What's Worth Drinking

The other day someone asked me what my favorite wine was. Of course I couldn’t narrow it down to just one, or one style, but the red wines of France’s Loire Valley were some of the first to come to mind as I scrambled to pick a few favorites.

Although the region has some very interesting, but often hard to find, Malbec, locally called Cot, and Pinot Noir, the ones that I had in mind were the Cabernet Franc based wines of Saumur Champigny and Chinon. What’s great about these wines is the purity of their flavors and how multidimensional they can be. On top of a characteristically firm mineral structure, you’ll find ripe black and red berry fruit tones, as well as any number of secondary notes, ranging from forest tones to bakery spices. This layering of flavors combined with their lively acidity makes these wines widely versatile for food pairing too, going especially well with grilled dishes.

Wine #1: Clos de la Perruche 2009 Saumur Champigny

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This wine’s nose is defined by an enticing combination of red fruit and bakery tones. Frosted cinnamon buns, cherries, and plums drive the aroma, while very subtle notes of stone and dried leaves open up with a spin in the glass.

Juicy and fresh on the palate, this wine has lots of cherry and berry tones with a strong, wet stone minerality that supports the fruit. Subtle forest notes and hint of berry leaves also appear around the edges. This is a nicely balanced, clean, and fresh example of the varietal.

Worth Trying. 88 points.

Wine #2: Thierry Germain 2009 Saumur Champigny

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Intriguing, almost smoky notes of black pepper, violet candies, and black currant bush introduce the aroma. Black olive, dark red rose petals, and a faint dark chocolate and crunchy caramel tone open up too, making this wine very inviting.

Silky, smooth, and supple on the palate, it’s got a great intensity, precise acidity, and an ever present minerality. Black stone, deep black currant notes, and a combination of dried forest berries and dried black currant leaves come together with a subtly peppery edge. This is a very solid wine with great complexity and expression of place.

Worth Buying. 91 points.

Wine #3: Cuvee Signee 2009 Chinon

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Tart wild cherry tones, a deep dark forest berry note, and a violet-like floral streak introduce and drive the nose. There is also a firm wet stone and forest air quality at the core of this wine that gives it a great sense of place.

The palate shows the classically reserved, tight, and minerally quality that’s so easy to love about red Loire wines. Wild cherries, forest berries, black tea leaves, tart cherries, blackberry leaves, and layers and layers of stone unfold one after another. Striking a great balance between just ripe berry fruit and a tart juiciness, this is a fresh, smooth, and nicely integrated pour that would be great with a variety of dishes, especially from the grill.

Worth Trying. 90 points.

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The Grapevine: Have you ever had a Cabernet Franc? What were your thoughts?

Sip of the Day: Tinto da Anfora 2008 Vinho Regional Alentejano

Today’s Sip of the Day is a great wine for food pairing, as the bottling we’re going to cover seems like it was created specifically with a steak in mind. Just as big, rich, and juicy as a prime cut (and all for just over $10), I knew I was going to have to feature this one from the very first sip.

Tinto da Anfora is a red blend, coming from the Alentejo region of southern Portugal. Half of the blend is composed of Aragonez, the local name for the Tempranillo grape, better known for its role in the wines of Spain’s Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions. The native Portuguese grapes Trincadeira and Touriga Nacional then each make up twenty percent of the blend. Both are commonly added to Port blends because of their intensity in color, aroma, and flavor, as well as their firm, somewhat tannic structure and body. The remaining ten percent of the blend is made up of Cabernet Sauvignon, adding some more heft to the end product. Following blending, this wine was fermented, and then aged for a year, in oak.

Deep and inky dark aromatically, this wine wells up with black plum skin, black currant, and small, tart blackberries on the nose. Notes of smoke, a faint dark chocolate undertone, and hints of cigar wrapper show as well, with blackberry leaves and vanilla appearing with a spin in the glass.

The palate is an electric explosion of acidity, tannins, and subtle bitterness. Everything is well controlled and integrated, but also quite lively. Black currant, black plum skin, and cherry pits show at first, leading into notes of leather, wood, cigar wrapper, and stone. A very unique and intense wine with great balance.

Worth Trying. 91 points.

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The Grapevine: What’s your experience with Portuguese wines?

Sip of the Day: Domaine La Tour Vielle 2009 “Rimage” Banyuls

I know I’ve said this before in previous posts, but I think it deserves repeating; dessert wines are a tremendous value for the price. Unfortunately, they are also one of the least purchased wine styles on the market today, which could at east partially explain my first point. That said, I feel like I’m also guilty of not covering enough of them on the site. But with my new “Sip of the Day” articles I’m planning on talking about them more often.

The wine we’re discussing today is something unique that you don’t find very often, but should not be passed up when you do. Coming from southern France’s Roussillon region, the wine that we’re about to cover is a Banyuls. These wines are something like France’s version of Port. Made with a variety of grapes, predominantly Grenache, Banyuls is fortified with neutral spirits early on in its fermentation, boosting the alcohol content of the wine, while preserving the sugar in the juice and leaving a sweet final product. The wine is then aged, usually in oak, allowing a bit of oxidation to occur, giving the wine a faintly caramelly, spiced quality.

The one we’re talking about today is made with Grenache harvested from vines that are at least 45 years old. Following fermentation and addition of alcohol (mutage), it spent three years in new oak barrels prior to bottling.

A rich blend of black plums and cherries, concord grape preserves, and deep, red rose petals shows initially on the nose. A spin in the glass reveals a more subtle combination of nuances, all defined by dark fruit and delicate floral tones.

The palate is ripe, dense, and smooth, with a balancing crispness that elevates its weight. Dried herbal notes of basil and thyme accent deep notes of black plum and berry preserves, supported by a thick undertone of black stone. Sweet, rich, and very nicely integrated, this is a very solid dessert wine.

Worth Buying. 91 points.

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The Grapevine: What’s your favorite style of dessert wine?

Sip of the Day: St. James Winery 2004 Ozark Highlands Norton Reserve

Last week we talked about a wine made with the American varietal Lenoir, also called Black Spanish. In that article I also mentioned another similar American varietal, most commonly found in Missouri, called Norton. That reminded me of a Norton wine that I had tried a few months back that I had yet to talk about, and I thought that it would be fun to cover it today.

Norton, like the Black Spanish I covered on Friday, is a native American grape that packs tons of flavor and richness into a wine that tastes uniquely different from wines made using European grape varietals. It has an intense grapey backbone, on top of which loads of complexity are able to build when handled by an experienced winemaker. Norton was actually once one of Americas most successful wine varietals, with strongholds along the east coast, but following prohibition, the varietal was not widely replanted, leaving it fairly unknown today. Fortunately, a number of producers, mostly in Missouri, are reviving the Norton grape by making some truly fascinating wines with it. The one we’re talking about today is a great example of that, and also shows the cellarability of these wines, coming from the 2004 vintage. Best part of all, you can pick up the current vintage of this reserve Norton from St. James Winery online for only $19.99.

A gorgeous combination of leather, kitchen spices, vanilla cream, and dried plum show initially on the nose. Toasted coconut macaroons, sage, blackberry, honey, and licorice all make an appearance, creating a beautifully complex aroma.

Prune and poached black plum introduce the palate, quickly giving way to vanilla, creamed honey, sage, and leather. Toasty coconut tones and tart black cherry notes show around the edges and into the finish. This is a plush, deliciously complex, and wonderfully unique wine.

Worth Buying. 92 points.

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The Grapevine: Ever tried an American wine or an American hybrid? What were your thoughts?

Anyone who has read my articles before probably knows that I like to cover some “under the radar” material. I’m also a fan of drawing attention to lesser known wine regions, so today’s post is going to be especially fun.

Today we’re covering two wines, one white and one red, from a producer in Texas that I’ve found to be among some of the most reliable in the state. Dry Comal Creek Winery, located between San Antonio and Austin, specializes in varietals that are both well known and obscure. Along a solidly made line-up of Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and the like, are also unique oddities like French Colombard and Black Spanish. Not surprisingly, those last two are the wines that we are about to be having a closer look at.

Wine #1: Dry Comal Creek 2008 “Bone Dry” French Colombard

French Colombard is a grape that is widely planted and used in enormous amounts of production, and yet, its name remains fairly unknown. That’s because Colombard, a mildly flavored grape that is capable of producing a large amount of fruit, is often blended with other varietals to create cheap table and jug wines, and is also the grape behind the wine that is distilled to make the famous brandies of France’s Cognac and Armagnac. Despite being widely used for these purposes, Colombard is rarely seen bottled varietally, but Dry Comal Creek releases two of them, an off dry version and a bone dry version, the one that we’re covering in this post is the bone dry one, meaning the final blend is finished with absolutely no residual sugar.

This wine has a very interesting combination of aromatics, showing a rich core of fruit, with a subtle creaminess and a light mineral streak. Honeyed peaches, golden apples, and quince mix with a faint hint of melon, crushed stone, and a vague minty quality open with some exploration.

Honeyed and fruity on the palate, this wine shows a smooth, round, mouthfeel, a faintly bitter minerality, and a balanced acidity. Lots of peach and quince in nectar show initially, giving way to a floral tone, and an orange zest finish. Nicely round, smooth, and balanced, this is a solid representation of an unknown varietal.

Worth Trying. 88 points.

Wine #2: Dry Comal Creek 2008 Texas Hill Country “The Original” Black Spanish Reserve

If someone asked you to name a wine grape, or two, or five, or ten, or even more, odds are every one of them would be native to Europe. Vitis Vinifera grapes, those originating in Europe, absolutely dominate our wine industry and everything from the big names like Merlot, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir to even the lesser known oddities like Gewurztraminer, Blaufrankisch, and Roditis are all part of this family.

However, in America we have our own native families of grapes, most of which have historically been used only occasionally for home made wines, but were generally accepted to be not actually fit for table or fine wine production. The only possible exception would have been a few select grape varietals in the Vitis Aestivalis family, Norton and Black Spanish. While Norton plantings in Missouri have gained recognition for being able to create some very unique and well made wines, Black Spanish from Texas is beginning to emerge as a second truly American viticultural success story.

Both Norton and Black Spanish, also called Lenoir, have aroma and flavor characteristics entirely different from those found in Vitis Vinifera wines. American grape varietals are commonly described as tasting more “grapey”, also sometimes described as “foxy”, named after the American Fox grape. Both Norton and Black Spanish are capable of expressing terroir, developing with bottle age and extensive decanting, and building layers of complexity just like Vitis Vinifera grapes, but they do so on top of a different background of core aromas and flavors that are totally unique to American vines. The difference is almost like two masterpieces being painted by equally talented artists except using two entirely different mediums, like watercolor versus acrylic.

The uniqueness of these wines have led many winemakers historically to try to soften them with more familiar flavors by blending them with Vitis Vinifera grapes, often in the form of sweet or dessert wines. However, Dry Comal Creek’s Black Spanish gives a rare look at the varietal completely on its own. Additionally, it comes from the Texas Hill Country appellation, where the grape is slowly beginning to develop a bit of a stronghold.

Blueberry and tons of kitchen spice notes burst from the glass aromatically. Cardamom, allspice, cinnamon, and ginger show immediately afterward, giving way to wild clover honey and earthy tones of chocolate, suede and smoke. Very complex and extremely unique on the nose, this is a very inviting wine.

The palate is defined by a bright acidity initially with a smooth, soft mouthfeel. Refined and delicate with lots of kitchen spice, soft tones of molasses, wild clover honey, and plenty of plush red fruit show at the core. Interesting notes of chocolate, caramel, and tobacco also make an appearance, just before a honeyed, pleasantly bitter, and lasting finish. Truly something different, this is also a very well made wine and one that every true wine lover should try to seek out.

Worth Trying. 92 points.

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The Grapevine: What’s the strangest wine you’ve ever had?

Sip of the Day: Marcato NV “iPrandi” Lessini Durello

Attention Prosecesso lovers, this one’s for you. Two days ago I talked about a brut nature Cava, a Spanish sparkling wine made in the traditional Champagne method. Today we are going to be covering another sparkler, this time made using the charmat method.

Making traditional method sparkling wine involves starting a second fermentation after the wine has been bottled and then allowing the spent yeast cells from that fermentation to break down and influence the wine’s flavor and aromatics, boosting its complexity and body. Charmat wines undergo their second fermentation in large vats and are filtered off their yeast sediment before they are bottled, preserving the purity of the wine’s fruit flavors and aromas without much influence from the yeast.

Probably the best known Charmat method wine is Italy’s Prosecco, made from the Glera grape. Prosecco is fairly well known and loved for its easy drinking, fresh, and fruit forward flavors, and styles range from the very inexpensive to the refined. Today’s wine, a Durello, is the lesser known sibling of Prosecco, also from the Veneto region of northern Italy, and made using the Charmat method. This one is actually a blend of 85% Durello and 15% Chardonnay finished “extra dry”, leaving just a small amount of sugar in the final blend, giving this wine a very subtle sweetness. I found this one at one of my favorite little wine shops, the Packing House Wine Merchants in Claremont for just around $10.

Golden apples, white flowers, and a very faint kitchen spice quality introduce this wine’s aroma, while a spin in the glass reveals vanilla, something slightly musty, and a very faint note of wet stone.

A lush mouthfeel with a rich, full mousse introduce the palate. Golden apple, kitchen spices, and white flowers define the core flavors, while a delicate acidity and a very faint sweetness come together to create a very easy to enjoy, well integrated and fun sparkler.

Worth Buying. 88 points.

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The Grapevine: What’s your go-to bubbly?

Every wine lover needs what I like to call a “secret weapon”. To me, that’s a wine that you know time and again is going to deliver something great for the price. I’ve got a pretty extensive list of these, most of them consisting of unknown varietals or wines from somewhat obscure regions.

Today I want to talk about one of my most fool proof secret weapons, Spanish Monastrell. Probably slightly better known as Mourvedre, these wines bring an awesome combination of flavors together, with bright, ripe fruit at their cores and bold earthy tones that bring to mind things like saddle leather and cacao powder. Time and again you can get a very complex, multidimensional, and beautifully layered Spanish Monastrell for easily under $20, many times much less. In fact, I found both of the wines that we’re talking about today for around $10.

Wine #1: Vinedos de el Seque 2008 Alicante Monastrell

Our first wine is the product of forty year old, high altitude vines that have been sustainably farmed in the region of Alicante (south eastern), Spain. It spent one year in French oak prior to release.

This wine’s aroma is an intriguing patchwork of red and black tones. Dark chocolate seems to enrobe bright notes of cranberry and goji berries, with deep dark notes of plum and wild strawberry showing in the background. Subtle hints of leather and pine nuts appear with a spin in the glass.

Juicy and full of fruit on the palate, this wine is further accented by notes of leather and vineyard dust. Pine nuts, cacao powder, plums, and strawberries all show up before a lasting finish.

Worth Buying. 90 points.

Wine #2: Olivares 2008 “Altos de la Hoya” Jumilla Monastrell

This wine really brings something special to the table. Like our first Monastrell, this one also comes from high altitude, old vines grown in the south east of Spain (this time somewhat less eastern) in the Jumilla region. But for a little something extra, this wine sources its fruit exclusively from a single vineyard, housing vines that are planted on their own, ungrafted roots. Following a native yeast fermentation, it was aged for six months in French oak.

Dark chocolate and saddle leather appear at first on the nose with a rich smoky quality emerging afterward. Smelling roasted and robust, there is also a deep briar fruit quality to this wine that is appealingly ripe and nicely complex.

An impressive ripeness shows on the palate, accenting deep fruit and berry tones. Burnt caramel, chocolate, coffee beans, and vanilla mingle with lots of stone and earth tones at the core. With great intensity and a juicy plumpness to the fruit, this is an interesting and very enjoyable pour.

Worth Buying. 91 points.

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The Grapevine: What’s your go to red?