Posts Tagged ‘Red wine’
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.
Douro barganha
Douro 2013, Flor de Crasto, Quinta do Crasto ($14.90, 10838579)
Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo, 35%), Touriga Franca (aka Touriga Francesa, 35%) and Touriga Nacional (30%) from vines between eight and 12 years old. The varieties were vinified separately. The manually harvested grapes were destemmed and crushed, then transferred to temperature-controlled stainless steel vats for alcoholic fermentation, which lasted seven days. Matured in stainless steel vats. Reducing sugar: 2.3 g/l. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Enotria International.
Spicy nose of plum and blackberry with considerable cigar box, some moist earth, black pepper and distant peony. Richer and more viscous than expected. Dry and savoury but full of ripe, dense fruit. Structured by cloaked yet firm tannins and sufficient acidity, textured by a pervasive velvet astringency. The finish is decent if somewhat short though a ghostly aftertaste and feel linger long. On the one hand, it’s not a wine of great complexity or depth; on the other hand, it tastes like it should come from the next higher price bracket. For $15, you could do worse. (Buy again? Sure.)
Douro modesta
Douro 2013, Dourosa, Quinta de la Rosa ($18.25, 12640232)
One third each Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo) and Touriga Franca (aka Touriga Francesca) from 20- to 30-year-old vines. Fermented in stainless steel vats at low temperatures. Matured 12 months in large French and Portuguese oak barrels. Minimally filtered. Reducing sugar: 3.0 g/l. 13.5% ABV. SAQ.com says screwcapped (which would be a first for a Portuguese wine in my experience) but my bottle was closed with a cork. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Plum, dark spice, cedar and a little vanilla. Soft and round, both descriptors applying to the fruit, acidity and tannins as well as the overall wine. Medium to full-bodied. Appealing if subdued fruit — as much about minerals and old wood flavour. The flavours are typical of Douro reds but the wine lacks some of the depth, structure and acidic éclat that I recall from earlier vintages and that make its bigger siblings shine. Decent, cocoa-toned finish. Innocuous until you start thinking about it, then coming across as a little flaccid, perhaps the result of the reportedly rainy harvest. A short passage in the fridge, chilling it down to around 16ºC (61ºF), helps. (Buy again? Not when the more interesting estate wine from the excellent 2011 vintage can be had for a mere $3 more.)
Flat earth
Vinho Regional Alentejano 2011, Terra Plana, Monte da Cal ($16.55, 11469795)
A blend of Trincadeira (aka Tinta Amarela, 40%), Alfrocheiro (30%), Aragonêz (aka Tempranillo, 20%) and Alicante Bouschet (10%). The grapes are crushed and destemmed, then fermented with selected yeasts in small, temperature-controlled (24-26ºC) stainless steel vats. Matured six months in French oak barrels. Reducing sugar: 4.9 g/l. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Société de Vins Fins.
Savoury nose of pencil shavings, old leather and turned earth with distant dried herbs. What there isn’t much of is fruit (blackberry? black plum?). The warm room-temperature bottle was popped and poured and the first sip did not impress. Middleweight. Clean. More savoury and minerally than fruity, with keen acidity, fine tannins and no great depth. The finish is lightly astringent and very dry. After 20 minutes in a carafe and nearly as long in the fridge, the wine showed better: fruitier, suppler, rounder and more integrated, with an appealing set of flavours on entry. Still, the fruit quickly fades and there’s not much else to hold the attention. A decent enough barbecue or pizza wine that ought to be a few dollars cheaper. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Vittoria! Vittoria!
In Italian, cerasuolo means cherry-red. The word also appears in the names of two appellations. Cerasuolo d’Abrruzo is a Multepulciano-based rosé from central Italy. Cerasuolo di Vittoria is a red wine made in southeast Sicily, specifically in the province of Ragusa and parts of Caltanissetta and Catania.
Though Cerasuolo di Vittoria has been made since the 17th century, it wasn’t granted DOC status until 1974. Since 2004, it has been Sicily’s only DOCG. By law, Cerasuolo di Vittoria must be a blend of Nero d’Avola and Frappato, with the former constituting between 50 and 70%. Within the DOCG is a large zone, centred around Vittoria and including the original DOC, whose wines are entitled to the Classico designation provided they have been matured 18 months or longer.
Viewing Cerasuolo di Vittoria as the wine with the deepest roots in the region and the most expressive of the regions’ terroir, COS has made it the estate’s flagship.
Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico 2011, Azienda Agricola COS ($34.75, 12484997)
Nero d’Avola (60%) and Frappato (40%) from organically farmed vines. Fermented in stainless steel tanks on the skins and with indigenous yeasts. Matured 15 months in 20 and 40-hectolire oak foudres and several months in bottle. Unfiltered. Reducing sugar: 2.7 g/l. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Cherry with a hint of pastry and overtones of balsam and spice. Medium-bodied. Fresh and fruity from start to finish, laced with bright acidity, graced by silky tannins. A mineral backdrop and touch of earthiness add welcome dimension. The long finish is appetizingly tart. Not what you’d call complex but so approachable and drinkable. (Buy again? Yes, though not without wishing it were a little less pricey.)
Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico 2011, Delle Fontane, Azienda Agricola COS ($79.00, private import, 6 bottles/case)
Nero d’Avola (60%) and Frappato (40%) from organically farmed vines around 20 years old grown in the Delle Fontane vineyard. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in glazed cement tanks. Matured 15 months in 20- and 40-hectolire oak foudres for the Nero d’Avola and in glazed concrete tanks for the Frappato. After blending, the wine is matured several additional months in the bottle. Unfiltered. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
A nose to get lost in: cherry again, a whack of limestone and overtones of earth, dark minerals, marzipan, flowers (rose?) and dried herbs (bay?). A sip reveals a gorgeous surface and considerable depth, a wine denser but somehow not heavier than the estate Classico. The fruit is sweet yet the wine is dry. The layers of flavour – more like veils, actually – include minerals, tar, licorice and mushroom. Fine tannins and sleek acidity are in perfect balance. The structure, texture, complexity and weight are very Burgundian, in fact, though the aromas and flavours are anything but. The finish goes on and on. Gorgeous. I could drink this forever. (Buy again? If you can spare the pennies, sure.)
And, yep, the post’s title is another opera reference, this time to the second act of Tosca.
MWG April 14th tasting: flight 5 of 6.
COS and effect
The second half of the April 14th tasting was led by Giusto Occhipinti, one of the two partners of Azienda Agricola COS. Giusto’s last name contributed the O in the estate’s acronym (current partner Giambattista Cilia contributed the C, while the S comes from former partner Cirino Strano). Though the wines made by Giusto’s niece Arianna Occhipinti arguably have a higher profile these days, it was COS, founded in 1980, that showed the way, that spearheaded the revolution in winemaking in the region. (Back in 2010, when she she led a MWG tasting, Arianna herself said it was Giusto who initiated her into winemaking.)
The estate is located in Acate-Chiaramonte, outside of Vittoria in Ragusa province in southeast Sicily. Originally owing only three hectares, COS acquired the nearby Villa Fontane estate and its nine hectares of vines – which they have since expanded to 17 hectares – in 1991. In 2005, they purchased a neighbouring estate with an additional 20 hectares of vines and an 18th-century wine cellar. They renovated the wine cellar and built new winemaking facilities, with 150 in-ground amphorae, which they inaugurated in 2007.
Early experiments with then-modish international varieties led them to focus – though not exclusively – on local varieties, especially the Nero d’Avola and Frappato for their flagship Cerasuolos. The partners also adopted biodynamic practices in the early 1990s, as they consider them the best option for expressing the region’s terroirs. Clay amphorae were first introduced in the fall of 2000. Cellar practices are non-interventionist: ambient yeasts; no additives except for a small squirt of sulphur dioxide at bottling; no fining or filtering. The unusual shape of the squat bottles is inspired by an ancient flask unearthed during excavations on the property.
Our tasting began with the estate’s three entry-level wines.
IGP Terre Siciliane 2013, Il Frappato, Azienda Agricola COS ($28.20, 12461488)
100% Frappato from organically farmed vines around a dozen years old. Macerated and fermented on the skins with indigenous yeasts for 10 days. Matured 12 months in glass-lined concrete tanks. Reducing sugar: 2.3 g/l. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Fresh nose of crushed raspberry, light spice and pumice. It’s a supple wine, on the lighter side of medium-bodied, with pure sweet fruit, sustained acidity and lacy tannins. As the fruit dries and fades, background minerals come to the fore on the long, bitter-edged finish. Very elegant and drinkable. Food friendly, too (think pasta, rabbit stew or grilled tuna). (Buy again? Yes.)
IGP Terre Siciliane 2013, Nero di Lupo, Azienda Agricola COS ($29.30, 12538561)
100% Nero d’Avola from organically farmed vines around a dozen years old. Macerated and fermented on the skins with indigenous yeasts for 10 days. Matured 18 to 24 months months in terracotta amphorae and glass-lined concrete tanks. Reducing sugar: 2.3 g/l. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Reductive at first, then yielding a fresh nose of red fruit, slate and sandalwood. Medium-bodied. Supple but more structured and dimensional than the Frappato. A fundamentally dry and savoury wine, remarkable for its dark, tart fruit, mineral underlay, overall balance and lightly spicy finish. Delicious. About as far as you can get from the run-of-the-mill Nero d’Avola. I’ll drink to that. (Buy again? Yes.)
IGT Sicilia 2010, Maldafrica, Azienda Agricola COS ($31.00, 12465155)
When I asked about the origin of the name, Giusto explained that, in Italian, maldafrica is, among other things, a kind of homesickness for an exotic place. In this case, the non-Sicilian varieties were planted by a régisseur who hailed from Bordeaux. This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (45%), Merlot (45%) and Frappato (10%) from organically farmed vines around 20 years old. Fermented on the skins with indigenous yeasts in terracotta amphorae. Matured in Slavonian oak barrels and in the bottle. Reducing sugar: 1.8 g/l. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Cassis, slate, hints of tobacco, red meat, leather and spice. Medium- to full-bodied and, like every other COS wine, balanced, civilized and supple. The ripe, solar, savoury fruit is intense yet lithe, the acidity smooth, the tannins round. Work your way through the layers of flavour and you’ll find a substrate of minerals. Tobacco and cedar scent the long finish. True to both its Bordeaux and Sicilian roots, this elegant wine is the “kind of pure and racy warm-climate red that should have New World winemakers seriously questioning their modus operandi (looking at you, Napa),” to quote my note on the 2009. Unfortunately, there is very little left in Quebec. (Buy again? If the opportunity presents itself, absolutely.)
MWG April 14th tasting: flight 4 of 6.
Going live
Vin de France 2014, Y’a bon the canon, Anne et Jean-François Ganevat ($28.35, 12624152)
Organically farmed Gamay (reportedly from Château de Grand Pré in the Beaujolais) blended with smaller amounts of old indigenous varieties from Ganevat’s vineyards in the Jura (Petit Béclan, Gros Béclan, Geusche, Argant, Peurion, Portugais Bleu, Isabelle, Enfariné and maybe others). Manually harvested. Nautral vinification. Unfiltered. Unfined. No added sulphur. Reducing sugar: 2.8 g/l. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Rich, glowing red, deeper than expected. Fragrant nose of red berries – especially cranberry – and pine forest floor, eventually developing pepper, slate and beef larb aromatics. In the piehole, it’s supple, light- to medium-bodied and a little spritzy, a tart and juicy mouthful with great fruit-acid balance. Relegated to the background, the slim tannins are most obvious as a lingering, faintly bitter astringency. The long, lip-smacking finish leaves a cedary aftertaste. So fresh, so alive, so food-friendly (grilled pork with fresh herbs or roast chicken with same would be killer). Drink lightly chilled. In an ideal world, this would be $5 cheaper but, then again, it’s a compulsively drinkable natural wine from a cult producer and the exchange rate is punishing these days. (Buy again? Imperatively.)
SAQ.com shows this as unavailable but I bought mine at one of the larger Sélection stores yesterday afternoon (the clerk went to the back room and pulled the bottle out of a case still on the delivery pallet). Note that there’s not a lot around and it’s certain to disappear fast.
Two other noteworthy wines are also going live this week. First, one of the MWG’s favourite private imports is premiering at the SAQ: Côtes du Roussillon 2013, C’est pas la mer à boire, Domaine du Possible ($32.25, 12623088), which, like the Ganevat, is showing as unavailable on SAQ.com but which I purchased yesterday (see here for some background on the winemaker and my tasting note from last November). Second, a restocking of the irresistible Alsace 2011, Trilogie, Domaine Barmès Buecher ($19.95, 12254420).
Get ’em while you’re hot
Will be posting notes on the COS wines soon. In the meantime, a heads-up on a couple of newly arrived, perfect summer wines that also happen to be in short supply. Interested? Act fast.
Niederösterreich 2014, Grüner Veltliner, Am Berg, Weingut Bernhard Ott ($20.85, 12646520)
(Not currently listed on SAQ.com. Reportedly part of an experiment involving a few wines stocked in fairly large quantities exclusively at the Atwater SAQ Sélection store, where you’ll find it in front of the organic wine section.) Am Berg translates as hillside. Ott’s wines are usually organic and biodynamic but this, a cuvée made from grapes grown in the estate’s and nearby vineyards, may be neither. In any case it’s 100% Grüner Veltliner from vines averaging 25 years old. Manually harvested and whole-cluster pressed. Fermented (with selected yeasts) and matured, on its lees, in stainless steel tanks. Screwcapped. Residual sugar (according to the estate): 1.6 g/l. 11.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Avant-Garde.
Textbook nose: lime, green apple, lemon grass, chalk and white pepper. In the piehole, it’s fresh and fruity from the get-go. Clean and bracing with acidity so crisp it feels almost like spritz. Minerals galore, especially on the tangy finish, whose overtones of salt marsh grass linger long. A beguiling GV at a great price. Fine on its own as an aperitif, very enjoyable with a salad of cucumbers, red onion, fresh dill, lemon juice and crème fraîche. (Buy again? Absolutely.)
Valpolicella 2013, Borgomarcellise, Marion ($20.00, 12328311)
Corvina (60%) and Rondinella (40%) according to the SAQ (while Corvina-dominated, earlier vintages have involved four or five varieties, so you might want to take this info with a grain of salt). Reportedly from young vines. The only winemaking info I’ve been able to find is that this is the estate’s only wine that doesn’t incorporate raisinated grapes. Reducing sugar: 4.8 g/l. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: L’Enoteca di Moreno De Marchi.
Pale ruby in the glass. Wafting nose of fresh cherry, red Twizzlers, dried earth, dried herbs and sandalwood. Light and bright on the palate, an alluring combination of gossamer fruit, juicy acidity and slender tannins. The sweet-tart cherry dries as it moves through the mouth, while minerals and a faint astringency inflect the lip-smacking finish. Serve lightly chilled. (Buy again? Yes.)
A quaffability quotient about as high as it gets
Morgon 2013, Jean Foillard ($27.40, 11964788)
This is the so-called Classique bottling, though the word appears nowhere on the label. 100% organically farmed Gamay. The manually harvested whole clusters undergo carbonic maceration at 4 to 7°C and fermentation with no added sulphur or yeasts for three to four weeks. The wine is matured in tanks for four to five months. Filtering? None or very light. Bottled with a tiny shot of sulphur dioxide for stability’s sake. Reducing sugar: 2.2 g/l. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Delightfully fragrant nose: strawberry, cranberry, leafmould, spice, slate. Smooth and supple in the mouth. Medium weight, medium intensity. The sweet, silky-textured fruit with its floral overtones couldn’t be more pristine. Smooth acidity and featherweight tannins tannins lightly structure. The long finish ends on a faint astringent note. Such perfect balance. Not as deep or rich as some Morgons, including Foillard’s own Côte du Py, but the quaffability quotient is about as high as it gets. (Buy again? Yes!)
Brett happens 