Posts Tagged ‘Affordable’
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Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine 2014, Granite, Domaine de l’Écu ($23.55, 10282873)
100% Melon de Bourgogne from organically and biodynamically farmed vines 45 to 55 years old growing in stony topsoil and mica granite subsoil. Manually harvested. The winery is gravity fed, so no pumping occurs. Pneumatically pressed. The unclarified must is fermented with indigenous yeasts. Sulphuring is limited to 25 mg added between alcoholic and malolactic fermentation. Matured on the lees in underground concrete tanks for 15 to 18 months. Reducing sugar: 1.4 g/l. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Raisonnance.
Outgoing nose for a young Écu: lemon fruit and pith, chamomile, minerals, faintest hints of wax, honey and almond essence. In the mouth, it’s fruitier than usual: silky, complex and wonderfully pure, acid bright and bone dry, with real mineral depth and overtones of peach and fresh herbs. The long, long flinty, iodiney finish leaves a white peppery afterbite. This will only improve with a few years in the cellar but, in contrast to most vintages, is beguiling young. Perfect, of course, with raw oysters and moules marinières but has the wherewithal to accompany fine fish and, even, sushi and stinky cheeses. Or see what the winemaker has to say about possible pairings. (Buy again? Imperatively.)
Mönch on this!
Mosel 2015, Ürzig Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett, Mönchhof ($25.90, 11034804)
100% Riesling from ungrafted, dry-farmed vines between 60 and 100 years old in the original part of the Würzgarten vineyard (red slate) in the municipality of Ürzig. Manually harvested. Fermentation with selected yeasts in stainless steel and neutral German oak vats lasts four weeks. Matured four to six months in stainless steel tanks and neutral German oak barrels. Filtered before bottling. Screwcapped. Reducing sugar: > 60 g/l. 8.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Valmonti.
Green apple, lime/grapefruit, mown meadow, slate, lemon yogurt, hints of yellow stone fruit. Sweet on the attack, then the acidity kicks in. Chockablock with pure, ripe fruit. Endowed with a mineral backbone. Shows fair depth and some spice at the back of the palate. Finish is subdued but quite long. Well balanced despite the hot vintage. Ageable at least a decade, maybe two, during which time it will deepen, gain complexity and lose sweetness. For now, while almost too sweet to drink as an aperitif, it comes into its own alongside food, in my case a fairly faithful replica of Nigel Slater’s apples, potatoes and bacon recipe finished with crème fraîche, mustard and tarragon, a dish I’ll be making – and pairing with German Riesling – again. (Buy again? Yes.)
Motley cru
Langhe Rosso 2013, G.D. Vajra ($21.95, 12464953)
Barbera (40%), Dolcetto (25%), Nebbiolo (25%) and Freisa (10%) per the SAQ, though chances are good it also contains small amounts of Albarossa and Pinot Nero. The grapes come from young vines and are manually harvested. Fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats with pump-overs and punch-downs. Matured around 15 months, mostly in stainless steel tanks as well as neutral barrels. Reducing sugar: 3.2 g/l. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Importations Syl-Vins.
Pleasant nose: cherry, mulberry, blackberry, sandalwood, dried leaves, slate, a hint of leather. Medium-bodied, clean and charming. The silky fruit is carried by smooth acidity that turns a little edgy as the wine moves through the mouth, while light raspy tannins gain a faint bitter astringency. Dry, especially on the long, aromatic finish, one of whose components reminds me of fresh apple seeds (yes, I eat apple cores) along with spice and herbal overtones. This may not knock many socks off but it’s well made, imbued with a sense of place and really quite enjoyable. It’s also food-friendly: easy-going enough to pair with pizza or pasta, elegant enough to accompany ossobucco or rabbit stew. (Buy again? Sure.)
All pastels
Gaillac 2015, Les Greilles, Causse Marines ($23.85, 860387)
A blend of Len de l’El (60%), Mauzac (20%), Ondenc (15%) and Muscadelle (5%) from organically and biodynamically farmed vines averaging 45 years old. Manually harvested. Gently pressed. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled tanks. Occasionally filtered and/or fined on an as-needed basis. Minimum added sulphur. Reducing sugar: 4.8 g/l. 14% ABV. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Wafting nose: apple-pear sauce, chamomile, limestone, a whiff of alcohol. Round, not bone dry yet not at all heavy – due in no small part to the surprising current of acidity – with a texture between waxy and satiny. The soft, ripe-sweet fruit slow-fades leaving a mid-palate more felt than tasted and a finish with intertwining threads of bitterness, chalk and herbs and spice that, however faintly, bring a high-class white vermouth to mind. The alcohol is detectable but ghostly. A wine with no sharp edges: all pastels and just lovely. (Buy again? Yes.)
Not my type. And yet…
Empordà 2013, Crianza, Puntiapart, La Vinyeta ($25.50, 12933238)
Cabernet Sauvignon (85%) and Carignan (15%) from organically farmed vines more than 30- and 100 years old respectively. Manually harvested. Matured 12 months in new French, Hungarian and Romanian oak barrels. Reducing sugar: 3.0 g/l. Total sulphur dioxide: 60 mg/l. 14.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Passion Gourmet.
My bottle reeked of volatile acidity; carafing the wine for a couple of hours mostly took care of it. Get beyond the nail polish remover and you catch whiffs of plum, cherry, red meat, slate and dark chocolate. In the mouth, it’s full-bodied if not quite a heavyweight. The fruit is chocolate-coated – cloyingly so were it not for the sustained acidity and pronounced earthy/minerally/savoury current. The tannins are still quite firm and chewy. A peppery note puts me in mind of Grenache. The alcohol lends more power than heat, though a touch of eau-de-vie overtones the finish. Fine with a grilled rib eye. Not really my type of wine, and yet it grows on me. Will probably improve – uncoil a little and digest some of its oak – in a few years (Buy again? Maybe.)
The oak straddles the line between noticeable and overbearing. And more’s the pity because you can tell that, underneath it all, there’s some fine juice. The wine does benefit from several hours’ aeration. And if you’re not oak-adverse, you may find this enjoyable. Am sure it would be a hit at most BBQs. Really might be worth buying a bottle to open in three or four years to see what’s become of it.
Spin the upright bottle as if it were on a turntable and watch the label’s wrap-around illustration, which changes with each vintage, become an animation, like a two-dimensional flip book.
Kung Fu Guy and company
Prince Edward County 2011, Zweigelt, Pasha’s Elixir, Norman Hardie ($23.00 at the winery)
Not a lot of technical info to be found for this wine. May be a special bottling for Fat Pasha restaurant in Toronto. May also be the last vintage. Possibly 100% Zweigelt. Manually harvested. Vinified with minimal intervention, extended maceration and indigenous yeasts. 10.9% ABV.
Clean nose: inky, spicy blackberry, distant mint and wood. Light- to medium-bodied. Dark fruited, with decent acidity, supple tannins and a mineral vein. The cedary overtones were surprising, the vinegary edge off-putting, though the wine did improve somewhat in the glass. I’d been looking forward to tasting this because, earlier this spring, a half bottle of Zweigelt – in all likelihood the County bottling – given by the winery to a friend for his helping with last fall’s harvest was effin’ delicious. But no one around the table was impressed by this and several were downright dismissive, one dubbing it “Kung Fu Guy: the Kung Fu Girl of red wines.” (Buy again? No.)
Niagara Peninsula 2014, Cabernet Franc, Unfiltered, Norman Hardie ($30.00 at the winery)
100% Cabernet Franc. Manually harvested. Given extended maceration on the skins with daily or more frequent pump-overs. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and regular punch-downs. 12.2% ABV.
Volatile acidity on the nose, along with whiffs of green herbs, dehydrated beef and, quoting other tasters, “roasted red peppers,” “beet like borscht” and “cheap makeup.” Medium-bodied, velvety textured. Decent fruit-acid balance but where are the tannins? Fair length. Meh. (Buy again? Only to check whether ours was an off bottle.)
Prince Edward County 2010, Cabernet Franc, Northfield, Grange of Prince Edward ($35.00 at the winery)
100% Cabernet Franc from 10-year-old estate vines. Manually picked and sorted. Primary fermentation in stainless steel tanks lasted 28 days. Matured 24 months in neutral French oak barrels. Residual sugar: 4 g/l. 13.5% ABV.
Odd nose that eventually settled into plum and beef sukiyaki. Medium-bodied with a lush texture. The core of sweet dark fruit is wrapped in wood and minerals, structured by sustained acidity and light but firm tannins. The fairly long finish brings faint spice and vegetal notes. Not only the best of the trio, it also improved considerably in the glass. (Buy again? Maybe.)
I’ve long felt that Cabernet Franc is the red grape Ontario does best but this flight has me reassessing that position. All three reds, especially the Hardie Cab Franc, were a big disappointment – foul-smelling, disjointed, simple – though the Grange did come around as it breathed. Still, as someone noted, why pay $30 or $35 for OK or worse when the Loire delivers juicy/minerallly deliciousness for $10 or $15 less or tremendous depth, complexity and refinement for about the same price.
MWG August 12th tasting: flight 6 of 8
Fresh, fluent, pure
Another interloper before getting back to the August 12th notes because, at the time of this posting, there appear to be only six bottles of this wine left in the province.
Coteaux du Loir 2014, La Guinguette, Domaine de la Roche Bleue ($26.50, 12856261)
The vintage is shown on the label but, oddly, not on SAQ.com. A blend of Pinot d’Aunis (80%) and Gamay (20%) from organically farmed vines. Manually harvested. The whole grapes undergo semi-carbonic maceration for 10 days and are fermented with indigenous yeasts in third- to sixth-fill oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation then follows. Two-thirds of the wine is transferred to barrels and one-third to tanks for three months’ maturation. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. Total added sulphur dioxide: 50 mg/l. 12.5% ABV. 4,800 bottles made. Quebec agent: Boires.
Cherry preserves, crushed raspberries, sawed wood, leafmould, hints of black pepper and dried rose. Silky-textured and barely medium-bodied. Fruity-sweet on entry but quickly transitioning to a much drier, more peppery mid-palate with sleek acidity, some mineral depth and tannins that, while supple and light, still confer a lingering astringency on the finish. Fresh and fluent and pure, with a quaffability quotient that’s off the charts. Lightly chilled, an ideal accompaniment to herbed sausages, roasted potatoes and sautéed kale with garlic and vinegar. (Buy again? Yep, provided I can find time to schlep out to the Beaubien store again before it sells out.)
The 2015 is reportedly a success. I look forward to tasting it and will keep an eye peeled for Roche Bleue’s old-vine Pinot d’Aunis cuvée, La Belle d’Aunis. Thanks to MWG member Jack for bringing this wine to my attention.
A blessing
While waiting for some technical information on the next wines in the August 12th tasting to land in my inbox, a note on a recent arrival at the SAQ.
Terre Siciliane 2015, Lucido, Marco de Bartoli ($20.00, 12640603)
100% Catarratto Lucido from organically farmed 13-year-old vines. Manually harvested. Gently pressed. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Matured on the lees for seven months, also in stainless steel tanks. Reducing sugar: 1.3 g/l. 12% ABV. 20,000 bottles made. Quebec agent: oneopole.
Served too cold, the wine seems shy, even nondescript. But as it warms, the nose blossoms: lemon and a little peach, straw, fired quartz. The flavours echo the nose, the delicate fruit and waxy texture making way for a mineral mid-palate. Soft acidity glows as if from within. The wine’s bone-dryness is apparent only on the finish. Faint notes of dried herbs, pineapple water, white flowers, caramel and citrus pith linger long. As its name suggests, luminous and translucent, sane and coherent. That such quiet beauty can be had for $20 is a blessing. A fine accompaniment to grilled shrimp and squid with olive oil, lemon and parsley; the next bottle is earmarked for Hazan’s mussel and romano bean soup. (Buy again? Naturally.)
Impeccable
Vouvray 2013, Brut, Domaine Vincent Carême ($26.05, 11633591)
100% Chenin Blanc from organically farmed vines. Manually harvested. Alcoholic fermentation took place in temperature-controlled fibre vats and was stopped when 28 g/l of sugar remained; in-bottle fermentation of that residual sugar created the effervescence. Reducing sugar: 4.7 g/l. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Dusty minerals, pear, a little peach and an earthy, maybe even cheesy note. Fine effervescence. In the mouth, it’s dry, round, quite complex and delightfully fresh. The fruit – here tending to apple and lemon – and minerals intertwine with a thread of bitterness and are lit up by crisp-verging-on-trenchant acidity. Long, clean finish. Impeccable. (Buy again? Definitely.)
MWG July 15th tasting: flight 5 of 8
Brett happens 
The horse he rode in on
with 11 comments
Emilia Rosso 2014, Trebbiolo, La Stoppa ($23.10, 11896501)
A blend of Barbera (60%) and Bonarda (40%) from organically farmed three- to 20-year-old vines. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Matured five months in stainless steel. Unfiltered and unfined. A small squirt of sulphur dioxide is added at bottling. Reducing sugar: 1.5 g/l. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Some barnyardy funk on opening but also mulberry, raspberry candies, old wood, earth and hints of game and papier d’Arménie. As is sometimes the case with this cuvée, there’s a bit of spritz that mostly dissipates, especially if the wine is carafed. That aside, it’s medium-bodied and very dry, full of tangy fruit, tart acidity and medium tannins with a nice rasp and an appealing astringency that lingers through the minerally finish. Virtually begs for casual fare – think pizza, sausages, grilled pork – and can handle tomato with aplomb. Just don’t serve it too warm. A return to form after the verging on off-dry 2013, this has some of the rustic appeal of the much missed Gutturnio, which cuvée it replaces. (Buy again? In multiples.)
Preparing this note for posting has my mouth watering, so much did I enjoy the wine. Several friends have also expressed delight with the 2014 (“back to being eminently quaffable” to quote one of them). All of which gives the lie to another local blogger’s claim that (translating here and below) “No one could like this. Undrinkable!”, something said blogger knows is untrue as he goes on to cherry-pick Cellartracker comments in support of his position while ignoring the majority of favourable reviews appearing alongside them. (Not that I place stock in scores, but the Cellartracker average is 89 points for the 2013 and 2014 and 87 points for the 2012. Wine Spectator reportedly rated it 89 points. Hardly undrinkable.)
Maybe the wine’s not to the blogger’s taste. Fine: de gustibus non disputandum est. Maybe he doesn’t “get” natural wines. Maybe he is unaware that wines from this area and nearby parts of Piedmont sometimes have – and are prized for – the funky, fizzy qualities he objects to. Maybe his particular bottle was actually defective, a possibility that doesn’t appear to have occurred to him. Or maybe his declaring not just his bottle but every bottle to be a “foul horse,” his suggesting that the winemaker, agent and SAQ were asleep at the switch, his screaming in all caps that the wine should “be withdrawn at once” point to another agenda.
Notwithstanding such irresponsible reporting, the 2014 Trebbiolo has been selling well and is already in low supply at or long gone from stores like the Laurier and Beaubien Sélections, whose customers tend to be more clued-in than others. If you look, you’ll find bottles here and there on the island in addition to the 60 or so on SAQ.com. And if it’s the kind of wine that pushes your buttons, look you should.
Written by carswell
October 7, 2016 at 15:17
Posted in Commentary, Tasting notes
Tagged with Affordable, Emilia-Romagna, food pairings, Natural wine, Organic, QPR winner, Red wine