Posts Tagged ‘Red wine’
MWG January 8th tasting: A pair of Chilean Pinot Noirs with a French connection
Casablanca 2012, Pinot Noir, Refugio, Montsecano y Copains ($25.05, 12184839)
The estate is a joint project involving three Chileans and Alsatian André Ostertag. Two wines, both 100% Pinot Noir from organically and biodyanmically farmed vines, are made. This is the second wine. Manually harvested. Macerated and fermented with indigenous yeasts for 12 to 18 days. One-quarter is matured in 16-hectolitre concrete eggs for 12 to 18 months, three-quarters in stainless steel tanks. Unfiltered and unfined. A tiny amount of volcanic sulphur is added at bottling. Screwcapped. 14% ABV. Quebec agent: Rézin.
After the faint screwcap reducto-fartiness blows off, a nose more mulberry than red berry with whiffs of undergrowth, minerals and spice (had I been drinking double-blind, I would have guessed it was a young-vine, cool-climate Syrah). Supple and juicy, full of sun-drenched fruit, grounded in minerals, structured by light tannins and bright acidity, faintly streaked with a stemmy greenness. Kirsch and a hint of smoke scent the credible finish. Far from profound but certainly drinkable. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Valle del Aconcagua 2012, Pinot Noir, Subsollum, Clos des Fous ($24.05, 12304335)
“Clos des Fous is about four friends who decided to grow vine in gloomy, cold and unpredictable places in the southern regions of Chile.” The estate’s first commercial vintage was 2010; the 2012 is the first vintage of the Subsollum. The grapes for this 100% Pinot Noir come from organically and semi-biodynamically farmed young vines in Malleco and coastal Aconcagua. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in lined concrete vats. A small proportion is matured in barrels. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Réserve & Sélection.
Not what you’d call a Burgundian nose: red berries and plum intermixed with “cinnamon candy,” “Worcestershire sauce,” “green ketchup” and “a leather jacket with mothballs” (to quote four tasters). A medium-bodied mouthful of solarized but not very sweet fruit, raspy tannins and trickling acidity, all shadowed by earthy mineral and spice flavours/aromas and a faint underlying bitterness. Long. On the plus side, the wine’s got character in spades. Unfortunately, it’s also somewhat coarse and unfocused. Maybe it needed more time in the bottle or carafe or maybe it’s the young vines. In any case, it leaves me curious about future vintages. (Buy again? In years to come, quite possibly.)
Both wines were a hit with the New World aficionados, a bit less so with the Old World fans. But even the latter had to admit they had a certain appeal and were true to their origin, not slavish imitations of Pinots made elsewhere, including Burgundy. In an article on Chilean wines published last fall, the Gazette’s Bill Zacharkiw advanced that “once they [Chilean winemakers] stop trying to please export markets and simply make the wine that is the best expression of what they have, those markets will come to them.” Wines like these and Clos Ouvert’s various offerings are a definite step in that direction.
(Flight: 4/8)
Bordel de Noël workshop (4/6)
IGT Terre Siciliane 2013, SP68, Arianna Occhipinti ($55.75/1.5 L, 12429470)
A 50-50 blend of organically farmed Nero d’Avola and Frappato from vines averaging 11 years old. Manually harvested. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and macerated 30 days on the skins with daily pump-overs and punch-downs. Matured six months on the lees in tanks and two months in the bottle. Sees only stainless steel until bottling. Bottled unfiltered, unfined and with minimal sulphur dioxide. 12.5% ABV. Also available in 750 ml bottles ($28.45, 11811765). Quebec agent: oenopole.
Delightful nose: candied rose petal, plum, cherry and basalt dust. A supple middleweight in the mouth. The ripe and juicy fruit – so not heavy or sweet – is framed by lacy tannins and tanged with a mineral sourness. The long finish shows some tannic astringency and exits on a white pepper and anise note. A shade lighter than the 2012 perhaps but, as ever, one of the most drinkable reds on the planet. One of the most food-friendly too, as demonstrated by its compatibility with all the foods on the plate. Along with the Canarelli rosé, my turkey dinner pick of the evening. (Buy again? Automatically.)
Côtes du Rhône 2012, Lieu-dit Clavin, Domaine de la Vieille Julienne ($28.75, 10919133)
Organically farmed Grenache (80%), Syrah (10%), Mourvèdre (5%) and Cinsault (5%). Manually harvested and partially destemmed. Temperature-controlled maceration and fermentation with indigenous yeasts lasted 20 days. Matured 12 months in 50-hectolitre foudres. Unfiltered and unfined. Sulphur was added – and then minimally – only just before bottling. 14.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
A nose both exuberant and savoury: dusty plum, spice, turned earth, slate, dried herbs. Rich and dense with satiny, ripe, remarkably pure fruit. Tannic but not harshly so. Any sweetness is checked by the vibrant acidity. Bitter, earth and fired mineral flavours mark the long, full finish. Fundamentally dry and – that word again – savoury. Too intense for unadorned turkey and in no way synergistic with the Brussels sprouts, this really needs food that’s darker and more substantial: grilled lamb, say, or a beef daube. (Buy again? Absolutely, just not for Thanksgiving dinner.)
And that roasted turkey that even us turkey haters loved? Cooked using what some refer to as the blast-furnace method, which is nicely explained by chef Marek’s co-blogger here.
Here-now Chianti
Chianti Classico 2010, Riserva, Le Miccine ($27.15, 11580135)
100% organically farmed Sangiovese (various clones). Manually harvested. Destemmed. Fermented seven to ten days followed by malolactic, all in stainless steel. Matured 18 months in 350-litre barrels and larger tonneaux, all French oak and reportedly not new (it certainly tastes that way). 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Avant-Garde.
Cherry and raspberry giving way to balsam, cedar, leather and a violet high note. Burgundian texture: silky sweet-ripe fruit, lithe acidity and supple tannins, though a light but pervasive astringency appears when you chew the wine and the long finish has a puckery, alum-like afterfeel. Not exactly deep but pure and elegant, delicious in its here-now way. Showed better – more fragrant, more complex, deeper – after an hour in the carafe. (Buy again? Sure.)
Le Miccine has received coverage in local media because the winemaker, Paula Cook, is from Quebec. She studied agriculture at McGill and viticulture in France and Italy, then worked with Patrick Léon, erstwhile enologist at Mouton-Rothschild. Her father, a former Rio Tinto Alcan exec, bought the estate as a retirement project. The 2010 is Cook’s first solo effort.
MWG November 24th tasting: Bandol bliss-out
Bandol 2006, Domaine du Gros’Noré ($55.00, 11553938)
A blend of Mourvèdre (75%), Grenache (10%), Cinsaut (10%) and Carignan (5%) from vines averaging 30 years old. Partially destemmed.Traditional vinification with 15 days’ maceration and fermentation (indigenous yeasts). Matured 18 months in old oak foudres. Unfiltered, unfined. 15% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Effusive nose of plum, dark earth, hints of tobacco and herbs. Youthful but resolving. The dark heart of plush, ripe fruit and inky minerals is framed by round tannins and soft acidity. Olives and garrigue perfume the long finish, the alcohol unapparent. Surprisingly elegant for a wine of its size and inherent earthiness. (Buy again? Gladly.)
Bandol 2007, Domaine Tempier (c. $50 as a private import in 2009)
The so-called cuvée classique. Typically 75% Mourvèdre, 14% Grenache, 9% Cinsault and 2% Carignan from vines averaging around 40 years old. Manually harvested. The destemmed grapes are macerated and fermented (with indigenous yeasts) for two to three weeks in stainless steel tanks. The must is pressed and the wine is transferred to oak foudres for malolactic fermentation and 18 to 20 months’ maturation. Unfiltered and unfined. 14.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Initial bottle funk blows off, leaving a rich, evolved nose of plum, spice, graphite, earth, composted leaf, old wood and cigar box. Full-bodied despite the Gros’Noré wines making it seem more like medium. Smooth on the surface, the fruit ripe and satiny, yet resilient tannins provide some grit while acidity brightens and slate darkens. Long. A savoury, earthy, somehow elegant wine that tastes like it’s approaching its plateau of maturity, though the stuffing, structure and balance point to another decade of life. (Buy again? Yes.)
Bandol 2010, Cuvée Antoinette, Domaine du Gros’Noré ($74.00, 12207033)
Only a few hundred bottles of this cuvée named after the winemaker’s mother are made each year. Mourvèdre (95%), Grenache (3%) and Cinsault (2%). Not destemmed. 15% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Better after 30 minutes in the glass. Plum skin, grassy meadow, humus, Asian spice, game.
On the palate, it’s rich, dry, full-bodied, broad and deep – primary and powerful but not forbidding. The sweet core of ripe fruit is wrapped in savouriness and finely if firmly structured by velvety tannins and sustained acidity. The endless, dark, minerally finish has an astringent rasp. Pure and complete. Delicious now, amazing in 2020. (Buy again? Would love to.)
(Flight: 5/5)
MWG November 24th tasting: Barbaresco v. Barolo
Barbaresco 2009, Muncagota, Produttori del Barbaresco ($56.50, 11863223)
The 3.9 ha Muncagota (formerly Moccagatta) vineyard lies east of – and thus further from the river and the warm, fertile valley floor than – the Asili and Pajè vineyards and it faces southeast, toward the cooler morning sun. 100% Nebbiolo. Fermented with cultivated “Barolo” yeasts in temperature-controlled (30ºC) concrete and stainless steel vats. Fermentation and maceration – with regular punch-downs and pump-overs – lasted 28 days. Matured 30 months in large Slavonian oak barrels. Bottled unfiltered and with a small dose of sulphur dioxide. Aged another eight months in bottle before release. 14.5% ABV. 13,333 bottles made. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Such a complex nose for a wine still in its adolescence: truffle, kirsch, plum, turned earth, drying plaster, rose, anise, slate, a whiff of tar. More primary on the palate: a full-bodied, satin-textured mouthful of ripe and chewy fruit, juicy acidity and still-tight, fine-grained tannins. Evolved flavours are just beginning to be hinted at. A faint bitterness gilds the long, heady finish. Can power and elegance be more perfectly balanced? Enjoyable now, especially with extended carafing, but only good will come from another five or ten years in the cellar. (Buy again? Oh, yes.)
Barolo 2009, San Lorenzo, Fratelli Alessandria ($66.00, 11650720)
100% Nebbiolo from a 0.8 parcel of vines averaging 25 years old and grown in the San Lorenzo vineyard in Verduno commune. Manually harvested. Fermented (with indigenous yeasts) and macerated from 12 to 15 days in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Matured six to ten months in 500-litre tonneaux, 22 to 24 months in 20- to 30-hectolire Slavonian and French oak casks and six months in the bottle. 14.5% ABV. Around 4,000 bottles made. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Intertwining threads of fresh (cherry, red currant, fern fronds) and savoury (chocolate, red miso, caramel, iodine, dried beef, old wood) aromas. The palate is dense and structured, the sweet-ripe fruit backdropped by dark minerals and tar and lasting well into the still-astringent finish. Somewhat primary and tasting like it will peak around 2020. True to the estate’s style: less flashy, even a tad more rustic than some but firmly rooted in terroir and tradition. A satisfying wine that almost begs to be consumed with food. (Buy again? Yes.)
(Flight: 4/5)
MWG November 24th tasting: Perfectly Pinot
Côtes-de-Nuits Villages 2012, Viola odorata, Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand ($76.75, private import, 6 bottles/case)
Each of the estate’s unsulphured cuvées is named after a different wildflower found growing in the vineyards. The grapes for this 100% Pinot Noir come from sustainably farmed 70- to 85-year-old vines grown in three parcels. Manually harvested. The whole clusters are vatted under carbon dioxide for two weeks’ maceration and fermentation (with indigenous yeasts and occasional punch-downs), followed by a quick, gentle pressing, The must is transferred by gravity into large barrels for 48 hours’ settling and then into French oak barrels (80% new) for malolactic fermentation and maturation (18 months in all). Bottled unfiltered and unfined using gravity and compressed air (no pumping). No added sulphur. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
The kind of fragrant nose that makes Pinot Noir lovers swoon: red berries, forest floor, ferns, cola, beet, turned earth, slate, ash and a hint of iodide. A sip shows the wine to be a medium-bodied, silky textured, expansive mouthful of ripe fruit with firm yet lacy tannins and glowing acidity, all grounded in earth and minerals and slow-fading in a long, woody (not oaky) finish. Am not sure how it pulls off the trick of being both rustic and elegant but it does. Carafe an hour or longer if serving now or cellar for another five or ten years. (Buy again? If you can afford it, go for it!)
Vosne-Romanée 2011, Les Jachées, Domaine Bizot ($179.00, 11381953)
The 3.5-hectare estate produces a total 900 cases of wines a year. 100% Pinot Noir from sustainably farmed 80-plus-year-old vines grown in the Les Jachées vineyard. Manually harvested. The whole clusters are vatted, fermented with indigenous yeasts for 14 to 20 days and gently pressed. The must is transferred to new oak barrels for 15 to 20 months’ maturation. Unpumped, unracked, unfiltered and unfined, with not added sulphur. Manually bottled, barrel by barrel (the label specifies which barrel the wine came from). 11.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
More assertive but equally textbook nose redolent of spice, cherry, wood, cedar, turned earth, beet: ça pinote, as they say around here. Richer, rounder and deeper, too. Structured though not at the expense of fluidity. Silky fruit unfurls over fine velvety tannins and sleek acidity. Layers of minerals and wood hint at unplumbable depths. Gains a liqueurish note on the seemingly endless finish. Dry but so ripe and pure you don’t notice. In a word, spellbinding. Remarkably accessible for such a primary wine, which isn’t to say it shouldn’t be cellared for a decade. (Buy again? If you can afford it, go for it!)
An interesting flight for several reasons. First, it was arguably the most memorable of the tasting. Also, both wines come from the Côtes-de-Nuits and are made with grapes from old vines. Both estates have similar farming and winemaking practices. And lastly, Claire Naudin and Jean-Yves Bizot were once an item and remain good friends.
(Flight: 3/5)
Lush life
“Here. Try this,” says the wine advisor as he hands me a glass filled with an opaque, deep purple wine. It’s his response to my asking whether he’d tasted anything interesting lately.
“This” has a heady, effusive nose of black and red fruit and toasted coconut. Vigorous swirling brings out spice and dark mineral notes. The first sip reveals it’s full-bodied to the max, a velvety mass of fruit saved from bombdom by the wine’s dryness and a subset of savoury slate and tar flavours. Acidity is notable only because it isn’t and while tannins are present, they’re so round and compliant you can’t honestly say they structure the wine. If anything does, it’s the glyceriny wave of alcohol that buoys and carries the fruit from entry to exit. An underground stream of sweet vanilla oak surfaces on the long, vaporous finish.
“Obviously a warm-climate, sun-soaked wine,” I advance. “Lots of oak.” The wine advisor nods encouragingly. “The dryness and savour put me in mind of the Old World, though if so, from a place where international grape varieties are added to the traditional mix and oak is viewed as a desirable flavour…” I’m grasping at straws. “A newfangled Spaniard like you sometimes get in Castilla-La Mancha?”
The advisor takes pity on me and reveals the bottle.
Brett happens 