Posts Tagged ‘QPR winner’
Sehr guter Zweiglet
Burgenland 2013, Zweigelt, Heideboden, Weingut Pittnauer ($20.30, 12677115)
100% biodynamically and organically farmed Zweigelt. Fermented with indigenous yeasts (thee only addition is a little sulphur at bottling). Matured 12 months in netural oak barrels. Reducing sugar: 4.3 g/l. 13.5% ABV. Screwcapped. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Spicy meatloaf, slate, dried cherries and an earthy-mushroomy note. Medium-bodied, fundamentally supple and quite dry. Layered, with the sweet-tart fruit on the surface and minerals, earth and wood below. The tannins are light and raspy, the acidity bright and nippy. Long-steeped blackcurrant tea – tannic astringency and all – colours the sustained finish. Suave but with an appealingly rustic edge, this seems a little primary at present, though I’m sure it would make a great pairing for a hearty stew. Would rank this alongside the more elegant Meinklang as one of the best Zweigelts I’ve tasted. (Buy again? For sure, though only a few bottles are left in the system.)
Better than ever
Kamptal 2014, Riesling, Domaene Gobelsburg ($19.05, 10790309)
100% Riesling from vines between three and 20 years old. The farming is technically sustainable but close to organic. Harvested in late October. Fermented and matured in stainless steel. 6.9 g/l. 12.5% ABV. Screwcapped. Quebec agent: Les vins Alain Bélanger.
Slate and limestone, lemon-lime, green apple, white flowers and sawed pine. The faint spritz and crisp upfront fruit fade across the mid-palate revealing a matrix of minerals. Zingy acidity nips any sweetness in the bud and turns the finish mouth-wateringly tart. Ends on a salty lemon note. So clean and bracing. Always a good buy but better than ever in 2014. (Buy again? Yes.)
The mayor of Dogliani
Trim, dapper and personable, Piedmont winemaker Nicola Chionetti was in town a few weeks ago. His youthful appearance notwithstanding, Nicola served a five-year term as mayor of Dogliani, a Langhe village whose surrounding vineyards are generally considered a top source for Dolcetto wine. In fact, Dogliani was the first of the only two Dolcetto appellations to have been granted the exalted DOCG status and the appellation’s identification with the grape is so complete that its denominated wines may be identified simply as Dogliani instead of Dolcetto di Dogliani.
One of the two or three leading Dogliani estates, Chionetti was founded in 1912 by Nicola’s great grandfather, Giuseppe. The name of Quinto, Nicola’s grandfather, continues to feature on the estate’s labels: Azienda Agricola Chionetti Quinto e Figlio. While farming techniques have always been sustainable, the estate is officially converting to organic practice. Its 16 hectares of vineyards produce around 85,000 bottles of wine in a normal year. Only three wines are widely marketed: the Dogliani DOCGs San Luigi and Briccolero and a Langhe Nebbiolo.
The winemaking for the two Dolcettos is nearly identical: manual harvesting, destemming, soft pressing, fermentation and maceration on the skins and with indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks (29-30°C), maturation for around 11 months in stainless steel tanks, cold-stabilization and no filtering. The differences are the vineyards’ soils (clayey in San Luigi, more calcareous in Briccolero), the vines’ average ages (25 years old versus 45), yields (6,000 kg/ha versus 5,000), the typical length of maceration (10 days versus 14) and the usual alcohol level (13% versus 14). In a good vintage, the San Luigi can age up to 15 years, the Briccolero 20-25.
Among the activities slated during Nicola’s visit was a commented tasting and feast of a lunch at Hostaria for a large table of sommeliers, restaurateurs and wine writers, among whose company I was flattered to be included. Many thanks to oenopole for the opportunity to spend time with an artisan whose wines I have always enjoyed.
All told, we tasted six wines, two of which are currently available at the SAQ. You’ll find my notes after the jump.
Cistus regnat
Douro 2013, Cistus, Quinta do Vale da Perdiz ($12.80, 10841161)
Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo, 75%), Touriga Francesa (15%), Tinta Barroca (5%) and Touriga Nacional (5%). Fermented in stainless steel vats at controlled temperature. Twenty percent is matured in second- and third-fill barrels. Reducing sugar: 3.4 g/l. 14.5% ABV. Quebec agent: LBV International.
Typical but unexpectedly fresh nose of plum, wet slate, turned earth, black pepper and a hint of black cherry yogurt. In the mouth, it’s unexpectedly fluid, more of a middleweight than a heavyweight. The fruit, vivid and layered upfront, soon recedes, leaving a hollowing-out mouthful of inky minerals, old wood and faint alcohol fumes that gains a bitter cocoa note on the quick-fading finish. On the plus side, the tannins are supple, the acidity bright, the wine has a sense of place and it tastes like it came from a winery, not a factory. Not a coup de cœur, then, but if there’s a better red at this price point, I’d like to know about it. (Buy again? When the budget is tight, sure.)
Here now and how!
This may be yet another of the select group of SAQ wines sold only at the Atwater outlet and not listed on SAQ.com*. I picked up my bottle on Friday. Calling a few minutes ago to reserve a couple more, I was told they have 150 in stock.
Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine 2014, Amphibolite, Domaines Landron ($21.50, 12741084)
100% Melon de Bourgogne from organically and biodynamically farmed vines between 23 and 40 years old. The soil in the 7.5 ha vineyard is mainly decomposing amphibolite, whence the cuvée’s name. Yields were abnormally low in 2014: 37 hl/ha vs. the usual 45 hl/ha. The grapes were manually harvested and whole-cluster pressed. The must was chilled and allowed to clarify by settling. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts and no chaptalization took place in temperature-controlled, glass-lined cement tanks, with sulphur dioxide being added at the end to prevent malolactic fermentation. The wine was matured on the lees for four months, then cold-stabilized and gravity-bottled. Unfiltered and unfined. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Rézin.
The nose of wet stones, gooseberry and ash only hints at the transfixingly vibrant mouthful to come: intertwining green fruit, crunchy minerals, lip-smacking acidity and salinity that’s off the charts. Ends long and clean with lingering bitter almond and bitter lemon notes. The kind of wine where one sip demands another and the bottle is empty before you know it. Not a keeper – even the winemaker says so – but killer here and now with Trésors du large on the half shell adorned with only a squirt of lemon and a grind of black pepper. (Buy again? Done!)
*Mystery solved: the wine was part of the October 8th natural wines release and should have been embargoed until then. In other words, Atwater jumped the gun. At 9 a.m. on Friday, October 9, bottles can be found in 74 stores across Quebec.
White and red Blots
Two estates but the same owner-winemaker: Jacky Blot.
Montlouis-sur-Loire 2012, Clos de Mosny, Domaine de la Taille aux Loups ($32.50, 12303674)
100% Chenin Blanc from the oldest vines (averaging will over 50 years) in the centre of the 12-hectare stone-walled clos. Farming is organic but uncertified as such. The grapes are manually harvested during the second of several passes though the vineyard. Depending on the condition of the fruit, whole and/or partial clusters are harvested. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and no chaptalization. Matured on the lees in oak barrels (one-quarter new, one-quarter second fill, one-quarter third fill and one-quarter fourth fill) for 12 months. Racked once or twice to clarify the wine. Before bottling, the barrels are tasted, selected and blended. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. Reducing sugar: 4.3 g/l. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Vini-Vins.
Complex, changing nose: honeycomb, citrus, soap, seaside minerals and a hint of honeysuckle, then gaining parsnip, raw honey and quince nuances. Full and rich in the mouth, albeit a little austere at this stage in its development. Flavours tend to apple, peach, powdered ginger and something more root vegetable-like (“Japanese turnip” per one taster) with a definite mineral underlay. Comes across as quite dry, its reducing sugar levels notwithstanding, perhaps due to its glowing acidity. Long, layered and delicious, full of potential, a lovely wine with at least another decade of life ahead of it. (Buy again? Yes.)
Bourgueil 2013, Mi-Pente, Domaine La Butte ($36.00, 10903684)
Blot’s top red cuvée. 100% Cabernet Franc. The grapes come from vines averaging 60 years old and grown in a five-hectare plot located in the middle of Blot’s sloping 12-hectare Bourgueil vineyard. Yields are an exceptionally low 25 hl/ha. Farming is organic but uncertified. Manual harvesting. After destemming, the grapes are transferred to oak vats for alcoholic fermentation with indigenous yeasts (no chaptalization), daily punch-downs for 10 days and regular pump-overs. Maceration lasts an unusually long five weeks. After malolactic fermentation in oak vats, the wine is matured in oak barrels (one-third new, one-third second fill, one-third third fill) for 16 months. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. Reducing sugar: 1.4 g/l. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Réserve & Sélection.
Expressive nose of slate, turned earth and ripe red fruit (initially in the background though coming to the fore as the wine breathes) along with faint kirsch and green pepper and a streak of oak that one taster termed “mid-range chocolate ice cream.” Equally expressive in the mouth, despite its youth. Quite extracted – on the top side of medium-bodied – but not heavy. The velvety fruit is tense with fine if tight tannins and firm acidity. Layers of flavour, including well-integrating oak, unfurl as the wine moves across the palate. Finishes, minerally, clean and long. Carafe several hours in advance if drinking now or cellar until it peaks, probably in 2020 to 2025. If this wine were a Bordeaux or Burgundy, it would be retailing for two or three times as much. (Buy again? Yes.)
MWG July 16th tasting: flight 4 of 6.
Pithon alert!
Pardon the interruption but there’s not a lot of this left in the system and it’s something fans of the style shouldn’t miss.
IGP Côtes Catalanes 2014, Mon P’tit Pithon, Domaine Olivier Pithon ($20.10, 12574811)
Grenache (50%), Syrah (25%) and Mourvèdre (25%) from organically and biodynamically farmed young vines. The whole clusters are fermented with indigenous yeasts. Matured in oak foudres and stainless steel tanks. Lightly filtered and sulphured at bottling. Reducing sugar: 2.4 g/l. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Ward & associés.
Lilting nose of red berries with hints of graphite, fresh herbs, Asian spice, animale. In the mouth, it’s a fluid and supple welterweight: dry, savoury and clean. The fruit is carried on a stream of acidity and ruffled by lacy tannins. Finishes on a lightly astringent peppery note. Ultra-drinkable, as befits a self-styled vin de soif. Too structured and sun-drenched to be dubbed a Roussillon Beaujo and yet, and yet… Drink lightly chilled. Killer with grilled sausages. (Buy again? Done!)
Math problem
The problem: A wine – a delicious and rare wine at that – lists on SAQ.com for $51.25. In the store, however, it has been marked down significantly. What’s more, when purchased during yesterday’s 10%-off sale (which discount applied to the marked-down price), the figure on the sales receipt was $35.87. What, then, is the marked-down price before application of the 10% discount, which, alas, is no longer in effect?
The wine in question is Abbatucci’s 2011 BR, which awed the group at a tasting in February 2014. My note at the time:
Vin de table (2011), BR, Domaine Comte Abbatucci ($51.00, 11930123)
100% biodynamically and organically farmed Barbarossa, a red-skinned grape variety here given the blanc de noirs treatment. The first vines were planted in the 1960s. The grapes are manually harvested and pressed immediately after picking. Fermented (with indigenous yeasts) and matured in stainless steel tanks. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. 2,000 bottles made. 13% ABV. [Quebec agent: Vini-Vins.]
Initially reticent but eventually deep. Minerally and floral with hint of lemoncello and a faint herby overtone, like maquis or hops. Round yet very fresh in the mouth, the fruit structured by a crystalline minerality and enlightened by acidity. A faint, pleasing bitterness threads through the long finish. Breathtakingly pure and pristine, not to mention unique. (Buy again? Gladly.)
After opening it yesterday evening to accompany shrimp marinated in white wine, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, olive oil and puréed basil, wrapped in a basil leaf and a thin slice of prosciutto and grilled (recipe here) – an excellent pairing, by the way – I sat down to pen a new note but quickly realized I had little to add to the one above. The wine is drinking beautifully. It’s as fresh and engaging as it was 18 months ago, perhaps a tad rounder and more integrated, with the final bitterness a shade more pronounced. While yesterday’s double discount made it a rare bargain, it’s still a deal at today’s marked-down price, which by my calculation is $39.85.
Edit (2015-09-06 18:49): The MWG’s network of spies reports that the actual marked-down price at the Montreal Signature store is $41.00. The discount was therefore calculated not on the marked-down price but on the list price, which is not how it usually works: 10% of $51.25 = $5.13. $41.00 – $5.13 = $35.87.
Petit Noir, petit prix
Bekaa Valley 2009, Petit Noir, Cave Kouroum ($13.55, 11097549)
Founded in 1998, the winery is based in the village of Kefraya in the Bekaa Valley. The 180 hectares of vineyards are on the eastern slope of Mount Barouk at an elevation of 900 m. This is a blend of Cinsault (50%), Carignan (25%), Grenache (15%) and Syrah (10%) from sustainably farmed vines. The grapes are manually harvested and sorted. Traditional vinification with both alcoholic and malolactic fermentation taking place. Matured six months in French oak fûts. Reducing sugar: 1.8 g/l. 14.5% ABV. Quebec agent: ABVS.
Pencil shavings, red berry jam, dried herbs, hints of sweet spice and a whiff of alcohol. Smooth, clean and medium-bodied. A really promising attack fades disappointingly fast and there’s not much else to take its place. A bit hot at room temperature, better after a couple of hours in the carafe and 30 minutes in the fridge: rounder, fuller and fruitier with good acidity and a fair finish, though you’ll have to look elsewhere for depth. With its savoury Rhône-ish flavour profile and Bordeaux-ish structure and weight, it’s stylistically between a Côtes-du-Rhône and a cru bourgeois. Memorable above all for being one of the better reds in its price bracket, not that there’s anything wrong with that. (Buy again? Sure.)
Transformer
Langhe Nebbiolo 2013, Produttori del Barbaresco ($24.35, 11383617)
100% Nebbiolo from young vines, all of which are located within the Barbaresco DOC. Fermented with selected “Barolo” yeasts at 28ºC in stainless steel tanks. Macerated on the skins for 24 days. Matured six months in very large oak barrels. No fining, light filtering, minimal sulphur dioxide. Reducing sugar: 1.6 g/l. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Typical cherry, sandalwood and turned earth aromas and a faint dried rose petal note. A supple middleweight remarkable for its silky texture, smooth acidity, fine tannins and overall balance. The clean and very dry fruit is infused with a light astringency and deepened by a mineral underlay. A woody – not oaky – taste colours the long finish. Vintage in, vintage out, this is one of the most consistently delicious, fairly priced wines made. (Buy again? By the case.)
Another Schwartza as miracle fruit-like moment here. Spurred by a rave about the pairing from occasional commenter thomasein, I served this with pepper steak made according to a New York Times recipe, whose stroke of genius is that it calls for a mix of black and Szechuan peppercorns. I don’t know whether it was the magical numbingness of the Chinese spice, the bland richness of the fillet steak (beef is a classic Nebbiolo pairing) or the soothing softness of the cream – though based on the Schwartza experience, I suspect it’s the cream – but the dish tamed the wine’s astringency, debauched its droiture and projected its fruit in Technicolor. Brilliant.
Brett happens 