MWG October 3rd tasting (2/7): Cortese leggermente frizzante
Vino da Tavola 2011, Il Brut and the Beast, Valli Unite ($21.75, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
Based in Costa Vescovato in southern Piedmont, Valli Unite is a 30-year-old organic cooperative whose members grow local grape varieties as well as grains, fruits, vegetables and livestock. This semi-sparkler is made from Cortese and, depending on whom you believe, may contain some Favorita. The biodynamically farmed grapes are manually harvested, fermented with indigenous yeasts and bottled unfiltered and unfined. No sulphur is added during the wine-making process. The fizz is the result of natural, in-bottle fermentation and the wine is vegan-compatible. 12.5% ABV. Cool label. The name is a play on the title of a spaghetti western, The Brute and the Beast.
Straw, quartz, faint yellow pear and herbs. Intense yet fresh in the mouth, lifted by soft fizz and glowing acidity. The fruity attack gives way to beeswax, rocky minerals, iodine and sea salt (“like licking a seashell” quipped one taster) and a long, bitter-edged finish. Not for wimps but lots of fun and, for most tasters, one of the wines of the night. (Buy again? Definitely.)
MWG October 3rd tasting (1/7): A beautiful Champagne
To our delight, La QV‘s Cyril Kérébel recently led a Mo’ Wine Group tasting of wines from his agency’s portfolio. All except the first were private imports.
Champagne 2000, Extra Brut, Fleury Père et Fils ($70.75, 11856138)
This is indeed the Extra Brut, not the Brut as SAQ.com would have you believe. A blend of Pinot Noir (80%) and Chardonnay (20%) from organically and biodynamically farmed vines averaging 20 years old. The grapes are manually harvested, pressed in a traditional “Coquard” press and fermented in temperature-controlled enameled vats. Prevented from undergoing malolactic fermentation. Aged under cork – not the usual crown cap – before disgorging to allow micro-oxygenation and encourage the development of a finer effervescence. 12% ABV.
Brioche, apple, pear, chalk, quartz and eventually white flowers. The fruit has an intriguing, faintly candied, faintly oxidized edge to it. Wonderfully clean in the mouth. Winey but fleet, with rich fruit, lilting bubbles, tense acidity and a long minerally finish with subtle overtones of citrus and herbs. A pleasure to drink. (Buy again? Absolutely.)
More good news on the Fleury front: the house’s delicious non-vintage pink Champagne will soon be back on the SAQ’s shelves at a price about $20 less than when last seen at the monopoly. Keep an eye peeled for it: Champagne, Rosé de Saignée Brut, Fleury Père et Fils ($59.75, 1101030).
Judgement Embarrass
“Here you go,” says the SAQ wine advisor, holding out a glass. “The bottle’s been open about four or five hours. If you guess what it is, I’ll be impressed.”
Deep garnet-purple right up to the rim: obviously a young wine. Outgoing nose of plum, bramble, stones and sweet oak with a pronounced herbal note (garrigueish but with some tarragon thrown in). A sip and it’s clear we’re looking at a medium-bodied, warm-climate red. The mouth-filling, sweet-ripe fruit is plushed by round tannins, deepened by dark minerals and buoyed by welcome if soft acidity. Vanilla-caramel overtones and a faint alcoholic flare mark the sustained finish. Oakier and more fruit-forward than I like but not bad.
“The weight and garrigue have me thinking Languedoc,” I say. “Or Spain? Maybe one of the newfangled blends of traditional and international varieties. Still, the oak sticks out in a way it usually doesn’t with those wines…”
“What do you think it goes for?”
“Around $30.”
A smile on his face, he goes into the back room and returns with a half-full bottle of…
A seamless wine, a bottle as memorable as it is affordable
Rioja 2003, Viña Gravonia, R. López de Heredia ($25.95, 11667927)
100% Viura from old vines. Manually harvested, gently destemmed and immediately crushed. The must is transferred into 60-hectolitre oak vats, where it ferments spontaneously. Matured in 225-litre American oak barrels for four years, with racking twice a year. Unfiltered but fined with egg whites before bottling. 13% ABV.
Complex, faintly oxidized bouquet evocative of beeswax, dandelion flowers, stone, old wood, caramel, yellow fruit, quince and almonds. Round, even weighty on the palate yet also fresh, thanks in no small part to the soft but omnipresent acidity. Smooth minerals and honey flavour the fruit. A Fino-like note surfaces momentarily, then is sweetened and subsumed in dried apricot and orange peel on the long finish. A seamless wine, a bottle as memorable as it is affordable. (Buy again? Definitely and soon because there’s very little left at the SAQ.)
Made an intriguing and gratifying match for oysters on the half shell, especially small sweet Caraquets with a few drops of lemon juice. Would also love to try it with some good jamón.
Extinct Pithon
Anjou 2007, Les Treilles, Domaine Jo Pithon ($20.70, 12052289)
100% organically farmed Chenin Blanc. 14% ABV. This is the last vintage of the wine, since the estate ceased to exist in January of 2008 (Jo Pithon went on to found a négociant-éleveur business with his stepson, Domaine Pithon-Paillé).
Honeyed nose of apple, tropical fruit (pineapple?) and faint caramel, all against a chalky backdrop. Richly textured yet fluid and very dry, the wine has a glowing intensity at its core. Full of quartz, chalk, vine sap, browning apple and peach and more than a hint of orange. The acidity runs like an underground river from attack to finish and there’s a current of pithy bitterness. A taste of dried honey threads through the long finish. Great QPR. (Buy again? Oh, yes.)
One SAQ outlet reports returns of a few bottles due to off odours but my bottle and that of a friend were pristine, on the inside at least (the outside was covered with a light dust-like substance).
Bringing the food to the wine
Had a rib steak in my shopping bag when I happened upon this new arrival. My recipe for bringing the two together is after the jump.
Bandol 2009, Domaine de Souviou ($28.45, 12108377)
100% Mourvèdre. Picked by hand and destemmed. Fermentation takes place at 28 to 30ºC and maceration lasts 15 to 28 days, depending on the vintage. There are two pumpovers and one punchdown a day. The wine is matured in oak barrels. 14% ABV.
Complex aromatics: sun-baked earth, garrigue, pencil shavings, black raspberry, plum, faint new leather and black pepper, hint of kirschy alcohol. On the palate, the wine seems introverted. It’s a silky-textured middleweight, well balanced and finely structured, but the tannins are very tight. Very dry and savoury, not at all fruity. The long, mildly astringent finish has a leather note. Unsmiling when first opened, it smoothed, rounded, deepened and even sweetened with time in a carafe. Still, the rigid tannins indicate it needs a few more years to reach maturity. (Buy again? Sure.)
Unorthodox Greek
I originally intended to pair this wine with a roasted prime rib of beef but, after scoring a taste in an SAQ outlet, opted instead for pan-roasted lamb shoulder, a near perfect match. The recipe came from Marcella Hazan and, to mark her passing earlier today, I’ve included it after the jump.
Nemea 2005, Réserve, Parparoussis ($34.50, 11900493)
100% Agiorgitiko. Manually harvested. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks typically lasts 20 days with up to two weeks’ maceration. Matured in 70% new French oak barrels for 12 months. 13% ABV.
Fascinating, multifaceted bouquet of pomegranate, dried cherry, turned earth, herbs (tarragon?), blood and nut skins. The fruit – sour cherry, above all – is ripe and present but, contrary to expectations, far from dominant. In fact the wine is medium-bodied, supple and quite dry, not to mention savoury, bright with acidity, structured by fine resolved tannins and nuanced by overtones of underbrush and a coppery tang. A caramel thread runs throughout and is joined by faint cocoa husks on the long finish. Surprising in its exoticism but also in its restraint and elegance. Parparoussis studied wine-making in Dijon and, while you wouldn’t mistake this wine for a Burgundy, you can definitely see the influence. (Buy again? Yes.)
It is increasingly clear that the Greek wine scene is one of the most dynamic and exciting on the planet.
Socks-on Barbera
Barbera d’Alba 2011, Punset ($21.80, 10985747)
100% organically farmed Barbera. Manually harvested. Destemmed, gently pressed and fermented on the skins. Matured in stainless steel tanks for several months. 14% ABV.
Thin and hollow on opening, this benefits enormously from an hour in the carafe. Cherry, terracotta, slate, fresh stripped tree bark on the nose and in the mouth. Fluid and, despite the 14%, medium-bodied. The ripe if bone-dry fruit is textured by lightly raspy tannins and piquant acidity. Finishes on a tangy, cedary/tobaccoy note. The alcohol isn’t at all apparent until the end. Not a knock-your-socks-off Barbera, but honest, well made and ultimately enjoyable. (Buy again? Sure.)
It’s better with Butteaux
Chablis 2011, Premier cru Butteaux, Domaine Pattes Loup ($39.25, 12093494)
100% organically farmed Chardonnay from the Butteaux lieu-dit in the southern part of the Montmains premier cru with argillocalcareous (clay and limestone) soil over Kimmerridgian marl (fossilized seashells). The grapes are manually harvested and gently pressed with their stems. The juice is clarified by settling for 18 hours, then transferred to used 228-litre, medium-toast barrels for alcoholic fermentation (with indigenous yeasts), malolactic fermentation and maturation. During its 15 months in barrel, the wine is kept topped up and racked once but otherwise left undisturbed. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. Annual production is about 3,500 bottles. 12.5% ABV.
The bottle my glass came from had been open for about 18 hours and the wine was reportedly better for it. Textbook nose: lemon, oats, chalk, flint, subtle oak and a faint lactic note. Take a sip and liquid minerals fill the mouth. Then the lemon kicks in, followed by a butter note and a plush finish. The purity, depth and balance are remarkable. It’s a little richer than the estate’s fine Beauregard but also more structured and tense, the ripe fruit, minerals and baby fat wrapped around a core of grippy acidity. A class act from start to finish. Approachable now but full of the kind of potential that makes you anxious to taste it in five years. (Buy again? Yes. Chardonnays of this quality at this price don’t come around often.)
Cultured Vulture
Have lately had little time to drink and even less time to write, but I wanted to flag today’s release at the SAQ of a wine I and many others enjoyed last November, when it was available as a private import from oenopole. The intervening nine months have done it nothing but good and, once again, it has proved to be a fantastic match for lamb, this time a stew with vinegar and green beans (recipe after the jump). Quantities appear to be limited, so fast action is advised.
Aglianico del Vulture 2009, Antelio, Camerlengo ($23.35, 11951961)
100% Aglianico from organically farmed 30-year-old vines. Manually harvested in late October and early November. Fermented with native yeasts, macerated 25 days and matured in a 50-hl Slavonian oak botte. Unfiltered and unfined. Lightly sulphured at bottling for stability during transportation. 13% ABV.
Alluring nose: black cherry, graphite, hints of balsam, spice and flowers. Medium-bodied. The silky, sweet-cored fruit is brightened by acidity and velveted by lightly rustic tannins. Chewing brings a tooth-coating astringency and reveals a mineral substrate. The savoury finish lasts longer than you’d expect. A here-and-now wine: not particularly deep but remarkably fresh, pure and satisfying, more so than other Aglianicos in the price range, which often seem coarse, unbalanced and untamed, like gorillas in sports jackets. (Buy again? In multiples.)
Brett happens 