Posts Tagged ‘Mo’ Wine Group’
MWG October 17th tasting (2/5): The naked and the clad
Rueda 2012, Bodega de Los Herederos del Marqués de Riscal ($14.35, 10270725)
100% Verdejo. Destemmed, cold-soaked on the skins and clarified through settling and fining, then fermented at around 14ºC for 20 days. After a short stay in barrels, the wine is bottled, usually in the winter that follows the harvest. Screwcapped. 13% ABV.
White grapefruit, cat pee, granite dust and barely audible lychee and dried herb high notes. Light and bright, very dry yet intensely fruity with a faint nut skin-like bitterness. Not deep but quite long. Yes, it’s a bit faceless. But it’s also clean, fresh and refreshing. As the French say, correct, especially at the price. (Buy again? Sure though not in preference to Ijalba’s similarly priced Genoli, which is made from organically farmed Viura grapes.)
Rueda 2008, Naiades, Bodegas Naia ($29.95, 11962707)
100% Verdejo from old vines, some of them centenarians. Manually harvested. Barrel-fermented then transferred to new French oak barrels for eight months’ maturation. Attractive label. Ridiculously heavy bottle. 13.5% ABV. One of the wines in the Cellier New Arrivals release.
Fragrant bouquet of tropical fruit, vanilla and coconut with background minerals and char. While you could say the dense fruit is balanced by the grape’s naturally high acidity, to my palate the wine is sweet and cloying. And if the oak doesn’t exactly mask the fruit, it certainly envelops it. Broad and long, this is far closer to a buttery New World Chardonnay – albeit one with some minerals and muscle tone – than to traditional Ruedas like the Marqués de Riscal or, for that matter, Naia’s own eponymous cuvée. Not at all my style though some people will love it. (Buy again? Nope.)
MWG October 17th tasting (1/5): Albariño duo, Alvarinho solo
The October 17th tasting focused on Spanish wines, including five from the day’s Cellier New Arrivals release.
Rias Baixas 2011, Albariño, Adegas Morgadio ($20.35, 11962686)
100% Albariño. Made using free-run juice from estate grown grapes. Fermented for 15 days at 16ºC. If this sees any oak, you can’t taste it. 13% ABV. One of the Cellier New Arrivals wines.
Fresh, crushed seashell and lemon nose with peach and floral notes. Dry and tense. The crisp acidity is softened by the extract, which is surprisingly dense for such a fleet wine. Light but complex set of flavours, including underripe pear, citrus zest, white spices, maybe some powdered ginger. Long minerally finish and a lingering tang. Balanced and refreshing. (Buy again? Yes.)
Vinho regional Minho 2012, Alvarinho, Colheita Seleccionada, Quinta de Gomariz ($21.00, 11895225)
100% Alvarinho from 12-year-old vines. Manually harvested. Fermented with indigenous yeasts for seven to ten days. Matured for two months. Prevented from undergoing malolactic fermentation. Sees only stainless steel. Fined and filtered before bottling. 12.5% ABV.
Aromatic: lime, peach, white flowers, white sand. A notch sweeter and tarter than the Spaniards and possessed of a light spritz, this was clearly the ringer. Fresh and flowing. The fruit is balanced by tangy acid and sits on a chalky substrate. The long, tart, dryish finish has a white pepper note. It could be the different contexts, but this didn’t strike me as memorable as the 2011. Still plenty good though. Would make a great match for fresh crab. (Buy again? Yes.)
Rias Baixas 2011, Albariño, Legado del Conde, Adegas Morgadio ($19.95, 11155403)
100% Albariño. Made from first-press juices. Fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. 12.5% ABV.
A sterner nose, more about minerals than fruit and with a clean sweat-like component. Dry and fruity on the palate with chugging acidity, a quartzy undertow and a sour-edged finish. Enjoyable on its own but coming across as a little tighter and simpler than its stablemate. (Buy again? Sure though not in preference to the only-40-cents-more-expensive standard cuvée.)
MWG October 3rd tasting (7/7): Blue moon
IGT Toscana 2010, Luna Blu, Fattoria di Caspri ($28.50, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
There’s hardly any information to be found on this wine. It appears that two versions are made: one a standard white, the other an orange wine. This, the latter is a blend of organically and biodynamically farmed Trebbiano and Malvasia that have been macerated on their skins (standard procedure for red wines, not whites), which extracts colour, aromatic compounds and tannins. 13.5% ABV.
Gorgeous nose evocative of spiced peaches, dried herbs and straw. Smooth and fluid in the mouth, with light tannins, pronounced, almost biting acidity and a sweet-and-sour quality to the fruit. Not as hard core as some orange wines but yum… uh, what was I saying? Olif of the eponymous blog has, of course, not only tasted the wine but spoken with the winemaker, whom he reports as recommending that it be cellared until 2017. While you can’t but wonder how much better so accessible and delicious a wine can become, it’ll be fun checking out whether he’s right. (Buy again? Yes, yes, yes.)
MWG October 3rd tasting (6/7): Mamma Saffirio meets Mâmârutá
Langhe 2011, Nebbiolo, Josetta Saffirio ($34.50, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
Nebbiolo with 10% Merlot. The estate’s five hectares of vineyards are organically farmed but not certified as such. As the two grape varieties ripen at different times, they are picked (manually) and vinified separately: pressed, destemmed and macerated eight to ten days, after which point the juice is drawn off and fermented (using selected Barolo yeasts) in temperature-controlled tanks. At the end of malolactic fermentation, the wines are barrel-aged for 12 months, then blended and bottled. 13.5% ABV.
The expected cherry is joined by unexpected bramble as well as tree bark, cinnamon and a hint of tar and rose. Medium-bodied but rich with a plush mouthfeel, lacy tannins, balanced acidity and some oak on the finish. In a tasting populated by so many eccentrics, this relatively conventional wine may have been overshadowed and probably merits another visit. (Buy again? Sure.)
Fitou 2012, Coupe Soif, Domaine Mâmârutá ($25.00, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
Young Marc Castan began making wine on his 13-hectare organically farmed estate in La Palme in 2009. This “thirst cutter” is a blend of Carignan (80%) and Grenache (20%). The grapes are manually harvested and co-fermented in concrete vats and large barrels. Only indigenous yeasts are used and maceration and fermentation times are kept short. Minimal intervention and minimal added sulphur. 14% ABV.
Another funky, natural wine nose – “slate-eating donkey turd” was my initial descriptor – that eventually segued into red fruit (cherry?), spice, turned earth and a hint of leather. It’s a different story in the mouth: thirst-quenching indeed, fluid and bright, straightforward and pure, with a clean, lip-smacking finish. Aérien was how Cyril described it. Delicious was the last word I wrote. (Buy again? Yes.)
MWG October 3rd tasting (4/7): Béru v. Sarnin-Berrux
Chablis 2009, Clos Béru Monopole, Château de Béru ($56.00, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
In 2009, the estate was organic converting to biodynamic. 100% Chardonnay from vines averaging 30 years old. Immediately after harvesting, the grapes are gently pressed. The must is transferred into stainless steel tanks and then into second- to fourth-fill oak barrels for 18 months’ fermentation and maturation. Unfiltered and unfined. Sulphur use is minimal. 12.5% ABV.
Evolving nose: butter, chalk, yellow apple, faint flint and spice. In the mouth, the wine is rich and round verging on plump. Fruit and acidity are in balance, minerals are present but in a supporting role. Layered and long. Ends on a hard-to-pin-down floral note (acacia?). Approachable now but with definite aging potential. A wine you could serve to Burg hounds as well as fans of New World Chards; if I owned a restaurant, this would be on the list. (Buy again? If feeling flush, yes.)
Saint-Aubin 2011, Domaine Sarnin-Berrux ($45.50, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
With the exception of one cuvée, the Sarnin-Berrux wines are made from purchased grapes. The firm works closely with the growers, insisting on organic methods and often picking the grapes themselves, and the wine-making schedule is based on the lunar calendar. The grapes for this 100% Chardonnay are manually harvested, placed in small cases and immediately transferred to the winery, where they are sorted and gently pressed. The must is allowed to settle and then to spontaneously ferment for four to six months. Matured on its lees in oak barrels. No sulphur is added until bottling, and then only minimally. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. Vegan-compatible. 13.5% ABV.
Smelling quite young: lactic, citrusy and a little oaky. Less dense than the Chablis but tenser, fruitier and somehow sweeter. Lemon and pear dance with with minerals and acidity before being subsumed in a dry/sour surge on the finish. Give it a year or two in the cellar. (Buy again? Sure.)
MWG October 3rd tasting (3/7): Three eccentric whites
Vin de Sologne 2011, Quartz, Domaine Claude Courtois ($34.50, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
For background on the estate and winemaker, see my note for the 2009 Quartz. Sauvignon Blanc from organically farmed (though uncertified as such) vines, some of which are ungrafted. Manually harvested, destemmed and gently pressed. Fermented (with indigenous yeasts) and matured in oak barrels for 12 to 24 months. 11.8% ABV.
Courtois’s wines can vary significantly from vintage to vintage, and this is one of the most radical Quartzes yet. The resinous note that sometimes marks the wine’s bouquet here dominates, putting one in mind more of turpentine than pine needles, though not to the exclusion of apple, pear, distant greenery and quartz dust. In the mouth, the wine is intense but not fruity, packed with minerals and rife with acid yet somehow smooth and fluid. The finish is clean and long. A wine that makes you sit up and take notice. Weird? Yes. But also loveable in its oddball way. Would like to see how this evolves. (Buy again? The contrarian in me says yes.)
Penedès 2012, Capficat, Xarel·lo, Celler Credo ($45.75, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
100% organically and biodynamically farmed Xarel·lo, a grape variety normally used to make cava, from an eight-hectare vineyard planted in 1940. Manually harvested. Fermented (with indigenous yeasts) and matured for one month in oak barrels. Unfiltered, unfined and with no added sulphur. 660 bottles made. 13% ABV. In Catalan, a cap ficat is “a branch that’s burled – without being cut from the stump it grows from – and gives life to a new vine.”
Astounding nose: animale, chalk and rotting peach against a backdrop of honey and brown sugar with a grinding of white pepper. Lighter than expected in the mouth: fresh and minerally, layered and long, with sweet but unheavy fruit and an underlying sourness. Long. Pricey but fascinating. (Buy again? The curiosity lover in me says yes.)
Colli Tortonesi bianco 2010, Montesoro, Valli Unite ($27.75, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
A blend of Timorasso, Favorita and Chasselas (though one site claims it’s 100% Timorasso). Manually harvested. Fermented with selected yeasts. Matured on the fine lees for one year. Sees only stainless steel. A minimal amount (3 g/hl) of sulphur dioxide is used and only post-fermentation. 3,000 bottles made. 14% ABV.
The nose’s crushed seashells are joined by faintly oxidized and candied yellow fruit, hints of meadow and an anise note. Rich and layered in the mouth, evocative of browning sour apple. Not thirst-quenching but with sufficient acidity, not to mention crunchy minerals, and a long, bitter-edged finish. (Buy again? The gastronome in me says yes.)
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).
MWG July 18th tasting (2/5): Three pink Pinot Noirs
Sancerre rosé 2012, La Louée, Sylvain Bailly ($22.00, 12052246)
100% Pinot Noir from vines averaging 15 to 30 years old. The grapes are pressed with no preceding maceration. The must is chilled and clarified by allowing large particles to settle out for 24 to 48 hours. Alcoholic fermentation lasts two weeks and takes place in temperature-controlled vats. The wine is matured on its fine lees, racked, cold stabilized and lightly filtered before being bottled in the spring following the harvest. 13.5% ABV.
Pale coppery pink. Minerals, cherry and peach on the nose. Fresh and light in the mouth, with a bell-like clarity: sweet and tangy strawberry, crushed minerals, bright acidity and a clean finish. A vin plaisir if ever there were one, a pure delight. (Buy again? Absolutely.)
Vireton Rosé 2012, Willamette Valley, Archery Summit (US$24.00, importation valise)
100% Pinot Noir from five estate-owned vineyards. A saignée method rosé: the still-pink juice is “bled” from the red wine vat after a short maceration on the skins. Fermented in neutral oak barrels. 13.5% ABV if I’m remembering correctly.
Bright pink bordering on scarlet. Cherry again but sterner and stonier with a hint of something green (watermelon rind? rhubarb?). Quite intense: mouth-filling fruit, coursing acidity (softened by a hint of residual sugar) and even some tannins. The finish is drier and a little less juicy – a good thing. Substantial enough to serve with grilled salmon or even Thanksgiving turkey. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Sancerre rosé 2012, Vincent Pinard ($30.00, 11804178)
100% organically farmed Pinot Noir from vines averaging ten years old. Manually harvested. The uncrushed grapes are pneumatically pressed. The resulting must is fermented and matured entirely in stainless steel tanks. 13% ABV.
Medium pink with a grey cast. Muted nose, mainly chalk and strawberry. Dry, clean and tasty enough but also a bit flat, even monotone and not remarkably fresh. In fact, the pleasure quotient is pretty low. Could well show better at the dining table but on its own and at that price… (Buy again? No.)
MWG July 18th tasting (1/5): Swiss quartet
Valais 2011, Fendant de Sierre, Domaines Rouvinez ($19.95, 11598538)
100% Chasselas. Vinified in tanks. Matured on the fine lees. 12% ABV.
White flowers, flint, faint lemon. Light- to medium-bodied. Slight residual sugar and spritziness at first. Clean and bright if a bit hollow on the mid-palate. A fresh mint note scents the dry, bitter-edged finish. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Neuchâtel 2011, Auvernier, Domaine de Montmollin ($20.95, 00721233)
100% Chasselas from vineyards located near the village of Auvernier. No winemaking information found. 11.5% ABV.
Similar to the Fendant though showing some pear and a hint of ash. Dry and just a little spritzy. The pure fruit and bright acidity intertwine with bitter quartz on the finish. Simple but fresh and lovely. (Buy again? Yes.)
La Côte 2010, Doral, Expression, Uvavins-Cave de la Côte ($23.25, 11885609)
100% Doral, a relatively new cross between Chardonnay and Chasselas. Uvavins is a large growers’ cooperative. No winemaking information found. 12.9% ABV.
Slightly oxidized sour apple. Clean and rich with ripe fruit, just a hint of sugar, soft acidity, faint chalky minerals, a honeyed note and some hay and straw on the solid finish. (Buy again? Sure.)
Valais 2011, Petite Arvine, Château Lichten/Domaines Rouvinez ($34.75, 10867599)
100% Petite Arvine from 20-year-old vines. Vinified in tanks. Prevented from undergoing malolactic fermentation. Matured on the fine lees. 13.5% ABV.
Quartz, lemon, mountain air, faint apricot, rhubarb and apple. Smooth and rich on entry, with a winey, almost creamy texture. Somehow both present and ephemeral, the fruit is carried over smooth stones on a gurgling stream of acidity. A faint bitterness surfaces on the long, lightly sour and saline finish. Such poise and balance. Unique and delicious. (Buy again? Done!)
Brett happens 