Archive for the ‘Excellent’ Category
Spotlight on Spain: Alonso del Yerro 2005
Posted by Shea in $40-$60, Excellent, Malvasia, Spain, Spanish Wine, Spotlights on March 9th, 2010
Whereas last post’s Alejandro Fernandez is by now an old hat in Ribera del Duero, Alonso del Yerro is a baby in the region. It also represents some of the new international influences entering the region, with Bordeaux based consultant Stephane Derenencourt making the wines (the other one being the famous Pingus, started by a Dane). This international influence can be experienced in the wine itself, which is made in a more modern and international style than the Condado, but without sacrificing its Spanish roots.
This influx of development in Ribera del Duero has also led to an influx of vine cuttings brought in from elsewhere: many of the new plantings are not of the native Tempranillo, but of clones from other regions. This, of course, has an impact on quality, and many critics believe that plantings made with these clones are less than ideal. The now impressive reputation of Ribera del Duero has also led to an influx of cult wines and wineries that try to establish their reputation within a vintage. We’ve seen before how big scores from the likes of Robert Parker can make an unknown winery into an international sensation, with massive price increases to boot.
The trick with Ribera del Duero is knowing which producers are gouging, and which are staying more honest in their pricing. For me, the Pesquera wines have always been very fairly priced. This wine, while still of exceptional quality, is definitely creeping up a bit high in price for my liking (although nothing compared to Pingus or Aalto).
The wine pours a pure dark red, and offers a modern-styled nose of dark plum, cassis, cedar and spice box. The palate again is modern with a lot of fruit – blackberry, cassis, really ripe tomato and some spice and wood. Good hefty tannins round out the texture and mouthfeel, which is powerful and clean. This is an excellent example of how a wine can be modern and fruity but also balanced and rounded out with secondary flavours to compliment the fruit, and how a modern wine can retain typicity. For me, typicity and regionality are the only way that modern wines work, and this is a great example.
Excellent
$50 at Everything Wine
Champagne Day: Larmandier-Brunier “Terre de Vertus” Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru NV
Posted by Shea in $60+, Champagne, Excellent, French Wine on February 15th, 2010
I’ve decided that Champagne is both overlooked and too darn tasty not to drink more often. So, I’ve decided that once a month, on a random day, I will open a bottle of Champagne and write about it. This is the first of such ventures, and a good hold-over until my next BC winery profile.
Vertus, where this wine is grown and made, is located in the southern reaches of the Cote Des Blancs in Champagne – a region known for Blanc de Blancs (or Champagne made with 100% Chardonnay grapes). Champagne’s tradition is one of ‘houses’, with the great names buying grapes from unknown growers (at least to most consumers) and blending them together to make a range of wines, usually culminating in a prestige Cuvee (such as Roederer’s Cristal). However, most of the big houses also sell plenty of boring and overpriced blends for the average drinker, banking on their names. On the other side are what have become known as grower Champagnes, which are Champagnes made by the same farmers that grow the grapes. These have been gaining critical and wine geek traction as such producers attempt to make a vin de terroir.
However, all this said, a recent article by Jancis Robinson has put an important reflective caveat on valorizing all grower champagne by pointing out that there are also very good Champagnes from traditional houses. Personally, I’m still far more excted about the growers!
Pierre Larmandier, owner of Larmandier-Brunier, is clearly in favour of the grower Champagnes, being one himself. He spent a while studying in Alsace and Burgundy and noted that the best growers there got the same respect as the best producers. This, of course, is not traditionally the case in Champagne. Larmandier figures that as big houses “suffocating the vineyard”. “We have superb terroir” he says, “but we only make good wines from it”. Andrew Jefford in “The New France” calls Champagne traditionally “a wine of general appeal rather than particular excellence.” This pattern, however, is being challenged by the new breed of Grower-Producers who want the soil to express itself in Champagne in as profound a manner as Burgundy. As Jefford puts well, “We are prepared to pay that much for champagne not because it is worth it, but because there is no functional alternative and that is what the experience of drinking it costs.” This truism is unfortunate, and in my once monthly Champagne indulgance I will seek out the growers and producers putting this maxim to the chopping block.
Larmandier-Brunier’s “Terre de Vertus” is an attempt to express the terroir of their Vertus based vineyards as cleanly and articulately as possible. Extremely rare in Champagne, this wine has zero dosage, which means that no sugar is added to the wine after fermentation. This technique is traditionally used in order to up the residual sugar and balance the often highly acidic result of many sparkling wines.
Larmandier-Brunier is also a biodynamic domaine, and, accordingly, do not use additives or artificial fertalizers. Emphasis is put on viticulture and the resulting product is nothing short of outstanding. On their website Larmandier-Brunier explain the basics of their viticultural appraoch:
“The recipe for good-quality grapes is simple but demanding: old vines, working the soil, moderate yields; vines which thrive without having fertilisers forced into them, and mature grapes picked by hand.
But the terroir is not enough; it is to wine what the score is to music. What’s the point if the grape variety, the vineplant (the instrument) and the winegrower (the performer) are not up to standard?
Consequently, our vines are cultivated with respect for the terroir (ploughing, which favours deep-reaching roots and preserves the life of the soil) and respect for the balances of the plant throughout the growing period. In this way, the yields are naturally moderate and the wine shows its appreciation, through both its structure and its maturity.”
This was the most elegant Champagne I’ve tasted in my limited experience – very focused, delicate and intricate. The flavour – crisp apple and lithe stony mineral – is far less important to this Champagne than its texture and its structure. Oh so very clean while in the mouth, this evolves like a Wordsworthian poem, in ebbs and flows of pleasure and contemplation. But despite the subtlety of its flavour profile, this Champagne is also deeply mineral driven and presents a stony complexity that very few Champagnes I have had do. A fundamental match for salmon mousse or paté, this calls for foods with light delicate textures and focused primal flavours – I’m sure the classic oyster pairing would work fantastically here.
So, it’s time to forget about waiting for an excuse and start opening up a bottle of Champagne for no reason at all other than the moment itself. It’s well worth it: Champagne is quickly becoming the source of some of my all time favourite wine experiences.
Excellent
$110 at Kitsilano Wine Cellars
Spotlight on New World Pinot Noir: Grosset Pinot Noir 2005
Posted by Shea in $60+, Australian Wine, Excellent, New World Pinot Noir, Pinot Noir, Spotlights on February 4th, 2010
Australia is not a land known for Pinot Noir. Notwithstanding its current market woes, with people turning away from its innocuous ‘critter’ wines in ever increasing droves, Australia just never built a reputation for this storied grape. Not that it didn’t try to. It’s just that Australian Pinot Noir never really produces wines so easy to consume as its jammy shirazes. There have been growers bucking this trend though, especially in the regions surrounding Melbourne, such as the Yarra Valley, which tends to be a lot cooler than the rest of Southern Australia. Also, Australia has quite strict quarantine provisions that, unlike New Zealand and Oregon, have prevented the newest Dijon clones from being planted. If Australia opens its borders, the potential for Pinot Noir will likely dramatically increase.
The Grosset Pinot Noir is actually from a region lesser known for its Pinot Noirs and more for its Sauvignon Blancs, the Adelaide Hills. Located in South Australia, just north of the McLaren Vale, the Adelaide Hills is a very sparsely planted region compared to Australia’s major regions. It is also right on the edge of the city of Adelaide, and so the region is being encroached upon by expanding suburbs. The region’s very high elevation and relative proximity to the ocean ensure a consistently cool and misty environment, which is fairly ideal for Pinot Noir, and also provides a stark contrast to nearby McLaren Vale, which is very dry and hot. The high altitude (400m above sea level) and very cool nights tends to produce wines with sharp acidity; but, I would add that in the right hands red wines from this region retain a freshness that eludes so many Australian wines, particularly those that we tend to find on our continent.
While Grosset is famous for its Clare Valley Rieslings, which are surely some of the best in Australia, this Pinot Noir is not made from estate fruit, but from fruit purchased from vineyards in the Adelaide Hills. That doesn’t seem to impact the quality of this wine negatively in any way however, and the master hand of Jeff Grosset is very evident here. Distinct in Australia, Jeff Grosset has always believed in making wines with a sense of place. While the rest of the industry was busy blending grapes from across the country to produce their innocuous shiraz and cabernet blends, Grosset remained true to his passion for producing ‘terroir’ driven wines that still spoke of Australia, but did so with more character than normal. I think it is thanks to people like Jeff Grosset that Australia has the stuffing to weather its current export crisis and reemerge as a region with distinct terroirs, passions, and diversity. When I attended a tasting of Victoria wines last year to help support victims of the bush fires, I experienced a plethora of cooler climate wines that were all doing different things and beating a completely different drum than what most people have come to associate with Australia. And, as I have discovered over the years, there are wines like this from all over Australia, if we are only lucky enough to find them, and have an importer choose to bring them on to this continent for us. We are on the cusp of a huge transformation in the Australian wine industry, and I think it will be for the better.
I wish I could have found some information on the site and soil conditions for this Pinot Noir, but alas could not. I would very much appreciate if anyone can leave some of this information in the comments as I (and I’m sure many readers) would love to know. The nose on this was spicy, earthy and leafy but with good richness and concentration to the cherry and strawberry fruit notes. In other words, the nose was classic richly styled Pinot Noir – but with grace. The palate had good fruit, but far less up front and concentrated than I was expecting. This allowed the other flavours to come through – earth, spice, and a tart crispness that kept this very fresh. I would actually never have guessed this was from Australia and personally found the wine to be absolutely outstanding – by far the best I’ve had from Aussie-land. I think the little bit of age on this bottle helped it to integrate and present itself perfectly when I opened it.
This wine starkly contrasts with my other favourite wine of this series – the Sojourn Pinot from Sonoma – instead focusing on fruit freshness, a clean palate, and bright robust spicyness. This is a true cool-climate New World Pinot Noir and is worth seeking out if you have the chance. I would not hesitate spending this much on the wine again.
Excellent
$70 at Marquis
Winery Profile: Le Clos Jordanne
Posted by Shea in $30-$40, $40-$60, $60+, Canadian Wine, Chardonnay, Excellent, Pinot Noir, Tastings, Very Good on January 28th, 2010
My relationship to Canadian wine is both similar and dissimilar to most Canadians. It is similar because I have great pride for my country, as many Canadians do. It is dissimilar because for me pride translates into expectations. I would like my country to be famous for more than just ice hockey and doughnuts, and I demand excellence from Canada because I know we can live up to that standard. When we don’t, I feel disappointed but I never give up my search for the exceptional. While sitting at a table surrounded by other Vancouver bloggers and social media types and five glasses of wine I discovered excellence in Canadian wine, for the first time. Le Clos Jordanne has, for me, broken the threshold of quality that I have been searching for in Canadian wine for years. And, I am proud that we finally managed to do it. That Le Clos Jordanne is from Ontario does not bug me as a recently minted BC resident. I think our regionalism detracts from our nation, and I think that we should all be proud of what Canadians are doing no matter where they are from.
Le Clos Jordanne is a joint venture between Vincor and Domaine Boisset from Burgundy. The idea was to start a winery completely from scratch to capture the ‘terroir’ of a particular area of the Niagara Pininsula in Ontario around the village of Jordan. The Niagara Escarpment, on which the Niagara wine region of Ontario is located, has a limestone base deposited by the Glacier that carved out the Escarpment so many years ago. The Escarpment, combined with the cooling influence of Lake Ontario, provides the region with enough warm air to allow wine grapes to ripen properly, even given the extreme climate and, accordingly, frost and short growing season concerns.
Viticulture Manager Thomas Bachelder explained that the aim to produce wines with a sense of place was a decision to take the lessons of Burgundy seriously and to treat the terroir with respect rather than simply copying certain methods. Whereas California became giddy with malo-lactic fermentation and heavy French oak treatment despite the fact that their terroir was nothing like Mersault, Le Clos Jordanne aims to produce wines whose oak and fermentation process compliment the climate, soil, and growing conditions of the grapes. I think they have learned these lessons well (likely because Thomas spent time learning to make wine in Burgundy), and I am hugely impressed with the various wines’ ability to remain distinct from each other, despite very similar treatment in the cellar.
Recently in Montreal a group of wine experts set up a remake of the famous judgment of Paris tasting of 1976 that saw California wines beat French wines in a blind tasting. The idea was to pit France vs. America again, although this time with different wines. However, unbenknownst to the experts, a Le Clos Jordanne Claystone Chardonnay was snuck into the lineup and, amazingly, won top honours in the Chardonnay category. And, just so you have a sense which producers the wine was competing against, consider the likes of Jean-Claude Boisset, Joseph Drouhin, Mer Soleil, Sonoma-Cutrer, and Chateau Montelena, amongst others. These are serious competitors who are well respected and garner high scores from all sorts of media. As much as such tastings must be taken with a grain of salt, I think that this achievement is significant.
So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at the wines. In a non-traditional move we were encouraged to begin with the Pinot Noirs before moving on to the Chardonnays. The first wine was the basic ‘village wine’ Village Reserve Pinot Noir 2006, which retails here in BC for $30. This was very forward and fruity, with a nose of spice, and medium bodied cherry. While simple, the palate is also really enjoyable with its dense but grippy medium body, hint of caramel and spice, and fantastic density and delineation. Very Good+.
I next moved on to one of the single vineyard offerings, the Claystone Pinot Noir 2006, retailing at $45. This was a big step up in terms of structure from the basic village wine. It had a softer, stonier nose, with a decidedly twiggy element. The palate was again soft, but also fruit driven and very elegant. Its grippy dry texture is austere but also draws into a lengthy and wonderful mineral finish. Very Good+ to Excellent.
The last red, the Grand Clos Pinot Noir 2006, was a selection of the best parts of the vineyards, and is a big very complex wine that is still very young. The nose had fantastic layering even as it was difficult to derive all the aromas just yet. Its red berry fruit was, as Thomas said, distinct from many New World Pinot Noirs, which often tend towards darker, richer fruits. The palate had a touch of grapefruit, some eucalyptus, and a spicy mid-palate. The great mid-palate structure will allow this to sit a while and develop more significant separation of all the complex layers. This is very likeable, but also reserved. Excelent. $70.
And, now on to the whites, beginning with the Claystone Chardonnay 2006 (the winner of the Montreal tasting). These chardonnays are unlike anything else being done with the grape in Canada that I’ve tasted so far, and are certainly vastly superior to most every BC chardonnay I’ve tasted. In fact, these are almost dead ringers for very tasty Burgundy wines, even while still having a sense of place. Is it distinctly Ontarian? Well, that will probably take some time to tell, but this is a great start. The nose is rich and has pineapple, banana and licorice. But this is not a flabby or buttery chardonnay. No, this has great acidity, is very clean and highlights its citrus flavours while offering hints of opulence with its banana and caramel. The long, minerally finish brings the palate back down to earth and keeps the opulence in check. A very good chard. Very Good+.
The last wine, a Grand Clos Chardonnay 2006, was my wine of the tasting. It is still reserved and I can understand why some would prefer the Claystone right now, but for me this kind of chardonnay is what you would see in a young Premier or Grand Cru chablis – tightness, almost reticence, but with the promise of greatness. The palate doesn’t give a lot up yet, but is dense and very complex. The texture is rich and wonderful – very rounded and even more opulent than the Claystone – but the structure is outstanding. This is real chardonnay, built for food, and could one day rival an excellent wine from Burgundy. Excellent.
In conclusion, these are the first wines from Canada that I’ve given an excellent rating to, and they well deserved it. For me, they broke the quality threshold that I’ve been longing for all these years. My only hope is that as many of you as possible can get the chance to taste these. Right now they are in very limited supply (I believe some are at 39th and Cambie), but if you want to taste great Canadian wine, these are absolutely worth seeking out. Colour me extremely impressed.
Spotlight On New World Pinot Noir: Sojourn Cellars Sonoma Coast ‘Sangiacomo Vineyard’ Pinot Noir 2006
Posted by Shea in $40-$60, Californian Wine, Excellent, New World Pinot Noir, Pinot Noir, Spotlights on January 13th, 2010
Today I venture a few hundred kilometres north of Santa Barbara County into Sonoma County. While Pinot Noir is grown in many regions within the County, including the notable Russian River Valley, today’s wine was produced with fruit grown in the hot (as in popular) Sonoma Coast AVA. This AVA is somewhat weird given that it was created for political reasons in order to allow certain wineries to continue to label their wines as estate bottled, despite the fact that the region is vast and encompasses dissimilar terrain, including parts of the Russian River and Carneros. However, a lot of really hot pinots are coming out of this AVA, even if it is unrealistic to describe a “Sonoma Coast” style.
The Sonoma Coast has extreme exposure to marine influences and high altitude, making it one of the coolest regions in Northern California. Because conditions are so cool, the best vineyards here actually face south to allow the grapes to ripen fully. Similarly to the Santa Rita Hills, the Sangiocamo vineyards in the Sonoma Coast AVA are very close to the ocean in what is called the “petaluma gap”, which is a region where cool air is drawn inland and also one of the last regions where grapes are harvested in Sonoma.
In terms of the vintage, according to the Sojourn website, “The 2006 growing season was a challenging one in many respects for Sonoma County grape growers. June and July brought blistering heat, mixed with some very cool and foggy stretches of weather. Clusters were very tight and berry sizes were larger than normal.”
Sojourn cellars was started by a couple of friends with a passion for grapes – a familiar story in California. They claim that they want to make new world wines that are influenced by the old world (whatever that means). I can tell you that I don’t think these wines have much “old world” in them, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t unique. Recently Sojourn Cellars has started to gain semi “cult” status, with some big ratings on their pinot noirs making the wines go upward in price and downwards in availability. The fact that the price is still reasonable for the quality is probably helping them sell their wines despite the recession.
This wine is unique. I’m not sure I’ve tasted a Pinot Noir quite like this before. It is undoubtedly very different from the Au Bon Climat Santa Rita Hills Pinot that I looked at yesterday. I should also mention that this was TIGHT when I first opened the bottle, and really only came into its own with a couple hours of decanting. But, right now as I smell the wine I get earth and cherry in a classic pinot way, but also a dense layer of herbs that gives the wine an almost grassy spicyness on the nose (kind of like sniffing mountain grass).
When I first tasted the wine I was not into it. It was a bit syropy, had dominant oak flavours, and quite harsh alcohol on the back end (it is 14.4% ABV). But boy did that change with the decant. Now this wine is tasting like earthy cherry, really unique almost curry like spices (think Korma), and deep herbal notes. I also enjoy its wild berry tartness and freshness, even as it has a hell of a lot of structure from the oak. The vanillan quality of the oak really subsided with air and became a beautiful layer of custard-like viscosity. My initial thought that this was over-oaked was simply misplaced. In fact, I would say this is one of the most interesting Pinot Noirs that I have tasted. It’s nothing like anything, except itself. You gotta love wine like that.
Excellent
$47 at K&L in San Francisco
Spotlight on Southern Italy: Di Majo Norante Falanghina del Molise DOC 2006
Posted by Shea in $20-$30, Excellent, Falanghina, Highly Recommended Values, Italian Wine, Southern Italy, Spotlights on January 11th, 2010
In this last post of my Spotlight on Southern Italy series I will be looking at both a rare white grape and a very tiny region. The wine region, Molise, is nestled between Abruzzo and Puglia on the east coast of Italy, and it is far enough north to almost be out of what many would consider to be Southern Italy. Molise is a mountainous and heavily wooded region and there are many wines being made in the mountains, although none currently are being imported into the North American market. In fact, most wines made here aren’t sold commercially at all, but made for and drunk by locals. This region is quite poor and so in order for the wines to start improving and being bottled, there will need to be some sort of investment from elsewhere. This producer is an exception to that general rule, and is actually making some pretty good stuff.
The three DOCs in Molise are Pentro d’Isernia, Biferno and Del Molise (which encompasses the entire area). The coastal regions have a very mild climate, with little rainfall in the summer, although this region is cooler than the other, more southerly, regions I have already profiled.
White wines are far less common in Southern Italy than the reds, but Falanghina is one of the more important white varieties. Mostly grown in the Campania region, it produces fragrant and juicy wines and does well in coastal areas. While this grape is blended most of the time with other indigenous grapes, it does come in a 100% form in varietally labeled wines like this one.
Di Majo Norante has its own estate vineyards near the ocean and the town of Campomarino. Even though it is situated in Molise, it makes its wines in a more Campanian style, and so they have Southern Italy at their heart. Di Majo Norante has been bottling wines since 1968 and makes several reds and whites, including some interesting sounding blends.
The nose on this wine was big and promised warm climate flavours with its aromas of ripe apple, tropical mango and guava. The palate was bigger and denser than the nose, with guava, burnt coconut, banana, and honeyed wildflowers. Despite the opulent flavours, the wine finishes very clean, and while this is a lower acid white, it has good structure and a significant and dry finish. The nose and fruit flavours are similar to an Alsatian Gewurztraminer but the opulence and richness of the wine is cut by a line of acidity and a very dry finish. In my mind, this is an extremely well made warm-climate white wine that is also an outstanding value.
Excellent and Highly Recommended Value
$23 at Kitsilano Wine Cellars
And so concludes my first theme in the “Spotlight” series. In conclusion, Southern Italy is producing many great values, although it still has a long way to go before it gets full respect. More investment, modernization, but also attention to detail and proper wine making practices will be necessary to catapult the regions of Southern Italy into the purview of the consumer of high quality wine and beyond the house wine at the local Italian trattoria. Sicily has probably come furthest and closest to this goal. Of course, several of the wines in this spotlight have shown the tremendous value that can be had from Souther Italy, and I think that over the next decade we will continue to see quality improve but prices stay reasonable, making the regions of Southern Italy worth watching.
I hope you enjoyed reading this spotlight as much as I did researching and writing it. If you have any suggestions for what you would like to see change or what future topics would be of interest, drop me a line in the comments.
A Weekend Treat: Flying Horse Napa Valley Petite Sirah 2006
Posted by Shea in $30-$40, Californian Wine, Excellent, Highly Recommended Values, Petite Sirah on January 9th, 2010
I have one more post to go in the Southern Italy series, but I wanted to write up this little treat I have been sipping on for a few hours now. I feel compelled to do so because this is not only a great value wine, but it represents the difference between thought, care, and passion on one side, and mass market, simplification, and dumbing down on the other.
Petite Sirah is a tough grape to make really well. It’s hard to ripen at high altitudes, but it can get flabby and weak in endless heat. Add to that the tendency of producers these days to add a tremendous amount of oak treatment to their wines, ripen the grapes to obscene levels, and generally burn or manipulate all of the original and beautiful rustic character of Petite Sirah out of it, and you have a grape with great potential but little realization. This bottle of wine shows the possibilities of the variety in California. It could be the next zinfandel.
Petite Sirah, when done right, actually does not have high alcohol, massive fruit forwardness or even simple approachability. Rather, Petite Sirah is rustic just like, say, aglianico is rustic or tempranillo from warmer regions in Spain. Petite Sirah is a very small grape with a high skin to flesh ratio, and therefore a tremendous potential for tannin and extract. But it’s unique because all that great flavour and ageability comes, in California mind you, with the simple pleasure of a wine under 14% ABV. I can’t push this variety enough, as long as you taste the right example.
So, it seems that John Clerides over at Marquis has found THE textbook example of petite sirah. I say this as a PS lover who has had many many expressions of the grape when I lived down in California. The Flying Horse is special. With classic blackberry and plum on the nose, this is a classic kind of wine that doesn’t need manipulation. It is pure in itself. The palate brings tons of berry fruit flesh, and is really alive. You can taste the life in the wine. There is proper acidity here, along with a great mouthfeel. I think this also has a ton of structure that gives this wine the potential to age into something that would equal a $100 bottle of wine. It’s also great because it can clearly pair with food that is made in a more french style rather than the pure fat bbq stuff that most petite sirah needs. The restrained oak does not cover over a fundamental rusticity that keeps the wine real and true to the grape. This is getting more and more uncommon these days. Absolutely wicked. Textbook petite sirah.
NB: The last wine I wrote up this well sold out the day after my review, so please save some for me, I need more of this.
Excellent and Highly Recommended Value
$36 at Marquis
Spotlight on Southern Italy: Two Nero d’Avolas from Sicily
Posted by Shea in $20 and under, $40-$60, Excellent, Good, Italian Wine, Nero d'Avola, Southern Italy, Spotlights on January 6th, 2010
Sicily has been an important wine region for thousands of years. Much like Apulia, Sicily was a cultural cross-roads throughout most of European history, and has been controlled by the Greeks, the Romans the Byzantines, the Arabs, and the Catalans from Spain. And, amazingly, the land has been under vine throughout the majority of that history. Perhaps this is why Sicily is now Italy’s largest wine producing region.
What I found particularly interesting when doing research for this post was the discovery that Sicily has very similar climate and soil conditions to Napa Valley. Nonetheless, Sicily hasn’t really had much of a reputation for good dry red wine, instead being much more famous for the dessert wine known as Marsala. I chose not to write about Marsala, however, because what is now exciting about Sicily is its increasing presence in the world of quality dry red wines. Particularly, critics’ eyes and praise have turned towards wines made from the nero d’avola grape over the last several years. While there are many versions of the grape that are pretty simple wines, there are also some very complex renditions of the grape available. And, even so the cheaper nero d’avolas usually offer good value for the money and make good house table wines. Plantings of modern international varieties such as chardonnay, merlot, and syrah are also beginning to populate the island, but in my mind it is what is going on with indigenous grapes that is most interesting. There are 19 DOCs in Sicily, and quite a few indigenous grapes beyond nero. If I have time in a future post I may discuss one of the DOCs that produces wine from pretty obscure grapes in more detail. For now, nero d’avola is king.
Modern wine making techniques have now engulfed Sicily. While not all producers use modern techniques, machine harvesting and commercial yeasts, etc. are becomming more and more common. The best producers, of course, will avoid such practices, but as a consumer one should be aware that they exist. However, there are still two distinct lines of attack when it comes to Sicilian nero d’avola: the traditional and the modern. Even wines made with modern techniques can be traditional in their approach to flavour and structure. Some of the big hot shot wineries, such as Planeta, which I review below, are pumping up the oak treatment and reducing yields considerably to produce more modern styled wines.
The first nero d’avola I tried was the Donnafugata Sedara Nero d’Avola IGT 2007, a wine made in a pretty traditional style (even with obvious modern techniques and cleanliness) by one of Sicily’s oldest producers (going on 150 years). The nose is classic for this variety with meat, black pepper, char, and blackberry. The palate is bright and soft up front with blackberry and red plum. The mid-palate is pretty simple and serves up a peppery side of game. The finish is soft and short and the wine has a very soft and sweet tannin structure. This is a pretty simple wine – it’s not going to wow anyone. And there are certainly much better nero d’avolas around for a bit more money. However, this still beats out a lot of $20 wines for drinkability and overall quality and it is made well, with all the components in balance. Grab this for the traditional pairings of a red meat pasta, pizza or side of game and you will probably be very happy.
Good+
$20 at BCLDB
The second nero d’avola I tried was the modern styled Planeta Santa Cecilia IGT Nero d’Avola 2006. Planeta is a modern dynamo winery in Sicily, founded in the 1990’s by cousins Alessio, and Santi Planeta and their uncle Diego Planeta, who was already famous in Sicily’s wine scene. The story behind this particular wine is that the company founders and the wine maker wanted to find the best possible site in Sicily for nero d’avola and produce the highest quality wine from this variety possible. After years of searching they found a vineyard in the very southeasterly Noto region of Sicily that they felt was perfect for the grape. This wine is 100% nero
d’avola, is fermented in steel tanks and is aged for 12 months in 2-3 year old French oak. The vines for this nero d’avola are pretty low (although not miniscule) yielding, offering 8.5 tons per hectare.
This is a modern wine. But, it is also a very very good wine. With a nose that introduces many layers and types of earthy flavour, game, smoke, meat, and dark black fruits, this had great expressivity already. The palate was sparkling and incredibly unique – a plush dark fruit layer washes over the palate up front and then cascades into plums, a tangy blackcurrant, wildflowers, and manuka honey. There is greaty body and length to this absolutely killer bottle from Sicily. A hint of mocha tickles the palate on the finish as the smokey charred game fat rumbles forward to complete the wine, but the oak treatment, while noticeable, is very thoughtful and adds to rather than disrupts the fruit. This is nothing like Planeta’s wines made from the international varieties like syrah and chardonnay. This is very distinctive and very Sicilian even while being modern and unlike classic nero d’avola. One of the most exciting wines I’ve tasted in the last year or so and completely worth the pennies.
Excellent
$49 at BCLDB
Nero d’avola is clearly producing wines of great merit in Sicily and I would look out for both the simple bottles for a weekday meal and the slightly pricier and more interesting creations for a special occasion. Both are well priced for what you get. Southern Italy really is on a roll with the quality for value moniker that us wine geeks love to hate. I say, so far the wines of Southern Italy are hitting all the right places.
Spotlight on Southern Italy: Apollonio Primitivo NV
Posted by Shea in $20-$30, Excellent, Italian Wine, Primitivo, Southern Italy, Spotlights on January 4th, 2010
In order to give my blog some more focus and increase both the educational dimension and the simple fun of blogging I’ve decided to create a weekly focus for the blog, whether it be a region, a grape, or a concept in wine-making. Each post in a given week will focus on a different aspect of the weekly theme, and I hope to prompt discovery of the lesser known, the unnoticed and the misconceived. This week’s focus is on the wines of Southern Italy, a large area with several regions that often get neglected by wine drinkers. And, this is a shame given both the quality and the values to be had in the region. In this week’s posts I will be focusing on wines from Apulia (the heel of Italy’s boot), Campagnia (near Naples), and Sicily, starting with a primitivo from Apulia.
The sheer bulk of wine produced in Apulia is surprising – its annual production makes up around 17% of the national total. For a country that is the largest wine producing nation in the world, that’s a considerable volume of juice. The tradition here for some time was to ship grapes north to Turin in Italy where it was made into Vermouth, or to ship wine to France as a fortification for the French stuff when vintages were bad. This has changed recently, and more and more producers are looking to make and bottle high quality wines within the region. This shift from large production and boring wines to wines made from lower-yielding vines and better agriculture practices is starting to show tremendous promise for the region. The relatively superb value of the wines is a good reason to explore.
Apulia sees sun nearly the entire year round and has an extremely temperate climate. There is almost no rain there either – so we’re talking a climate that is considerably different from the famous regions in Northern Italy. This type of heat means that grapes will ripen more easily and will tend to produce wines with higher brix (or sugar levels). Despite this intense climate, Apulia is not producing wines that are similar to California, instead producing wines with more old world panache.
There are actually 25 DOC wines (the mid-level Italian quality rating) within Apulia, including Primitivo di Manduria. While this wine is labelled as a Salento Rosso IGT ”primitivo”, it is made 100% from that grape. There are debates about primitivo’s origins, with some sources claiming it was brought into Apulia by Phoenician settlers thousands of years ago, and other claiming that it was brought to Italy as late as the 1700’s. In any case, primitivo is a fascinating grape and, although the two are not completely genetically identical, it was recently discovered that it is the likely origin of California’s zinfandel – a wine that has become synonymous with the state. Unlike California zin, however, Italian primitivo tends to be earthier and a bit more rustic, even as its fruit power is undeniable. The dense concentration of Italian primitivos is a relatively recent development. As I mentioned above, the improved vineyard and wine-making practices are to thank for the dramatic increase in quality wines from the region. In fact, the large producer Antinori has moved into the region and is starting to produce wines from the primitivo grape.
Luckily, for now the clout and recognition of this region is small, though growing. This tends to mean that the wines are tremendous values and very fairly priced. I should mention that the great power of Italian primitivo also does not sacrifice natural acidity like California versions often do. The higher levels of natural acidity in Italian primitivo make it more successful at pairing with food. Too often California zinfandel’s high alcohol and low acid make it extremely difficult to fit with anything other than the most robust foods.
The producer Apollonio – who make this wine – is located on the Salento peninsula of Apulia, which even with the hot climate sees incredibly cold nights, which preserves acidity in the grapes and retards the ripening of the grape to allow for more even development. Production sits around 50 000 cases, so this is not a super small producer, although also by no means a huge one. It’s actually quite amazing the quality Apollonio consistently manages even with this relatively large production. Clearly the wine-maker knows what he is doing.
The nose on this wine was big and deep with plum, cedar, earth, sage, spice and some black cherry. The palate is equally big, but also has nicely balanced natural acidity and brings great fruit with cherry, plum, and peach, laced with chocolate. The palate is smooth and not at all hot, and the wine finishes with some length and a sage-like herbal quality. This wine has amazing fullness, but balanced alcohol and acidity. Real wine for a real price – a fantastic start for this week’s spotlight.
Excellent
$30 at Kitsilano Wine Cellar
Domaine Andre & Mireille Tissot Vin Jaune 2000
Posted by Shea in $60+, Excellent, French Wine, Vin Jaune on December 31st, 2009
I’ve written about the wines of Jura before, that old tucked away region in the eastern reaches of France near the Swiss border. Tissot, a fully biodynamic domaine, is now run by Stephane, the son of the winery’s namesake. The Tissot Graviers Chardonnay made my #2 wine of 2009 with its stellar combination of unique wine-geek flavours and approachability.
Vin Jaune, a special oxidized style of wine unique to the Jura, traditionally pairs with the famous cheese Vacherin mont d’or, also from the Jura region. This pairing was so good that I think I’m going to make it a Christmas Eve tradition. To understand how this wine tastes it is useful to look a little into the unique process that goes into creating it. The wine is made from late harvest Savignan grapes, a variety that is related to “Traminer” (aka Gewurztraminer). As the wine ferments in small old oak casks it is not “topped up” as traditional wine is, which allows an air gap to form in the barrel. Just like Sherry, a film of yeast forms on the wine and covers it (known as the voile), which partially protects it from oxygen. This is similar to Sherry’s “Flor”, although it is less thick and thrives better in a low alcohol environment. Thus, Vin Jaune can ferment with a yeast film at its lower 15-16% ABV. The wine ages for quite some time, and is not released until just over 6 years after harvest. Amazingly, this wine can age up to 50 years, and some claim it can last for 100.
This is an incredibly rare wine in the North American market, and few people will ever have the chance to drink it. We here in BC are lucky to have the opportunity to do so, even if it costs a sizable chunk of cash. In my opinion, the money is well worth it not just for the experience, but also for the sheer quality of the wine. The Sherry-like oxidation on the nose provides an enticing backdrop to the aromas of honey, flowers, apple, brown sugar, white chocolate and coffee. Really, you could sniff this for years and keep getting new aromas. Taste is optional!
But, of course it is an option I could not help but indulge in. The palate has that saline sherry quality from the oxidation, but the Vin Jaune has much more freshness than a fino sherry, and it reminds me somewhat of an old white Rioja with lemon and lime citrus zip. As the palate develops you will also detect caramel and nuts (like a fuller bodied oloroso Sherry). There is incredible mid-palate acidity that promises great ageability, but also great potential to pair with food. Balanced and long, the wine also tasted great with the Vacherin and cut through the funky flavours of the washed rind. This wine demands attention and slow appreciation and is an extremely engaging experience. Even though you get less then a full 750ml per bottle, this will take many hours to consume if you spend the requisite time necessary to appreciate each sip. The Tissot Vin Jaune is a wine geek adventure worth having, and one that I won’t forget for some time.
Excellent+
$95 / 500ml at Kitsilano Wine Cellar
The Vacherin was $40 at Benton Brothers Cheese
