Posts Tagged ‘Natural wine’
MWG February 9th tasting: report (4/4)
Domaine Lemaire Fournier was a 30-hectare estate located in Vernou sur Brenne, close to Vouvray. In 2003, the estate was in its second year of conversion to organic farming. The wines were made with native yeasts and abjuring enzymes, chaptalization, deacidification, fining, added nutrients, tartric stabilization and sulphur. The estate’s remaining stocks of wine are being liquidated, which explains the reasonable prices.
We tasted the three wines on their own and then with four cheeses.
Vouvray 2003, Tartemains, Domaine Lemaire Fournier ($27.15, La QV)
Honey nose, brown sugar palate. Notes of beeswax, yellow apple, golden raisins. Medium-bodied, medium sweet. Soft texture despite the underpinning acidity. Lengthy finish with a hint of bitterness. Delicious, especially with the Tome de Savoie. (Buy again? Yes.)
Vouvray 2004, Demi-sec, Domaine Lemaire Fournier ($21.30, La QV)
Complex nose: apple, honey, herbs, fall leaves. Light, cidery and dryish on the palate, the residual sugar just taking the edge off the acid. Lingering cedary finish. Tasty and refreshing, the kind of versatile wine you could serve as an aperitif, with fish or pork dishes or with cheese (soft bloomy rinds, aged Gouda, mild blues). (Buy again? Sure.)
Vouvray 2003, Réveilleries, Domaine Lemaire Fournier ($27.15, La QV)
Oxidized and spritzy. Browned apple and a cheesy, volatile note. Odd, sour/bitter finish. An off bottle, as confirmed by a taster familiar with the wine, though not undrinkable. Strangely, it achieved a kind of synergy with the Bleu bénédictin. (Buy again? As a believer in second chances, yes.)
MWG February 9th tasting: report (1/4)
Demands on my time mean the notes for the Mo’ Wine Group’s latest tasting will be served, like the wines, in four flights.
Sancerre 2010, Les Chailloux, Domaine Fouassier ($28.15, La QV)
100% biodynamically farmed Sauvignon Blanc from 20-year-old vines; fermented with native yeasts. Chalk and bath powder, then boxwood and jalapeño, then a hint of peanut. Light, fluid and quite dry. More minerally than fruity, and what fruit there is is of a crystalline purity. Longish finish and a lingering impression of freshness. (Buy again? Yep.)
Sancerre 2010, Terroirs, Sylvain Bailly ($22.10, 10861808)
100% Sauvignon Blanc. Textbook nose: grass, cat pee, white fruit, gunflint. Taut and vibrant, with a smooth surface, acid undertow, minerals and green fruit. Long, bright finish. A classic Sancerre and great QPR. (Buy again? Def.)
Sancerre 2010, Domaine Vacheron ($30.25, 10523892)
100% biodynamically farmed Sauvignon Blanc. Closed nose hinting at seashells, hay, green pear. The driest of the four wines. Green fruit, grapefruit and minerals, bracing acidity. Long albeit muted/soft finish. Elegant. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Sancerre 2009, Cuvée Edmond, Domaine la Moussière ($56.50, 10269273)
100% biodynamically farmed Sauvignon Blanc from 40 to 70-year-old vines. Fermented in oak casks (60% new). Pale gold (quite the contrast to the other wines’ silvery-green). Complex nose of ripe yellow fruit, kiwi, camphor, custard, lemon verbena. Round and weighty in the mouth, showing a bit of residual sugar. Just enough acid to save the wine from heaviness. Long, honeyed finish. Imposing and impressive if atypically rich for a Sancerre or even a Cuvée Edmond. (Buy again? Probably not.)
MWG January 12th tasting: report
In reaction to the excesses of the holiday season, the Mo’ Wine Group’s January tasting traditionally focuses on affordable wines. This year was no exception. All bottles but one were purchased at the SAQ, and most are still available.
THE WHITES
Vinho Verde 2009, Loureiro, Quinta do Ameal ($18.30, 11459992)
100% organically farmed Loureiro. Floral and grapey in a Muscat kind of way; chalky, too. Light and fruity in the mouth, the slight residual sugar balanced by high acidity. Faint tingle, though whether from carbon dioxide or acid I can’t say. Minerally finish. (Buy again? Probably not, when the more compelling Deu La Deu is available at about the same price.)
Rueda 2009, Nosis, Buil&Giné ($18.95, 10860928)
100% Verdejo. Muted nose of dried lemon peel, wax and gooseberry. Fairly dense and oily though with enough acid to keep it from feeling heavy. Lemony, quartzy flavours and some residual sugar up front, dries and turns minerally as it progresses through the mouth. Lingers long. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Bourgogne Vézelay 2010, La Châtelaine, Domaine la Cadette ($22.05, 11094621)
100% organically farmed Chardonnay. 80% spends time in vats, 20% in barrels. Lemon, green apple and ashes on the nose. Green apple and oats on the palate. Bright acid. Seems disjointed and turns unpleasantly sour and lactic on the mid-palate. In view of the wine’s previous vintages and the embrace of the 2010 by the city’s more clued-in restaurateurs and wine advisors (it was reportedly the third biggest seller during the holidays at the Jean Talon Market SAQ), ours was probably an off bottle. (Buy again? To see what gives, yes.)
Alto Adige 2010, Kerner, Abbazia di Novacella ($22.95, 11451974)
100% Kerner. Fermented using natural yeasts. Sees only stainless steel. Floral, green grape, spice, quartz dust. Weighty in the mouth. Initial residual sugar. Fruity attack fades by mid-palate. High acid. A bit short and alcoholic (13.9% ABV). (Buy again? Maybe.)
Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh sec 2008, Château Montus ($23.55, 11017625)
100% Petit Courbu from 15-year-old vines. Honeyed pear. Dense, rich, quite dry. Strong acid. Lemon zest on very long finish. Tasty. (Buy again? Yes.)
Saumur 2010, Château Yvonne ($25.55, 10689665)
100% organically farmed Chenin Blanc. Fermented with native yeasts, matured in new barrels, unfiltered and unfined. Quince, quinine, chestnut honey. Medium-bodied and very acidic. Complex but giving the impression that there’s more in store. Long mineral-packed finish. Not as memorably out-there as some earlier vintages but still a fine bottle of Chenin. (Buy again? Yes.)
THE REDS
Burgenland Qualitätswein 2009, Zweigelt, Zantho ($15.90, 10790384)
100% Blauer Zweigelt. Fermented in stainless steel tanks; matured 95% in stainless steel tanks, 5% in used barriques. Farty, candied red fruit, graphite, dried herbs. Rustic, a bit jammy and one-noteish, despite some coffee and slate undertones. Drinkable but not delivering much excitement. (Buy again? Probably not.)
IGP Pays de l’Hérault 2010, Exorde, Clos Mathélisse ($21.30, La QV)
100% organically farmed Cinsault. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Bottled unfiltered and unfined with very little added sulphur. Nearly the entire (very small) production is exported to Switzerland and Canada. A first bottle seemed out of character: Red fruit, herbal, hint of rubber. Light rustic tannins. Bright acid but moody, a bit red-vermouthy, not recognizably the same wine as from earlier bottles. A second bottle showed much better: a gush of bright fruit and raspy tannins, with earthy herbal overtones and a pomegranate-like tang – the proverbial “wine that puts a smile on your face.” Surprisingly, three or four hours after being uncorked, the tail-end of the first bottle had righted itself and was drinking beautifully. Such are the vagaries of natural wines… (Buy again? For sure.)
Menetou-Salon 2010, Domaine Philippe Gilbert ($26.50, 11154988)
100% biodynamically farmed Pinot Noir from 20-year-old vines. Natural winemaking. Bottled unfiltered with minimal sulphur. Exuberant red berries: ça pinote. Light but richening as it breathes. Ripe fruit, bright acid, fine, supple tannins. Good balance and length. A rectilinear but very pure expression of the grape variety. (Buy again? Yes.)
Toro 2009, Crianza, Bodega Viña Bajoz ($13.35, 10856195)
100% Tinta de Toro (aka Tempranillo). Crianzas must be aged for 24 months, with no less than 6 months barrel-aging. Plum, stinky feet, spice, a whiff of alcohol. Rich, ripe, fluid. Raspberry, cocoa, a hint of “high” meat. Some structure. A little alcohol and tannic astringency on the dried herby finish. Good, especially at the price, though not a wine for contemplation. (Buy again? Sure.)
Nemea 2008, Agiorgitiko, Driopi, Domaine Tselepos ($19.75, 10701311)
100% Agiorgitiko from 40-year-old vines. Manually harvested. Fermented in stainless steel vats with selected yeasts. Matured in 40% new oak barrels. Menthol, plum, tobacco. Fresh and juicy in the mouth, with leather and spice deepening the sweet fruit flavours. Good acid, plump tannins and a slatey finish. The ripe, round fruit speaks of a southern wine. (Buy again? Yes, especially when it’s grilling season again.)
Douro 2008, Quinta de la Rosa ($20.30, 00928473)
Traditional port varieties, mainly Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Roriz from 20- to 30-year-old vines. Manually harvested. Fermented in small stainless steel vats, then matured in French oak casks for 12 months before being minimally filtered and bottled. Volatile, spicy nose. Rich, vaporous, alcoholic (14.2% ABV). A mass of spicy/herby fruit. Good acid and plump tannins. Long, flowing finish. Intense but also a little plodding. (Buy again? Not sure.)
IGT Maremma Toscana 2009, Sinarra, La Fattoria di Magliano ($21.65, 11191447)
95% Sangiovese, 5% Petit Verdot. Manually harvested. Sees no oak. Bottled unfiltered. Typical Tuscan nose: leather, dust, dried cherry. Rich yet supple and fluid. The drying tannins are also true to the Tuscan type. Balanced, structured, long. Modern but quite enjoyable. (Buy again? Yes.)
Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence 2009, Château Revelette ($18.45, 10259737)
Organically farmed Syrah (55%), Cabernet Sauvignon (34%) and Grenache (11%) from 25-year-old vines. The constituent grape varieties are vinified separately. A fraction of the Grenache and Cabernet are aged in fifth-year barrels. Leather upfront. Spice, black fruit in background. Rich, dense and strucutred but not heavy. Lots of acid. Tarry tannins. Long, savoury, posh. (Buy again? Definitely.)
Fronton 2008, Cuvée Don Quichotte, Domaine Le Roc ($18.80, 10675327)
Négrette (60%) and Syrah (40%). Varieties are vinified separately. The grapes are crushed, as the winemakers feel this enhances the bouquet and softens the tannins. Matured in vats and barrels. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. Wild red and black fruit with floral and animale notes. Dense fruit but fluid and bright. Supple tannins. Hints of licorice and dark chocolate on the longish finish. Perhaps showing less personality than in earlier vintages but still delivering good QPR. (Buy again? Yes.)
Montsant 2007, Vall del Calas, Celler de Capçanes ($22.75, 10858297)
65% Merlot, 30% Garnacha, 5% Tempranillo. All three varieties are vinified separately. Fermented with native yeasts. Spends 13 months with new, one- and two-year French oak barrels. Bottled unfined and lightly filtered. Blackberry and black cherry, pepper and gravel. A silky texture and open structure. Rich, ripe fruit along with some wood and chocolate. Fairly long, inky/minerally finish. Seemed quite young. (Buy again? Maybe.)
A sweet suite of Burgs from oenopole
oenopole‘s Theo Diamantis recently led a tasting of the agency’s new arrivals from Burgundy – mostly from Domaine Naudin-Ferrand – plus a red ringer from Alsace. All the wines are made from organically farmed grapes; the Naudin-Ferrands with the nature moniker have next to no added sulphur. They proved to be Burgundies of remarkable finesse, the best 2009s from the region that I’ve tasted and the kinds of wine that really float my boat.
The first four wines are available at the SAQ. The others are private imports and can be ordered by the case from oenopole.
FIVE WHITES
Bourgogne Aligoté 2009, Domaine Naudin-Ferrand ($17.25, 11589703)
Light lemon, wax, chalk and eventually fennel. Relatively soft for an Aligoté but by no means acid-deficient. Builds to a mouth-watering, crystalline finish. Pure and tonic if a little less characterful than the Chardonnays.
Bourgogne 2010, Soeur Cadette, Domaine de la Cadette ($18.65, 11460660)
Minerals, green grape, a hint of lime. Zingy acid balanced by ripe fruit. Long minerally finish that turns a bit buttery as the wine warms. “Simple but not facile,” someone commented. Clean and delicious, I’d add.
Bourgogne-Véselay 2010, La Châtelaine, Domaine de la Cadette ($22.10, 11094621)
Lemon-lime with hints of toast, tropical fruit and eventually orange. Rich on entry, sweet-fruity on the mid-palate, puckery on the finish. Bright, bracing and clean as a whistle: quite the contrast to the bottle opened at the January MWG tasting.
Chablis 1er cru Beauregard 2009, Domaine Pattes Loup ($35.00, 11349072)
Classy nose: lemon, puff pastry, gun flint. Plush texture. Layers of flavour though more about minerals than fruit. Excellent balance and length. Lots of bang for the buck. Probably not a long keeper.
Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune 2009, Nature, Domaine Naudin-Ferrand ($36,25, 12 btls/case)
Astounding nose: pineapple, brioche dough and, unbelievably, menthol. Buttery and hazelnutty attack, turning minerally and lemon curdy. Pulsing with fruit and acidity. Long, herb-tinged finish. Special.
SIX REDS
Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits 2009, Nature, Domaine Naudin-Ferrand ($39.75, 12 btls/case)
Initial cherry and spice with hints of hay, gaining mineral, beet and red meat notes. Ça pinote. Delicate. Fruit starts sweet, turns sourer. Light, firm tannins and some oak emerge on the finish. Give it a few years and it’ll be a sleek and silky beaut.
Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune 2009, Domaine Naudin-Ferrand ($25.35, 12 btls/case)
Forest floor, mushroom, red berries, less exuberantly Pinot Noir than its nature siblings. Fine and delicate but showing lots of structure. Woody undertones and tight (but ripe) tannins. Needs a couple of years to knit together.
Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune 2009, Nature, Domaine Naudin-Ferrand ($37.75, 12 btls/case)
Lovely. Red berries, leaf mould, hints of beet and cola: once again, ça pinote. Supple and fluid. Pure, ripe fruit, fine tannins, a sheen of acidity. Long. Complete and surprisingly approachable.
Alsace Pinot Noir 2009, LN012, Domaine Gérard Schueller ($48.00, 6 btls/case)
Only 680 bottles made. Aromatic, complex, funky nose: dark berries, spice, game, straw, cola, “dill pickle chips,” dried pine needles and more. Medium-bodied. Dry. Spicy red fruit mixed with, beets, game, leather, dried wood. Complex and layered. Long “savoury, salty, tamari” finish. Lots of umami going on but not everybody’s cup of tea (though those of us who liked it, loved it).
Aloxe-Corton 2009, Domaine Naudin-Ferrand ($50.25, 6 btls/case, NLA)
Strawberry pastry, turned earth, forest floor and a hint of oak. Rich but supple. Oak and tannins need time to integrate. Long. Pure, elegant and delicious. A favourite of just about everyone around the table.
Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes 2009, Domaine Naudin-Ferrand ($99.50, 6 blts/case)
Class in a glass. Closed but glorious nose: mineral and berries, fields and forests. Primary but elegant. Layered deep cherry fruit. Very structured and tight yet so fine and balanced. Long, long finish. Full of potential: not peaking for another ten or 20 years.
A star(t)ling Pinot Noir
Renowned for its Sauvignon Blancs, Sancerre is also the source of the Loire’s best Pinot Noirs.
Sancerre 2006, L’Étourneau, Domaine Fouassier ($29.75, La QV)
100% biodynamically farmed Pinot Noir from 25- to 45-year-old vines. Manually harvested, fermented with indigenous yeasts, aged in oak barrels for 12 months. Nose of beet and red berries but also surprising baked earth, leather and dried herbs. Pure, fluid, medium-bodied (13% ABV) yet substantial. Initial sweet fruit submarines under the fine, tight tannins, racy acidity and minerals, then partially resurfaces, adding berry and cola notes to the faintly sour and astringent, flinty finish. Delicious now but – as the tail-end revisited the next day implies – smoother, suaver, more Pinoty with another two to four years in the bottle.
Hat tip to wapiti for the find and the flinty.
Ribiera’s 2010 Causse Toujours
IGP Pays de l’Hérault 2010, “Causse Toujours”, Domaine Ribiera ($23.30, 12 bottles/case, La QV)
IGP? Indication géographique protégée, the French version of the Europe-wide term replacing the national vin de pays. As of the 2009 vintage, VDPs are no more. See Jamie Goode’s article for the back story.
This particular IGP is 40% Grenache, 40% Cinsault and 20% Syrah, all from organically farmed, ten-year-old vines. Manually harvested. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Destemmed, pumped over, racked and returned (délestage). Aged eight months in vats and demi-muids. No sulphur added, so should be stored at 15ºC (60ºF) or under.
Fragrant nose: black plum and grape, sun-baked earth, sweet spice, dried herbs and flowers (peony?). Supple, medium weight, texture verging on velvety. Rich, pure dark fruit with high-toned kirsch and deeper gamey notes. Sinewy tannins. The sweet fruit fades on the finish, leaving inky minerals, bitter herbs and a light, tooth-coating astringency. The high alcohol (14.5% abv) is felt, not tasted. A more conventional wine than, say, Clos Mathélisse’s Exorde (which Pichon also makes) but loveable for its purity, fluid savour and appealing combination of lightness and intensity.
For background on Domaine Ribiera, see the Languedoc Wine blog.
La Stoppa’s 2009 Gutturnio
Colli Piacentini 2009, Gutturnio, La Stoppa ($19.40, 12 bottles/case)
A blend of organically farmed Barbera and Bonarda. Fermented with native yeasts.
So intriguing. The nose is unlike any other: hay loft, old leather-bound books, dried beef, turned earth exposed to the sun for a while, black tea leaves and a hint of barnyard against a gossamer backdrop of red fruit stewed with spices. (If it’s not obvious, I’m grasping for descriptors.) The first sip brings a surprise: a sparkling tingle. Judging by the label, this isn’t the estate’s frizzante cuvée that bears the same name but it almost could be. Exceedingly dry yet light and fleet on the palate: acid galore, a fluid texture, light and raspy-bordering-on-rustic tannins and a long sour-fruity finish, all lifted by that spritz. Lingering dried wood (or is it lightly roasted coffee?) and faint astringency. You’d never suspect it was 13.5% ABV.
The fruit sweetens and the carbon dioxide diminishes as the wine breathes.
Cries out for salumi, though it’d also be great with spaghetti with pesto rosso, grilled sausages or just about anything in tomato sauce. A private import from oenopole, and it looks like they’ve got some left.
Exordium for a welterweight
It had been a long day for the Pork Futures guys but they’d managed to sell their umpteen kilos of sausage, cured duck breast, beef jerky, headcheese and other goodies. The hordes had departed, only to be replaced by a crushing wave of fatigue.
A last bottle was opened, glasses filled. The guys took a sip and sat up straight, eyes open wide. “Wow!” “This is fun!” “What is this?”
What is this? A wine that can revive the dead, apparently.
The label reads:
EXORDE 2009
Vin de France
Mise en bouteille par David Caer
Clos Mathélisse
Later that evening I searched the Web, trying various combinations of the wine’s name, estate and producer. Not a single hit. How often does that happen?
The bottle was a straggler picked up at La QV’s organic market event last fall. The next day I gave Mr. La QV, Cyril Kérébel, a call. Here’s what he told me:
Clos Mathélisse is a new estate – a couple of vineyards actually – owned by David Caer. 2009 is its second vintage. Its wines are made by Régis Pichon of Domaine Ribiera, whose Grenache-Carignan blend La Vista impressed me in October. Both Clos Mathélisse and Domaine Ribiera are located in Aspiran, a commune in the Hérault département of the Languedoc. (Aspiran is also the name of a once popular but now rapidly disappearing local red grape variety still permitted in Minervois wines.)
Pichon makes natural wines from organically farmed grapes and indigenous yeasts. He destems his red wine grapes before pressing. Whether to punch down, pump over or sit tight is decided on a day-to-day basis. Fermentation and maceration typically last 15 to 25 days. The wines are bottled unfiltered and unfined. Very little sulphur is added, so the winemaker recommends that the bottles be stored at 15ºC (60ºF) or less.
Clos Mathélisse’s Exorde is 100% Cinsault. Pichon says his aim for the variety is “matière veloutée et arômes” (velvety substance and aromas), both of which Exorde has in spades. That said, it’s a vin plaisir, an easy drinker, not a vin de contemplation or a keeper for that matter.
None of us was taking notes the evening we opened the bottle. My initial memory is one of delight. I also recall the wine as being slightly cloudy to the eye and extrovertedly funky-fruity to the nose. The fruit had a wild flavour, like elderberry or wild cherry, while the tannins were raspy and light. There was also a je ne sais quoi quality quite unlike anything I’ve ever encountered in a wine, including other Cinsaults from the Languedoc.
A few days later I asked the Pork Futures boys for their impressions. “Ripe fruit with a note higher up on the palate, something mineral or medicinal but not green (fennel? mint?), and a silky texture,” said one. “Light-bodied, like a Pinot, maybe with some Beaujolais hints. Not overly ripe. A super-fun wine that puts a smile on your face,” said the other.
The bad news was that La QV had sold out of the wine when I inquired in November. The good news is that a small second shipment is slated to arrive on a private-import basis in early February. Price should be $20.50 a bottle, 12 bottles per case. Carpe diem.
Brett happens 