Posts Tagged ‘Off the beaten path’
And now for something completely different
So I drop by my neighbourhood SAQ outlet yesterday to pick up a few bottles for this evening’s tasting. After helping me find them, the senior wine advisor says, “Oh! I’ve got something special for you to taste,” and disappears into the staff room.
Now, the last time I heard that line, he came back with a glass of 2009 Sassicaia. The time before, a glass of delicious vin jaune from a bottle that had been open several months. So you might say I’m expecting a treat.
He reappears and places a glass in my hand. Pale red, more like a Burgundy than, say, a Bordeaux. I swirl the glass, take a sniff and stop dead in my tracks. What the…?!
Tasters often find chocolate in the smell of a wine. Cherry, too. Throw in some vanillin (extracted from oak barrels or chips) and you may get chocolate-covered cherries or, in particularly egregious cases, Cherry Blossom. Usually it’s a component but here it’s Cherry Blossom all the way down. It’s like being on the Cherry Blossom production line. Like dying and going to Cherry Blossom heaven (or hell, as the case may be). This isn’t your metaphorical chocolate. Blindfolded, you’d guess someone was holding a bowl grated chocolate and cherry jam under your nose.
I shudder to think what the wine will taste like. I take a sip and… it isn’t disgusting. Medium-bodied, supple, fluid, sweet but not saccharine. There’s a focused fruity core, very little structure and enough acidity to avoid flabbiness. There’s chocolate too, but it’s an added layer, like oak can be on some wines. Totally disconcerting. It’s like drinking ludlab. Is it some sort of strange Banyuls?
Return of the world’s most drinkable Xinomavro: the sequel
Naoussa 2011, Jeunes Vignes de Xinomavro, Domaine Thymiopoulos ($17.50, 11607617)
An earlier version of this tasting note claimed (as I’d been told) that the wine was made using carbonic maceration. Turns out that’s wrong. Here’s the technical low-down, straight from the winemaker: “10 year old vines from Biodynamically-farmed Xynomavro (Trilofo and Fitia vineyards). Grapes are hand picked and brought to the winery in small cases. 80 % de-stemmed, 20% whole cluster pressed. Very gentle pressing. No pumping over to avoid extracting harsh tannins. Fermented with wild yeasts, maceration takes place for about one week…then aged in stainless steel tanks for about 9 months…bottled unfiltered.” 13.5% ABV.
Cherry, slate and spice. Light to medium-bodied. As smooth and flowing as ever, but this vintage also has a velvety astringency running throughout. The sweet-tart fruit is ripe and sun-drenched but light, not jammy. Darker, more minerally flavours, a faint green streak and a whiff of cherry cordial colour the tangy finish. Think Greek cru Beaujolais. Maybe the most accomplished of the 2009, 2010 and 2011 trio. A simple, joyful, food-friendly wine to buy multiple bottles – if not cases – of. But hurry: it’s already sold out at several outlets. (Buy again? Duh!)
[Edited on April 19, 2013]
Turkish QPR winner
Cappadocia 2011, Öküzgözü/Boğazkere, Kocabağ ($13.25, 10703754)
The winery is located in Uchisar district in Nevşehir province in central Anatolia (profile here). This bottling is a blend of Öküzgözü (70%) and Boğazkere (30%), with part of latter being aged in oak barrels. 13% ABV.
Initially shy nose: red berries, cherry jam, stones, old wood, faint spice. Soft and velvety on the palate. Medium-bodied. The clean fruit is juicy up front but dries and sours as it progresses through the mouth. Tannins are apparent less as structure, more as a mild astringency on the long, wood- and earth-scented finish. Needs half an hour in a carafe to unfurl. Simple but good, an honest wine that doesn’t taste manipulated or give itself airs. Paired with köfte kebabs as to the manner born. (Buy again? Yep.)
MWG March 21st tasting (1/6): Two aromatic whites
To mark the passing of Cellier as we know it, the tasting included only bottles from the Spring 2013 issue of the magazine, nearly all of them from the March 21st release. The still reds were double-carafed an hour or two before we got around to them. Time constraints meant the whites were poured within minutes of opening, which may explain some of the oddness we encountered.
Grüner Veltliner 2011, Wagram, Weinberghof Karl Fritsch ($16.75, 11885203)
The 20-hectare, biodynamic estate is located in the Wagram region, about 60 km west of Vienna. This 100% Grüner Veltliner is fermented and matured in stainless steel tanks. Screwcapped. 12.0% ABV.
Lime zest, chalk, quartz and the faintest hint of white pepper. Denser than expected on the palate. Ripe. Dry but not arid. Tingly acidity. The minerally substrate lasts through the long, citric finish. A bit simple but good clean fun. (Buy again? Yep.)
Colli Bolognesi Classico 2011, Pignoletto, Fattorie Vallona ($20.55, 11876041)
The Pignoletto grape variety is indigenous to Emilia-Romagna and common in the hills around Bologna. It may be related to Grechetto. Technical information on this wine is virtually non-existent. One or two websites claim earlier vintages contained 10% Riesling. In any case, my guess is that this is made entirely in neutral containers, possibly stainless steel. 13.5% ABV.
Candied lemon, rocks, faint dried herbs. Slightly spritzy, slightly off-dry, slightly weighty. White fruit, minerals, a hint of almond skin and a whack of acidity. The long finish is spoiled by an acrid note. (Buy again? Only to give it another chance.)
MWG March 8th tasting (3/5): Two Greeks, a Turk and a Galician walk into a wine bar…
IGP Letrini 2008, Domaine Mercouri ($19.75, 11885537)
Located on the western coast of the Peloponnese peninsula near the village of Korakochori, the estate is the second oldest modern-day producer in Greece (after Boutari). This is a blend of sustainably farmed Refosco (80%) and Mavrodaphne (20%); the Refosco vines were first brought to the estate from Friuli in the 19th century. Fermented with neutral yeasts in stainless steel vats. Undergoes malolactic fermentation. Matured 10 to 12 months in French oak barrels, 40% new. 13% ABV.
Spicy wild berries, dried wood, herbs. Medium-bodied, like all the wines in this flight. Very dry. Juicy but not cloyingly so. Acid bright with tight tannins and a bitter-edged finish. A suave wine that is more upfront than deep but definitely easy-drinking and food friendly. Plus it hits that “in the mood for a winey red” spot. (Buy again? Yes.)
Öküzgözü 2010, Terra, Kayra ($15.30, 11885625)
100% Öküzgözü (“ox eye”). Grown in the province of Elazığ, in east central Anatolia. This bottling is part of the producer’s Terra line, which focuses on wines made from indigenous varieties. 13.5% ABV.
Pleasant if simple nose of slate and candied cassis. Soft textured. Full of plum and fruit cake flavours and powdery tannins, with lots of acidity and a credible finish. Not a wow for anyone around the table but unusual and kind of fun. (Buy again? On a whim, sure, especially if planning to eat lahmacun.)
Valdeorras 2010, Gaba Do Xil, Telmo Rodriguez ($17.25, 11861771)
100% Mencia, a mix of purchased grapes and the estate’s own; unlike most Mencia we see these days, this isn’t from Bierzo but nearby Galicia. Manually harvested. Native yeasts. 13 % ABV.
Candied cherry, swimming pool and graphite. Smooth and silky on the palate. More acidic than tannic. Umami-ish set of flavours dominated by dried plum and soy sauce, including the salt. Long astringent and drying finish. Seemed short on fruit. Suffering from travel shock? (Buy again? Maybe.)
Achaïa 2011, Kalavryta, Domaine Tetramythos ($15.45, 11885457)
The estate is located in Achaea, on the Gulf of Corinth in the northern Peloponnese. Farming is certified organic with an eye on biodynamic. This wine is made using the free-run must from Black of Kalavryta (Μαύρο Καλαβρυτινό) grapes, an indigenous variety once widely grown in the area but now nearly extinct. Tetramythos has 1.4 hectares of the vines and is the sole remaining producer. Alcoholic fermentation (with native yeasts) and nine months’ maturation are in stainless steel vats. Malolactic fermentation is prevented. Use of sulphur dioxide is kept to a bare and tiny minimum. The wine is unfined but coarsely filtered before bottling. Average annual production is 9,000 bottles. Recommended pairings feature tomato in one form or another: baked tuna in tomato sauce (tuna used to be common in the gulf); baked stuffed tomatoes; or rabbit or cock, browned and braised in red wine with tomato paste being added toward the end and finished by adding parboiled hylopites (square egg noodles) to the sauce and cooking them until done. 13.5% ABV.
Odd-bordering-on-unappetizing nose of ketchup, old leather, black pepper and animale. Smooth and juicy in the mouth, however, with supple tannins, bright acidity, clear flavours and a sustained finish. The MWG member who took the tail end of the bottle home with him reports that the next day the “offensive funkiness” had gone and the wine was “very tasty.” The Quebec agent reports the same thing: the wine is currently in a “weird reductive phase” and needs to be carafed the better part of a day to rectify itself. Will do. (Buy again? Yes.)
MWG Feburary 21st tasting (6/8): Four middleweight reds
Vin de Savoie 2011, Mondeuse, La Sauvage, Domaine Pascal & Annick Quenard ($21.80, 10884671)
100% Mondeuse Noire. Manually harvested. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in carbon-fiber vats for one to two weeks. Matured on the lees one year in a mix of French oak barrels and stainless-steel and carbon-fiber vats. Lightly filtered. 12% ABV.
Choco-cherry segueing to pomegranate and sandalwood, then to dried raspberry. Light- to medium-bodied. The clean fruit and dark minerals are framed by light tannins and tart aciditiy. As fresh and pure as a draught of mountain air. (Buy again? Yes.)
Bourgueil 2010, Domaine de la Chevalerie ($28.10, 11895268)
100% organically farmed Cabernet Franc. Manually harvested. Fully destemmed. Gravity fed into vats. Fermented with native yeasts. Minimal sulphur regime. Matured in two- to five-vintage demi-muids and other large containers. Bottled unfiltered. 12.5% ABV.
Lovely, layered nose of slate, undergrowth, cherry orchard, old wood and green pepper. Fluid with an airframe structure, good acidity and silky fruit over a minerally substrate. Long. A beautifully balanced Cab Franc that’s enjoyable now but also capable of aging at least five years. (Buy again? Yes.)
Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato 2011, Cascina ’Tavijn ($24.70, oenopole, NLA)
A small estate located near Asti in Piedmont. 100% organically farmed Ruchè. Hand harvested. Vinified with indigenous yeasts and minimal intervention. Matured in Slavonian oak barrels. 14% ABV.
Fragrant: rose petal, slate and black raspberry. Pure, with an intense core of spicy fruit and minerals, pulsing acidity and soft tannins that give it a velvety texture. Long, herby finish. Going by the 2009, this will be even better in a year or two. (Buy again? Yes.)
Lacrima di Morro d’Alba 2011, Marzaiola, Monte Schiavo ($18.05, 11451894)
100% Lacrima. Manually harvested. Fermented and matured in stainless steel vats. 12.5% ABV.
Plum, rose and maybe some violet, along with darker mineral notes and a whiff of sourdough. Fruity and smooth in the mouth. Round tannins and not a lot of acidity. In fact, it’s borderline flabby and saved mainly by a vein of slate that adds some structure and depth. Drying finish. Not quite up to the 2009. (Buy again? Maybe.)
MWG February 21st tasting (4/8): Two out-there Chenins
Saumur 2011, Château Yvonne ($24.55, 10689665)
100% organically farmed Chenin Blanc. Fermented with native yeasts, matured in oak barrels, unfiltered and unfined. 13.5% ABV.
Complex if somewhat inscrutable nose: quince, spice, minerals, chalk… Rich and slightly oxidized with honey overtones. The winey texture is lightened by underlying acidity, which also balances out the welcome hint of residual sugar. The kaleidoscopic array of flavours includes spiced pear, passion fruit and pineapple. Long, burned mineral finish. Approachable now though no harm will come from a couple more years in the cellar. (Buy again? Of course.)
VDP de l’Aveyron 2011, La Selve, Nicolas Carmarans ($32, Glou, NLA)
The former owner of a Paris wine bar, Nicolas Carmarans followed his roots back to the Aveyron region, on the Lot River in the Massif central, upstream from Cahors, to make wine in 2007. A natural approach is favoured. This 100% Chenin Blanc from 30-year-old vines is fermented (with native yeasts) in vats and matured in casks. Undergoes malolactic fermentation. If sulphur is added, it is in miniscule amounts and only at bottling. 12% ABV.
“Sharp, pear, steel,” said one taster of the intriguing nose, which also has a sour edge. “Whisky barrel,” said another of the palate, though if so it took a back seat to the oxidized – some said “rotting” – apple. There’s lots of rocky minerals and coursing acidity too. Long, dry finish. Serious and, yes, a little weird. I, of course, loved it. Was shocked to see it clocked it at 12%; I’d been expecting 14% or 15%, not because it was hot or alcoholic but because of the impression of power it gave. It all adds up to an authentically rustic Chenin unlike any other I’ve encountered. (Buy again? Oh, yes.)
Terracotta Côt
Cahors 2010, Un Jour sur Terre, Le Clos d’un Jour ($23.70, 10783475)
100% organically farmed Côt (aka Malbec) from an abandoned vineyard resuscitated by the owners in 2000. Manually harvested, destemmed and eventually crushed. An initial two- to three-day extraction phase with daily punch-downs is followed by fermentation and a hot maceration phase, for a total of one month in stainless steel vats. The wine is then pressed and transferred into 140-litre unlined terracotta jars where it spends 18 months, the idea being to mature and micro-oxygenate the wine as in a cask but without introducing wood aromas or flavours. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. 13.5% ABV.
Inky and opaque in the glass. The rich nose is more raisiny than fruity and shows notes of terracotta and spice. In the mouth, it’s a foursquare, fulsome wine that’s dense with dark fruit: smooth and velvety on the surface with a strong undercurrent of acidity, tight round tannins and a long, chewy finish. Formidable, even a little impenetrable at present, it will likely uncoil and gain complexity with a few years in the cellar.
Natural bang for the buck
A recent tasting that featured Alsatian wines from Domaine Gérard Schueller and was led by oenopole’s Theo Diamantis (notes to follow) included a surprise flight of three affordable natural-leaning new arrivals. All are private imports and, as far as I know, are still available, though they probably won’t be for long.
IGT Sicilia 2011, Nero d’Avola, Tamì ($19.00, oenopole, 12 bottles/case)
Tamì started as a book, design and wine shop in Siracusa run by Arianna Occhipinti’s architect boyfriend. In 2009, the project introduced a line of négociant wines under its own label. Like the other Tamì wines, this 100% Nero d’Avola is made from organically farmed grapes using whole-cluster fermentation and indigenous yeasts. After six months’ maturation in stainless steel tanks, it is lightly filtered before bottling. 13% ABV.
Wafting nose of plum, boysenberry, spice, kirsch and a hint of horse. A lighter and more elegant take on Nero d’Avola than most. Dry and smooth. The fruit is brightened by just enough acidity and structured by soft, fleshy tannins, leaving an impression of richness unusual for a welterweight wine. By Arianna’s admission, the goal of the Tamì project is to make good, simple, natural everyday wines, and that’s a perfect description of this wine. Trattoria owners should be buying it by the case. (Buy again? Sure.)
VDP de la Principauté d’Orange 2010, Daumen ($17.00, oenopole, 12 bottles/case)
(For background on Jean-Paul Daumen, see the notes from the June 2012 MWG tasting he led.) A blend of organically farmed Cabernet Sauvignon (35%), Grenache (35%), Syrah (15%) and Merlot (15%). Unlike most of the wines in the Daumen line, the grapes come from Daumen’s own vineyards. Partially destemmed; temperature-controlled fermentation with indigenous yeasts; extended maceration; approximately 12 months’ aging in foudres and neutral barrels; no filtering or fining; sulphur added – and then minimally – only just before bottling. 13% ABV.
Sweet fruit, hint of tobacco, turned earth, kirsch, slate. Fluid with an admirable balance between fruit, acidity and weight. The tannins are fine and linear, the structure not unlike a Bordeaux’s. Long, drying finish. Tasty and delivering great QPR. (Buy again? A no-brainer.)
Barbera d’Asti 2009, Cascina ’Tavijn ($21.80, oenopole, 12 bottles/case)
100% Barbera. Manually harvested. Spontaneous fermentation. Vinified in Slavonian oak botti. The estate sometimes lightly filters and sulphurs wines to improve their stability, though I’ve found no information about this particular bottling.
Earth, animale, plum, leather. A carbon dioxide tingle on the palate quickly dissipates. Rich fruit, tart acidity and mild tannins with a rustic/raspy edge. Cherry and slate mark the finish. A country-style Barbera that’s honest, close to the land, not overpolished and all the more appealing for it. (Buy again? Absolutely.)
Lastly, a heads-up. ’Tavijn’s 2011 Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato ($24.80, oenopole, 12 bottles/case) is also available. A bottle of the 2009 opened last week at the MWG’s private import pickup party was just singing: dark purple; redolent of plum, slate and rose petal; dense yet light on its feet, with velvety tannins, soft acidity and a bitter-edged finish; pure and artless; and perfect with an excellent rabbit and hazelnut terrine from Boucherie de Paris. I’ve not tasted the 2011 but Theo says it’s every bit as good.
MWG January 10th tasting (7/7): Andalusian gold
Sierra Morena, Dorado, Bodegas Gomez Nevado ($24.75, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
A fortified blend of organically farmed Arién, Palomino and Pedro Ximénez. Spends time under a yeast veil (flor) and seven years in American oak casks, where it oxidizes. The main differences between this and a sherry are the presence of Arién grapes and that it is made in the Sierra Morena mountains, about 30 km northwest of Cordoba, and not near the sea. 17% ABV.
Sherry-like nose (more Amontillado than Fino): nutty, orange peel, dried fruits. Quite dry though smooth, rich and surprisingly fresh, with none of the austerity that can make dry sherries a challenge for some palates. The near endless finish has you thinking about hazelnuts, dried apricot and golden raisins but not, in contrast to a dry sherry, brine. Remarkably pure and vibrant, this made a huge impression on the group. Can see it working with Spanish cheeses, including blues, savoury foie gras preparations, braised poultry and even barely sweetened dry cakes. (Buy again? Imperatively.)
Brett happens 