Sunday, October 31, 2010

Vintages Release - October 30, 2010

Sorry that this column is a bit late, but I just got back from California. The timing is a more than a bit serendipitous in that yesterday’s release features the wines from that state.

If you’ll forgive me, I’m going to show off by going over a little history, before getting on to the wines. If you don’t care about the history, just skip the next couple of paragraphs. If you are interested, here goes –

California was developing a rather nice little wine industry in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when prohibition hit. The entire thing collapsed like a house of cards and virtually every winery (except one or two that got contracts to supply altar wine to the Catholic church) went out of business and were either abandoned or turned to growing fruit and vegetables. When prohibition ended in 1933, you might have thought that there would be a comeback, but it was very slow to emerge, and most of the wine that was produced, for quite a long time, was of the cheap and nasty variety.

It was only in the 1960’s and 1970’s that a quality industry started to develop again, but it was still not well regarded, especially as compared to the traditional wine growing regions of France and Italy. As chronicled in the movie Bottle Shock – which hopelessly romanticized the whole story - a competitive tasting was arranged in Paris in 1976 (as part of the American bicentennial celebrations) between several Napa valley wines and some of their French counterparts. Much to the surprise (shock) of some, two American wines won the competition – Chateau Montelena for the whites, and Stag’s Leap for the reds. The victory gave the entire California wine industry a huge shot in the arm, and today the Napa and Sonoma valleys (just north and east of San Francisco) are chock a block full of wineries. Quite expensive ones too, for the most part.

Napa and Sonoma are well suited, both in respect of terroir and climate, to produce good wines, and they do, from almost every grape variety imaginable although (amongst reds) cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, zinfandel and malbec tend to dominate in the warmer Napa valley, while those same varieties, plus pinot noir, are grown in Sonoma. Chardonnay tends to dominate amongst the whites, and California is justly famous for its creamy, rich versions of that varietal, although you can certainly find sparkling wines and sauvignon blanc in abundance. If you want, which in my mind you shouldn’t, you can also find white zinfandel.

The California climate is also well suited to viticulture, and the weather tends to be pretty consistent from year to year, although 1994 and 1997 were known as exceptional years for reds, while 1998 and 2000 were a bit sub-standard. Amongst whites, 1995 and 1997 were praised, while 1994 and 2001 were not quite up to par. All of the other years, for both kinds of wine, were rated as 8’s or 9’s (out of 10) by those in the know.

It appears, however, that this year will be fairly challenging for California winemakers. They had one of the coldest summers on record, and, come September, the berries were far less ripe, with lower sugar levels, than normal. In order to help compensate, many wineries cut away much of the foliage on the vines so that the grapes could get maximum benefit from the remaining sun. Unfortunately, no sooner had they done so, but the temperature shot up to 110F for three straight days. Without the protection of the foliage, many of the grapes “sunburned” and a number of the wineries that we visited estimated that they would lose up to half of their crop.

California wines are usually ready to drink upon release, and are not made to require food in the same way that many European wines do. Don’t get the impression, however, that they won’t last. I recently opened a bottle of 1997 Silver Oak (Napa) and it was delicious. Several years ago, I participated in a tasting of eight lesser ranked bordeauxs, and one mystery wine, all from the same, 25 year old, vintage. The bordeauxs were all clearly past their best, with fading fruit and a “tea” like taste. The mystery wine, which turned out to be a Californian, was still lively and fresh – much better than the others.

I don’t mean to suggest that California wines are better than European wines. I still think that the best of European wines, properly aged, are more interesting than many Californians, and I deplore California prices, which are, I think, about twice what they should be, but I cannot deny that the state does produce some wonderful wines.

I cannot, in this one issue, do justice to the many wineries we visited, so some will have to wait for another issue, but I can start to give you an idea of our experiences.

We visited both Chateau Montelena and Stag’s Leap (in deference to the movie) and were treated very well at both – especially at Chateau Montelena. Chateau Montelena specializes in whites, and its chardonnays, in particular, are simply spectacular – rich and buttery, with notes of tropical fruit, vanilla and sweet oak. I was also very impressed with its red zinfandel, which was lighter than usual, with an abundance of red fruit flavours. Unfortunately, there is no Chateau Montelena product in this release, although many of the stores do stock it, and it shows up from time to time in Vintage releases.

There is a Stag’s Leap product in this release, the Stag’s Leap Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 ($49.95). This wine is very ready to drink, with a lovely nose of leather and blackberry, and a complex, well integrated palate of plum, leather, dark chocolate and cassis. It will drink well on its own, or complement any red meat.

We also visited, and thoroughly enjoyed, wines from Duckhorn Estates and Ravenwood, both of which are featured in this release:

- The Duckhorn Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 ($29.95) is a Bordeaux blend of grapes, and is decently priced for a California cab. This is a rich, subtle blend of dark fruit, with some mineral and olive notes, and a long, succulent finish. Vintages suggests keeping it for 2 or 3 years, and I don’t disagree, but if you aerate for a couple of hours and serve with big, red meat, you will not be disappointed.

- Ravenswood is a specialist in red zinfandels, and they do them very well. We got there about 30 minutes before they closed, but they obliged by giving us samples of a least ten of their top wines, all of which were just great. I must admit, however, that tasting that many wines in that short a time, made note taking a difficult task. The Ravenswood Old Vine Zinfandel 2007 ($23.95) in this release is one of their more basic (and less expensive wines) but it is well worth trying. I find zinfandels a little more fruit forward, and a bit less complex, that cabernets, but this is a rich, concentrated wine with notes of sweet plum, blackberry, cherry and chocolate. It is the ideal complement for spareribs because the rich fruit matches the sweetness of the rib sauce so well. Don’t be afraid to try it on its own, or with a sharp cheese though.

Since I want to cover some of the other release wines, I am going to leave most of our California experience for another day. I do, however, want to mention several wineries where we had terrific tasting and were much impressed with their products. If you see wines from any of these wineries, do not hesitate to buy in:

Far Niente (lovely cabernets)
Silver Oak (Napa, which is a bordeax blend, or Sonoma, which is a straight cabernet sauvignon and a bit cheaper)
Caymus (I recommended this wine in my last column, and think, despite the price, that it’s some of the best value in the state)
Merry Edwards (a pinot noir producer from the Sonoma coast)
Chateau St. Jean (good chardonnays, and some great, higher priced cabernets)
Robert Mondavi (very good reds, and some excellent chardonnays, the latter at quite reasonable prices)

We were also very favourably impressed by Kendall Jackson, which I have (obviously wrongly) regarded as a producer of mass produced, rather than quality wines. We had a food and wine pairing there (cost $25/person) which was simply spectacular, and included some of their higher end wines.

We also had a very generous tasting at Gloria Ferrer, and a good tasting at Mumms, two solid sparkling wine producers. I must confess that, in both cases, their blanc de blancs (pure chardonnay) offerings impressed me more than some of their other products, but if you like a slightly off dry sparkling (white or rosé), they are both tasty and reasonably affordable.

OTHER RELEASE WINES

The Roederer Estate Brut Sparkling Wine ($28.95) from California is a crisp wine with green apple, brioche and a slight (but not at all unpleasant) yeast character. There’s a hint of cinnamon, on this very refreshing wine, with great mouth feel and a long finish.

If you prefer rosé sparkling, I have two suggestions:

- The Mezzodondo Sparkling Rosé from Italy is only $11.95. This is not a sophisticated champagne, but it is great value and a good thirst quencher. Expect strawberry, with a hint of roses, on this very pleasant, dry wine, that sports a good finish. If you like rosés of any description (still or sparkling) you can’t afford not to try it. This is not a release wine.

- For a rosé with a good deal more complexity, try the Taltarni Brut Tache 2008 ($24.95) from Australia. This is the full rosé experience, with brioche, raspberry, rose petal, apricot, and a touch of lime and green apple to keep it very dry. Serve as an aperitif, or with appetizers, or just drink it on its own to keep cool on a hot day.

White Wines

The Napa Creek Chardonnay 2008 ($19.95) is a good example of a California chardonnay (rich and creamy with tropical fruit, and citrus for balance). It’s lightly oaked, but the oak is so well integrated that it doesn’t dominate. Serve, and enjoy, with chicken or whitefish, or with a cream cheese.

I’m a big fan of Chablis, and there are two good examples in this release:

- The Domaine du Chardonnay Chablis 2008 is only $18.95 (a great price for a Chablis). It’s a lighter style wine, with lemon, green apple and honey, and a touch of mineral on the finish. It’s very refreshing, and has enough acid to go well with seafood in a cream sauce.

- The Alain Geoffroy Beauroy Chablis 1er Cru 2007 ($24.95) is a richer, more complex version of a chablis, with lemon drop, pink grapefruit, chalk and flinty finish. This wine will complement shellfish, whitefish, chicken, or goat cheese, or it can be enjoyed on its own.

Red Wines

My favourite red from this release is the Ornellaia Le Serre Nuove Dell’Ornellaia 2008 ($59.95) from Tuscany. This is the younger sibling of one of the world’s great wines, and I buy it every year, and have never regretted it. This wine delivers an entire gamut of flavours, everything from chocolate to cherries, plum and blackberry to leather and cloves. It is one of those wines where each mouthful tastes subtly different, but equally good. Decant for at least an hour and serve with virtually anything – pasta, red meat or hard cheese.

Rhone fans will like one (or more) of the following:

- The Alain Jaume Les Valats Rasteau 2007 ($18.95). This is a lighter style, with soft tannins and lots of sweet red fruit – raspberry, strawberry and cherry liqueur, and a touch of cocoa and eucalyptus. It’s a bit light for my taste, but many people will like the fact that it’s a smooth, easy drink, and doesn’t overpower the palate. Would go very well with pork chops.

- The Cave de Tain Crozes Hermitage 2007 ($17.95) is one of my staples. It’s dominated by black fruit (black cherry, cassis and plum) with notes of leather, earth, cedar and smoke. An ideal house wine, which will go with pizza, burgers or steak.

- The 2007 version of the Chateau de Beaucastel Coudelet de Beaucastel 2008 ($29.95) was released last July, and sold out in no time. This is another old favourite – a mini chateauneuf-du-pape from one of the best known houses in Chateauneuf-du-pape. You can’t not like this wine with its nose of sweet oak, herbs and smoked meat, and its chewy flavours of cassis, earth, leather, cherry, licorice and plum. If you missed it last time, don’t miss it again.

The surprise of the release for me, and the best value wine, was the Montgo Monastrell/Shiraz 2007 from Spain. At $13.95, this was a terrific buy, with Christmas cake, cedar, cocoa, blackberry, spice, marzipan and sweet oak flavours. It was really tasty on its own, but Vintages suggests (and I agree) that it would go very well with stew. Of course cheese is always an option too. Buy this wine.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Vintages Release - October 2, 2010

I didn’t intend to stick to the format of covering every release, but there some wines in tomorrow’s release that are too good to miss. The major theme is Australian wines – and Australia does produce some really good value wines – with a small feature on special Italian wines.

I think Australia does really well, especially with reds, and more especially with cabernet sauvignons. They make some great shiraz’s as well, although I’m finding that some of them have too little structure in favor of too much sweet fruit. Australia is also developing a good pinot noir niche (particularly in Tasmania, which has a cooler climate).

The country has always produced some very good whites, but they tend to be higher alcohol chardonnays due to the hot climate.

Italy, of course, produces some of the great wines of the world, and a least one of them in this release is, in my estimation, one of the best wines you’ll find anywhere.

WHITE WINES

The Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve 2006 ($18.95) from Alsace is back, and this always consistent producer has done it again. This is a lovely, rich pinot gris, that will work well with your Thanksgiving turkey. Expect pear, sweet grapefruit, with a touch of honey. There’s easily enough body on this wine to complement your Thanksgiving turkey.

The Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Gold Label Chardonnay 2008 ($19.95) from California isn’t a typical California Chardonnay, since the oak is very muted. There’s lots of lime, pineapple, and a touch of vanilla. Don’t expect a really rich chardonnay, but it it’s a good one. This wine will also work with turkey.

The Roux Pere & Fils Macon Villages Blanc 2009 ($13.95) is a find. This is a lovely, easy drinking, refreshing wine at a great price, although I could easily have mistaken it for a sauvignon blanc instead of a chardonnay, despite the slightly honeyed finish. There’s lots of citrus (lemon) and green apple, and a considerable amount of acid which would work really well, as Vintages suggests, with lobster in drawn butter. If you like a lean chardonnay, buy this wine.

RED WINES

I’m going to start at the wrong end, and do a kind of wedding feast at Canaan thing, but there are three really good wines in this release if you don’t mind spending the money:

- The Ornellaia 2007 ($179.95) from Tuscany is consistently one of the world’s great wines, and one of my personal favourites. I hate spending this much money on a bottle of wine, but I did (and have done a number of times before), and I’ve never regretted it. This is just a great wine, and a treat. It’s so very complex, with notes of cocoa, spice, leather, herbs, mineral and chewy black fruit that it’s almost a shame to have anything else on your palate at the same time. If you want to treat yourself, this is your wine. And it doesn’t need aging. Aerate for an hour and enjoy.

- I’ve always thought that California makes some great wines, but they were usually too expensive, and lacked the individuality of some of the top European wines. California wines are generally meant to be consumed without a lot of aging, and are more heterogeneous than their French or Italian rivals. That being said, the next two wines are just delicious wines:

a) the Shafer Vineyards Merlot 2007 ($59.95) from Napa is a merlot, which may not be all that popular a varietal in California right now, but that doesn’t mean that this isn’t a lovely wine. I bought it too, despite the price. This is a big, ready wine with butterscotch and black plum. It sports soft tannins and a long finish. A really nice, delicious wine, that works really well with red meat.

b) the Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ($79.95), also from Napa, (which I also bought) is (believe it or not) good value. California cabs can cost a lot more than this, but there are new that are better than this. This wine could use a year or two more in the bottle but it is a smooth, complex, tasty offering. This winery hasn’t boosted its prices the way other California wineries have, but the quality is surely there.

Other reds

I’m not normally a huge new world pinot fan, and, when we visited Yering Station, I wasn’t impressed. But I do like that the Little Yering Pinot Noir 2008 ($14.95) from Australia. It is no burgundian offering, but it is a light, fruity wine dominated by sour cherry and apple. This is a pleasant wine at a good price, and if you’re having turkey for Thanksgiving, this would be my choice. This wine is a crowd pleaser.

The Grant Burge Barossa Shiraz 2008 ($16.95) also from Australia is another crowd pleaser. I’ve been a fan of this producer for a long time, and it produces a really good value shiraz. This isn’t a fruit bomb. It has good structure with sweet black fruit that will nicely complement spare ribs, beef (as long as it isn’t too lean) or hard cheese. Well worth trying.

It took a while for me to warm to the Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 ($19.95), but, once it opened, I was quite impressed.. It is a bigger, richer, more intense wine than the Burge, with masses of black fruit, marzipan, vanilla and a long finish. Aerate for an hour (at least) and serve with red meat.

I also very much liked the Balma Venitia Cuvee Ferdinand de Laye Visan 2007 ($13.95) from the Rhone. Finding a good Rhone at this price is like finding treasure, and this wine qualifies. There’s black fruit, white pepper and marzipan on this interesting and tasty wine, which has good acid and a long finish. Serve with stew, steak or hamburger, and buy this wine.

I’m a long time fan of amarone, and of Zenato as a producer. The only thing I don’t like about the Zenato Amarone Valpolicella Classico 2006 ($47.95) is the upward price creep, but the wine is still delicious. This is an old style raisiny intense amarone, that you can’t help but like, now or for the next five years. Serve with lamb or hard cheese, and just enjoy. Aerate for an hour or two before serving.