I don't pretend to be an expert on white Burgundy; I've never felt rich enough to buy the best wines of the appellation. But at tastings I have sampled enough Puligny Montrachet, Chassagne Montrachet and Mersault to know what I like. And to know that Olivier Leflaive's Saint Aubin is an excellent value that was once in my price range. This was my favorite wine at a big Frederick Wildman tasting in the late 1990s, and I bought a case for less than $150, which was a good buy even then. The current vintage of the same wine would likely cost me $350 to $400 today.
The vineyard for Saint-Aubin en Remilly is just west of the Grand Cru vineyards of Puligny Montrachet and higher on the slope. So it has the acidity and intensity that I prefer in Chardonnay. Nearing its 18th birthday, the wine is appropriately showing its age with a deep gold color. Even since my last bottle a couple of years ago, it has changed--greater maturity, less fresh fruit but more of the wonderful secondary characteristics of a fine wine. The winemaker, Frank Grux, writes that "one finds hints of almonds, cinnamon, spices and beeswax," and I agree (although I admit that I wouldn't have noticed the cinnamon and beeswax without his suggestion). What really excites me about this wine tonight is the beautiful silky texture and the long, long, long finish. This bottle, in its maturity, tastes much sweeter than any of the others from the case, but in a positive way. It's a layered sweetness, not at all cloying or one-dimensional. It remember it distinctly even the next morning.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Bodegas Olivares Altos de la Hoya Jumilla Monastrell, 2008
There are many good Spanish Monastrell (Mourvedre) wines such as Castano, Luzon Verde and Tarima on the market selling for $6 to $8. I could happily drink these inexpensive wines virtually every night, but I am more than willing to pay a 50% premium to buy this Altos de la Hoya from Bodegas Olivares.
Monastrell has been used by winemakers in Jumilla since at least the 15th century, and some of the vines used for Altos de la Hoya date back to 1872. Jumilla is a warm (some would say hot) area, but Mourvedre thrives in warm climates, and the vineyards are at an elevation of 1,500 feet where night temperatures dip low, allowing the grapes to maintain their acidity even at optimal ripeness. I have never tasted a Jumilla Monastrell that I would call fat or flabby but there is always a powerful wild berry fruit presence.
The 2008 Altos de la Hoya is deep, dark and purplish. Aromas and flavors are similar--purple fruits and purple flowers, not unlike a young Gigondas. The wine has seen new French oak, and the fruit flavors and aromas take a while to fully open. By the second night, though, the fruit is really singing. Wild blueberries and blue plums. Ripe, full bodied but also lively and fresh. Has the depth and complexity of wines costing several times as much. Worth $12.99? Of course.
Monastrell has been used by winemakers in Jumilla since at least the 15th century, and some of the vines used for Altos de la Hoya date back to 1872. Jumilla is a warm (some would say hot) area, but Mourvedre thrives in warm climates, and the vineyards are at an elevation of 1,500 feet where night temperatures dip low, allowing the grapes to maintain their acidity even at optimal ripeness. I have never tasted a Jumilla Monastrell that I would call fat or flabby but there is always a powerful wild berry fruit presence.
The 2008 Altos de la Hoya is deep, dark and purplish. Aromas and flavors are similar--purple fruits and purple flowers, not unlike a young Gigondas. The wine has seen new French oak, and the fruit flavors and aromas take a while to fully open. By the second night, though, the fruit is really singing. Wild blueberries and blue plums. Ripe, full bodied but also lively and fresh. Has the depth and complexity of wines costing several times as much. Worth $12.99? Of course.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Vignerons du Mont Ventoux Altitude 500 Ventoux, 2007
In writing about the 2011 Chateau Pesquie La Terrasse Ventoux, David Russo of G.B. Russo & Son of Grand Rapids, Michigan, says that Ventoux "drinks like a fuller bodied version of Pinot Noir." I like the comparison. And I particularly like the fact that Ventoux generally sells at a discount to the market while Pinot sells at a premium. Compared to red Burgundy or the best West Coast Pinot Noirs, Pesquie La Terrasses (at $12.99) is a great bargain. Compared to Pesquie, Altitude 500 (produced by the cooperative at Bedoin in Ventoux) is an even greater bargain, generally selling for about $8 to $10 a bottle.
Medium deep ruby. Oh, this wine is really blossoming. Lots of pepper and spice, but with the emphasis on spice. Juniper berries, lavender and also some black pepper and tobacco. Very fragrant. On the palate, yes, as silky smooth as a good Pinot Noir. Fruity but not flimsy. Full bodied elegance.
I've tried the 2009 Altitude 500 and was not so impressed. But then the wine may need a year or so to show its best. I know that I've been a critic of the 2007 vintage in the Southern Rhone, but mostly because of the excess hype. For Ventoux wines and lesser Cotes du Rhones, it is definitely an outstanding vintage.
Medium deep ruby. Oh, this wine is really blossoming. Lots of pepper and spice, but with the emphasis on spice. Juniper berries, lavender and also some black pepper and tobacco. Very fragrant. On the palate, yes, as silky smooth as a good Pinot Noir. Fruity but not flimsy. Full bodied elegance.
I've tried the 2009 Altitude 500 and was not so impressed. But then the wine may need a year or so to show its best. I know that I've been a critic of the 2007 vintage in the Southern Rhone, but mostly because of the excess hype. For Ventoux wines and lesser Cotes du Rhones, it is definitely an outstanding vintage.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Mendocino Vineyards Mendocino County Chardonnay, 2009
When I first started getting interested in wine in the late 1970s and early 1980s, I bought a lot of wines from Mendocino County--Fetzer and Edmeades are the names that come to mind. I bought them because they were cheaper than wines from Napa and Sonoma and offered a lot of pleasure for the money. I still have a bottle of the 1979 Edmeades Anderson Valley Cabernet, purchased for $8. The last bottle I tasted a few years ago was excellent and holding up well. Now, of course, Anderson Valley has forged a high-end reputation, particularly for Pinot Noir and Alsace-type whites.
Mendocino Vineyards, as far as I can tell, must be a second label of another winery; I can find no mention of it online except for this particular wine. It's made from 100% organically grown grapes, which might link it to Yorkville Cellars or Frei. The grapes did not come from the Anderson Valley but from nearby areas of Mendocino that probably have higher average temperatures during the growing season but are still cool enough to produce a fresh, zesty Chardonnay. Medium deep gold. Smells of citrus and apple. Bright and cool. Some tropical fruit on the palate. Chablis-like in style, and I suspect the wine will get even better in the coming months.
Mendocino Vineyards, as far as I can tell, must be a second label of another winery; I can find no mention of it online except for this particular wine. It's made from 100% organically grown grapes, which might link it to Yorkville Cellars or Frei. The grapes did not come from the Anderson Valley but from nearby areas of Mendocino that probably have higher average temperatures during the growing season but are still cool enough to produce a fresh, zesty Chardonnay. Medium deep gold. Smells of citrus and apple. Bright and cool. Some tropical fruit on the palate. Chablis-like in style, and I suspect the wine will get even better in the coming months.
Rhoning Stones Cotes du Rhone, 2007
This was a World Market January close-out special from a few years ago--marked down from $12.99 to $6.99. My only complaint about the wine is its cheesy pun on the Rolling Stones name while failing to reveal to me who grew these lovely grapes and where. I suspect that it probably came from the area between Gigondas and Chateauneuf du Pape, near or on the Plan de Dieu.
Very deep and dark. Probably new wood or small barrels. I'm a traditionalist, but I'm not about to kick out this wine for being too modern. Red berry scents: strawberries. Ripe, deep and concentrated. Now the dark berries of Syrah and just a hint of Mourvedre spice and pepper. As the Syrah and Mourvedre come forward, Rhoning Stones will continue to grow. A big mouthful for a Cotes du Rhone--almost like a Gigondas. Ripe red berries on the front of the palate, deeper black and blue berries on the long finish. This wine has improved a lot since the last bottle, and I think it's best days are yet to come.
Very deep and dark. Probably new wood or small barrels. I'm a traditionalist, but I'm not about to kick out this wine for being too modern. Red berry scents: strawberries. Ripe, deep and concentrated. Now the dark berries of Syrah and just a hint of Mourvedre spice and pepper. As the Syrah and Mourvedre come forward, Rhoning Stones will continue to grow. A big mouthful for a Cotes du Rhone--almost like a Gigondas. Ripe red berries on the front of the palate, deeper black and blue berries on the long finish. This wine has improved a lot since the last bottle, and I think it's best days are yet to come.
Sabrego Valdeorras Godello, 2010
The last time I wrote about this wine I was bragging about the excellent price I got on an exceptional wine: $14.99 at World Market compared to $17 to $18 at other shops across the country. Well, the price just came down as World Market closed out Sabrego at $7.49. I left one bottle on the shelf for some other lucky person.
This really is a very good wine no matter what the price. Bright golden color. Enticing leesy scents of citrus, green apples and flowers with a hint of almond paste. Medium bodied with mouth watering acidity and a long sharply focused finish. If this were a Chardonnay, I think I would be comparing it to a good Puligny Montrachet.
Godello is a traditional white wine grape for this area of northwestern Spain, and some of the old vineyards that were once threatened are now being restored. Sabrego is the Spanish word for granite, and I would suspect that the granitic mountain soil is not much good for raising anything...except for low yields of very fine wine grapes.
This really is a very good wine no matter what the price. Bright golden color. Enticing leesy scents of citrus, green apples and flowers with a hint of almond paste. Medium bodied with mouth watering acidity and a long sharply focused finish. If this were a Chardonnay, I think I would be comparing it to a good Puligny Montrachet.
Godello is a traditional white wine grape for this area of northwestern Spain, and some of the old vineyards that were once threatened are now being restored. Sabrego is the Spanish word for granite, and I would suspect that the granitic mountain soil is not much good for raising anything...except for low yields of very fine wine grapes.
Friday, February 1, 2013
SeaGlass Santa Barbara Pinot Noir, 2010
One of the best things about Pinot Noir is that, like Riesling, it truly does reflect the place from which it's grown. Santa Barbara is recognized as a good appellation for California Pinot Noir, but there is an enormous difference between these wines and those grown farther north in the Anderson Valley, Sonoma Coast, Russian River and Carneros.
The 2010 SeaGlass Pinot has smells and flavors of dark cherries, cinnamon and other sweet spices--broader, riper and without the red berries and flowers that are more typical of wines from the northern coast. I prefer the latter, but this is a good wine at a good price.
The 2010 SeaGlass Pinot has smells and flavors of dark cherries, cinnamon and other sweet spices--broader, riper and without the red berries and flowers that are more typical of wines from the northern coast. I prefer the latter, but this is a good wine at a good price.
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