Posts Tagged ‘Under 13 percent’
Somewhereness 2013: Charles Baker
Charles Baker currently makes two wines, both Rieslings and both from purchased grapes. (A red may be in the works.) In absence of a dedicated winery, the wine-making is done at Stratus, where Baker is director of sales. The wines are made only with the post-crushing free-run juice and are fermented and matured in stainless steel. They clearly express a sense of place, being true to both the grape and their origin – not mock German, Alsatian or Austrian but unique, with their own sense of style, their own somewhereness.
Riesling 2011, Picone Vineyard, Twenty-Mile Bench VQA, Charles Baker ($35.25, Rézin, 6 bottles/case)
100% Riesling from 30-year-old vines grown in the Picone vinyeard on Vinemount Ridge. Screwcapped. 20 g/l residual sugar. 11% ABV.
Fresh, clean nose: dusty limestone, lemon/lime, green apple and a floral note. Smooth, even tender in the mouth. Present but not heavy, off-dry but with a tart substructure. Long limestoney finish. Remarkably poised for an adolescent. (Buy again? Yes, despite wishing it was in the $25 to $30 range.)
While the 2011 Picone was the only wine Baker was pouring at Somewhereness 2013, I’m taking advantage of this opportunity to post notes on two more of his wines that I recently enjoyed.
Riesling 2006, Picone Vineyard, Twenty-Mile Bench VQA, Charles Baker
The second vintage of the wine. 100% Reisling from 25-year-old vines grown in the Picone vineyard on Vinemount Ridge. Screwcapped. 25 g/l residual sugar. 11% ABV.
Complex, engaging nose of petrol, spice and citrus. Balanced intensity. Tense but not tight. A shade sweeter than the 2011 on the attack but drier on the finish. The fruit and minerals are fully integrated, inseparable: the product of time. Great length and purity. Transparent in the sense that the grape and terroir come through like light through glass. Saying this is the best New World Riesling I’ve tasted doesn’t do it justice: truly world-class. (Buy again? If only I could.)
Riesling 2012, Ivan Vineyard, Twenty-Mile Bench VQA, Charles Baker ($27.00 at Stratus)
100% Riesling from young vines grown in a 12-acre vineyard planted at the turn of the century. Screwcapped. 13 g/l residual sugar. 11.5% ABV.
Lime, linden, green leaves. Clean, tart, refreshing. Sour apple upfront, limestone more in background. Pure and intense with a lip-smacking finish. (Buy again? Yes.)
MWG October 17th tasting (1/5): Albariño duo, Alvarinho solo
The October 17th tasting focused on Spanish wines, including five from the day’s Cellier New Arrivals release.
Rias Baixas 2011, Albariño, Adegas Morgadio ($20.35, 11962686)
100% Albariño. Made using free-run juice from estate grown grapes. Fermented for 15 days at 16ºC. If this sees any oak, you can’t taste it. 13% ABV. One of the Cellier New Arrivals wines.
Fresh, crushed seashell and lemon nose with peach and floral notes. Dry and tense. The crisp acidity is softened by the extract, which is surprisingly dense for such a fleet wine. Light but complex set of flavours, including underripe pear, citrus zest, white spices, maybe some powdered ginger. Long minerally finish and a lingering tang. Balanced and refreshing. (Buy again? Yes.)
Vinho regional Minho 2012, Alvarinho, Colheita Seleccionada, Quinta de Gomariz ($21.00, 11895225)
100% Alvarinho from 12-year-old vines. Manually harvested. Fermented with indigenous yeasts for seven to ten days. Matured for two months. Prevented from undergoing malolactic fermentation. Sees only stainless steel. Fined and filtered before bottling. 12.5% ABV.
Aromatic: lime, peach, white flowers, white sand. A notch sweeter and tarter than the Spaniards and possessed of a light spritz, this was clearly the ringer. Fresh and flowing. The fruit is balanced by tangy acid and sits on a chalky substrate. The long, tart, dryish finish has a white pepper note. It could be the different contexts, but this didn’t strike me as memorable as the 2011. Still plenty good though. Would make a great match for fresh crab. (Buy again? Yes.)
Rias Baixas 2011, Albariño, Legado del Conde, Adegas Morgadio ($19.95, 11155403)
100% Albariño. Made from first-press juices. Fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. 12.5% ABV.
A sterner nose, more about minerals than fruit and with a clean sweat-like component. Dry and fruity on the palate with chugging acidity, a quartzy undertow and a sour-edged finish. Enjoyable on its own but coming across as a little tighter and simpler than its stablemate. (Buy again? Sure though not in preference to the only-40-cents-more-expensive standard cuvée.)
MWG October 3rd tasting (5/7): A trio of quaffable reds
Alsace 2011, Pinot Noir, Fronenberg, Domaine Hausherr ($38.00, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
Fronenberg is a lieu-dit. This small (4 ha) estate is based in Eguisheim. Until 2000, they sold their grapes to the cooperative. Today, the man and wife team make around a dozen natural wines by themselves, with outside help only for the harvest. Their wines are certified organic, uncertified biodynamic. They work the vineyards with a horse (to avoid compacting the soil), use a manual press (slow and gentle, with minimal extraction from the stems and pips), skip the common step of débourbage (clarifying the must before fermentation by letting particulate matter settle out). The whites are field blends but this is a 100% Pinot Noir. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Bottled unfined and unfiltered (the whites are lightly filtered). No added sulphur. 13.5% ABV.
Engaging nose of candied raspberry, crushed cedar leaves, spice and old oak. Medium-bodied, exuberantly fruity, tingling with acid, rooted in old wood and slate. Long juicy finish. So drinkable and delicious. A favourite of just about everybody around the table. Several tasters said they planned to buy a bottle despite the high price. No doubt the whimsical label, a cartoon wine-making equation, helped convince them. (Buy again? Yes, despite the high price.)
Chiroubles 2012, Damien Coquelet ($28.75, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
Now in his mid-20s, Coquelet is the stepson of renowned natural Beaujolais producer Georges Descombes. He began working in the family’s vineyards and cellars when he was five and has been making his own wines since 2007. Besides this cuvée, he produces an old-vine Chiroubles, a Morgon, a Beaujolais-Villages and the wildly popular, semi-nouveau Fou du Beaujo. This 100% Gamay is made from organically farmed, manually harvested grapes. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Depending on the vintage, no or minimal sulphur is used. Coquelet typically bottles his cru wines a year before his stepfather, which makes them fruitier and juicier. 12% ABV.
Your classic natural Beaujolais nose: berries and cherry, barnyard, graphite, vine sap. Supple and pure, fruity but not too sweet, with lifting acidity and good length. A shade lighter and less compelling than in recent earlier vintages but still full of that silky Chiroubles charm. (Buy again? Sure.)
IGP Pays d’Urfé 2011, Les Bonichons, Domaine de la Perrière ($27.00, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
Owned by self-styled artisan-viniculteur Philippe Peulet, Domaine de la Perrière is located in the commune of Ambierle, in the upper reaches of the Loire on the northern edge of the Massif Central, about ten kilometres northwest of Roanne. The grapes for this 100% Gamay come from organically farmed vines between 15 and 50 years of age and grown in the Bonichons vineyard, whose deep sand soil is rich in quartz. The grapes are manually harvested and destemmed or not, depending on the vintage. The wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts. 12.5% ABV.
Initial reductive aromas blew off leaving a dark, almost meaty nose of slate, coal, smoke and tamari. Lighter and fruitier than expected in the mouth. Good balance between the juicy fruit, bright acidity, light tannins and general earthiness. Minerallier and grittier than the Chiroubles but with a definite rustic appeal. Cries out for some charcuterie. At $20 this vin de soif would be a no-brainer; at $27, it’s still worth considering, especially as the winemaker says it improves with a little bottle age. (Buy again? Yes, a bottle or two.)
MWG October 3rd tasting (4/7): Béru v. Sarnin-Berrux
Chablis 2009, Clos Béru Monopole, Château de Béru ($56.00, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
In 2009, the estate was organic converting to biodynamic. 100% Chardonnay from vines averaging 30 years old. Immediately after harvesting, the grapes are gently pressed. The must is transferred into stainless steel tanks and then into second- to fourth-fill oak barrels for 18 months’ fermentation and maturation. Unfiltered and unfined. Sulphur use is minimal. 12.5% ABV.
Evolving nose: butter, chalk, yellow apple, faint flint and spice. In the mouth, the wine is rich and round verging on plump. Fruit and acidity are in balance, minerals are present but in a supporting role. Layered and long. Ends on a hard-to-pin-down floral note (acacia?). Approachable now but with definite aging potential. A wine you could serve to Burg hounds as well as fans of New World Chards; if I owned a restaurant, this would be on the list. (Buy again? If feeling flush, yes.)
Saint-Aubin 2011, Domaine Sarnin-Berrux ($45.50, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
With the exception of one cuvée, the Sarnin-Berrux wines are made from purchased grapes. The firm works closely with the growers, insisting on organic methods and often picking the grapes themselves, and the wine-making schedule is based on the lunar calendar. The grapes for this 100% Chardonnay are manually harvested, placed in small cases and immediately transferred to the winery, where they are sorted and gently pressed. The must is allowed to settle and then to spontaneously ferment for four to six months. Matured on its lees in oak barrels. No sulphur is added until bottling, and then only minimally. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. Vegan-compatible. 13.5% ABV.
Smelling quite young: lactic, citrusy and a little oaky. Less dense than the Chablis but tenser, fruitier and somehow sweeter. Lemon and pear dance with with minerals and acidity before being subsumed in a dry/sour surge on the finish. Give it a year or two in the cellar. (Buy again? Sure.)
MWG October 3rd tasting (3/7): Three eccentric whites
Vin de Sologne 2011, Quartz, Domaine Claude Courtois ($34.50, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
For background on the estate and winemaker, see my note for the 2009 Quartz. Sauvignon Blanc from organically farmed (though uncertified as such) vines, some of which are ungrafted. Manually harvested, destemmed and gently pressed. Fermented (with indigenous yeasts) and matured in oak barrels for 12 to 24 months. 11.8% ABV.
Courtois’s wines can vary significantly from vintage to vintage, and this is one of the most radical Quartzes yet. The resinous note that sometimes marks the wine’s bouquet here dominates, putting one in mind more of turpentine than pine needles, though not to the exclusion of apple, pear, distant greenery and quartz dust. In the mouth, the wine is intense but not fruity, packed with minerals and rife with acid yet somehow smooth and fluid. The finish is clean and long. A wine that makes you sit up and take notice. Weird? Yes. But also loveable in its oddball way. Would like to see how this evolves. (Buy again? The contrarian in me says yes.)
Penedès 2012, Capficat, Xarel·lo, Celler Credo ($45.75, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
100% organically and biodynamically farmed Xarel·lo, a grape variety normally used to make cava, from an eight-hectare vineyard planted in 1940. Manually harvested. Fermented (with indigenous yeasts) and matured for one month in oak barrels. Unfiltered, unfined and with no added sulphur. 660 bottles made. 13% ABV. In Catalan, a cap ficat is “a branch that’s burled – without being cut from the stump it grows from – and gives life to a new vine.”
Astounding nose: animale, chalk and rotting peach against a backdrop of honey and brown sugar with a grinding of white pepper. Lighter than expected in the mouth: fresh and minerally, layered and long, with sweet but unheavy fruit and an underlying sourness. Long. Pricey but fascinating. (Buy again? The curiosity lover in me says yes.)
Colli Tortonesi bianco 2010, Montesoro, Valli Unite ($27.75, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
A blend of Timorasso, Favorita and Chasselas (though one site claims it’s 100% Timorasso). Manually harvested. Fermented with selected yeasts. Matured on the fine lees for one year. Sees only stainless steel. A minimal amount (3 g/hl) of sulphur dioxide is used and only post-fermentation. 3,000 bottles made. 14% ABV.
The nose’s crushed seashells are joined by faintly oxidized and candied yellow fruit, hints of meadow and an anise note. Rich and layered in the mouth, evocative of browning sour apple. Not thirst-quenching but with sufficient acidity, not to mention crunchy minerals, and a long, bitter-edged finish. (Buy again? The gastronome in me says yes.)
MWG October 3rd tasting (2/7): Cortese leggermente frizzante
Vino da Tavola 2011, Il Brut and the Beast, Valli Unite ($21.75, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
Based in Costa Vescovato in southern Piedmont, Valli Unite is a 30-year-old organic cooperative whose members grow local grape varieties as well as grains, fruits, vegetables and livestock. This semi-sparkler is made from Cortese and, depending on whom you believe, may contain some Favorita. The biodynamically farmed grapes are manually harvested, fermented with indigenous yeasts and bottled unfiltered and unfined. No sulphur is added during the wine-making process. The fizz is the result of natural, in-bottle fermentation and the wine is vegan-compatible. 12.5% ABV. Cool label. The name is a play on the title of a spaghetti western, The Brute and the Beast.
Straw, quartz, faint yellow pear and herbs. Intense yet fresh in the mouth, lifted by soft fizz and glowing acidity. The fruity attack gives way to beeswax, rocky minerals, iodine and sea salt (“like licking a seashell” quipped one taster) and a long, bitter-edged finish. Not for wimps but lots of fun and, for most tasters, one of the wines of the night. (Buy again? Definitely.)
MWG October 3rd tasting (1/7): A beautiful Champagne
To our delight, La QV‘s Cyril Kérébel recently led a Mo’ Wine Group tasting of wines from his agency’s portfolio. All except the first were private imports.
Champagne 2000, Extra Brut, Fleury Père et Fils ($70.75, 11856138)
This is indeed the Extra Brut, not the Brut as SAQ.com would have you believe. A blend of Pinot Noir (80%) and Chardonnay (20%) from organically and biodynamically farmed vines averaging 20 years old. The grapes are manually harvested, pressed in a traditional “Coquard” press and fermented in temperature-controlled enameled vats. Prevented from undergoing malolactic fermentation. Aged under cork – not the usual crown cap – before disgorging to allow micro-oxygenation and encourage the development of a finer effervescence. 12% ABV.
Brioche, apple, pear, chalk, quartz and eventually white flowers. The fruit has an intriguing, faintly candied, faintly oxidized edge to it. Wonderfully clean in the mouth. Winey but fleet, with rich fruit, lilting bubbles, tense acidity and a long minerally finish with subtle overtones of citrus and herbs. A pleasure to drink. (Buy again? Absolutely.)
More good news on the Fleury front: the house’s delicious non-vintage pink Champagne will soon be back on the SAQ’s shelves at a price about $20 less than when last seen at the monopoly. Keep an eye peeled for it: Champagne, Rosé de Saignée Brut, Fleury Père et Fils ($59.75, 1101030).
It’s better with Butteaux
Chablis 2011, Premier cru Butteaux, Domaine Pattes Loup ($39.25, 12093494)
100% organically farmed Chardonnay from the Butteaux lieu-dit in the southern part of the Montmains premier cru with argillocalcareous (clay and limestone) soil over Kimmerridgian marl (fossilized seashells). The grapes are manually harvested and gently pressed with their stems. The juice is clarified by settling for 18 hours, then transferred to used 228-litre, medium-toast barrels for alcoholic fermentation (with indigenous yeasts), malolactic fermentation and maturation. During its 15 months in barrel, the wine is kept topped up and racked once but otherwise left undisturbed. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. Annual production is about 3,500 bottles. 12.5% ABV.
The bottle my glass came from had been open for about 18 hours and the wine was reportedly better for it. Textbook nose: lemon, oats, chalk, flint, subtle oak and a faint lactic note. Take a sip and liquid minerals fill the mouth. Then the lemon kicks in, followed by a butter note and a plush finish. The purity, depth and balance are remarkable. It’s a little richer than the estate’s fine Beauregard but also more structured and tense, the ripe fruit, minerals and baby fat wrapped around a core of grippy acidity. A class act from start to finish. Approachable now but full of the kind of potential that makes you anxious to taste it in five years. (Buy again? Yes. Chardonnays of this quality at this price don’t come around often.)
MWG July 18th tasting (1/5): Swiss quartet
Valais 2011, Fendant de Sierre, Domaines Rouvinez ($19.95, 11598538)
100% Chasselas. Vinified in tanks. Matured on the fine lees. 12% ABV.
White flowers, flint, faint lemon. Light- to medium-bodied. Slight residual sugar and spritziness at first. Clean and bright if a bit hollow on the mid-palate. A fresh mint note scents the dry, bitter-edged finish. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Neuchâtel 2011, Auvernier, Domaine de Montmollin ($20.95, 00721233)
100% Chasselas from vineyards located near the village of Auvernier. No winemaking information found. 11.5% ABV.
Similar to the Fendant though showing some pear and a hint of ash. Dry and just a little spritzy. The pure fruit and bright acidity intertwine with bitter quartz on the finish. Simple but fresh and lovely. (Buy again? Yes.)
La Côte 2010, Doral, Expression, Uvavins-Cave de la Côte ($23.25, 11885609)
100% Doral, a relatively new cross between Chardonnay and Chasselas. Uvavins is a large growers’ cooperative. No winemaking information found. 12.9% ABV.
Slightly oxidized sour apple. Clean and rich with ripe fruit, just a hint of sugar, soft acidity, faint chalky minerals, a honeyed note and some hay and straw on the solid finish. (Buy again? Sure.)
Valais 2011, Petite Arvine, Château Lichten/Domaines Rouvinez ($34.75, 10867599)
100% Petite Arvine from 20-year-old vines. Vinified in tanks. Prevented from undergoing malolactic fermentation. Matured on the fine lees. 13.5% ABV.
Quartz, lemon, mountain air, faint apricot, rhubarb and apple. Smooth and rich on entry, with a winey, almost creamy texture. Somehow both present and ephemeral, the fruit is carried over smooth stones on a gurgling stream of acidity. A faint bitterness surfaces on the long, lightly sour and saline finish. Such poise and balance. Unique and delicious. (Buy again? Done!)
A new trip down Strada provinciale 68
This showed up unannounced in 23 SAQ outlets yesterday. What’s more, in contrast to last year’s Occhipintalypse, the outlets involved have received multiple cases. While we may be looking at the first wave of an eventual wider release (the Quebec agent reports that this year’s allocation is 2,400 bottles, nearly 10% of the total production), chances are good it will fly off the shelves. You have been warned.
IGT Sicilia 2012, SP68 Rosso, Arianna Occhipinti ($25.20, 11811765)
A blend (usually 50-50, though one or two Italian sites say the 2012 is 70-30) of organically farmed Nero d’Avola and Frappato from vines averaging ten years of age. Manually harvested. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Macerated 30 days on the skins with daily pump-overs and punch-downs. Aged 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.
The expected cherry and berries are there but in 2012 they’re sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper and joined by earth, slate, spice (fennel seed?) and a lifting floral note. In the mouth, it’s a fresh and fluid middleweight. The fruit starts out juicy, sweet and bright but is soon darkened by minerals, souring acidity and a light tannic astringency. After the other flavours fade, a faint bitterness lingers, drawing you back for another sip to sweeten the palate and start the cycle anew. As loveable as ever and one of the food-friendliest wines in the universe. (Buy again? In multiples.)
The price has crept up $2.50 from the 2011 sold last November. Yet as a Web search shows, shops in New York City are listing the wine for US$28 and even US$30, and that’s before sales taxes, which are included in the SAQ’s price. The exchange rate may be a factor in the rise, as may Arianna’s growing renown. That said, you can bring the price down to last year’s level by reserving your bottles now and buying them on Friday through Sunday, August 2 through 4, when the SAQ is offering a 10% discount on purchases of $100 or more.
Brett happens 