Posts Tagged ‘Under 13 percent’
Frappato solo
Sicilia IGT 2011, Frappato, Azienda Agricola COS ($24.70, 11695004)
Biodynamically farmed Frappato from vines averaging 12 years old. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled, glass-lined concrete tanks. Aged 12 months before bottling. Unfiltered. 12.5% ABV.
Strawberry and raspberry hard candies dusted with black pepper. Gains pomegranate and slate notes as it breathes, then segues into umami territory (hints of roast beef, hoisin sauce). Medium- tending to light-bodied, supple and silky. The clear-toned fruit is tanged by acidity, tethered by earth and minerals. The airframe tannins become more apparent as the wine opens. The fruity core lingers through the finish.
If COS’s Cerasuolo brings Burgundy to mind, this is more like a Morgon or Moulin-à-Vent. That southernmost Sicily is the source of such delicate and caressing wines almost beggars belief.
Like so many wines with a natural bent, it is best carafed an hour or so ahead of time. Serve lightly chilled with simply prepared white meats, fowl (next week’s Thanksgiving turkey, maybe?) or even tuna or salmon. Am also more convinced than ever that it would make an excellent pairing for that guinea hen braised with green figs.
Lapierre’s 2011 Morgon (SAQ bottling)
This has just hit the shelves and will probably fly off them. It made a fine pairing for a bavette aux échalotes (recipe after the jump).
Morgon 2011, Marcel Lapierre ($27.95, 11305344)
100% organically farmed Gamay. In contrast to the standard “Nature” bottling, which comes in through the private import channel, this SAQ bottling is lightly filtered and sulphured to enhance its stability (and, unfortunately, strip it of some charm). 12.5% ABV.
A little reductive at first. Red berries, sweet spice, a floral note (rose? peony?) and, with coaxing, earth and minerals. Light, bright and supple on the palate. The beguiling sweet-and-sour fruit is darkened by some vine sap and a dissipating lactic note. Lacy albeit tight tannins swell then fade on the tangy, slatey finish. Elegance and purity it has in spades but not, for now, a lot of depth. Of course, this isn’t the Nature. And the wine is just off the boat. And the estate is very consistent. And 2011 is an outstanding vintage in Beaujolais. And the wine did gain weight as it breathed.
Is it worth $28? The answer’s not as obvious as it was for the 2009 and 2010 but I’m inclined to give Lapierre the benefit of the doubt, especially this weekend when the price is $25.15.
If you’re one of the lucky few who can score some of the Nature bottles, don’t buy this in preference. If not and you decide to give it a shot, carafe it an hour or two beforehand or cellar it for at least a few months and up to five years.
Glou and the wines of Jean-Yves Péron at Hôtel Herman
Since 2004, Jean-Yves Péron has been making wines using fruit from very old vines (some of them pre-phylloxera) on two hectares of terraced, high-altitude vineyards in Chevaline, near Albertville. After studying oenology in Bordeaux, he trained with natural winemakers Thierry Allemand and Jean-Louis Grippat in the Rhône valley and Bruno Schueller in Alsace. Organic farming, indigenous yeasts, non-interventionist wine-making, avoidance of filtering and fining and use of little or no sulphur make these natural wines of the first rank.
Montreal-based agency Glou, which represents the estate in Quebec, recently held a tasting of Péron wines at Hôtel Herman. The prices are high but these are rare wines (the Quebec allocation of the Grande journée is 18 bottles) on a different and arguably higher plane than their compatriots. All left me feeling that I’d like to spend more than a few minutes with them.
Vin de table français 2010, Cotillon des dames, Jean-Yves Péron ($42.50, 12 btls/case)
100% Jacquère aged sous voile, i.e. under a protective layer of veil-like yeast, similar to the Jura’s vin jaune, whence the name (“women’s petticoat”). 11.5% ABV.
Cloudy, pale bronze-orange. Oxidized apple and peach, minerals, straw, faint spice. A bit tight in the mouth. Acidic, not remarkably deep but offering an appealing range of cidery flavours and a hint of salted butter. Long tangy finish. Would probably have benefited from more “airtime.”
Vin de France 2010, Les Barrieux, Jean-Yves Péron ($56.25, 6 btls/case)
Jacquère and Roussanne left to macerate on the skins, like a red wine. Matured in third-vintage barrels. 12.5% ABV.
Hazy, pale bronze. Intriguing if hard to deconstruct nose: sandstone, straw and faint pear/peach? Softer and broader on the palate than the Cotillon. The fruit is understated, yet the wine has real presence. Good balance and a long, minerally finish.
Savoie 2010, La grande journée, Jean-Yves Péron ($74.50, 6 btls/case)
100% Altesse. 13% ABV.
Medium light bronze. Less hazy than the first two wines. A nose to get lost in: pear, oxidized apple, a floral note. Bone dry and quite extracted, yet fluid and fleet. All minerals and spice with the fruit definitely in the background. Strong acidic backbone. Long. Evolving. Multidimensional. A standout.
Savoie 2010, Vers la maison rouge, Jean-Yves Péron ($28.45, 12 btls/case)
100% Mondeuse Noire. Made from grapes from less easily ripened plots. Undergoes carbonic maceration for a few days before being transferred to old barrels. 11% ABV.
Very pale, oxidized ruby; could pass for one of the Jura’s corail reds. Wafting nose of spice, light red fruit, wood, lees and eventually a hint of red meat. Almost white-like in weight and taste, with only a suggestion of red fruit and then only on the lightly peppery finish. Minerally, acidic, barely tannic. A fascinating and aptly named, red-heading wine.
VDP d’Allobrogie 2009, Champ Levat, Jean-Yves Péron ($36.35, 12 btls/case)
100% Mondeuse Noire. Carbonic maceration and fermentation each last about one week, barrel aging about one year. 11% ABV.
Fairly clear medium burgundy. Nose of dusty plum skin, spice, wood, red fruit and violet. On the lighter side of medium-bodied. Astringent yet fluid. A tightly wound ball of fine tannins and bright acid. Lingers long. Refreshing and, I suspect, versatile at table.
Savoie 2009, Côte Pelée, Jean-Yves Péron (NLA)
100% Mondeuse Noire from ancient vines. One week’s carbonic maceration followed by ten days’ to three weeks’ fermentation, depending on the vintage, and one year’s barrel aging. 12.5% ABV.
Clear, medium burgundy. Rich and young-smelling: plum, stone, wood, kirsch. Richer, smoother and more extracted than the Champ Levat. Good balance: lots of tannins and acidity though they’re cushioned by the fruit. Lingering minerally finish. Delicious.
Savoie 2010, Côte Pelée, Jean-Yves Péron ($46.90, 12 btls/case)
100% Mondeuse Noire as immediately above. 12.5% ABV.
Tighter and more primary than the 2009 but every bit as pure. The tannins may be a shade lighter but the fruit and acid are just as vibrant. Stony finish. A beauty.
Cellier’s lone Vetliner
Kamptal 2011, Grüner Veltliner, Heiligenstein, Trocken, Hirsch ($23.45, 11695055)
100% biodynamically farmed Grüner Veltliner. Fermented and matured in stainless steel. 12.5% ABV. Screwcapped.
Nuanced nose of lime leaf, white pepper, quartz and honey. Medium bodied with a slightly viscous texture. Dry but rounded by a little residual sugar, which in turn is checked by a faint carbon dioxide tingle and undertowing bitterness. The green-pearish, citrusy fruit is carried on a silvery stream of acidity before fading to stones and lime pith on the long finish. Less steely than expected (perhaps due to the hot vintage): an elegant, soft-spoken wine that, while enjoyable now, will surely improve with a few years in the bottle. A satisfactory pairing for boudin blanc, it would also be a natural with schnitzel. Cellier claims it’s oyster-friendly and, for once, I can see why.
Don’t judge a wine by its label
VDP des Collines Rhodaniennes 2010, Syrah, La Dernière Vigne, Pierre Gaillard ($21.25, 10678325)
100% Syrah from 35-year-old vines. Partially stemmed, then crushed. High-temperature fermentation with pumping over thrice daily. Matured 12 months in 20% new French oak barrels with racking every three months. 12.5% ABV.
Nose dominated by black pepper with blueberry and game in the background. Gains earth, cherry, coffee, slate and an herb-like freshness as it breathes. Medium-bodied, silky textured and well balanced. The pure fruit is shaped by supple tannins, firmed by a faint tartness. Clean finish. Setting aside the label (in competition for the world’s tackiest), if there’s a more amiable Syrah at this price point these days, I’ve not encountered it. As a simple, straightforward quaffer, this will do quite nicely.
MWG August 16th tasting: report (2/5)
Next up, a flight of characterful organic/biodynamic Loire whites.
Fiefs Vendéens 2010, Les Clous, Domaine Saint-Nicolas ($19.50, 11688787)
Biodynamically farmed Chardonnay (45%), Chenin Blanc (45%) and Grolleau Gris (10%). Aged eight months, 80% in tank and 20% in oak barrels. 12.5% ABV.
Honey, apricot, pear, cardamom and a faint oxidative note. Fairly light-bodied despite the dense texture. More minerally than fruity on the attack. Turns lemony about halfway through, when the acidity also kicks in. Dry, quartzy finish. The bottle at the tasting seemed simpler – but no less likeable – than other bottles I’ve had of this. (Buy again? Yes.)
Touraine 2010, Cendrillon, Domaine de la Garrelière ($21.30, 10211397)
The estate’s website provides no information other than a picture of the label. A blend of biodynamically farmed Sauvignon Blanc (80%) and Chenin Blanc (20%); some retailers claim the junior partner isn’t Chenin Blanc but Chardonnay. A small fraction of the wine is reportedly barrel-aged; again, it’s not clear what percentage or which grape variety (my guess is the Chenin). The cuvée’s name, French for Cinderella, refers to the winegrower’s practice of spraying the vines with a preparation of crystallized ashes made from burned vine clippings. 14% ABV.
Strong ash (!), faint lemon, pine needles. Dry and pure. The density of fruit is cut by firm acidity. Flavours tend to minerals and herbs, which turn bitter on the long finish. Leaves an overriding impression of austerity, which has its own appeal. (Buy again? Yes.)
Saumur 2010, Clos de Guichaux, Domaine Guiberteau ($24.25, 11461099)
100% Chenin Blanc from vines planted in 2003. Only sulphur, copper and plant-based decoctions are used in the vineyard; no sugar, commercial yeasts, enzymes or stabilizers are used in the winery. Lightly filtered after fermentation, then transferred to second, third and fourth vintage barrels for ten months’ aging on lees. Bottled with a minimum of sulphur dioxide. 13.5% ABV.
Spice, pear, quartz. Substantial and mouth-filling. Honeyed yellow stone fruit with an oxidative note and an acidic undertow. Long. Burnished and beautiful, the least eccentric wine of the flight. (Buy again? Yes.)
Savennières 2009, Les Vieux Clos, Nicolas Joly ($39.25, 10985878)
100% biodynamically farmed Chenin Blanc from 20-year-old vines in four parcels. Non-interventionist approach in the cellar involving long fermentation with native yeasts and aging in old oak barrels. 15% ABV.
Complex, faintly oxidized nose of silage, dried peach, dried herbs and alcohol (which isn’t to say it smelled hot). Structured, massive and somewhat monolithic but balanced in its big-boned way. Not fruity though there’s tons of extract, acidity and minerals. Long, saline, licorice-tinged finish. A wine to contend with. Revisit in five, ten, maybe 15 years (if drinking now, carafe up to 24 hours in advance). (Buy again? If in the mood for a powerhouse, yes.)
MWG August 16th tasting: report (1/5)
If the MWG’s August tasting had a theme, it was, in three of the flights, wines whose full appeal might not be immediately obvious and, within each flight, bottles at a range of price points. Also, many of the the bottles were from highly regarded producers. And since the people who’d signed up for the event weren’t allergic to whites, half of the wines were that colour. To go by the post-tasting comments, it was one of the most satisfying and enjoyable lineups in the group’s history.
First up, a flight of MSR Kabinetts. The wines, like all the others served, were double-decanted shortly before the tasting began.
Riesling Kabinett 2010, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Ürzig Würzgarten, Mönchhof ($24.80, 11034804)
8.5% ABV. White flowers, minerals, chalk, green apple. Somewhat sweet on the attack; dries out a bit as it goes along. Lemon-lime, pear, white grapefruit and clover intertwine with slatey minerals. Tingly acid and a faint carbon dioxide spritz provide lift. Good balance and length. Clean as a whistle and enjoyable as all get-out if a little simple-seeming next to the Prüm and Müller. (Buy again? Sure.)
Riesling Kabinett 2008, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Joh. Jos. Prüm ($35.75, 11182284)
8% ABV. Strong sulphur slowly dissipates, leaving a soft bouquet of lemon and quartz that somehow smells dry. More serious and drier tasting than the Mönchhof: light but deeper and more layered, with lime, apple, rainwater and a kaleidoscopic array of minerals that lasts through the long finish. Ends on a briny note that one taster dubbed “sea mist.” Tightly wound and barely loosening in the hour or so it was open, but the potential is tangible. (Buy again? Yes, to lay down for at least five years.)
Riesling Kabinett 2010, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Scharzhofberger, Egon Müller ($52.00, 11170435)
10% ABV. Complex and surprisingly open nose of lime blossom and minerals with hints of jalapeño and camomile. Beautifully balanced and integrated, intense yet ethereally light. The fruit is delicate, less citrusy and more white peachy than the others, the minerality crystalline. The sweetness seems natural, organic. Remarkably pure and precise – nothing superfluous. While it’s easy to be beguiled by the surface, there’s also an underlying tension that augurs well for the future. An exquisite wine on a plane so rarefied you’re almost forced to use abstract descriptors. (Buy again? Price is the only possible barrier.)
Backroom Burgundies
Quick tastes of two recent arrivals, both available at the SAQ.
The Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes-de Nuits 2009, Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand ($24.55, 11668698) is the bottle I’d buy, at least for opening now. Lovely “pinoting” nose of red berries, beet, forest floor and, oddly for a 12.5% wine, alcohol (the bottle my glass was poured from was too warm). In the mouth, it’s a medium-weight easy drinker, with supple tannins, ripe fruit, dark minerals and a clean finish. Acid freaks might dock it a point for relatively low acidity, but that’s the vintage speaking and it in no way affects the wine’s pleasure quotient.
The Chorey-les-Beaune 2010, Tollot-Beaut & fils ($34.25, 11473209) is more earthbound and primary, less nuanced. All the components – ripe fruit, acidity, tannins, oak – are in place and in balance but need more time to knit together. Breadth and length the wine also has; depth I’m less sure of, though that could come with aging. 13% ABV.
MWG July 13th tasting: report (5/5)
Zero de Gris 2009, Frontenac Gris, Huff Estates ($34.95/375 ml)
The winery’s first ever late harvest wine (reportedly it would be an ice wine if VQA rules admitted the grape variety). 100% Frontenac Gris picked when the outside temperature is well below 0ºC (32ºF). Fermented and aged in stainless steel. 11.5% ABV. 300 cases made.
Rich amber in the glass. Spicy, slightly resinous nose reminiscent of goldenrod honey. Medium weight. Sweet but not sacharine or syrupy. Good acidity. Clean citrus and stone fruit linger long. While lacking the kaleidocopic flavours and acidic dazzle of the best Vidal ice wines, this is a pleasant after-dinner sipper.
MWG July 13th tasting: report (4/5)
Pinot Noir 2009, VQA Prince Edward County, Casa-Dea Estates Winery ($20)
Aged 15 months in oak barrels (not new ones, I’d wager). 12.2% ABV.
“Cherry slush” (in the words of one taster) and forest floor: doesn’t really pinote. Light- to medium-bodied. Reedy tannins and tart fruit, like red currants. Flat and lacking depth, though there are some tasty minerals on the finish. Not bad but far better Pinots can be had for about the same price. (Buy again? No.)
Pinot Noir 2008, VQA Prince Edward County, Exultet Estates ($35)
The first vintage of this wine. Can’t find any technical info on the 2008 but the 2009 was aged in new oak barrels for about one year. 12.8% ABV.
Earth, berries, beet and some oak on the nose. Initially a dichotomy of fruit and oak in the mouth. Improved with breathing, gaining depth, breadth and balance and eventually holding its own against the Old Third Vineyard and the Hardie. 2008 was a tough vintage in Ontario; this medium-bodied wine was good enough that I’d be interested in tasting the 2009. (Buy again? Maybe a bottle of the 2009.)
Pinot Noir 2009, Cuvée County, VQA Prince Edward County, Rosehall Run ($22)
Made from fruit sourced from various Hillier area vineyards, including the estate’s own. Aged about one year in French oak barrels (no info on their age but probably not a high percentage of new). 12.5% ABV.
Nose of red berries and shoe leather. Smooth and simple, tasting of red berries and beet. Light, tight tannins. Good acidity and minerality. A refreshing, somewhat earthy quaffer. (Buy again? Yes.)
Pinot Noir 2009, County, Unfiltered, VQA Prince Edward County, Norman Hardie ($39)
Aged 11 months in small oak barrels, 40% new. 11.5% ABV.
Rich, Burgundian nose of earth, red berries and oak. Smooth, round, delimited. Pure fruit, a silky texture, fresh acidity and fine tannins. Sits lightly on the palate yet has substance and presence as well as an underlying stoniness. A wine with nearly everything except éclat. Pricey. (Buy again? At $25 probably; at nearly $40 probably not.)
Pinot Noir 2010, The Old Third Vineyard ($42)
Specializing exclusively in Pinot Noir, the winery planted its first vines in 2005. Total production, including a semi-sweet botrytized Pinot Noir, is under 500 cases. High density planting and severe selection keep yields low. This cuvée is fermented in stainless steel tanks with indigenous yeasts, then racked into French oak barrels, a fraction of which are new, where it matures for about one year. Bottled unfiltered, unfined and minimally sulphured. 12.5% ABV.
Ça pinote like none of the others. A silky textured welterweight. The tart red fruit is rooted in stony bedrock, structured by fine tannins, buttressed by woody oak and present through the long finish. Has a depth and complexity that the other wines lack and a combination of elegance and earthiness evocative of Burgundy. (Buy again? Yes.)
Brett happens 