Vintages Release - July 18, 2009

Tomorrow’s Vintages release features the wines of southern Italy, together with four, single vineyard, German rieslings.

I must confess that I tend not to pay much attention to German wines. There are two reasons for this seemingly discriminatory attitude.

1) Many, although admittedly not all, German wines (most of which are whites) tend to be off dry, which is not my palate; and

2) More importantly, Germany has never adopted a mandatory classification system or a quality standard for its wines. Consequently, unless you are already familiar with the producer, you have no idea what you are getting.

I should strongly note that neither of these objections applies, in the least, to Alsatian wines, and especially to Alsatian rieslings.

It is often difficult, but for different reasons, to know what you are getting in the way of wines from Southern Italy. The region, encompassing Puglia, Campania, Sardinia, Calabria and Sicily is dominated by a large number of relatively small producers (thus making it difficult to keep track of them all) and is typified by a number of lesser known grape varieties.

Because the region is generally hot and dry, with a long growing season, southern Italian reds are usually big, concentrated wines, with rich, robust flavours of dark or red fruit, leather and chocolate (or cocoa) with plenty of tannins. In my view, they lack something in the way of refinement, but, at least to some extent, make up for it with exuberant fruit. The whites from the region are often rich and aromatic, but generally well balanced with acid. If you have any knowledge of the region, or the time and patience to acquire it, you can find good value in Southern Italy.

WHITE WINES

If you’re looking for a sauvignon blanc, your first thought has to be New Zealand, and the Momo Sauvignon Blanc 2008 ($18.95) does nothing but enhance the country’s reputation. This is a medium bodied wine, dominated by McIntosh apple and pear flavours, with some melon, grapefruit and a touch of honey. There’s plenty of acid to give it some refreshing zip, but it’s well integrated. A good wine to drink on its own, or to accompany a garden salad.

Aha, you were probably thinking. It’s all very well to tout a New Zealand sauvignon blanc, but where’s the gooseberry? Sauvignons from south of the equator should have gooseberry. For that, you should look to the Carmen Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2007 ($14.95) from Chile. This is a lovely wine, especially at this price, and it has gooseberry, together with apple, honey, lemon-lime, some herbs de provence, and plenty of acid, which dominates the long finish, and adds to the refreshing sensation.

If you like rieslings, and not everyone does – but I do – the Hogue Riesling 2007 from Washington State, is a bargain at $13.95. There’s some of the signature riesling diesel on the nose, along with a hint of white flowers, with apricot and rusk apple (and a touch of diesel) on the palate. It’s very slightly off dry, but only slightly. As with most aromatics, this wine will go very well with food. I’d recommend mild cheeses, a spicy asian dish, or, especially, pork chops with apple sauce.

I am not generally a fan of gruner veltliners because I often find the white pepper, which is typical of the varietal, off putting, and sometimes downright unpleasant. The Domaine Gobelsburg Gruner Veltliner 2007 from Austria (where else?) is an exception to my general rule, especially at $14.95. This is a rich, tasty, well balanced wine, a lot like a chardonnay, with lots of tropical fruit and citrus at the start, and pear on the mid palate. The pepper, along with some mineral, does come in at the finish, but is not overwhelming. This wine has good, salty, mouth feel and is the ideal complement to weiner schnitzel (with or without spatlese).

My only complaint about the Kim Crawford Pinot Gris 2007 from New Zealand is the price. I think that $19.95 is a lot to ask for a pinot gris, even a pinot gris from a good, and very reliable producer. That being said, this is a dry, very refreshing wine with grapefruit, green apple and apricot. It’s a touch grassy, but very well integrated, with a medium finish. A wine to enjoy on its own, or with whitefish.

A tale of three chardonnays:

This release offers an interesting contrast between three different styles of chardonnay:

- From New Zealand, we have the Two Tracks Chardonnay 2008 ($16.95). This is the sauvignon blanc drinker’s chardonnay. It is lightly oaked, with citrus (mostly lemon) and tropical fruit (mostly pineapple) and vanilla, but still rich, although it lacks the creamy butterscotch which is the signature flavour of many New World chardonnays. This is a leaner style of chardonnay, but it will appeal to many.

- From California, the De Loach California Series Chardonnay 2007 is $1 more than the Two Tracks, at $17.95. This is a typically rich, California chardonnay, with loads of vanilla, some butterscotch, ripe green apple, and a slightly oaky finish. This wine warms the palate while it sits on the tongue and lasts forever on the finish.

- The Santa Carolina Barrica Selection Chardonnay 2007 ($14.95) from Chile opens with some lean citrus, which persists throughout, but ends on a creamy, honeyed caramel taste, with tropical fruit. There’s enough acid to balance this rich wine, which, like either of the preceding two, will go well on its own, or with shellfish in a light cream sauce.

Finally, but not last, try the Vinosia Essenza di Malvasia 2007 ($15.95) from Puglia if you’d like something a little different. This fruit used in this wine is a tiny bit riper (and therefore sweeter) than most of the wines discussed above, but it has a palate pleasing melange of pear, apple, peach, and melon, and a nose of white flowers and pear notes. Despite the riper fruit, there’s plenty of underlying acid and a very refreshing taste.

I don’t often discuss this many white wines, but I was impressed by all of the above both for quality and price. In an attempt to narrow down the recommendations, I’d be more inclined to buy either the Carmen Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2007, or the Santa Carolina Barrica Selection Chardonnay 2007, or, if I wanted an aromatic, the Domaine Gobelsburg Gruner Veltliner 2007, as my first choices. But that’s my palate. Yours may differ, and all of the wines discussed above are good.

RED WINES

Some possibilities from Southern Italy:

- At $15.95, the Rivera Violante Nero di Trola 2006 from Puglia is a good introduction to southern Italian wines at a reasonable price. This is a big, tannic wine, with leather and violets on the nose, and ripe black cherry and smoked meat on the palate, with a long, tangy finish. This is not a complex wine, but it will go wonderfully with grilled red meat as long as it isn’t too lean, or with pasta and meat sauce.

- the Tharru Cannonau di Sardegna 2006 ($14.95) from Sardinia is also a good, rich, but rustic wine. It is chock full of cherry, cassis and chocolate, with a long, juicy, rich, but herbal, finish. Once again, this is a food wine, and will go well with hard cheese and/or red meat. Expect some lavender, smoked meat and cherry on the nose.

- the Odoardi Savuto 2004 ($18.95) from Calabria is a little more sophisticated than either of the preceding two wines, perhaps because it has had more time to mature. It is dominated by red cherry and is a little hot (denoting alcohol which is not well integrated) on the nose. Nonetheless, this wine is drinking well now, and the juicy red fruit and long finish will, also, work well with tomato or red meat based dishes.

For a good, and very ready, cabernet sauvignon, consider the Kumkani Cradle Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 ($19.95) from South Africa. Although, like many South African wines, this one is a little earthy, it is also a complex and enjoyable offering, especially at the price. Expect masses of juicy black fruit, especially current and cherry, with tobacco, fig and pencil box notes. Don’t store this wine, and don’t worry about decanting it. Serve with barbecued red meat.
For Bordeaux lovers, the Chateau Cote Montpezat 2003, from the Cote de Castillon, is drinking well and selling at a good price ($21.95). 2003 was a very hot year, and this wine lacks the acid for long term storage, but its dark fruit, leather and earthy notes make it a good choice at the moment. Expect a rich, chewy wine that has enough structure and tannin to stand up to rare red meat, and a long, satisfying finish.

The Domaine Grand Veneur les Champauvins Cotes du Rhone Villages 2007 ($19.95) is a very good, and very rich, wine, that is easy to recommend. It tastes like a mini Chateauneuf-du-Pape, with lush black and red fruit, pepper, and spices. It is too rich to drink on its own, but would really come into its own with hard, strong cheese or red meat. You will not beat this price for this quality of wine.

The red wine of this release, however, at a very decent price is the Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2006 at $34.95. This is one of the best known houses of a famous region offering its wine at prices not seen in the last seven years, and it may be a precursor to lower, recession related, wine prices on a broader scale. Whether you open it tomorrow, or ten years from now, this is a great wine, that you cannot but enjoy. Served with a spicy stew, a cassoulet, or red meat, you should expect a rich, chewy combination of kirsch, lush black cherry, cassis, pepper, herbs, and spices. It would be really hard to go wrong with this wine, especially if you decant it for at least two hours before serving.

ROSÉS

The Mas des Bressades Cuveé Tradition Rosé 2008 ($13.95) from the Rhone, is back. This dry, tasty wine, at a very reasonable price, is a great, hot weather sipper. Expect strawberry, raspberry and cherry flavours, together with a bit of spice, and a well balanced wine that is a refreshing, palate pleaser.