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Sadie Family Wines Palladius 2006

March 14, 2011 By Shea 2 Comments

“100 points … perfect wine!” That’s what I might say about Eben Sadie’s Palladius were I the caricature of wine criticism that is James Suckling. But Sadie is decidedly anything but patina – his wines are made with minimal interference, almost to the level of a ‘natual wine’ producer. I found this revelation somewhat shocking given what I tasted a couple weekends ago: Sadie’s wines are clean, modern and immediately delicious. What makes them truly excel is the level of complexity, balance and elegance they achieve given the winemaking techniques.

Terroir as Wine Making Philosophy

South Africa is a warm climate, which for Mr. Sadie means it is better suited to blending than to single varietal wines. He also believes that South Africa’s soils are mostly too geologically old to produce good wine, and so he sought out the vineyards with the youngest geology in order to make his wine.

Sadie is also an extreme minimalist. He focuses on doing as little to his grapes as possible. He farms biodynamically, harvests by hand, ferments in neutral old wood or cement, does not add enzymes or commercial yeasts and even presses his grapes with a hand operated basket press. This is remarkably similar to the natural wine philosophy I discussed in my previous post. The most Sadie does beyond this is to control the fermentation temperatures with electricity. This is understandable given the climate in which he works – as I contended at the Natural Wine tasting, only some climates are conducive to completely neutral treatment of a wine. That said, Eben Sadie is making wines of such a level of quality that most ‘natural wine’ makers can right now only dream of making.

Burgundian Sophistication and South African Terroir

Sadie’s Palladius is a masterpiece of white wine making. A blend of several grapes, the predominant mix is one of Chenin Blanc, Viognier and Grenache Blanc. That a marriage of loire and rhone white varieties could be so successful is more a testament to Sadie’s masterful touch than to South Africa in particular.

This is a wine that drinks with the level of elegance and sophistication of Grand Cru white Burgundy, but with a flavour profile that is decidedly singular. The oak qualities in this wine are perfectly integrated with the strange marriage of orchard and citrus fruits that seem to coincide with this unique blending of grapes. This is the sort of wine with a subtlety that makes you love it while drinking but not realize its greatness until you juxtapose it with something you previously thought was great. That such great wines can seem faulty in the presence of Sadie’s creation is a testament to how amazing the wine actually is.

So, while I am certainly no James Suckling, I can say that Eben Sadie’s Palladius is amongst the best white wines I have ever tasted. It is a lucky individual whose palate experiences its pure and almost perfect expression of a blend that could probably be made nowhere else.

Excellent+
$90 at Everything Wine (purchased for $45 on sale)

Filed Under: $60+, Chenin Blanc, Excellent, Grenache Blanc, South African Wine, Viognier

Spotlight on Languedoc-Roussillon: Domaine Gauby Vieille Vignes Blanc 2005

November 21, 2010 By Shea Leave a Comment

Gauby’s old-vine white is an intriguing blend of white Carignan, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Chardonnay and Macabau. Gauby grows this mix of Spanish and French grapes with fervent non-interventionist methods and a strict no-chemical regime. The vineyards are populated with weeds and other plants that compete with the vines for nutrients. This reduces yields, forces the vines to push deeper for water and increases the quality of the fruit.

Gerard Gauby is also a strong believer in minimal use of “make-up” for his wines. For example, he prefers fermenting in cement as opposed to wood and using spontaneous fermentation with no intervention in the process of the indigenous yeast. The results are consistently outstanding.

The Wine

This is a fascinating wine, beginning with petrol, green apple, lemon and minerals on the nose and expanding to green apple, kiwi, lime, lemon and mineral on the palate. Very zesty and fresh, this also has a fat mid-palate and a density that does not generally come from this grape blend. The wine is remarkably unlike any other French white wine and is a great testament to Gauby’s outstanding terroir. A clean and well delineated wine that is also rich and full. Perhaps somewhat expensive, but also unique and delivering a sense of place.

Very Good+
$50 at Kitsilano Wine Cellars

Filed Under: $40-$60, Carignan Blanc, Chardonnay, French Wine, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Languedoc-Roussillon, Macabau, Very Good

Spotlight on Languedoc-Roussillon: Clos des Fees Grenache Blanc Vieilles Vignes 2004

November 2, 2010 By Shea Leave a Comment

White wines in Languedoc-Roussilllon are little known and little produced. Despite this, several producers are making truly outstanding whites at very reasonable prices – whites with personality, expressivity and a great ability to pair with food.

Old Vines and Varied Soils

Clos des Fees’ white wine is comprised of 90% of 100 year old Grenache vines blended with Grenache gris and Maccabeau. The Grenache blanc is fermented in steel and the gris in oak. The wine is fermented sur lees for 8 months, which adds richness to the wine.

The site and soils of Clos des Fees – and Roussillon generally – are particularly interesting. Calcareous and limestone soils in one vineyard, red clay alluvial soils in another, gneiss, schist, vast changes in ripening curves based on altitudes – these are all parts of the dramatic shifts of landscape in the region. In fact Roussillon has the greatest variation of soil types in all of France other than Alsace.

Wine for Country Fare

There is a little reduction or oxidation on the nose – but otherwise the wine offers nuts and bitter flowers. This aromatic oddity turns into quite an impressive wine on the palate: very rich fruit – pear, guava, prunes, raisins and grapes. This is a unique off-dry style with outstanding length and very good balance. With medium acidity, this wine is well suited to French country fair like terrines and rustic cheese. This is a distinct expression of Grenache Blanc that is more interesting than most (more expensive) examples you find in the more famous Southern Rhone.

Very Good+ to Excellent
$44 at Marquis

Filed Under: $40-$60, French Wine, Grenache Blanc, Languedoc-Roussillon, Very Good

Spotlight on Rhone Valley White Wines: Domaine de la Charbonniere 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc

September 2, 2010 By Shea Leave a Comment

As mentioned in my last post, Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc gets little attention. Nevertheless, these are distinct wines with their own expression of some of the famous terroirs of Chateauneuf that are quite unlike the whites of the Northern Rhone.

Galet Vineyards

Charbonniere makes their four red Chateauneuf and one white cuvee from four main vineyards: les Brusquières, la Crau, Mourre des Perdrix, and around the estate Charbonniere. These vineyards are in the north or north east and thus have clay and limestone soils (one of four broad types within CdP). The vineyards also contain the famous galets or rounded stones that sit in the vineyard soaking up and storing heat.

A Classic Vinification

From 20 year old vines Charbonniere makes their white using a blend of 40% Grenache blanc, 40% Roussanne, 20% Clairette, with the Clairette being harvested after the other two. The wine is then destemmed, crushed and vinified in 25% new oak and 75% stainless steel, with no malo-lactic fermentation. As the wine ages it sees regular battonages (lees stirring), which works well in this wine as its acidity balances the richness.

The classic approach reflects in the flavour profile, with this wine delivering good rounded flavours and structure, but little out of the ordinary or exciting.

A Wine of Itself but Lacking Punch

The nose is softly spicy with lemon and minerals that remind me very much of Chardonnay. This is more expressive than the Boursan, and the palate has better structure and length, with Chardonnay-like flavours of lemon, cream and minerals. However, it is quite a bit less distinctive than the Boursan, though more accessible and more immediately delicious.

Again, this is a well made wine but nothing particularly stands out. Everything is in its place, though I suspect the balance of the wine could be improved.

Very Good+
$55 at Marquis Wine Cellars

So What’s the Deal with CdP Blanc?

While signs are that these wines will continue to improve, right now they can’t match the range, complexity and better value offered by the white wines of the Northern Rhone. Despite this, these wines still possess enough interest and terroir to make them worth experiencing and are an important stop on a wine geek’s journey.

The remainder of this focus on Rhone whites will look at how these varieties are being treated in the New World – some of what is going on is quite surprising.

Filed Under: $40-$60, Clairette, French Wine, Grenache Blanc, Rhone Valley White Wine, Rousanne, Very Good

Spotlight on Rhone Valley White Wine: Domaine Bois de Boursan Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc 2007

August 29, 2010 By Shea Leave a Comment

Chateauneuf du Pape is, of course, famous for its red wines. In Vancouver particularly CdP is often the premium wine of choice for many novice buyers and moneyed collectors. Many wine geeks, however, have moved away from many Chateauneufs, which with ever better reviews from Robert Parker and ever increasing interest from the points crowd, have increased in price significantly. Despite this trend towards prestige pricing, the white wines of Chateauneuf still sit well under the radar of most collectors, and even many wine geeks.

Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc can be made from five different grapes – Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc and Picardan. Most predominantly use Grenache Blanc, though there are a few pure Roussannes that have gained a strong reputation (Beaucastel’s most notably). Bois de Boursan makes its white from a unique blend of 35% Clairette, 35% Grenache Blanc, 15% Roussanne and 15% Bourboulenc. Most of us, including myself, have never tasted pure Clairette or Bourboulenc so it is hard to tell exactly what these add to the flavours of the blend, but Jancis Robinson explains that the grapes are used in the southern Rhone to add aroma and acidity to a wine.

The wine is unique, presenting apple ginger spice cake on the subtle and not overly expressive nose. The wine tastes best at near room temperature, and along with the above flavours, has some dry minerality in the finish. Perhaps thiswas too young when I drank it, but I found it fairly closed, even as the mid-palate had serious structure. The medium acid held the wine together well enough so it didn’t become overly rich – but this is not a sprightly or crisp white.  Bois de Boursan uses barriques from Alsace and Borgogne for its wines and the old wood influence works quite well. I expect the wine will open with age, but it is not nearly as immediately delicious as the Northern Rhone whites.

Very Good+
$60 at Marquis Wine Cellars

Filed Under: $40-$60, Bourboulenc, Clairette, French Wine, Grenache Blanc, Rhone Valley White Wine, Rousanne, Very Good