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Spotlight on Alsace: Marc Tempe Rodelsberg 2005

March 29, 2011 By Shea Leave a Comment

There is an irony to be found in Alsace in the wines of Marc Tempe. Tempe has signed on fully to Nicolas Joly’s Rennaissance des Appellations group that supports an intense kind of biodynamics with a high level of commitment. The irony comes with the similarity of Tempe’s wines to those of Marcel Deiss, which seem the closest in Alsace in spirit, if not in stated philosophy. Deiss, remember, has famously declared that he detests Nicolas Joly for his dogmatic adherence to biodynamics. Detestation and degustation are closely related it seems.

Blended Goodness

Tempe is a fan of blending, like Deiss, and this particular wine blends 25% Pinot Gris in with 75% Gewurztraminer. Tempe also ferments his wines in oak, on the lees of indigenous yeasts and without sulpher. The result here is both extremely impressive and extremely interesting.

The nose has a nice rich richness with flowers and rich tropical fruit, undoubtedly from the Gewurztraminer – but it also isn’t oppressive in its opulence like 100% Gewurztraminer can be. The palate presents banana and pineapple, is very juicy and exceptionally balanced. The wine finishes dry and extremely delicious with a bit of chalky minerality that rounds it out well.

This unique blended wine is better than most Gewrztraminer and Pinot Gris as you find them on their own in Alsace as it draws very well from the strengths of both grapes while minimizing their weaknesses. Tempe is a great winemaker doing untraditional things. If you like a lot of character in your wines but prefer them on the drier side then tempe may be for you. It helps that Tempe seems surprisingly atempo with Deiss, who should theoretically be his arch enemy.

Excellent
$55 at Everything Wine

Filed Under: $40-$60, Alsace, Excellent, French Wine, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris/Grigio

Spotlight on Alsace: Domaine Weinbach Pinot Gris Altenbourg Cuvee Laurence 2005

February 25, 2011 By Shea Leave a Comment

We are back to the ancient Clos du Capucins monastic site now owned by Domaine Weinbach, but this time looking at the intriguing Pinot Gris variety.

To Grand Cru or not to Grand Cru

Unlike the Furstentum Gewurztraminer I discussed earlier in this profile, this Pinot Gris is not from an official Grand Cru vineyard. Instead, it is grown in the lieu-dit of Altenbourg located at the base of the Furstentum vineyard. Sharing a similar soil profile of sandstone and marl over limestone and sandstone bedrock, Altenbourg is a lieu-dit to take seriously and Domaine Weinbach makes some fabulous wines with grapes grown there.

What’s With All the Label Variation?!

Let’s spend a moment deciphering Domaine Weinbach’s complex labeling system. At the bottom of the range we have the basic “reserve” series, which offer the best value. Despite their relative cheapness, this is by no means to say these wines are bad – they are, in fact, great and a good entry to Weinbach (which can often be extremely expensive). A step up is the Cuvee Theo series, sourced from the vineyard holdings at the Clos du Capucins. The Cuvee Catherine series confuses as there are both cheaper wines that come from non-Grand Cru sites and those which have a Grand Cru site listed on the label. These are the higher end wines in that series. The same goes for the Cuvee Laurence series. At the absolute top is a wine called Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg Cuvée Ste Catherine L’Inedit, which is only produced in the very best vintages.

Was that confusing enough? If you’re still wrapping your head around all these names at the store, one simple rule to go by is the price. Higher prices reflect better vineyard sources. And, to make things more difficult, as we shall see in future posts in this profile, some producers eschew the whole Grand Cru system altogether and prefer to blend their grapes. Alsace certainly can be a confusing place for a wine novice to venture into. But letting the labels be a barrier to entry would be a huge mistake as the wines are truly some of the most unique and inspiring in the world.

A Gris to Remember

It’s almost laughable to think that Alsace used to be considered a region for blending. The Bordelais frequently used Alsatian juice to blend into their red wines (I wonder how THAT tasted!). Famously, as Alsace was the first region in France to see the phylloxera louse, the blending region of choice moved to Rioja. I suppose it’s only the contingencies of history that turn blending regions into some of the greatest in the world.

The nose on this beautiful wine offers classic spicyness along with nuts and guava and is concentrated while not being overwhelming (as compared to Gewurztraminer). This is rich, fascinating and compeling wine with an intense mid palate filled with tropical fruits like guava and pineapple. Sort of a tropical cocktail with a spicy edge that makes the wine feel less intense and sweet compared to Gewurztraminer. If you like intensity and power but don’t enjoy overdone residual sugar, Weinbach’s Pinot Gris is a great wine for you. Even though it has 22g/l of sugar, you don’t feel the sweetness is unbalanced given its great acidity and purity. The wine is texturally lush and a pleasure to drink with its great balance, as expected from Weinbach.

The only ‘caveat’ I’d offer is that while this is definitely better than the Mann Pinot Gris of the last post, the increase in quality is decidedly minimal when compared to the increase in price. I would definitely splurge for the higher Weinbach price for many of their wines, but this particular wine offers pause compared to some of the better value offerings such as Mann. That said, this sure is ridiculously delicious.

Excellent
$95 at Marquis

Filed Under: $60+, Alsace, Excellent, French Wine, Pinot Gris/Grigio

Spotlight on Alsace: Albert Mann Pinot Gris Grand Cru Furstentum 2008

February 23, 2011 By Shea Leave a Comment

Pinot Gris is usually a synonym for insipid due to the torrent of atrocious high-yield quality-unconscious production of this grape from wine regions far and wide, including our own backyard.

Pinot Gris from a Grand Cru vineyard in Alsace, on the other hand, calls for serious attention.

A Unique Shade of Grey

A mutation of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris bears pretty much no similarity when it comes to flavour despite looking quite similar on the vine. Plantings in Alsace are quite minimal, with only a few hundred hectares under vine. Despite this, Pinot Gris is one of the three grapes in the Alsatian “noble triumvirate” – the others being Gewurztraminer and Riesling.

I could talk about many technical aspects of winemaking in Alsace – which may happen in the future – but in today’s post I’d like to highlight the unique place that Pinot Gris has in the pantheon of Alsatian whites.

While matching Gewurztraminer for power, Pinot Gris yet finishes quite dry and adds layers of unexpected minerality and spice under all the tropical fruit. This makes it a more successful pairing with egg and onion based tarts, such as Quiche, which are traditional in the region and really taste extremely good with a high end Pinot Gris (particularly Quiche Lorraine).

In some ways it is the sheer density of the wine (despite its textural lushness) that make it unique among Alsace’s whites. There is a singular concentration in the wine’s flavours that I find utterly compelling in the best examples.

The aromas are pure without becoming overwhelming, which adds to the wine’s singularity of purpose. This is certainly a wine that fills a place no others can, and perhaps that’s why I like Alsatian Pinot Gris so much.

But What of Mann?

This is varietally correct wine, made well. There is an incredible spicyness to the nose, with baked apple and other subtle tropical aromas. The palate is classically explosively powerful but also balanced, with all the density of the fruit coupled with Pinot Gris’ unique spicyness. This is great stuff – an excellent wine that hits far above its price point. And I find this far better balanced and more interesting than Mann’s Gewurztraminer from the same vineyard.

Very Good+ to Excellent
$43 at Marquis

Filed Under: $40-$60, Alsace, French Wine, Pinot Gris/Grigio, Very Good

Spotlight on Alsace: Zind Humbrecht “Clos Windsbuhl” Hunawihr Pinot Gris 2004

January 30, 2011 By Shea 1 Comment

Alsace is a blank slate with a surface as thin as paper. As the region’s winemakers have begun to scratch at the surface, its very old and intricate etchings have started to show themselves. With a geological complexity greater than any region in France except perhaps Burgundy, Alsace’s history has led it astray from the depth of its raw materials. Once a unified terroir with no AOC designations that distinguished between sites, it is only recently since the creation of the Grand Cru AOCs that Alsace has started to rediscover its terroir.

Tradition meets Innovation

Varieties rather than soils have been the focus of Alsace for generations. Most are aware of the Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, etc. that don the labels of most Alsatian wines. Few are aware of the incredible diversity of terroirs in the region, including the wine makers themselves. Even the greatest producers like Zind-Humbrecht and Jean-Michel Deiss acknowledge that they do not fully understand what is capable in Alsace. Which varieties grow best at what sites – an age old question, but one that Alsace, unlike much of the rest of France, is only beginning to tackle. In some ways this makes Alsace more like a New World region that is just discovering its potential. Perhaps this is why Alsace is one of the most experimental regions in all of France. However, unlike the New World, grape growing has been going on in this border region between France and Germany for centuries. It is this combination of tradition and innovation that makes the region so exciting.

There are as many philosophies in Alsace as there are soil types, with some winemakers focusing on site and blends, others primarily on varietal bottlings, and still others on house style. Zind-Humbrecht is perhaps a hybrid of the first two approaches, often bottling wines with varietal labels, but also offering an extreme range of terroir focused wines. In fact, Zind-Humbrecht may be the greatest winemaker in Alsace when it comes to expressing site.

Intellect and Biodynamie

Alsace is tops in France for organic and biodynamic wine production. Zind-Humbrecht is probably the leading proponent of biodynamic wines in France. He has a completely hands off approach. Zind-Humbrecht is a trained scientist and interestingly his devotion to biodynamics came from his belief in the value of experimentation. And it was in his experiments with biodynamics that he found the greatest expression in his wines and his terroirs.

Zind-Humbrecht is also the perfect example of why ‘natural’ wine doesn’t have to mean low alcohol, lean and pretty. Zind-Humbrecht is all about power, concentration, and maximal ripeness. It’s not uncommon to find ZH wines at 15% alcohol, and they are white wines! You would also never guess the level of alcohol given the wine’s absolutely perfect balance.

Alsatian Potions

I’m not surprised that Olivier Zind-Humbrecht is a master of wine. He is clearly a precision wine maker with great intellectual power but also the sensitivity of a true wine lover and taster. No one less than that could make wine this good.

There is a lot to write about this Domaine, which I will do in future posts, but right now I will simply extol the virtues of this single vineyard profundity. This wine is honeyed grapefruit with a zesty and pervasive aroma that yet leaves an ethereal pause in one’s mind.

The signature richness and density of Zind-Humbrecht explodes on the palate: honey, lemon and lime with the intensity of a great dessert wine. Yet the finish elides anything you may expect from the mid-palate; it is completely dry. For a wine that starts out massively rich and concentrated, the final experience ends up as a layered exploration of citrus on a mineral backbone. The chalky and savory elements of the wine contradict the richness of the fruit – but it is this contradiction that is so engaging.

A compelling potion of intellectual and sensuous exploration.

Excellent+
$85 at Kits Wine Cellar

Filed Under: $60+, Alsace, Excellent, French Wine, Pinot Gris/Grigio

2010 Olympics BC Winery Profile: Hester Creek

February 12, 2010 By Shea 4 Comments

Writing about BC wines is a challenge for me. It’s a challenge because one of my biggest problems with the BC wine scene (other than our ludicrous liquor bureaucracy) is the lack of any proper critical appraisal of BC wines. Media outlets simply do not pan bad BC wine – instead either singing the praises of wines that simply can’t compare to international competition, or just not writing about wines that aren’t very good.

This is a huge shame to me because it doesn’t allow the BC wineries that are putting all their efforts into making quality wines that speak of place to shine through. These are the wineries we should be highlighting and juxtaposing to those wineries that haven’t got it quite right, particularly in the spirit of the 2010 Olympics where we are trying to highlight the BEST of Canada.

In the end, after many tastings, I think BC has the potential to become a wine region that produces consistently excellent quality wines. So, when I taste wines from BC I’m looking for wines that are courageous and that are taking the risks necessary to show unique ‘BC’ qualities. Given that we are such a new wine region, it takes a lot of courage and risk to try to put oneself out there and make wine in a BC style that does not mimic the likes of California and Australia.

From the perspective of new wineries, it is understandable that they wish to put a product out there that will sell, and so it is easy to emulate styles that are already proven successful in this market (i.e. US and Australian wines). The perfect analogy arises when we think back to high school days: when someone is insecure they try to copy something that is popular – but the best things about people arise when they are showing their own unique qualities and what is naturally good about who they are. BC is in just this dilemma. We are the “tweens” of the wine-world and we haven’t quite found our sense of self yet. When the likes of giant wine corporations like Vincor are dominating Olympic venues, it is time to start getting the word out on the best small producers in the province and not ’underwriting’ poorly made wines with ambiguous or meaningless reviews - it is the wineries taking risks and achieving results that deserve the praise and the pay-off. It is a wine writer’s duty to seek out and find these types of wineries and give them exposure and help them tell their story.

I’m going to be harsh in these reviews, but only because I want to highlight the quest for a sense of ’BCness’ in our wines and to promote what BC has to offer that is unique from every other region. Given some of the wines I tasted at Taste BC this year, I know that some of the wineries I will be profiling are going to pull through and show that they are taking the first steps towards adulthood.

The first winery I’m writing about is Hester Creek. I found writing this article very difficult because, to be honest, I did not enjoy the wines. But, I do appreciate how hard it is to get things right in the Okanagan and how wineries feel they need to cater to what they perceive to be mass-palate appeal. Hester Creek winery is situated in the Golden Mile area of the Okanagan. Here we go…

Hester Creek Pinot Gris 2008

With a nose of pear, nectarine, and peach, this was big and rich and finished off with hints of citrus, vanilla and honey. The palate brought more nectarine and peach – this is quite a big and full wine, but it is also overly rich and alcoholic. This is essentially a mimic of a basic Alsatian off-dry style. It’s actually not bad – I was honestly expecting less of the wine. However, it is hard to get a lot of the subtler fruit characteristics and aromatic complexity one comes to expect from well made Pinot Gris. The finish is also off-balance and somewhat sticky and hot. This wine would work better if it took more chances, reduced the residual sugar, and went for a fully dry and refreshing style. Also, as the wine warms up to serving temperature from fridge temperature it essentially loses its tightness and becomes a bit of a mess with flavours splashing all over the place.

In the end, this is somewhat of an innocuous wine that is ultimately inoffensive but also pretty boring. At this price point you can definitely get some decent whites, but this wine will certainly be better than most other Pinot Gris at this price point, except for carefully selected wines. But keep in mind that if selected carefully, you can get a far superior white to this for the same price. 13.8% ABV.

Fair

$17

Hester Creek Semillon Chardonnay (unoaked) 2008

The nose doesn’t give up a lot – maybe some sweet citrus (lemon and orange), licorice and a hint of minerality. The palate brings some mineral and is a bit tighter and firmer than the Pinot Gris, which is nice. There is actually a mineral component here behind the subtle citrus notes. I like that the wine is subtler and less punchy than the Pinot Gris since this gives it the ability to compliment food much more readily. I also enjoy the herbal and spice kick that the Semillon adds to the blend and I do think this wine is doing more than a lot of whites at this price point.

That said, the wine has unbalanced alcohol and, again, it isn’t as clean and crisp as it should be. It also does not quite have a sense of place nor is it a QPR mega-find. While many people would find this to be fine, to me it is exactly what I tend to associate with BC white wines that hope to achieve mass appeal: no sense of place, off balance alcohol, and not as crisp as it should be. However, you have to be fair here and you have to compare this wine to others in the same price category. 13.8% ABV.

Good

$16

Hester Creek Reserve Merlot 2005

This is very green on the nose, and is almost rubbery, with butterscotch and oak trying to hide the green bell pepper aromas that are a sign of ineffectively ripened fruit. The butterscotch and oak (mostly American) dominates the fruit on the palate, which also brings out plenty of vanilla and dill. There’s really no actual fruit showing through in this wine. I feel harsh here, but I can’t go anywhere good with this wine, especially at this price. I even tried to drink this with a burger (the easiest meat to pair with a big rich red) and they didn’t even go together because the oak flavours were so over the top.

No Good

$26

Hester Creek Cabernet Franc 2005

The nose on this is grapey, plumy and has cocoa dust, but ultimately is not giving up a lot right now. The palate is brighter and cleaner than the merlot, and while there is still way too much oak here, it is more retrained. This allows some of the herbaceous quality of the Cab Franc grape to come through, which is a good thing. My big concern with this wine, though, is its price. It is not delivering what it should at this price point at all. There are so many examples both of international wine and local BC wine that knock this out of the water. Many of the wineries I will be profiling in the next couple of weeks are perfect examples of how BC can over deliver for these price points. This wine is not one of them.

Fair to Good

$26

Overall this was an extremely disappointing look at BC wine, and it is unfortunate that this is how the series began. However, I see this as a good point of juxtaposition for the wineries to come. BC does make excellent wine – but it is wines like the ones I just reviewed that give many the impression that we don’t really know what we’re doing here. While we do have plenty to learn, steps are being taken to push the envelope and challenge the quality threshold, and, as I discovered at the recent Taste BC tasting, there are BC wineries that are absolutely going down the right track (see, for example, my recent article on Le Vieux Pin’s “Belle” Pinot Noir). I look forward to sharing my discoveries with you.

*Full disclosure, I received these wines as samples.

Filed Under: BC Wine, Cabernet Franc, Canadian Wine, Merlot, Pinot Gris/Grigio, Semillon, Spotlights, Vancouver 2010 Olympics - BC Wines