Vinodrome

Weekly Vinodrome Reviews

5/11/2009-5/18/2009

Quinta do Portal Fine White Port

Region: Douro, Portugal (Porto)
Winery: Quinta do Portal

Lemon and apricot with a distinct smattering of aromatic honey adding dimensionality. This is lovely as either aperitif or dessert. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Pedro Branco, Portal’s proprietor, and thoroughly enjoyed tasting through a large cross-section of the estate’s portfolio. This wine, which I was already familiar with, and the Moscatel were two of the highlights.

Sauvion Rose d’Anjou 2008

Region: Anjou, Loire, France
Winery: Sauvion
Variety: Cabernet Franc, Gamay, Pineau d’Aunis

Strawberry and red raspberry with a vague peppery quality. This wine is not without elegance, but its austerity never quite unfolds into anything particularly exciting. The watery consistency helps to create an impression of disintegration. It’s as if each individual nuance, the alcohol, and even the acidity are disembodied and apart from the whole of the wine itself. – 05/20/2009

Sanrocchetto Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi 2007

Region: Jesi, Marches, Italy
Winery: Sanrocchetto
Variety: Verdicchio

Pear, lemon, and lime with notes of freshly crushed stone and cashew. At the ten-dollar price range, this is an impressively expressive wine. It really should be approached, though, before a year after its harvest. Drinking this particular vintage (2007) now (in May of 2009) is not nearly so rewarding as it had been at around this time last year.

Tres Ojos “Old Vines” Garnacha 2007

Region: Calatayud, Aragon, Spain
Winery: Bodega San Gregorio
Variety: Garnacha

From Spain’s arid Calatayud region, comes this fresh and concentrated Garnacha from old vines. Black raspberry, cherry, and dried cranberry reveal a bit of white pepper and fennel blossom. While pleasant, there are both an alcoholic heat and a slight impression of reduction which hamper enjoyment. These are eased as the wine breathes a bit. Decanting would be wiser still. I typically serve red wine in the low to mid sixties (degrees Fahrenheit), but here I would advocate a temperature of around 55 degrees.

Kupelwieser Pinot Grigio 2006

Region: Alto Adige, Italy
Winery: Kupelwieser Alto Adige
Variety: Pinot Grigio

Asian pear and threads of bright citrus enlivened by a subtle (but focused) minerality. This wine has enjoyed more expressive vintages in the past, but for the time being it’s a bit tamer than I’d prefer. Produced by Peter Zemmer of Alto Adige/South Tyrol fame.

Mitolo “Jester” Shiraz 2006

Region: McLaren Vale, Australia
Winery: Mitolo
Variety: Shiraz

Ripe blackberry and plum underlined by black pepper, pipe tobacco, and a touch of white chocolate (presumably from French oak). As an enormous admirer of Syrah as a varietal, I am usually less than enthusiastic about Australia’s often outlandishly exuberant “Shiraz.” This wine, however, escapes the willful stereotype role assumed by many of its colleagues. Charming.

Domaine des Baguiers Bandol 2001

Region: Bandol, Provence, France
Winery: Domaine des Baguiers
Variety: Mourvedre

Currant and black cherry with veins of cocoa, Vietnamese coffee, and a faint touch of bitter cola. The Baguiers is round and soft in its maturity, but lacks vibrancy of fruit. It’s a shame as the estate recommends holding the wine for a number of years. Many people advocate aging Bandol for over a decade, but I’ll take mine (like most long-lived reds) much earlier. Of course, the very best estates produce wines which may require more time to evolve.

Jean Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace “Brut Reserve” NV

Region: Alsace
Winery: Lucien Albrecht
Variety: Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois

Pear, lemon fraiche, and crisp golden apple supported by notes of sourdough bready-ness, toast, and a faint hint of ginger. There is some controversy over exactly what the “Jean Albrecht” label represents. It is exclusive to the Total Wine retail chain and may be nothing more than an alternate title for the classic “Lucien Albrecht” wines. On the other hand, it may entail separate bottlings of different cuvees (presumably inferior ones to maximize profits). The latter possibility is rumored to have been admitted by a representative of the winery who recently visited Raleigh. Any difference in quality is particularly difficult to surmise from my having tasted the two white Cremants d’Alsace on many occasions. Stylistically, they have appeared to shift several times over the years, and since they’re non-vintage, it is impossible to know whether any changes in character are due to inconsistencies in the wines themselves or are simply the result of varying degrees of maturity in various bottles. Whatever the case, this particular bottle of Jean Albrecht Cremant was delicious. – 05/18/2009

Rene Mure Cremant d’Alsace NV

Region: France – Alsace
Winery: Rene Mure
Variety: Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir

Bright pear and gentle citrus merge gracefully with creamier components of yeast, toast, and sweet dough. While a bit lighter than one might expect from a Champagne, this wine has a balance that many lack. Very rewarding bottle.

Ortas (Cave de Rasteau) “Prestige” Cotes du Rhone Villages Rasteau 2004

Region: Rasteau, Cotes du Rhone Villages, France
Winery: Ortas (Cave de Rasteau)
Variety: Grenache(35%), Mourvedre(35%),Syrah(30%)

Raspberry, blackberry, and currant with essences of cracked pepper, pipe tobacco, anise liqueur, and savory earth. Seldom do I cross paths with a more complete and intensely delicious wine at the twenty dollar mark.

Domaine Guy Mousset Cotes-Du-Rhone Rose 2008
Region: Cotes-du-Rhone, France
Winery: Domaine Guy Mousset
Variety: Grenache, Syrah

Crisp red raspberry, cherry, and currant on the nose which boldly follow through to the palate. There is a pleasant contradiction between the expressive fruit and the refreshing abruptness of the wine’s texture. A suggestion of creaminess finds its way around the mid-palate and may be the product of malolactic conversion in a bit of the cuvee. I actually think that this is a more graceful wine than the estate’s overpriced Chateauneufs.

Chateau Guibon Entre-Deux-Mers Blanc 2007
Region: Entre-Deux-Mers, Bordeaux
Winery: Chateau Guibon
Variety: Semillon(60%), Sauvignon Blanc(30%), Muscadelle(10%)

Crisp green fruits such as lime and guava wrap around the anticipated grapefruit and lemon character of white Bordeaux. A bit of herb and mineral (but very little grassiness) add interest. Firmer acidity would have saved this wine from the watery consistency that is its largest detractor. Still pleasant.

All ratings are based on representative correctness and “price-to-value” ratio.

May 22, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . . Author: vinodrome . Comments: Leave a comment

Weekly Vinodrome Reviews

4/29/2009-5/11/2009

Jean-Luc Colombo Syrah “La Violette” VDP d’Oc 2006
Region: Eastern Languedoc, France (Vin de Pays d’Oc)
Winery: Jean-Luc Colombo
Variety: Syrah

Ripe blackberryand plum merge with Provencal herbs and black pepper. There is a pleasant chewy quality supported by vanilla and a touch of cedar, but a subtle tartness interferes with the texture and limits the wine’s enjoyability. The somewhat hard to find Colombo northern Cotes du Rhone “Les Forots” Syrah is a few dollars more, but more exciting.

Region: Valpolicella, Italy
Winery: Ca Rugate
Variety: Corvina (40%), Corvinone (30%), Rondinella (30%)

Not strictly made as a “Ripasso,” this offering from Ca Rugate is more like an adolescent Amarone produced largely from grapes which have been dried (for roughly half the time as those destined for Amarone). Rich purple fruit, chocolate, and spicy toast make this a memorable wine.

Region: Sonoma County, California
Winery: Ridge Vineyards
Variety: Zinfandel(80%), Petite Sirah(10%), Carignan(5%), Grenache(5%)

Immersive black raspberry and blueberry wrapped around a core of smoke, white pepper, and herbs. Ridge has always been more than capable of proving the potential seriousness and elegance of the Zinfandel grape and its capacity for successful terroir-driven application.

Region: Valpolicella Classico, Verona, Italy
Winery: Santi
Variety: Corvina(65%), Rondinella(30%), Molinara(5%)

Full and supple, the Santi “Solane” is an apt example of both Valpolicella as a region and its lovely Ripasso wines (frequently offering a rare combination of bold concentration and easily approached roundness). Mission fig, plum, and sweet red cherries largely comprise the fruit character with creamy vanilla oak and clove adding interest.

Region: Costieres de Nimes, Rhône, France
Winery: Chateau De Nages / Michel Gassier
Variety: Grenache(70%) Syrah(30%)

Vivid strawberry, cranberry, and white-fleshed plum punctuate this refreshing rose from Nimes. Brimming with life and bright acidity, this is a wonderful treat for late spring and is very enjoyable with unsweetened strawberries just short of ripeness. Youthful and charming!

Region: Seixas, Portugal
Winery: Quinta do Feital
Variety: Alvarinho/Albarino(50%), Trajadura(50%)

Bright white peach, cantaloupe, and tangerine with spicy minerality and wispy floral nuances. The overall impression is that of something vibrant and valuable in its exotic wisdom. Delicious!

Montresor “Castello di Soave” Soave Classico 2008

Region: Soave, Verona, Italy
Winery: Giacomo Montresor
Variety: Gargenega(80%), Verdicchio(20%)

Crisp (pre-ripe) nectarine and a touch of orange converge with light minerality and a bit of peanut or almond. The overall impression is very pleasant, but the flavor and sensation of alcohol are maybe a bit too pervasive.

Region: Valdobbiadene, Italy
Winery: Nino Franco
Variety: Prosecco di Valdobbiadene

Fuji apple and subtle spring blossoms emerge from the frothy surface of Nino Franco’s “entry-level” Prosecco. A delicate, airy texture adds to its wholesome and refreshing quality.

Region: Vacqueyras, Southern Rhone, France
Winery: Vignerons de Caractère
Variety: Grenache(70%), Syrah(20%), Mourvedre(10%)

Round plum, candied raspberry, and currant comprise the fruit character with notes of chocolate, tobacco, and lavender gently emanating from within. The wines of the Vingnerons de Caracter have grown much more exciting over a remarkably short half-decade or so (though they’ve been around since 1957). They’re definitely producing their Vacqueyras in a contemporary fruit-forward style utilizing an average of 30% carbonic maceration in their various cuvees.

Region: Bordeaux
Winery: Chateau Les Trois Croix
Variety: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon

Plum and black cherry with fresh herbs and coffee. I wouldn’t accuse this wine of having aged poorly, but it was certainly more enjoyable in its youth when it benefited from healthier acidity and more brazen dark fruit character.

Region: Coteaux du Languedoc, France
Winery: Chateau de Montpezat
Variety: Grenache(80%), Mourvedre(20%)

Filled with bold earth and ripe purple fruits, the “Palombieres” has both a taught spine and plenty of meat on its bones. A trace of vanilla from twelve months in barrel is mostly obscured by the wine’s fruit and terroir-driven characteristics. A Robert Kacher selection.

Region: Navarra, Spain
Winery: Artazu (Artadi)
Variety: Garnacha

Fresh, extroverted aromas of crisp red raspberry and currant. Lively on the palate, ribboned with white pepper and an invigorating mineral purity. The Artazuri is produced in a style largely dissimilar to the estate’s “Santa Cruz,” but the two have in common their aromatic intensity, Grenache-driven charisma, and generosity of flavor. Lovely.

Region: Cote de Nuits
Winery: Louis Bouillot
Variety: Pinot Noir

Bright strawberry, raspberry, and white-fleshed plum. There’s certainly a detectable richness of yeast, but the overall impression is that of refreshing crispness and youthful energy. Very pretty salmon hue.

Region: Douro, Portugal
Winery: Quinta de Ventozelo
Variety: Codega(30%), Gouveio(30%), Viosinho(20%), Rabigato(20%)

Racy and refreshing, filled with crisp green fruits like lime, kiwi, and Uzbek cantaloupe. I’m not certain about the origin of the title “Cister da Ribeira,” but it seems as though it may have been part of the historical identity that later contributed to the Quinta de Ventozelo (which basically over-delivers in terms of value with each release). Nice spring/summer quaff which isn’t overly simple.

May 15, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . . Author: vinodrome . Comments: Leave a comment