Posts Tagged ‘Red wine’
Upfront Fronton
Fronton 2012, Classic, Château Bouissel ($17.65, 10675888)
Négrette (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon (30%) and Côt (aka Malbec, 20%). Macerated (13 days), fermented and matured in temperature-controlled tanks. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Le Maître de Chai.
Reductive aromas quickly blow off leaving an appealing, multifaceted nose of crushed blackberry (fruit and leaves), flowers (honeysuckle and dried violet), shoe leather, red bell pepper and a gamy note. Medium-bodied verging on lean. The juicy, spicy fruit is ripe-sweet and acid-bright on entry but turns drier and gains a bitter edge as it flows across the palate and heads into a fair finish, where soft if rustic tannins make their lightly astringent presence felt and a faint tingly/burning/numbing sensation, like a blend of menthol and Szechuan peppercorns, lingers long. Far from deep but really quite companionable. Food – well, at least my food (duck confit and a warm lentil salad) – brings out the fruit and obliterates the nuances. But that’s OK: it’s still an enjoyable quaffer. A vin nature version of this would be amazing. (Buy again? Sure.)
Beau Bandol
Bandol 2011, La Bastide Blanche ($29.25, 10887451)
About three-quarters Mourvèdre and one-quarter Grenache with micro-dollops of Cinsault and Syrah from organically farmed vines averaging 30 years of age; the estate was certified Ecocert in 2012 and is gradually adopting biodynamic practices. Temperature-controlled maceration and fermentation with indigenous yeasts, with daily punch-downs and pump-overs, lasts about three weeks. After devatting, the wine is matured in oak foudres and demi-muids for 18 to 24 months. About 55,000 bottles were made. 14.7% ABV. Quebec agent: Trialto.
Dark fruit (blackberry, plum), leather, hints of truffle, licorice and Mediterranean scrub. Full-bodied but fluid. Very dry. The clean, ripe fruit is a big part of the attraction on opening but less vibrant and beginning to oxidize when the tail end is revisited a day later. The firm but lithe tannins and brightening acidity are well integrated. A dark, minerally undercurrent adds mystery. The finish is long and, on the second day, marked by an alcoholic flare. In earlier vintages this has always been an authentic, accessible, drinkable and fairly priced Bandol and the 2011 is no exception. A fine candidate for short- to medium-term cellaring, though nobody will complain if you open a bottle now to drink with grilled meat. (Buy again? Yes.)
Introverso di Langhe
Langhe 2013, Dolcetto, Silvio Grasso ($19.75, 12062081)
100% Dolcetto from 15- to 20-year-old vines. Still not listed on the producer’s website. According to the Quebec agent, the farming leans “natural” (organic fertilizers, manual weed control) and the wine is fermented and macerated on the skins for four to five days and matured for seven to eight months, all in stainless steel tanks. Sulphur use is said to be low. 14% ABV per SAQ.com, 12% per the label. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Shy nose of earth, slate, sandalwood and plum skin with hints of raw red meat and blueberry yogurt. Equally restrained in the mouth: less vibrantly fruity than the San Luigi, quite dry and savoury. Sleek acidity lends a welcome brightness. The tannins seem quite tame until you vigorously chew the wine, at which point they gain a velevty rasp and add an astringent edge to the faintly bitter finish. Not a smiling wine, which is not to say dour but rather brooding, inward-looking. Passing through a closed phase? In any case, it’s as inscrutable as the 2012 was. (Buy again? A bottle or two to cellar for a few years?)
Estroverso di Dogliani
Dogliani 2011, San Luigi, Chionetti Quinto ($19.20, 12466001)
100% Dogliani (aka Dolcetto) from vines averaging 20 to 25 years old. Manually harvested. Temperature-controlled fermentation (max 29–30°C) on the skins with indigenous yeasts and daily pump-overs lasted 10 days. The wine was racked into new tanks for malolactic fermentation and 11 months’ maturation. Saw only stainless steel until bottling. Cold stabilized but unfiltered. Around 46,000 bottles made. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Plum skin, red and black licorice, mushrooms stored in a paper bag for a couple of days. Smooth and rich, extracted but not weighty. Velvety tannins plush the beautifully pure mulberry fruit, while the fresh acidity turns a little bitey on the dry and drying finish. More upfront than profound – what depth there is is mainly mineral and those minerals are dark – but vibrant and lovely. (Buy again? Definitely.)
Party wine
Côtes du Marmandais 2013, Le vin est une fête, Elian Da Ros ($20.65, 11793211)
A blend of organically farmed Abouriou (40%), Cabernet Franc (40%) and Merlot (20%). Manually harvested. The Merlot and Cabernet were destemmed, macerated for ten to 15 days and gently pressed. The Abouriou clusters were kept whole and vinified using semi-carbonic maceration. All fermentations are with indigenous yeasts. The wine was matured 12 months in old barrels. Unfined and lightly filtered before bottling in December 2014. Sulphur is added only on bottling. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Attractive nose with a pronounced lactic note: cassis, blackberry and a whiff of wildberry yogurt along with faint pencil shaving and red meat notes. Medium-bodied, supple and silky. Fruity yet dry. The fruit is ripe but tart, the tannins raspy but light. There’s plenty of follow-through, with black pepper and slate colouring the long finish. Maybe a little less acidic – and thus a shade less fresh and lively – than the excellent 2012 but still a joy to drink, especially lightly chilled. If Bordeaux made a Beaujolais cru, it might well taste like this. Food pairings for this food-friendly wine? Roast fowl, rabbit stew, grilled pork, portobello burgers, bavette aux échalottes and more. (Buy again? Yep.)
This showed up a couple of weeks ago and stocks are already dwindling. If you’re interested, act fast.
MWG February 18th tasting: Noddities
The idea for this eclectic flight? Easy-drinking reds, all new arrivals, made from off-the-beaten-path grape varieties. New + oddity = noddity.
IGT Maremma Toscana 2013, Ciliegiolo, Azienda Il Grillesino ($17.85, 12280695)
100% Ciliegiolo from vines grown in stony clay-limestone soil near the Tuscan coast. The grapes were fermented in temperature-controlled tanks for 15 days. Matured for six months. Sees no oak. Bottled unfiltered in the spring following the vintage. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Mark Anthony Brands.
Spice, cherry, black raspberry, lingonberry, hints of chocolate, caramel and, oddly, “white vinegar” (quoting another taster). Fruity, supple and light though gaining a little weight as it moves through the mouth. Tart acidity keeps things refreshing, lightly raspy tannins add texture and a bit of backbone. Simple but quaffable, especially if served lightly chilled and with food. I wish it were $4 or $5 cheaper. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Valle de la Orortava 2013, 7 Fuentes, Soagranorte ($22.10, 12475425)
A 90-10 blend of Listán Negro and Tintilia (which, despite claims that it’s Grenache, Mourvèdre or Molise’s Tintilia, appears to be none other than the Jura’s Trousseau aka Bastardo) from ungrafted vines between ten and 100 years old grown in various parcels at altitudes ranging from 400 to 650 m on Tenerife. The grapes from each vineyard were vinified separately. Manually harvested in early September. Alcoholic fermentation with indigenous yeasts and manual punch-downs was in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Sixty percent of the wine underwent malolactic fermentation and eight months’ maturation in 5,700-litre concrete tanks while the remainder was matured in 500-litre French oak casks. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Les vins Alain Bélanger.
The bottle at the tasting was irredeemably bretty, reeking of barnyard. The staff at my neighbourhood SAQ reported the same of the bottle they opened. A bottle enjoyed last weekend was funky at first but clean-smelling after a couple of hours in a carafe. Unusual nose of sandalwood, sawdust and spice with whiffs of doner and plum. Supple, fluid and medium-bodied, ripe and fruit-forward but not a bomb. Very dry, with soft, dusty tannins, glowing acidity and a dark mineral underlay. A faint, alum-like astringency marks the saline finish. Unusual, interesting and, above all, drinkable. Food pairing? Well-done red meat, maybe one of those doners. (Buy again? Yes.)
IGP Ismaros 2010, Maronia, Tsantali ($13.00, 12460354)
100% Mavroudi (aka Mavrud) grown in estate-owned vineyards around Maroneia. Alcoholic fermentation lasts eight to ten days, after which the wine is left on the grape skins for another two or three days. After pressing, it undergoes malolactic fermentation and then is transferred to new 300-litre French oak barrels for eight months’ maturation. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Amphora.
Jammy plum, sweet spice, sawed wood and “cherry Vicks.” Medium- to full-bodied. The big but not lumbering fruit is structured by soft acidity and round tannins. An undercurrent of tar adds an appealing earthiness. Black pepper and vanilla-caramel colour the finish. Broader than it is deep but, at $13, who’s complaining? A bottle I opened a few days before the tasting seemed lighter and less fruit-driven. Either way, it’s a QPR winner. (Buy again? Sure.)
(Flight: 3/5)
What goes around comes around
Last year I shared one of expat MWG member Weingolb’s posts (maybe this one) with another MWG member who’d just moved to Toronto. That MWGer liked the featured wine enough that he presented me with a bottle on his most recent visit to Montreal.
Cabernet Franc 2009, Estate, Prince Edward County VQA, Grange of Prince Edward ($17.95 at the winery; available at the LCBO a while back for a jaw-dropping $11.75)
The Estate line is the winery’s entry level range. 100% Cabernet Franc from six-year-old vines grown in the Northfield vineyard. Fermented in stainless steel tanks. Matured 30 months in “seasoned” French oak barrels. (Does seasoned mean they’re used barrels or new barrels made from aged wood? I suspect the latter.) Bottled in August 2012. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Bambara Selection.
Engaging nose of candied strawberry, slate and forest floor. Medium-bodied and quite dry. The first sip brings a surprise: a salty tang along with the ripe cranberry-cherry fruit and mocha overlay. The acidity is bright and fluent while the supple tannins add a light rasp to the bitter chocolatey finish. Very drinkable if oakier than I like (the wood hides the minerals, ferchrissake). Dial back the oak, give the vines a few more years to mature and you could be looking at one of those juicy, sappy, minerally, irresistibly drinkable Cab Francs that the Loire has always held a monopoly on. Somebody send these people a case of David’s Hurluberlu or Breton’s Trinch stat! (Buy again? At $17.95, maybe. At $11.75, for sure.)
Oak aside, this is yet another wine that has me thinking Cabernet Franc is the red Ontario does best.
MWG January 8th tasting: A pair of Dão reds
Dão 2011, Reserva, Quinta da Pellada/Àlvaro Castro ($28.25, 11902106)
A blend of Alfrocheiro (65%) and Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz (35%) from vines between 25 and 65 years old. Manually harvested. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and minimal intervention in large concrete and Ganimede stainless steel tanks. Matured in fifth-fill, 400-litre French oak barrels. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Mainly plum with hints of licorice, slate and white pepper and a surprising whiff of spruce beer. Fruit-dense yet remarkably fresh in the mouth. Subliminally structured. Smoky minerals add ballast and linger well into the long finish. Such a beautifully balanced, pure and drinkable wine. Hugely enjoyable if primary now; potentially sublime after another four or five years in the bottle. (Buy again? Imperatively.)
Dão 2011, Duque de Viseu, Quinta dos Carvalhais ($14.95, 00546309)
Quinta dos Carvalhais is the Dão arm of Portugese giant Sogrape. Contrary to what SAQ.com claims, this is a blend of Alfrocheiro (28%), Touriga Nacional (28%), Jaen (20%) and Tinta Roriz (18%). The grape varieties are vinified separately. The grapes are destemmed and gently crushed, then gravity-transferred to temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks for six days’ fermentation and maceration. The free-run juice is transferred to stainless steel tanks, the skins to a pneumatic press, with the press juice being added to the free-run juice for malolactic fermentation. After blending, a fraction of the wine is matured for 12 months in used French oak barrels while the remainder ages in stainless steel tanks “regularly undergoing clarification” (whatever that means) and micro-oxygenation. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Charton Hobbs.
Dark fruit, savoury spices and notes of latex glove and rose. Smooth and supple with good acidity and yielding tannins. The ripe-sweet fruit is darkened by earthy minerals. There’s pleasing surface aplenty but little depth. Spices faintly overtone the clean if somewhat abrupt finish. Not memorable but not bad for a $15 industrially produced wine. (Buy again? If more interesting options aren’t available, sure.)
(Flight: 7/8)
MWG January 8th tasting: A pair of organic red blends from the Languedoc
Faugères 2012, L’Impertinent, Château des Estanilles ($18.05, 10272755)
Organically farmed Syrah (30%), Grenache (20%), Mourvèdre (20%), Carignan (15%) and Cinsault (15%). Manually harvested. Destemmed and crushed. The varieties are vinified separately, with fermentation and maceratation adapted to each variety. Matured in stainless steel tanks (90%) and oak barrels (10%) for around one year. 14% ABV. Quebec agent: AOC & cie.
Red fruit (especially elderberry), spice (especially black pepper), cedar, a hint of burnt rubber. In the mouth, it’s a rich, round and smooth middleweight. The crunchy fruit tends to cassis and is nicely textured by tannins and acidity while light oak and a streak of minerality add nuance. Finishes on a savoury, herb and leather note. Good, clean fun. (Buy again? Yep.)
Languedoc 2012, Montpeyroux, Domaine d’Aupilhac ($22.95, 856070)
A blend of Mourvèdre (30%), Syrah (25%), Carignan (30%), Grenache (10%) and Cinsault (5%) from organically and biodynamically farmed vines averaging 35 years old. Destemmed and crushed. The varieties are vinified separately. Fermentation (with indigenous yeasts) and maceration with daily punch-downs last about three weeks and take place in open, temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. Matured in small foudres and used barrels until the summer following the harvest, then blended and returned to the foudres and barrels for further maturation. In all, the wine is barrel-aged for about 20 months. Unfiltered. 14% ABV. Quebec agent: Bergeron-les-vins.
Initial whiff of reduction dissipates, leaving plum, dried cherry, slate dust, paprika and some charred notes. As round and smooth as the Estanilles but also, for now at least, a little less deep. In compensation, the fruit is remarkably pure, underpinned by sleek acidity and solid if cushy tannins and faintly overtoned with garrigue that lingers through the long, dark-minerally finish. I suspect this is passing through a closed phase and will deepen with a year or two in the bottle. If drinking now, carafe a couple of hours before serving. (Buy again? Yep.)
While the Impertinent is light and bright enough to drink on its own, the Montpeyroux is more of a food wine.
(Flight: 6/8)
MWG January 8th tasting: A pair of Cab-based blends from Provence
IGP Principauté d’Orange 2012, Daumen ($17.90, 12244547)
For background on the estate, see here. This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (35%), Grenache (30%), Merlot (15%), Syrah (15%) and Carignan, Cinsault and Mourvèdre (5%) from organically and biodynamically farmed vines in Daumen’s own vineyards in the Méreuilles and Clavin lieux-dits. The Syrah vines are 20 years old, the others 40 to 60 years old. Manually harvested. Destemmed. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled vats. Matured about 12 months, half in lined concrete vats and half in 50-hectolitre oak foudres. Bottled unfiltered, unfined and with only a little added sulphur. 14% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Expressive nose: red and black fruit and jam, incense, spice chest and hints of green pepper and violet. Full-bodied but fresh and fluid. The ripe fruit and dark minerals are structured by glowing acidity and firm, round tannins that come to the fore on the long, warm, black pepper-scented finish. Pure, balanced, even elegant. Outstanding QPR. (Buy again? Done!)
VDP du Var 2010, Les Auréliens, Domaine de Triennes ($20.60, 00892521)
Founded in 1989, the estate is a joint project of Jacques Seysses (Domaine Dujac), Aubert de Villaine (Domaine de la Romanée-Conti) and a Paris-based friend. Les Auréliens red is a 50-50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah from organically farmed vines. Vinified on a lot-by-lot basis. Fermentation and maceration last 12 to 25 days for most lots and up to 35 days for exceptional lots, with the Cab receiving daily pump-overs and the Syrah getting daily punch-downs. Matured 12 months in used oak barrels sourced from Domaine Dujac. Lightly fined but unfiltered. 13% ABV. Quebec agent: Séguin & Robillard.
Plum, raspberry and cassis with whiffs of herbes de Provence, leather and aged red meat. An appealingly round middleweight in the mouth, less dense and structured than the Daumen but far from flaccid. The tannins are supple, the acidity lambent. Transitions from ripe-sweet and fruity to dry and savoury on the long finish. Very enjoyable. (Buy again? Yes.)
(Flight: 5/8)
Brett happens 