the late ’90s and early naughts. Nominally an homage to Châteauneuf-du-Pape (which in the ’50s actually banned cigares volants – flying saucers – from landing in local vineyards), I’ve never found it to be a CDP ringer but rather a fine Rhône-inspired blend with its own personality.
Two for the life list
Vin de Savoie 2009, Les Alpes, Domaine Belluard ($26.95, 11544417)
100% biodynamically farmed Grignet. Fermented with native yeasts, no chaptalization, lightly filtered before bottling. 12.5% ABV. My first encounter with the grape variety, which the Oxford Companion to Wine says is the Jura’s Savagnin (the more recent Wikipedia entry casts doubt on that claim).
Soft, elusive nose evoking stones, flowers and beeswax. Light and minerally, even rainwatery, on the palate, the fruit – more sensed than tasted – tending toward lemon. Dry and acid bright, though that’s really apparent only on the finish. Surprisingly long given the ephemeral flavours, with lingering notes of honey and linden blossom. Subdued, yes, but also elegant, pure, quenching and delicious.
Lacrima di Morro d’Alba 2009, Panse, Monte Schiavo ($18.40, 11451894 though the link is to the 2010, which appears to have a different name: Marzaiola)
100% Lacrima di Morro. Made from manually and machine-harvested grapes, which are fermented for 7-10 days and raised for 3 months off the lees, all in stainless steel tanks. Filtered before bottling. Lacrima di Morro is a “fast maturing, wild strawberry-scented red grape specialty of Morro d’alba in the Marche” (The Oxford Companion to Wine). Reduced to a single hectare in the mid-1980s, the variety has been revived through the creation of the Lacrima di Morro d’Alba appellation.
The nose is one of the most surprising in red winedom: outrageously floral (“rose water,” said one taster; “peonies,” another; “if you were tasting this blind from a black glass, you’d swear it was a Moscato,” noted a third) along with the expected red fruit. Less unconventional on the palate: medium-bodied (12.5% ABV), lightly structured, with a velvety texture, cherry and wildberry flavours and a faint bitterness on a longish finish. Opened at the most recent Pork Futures event, the wine clashed with the headcheese but worked with the liver terrine adulterated with red currant jelly.
MWG tasting with Pierre Breton: report
Loire winemaker Pierre Breton, who with his wife Catherine owns Domaine Breton, was in town for the Salon des vins d’importation privée. On Friday, November 4, just off the plane from Paris, he came to the MWG’s subterranean lair to lead a tasting of six wines from his current release.
As a group, the wines seemed like a reflection of the man: natural, precise, articulate, speaking of their place, never shouting, always repaying close attention.
Vouvray 2010, La Dilettante ($21.35)
100% Chenin Blanc. Undergoes malo to soften the acidity. Spends eight months in two- to three-year-old barrels. Nose of wax, chalk, hints of honeydew melon and wet wool, gaining a floral note as the evening wore on. Soft on the attack. Pure flavours as minerally as they are fruity. A refreshing sourness but no sharpness. Straightforward yet also layered and very long. Delicious and oh, so drinkable. Serve on its own or with fish, white meats, sweetbreads. A favourite of everyone at the tasting.
Bourgueil 2010, Trinch ($21.35)
Young-vine Cabernet Franc. Brambly red berries and black currants along with the leaves and stems, spice, hints of game, charcoal and eventually gingerbread. Soft on the palate: a light but velvety texture and very pure fruit. Clean finish with a slight tannic rasp. Simple but in no way boring. Served lightly chilled, a wine for pounding back. Not a keeper.
Chinon 2010, Beaumont ($21.35)
100% Cab Franc. The bottle at the tasting was, unfortunately, ever so slightly corked. It was still possible to see that this is a medium-bodied, well-balanced wine, more structured than the Trinch, with ripe fruit and some aging potential.
Bourgueil 2009, Clos Sénéchal ($29.60)
100% Cab Franc. A wine to cellar while drinking your Trinch and Beaumont. Closed but deep nose of spice, red fruit, green leaves and slate. Medium-bodied. Intensely pure fruit. Fine structure. Tight but not harsh tannins. Long. Give it four or five years in the cellar and it’ll be singing (or, if unable to defer the pleasure, carafe it for a couple of hours).
Bourgueil 2009, Nuits d’Ivresse ($45)
100% Cab Franc. The nose again closed, more spicy than fruity, with an underlay of leafmould and slate. Tight yet supple on the palate, the fruit, tannins and acidity adroitly balanced. Long, savoury finish and a lingering dryness. Not very expressive – a little austere, even – but full of potential.
Bourgueil 2009, Les Perrières ($30)
Price notwithstanding, Les Perrières is the domaine’s flagship cuvée. Made from old-vine (70+ years) Cab Franc, aged in one- to two-year-old casks. Pierre says that in good vintages it can last up to 40 years. The 2009 has a more expressive nose than the Nuits’s: dried dill, sweet fruit, spice box and a hint of oak. More supple and accessible. Pure and balanced, the core of sweet fruit wrapped in a tight net of tannins. Long, astringent finish. Will only improve with time.
Bourgueil 2005, Les Perrières ($35, importation valise)
Beginning to open up. Gorgeous bouquet, the kind you can get lost in: sweet fruit, violets, turned earth, planed wood and a whiff of spicy perfume. Still very young but the tannins are more evolved, less astringent than the 2009’s, the texture more caressing, with a promise of silkiness in store. Ripe fruit swells on the mid-palate. Long, earthy finish. A beautiful bottle.
All the wines except the last are brought in by oenopole, though they’re disappearing fast (I’ve already seen the Vouvray prominently featured on three restaurant wine lists).
November 3rd MWG tasting: report
To staunch the flow of carping about the infrequency of updates to this site, here are some quick notes – little more than a transcription, really – on the wines in the Mo’ Wine Group’s latest tasting. With one exception, the bottles are from the November 3rd Cellier release and, for once, many of them are still available.
THREE FRENCH SPARKLERS
Montlouis, Brut non-dosé, Méthode traditionnelle, François Chidaine ($22.95, 11537049)
Yellow apple, hint of citrus peel, gaining floral and winey notes as it warmed and breathed. Tiny, soft bubbles, fruity but dry. Acid-bright and clean. Long minerally finish with a faint bitter edge. (Buy again? Yes.)
Crémant du Jura 2008, Domaine Labet Père et fils ($20.80, 11549162)
Chalkier nose showing a little oxidation. A bit enigmatic. Simple upfront, the flavours tending to lemon and quartz, but maintaining a presence, a grip, after the flavours fade. Lingering sourness. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Vouvray, Brut, Domaine Huet ($26.95, 11537022)
Oxidized apple peel with notes of honey, ash and peach. Strong bead. Rich and dense with a strong current of acidity. Fruit slow-fades to minerals on the long finish. (Buy again? Yes.)
The two Loire wines were winners: the Chidaine lighter, fresher and full of immediate appeal; the Huet richer, slower to open up, built for the long haul. The Labet (a new arrival not in the Cellier release) was good but Tissot’s crémant at about the same price is even better.
THREE CHAMPAGNES
Champagne, Terre de Vertus, Premier cru, Larmandier-Bernier ($71.00, 11528011)
A blanc de blancs (100% Chardonnay) with zero dosage. Straightforward nose (apple, yeast, hint of lemon at first) that became more complex (“cream soda,” said one taster; “dried coconut” chimed in another). Light, elegant, clean. Delicate bubbles. Quite dry and long. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Champagne, Tradition Grand cru, Brut, Égly-Ouriet ($80.00, 11538025)
Mostly Pinot Noir. Nose of apple, toast and pastry cream, initially a little anonymous but slowly gaining character. Fine bead. Initially light and elegant, almost to a fault, but gaining complexity and depth in the glass. Pure and long but none of us got Phaneuf’s “multidimensionnel … doté de ces multiples couches de saveurs qui sont la marque des grands vins.” (Buy again? Probably not.)
Champagne, Grand cru, Blanc de Noirs, E. Barnaut ($46.25, 11152958)
Classic champagne nose of bread and hazelnuts with notes of oxidized apple. Winey texture enlivened by assertive bubbles. Clean and vibrant if a little short on depth and complexity. Unlike the other two, did not improve in the glass. (Buy again? Maybe.)
All were good but none knocked our socks off. The Barnaut’s QPR isn’t bad but it lacked some of the finesse of the other two. The group was evenly split when it came to declaring a preference between the fresher Larmandier-Bernier and the richer Égly-Ouriet.
FOUR JURA WHITES
L’Étoile 2008, Domaine de Montbourgeau ($21.90, 11557541)
Chardonnay with a dash of Savagnin. Complex nose with a sourish edge: oxidized apple, “caramel nuts,” “golden raisins in marc,” “fresh figs,” silage and a whiff of cheese. Winey yet fluid, fruit balanced by minerals and acid. Long, flavourful finish. The very model of a Jura white. (Buy again? Definitely.)
Côtes du Jura 2009, Fleurs, Domaine Labet Père et Fils ($22.90, 11556952)
Chardonnay that, unlike many traditional Jura whites, is not allowed to oxidize. The result here is a fairly pure expression of the grape variety. Fruity on the attack, round in the mouth, buttressed by a welcome acidity. Good finish with lingering notes of straw, honey and spice. (Buy again? Sure.)
Arbois 2009, Les Bruyères, Bénédictine et Stéphane Tissot ($35.75, 11542139)
100% Chardonnay. By far the most complex nose of the bunch: mushroom, turpentine, gunflint and sesame along with the expected apple and spice. Smooth and fluid on the palate, the sweet-seeming attack quickly giving way to layers of flavour and a rich fruitiness that belies the wine’s dryness. Long and balanced. A few years in the bottle will do it a world of good. (Buy again? Yes.)
Côtes du Jura 2005, Les Compères, Essencia ($25.95, 11544003)
100% Chardonnay. A bit of an oddball. Appealing if surprising nose of strawberry napoleons (fruit, puff pastry and pastry cream all there). Typically jurassien on the palate, a fruity density underpinned by refreshing acidity. Fairly long, nut-scented finish. Simple but fun. (Buy again? If looking for a white vin plaisir, sure.)
A popular flight, with just about everyone liking all the wines. Several of us considered the Montbourgeau the winner, a classic Jura white with a great QPR. The Labet was the closest to a non-Jura Chardonnay. The Tissot needs time but has potential. The Essencia was unlike any other white I’ve tasted, not that there’s anything wrong with that.
TWO LIGHTER REDS
Arbois 2009, Poulsard, Vieilles vignes, Domaine Rolet Père et Fils ($19.95, 11537090)
And now for something completely different. Pale transparent red, the Jura’s traditional corail (I’ve seen darker rosés). Double-take nose of strawberry, hay and black pepper (detractors in search of descriptors were more inclined to reach for body excretions). Light-bodied, high acid yet, oddly, intensely fruity. Tannins light but raspy. Stemmy finish. Cries out for some charcuterie. (Buy again? I just might.)
Veneto 2007, Primofiore, Giuseppe Quintarelli ($54.25, 11542518)
Take a green bell pepper, stuff it with spicy rice and meat and roast it in a tomato sauce: that’s the nose of this wine. Medium-bodied, fluid, with a perfumy mid-palate, light but firm tannins and just enough acidity. Long, spicy finish. Not particularly deep but full of character and unlike any other red I’ve encountered. (Buy again? Tempted but the price is dissuasive.)
A love-it-or-hate-it-flight. Some tasters were horrified, even outraged by the Poulsard and had trouble believing that several of us actually derived pleasure from the wine. Opinions were almost as divided by the Quintarelli, richer and spicier but still with a streak of green. I enjoyed it but not to the point that I’d fork over $54 for another bottle. (Edit: The taster who took home the tail-end of the bottle reports: “At the Thursday tasting I left the Quintarelli in my glass until the end of the evening to see if it improved – and it did, by a bit, so I brought home what was left in the bottle, and tried it the next day – the harshness and green pepper had completely blown off, and it was far softer and fruitier. Not that I would go running to drop $55 on another bottle of it, but it’s nice to know that it just really needed to sit, and wasn’t a dud Quintarelli.”)
THREE LEFT-BANK RED BORDEAUX
Haut-Médoc 2008, Château d’Agassac ($26.95, 11188336)
Textbook left-bank Bordeaux. Nose of cedar, cassis and oak with green bell pepper and black pepper notes. Good balance of fruit, acid and tannins. Pure flavours. Longish though not particularly deep. (Buy again? If looking for an everyday red Bordeaux, sure.)
Médoc 2008, Château d’Escurac ($23.80, 11194584)
Meatier and greener nose than the Agassac’s, showing some pencil lead. Tight, tannic, austere. Cedary finish. A bit flat. Doesn’t cohere.Might be better in a year or two but, on the whole, this lacks appeal. (Buy again? No.)
Saint-Julien 2008, Clos du Marquis (Château Léoville Las Cases) ($59.74, 11184520)
Nothing like earlier vintages we’ve tried. Spice, green pepper and an elusive mustiness that had us wondering whether it was corked or scalped. Disjointed and harsh in the mouth. Probably an off bottle. (Buy again? Moot.]
This flight was something of a let-down, with the potentially most interesting bottle not up to scratch. Would that I’d had the budget to go with my original idea: Clos du Marquis, Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon and Dominus.
A tale of two Chenins
It was the best of wines, it was a little less than the best of wines.
Jasnières 2009, Prémices, Domaine de Bellivière ($23.95, 11463140)
Jasnières is a small appellation on the Loir river (a tributary once removed of the Loire) about 35 km north of Tours. One of the appellation’s brightest lights, Domaine de Bellivère has been organic since 2005 and biodynamic since 2008, no small feat in such a damp and cool climate. The SAQ wine advisor who informed me of the wine’s arrival said it was a young vines cuvée; Bellivière’s website makes no mention of the vines’ age but rather presents it as an entry-level bottling. 12.5% ABV.
Classic Chenin nose of white fruit (pear, quince, grapefruit, maybe some honeydew melon), chalk and a whiff of honeysuckle. On the palate, the tense balance between the citrusy fruit, faint residual sugar and high acidity might put a blind taster in mind of a kabinett Riesling. But the texture isn’t German – it’s denser and weightier, though in no way ponderous – and there’s that quinine and honey finish. While the wine lacks some of the breadth, depth and length of its upmarket stablemates, it’s far from simple. Plus it has the advantage of being delightfully fresh and totally ready to drink. Hard to imagine a better pairing for shrimp berbère.
Anjou 2009, Chenin Blanc, Pithon-Paillé ($23.85, 10525345)
Another entry-level Chenin from Jo Pithon’s négociant arm. Made at least partially from organically farmed grapes. Fermented with native yeasts. 13% ABV.
Another textbook Chenin nose: pear, lemon, apple, chalk. Clean and bright in the mouth, the sharp acidity balanced by the ripe fruit and ample texture. Minerally finish with a hint of honeyed apples. Dry, pure, refreshing: a fine, straightforward wine if a little overshadowed by the refulgent Prémices.
Both wines have just arrived at the SAQ. Both tend to sell out quickly.
It’s back!
The SAQ has just received a second shipment of the 2009 Côtes du Rhône-Villages Signargues, Domaine La Montagnette ($16.15, 11095949), which is bottled by the small Vignerons d’Estézargues cooperative. Cooperatives have an often deserved reputation for churning out unremarkable wines, but this is one of the exceptions. Practices in the vineyard are semi-organic – lutte raisonnée, as the French say – with chemicals being used only as a last resort. Practices in the cellar are even more natural: native yeasts; no acidification or chaptalization; reds are fermented at low temperature and given long maceration; sulphur is avoided until just before bottling, when a small amount is added to stabilize the wines.
Like most Côtes du Rhônes, it’s a blend: 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% each Mourvèdre and Carignan. Fermented and matured in stainless steel. Unfiltered, so less than perfectly limpid. An earthy if supple mouthful of dark fruit (think black cherry, black raspberry, plum) and spice, structured by bright acidity and light, tarry/slatey tannins. Exceedingly dry. Finishes on a peppery, kirschy note, with a lingering rhubarb-like astringency. A little heftier (thanks to the vintage and the 14.5% ABV) and thus less charming than the 2008 and $1 more expensive than last fall’s initial shipment. Still, if the SAQ sells a better red – let alone one with such an attractive label – at this price point, I’d love to know about it.
The fall shipment sold out fast. This will too. And if you need an excuse to seize the day, you’ve got one: this Saturday and Sunday, when you buy $100 or more worth of products at the monopoly, you’ll get a gift card worth 15% of the total.
Quick takes
Spent some quality time with the Beaubien SAQ Sélection outlet’s wine-tasting station on the weekend. With the possible exception of the Gevrey, all are worth acquiring (though you might want to wait for next weekend’s rumoured $5-off-each-$50-spent sale).
Crozes-Hermitage 2009, Domaine Combier ($31, 11154980)
(saq.com lists this as the 2007 but the wine I tasted and the bottle I bought were indeed the 2009.)
100% organically farmed, manually harvested Syrah from three parcels. Completely destemmed. Spent 25 days in stainless steel fermentation vats, 12 months in newish oak barrels. 12.5% ABV.
Gorgeous nose of ripe red fruit, sandalwood, gingerbread spice. Shows young on the palate, the sweet fruit balanced by bright acid and light, tingly tannins. Flavours turn darker on the finish. Fleet and fluid yet somehow very present. Syrah may come deeper than this but not much purer, fresher or more engaging.
Gevrey-Chambertin 2007, Domaine Perrot-Minot ($65, 10919045)
100% organically farmed Pinot Noir. Matured in oak barrels, 25% new, 37.5% one-year and 37.5% two-year. Unfiltered and unfined. 13.5% ABV.
Red berries, funk, leafmould and a hint of oak. Silky texture. Very dry. Seems structured more by acidity than tannins until you chew the wine. Light weight tending to ephemeral but surprisingly long. Needs time?
Margaux 2004, Château Labégorce ($42.75, 10546841)
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. Fermented in concrete vats, matured 12-15 months in 35% new oak barrels. 12.5% ABV.
Cassis, blackberry, graphite and a little oak: will eventually develop a classic Margaux fragrance. Suave and structured, the tannins fine but still astringent. Medium-bodied, showing some depth, good balance and length. Enjoyable now but even better in a few years. Traditionally styled – quite the welcome change from some of its modern, New Worldish compatriots. These days, $40 for a Bordeaux of cru classé quality spells great QPR.
Maremma Toscana IGT 2009, Sinarra, La Fattoria di Magliano ($21.65, 11191447)
Partially destemmed Sangiovese (95%) and Petit Verdot (5%). Fermented in stainless steel. The must and skins are heated slightly after fermentation. Matured in concrete butts. Unfiltered. 13% ABV.
Lovely nose: candied black raspberries and a freshness evocative of mint or spring leaves. Sweet fruit, good acid. Fluid. Drying tannins linger. Vanilla note on finish. Overall impression of freshness. Modern but in a nice way. Drink now.
Priorat 2004, Clos de l’Obac, Costers del Siurana ($73, 10781808)
About one-third each Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon with some Syrah, Merlot and Carignan. Dry-farmed. Insecticide-free. 14.5% ABV.
Complex nose: dark fruit, leather, slate, kirsch. Full-bodied but not hot. Suave and balanced, the power held in reserve, the smooth surface belying the rigid structure and impenetrable depth. Showed some well-integrated oak as it warmed. Great aging potential. Imposing and impressive.
Tami double whammy
Good news! Our favourite Silcilian winemaker, Arianna Occhipinti, and partners have launched a négociant line of affordable wines under the Tami label. They buy grapes from local organic growers and make the wines in Arianna’s facilities. In addition to the two wines discussed here, there’s a Grillo, which I’ve not managed to snag a bottle of. All three were brought into Quebec by oenopole earlier this spring and sold out in about five minutes. Tami is reportedly ramping up production and oenopole says availability should be much less tight in the future.
Sicilia IGT 2009, Frappato, Tami ($18.25, oenopole)
Lovable nose: red berry-flavoured hard candies, dusty sun-baked earth, gaining some leafmould. Sweet and sour cherry on entry. Medium bodied. Light tannins. Bit of an acid bite and a streak of residual sugar. Turns darker and drier on the finish with its lingering mild bitterness (cherry pits?). Simple but not facile. Label suggests serving with appetizers and fish. Didn’t stand up well to a pork and mushroom stew perfumed with anchovy and marjoram, though I could see it working with grilled salmon. Serve lightly chilled.
Sicilia IGT 2009, Nero d’Avola, Tami ($18.25, oenopole)
Plum and blackberry, shoebox, hints of dried herb, terra cotta and red meat. Medium bodied. Layered flavours: bright red fruit at first, then darker, with an elusive spice note (star anise?). Tannins still light but so much more present than in the Frappato. Long with a lingering astringence. The wine’s welterweight and acidity mean it avoids even a hint of heaviness. Paired well with that pork stew and with a merguez pizza, testifying to its adaptability to a wide range of savoury dishes.
Compared with Occhipinti’s flagship wines – Il Frappato and Siccagno (100% Nero d’Avola), which run about twice the price – these are simpler, more straightforward, made for immediate consumption. Or, to put it another way, if those wines are not out of place at formal dinners, these wines are for everyday drinking, for al fresco meals, for throwing back: Italian equivalents of a great bistro wine.
Brett happens 