Posts Tagged ‘Organic’
New arrivals from Glou (4/5)
Founded in 2008, Domaine des Trois Petiotes farms organically and, since the fall of 2012, biodynamically. The name refers to the owners’ three daughters but also to the three one-hectare parcels – respectively planted with Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc – that comprise the estate’s holdings. Production is entirely red, though plans are afoot to make whites from a plot of soon-to-be-planted Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Sémillon, Muscadelle and Colombard vines.
Côtes de Bourg 2010, Domaine des Trois Petiotes ($32.20, Glou, 6 bottles/case)
Malbec (45%), Merlot (30%) and Cabernet Franc (25%) from vines averaging 35 to 40 years old. The grapes are manually harvested, mechanically destemmed and lightly crushed. Alcoholic fermentation in fiber vats lasts two to four weeks and uses indigenous yeasts and no temperature control with one pump-over or punch-down a day. The grapes are subsequently pressed with a manual vertical press. Matured 12 months (on average) in a mix of one- to three-year-old barrels with one or two rackings and occasional stirring. The wine is unfiltered and unfined. Sulphur dioxide is used but sparingly. 13.6% ABV.
Like sticking your nose in a berry farmer’s dirty laundry bin: earth, compost/barnyard, sweat, cassis. Medium-bodied with a velevty texture, ripe fruit, raspy tannins and enough acidity. The strong finish and a lingering astringency of the tooth-coating kind. Seemed a little rustic or maybe reductive. Worth revisiting in six months or a year. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Côtes de Bourg 2009, En attendant Suzie, Domaine des Trois Petiotes ($40.75, Glou, 6 bottles/case)
A blend of Malbec (70%) and Merlot (30%). Vinification is as for the basic wine, except the destemming is manual and the wine is fermented and matured in barrels for 24 months. 13.3% ABV.
Clean nose of slightly jammy red fruit and spice. A silky-textured mouthful of ripe cassis and kirsch that’s finely structured and showing some depth. The wine’s tannins come to the fore on the finish, giving it a velvet astringency. Definitely a Bordeaux, not a Cahors. Enjoyable now but with the balance and structure to age and improve. If I owned a restaurant, this would be on the wine list. (Buy again? Yes.)
MWG April 18th tasting (7/9): Sangiovese shoot-out
IGT Toscana 2010, It’s a game!, Bibi Graetz ($31.50, 11906140)
Formerly a Sangiovese-dominated blend known as Grilli del Testamatta (Testamatta being one of superstar Graetz’s flagship bottlings), this is now a 100% Sangiovese from 25-year-old vines planted in the hills of Fiesole. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks and lasted about ten days. The wine was matured in French oak barriques (35% new) for 18 months. 14% ABV.
Initial nose of banana bread gives way to red berries, ink and dried dill. Despite the alcoholic strength, comes across as medium-bodied with intense, clear fruit upfront. Bright acidity and round tannins provide some textural interest. Long with a light, drying astringency. Impressive in its fruit-driven way but short on depth and ultimately a meh. (Buy again? Not when you can get excellent Chiantis for less.)
Vino da Tavola 2011, Rosso, Le Coste ($33.00, oenopole, 6 bottles/case)
A blend of Greghetto Rosso (a local Sangiovese clone) with 5% Colorino, Cannaiolo, Ciliegiolo and Vaiano l’altro from organically farmed vines averaging 40 years old and planted in various parcels in Gradoli. Manually harvested. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Matured 12 months in 18-hl Slavonian oak botti and a few used barriques. Unfiltered, unfined and unsulphured. 13.5% ABV.
Forewarned that the wine was in a reductive phase, we double-carafe it well in advance. Yet two hours later, the nose is still dominated by struck matchstick and burned popcorn aromas. Push through them and you’ll find an array of red fruit (cassis, black cherry, plum) and a little kirsch. In the mouth, the wine is medium-bodied and satiny. The fruit is ripe, juicy and tart, structured by light if taut and drying tannins and shot through with minerals. A leesy note emerges on the long finish. Give this savoury, food-friendly wine a few months to deal with the reduction and it should be its usual loveable self. (Buy again? Yes.)
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.)
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.)
MWG January 10th tasting (6/7): Two Italian reds
IGT Veneto 2011, Rosso Giaroni, Davide Spillare ($26.40, La QV, 12 bottles/case)
Natural. 100% organically farmed Merlot. Spontaneous fermentation in open vats for two weeks with regular punching down. Matured in 500-litre barrels for about a year. Unfiltered, unfined. No added sulphur. Vegan-compatible.
Umami nose: beef bouillon cubes, dark soy sauce, sweet spice, sawed wood. Supple, medium-bodied. The sweet red fruit has a fresh, herbaceous streak, enough acidity and light, velvety tannins. Seemed anonymous at first but developed in interesting ways over the course of an hour or two, gaining complexity, depth, breadth, personality and even allure. (Buy again? Yes.)
IGT Toscana 2007, Jassarte, Podere Guado al Melo ($35.70, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
A crazy blend of 30-odd Mediterranean and Trans-Caucasian varieties from a sustainably farmed vineyard planted in 1999 and located in the Bolgheri DOC. Manually harvested, fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats, matured 24 months on the lees in small oak barrels (10% new) and at least 24 months in the bottle.
Unlike the bottle tasted at the private import show, ours initially had a skunky smell that Cyril associated with mercaptan. That quickly blew off leaving an unfathomably complex nose (plum, wood, fresh herbs, graphite, smoke, nuts, chocolate and more). Smooth and fluid in the mouth with a silky texture. Dry though the fruit is sweetly ripe in the manner of warm-climate reds. There’s a Bordeaux-like balance between extract, tannins and acidity. Not particularly deep or Italian-tasting but broad, long and dapper. (Buy again? Possibly.)
MWG January 10th tasting (4/7): Two Pinot Noirs
Beaune 2010, Lulunne, Château Genot-Boulanger ($36.50, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
100% Pinot Noir from 40-year-old vines. The estate practises lutte raisonnée (manual weed control, organic fertilizers, etc.) and has been experimenting with organic “treatments” since 2007. The grapes are destemmed, macerated 15 to 20 days in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, pneumatically pressed and fermented with indigenous yeasts. Matured eight to ten months in barrels, 20% new. 13% ABV.
Classic red Burgundy nose: red berries, beet, wood, background spice and forest floor and a whiff of barnyard. Medium-bodied. Fluid. Intensely flavoured with fine astringent tannins and bright acidity. Dry, especially on the finish. Pure, clean, droit. Accessible now but will probably benefit from a year or two in the cellar, though it’s not a long-keeper. Would be a good addition to a restaurant wine list. (Buy again? A bottle at this price; a case if it were $5–10 less.)
Pinot Noir 2011, Willamette Valley, Montinore Estate ($30.25, La QV, 12 bottles/case)
100% biodynamically farmed Pinot Noir from various vineyards. Spent ten months in French and Hungarian oak barrels, 20% new. 13% ABV.
Red berries, slate, faint flowers and, with time, spice. Supple and medium-bodied. Ripe but shy fruit, minerals and a little smoky wood. It’s more astringent than outright tannic and is marked by an acidic streak. Fresh, alive and not without appeal if not exactly full of charm, at least at this young stage. The farthest thing from the West Coast cherry Coke-style of Pinot Noir. More of a food wine (cedar-planked salmon!) than a tasting wine. A recently opened bottle of the 2010, which at this stage of its life tasted very similar to the 2011, had evolved into a fragrant, silky-fruited wine. (Buy again? A bit pricey but sure.)
MWG January 10th tasting (1/7): Fleith’s Crémant d’Alsace
The MWG recently spent an enjoyable evening with La QV’s Cyril Kérébel tasting through an impressive and wide-ranging selection of the agency’s new arrivals, all of them private imports. We wet our whistles and whet our palates with an Alsatian sparkler.
Crémant d’Alsace, Domaine Fleith ($30.75, 6 bottles/case, La QV)
A blend of biodynamically farmed Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois (65%), Riesling (20%) and Pinot Noir (15%). The producer’s website appears to indicate that the grapes are botrytized, though I can’t say I detected any botrytis aromas or flavours.
Pale yellow with electrum glints and a fine bead. Yellow apple, yeast, lemon, chalk and a white floral note. Bright in the mouth, dry, complex and pure. Soft, caressing effervescence. Long, lemon-pithy finish. Delicious and refreshing: light enough to serve as an aperitif, substantial enough to accompany the first course if it’s something like coquilles Saint-Jacques. (Buy again? Gladly.)
oenopole trade tasting (2/4): Camerlengo
Trained as an architect, the ebullient Antonio Cascarano switched to farming in 2000 in order to save his grandparents’ three-hectare estate, Camerlengo (“chamberlain”), which is located in the commune of Rapolla, near the village of the same name, on the northeast flank of Monte Vulture in northern Basilicata. There he grows grapes, chestnuts and olives (for reportedly excellent oil) in volcanic soil that’s rich in silica and potassium. The relatively high altitude (400–500 m) ensures a large difference between day and night temperatures, one of the keys to maintaining acidity in grapes. All farming is organic and practices in the cellar are as non-interventionist as possible.
IGP Basilicata 2011, Accamilla, Camerlengo
The first vintage of Antonio’s first orange wine. A blend of Malvasia (70%), 10% Santa Sofia (aka Fiano) and 20% other local grapes, fermented with native yeasts and made like a red wine, with extended maceration on the skins and pips. Aged in chestnut botte. 12% ABV. This sample was drawn from the barrel a couple of days before the tasting; the finished wine will be available from oenopole this spring.
Hazy tawny yellow. Nose of straw, sun-baked stones, yellow fruit and dried flowers. Lighter and more fluid than expected. Savoury and dry, with summery fruit and sprightly acid. Soft tannins and a floral note emerge on the long finish. Delicious.
Aglianico del Vulture 2009, Antelio, Camerlengo ($25.95, oenopole)
100% Aglianico from 30-year-old vines. Manually harvested in late October and early November. Fermented with native yeasts, macerated 25 days. Matured in a 50-hl Slavonian oak botte. Unfiltered and unfined. Lightly sulphured on bottling for stability during transportation. 13% ABV.
Rich ruby maroon. Initial rubber blows off leaving red fruit, slate/graphite and hints of dusky flowers and spice. Medium- to full-bodied. The fruit is rich and sweet, devoid of heaviness, rooted in earth and minerals. The tannins – just a little raspy – are especially apparent on the finish. More upfront, less layered and long than the Camerlengo; then again it’s $12 cheaper and available. The wine’s refined rusticity made it a great pairing for lamb breast braised with tomato and white beans.
Aglianico del Vulture 2006, Camerlegno, Camerlengo ($37.75, oenopole, NLA)
100% Aglianico from 40-year-old vines. Manually harvested in late October and early November. Fermented with native yeasts, macerated 25 days. Matured in a mix of second, third and fourth vintage French oak barriques. Unfiltered. Lightly sulphured on bottling for stability during transportation. 13% ABV. Unfortunately for us, oenopole’s entire shipment has been snapped up by local restaurateurs.
Unusual, delicious nose: red fruit, spice, floral (musk rose?), stones, hints of tobacco. Smooth, medium- to full-bodied. The slim core of sweet fruit is underpinned by mostly resolved tannins, giving the wine a supple, velour-like texture. A faint astringency marks the lingering, savoury finish. Lovely. Among the most elegant Aglianicos I’ve tasted.
A quartet of naturals
Among the many attractions of SAT’s Foodlab is the short, constantly changing selection of natural wines, most of them available by the glass. (Among the few downsides of SAT’s Foodlab is the stemware: heavy and small, meaning the glasses are filled nearly to the brim and allow no room for the wine’s bouquet to develop.) We ordered four to accompany this week’s excellent Russian Easter menu, the high points of which were a clear borscht, a coulibiac of halibut and salmon and the dessert, a slice of dry, cardamom-perfumed cake and a slice of a pressed cheese obelisk garnished with candied fruit and almonds.
Bourgogne Aligoté 2010, François Mikulski (c. $25, Vini-Vins)
100% Aligoté from two Meursault parcels planted in 1929 and 1948. Initially muted (possibly the fault of the glasses). The nose’s white peach, quartz and hint of lemon are joined by green fruit (gooseberry?) in the mouth. Acid-bright but not sharp; indeed, it sits softly on the palate. Finishes on a faintly lactic, ashy, leafy note. Not profound but wonderfully drinkable.
Burgenland 2009, Blauburgunder, Meinklang ($25.30, La QV)
100% biodynamically farmed Blauburgunder (aka Pinot Noir). Extroverted nose: berries, beet, cola, earth and smoke. Medium-bodied (13%) and intensely flavoured, the ripe fruit sharing the stage with spices, slate and dried wood. Fluid texture. Light, firm tannins turn astringent on the finish. A vibrant Pinot Noir, not at all Burgundian yet very true to the grape. A winner.
Cour-Cheverny 2009, La Porte Dorée, Domaine Philippe Tessier (c. $28, Vini-Vins)
100% Romorantin from 40- to 90-year-old vines; 85% is aged ten months in demi-muids and barriques. Dry but lightly honeyed. Round, supple and fluid. Acid blossoms on the deliciously sourish finish. Minerals galore and a preserved lemon aftertaste. Pure, clean, long. A beauty.
Colli Piacentini 2010, Dinavolino, Azienda Agricola Denavolo ($27.04, Primavin)
Hazy bronze to the eye. Wafting nose of honey-candied yellow fruit, spice and a whiff of musk (not knowing anything about the wine, I wrote “Malvasian,” so it’s true to type). Quite intense on the attack – fruity, grapey, semi-sweet – it downshifts radically on the mid-palate, fading and drying to rainwater and minerals with a hint of tannins. Intriguing.
Quebec agent Primavin provides the following information on the wine, which is penned by the owner-winemaker, Giulio Armani, who is also the winemaker at La Stoppa:
Located at 500 m high, the vineyard DENAVOLO, named after the mountain upper the cellar and the locality where the vineyard is planted, spreads over 3 hectares in the Colli Piacentini area.
The vines are grown on limestone soil, the climate is hot and dry, but at this altitude, the temperature fluctuations between night and day are more than 10°C, explaining that freshness and minerality in the wines.
We only use local grapes : 25% Malvasia di Aromatica Candia, 25% Ortrugo, 25% Marsanne grapes and another not identified yet.
DINAVOLO and DINAVOLINO are produced as if they were red wines, the grapes are de-stemmed, crushed and then stay several months in skin maceration to release in the wine all the aromatic and phenolic components which are in the skin. The wines present a beautiful orange colour, a mineral and lightly flowerish nose, the mouth is well-structured with tannins and a good length.
The main difference between both cuvée comes from the location of the grapes in the vineyard. To produce DINAVOLINO, I selected grapes only located in the downer part of the hill, those grapes keep more acidity and the wine produced is completely different, freshner, younger and more aromatic.
Brett happens 