“Making good wine is a skill. Fine wine is an art.” – Robert Mondavi
Normally,
I don’t pair salmon with Chardonnay. All
palates are personal and correct for themselves. Mine prefers Sancerre. But, as with many dishes, how the protein is
prepared or the dish is sauced, is as important as the entrée itself. Besides, I was looking for an excuse to open
this wine “find” and it worked so well, I had to share the experience. On the plate
is broiled sesame salmon
(Alaskan wild-caught Sockeye). It was prepared with a mixture of lime juice,
honey, vegetable oil and coconut aminos and served with tropical fruits. The
Chardonnay? A 2016 “Novellum.”
Novellum
comes with the simple “Vin de France” appellation, meaning Wine of France. Uncorking the wine shows it is from the
Roussillon region in Southwest France, not the Cote de Beaune so well known for
Chardonnay. But I was drawn to this wine
by noticing on the back label that it was an “Eric Solomon” selection. There
are names on labels that have, for me – for decades - indicated value. Solomon is one of them. With an ARP of $12, and this bottle on sale
for just $8.97, and being unfamiliar with French wines labeled by variety
instead of region, I took a chance based on the Solomon name.
Good
thing! An interesting Chardonnay. Interesting and also pleasurable, and
(luckily) a great pairing with the salmon. Tasting this wine leaves you puzzled,
questioning just what it is that makes it unique. It’s not oaky. In fact, it finishes clean and is crisp
throughout, while yet not being thin or overly acidic. Excellent balance. But something different is
going on here that sets it apart and makes it pleasurably unusual. The vines average 30+ years of age, so fruit
is concentrated. But that’s not it. The
area in Roussillon in which the grapes are grown average an elevation of 15
meters (49.21 feet): nothing extraordinary.
Soil is clay, limestone and galets – pretty much standard. The area in Roussillon is where the Pyrrenees
meet the Mediterranean and near Mount Canigou - about
par in advantages vs disadvantages for growing Chardonnay grapes. Problem is, the wine itself speaks all
positive. After fermentation, the wine is aged in steel
(80%), accounting for its aromatics, freshness and fruit. 20% (often less) is aged in wood, but the
wood is neutral. Aging is for three
months in tank on the lees of Viognier and
therein lies the difference.
This
is genius wine! This is cool climate
California meets the sophistication of
Maconnais, a unique “hybrid” that is
100% Chardonnay from 100% Vitus Vinifera , sustainably farmed and made into
wine with great thought at every step along the way. 5% undergoes malolactic fermentation. That with the lees contact provides enough
body while maintaining the classic French profile of balance and subtlety,
suggestion vs. prevalence, finesse vs imbalance.
In
the glass, it presents medium lemon. The
nose offers light and bright notes of lemon backed up with deeper notes of candied
orange. Enjoy aromas of tropical fruit
and notes of apricot and green apple. On
the palate, both the lemon and orange repeat, but are joined with a hint of
lime. An undercurrent of minerality
carries throughout the taste with hints of crushed rock. The palate is layered. Honeysuckle, green
apple, apricot and a mild yeastiness, offset nicely by the citrus adds,
complexity. The texture is honeyed.
Others pick up pear, herbs, sour peach, white peach and spice.
This
is not wine with a gimmick to be different (for better or worse). It’s not aged in barrels used to age soy
sauce or balsamic vinegar. Years ago,
Jean-Marc and Eliane Lafage (proprietors) worked with a cooperative in
Languedoc to make Novellum from a site that in most years had some botrytis. Today, in Roussillon, there is no
botrytis. Using grapes affected by
“noble rot” is not a gimmick. But I
think the wine is better off without it.
This is a clean, medium plus bodied wine that makes the most out of a
rather neutral grape. It emphasizes
terroir, not the winemaker’s talents though they cannot be minimized. Each decision (neutral wood, percentage of
malolactic fermentation, percentage of tank aging) is critical to the finished
product. And aging on the lees of
Viognier ranks high among those decisions.
Adding weight without the secondary notes of oak adds a subtle finessed
note of grace and interest to this varietal of a thousand faces. That this wine is available at such a price
affords everyone an opportunity to experience it. And, frankly, it competes
with wines at 4-5 times the cost.
Nor
is this 2016 vintage Novellum a once in a decade hit. Rated 92 by Wine Advocate, it earned 90
points in 2015, 89 in 2014 and 92 in 2013. It seems making art is a habit with
the Novellum of Jean-Marc and Eliane Lafage.
A
votre sante!
………………………Jim
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