Posts Tagged ‘White wine’
Muscadet and mussels
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine 2014, Château du Coing de Saint-Fiacre ($16.60, 11154259)
100% Melon de Bourgogne from 65-year-old vines rooted mainly in decomposed gneiss. After alcoholic fermentation, the wine is overwintered on its lees until bottling in March. Sees only stainless steel. Reducing sugar: 2.1 g/l. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: StarVin.
Classic Muscadet nose of citrus, pear, chalk, stone and a floral (jasmine?) note. In the mouth, it’s clean and fruity with crisp acidity. A light mineral underlay lasts through the tangy, briny finish. There are deeper Muscadets around but not at this price. A drinker, not a keeper. (Buy again? Sure.)
Mussels with white wine and aromatics made an ideal match.
Oak and ashes
Touraine 2013, Cuvée Cendrillon, Domaine de la Garrelière ($23.45, 10211397)
A blend of Sauvignon Blanc (80%) and Chardonnay (20%) from biodynamically farmed vines averaging 25 years old. The grape varieties are vinified separately. After gentle pressing, the must is allowed to clarify by settling. Fermentation – full alcoholic with indigenous yeasts and partial malolactic – takes place in stainless steel tanks and lasts two months. A third of the wine by volume is aged in old 500-litre oak barrels. Blending is done one month before bottling. Fined with bentonite and filtered through a 0.65 membrane. 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. Reducing sugar: 2.3 g/l. 14% ABV. Quebec agent: Le Marchand de Vin.
Ashy minerals, peach, honeysuckle, “fennel” and faint, dusty potpourri. Fresh and briny on the palate with subtle citrus flavours. The combo of Chardonnay and relatively mild acidity give the wine a round and satiny texture. A touch of bitterness colours the minerally finish. “Clean and precise,” as another taster pointed out. (Buy again? Yes.)
Bourgogne 2013, Chardonnay, Caves Ropiteau Frères ($22.40, 11293953)
100% Chardonnay from vineyards across Burgundy (purchased grapes?). Fermented in stainless steel (with industrial yeasts?). Matured in barrels for six months. (Filtered? Fined?) Reducing sugar: 2.3 g/l. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Le Marchand de Vin.
Apple and pear, hints of oats and white flowers and an unmissable shot of oak. Medium-bodied. The fruit is rich but not tropical and there’s enough acidity to keep it from being flabby. A hint of sweetness marks the smooth attack but the wine finishes dry. Faint minerals and not-so-faint caramel are noticeable from the mid-palate on. Fair length. To my oak-sensitive palate, a bit cloying. Give it a year in the cellar to digest the wood? (Buy again? If you aren’t allergic to oak, sure.)
MWG February 26th tasting: flight 3 of 7
White, dry and aromatic
Penedès 2014, Extrem, Raventos i Blanc ($32.75, private import, 6 bottles/case)
100% biodynamically farmed Xarel·lo from vines planted in 1965 and 1970. The grapes are manually harvested. The winery is gravity fed and dry ice is used to cool the fruit and prevent oxidation. After slow pressing, the chilled must is clarified by settling and fermented with indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation is prevented, it appears. Matured on the lees. Not stabilized, filtered or fined before bottling with a minimum of sulphur dioxide. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Le Marchand de Vin.
A nose that starts out smelling of citrus (lemon, lime) and gooseberry then segues into floral (“acacia blossom,” “jasmine” said other tasters) and quartz aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied, dry and full of green apple, flint and snappy acid. The long, briny, mouth-watering finish ends on a white pepper note. Tasting this double-blind, I guessed it was an elegant, understated Sancerre. A wine that makes it easy to see why Xarel·lo is one of the preferred cava grapes. (Buy again? Yes.)
IGP des Côtes Catalanes 2014, Les Calcinaires, Domaine Gauby ($27.90, 12415289)
A blend of Muscat (50%), Chardonnay (30%) and Macabeu (20%) from organically farmed vines between 15 and 50 years old. The manually harvested grapes are directly pressed. The must is chilled, clarified and fermented, mainly in barrels, with indigenous yeasts and no additives. Matured on the fine lees in lined concrete tanks for around eight months. Unfiltered and unfined. Reducing sugar: 1.5 g/l. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Le Marchand de Vin.
Changing nose that, along the way, hits pickled peach, sweat, musk and white minerals. In the mouth, the wine is rich yet fresh, intense yet fleet and so fruity you’d swear the winemaker left some residual sugar in it. There’s a real tension between the mineral austerity and wild aromatics, while the otherwise mild acidity lends an almost vinegary tang to the long, stony finish. Trippy but unsettled for now; probably better in a year or two. (Buy again? A bottle or two for the cellar.)
MWG February 26th tasting: flight 2 of 7
California Sparklin’
In late February, Simon Thibaudeau, now with Le Marchand de Vin, led the group in an enjoyable overview of the agency’s portfolio. The wines were served double-blind to everyone but Simon. As is our wont, we started with a sparkler.
Anderson Valley 2007, Brut, L’Ermitage, Roederer Estate ($68.25, 11682810)
A Chadonnay (52%) and Pinot Noir (48%) from estate-grown grapes, this tête de cuvée is made only in exceptional years and only from free-run and first-press juice. Vinified using the traditional method. Dosage is done with reserve wine from the 2004 and 2005 vintages that was aged five years in French oak casks; the dosage accounts for 4% of the final wine. Reducing sugar: 13 g/l. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Le Marchand de Vin.
Yeasty, champagne-like nose of sour lemon, stone fruit, browning apple, “white miso” (as per another taster) and a whiff a sea spray. Richly textured and mouth-filling. The ripe fruit comes with a touch of honey though the wine is quite dry. A fine, persistent effervescence combines with the bright acidity to give the wine a welcome bit of bite, while a sourish undercurrent adds intrigue. Broad and very long. Drinking double-blind, I first thought this was Californian but finally guessed it was a very ripe champagne. In hindsight, the solar fruit and downplayed minerality should have tipped me that it wasn’t – though qualitatively, it’s on a champagne level. That said, as with so many California wines, the price seems high in comparison to its European counterparts. (Buy again? Setting aside QPR considerations, yes.)
MWG February 26th tasting: flight 1 of 7
Bargain Moschofilero
IGP Peleponese 2014, Moschofilero, Pathos, Tsantali ($12.00, 12700354)
Technical information is hard to come by for this wine; the producer provides no details on its website and the agency doesn’t even list it on theirs. Are the grapes purchased or estate-grown? Organically farmed? Is the wine fermented with native yeasts? Allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation? Filtered and fined? Your guess is as good as mine. Pathos (παθος), Greek for passion, is the name of this new and apparently Quebec-only line. A drawing of Aristotle adorns the front label. 100% Moschofilero. Short maceration on the skins. Short maturation on the lees. Sees only stainless steel until bottling. Reducing sugar: 2.0 g/l. 12.8% ABV. Quebec agent: Amphora.
A bit musky and honeyed on the nose, with faint lemon and grapefruit aromas. In the mouth, it’s smooth, clean and very dry with a somewhat honeyed texture. The mild flavours tend to apple, pear, citrus and eventually peach, all infused with chalky minerals and buoyed by soft acidity. A light astringent sourness adds interest to the fair, butter-afternoted finish. Not a ton of personality (see Tselepos, among others, for that) but enjoyable enough and very drinkable. Despite the SAQ’s recent price hike (was $11.35 until a week or two ago), the QPR is high on this one. (Buy again? Yes.)
Amphora vs. cask (Bical round)
Vinho Branco 2014, Post-Quercus, Filipa Pato ($22.09/500 ml, private import, 6 bottles/case)
100% Bical fom organically farmed vines; these may well be the same grapes as used to make the Nossa Calcáro described below, though I’ve not been able to confirm that. Fermented (with indigenous yeasts) and matured in buried terracotta amphorae. 11% ABV. Quebec agent: Importations du Moine.
Engaging nose of pear poached in réduit (boiled maple sap at the halfway point to becoming syrup) with notes of honey, orange peel and spice. In the mouth, the wine has a satiny texture, faint stone-fruit (white peach?) flavours, nose-echoing overtones along with some flint, and what one taster described as a “seawatery dryness.” Other tasters noted the relatively low acidity (“lacks spark,” “tastes flat”) and drew parallels with “dry cider.” While I can see their point, I found the wine oddly haunting and, convinced it’s intended more for the dining room than the tasting room, would love to try it alongside simply prepared white fish. (Buy again? Another bottle for sure.)
Bairrada 2014, Bical, Nossa Calcáro, Filipa Pato ($38.41, private import, 6 bottles/case)
100% Bical from organically farmed vines rooted in clay and limestone and averaging 25 years old. The vineyard in located in Óis do Bairro, a famous Bairrada wine village. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in 500-litre, temperature-controlled (sub 18°C) oak casks with stirring every month until the February following harvest. Bottled in May. 11.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Importations du Moine.
Bit funky/stinky, then gaining citrus aromas and turning brighter. A sip reveals a wine more conventional than the Post-Quercus: complex, dry and savoury, an elegant mouthful of white peach and hay heading to straw, grounded in flinty minerals, lifted by acidity and culminating in a long, bitter-edged, almond-toned finish. (Buy again? Yes, though not without wishing the price was closer to $30.)
MWG February 11th tasting: flight 2 of 6
Traditional vs. ancestral
3B, Blanc de Blancs, Método tradicional, Filipa Pato ($23.99, private import, 6 bottles/case)
A blend of Bical, Cercial (aka Cerceal but not Madeira’s Sercial) and Maria Gomes (aka Fernão Pires) from organically farmed vines grown in the Bairrada region. Manually harvested. Gently pressed in a vacuum frame. The must is clarified by settling, then fermented with indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled (sub 16°C) stainless steel vats. Sparkled using the traditional method. Residual sugar: 2 g/l. 11.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Importations du Moine.
Appealing nose of quartz dust, citrus, sweet apple and distant brioche. The fine bead animates the round texture. Not particularly deep but a fresh, clean, fundamentally dry mouthful of apple, faint stone fruit, minerals and lemon peel. The aromatic finish brings a lingering saline note. Very drinkable. (Buy again? Yes.)
Vin de France 2014, Giac’ Bulles, Vignerons Giachino ($29.22, private import, 6 bottles/case)
100% organically farmed Jacquère. The manually harvested grapes are gently pressed in a pneumatic press. The must is chilled to 5°C and clarified by settling for eight to 10 days, then racked into tanks for fermentation with indigenous yeasts at 15°C. Sparkled using the ancestral method. Residual sugar: c. 30-35 g/l. 8% ABV. Quebec agent: Importations du Moine.
Unusual, initially disconcerting nose: faint jalapeño, ash and “turnip cakes at dim sum,” eventually turning more minerally and fruity (pear? white peach?). Softly effervescent. Lightly chalky and fruity on the palate – one taster described it as “weird apple juice” – and on the sweeter side of off dry, though not cloying due in no small part to the sprightly acidity that lends a sour edge to the long, complex and, yes, drier finish. Doubtful at first, I quite liked this by the end of my glass. Would make a good summer sipper but could also accompany a not-too-sweet fruit-based dessert (peach and wild strawberry verrine with lemon balm cream and shortbread crumble, for example). (Buy again? Yes.)
MWG February 11th tasting: flight 1 of 6
Two dryish Rieslings
The teaser sent to MWG members prior to the tasting described this flight as “Two aromatic still whites made from the same grape variety. No other connections.”
Kamptal 2013, Riesling, Zöbing, Hirsch ($27.15, 12196979)
100% biodynamically farmed Riesling sourced from several vineyards around the village of Zöbing. The vines average 15 years old. After gentle pressing, the must was allowed to clarify by settling then transferred to temperature-controlled (22°C) stainless steel tanks for fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Screwcapped. Reducing sugar: 4.1 g/l. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Avant-Garde.
Lemon/lime, white rocks and an evanescing note of “vulcanized tires.” A faint spritz is apparent on the first sip but soon dissipates. Stony tending to austere though softened by the ripe fruit and touch of residual sugar. Backbone comes from acidity that some described as “aggressive” but I found enlivening. Long, clean finish. A wine to drink with dinner rather than sipping on its own before. Very good if a little overshadowed by the Baker. (Buy again? Yes.)
Vinemount Ridge QVA 2012, Riesling, Picone Vineyard, Charles Baker ($35.50, 12718482)
Some background on Baker here. 100% Riesling from vines averaging 30 to 35 years old and grown in the Picone vineyard. Sees only stainless steel until bottling. Screwcapped. Reducing sugar: 15 g/l. 11% ABV. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Burned match, “naphthalene” and “Fort McMurray” aromas blow off, leaving classic lemon, lime, grapefruit, green apple and quartz. In the mouth, the wine is remarkably pure, deep, intense, balanced and long, packed with fruit and minerals, all carried on a stream of fluent acidity. It’s also drier than most Canadian Rieslings. Evolves and improves in the glass. Really impressive, price notwithstanding (before the bottle was unveiled, I mentioned that this was the most expensive wine of the evening, prompting one taster to joke, “Then it must be Canadian.”). A world-class wine with at least a decade’s aging potential and undoubtedly one of the best Canadian Rieslings ever made. As such, it’s unmissable. (Buy again? Yes.)
MWG January 14th tasting: flight 4 of 7
Two warm-climate whites
The teaser sent to MWG members prior to the tasting described this flight as “Two warm-climate still whites. No other connections.”
Côtes du Roussillon 2014, Les Glaciaires, Domaine Gardiés ($24.70, 12013378)
Grenache Blanc and Gris (40%), Roussanne (40%), Macabeu (20%) from organically farmed vines. Manually harvested. “Traditional vinification” (whatever that means). Matured eight months in demi-muids. 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: La Céleste Levure.
Dusty, sun-baked minerals, hints of lemon, white pepper, garrigue, menthol, peach, anise and, according to more than one taster, “coconut.” Weighty on the palate but also fleet and fresh. There are minerals galore as well as light peach, pear, pineapple and honey and brisk acidity of a type you can’t assume you’ll encounter in a Roussillon white. Long, rainwatery finish. Impeccable. (Buy again? Yep.)
Sicilia 2014, Bianco Maggiore, Cantine Rallo ($22.40, 12476989)
The estate is located in the commune of Marsala, in westernmost Sicily. 100% Grillo from organically farmed vines planted in 2001. Manually harvested. Gently pressed. Alcoholic fermentation in temperature-controlled (16-18°C) stainless steel tanks lasts eight days. Does not undergo malolactic fermentation. Matured in stainless steel takes for six months and in bottle for one month. Reducing sugar: 2.2 g/l. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Les vins Dupré.
Complex, effusive nose that elicited descriptors like “rocky,” “oily” and “saline.” Aromas of spicy white fruit dusted with lemon zest are echoed in the mouth. Texturally, it’s rich but not heavy. There’s a touch of residual sugar – or maybe it’s just the ripeness of the fruit – but basically we’re talking a round, dry, joyful wine. Good acidity and length. Complete. If you like Grillo, you’ll love this. White of the evening for several around the table. Excellent QPR. (Buy again? Def.)
MWG January 14th tasting: flight 3 of 7
Two dry Loire whites
The teaser sent to MWG members prior to the tasting described this flight as “Two dry, bright still whites from the same broad region. No other connections.”
Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine 2011, Clisson, Ollivier Père et Fils ($21.15, 12259992)
A small restocking of a wine I enjoyed back in October 2014. Clisson is one of the crus communaux (village crus) now recognized in Muscadet (2011 was the first vintage where the commune name could be mentioned on the label). The producer is also known as Ollivier Frères and has no connection with Marc Ollivier of Domaine de la Pépière. 100% Melon de Bougogne from vines between 30 and 75 years old. Matured on the lees for 24 months in stainless steel tanks. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: A.O.C. & Cie.
Chalk and granite, sea breeze, white fruit and, eventually, a whiff of “barley sugar” (quoting another taster). A fundamentally dry, richly textured mouthful of minerals and citrus Nik-L-Nips. Bitter saline minerals and a faint, not unappealing soap aroma mark the long, unctuous finish. Quite substantial for a Muscadet but saved from heaviness by a sustained stream of acidity, this would be dandy with sauced seafood dishes like coquilles St-Jacques as well as rich cheeses. (Buy again? Yes.)
Cheverny 2014, Pure, Domaine des Huards ($20.10, 00961607)
A blend of Sauvignon Blanc (85%) and Chardonnay (15%) from biodynamically farmed vines. The grapes are manually harvested and gently pressed. The must is clarified by settling. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts takes place in temperature-controlled (18-20°C) stainless steel tanks. The wine is then racked into stainless steel tanks for maturation on its fine lees. Reducing sugar: 3.5 g/l. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV (redesigned website!).
Nose dominated by unmistakable jalapeño. Get past it and you discover floral, ash and faint stone fruit aromas. The pepper (sans heat, of course) pops up on the palate along with saline minerals and just enough residual sugar to take the edge off the sharp acidity. Long, tangy finish. The wine’s “juicy freshness” is delightful. Though the jalapeño faded as the wine breathed, earlier bottles of this have been totally chile-free, so let’s assume ours was oddly off. (Buy again? Another bottle to check out what’s up, for sure.)
MWG January 14th tasting: flight 2 of 7
Brett happens 