PLUMPJACK McWILLIAMS OAKVILLE VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2009

“If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with them…the people who give you their food give you their heart.”….. Cesar Chavez

This one was easy.  I went to their house and brought the food.  To cinch the deal, I also brought the wine and cooked the food. But we were already long-time friends.  In retrospect, I think the wine assured we would remain so. This is Napa juice in that rich, lusciously decadent style that earned Napa Cabernet Sauvignon international attention.

The entree plate served up thick slices of sweet onion baked in beef broth and coconut aminos, drained then broiled quickly with Gruyere cheese.  Oven roasted beets (red, golden and Chioggia) with goat cheese, fresh thyme and sage and, finally, grass-fed filet mignon over a bed of Shitake mushrooms finished in a light sherry cream sauce.

Cabernet Sauvignon is to steak as the magician is to your kid’s party.  Its tannins transform the steak’s protein and it’s magically symbiotic; the steak elevating the wine and the wine returning the compliment, eliciting oohs, aahs and wows from the “audience”.  Putting a meal together for five by one’s self and in someone else’s kitchen guarantees that some things will not go well, especially for just an average cook, rushed, and with less than acceptable plating skills.  But as I’ve often said, if the wine is good, really good, some errors will go unnoticed. And yes, this wine is that good.

The juice is 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petit Verdot, aged 80% in NEW French Oak and comes from their estate vines grown on the eastern side of sun drenched Oakville. All that sun creates rich, fully ripened fruit and all that new oak adds luxurious secondary notes.  The nose is rich with blackberry, currant, black cherry and cedar woven together in a fine tapestry with a hint of sage.  Blackberry carries onto the palate, joined by cassis, bell pepper, black olive, graphite, oak and vanilla.  Fruit is rich, but offset by the cedar and notes of leather, herbs and spice.  Other tasters note anise, mocha, mint, licorice and charcoal.

Despite its rich fruit, creamy, silky and gliding across the palate, Plumpjack is concentrated and focused and should age well, becoming more complex, through 2029.  It has a medium plus finish that will probably extend itself with aging but is a delicious experience now.  Tannins are perfectly integrated.  And there’s no “heat” on the finish, allowing the fruit and secondary notes to dissipate naturally without being cut short or obscured by alcohol burn. 

The Plumpjack Winery and Vineyard dates back to 1881 when it was then known as Mount Eden Winery.  Multiple shifts and changes to 1995 when it became Plumpjack.   In 2000 (because of cork taint damaging the wine industry across the board) Plumjack boldly moved to twist-off closures on 50% of their Reserve 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon, demonstrating a commitment to quality at the risk of market perception. Forward to 2016, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate awarded 100 points to Plumpjack’s 2013 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Back now to this 2009: Despite its ARP of $130, supplies of Plumpjack sell out quickly with bottles of this vintage now being sold on auction at prices above $210. At either price, this is not your “daily red” but a special occasion bottle or gift bottle for lovers of Cabernet Sauvignon.   Look for current vintages.  2009 was rated (as a vintage) 96, but so was 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 and can you some money on that “once in a lifetime” experience.

Cheers!

………………… Jim

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ETCETERA

PlumpJack Winery

620 Oakville Cross Rd

Oakville CA 94562

https://plumpjackwinery.com/

ALC:                                                  14.8%

Robert Parker                                     94 Points

Wine Enthusiast                                 93 Points

J. ROCHIOLI RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY OLD VINES SAUVIGNON BLANC 2017

“Drinking good wine in good company is one of life’s most civilized pleasures.”… Michael Broadbent

Every time I enjoy Sauvignon Blanc, I’m still surprised that this grape, along with Cabernet Franc, is responsible for creating Cabernet Sauvignon: a red wine grape more structured than either of its parents, tannic and with concentrated phenolics.  But DNA profiling took this from suspicion to fact back in 1997.  Now the only suspicion remaining is when (not how) this occurred. The “how” is that the crossing was spontaneous, an act of Mother Nature in the field.  The “when” is guessed to be in the 18^th century, and the “where” is in the Loire Valley of France.

That brings me to surprise number two.  The Loire Valley is home to Sancerre.  It is home to Pouilly-Fume and their eastern satellites: Quincy, Reuilly, and Menetou-Salon.  The climate here and the porous limestone soil argue intelligently for matching the variety to terroir.  And when it comes to enjoying Sauvignon Blanc, this is the juice I have always drank.  It is the spiritual home of this varietal.  Despite New Zealand catapulting into the U.S. market “big time” with its Marlborough style in the mid-1980s, Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire is still my “reflex” option.   All palates are personal and mine prefers the more subtle, mineral notes from France.

Problem is, this Sauvignon Blanc is from California. Vines are estate grown in the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County.  I had tasted Rochioli’s “Estate” (blend) Sauvignon Blanc before. (see http://www.winemizer.net/2018/03/rochioli-vineyards-sauvignon-blanc-2017.html ).   The blend is not of varietals, but separate plots (all estate) and 55% of that blend is harvested from the original 1959 plot from which this single vineyard (“Old Vines”) Sauv Blanc is exclusively made.   As a life long Francophile, I shouldn’t like it as much as I do.   But three generations and over seventy-five years of wine making and grape growing experience by the Rochioli family in the Russian River Valley AVA have won me over.

I served this wine with the first course of a dinner I prepared for some very dear friends.  Best wines should always be shared with friends.  And with the first course being asparagus soup, Sauvignon Blanc was a given. It’s the wine that can pair with this challenging vegetable.    My original concern was “How much better could this single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc be?”  As I said, 55% of the estate blend is comprised of juice from this same plot.  I ordered just two bottles.  That’s two too bad!  While the estate blend is seductively delicious, this “Old Vines” (list) wine takes it up a notch.

Somehow, Tom Rochioli has managed in the “new world” to repress yet express fruit. His wine serves as a definition of “balance”, a see-saw of “old world” terroir and “new world” fruit melded with nuance. In the glass, it’s suggestion rather than dominance.  Stronger on the nose than a comparable Sancerre it weaves together that region’s minerality with a hint of New Zealand’s grapefruit and South Africa’s savory qualities.  It’s all there, but each note is reserved; working in harmony as an essential contribution to the balanced whole.

I understand you’re looking for traditional tasting notes. But that’s the beauty of Rochioli’s single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc.  Using them - the crib notes of wine reviewers - would be a disservice. If you appreciate seduction, hint, nuance – you will appreciate this wine for its complex mystery. The challenge in tasting and talking about this magnificent Sauvignon Blanc is dissecting its flavors. The wine is a woven texture of intermingled tastes.  Vegetative/herbal (grass, green herbs, tomato leaf, sage) against tree fruit & melon (green melon) and citrus (lime, grapefruit). Gooseberry vs. rounder, softer notes. Lime leaves against lavender. It’s the seamless melding of characters in Rochioli’s Sauvignon Blanc that amazed me. Nothing to excess. Everything in balance, playing against its opposite. It plays in the glass and on the palate as a symphony, not a concerto. No one note is dominant, each coming in at seemingly the right moment and with just the correct volume to work for the taster's enjoyment.  The five of us at dinner (all wine aficionados, and two of us committed Francophiles) were impressed.  That’s a consensus and a recommendation for a wine you may want to enjoy at your own table.

Cheers!

……………… Jim

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(1)    Asparagus soup just needs some onion, celery, carrot and garlic, all diced, softened stove top and made smooth in the food processor then simmered in chicken broth with just a touch of half & half added later. Recipe upon request (if I can remember).

(2)    The estate blend is available retail and at the winery (or through its website).  “List” wines are available, because of their limited production, only to those individuals who have registered to be included on the “list”.  Visit the website, if interested, and sign in to be included.  Many people, like me, on the list are old and won’t be on the list forever – thereby making room.

(3)    Coming up:  Part III: The Main Course!

J. Rochioli Vineyards & Winery:                  http://www.rochioliwinery.com/

6192 Westside Rd, Healdsburg, CA 95448

ARP                                                               N/A  ($48.00 “list” price)

ALC:                                                             14.5%

DOMAINE CHANDON etoile BRUT SPARKLING WINE

“You are the butter to my bread and the breath to my life.” … Julia Child

  

Despite that this bubbly is of the house of famed Moet Chandon and Dom Perignon, it is not champagne.  Only the twice fermented-in-the-bottle juice that is produced within the Champagne region of France can be so labeled.  Other such wines produced, albeit within France, are most often labeled as cremant  (d’alsace, de Bourgogne, du Jura, de Limoux, de Loire, etc.),  some of which may even be produced exactly according to the same strict requirements of Champagne, but they are not champagne.  Other countries too have their own names such as Metodo Classico (Italy), Cava (Spain) or Sekt (Germany) and others.  So too is it with Domaine Chandon’s etoile, which is produced in California and known as sparkling wine.

Domaine Chandon produces several labels, including a rose in the etoile signature bottle and was the first (1973) French owned sparkling wine venture in the United States. Etoile may be referred to as their “prestige cuvee.”  They also produce a “tete de cru” etoile, but that is a vintage (2008).   While this cuvee is not a vintage sparkling wine, it is the top of their “house style” using the best grapes from the best lots of current and past vintages and a unique blend of reserve wines.  And, for me, it’s value exceeds it price point and is a sparkling wine that, while domestic, speaks French fluently.

The blend is 48% Chardonnay, 46% Pinot Noir and 6% Pinot Meunier (classic) from the Carneros sub-AVA straddling both Napa and Sonoma Valley. 72% is from the Sonoma side and 21% from Napa - with 7% Monterey. Carneros is kept cool by the bay breezes and thick fog making it excellent for growing sparkling wine grapes with good acidity. But this is California: warmer still and sunnier than Champaign.  Fruit is more developed and ripe with flavor that is more fruit forward, but not too much. Maybe better stated as making it more approachable.   For my palate and pocketbook, it’s a domestic that tastes French and is the best value to be had.

Bubbles are indeed fine and persistent bringing aromas of ginger and brown spice, toasted almonds, honey, and buttered toast offset by citrus notes that keep it all fresh and tantalizing.  If there is any “fault” to this creamy textured wine, it is that is SO versatile. Sure, it’s great with oysters on the half shell.  Seared scallops with a lemony beurre blanc sauce? Exquisite.

But I was making a simple, easy and casual brunch.  Something that wouldn’t take me away from the table for long, that could be served family style and enjoyed with options  So it became fresh, organic fruit with muffin cups made from hash brown organic Yukon Gold potatoes filled with egg and choice of three fillings: (1) bacon and 7 year sharp cheddar (2) dry salami, spinach and Parmesan Reggiano and (3) diced ham steak and Gruyere with fresh basil.   The fruit was perfectly ripe and delicious. Some was left.  The egg cups were just done. Not over, not under. Just right. Several were left.  The Chandon etoile?  Not a drop remained.

No wonder. On the palate, this refined and creamy sparkling wine rewards with tastes of hazel nuts, Fuji apple, hints of candied ginger and toasted almond and caramel.  The extended sur lie aging (minimum 5 years then six months in bottle before release) contributes nuttiness, texture and brioche notes, but this is all balanced and offset harmoniously by a zesty and lively citrus acidity.  This is “American” sparkling wine classically made using centuries-old winemaking techniques that results in a sparkling wine that is layered, complex, refined and refreshing, dry but not tart; richer than Chandon’s brut classic and a sparkling wine the grand dame herself (Julia Child) would serve happily.

Cheers!

………………. Jim

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ECTERERA

Domaine Chandon           http://www.chandon.com/           

ALC:                                13%

ARP                                 $32 (I’ve seen it priced between $29 - $50)

Wine Enthusiast               93 Points

Wine Spectator                91 Points

Wine Mizer                      A Staple at my House

** This is Part I of III Parts of a “dinner day” I recently prepared for dear friends.  The food was alright. The wines, however, were outstanding and need to be recognized. Join me on the adventure.

CASA SANTOS 2013 CONFIDENCIAL RESERVA TINTO-RED

“I'm generally more and more in my comfort zone in the wild”….. Tom Felton

It's grey, chilly and damp and it’s April 18. Small hail covered my walk just thirty minutes ago and the rain is expected to develop into snow tonight. Honestly, this weather is so rude I’d like to send it to its room if it had one. So the wine today is a 2013 Casa Santos Lima's “Confidencial” Reserva Tinto-Red. The wine is made from a field blend of more than forty varieties. Portuguese wines are unique and distinct and very often very inexpensive, and just what is needed on days like this. A great

wine to enjoy while reading a good book, it’s the liquid equivalent of a comforting terry-cloth robe: Full-bodied, deep garnet in the glass, this wine has a rich and creamy mouthfeel that develops tastes of bright cherry and ripe dark berry fruit. The finish is medium but develops warming notes of clove and cinnamon that linger with just enough drying tannin to keep the experience going. Don’t take this to mean it’s similar to mulled holiday wine. No, this is classically made 100% fermented grape without addition, but with the natural character of terroir driven wine. Aged 6 months in French and Portuguese oak.

Cheers

………………. Jim

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ETCETERA

Casa Santos Lima        http://www.casasantoslima.com/en/

ALC;                            3.5%

92 Points                     Wine Enthusiast

Imported By:               Tri-Vin Imports (Mt Vernon, NY)

ARP                             $12

“The best laid schemes o'mice an' men Gang aft a-gley.”…. Robert burns

I intended this to be posted April 18, but my blog was in a “Google” snit and I couldn’t access it to post this review.  Thankfully, I’m blessed with a son that somehow understands such things and diagnosed the issue, then corrected the problem.  The question was then Shakespearen:  To post or not to post. I chose post because the wine itself is such a value that it should not be ignored.   

DOMAINE LAROQUE Cite De Carcassonne CABERNET FRANC 2015

“I think there’s a reason why wine figures into so many religions.  There’s something transcendent about it.  It’s sort of the way that music is more than the sum of its parts.  You have all these elements that make up the terroir that wine can communicate.” …. Maynard James Keenan

Ah, Cabernet Franc!  You have enjoyed it from the cool growing area of the Loire Valley in France and from the Finger Lakes AVA in New York.  Lighter. Fresh. A good call for transitioning from winter’s heavy reds to summer’s lighter ones.  And this too is from France, so it must be the same as the Chinon from the Loire that you are so used to.  Except it’s not.  Not better. Not less better. Just different.  It is, after all, from the south of France where the climate is Mediterranean. Different terroir. Different wine.  But try it with an herb crusted rib eye steak and tell me it’s not very good.

It’s also amazingly priced with an ARP of $10.

Aromas of black licorice, rose, sweet black raspberry and kirsch. On the palate: raspberry liquor. Red berry fruit, ripe but unsweet. A tone of mashed, cooked fruit and vanilla. Finishes with tannins just enough to be noted while coating the back of your upper teeth.

The 150-acre Domaine Laroque has been making wine on the rocky hills just outside the fortified city of Carcassonne (a sub-region of Languedoc-Roussillon) in southern France) since the sixth century.  It is 100% Cabernet Franc, a not-too-common offering when unblended from France. Unique in the concentration of its fruit, the area is known for producing wines with dusty rose characteristics.  Tasters often refer to this wine’s notes of red currant, cranberry and tobacco with earthy and herbal notes and a hint of black pepper.  Some pick up notes of caramelized tomato paste. 

Whatever you detect, if you enjoy Cabernet Franc, this is one you won’t want to miss.

Sante!

………….Jim  

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ETCETERA

ALC:                       13.5%

Imported By:      Aquitaine Wine USA (Berkley CA)

Classification:     IGP

 

Z. ALEXANDER BROWN “UNCAGED” RED BLEND 2015

 “I’m sure wine snobs look at me and think, how dare you.” …. Drew Barrymore

Good for Drew, whatever she was referencing.  That’s how I think about this wine.  It was one I poured last year at a retail outlet and I have to confess, before then, I never heard of it. That’s the danger of being a wine snob. People still ask me why I continue to pour wine and I continue to answer, “Because it’s fun.”  It exposes me to wines I might otherwise not encounter.  Wines I might walk past at a retail outlet where I become a prisoner of my own palate’s GPS.

Pouring wine requires tasting (oh, the sacrifice!).  I’ll make short notes about my impression and share those thoughts with the people interested in a tasting.  Generally, these are “grocery store wines” - not those I get invited to as a reviewer/critic attending a nice meal and sampling wines, meeting with the winemaker on tour and, hopefully, writing about their wine.

And no, I’m not a fan of the label.  At least the back label which, in my regimented stick-in-the-mud-old-fashioned frame of mind is a waste of space.  No detail.  The wine is a red blend.  What are the varietals? Never disclosed. Instead, we are told the winemaker is also “uncaged” and that the owl (depicted on the front label) is a “guardian of the vine”.  Who cares?

Turns out Zac Brown (Z. Alexander Brown) is a country & western singer of notoriety. And he teamed up with the resources of Delicato Family Wines and Napa Valley winemaker John Killebrew to make this wine: a blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Verdot, Malbec, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon.   I’m also not a fan of “celebrity wines” but – acknowledging that it’s what’s inside the bottle that counts – I am a fan of this wine.

Well balanced, smooth, easy drinking, ripe and juicy, this is an excellent everyday wine priced for the rest of us.  Cranberry and dark chocolate on the nose. A little smoke and leather. Blackberry, plum and baking spice balance out the presentation. On the palate it’s mouth filling, rich and creamy. Bing cherry, plum, cranberry, blackberry, dark chocolate and black currant; a little vanilla and pepper. A hint of toasted oak balances surprising but subtle notes of earth. I don’t expect this at less than $18 (sometimes 16% less) a bottle.

This is sometimes cooler growing, later ripening North Coast California fruit, aged just nine months in one-third new French and American oak that comes together deliciously under winemaker John Killebrew and is budget friendly priced.  Made for today’s palates, enhanced with delicate notes of lilac, cedar and white pepper, it’s a wine that is case-worthy to buy and keep available for everyday use.

Cheers!

……………… Jim

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TECH SPECS & ETC.

Z Alexander Brown:        http://www.azlexanderbrown.com/

ALC:                                       14.5%

PH:                                         3.7

TA:                                         .57g/100ml

BORSAO TRES PICOS GARNACHA 2014

“Scores do not reveal the most important facts about a wine. The written commentary (tasting notes) that accompanies the ratings is a better source of information than any score regarding the wine’s style and personality, its quality level relative to its peers, and its relative value and aging potential.” – Robert M. Parker, Jr

I love Grenache however it is known.  Garnacha in Spain, called Cannonau in Sardinia.  And wherever it’s from: France, Spain, Italy, California, Australia - I’ve enjoyed them.   Prices for cult unblended varietals and Grenache-blended Châteauneuf-du-Pape can exceed $600 per bottle.  But I can’t tell you anything about those because I’ve never had one. What I generally enjoy are wines from $15-$50.  “Enjoy” being a relative term and understood to mean some more than others.  What I can say, definitively, is that at $12.99, I have enjoyed no Grenache more than Tres Picos.

Bodegas Borsao is in the Campo De Borja, a D.O. (Denominacion de Origin) in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon in northeastern Spain.  Written records about winemaking in this region date back to 1203. Grapes are grown on bush-trained vines averaging 35 – 60 years of age (with some dating back to the 1920s) on stony clay and limestone soil on the slopes of the Moncayo Mountains at elevations of 600 – 700 meters (1969 – 2297 ft.). 

Garnacha (Grenache) was the red wine grape of Spain, and even in the late 20^th century was the second most planted world-wide.  But with the European Union’s pull scheme, by 2010, Garnacha had fallen to 7^th place (4^th in Spain after Airen, Tempranillo and Bobal).  With Airen being a white wine grape for bulk and blending use, Tempranillo became the new king of Spanish red and has been received well internationally.  By some tastes, Tempranillo is less rustic.  And while I respect that all palates are personal, I just can’t imagine Tempranillo being used as a blend in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. There’s room for Garnacha.  When I’m posed with the dilemma of being marooned on an island and asked what one varietal I would chose, I answer “water”.  Pity our world should our choices ever be limited to just a few grapes that corporate behemoths have analyzed as the most cost effective to utilize.     

Medium bodied wine, Tres Picos is 100% Garnacha and bursting with cherry from the glass.  Floral notes join aroma of red berries on the nose.   The cherry carries from the nose onto the palate with tastes of licorice, blackberry and plum with hints of leather, though cherry (for me) is dominant. The wine is silky textured with soft tannins, juicy but made complex with garrigue and spice.  A slight smoky minerality adds to the enjoyment.

This is not intervention wine.  Juice is aged in tank and neutral French oak for ten months.  This is wine that begins in the farm on old vines properly managed for low yields (less than two tons per acre) and sited in the best areas.  Tres Picos means “Three Peaks.”  And I’d have to say if Quality, Value and Price were the three peaks of smart wine buying, Bodegas Borsa has achieved the summit.

Salud!

………………. Jim

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ETCETERA

Bodegas Borsao:     http://bodegasborsao.com/

Alc:                         15%

Imported by:           Atlas Imports LLC, Chicago IL.

Scores: 91               Wine Spectator

(Also Ranked #39 of “Top 100” 2016        

                    90 Robert Parker

                                92 Vinous/Antonio Galloni

Not a one-hit wonder, Tres Picos has a history of high scores with Parker assigning 91 points to its 2015, 90 for the 2013 and 92 for the 2012 vintage.  With an ARP of $17, an amazing value.

Pairing: Just about any red meat, beef or lamb. A grilled hanger steak, barbecued or not. Crostini with trimmed pieces of short rib, Cambozola cheese and cherry jam.

ARCHERY SUMMIT PREMIER CUVEE WILLAMETTE VALLEY PINOT NOIR

“It’s sex in a glass, so seductive, it’s hard to say no.” …Madeline Triffon Master Sommelier

She was speaking about Pinot Noir.  And I can think of no other varietal that so flames the passion of oenophiles.   Last year, while pouring wine at an event, this wine (2014 vintage) was one of five I was assigned to serve and was quickly tasted out.  No wonder.

I love Pinot Noir from Oregon.  Taste-wise, it often strikes me as a mid-point between the fruit of California and the earthiness of Burgundy. Same grape. Different juice.  Though Oregon has, in parts, somewhat similar terroir to that in Burgundy, it’s different enough to make the difference that your palate, on occasion, wants.  In fact, Burgundy itself is different enough even within Burgundy - given all is climats - to make for different wine.   So, while I enjoy all three – counting Burgundy as one - (and those from New Zealand which I didn’t but should have mentioned), that little difference of the mid-point is what makes the Pinot Noir of Oregon so fun.  

Tasting this wine, you wouldn’t know it is Archery’s entry label. It’s a powerful package. Subdued yet present fruit, not as forward as California, less elusive than Burgundy – that mid-point I referred to.  Aromas of violet with hints of chocolatey plum, black licorice and coffee. Cherry (it’s Pinot Noir after all) and blackberry on the entry. But the cherry is more black than red and it’s briary, weighting the tone.

Grapes are estate grown and from six vineyards; five within the Dundee Hills sub-AVA and another within the Ribbon Ridge sub-AVA of the Willamette Valley. Vines are densely planted on soil of a volcanic and marine sub-base limiting yield and assuring more concentrated fruit. 

Mid palate, the wine continues to open, revealing notes of red fruit, cherry, red plum, some kirsch and a hint of white pepper.  A touch of citrus lifts the presentation.  Body is medium and - it’s Pinot Noir, remember - so tannins are silky.  The finish is medium and enriched with notes of dark chocolate. The wine should be drinkable through 2022, but I doubt you’ll hold on to any that long.        

Pinot is so perfect with duck breast – sauced in a cherry reduction or a pomegranate and citrus glaze, or duck confit. Enjoy this bottle with herb roasted pork tenderloin.  Coq au vin is a natural. All sorts of mushroom preparations work nicely (bruschetta?) Goose and quail work nicely.  For cheese, consider Brie on toast with mushrooms. Want something lighter?  Pair this Pinot with a vegetable tart made of eggplant, tomatoes and zucchini.  Oregon Pinot often present a cleansing acidity that makes it not just “food friendly” but food versatile; brighter and less earthy.  And you’ll find this Pinot working nicely with wild caught Alaskan Sockeye Salmon also.

Cheers!

……………… Jim

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TECH SPECS AND ETC.

Archery Summit:              http://www.archerysummit.com/

Varietal:                               Pinot Noir

Hand Picked & Sorted

Farming:                              Sustainable

Clones:                                 Pommard, Wadenswil, Dijon 667,

                                                777, 115, 114, 113, ASW2, Mariafeld

Fermentation:                   Oak & Open-Top Stainless Tank

(With Punch Down Up to 3x Daily)

Ageing:                                 8 Months, French Oak (36% New)

ALC:                                       14.5%

ARP:                                      $49

92 Points:                            Wine Enthusiast

91 Points:                            Wine Spectator

MALENE ROSE 2016

“Rosés are some of the easiest wines to like for their fresh, fruity flavors and their crisp appeal. They can match well with a wide variety of Mediterranean cuisines, from roasted fish to poultry."
–Kim Marcus, managing editor, Wine Spectator, from the video "Summer Pinks"

People ask why I pour wine and I continue to answer, “It’s fun. Meeting people and talking wine never gets old and it exposes me to wines I might otherwise walk past.  This Malene rose is a good example. Great wine. Nondescript label. And with so many wines displayed on the shelves of larger retail outlets, it’s easy to walk past something unfamiliar. 

Last August at the Medinah Country Club, I poured five wines, this being one of them.  With summer eventually coming again despite current temps, I’m reminded of rose and this one in particular.  And I’m reminded too that walking past this one ‘twould be a pity.  It was one of the best rose wines I’ve ever tasted.  And it’s from California’s cool Central Coast, not Provence or Tavel or other areas that serious wine people justly admire.

Malene Rose is a blend of five grapes. 

59% Grenache

13% Cinsault

13% Vermentino

12% Mourvedre

3% Counoise

The blend is not for show or to grab your attention.  It’s not even printed on the back label.  It is for taste, and taste well this wine it does. This is classically made wine. Grapes are hand-picked and hand sorted in the cool early morning temperatures of harvest day.  80% is whole cluster pressed with the balance having 24 hours of skin contact.  Pressing is very gentle; similar, in fact, to that used in Champagne in order that skin extraction is minimized. Fermentation is at cool temperatures to preserve freshness, fruit and aromatics as well as varietal character. It – and aging – involve tank (74%), oak puncheons (19%) and 1200-gallon French oak Foudre (7%) adding complexity in texture and taste.  Prior to blending, the wines are aged for six months on the lees in their respective vessels which adds to both complexity and mouthfeel.  And there’s more, but you’re more interested in drinking the wine than making it.

 

I suggest you do.  Light pink in the glass, it is everything

you want in a dry rose: mouth filling, creamy textured yet crisp. Seductive notes of rose petal on the nose. A complex wine. Honeydew and strawberry aromatics contributed from the Grenache. Weight is balanced by the Vermentino and offers lift and notes of white flower and lychee. Mourvedre imparts a savory character and a flinty minerality contributing to the wine’s length on the palate. Cinsault adds additional fruit (strawberry, cherry) and a zesty freshness.  The wine delights with limestone minerality. Its finish is crisp and cleansing.    

The blend was adjusted for 2017.  This is a common practice in winemaking, necessitated by a season’s weather and its impact upon the harvest. Such fine tuning is a testament to both the winemaker’s skill and palate and his/her commitment to producing a quality blend.  Most adjustments are typically within plus or minus 7%.   Having made an effort myself at blending wine, I learned that little changes make big differences.    For 2017, the blend was:

53% Grenache

19% Mourvedre

16% Cinsault

13% Vermentino (Rolle)

5% Syrah

Malene has to be dedicated to making exceptional rose.  It’s the only wine they make.  Its name is inspired by the semi-precious gen tourmaline which exhibits a watermelon-pink hue, like the wine itself.

Cheers!

……………. Jim

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TECH SPECS:

ARP:                      $20.

ALC:                       13.1%

PH:                         3.25

TA:                         6.6g/L

Appellations

45%                        Santa Ynez Vlly

29%                        Paso Robles

13%                        Rus Rvr Vlly

10%                        Monterey

3%                          Edna Vlly

91 Points             Wine Enthusiast

Malene Wines:  https://www.malenewines.com/

BRUNO MICHEL BRUT CUVEE ROSE (ROSEE)

“Remember, gentlemen, it’s not just France we are fighting for, it’s champagne!” –Winston Churchill, British statesman and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Champagne is season less.  While I may change my preference from red to white wine, from Cabernet Sauvignon to Sauvignon Blanc depending on the season and what I’m eating, I can enjoy Champagne in every season.  In all weather. At all times.  And, if I put some thought into it, I can pair a Champagne to every meal. Each course!

But as with most wines (remember the Merlot crash after “Sideways”?) Champagne too has its trends.  “Pet Nat” was hot.  That alone is interesting given that Pétillant Naturel is an ancient technique (méthode ancestral, otherwise known as rurale) of making sparkling wine and it long pre-dates modern, twice-fermented Champagne.  While I have no concerns with people preferring the taste of wine that has not yet completed its first fermentation, has not been disgorged and may not have been filtered, I’m not jumping on the hipster bus just because some influential SOMM has discovered it in the 21^st century.

Another hot issue with Champagne drinkers is Recolant-Manipulant, known as “Grower Champagne.”  These bottles are identified by the abbreviation “RM” or the full wording on the label. It refers to a grower who makes and markets Champagne under their own label, from grapes of their own vineyards and processed on their own premises.  Conversely, the initials “NM” stand for Négociant-Manipulant.  These are the large Champagne houses that source a majority of their grapes rather than growing them.

  

Frankly, I’ve always been impressed by the wizardry of these Merlin-like Master Blenders for these large houses. Working with different growers, and perhaps even some estate grapes, and always different vintages, and reserve wines, they develop a house style that remains consistent year after year.  Weather is variable.  The wine is not.  Such skill is to be admired; not brushed aside casually because of a transient trend.

And as with still wines, grapes being estate grown is no guarantee by itself that the wine will be superior to that made from sourced grapes.   While estate grown grapes assure choice selection and other benefits, there are many wineries with huge numbers of fans that make consistently highly awarded wines from grapes that have been sourced.  So, if I haven’t blathered on too long already, let me just add that it’s really all about the wine, not the fashion.  It’s about what’s inside the bottle. And it’s either good or it’s not.  And most times, in these sophisticated times, with all of technology’s exactness, it is -  more so now than in the past.

I suppose that should position me well, or at least objectively, on the subject of Grower Champagne.  That said.  This wine is good.  And its price point (with an ARP of $42) is sounding the bargain gong.  Perhaps the ARP has to do with the layers of cost add-ons and not having to buy grapes.  And since I haven’t tasted all the Grower Champagnes out there, whatever my opinion should not be extrapolated to cover all such labeling.

Bruno Michel also produces a Cuvee Blanche brut, which I do think is the best value out there (at $39.99) for brut Champagne. But that’s just my personal palate. With few exceptions, I prefer “white” over rose.  And if I find occasion to open his Blanc de Blancs Cuvee “Pauline” (a vintage Champagne and aged in barrel), I suspect I’ll be singing its praises too.

The rose is 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Meunier from the estate’s organic, biodynamic vineyards and made organically in the saignee winemaking method. In the glass, its color is assertive as is its aroma.  Notes of rose and vanilla waft from the glass joined by a faint taste of orange.  Others enjoy tart cranberry, pomegranate and spice.  On the palate, cherry and vanilla strike, followed by strawberry mid palate. Others enjoyed raspberry joined by tastes carried from the aromas.  This is very easy drinking and smooth. Unlike his Cuvee Blanche, fruit dominates in the rose, subduing – even obstructing – its autolytic character.  There’s a clean somewhat sweet lemon-lime hint (as in the soft drink) that make this wine perhaps too easy drinking for me.  But I suspect it is also what would make it perfect for those who do not relish the yeasty side of Champagne.

This is fresh, clean and fruity.  Light and fun.  Easy drinking.  The snobs may translate these references as pejoratives, but here it from me: it ain’t meant to be so.  It is meant to describe a Champagne that certainly does well as an aperitif, and pairs well too with a dessert made with red berries or a crumble of rhubarb and strawberries.  In between, consider it a natural for tuna, shrimp, duck breasts sauced with cherries. A beet risotto course, roasted chicken (red meat) or chicken sofrito (even better).  Consider it the bottle you want to keep chilled and at the ready when time is being strained by commitments and you need to put things together quickly.   A simple plate of vegetables and dip, joined with another of fresh and dried fruits, caramelized pecans and slices of cheese.  In between, conversation and sips.  Finish with a custardy tart with fresh berries.  Critics talk about complexity.  I found this wine a simple joy.  The innocence of just being happy for a moment.  Anything wrong with that? 

Sante!

……………. Jim

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ETC.

Bruno Michel:    http://www.champagnebrunomichel.com/en/portfolio-items/rose-2/

ALC:                      12%

Imported By:      Terraneo Merchants

RS                         6g/L