Posts Tagged ‘Organic’
Thinking globally, drinking locally
The MWG’s early March tasting was led by the irrepressible Steve Beauséjour, who daylights as a sales rep of Rézin. To say he outdid himself would be an understatement.
We got things rolling with a stupendous dry white served double-blind from a labelless bottle.
The bouquet is a kaleidoscope of seashells, citrus, oats, limestone, bread, a hint of nuts and more. On the palate, it’s a mouth-watering mix of saline minerals, restrained fruit and trenchant acidity, dazzlingly pure and so dry, especially on the long finish. As bracing and engaging a white as I’ve encountered in a coon’s age.
I happened to be sitting next to two French expats, both of them Loire lovers, and all three of us had the same initial reaction: a faintly oxidized Chenin Blanc from a top Loire producer. As we spent more time with the wine and listened to Steve, doubts began to creep in. “Un chablis peut-être,” hazarded one of the français. Other tasters guessed the Jura, Italy, Austria and South Africa. All were shot down.
“Maybe it’s from Laval,” quipped a taster, throwing up his hands. (Île Jésus’s improbable Château Taillefer-Lafon has become something of a meme for the group.)
“You’re getting warm,” said Steve to the astonishment of everyone.
The wine? A special bottling of Québec 2014, Chardonnay, Les Rosiers, Les Pervenches, the regular bottling of which retailed for $25 during the few weeks it was available. This 100% Chardonnay is made from fruit from organically and biodynamically farmed vines grown near Farnham. The grapes are manually harvested and sorted, vinified naturally (indigenous yeasts, no additives, minimal intervention) and matured in casks. The 24 bottles of this special bottling were filled with wine drawn directly from the cask after one year’s maturation. In contrast to the regular cuvée, the wine is unfined, unfiltered and unsulphured.
If I’ve tasted a better Canadian Chardonnay, I don’t recall it. Truly world-class.
MWG March 12th tasting: flight 1 of 7
Jaunty Pithon
Côtes de Roussillon 2013, Cuvée Laïs, Domaine Olivier Pithon ($26.60, 11925720)
A blend of Carignan (40%), Grenache (40%) and Mourvèdre (10%) and Syrah (10%) – that’s per SAQ.com, various merchants and the estate’s website but not the wine’s front label, according to which Mourvèdre constitutes 20% and Syrah 0% – from organically farmed old vines rooted in schist and limestone. Manual harvesting began on September 1. Vinification was traditional (native yeasts, non-interventionist). The wine was matured 12 to 18 months in concrete tanks and foudres. Reducing sugar: 1.4 g/l. 13.6% ABV. Quebec agent: Ward & associés.
Crushed blackberry, candied raspberry, rubber, sandalwood spice and hints of black olive and leafmould. Medium-bodied. In the mouth the fruit is dark, juicy and soured by a steady stream of acidity. Supple tannins show a bit of astringency on a finish marked by mineral and lingering grilled red pepper notes. Did the trick with the season’s first charcoal-grilled leg of lamb and vegetables. Food-friendly and drinkable in the extreme though not quite as beautiful or deep as the 2012. (Buy again? Yep.)
The cream and the infidel
Willamette Valley 2013, Pinot Noir, La Crema ($40.00, 12395652)
The second vintage of this wine from Jackson Family Wines’ new Oregon operation and the first made in its own facility. 100% Pinot Noir from estate and purchased grapes grown in eight vineyards. Manually harvested. The whole clusters were pressed and the juice cold-soaked for three days, then fermented in vats with thrice-daily punch-downs. The resulting wine was racked into French oak barrels (25% new) for eight months’ maturation. Residual sugar (per the winery): 3.0 g/l. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Le Marchand de Vin.
Attractive nose dominated by cedary red fruit (cherry, cranberry). What’s more, ça pinote. In the mouth, it’s medium-bodied and fairly dry. The ripe fruit is only a bit brambly and not at all jammy, nicely brightened by acidity and firmed by supple tannins. Earthy minerally undertones and savoury herb overtones add interest, while the oak is mercifully relegated to the background. Sweet spice notes – from the fruit as well as the oak, methinks – sound on the credible finish. Not a QPR winner – few West Coast wines are, alas – but not a rip-off either, not in either sense of the word. (Buy again? On sale maybe.)
Coteaux du Languedoc 2013, Terrasses du Larzac, L’infidèle, Mas Cal Demoura ($33.50, private import, 12 bottles/case)
A blend of organically farmed grapes, typically Syrah (30%), Mourvèdre (25%), Grenache (20%), Cinsault (15%) and Carignan (10%). Manually harvested. Destemmed. The parcels and grape varieties are vinified separately. Fermented (with indigenous yeasts) and macerated in temperature-controlled stainless steel and concrete tanks for 20-35 days with punch-downs and pump-overs. Matured 12 months, 80% in 500- and 600-litre barrels (15% new) and 20% in stainless steel tanks. After blending, the wine is matured seven months in stainless steel tanks. Cold-stabilized then bottled. 14% ABV. Quebec agent: Le Marchand de Vin.
Savoury nose of plum, “black sesame” and leather with garrigue overtones. Full-bodied, broad and deep but not massive – quite elegant in fact. Firm tannins and smooth acidity structure the dry, velvety black fruit. Finishes long and on a licorice note. The wine’s balance makes it accessible now though it’s also quite primary; a few years in the cellar will bring added complexity. (Buy again? Sure.)
MWG February 26th tasting: flight 6 of 7
Easy-drinkers from Tuscany and Touraine
Rosso di Montalcino 2013, Altesino ($26.45, 11472345)
100% Sangiovese Grosso from younger vines in the Altesino, Pianezzine, Macina and Castelnuovo dell’Abate vineyards. Given a one- to two-day cold soak and seven to ten days’ maceration with racking and pump-overs. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled (28-30°C) stainless steel tanks and lasts 15-20 days. Matured six to eight months in old 5,000- to 10,000-litre Slavonian oak barrels and a minimum of three months in bottle. Reducing sugar: 2.2 g/l. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Le Marchand de Vin.
Red berries, black cherry, iodine, marzipan and, as another taster noted, “umami.” Medium-bodied, silky textured and very dry. The deliciously pure fruit is structured by lacy tannins and bright acidity, while minerals and bitter black cherry mingle on the clean, nicely astringent finish. Faint tobacco and floral (violet?) notes linger. Fans of here-now Sangioveses need not hesitate. (Buy again? Yep.)
Touraine 2014, Le Bon ami, Domaine de La Garrelière ($26.65, private import, 12 bottles/case)
100% biodynamically farmed Cabernet Franc. Manually harvested. Destemmed. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. No chaptalization. Matured six to eight months in concrete tanks. Lightly filtered before bottling. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Le Marchand de Vin.
Complex nose of Chinese preserved plums, pepper brine, black tea leaves and more. Medium-bodied, supple, smooth, fresh and pure. The fruit (cherry and black currant) comes with a faint green note pitched somewhere between cedar shoot and tobacco leaf. The acidity’s sleek and the tannins are low-key, though there’s a bit of astringency on the long finish, which also brings a hint of spice. Not a grab-you-by-the-throat wine but drinkable indeed. It may well gain depth and complexity with a couple of years in the cellar. (Buy again? Sure.)
MWG February 26th tasting: flight 5 of 7
Two southern French reds with altitude
Marcillac 2014, Mansois, Lionel Osmin ($16.50, 11154558)
Located upriver from Cahors in the foothills of the Massif central, the Marcillac vineyards are, at 350–500 metres (1,100–1,600 feet) above sea level, some of the highest in southwest France. This 100% Mansois (aka Fer Servadou) is made from purchased grapes that are manually harvested, usually late in the season. Maceration and alcoholic fermentation take place in temperature-controlled (23°C) tanks and last 12 to 18 days. Matured in tanks for 10 months. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Le Marchand de Vin.
Red berries, wet clay and vine stems with floral and iron overtones. Medium-bodied and very dry, though fresher than is often the case with Fer wines due in no small part to the bright fruit and fluent acidity. A beety streak adds an earthy, minerally edge while suppler-than-expected tannins keep things firm. The finish is a bit austere, as is typical with this grape. Appealingly rustic and very approachable. The price is more than fair. Try this lightly chilled with a simple stew of beef or lamb, root vegetables, celery and bay. (Buy again? Def.)
Languedoc 2013, Terrasses du Larzac, Les Carlines, Mas Haut-Buis ($18.85, 10507278)
Ranging in altitude from around 100 metres (400 feet) to 400 metres (1,300 feet), the Terrasses du Larzac vineyards are some of the highest in the Languedoc. Syrah (35%), Carignan (35%) and Grenache (30%) from organically farmed vines. Manually harvested. Fully destemmed. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in cement tronconic vats. Matured 14 months in cement vats. Unfiltered and unfined. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Le Marchand de Vin.
Fragrant nose: black raspberry, plum, burned minerals, animale, leather, meat and a dash of green. Medium-bodied and smooth textured. There’s a good balance between the ripe fruit, bright acidity and light but firm tannins, though it’s a little lacking in the depth department. Decent peppery finish. Seems less accomplished than an earlier vintage I recall (the 2010?); whether that’s a function of our bottle, the challenging 2013 vintage or the wine’s current phase is hard to say. In any case, not bad and probably better with food. (Buy again? Maybe.)
MWG February 26th tasting: flight 4 of 7
Oak and ashes
Touraine 2013, Cuvée Cendrillon, Domaine de la Garrelière ($23.45, 10211397)
A blend of Sauvignon Blanc (80%) and Chardonnay (20%) from biodynamically farmed vines averaging 25 years old. The grape varieties are vinified separately. After gentle pressing, the must is allowed to clarify by settling. Fermentation – full alcoholic with indigenous yeasts and partial malolactic – takes place in stainless steel tanks and lasts two months. A third of the wine by volume is aged in old 500-litre oak barrels. Blending is done one month before bottling. Fined with bentonite and filtered through a 0.65 membrane. The cuvée’s name, French for Cinderella, refers to the winegrower’s practice of spraying the vines with a preparation of crystallized ashes made from burned vine clippings. Reducing sugar: 2.3 g/l. 14% ABV. Quebec agent: Le Marchand de Vin.
Ashy minerals, peach, honeysuckle, “fennel” and faint, dusty potpourri. Fresh and briny on the palate with subtle citrus flavours. The combo of Chardonnay and relatively mild acidity give the wine a round and satiny texture. A touch of bitterness colours the minerally finish. “Clean and precise,” as another taster pointed out. (Buy again? Yes.)
Bourgogne 2013, Chardonnay, Caves Ropiteau Frères ($22.40, 11293953)
100% Chardonnay from vineyards across Burgundy (purchased grapes?). Fermented in stainless steel (with industrial yeasts?). Matured in barrels for six months. (Filtered? Fined?) Reducing sugar: 2.3 g/l. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Le Marchand de Vin.
Apple and pear, hints of oats and white flowers and an unmissable shot of oak. Medium-bodied. The fruit is rich but not tropical and there’s enough acidity to keep it from being flabby. A hint of sweetness marks the smooth attack but the wine finishes dry. Faint minerals and not-so-faint caramel are noticeable from the mid-palate on. Fair length. To my oak-sensitive palate, a bit cloying. Give it a year in the cellar to digest the wood? (Buy again? If you aren’t allergic to oak, sure.)
MWG February 26th tasting: flight 3 of 7
White, dry and aromatic
Penedès 2014, Extrem, Raventos i Blanc ($32.75, private import, 6 bottles/case)
100% biodynamically farmed Xarel·lo from vines planted in 1965 and 1970. The grapes are manually harvested. The winery is gravity fed and dry ice is used to cool the fruit and prevent oxidation. After slow pressing, the chilled must is clarified by settling and fermented with indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation is prevented, it appears. Matured on the lees. Not stabilized, filtered or fined before bottling with a minimum of sulphur dioxide. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Le Marchand de Vin.
A nose that starts out smelling of citrus (lemon, lime) and gooseberry then segues into floral (“acacia blossom,” “jasmine” said other tasters) and quartz aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied, dry and full of green apple, flint and snappy acid. The long, briny, mouth-watering finish ends on a white pepper note. Tasting this double-blind, I guessed it was an elegant, understated Sancerre. A wine that makes it easy to see why Xarel·lo is one of the preferred cava grapes. (Buy again? Yes.)
IGP des Côtes Catalanes 2014, Les Calcinaires, Domaine Gauby ($27.90, 12415289)
A blend of Muscat (50%), Chardonnay (30%) and Macabeu (20%) from organically farmed vines between 15 and 50 years old. The manually harvested grapes are directly pressed. The must is chilled, clarified and fermented, mainly in barrels, with indigenous yeasts and no additives. Matured on the fine lees in lined concrete tanks for around eight months. Unfiltered and unfined. Reducing sugar: 1.5 g/l. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Le Marchand de Vin.
Changing nose that, along the way, hits pickled peach, sweat, musk and white minerals. In the mouth, the wine is rich yet fresh, intense yet fleet and so fruity you’d swear the winemaker left some residual sugar in it. There’s a real tension between the mineral austerity and wild aromatics, while the otherwise mild acidity lends an almost vinegary tang to the long, stony finish. Trippy but unsettled for now; probably better in a year or two. (Buy again? A bottle or two for the cellar.)
MWG February 26th tasting: flight 2 of 7
Zýmè vs. Quintarelli
Before founding Zýmè in 1999, winemaker Celestino Gaspari worked with Giuseppe Quintarelli for many years, eventually becoming his son-in-law.
Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2011, Zýmè ($39.50, 11587151)
Typically 40% Corvina, 30% Corvinone, 15% Rondinella and 5% Oseleta from vines rooted in limestone and clay. The grapes are manually harvested and immediately pressed. Initial alcoholic fermentation takes place in non-temperature-controlled vats. In January, the wine is racked onto the lees of the estate’s Amarone (the process is called ripasso in Italian). A second alcoholic fermentation lasting about two weeks then takes place. The fermented wine is racked into large Slavonian oak barrels and matured for around three years followed by another six months in the bottle. Residual sugar: 6 g/l. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: L’Enoteca.
Complex nose of red fruit (especially cherry), smoky minerals, dried mint, “praline,” “candied orange,” sandalwood and cocoa. Medium-bodied but heady and thewy: a balanced mouthful of rich fruit, fluent acidity and tannins that tasters described as “wiry” and “fibrous.” Darker undercurrents add depth, while the initially astringent weave unravels beguilingly on the long, spicy finish. Delicious. (Buy again? Yes.)
Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2007, Giuseppe Quintarelli ($90.25, 12332782)
Typically 55% Corvina and Corvinone, 30% Rondinella and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo, Croatina and Sangiovese from uncertified but organically farmed vines averaging 30 years old and rooted in limestone and basalt. The grapes are manually harvested and immediately pressed. After three to four days’ maceration, primary alcoholic fermentation with indigenous yeasts takes place. In February, the wine is racked onto the lees from the estate’s Amarone. A second alcoholic fermentation then takes place. When fermentation is complete, the wine is racked into large Slavonian oak barrels and matured for seven years. 15% ABV. Quebec agent: L’Enoteca.
Inexhaustible bouquet of morello cherry, plum, chocolate-covered raisins and espresso beans, “piri piri chicken,” smoke from burning leaves, spices and more. So complex and complete: broad, deep and long. The beautiful fruit – sweet but not too – is structured by fine, velvety tannins and fresh acidity, underscored by minerals and earth, heightened by spice and kirsch (amazingly, the alcohol is otherwise unapparent). The finish is an endless caress. A great vintage of this wine that, as so often, is in a class by itself. (Buy again? For a special occasion and during a 10% off sale, yes.)
MWG February 11th tasting: flight 6 of 6
Amphora vs. cask (Baga round)
Vinho Tinto 2014, Baga, Post-Quercus, Filipa Pato ($22.09/500 ml, private import, 6 bottles/case)
100% Baga from old, organically farmed vines (the same source for the grapes that go into the red Nossa Calcáro). Fermented (with indigenous yeasts) and matured in buried 300-litre terracotta amphorae. 11% ABV. Quebec agent: Importations du Moine.
Rich nose of red fruit with definite terracotta notes. Equally rich on the palate though medium-bodied and soft-textured. The tannins are fine but sharp-edged, the acidity bright. Cherry, plum and mineral flavours last well into the long finish. Nothing profound but very drinkable and quite unlike any other Portuguese red I’ve tasted. (Buy again? Yes.)
Bairrada 2013, Baga, Nossa Calcáro, Filipa Pato ($47.48, private import, 6 b/c)
100% Baga from old, organically farmed vines rooted in chalky subsoil with some sony clay. The stems are left on 20% of the grapes. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in open-topped oak vats. Matured in 500-litre French oak barrels (30% new). 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Importations du Moine.
Corked! What came across as reductive funk on opening had morphed into full-blown taint by the time we poured our glasses two hours later. A pity, as you could tell this is a thoroughbred of a wine, one whose price is probably justified.
MWG February 11th tasting: flight 5 of 6
Gamay vs. Mondeuse
IGP Isère 2014, Frères Giac’, Domaine Giachino ($25.38, private import, 6 bottles/case)
A blend of Gamay (80%) and Trousseau (20%) – some sites claim Syrah and/or Persan are part of the mix in 2014 – from organically farmed vines. Manually harvested. The whole clusters are macerated and fermented (with indigenous yeasts) for 10 to 20 days with daily pump-overs. The grapes are then pressed. The wine is matured in tanks. No additives other than a squirt of sulphur dioxide at bottling. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Importations du Moine.
Red and black berries, a ferrous note and bacony whiffs of smoke make for a nose with lots of appeal. In the mouth, it’s definitely a Gamay and definitely not a Beaujolais: dark strawberry and raspberry fruit, supple tannins, bright acidity and a surprising density and roundness for an alpine wine. The long finish is fruity, dry and nicely astringent. Your prototypical, thirst-quenching, chuggable vin de soif. (Buy again? Yep.)
Savoie 2014, Mondeuse, Domaine Giachino ($30.86, private import, 6 bottles/case)
100% Mondeuse Noire from organically farmed vines around 30 years old and rooted in clayey limestone soil. Manually harvested. The whole clusters are macerated and fermented (with indigenous yeasts) for 10 to 20 days with daily pump-overs. The grapes are then pressed and the wine is transferred to 600-litre oak barrels for maturation on the lees. No additives other than a squirt of sulphur dioxide at bottling. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Importations du Moine.
Attractive nose of red berries (“candied cherry” to quote another taster) with floral and peppery notes. Medium-bodied. Elegant and balanced yet also possessed of an appealing rusticity. The sweet-tart, fresh and mouth-filling fruit, spice overtones and mineral undertones last though the long, clean finish, which fine-grained tannins and a current of sleek acidity turn a “bit puckery.” Eminently drinkable, like all the wines from this estate I must say. Probably even better in a year or two (the brothers Giachino claim the wine can age up to 10 years). (Buy again? Gladly.)
MWG February 11th tasting: flight 4 of 6
Brett happens 