Summer isn't over yet, and here is a good white wine for summer evening sipping: River'sTale from South Africa.
South Africa has dramatically beautiful wine country and a long and checkered wine history. Things are on the up-and-up lately, but it is still relatively unknown in the wine world, which makes it a good place to go treasure hunting
This wine comes from the Orange River region in the north of the Cape Province along the west coast of South Africa. Most of South Africa has a Mediterranean climate, cooler than the lattitude would suggest due to a cold Atlantic current. The climate in the Orange River area is hotter, making irrigation necessary. This is the area that produces crisp Chenin Blanc and Columbard that made South Africa seem the world's best source of bargain white wine.
River's Tale is a blend of 55% Chenin Blanc, 25% Chardonnay, and 20% Colombard. Interesting. I got crisp, clean flavors and pears and mellon. I paid only $3.95 a bottle, a great value.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Other End of the Spectrum - 1976 Lafite
I recently opened a bottle of 1976 Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Here's the story.
Many years ago, in my nascent wine enthusiast days, I bought some very good Bordeauxs. Ah, those were the days! The wines you could get for five or six dollars a bottle!
Well, I decided to splurge. I had recently gotten married, and I decided to buy a case of the best available wines from that vintage. I went to the wine store and got a case each of 1976 Lafite and Latour. I paid about thirty dolars a bottle, which was hugely expensive in those days.
Frank Schoonmaker: " Chateau Lafite - In the opinion of most impartial experts, and perhaps in the mind of the general public as well, the ne plus ultra of Claret and the greatest red wine vineyard in the world. Lafite or Lafite-Rothschild was ranked first among the First Growths in the Bordeaux Classification of 1855, and has maintained its place with surprising consistency over the decades. Its special fame dates from the 17th. century, when it was the property of M. de Segur, and it was purchased in 1868 by Baron James de Rothschild."
Hugh Johnson: "Lafite ---- makes about 800 barrels if its fabulously expensive wine; a perfumed, polished, gentlemanly product."
Claude Feret: "The celebrated growth of Lafite is of remote origin and very ancient renown. It occupies the finests crests in Pauillac, a region the Latin poet Ausonius spoke of as early as the year 325 B.C. The bouquet of Lafite is very suave, and of incomparable delicacy; its savor brings together, at the same time, the taste of almonds and the scent of violets."
Once in a while, on our anniversary, I open one. This year was one of those years, so I got out my last 1976 Lafite and opened it (what am I waiting for, right?).
What was the wine like? Well, its hard to live up to that kind of hype. The wine was definitely polished and smooth. I got flavors of cherries. The tannin was all gone, so it was not a blockbuster sort of thing, something more subtle. Relatively low alcoholic content, only about 12%. It was almost ethereal ; something to savor. An interesting experience, not the type of wine you run into every day, to say the least
If you happen to have any lying around, I recommend drinking them up; they will not improve with any more age.
Many years ago, in my nascent wine enthusiast days, I bought some very good Bordeauxs. Ah, those were the days! The wines you could get for five or six dollars a bottle!
Well, I decided to splurge. I had recently gotten married, and I decided to buy a case of the best available wines from that vintage. I went to the wine store and got a case each of 1976 Lafite and Latour. I paid about thirty dolars a bottle, which was hugely expensive in those days.
Frank Schoonmaker: " Chateau Lafite - In the opinion of most impartial experts, and perhaps in the mind of the general public as well, the ne plus ultra of Claret and the greatest red wine vineyard in the world. Lafite or Lafite-Rothschild was ranked first among the First Growths in the Bordeaux Classification of 1855, and has maintained its place with surprising consistency over the decades. Its special fame dates from the 17th. century, when it was the property of M. de Segur, and it was purchased in 1868 by Baron James de Rothschild."
Hugh Johnson: "Lafite ---- makes about 800 barrels if its fabulously expensive wine; a perfumed, polished, gentlemanly product."
Claude Feret: "The celebrated growth of Lafite is of remote origin and very ancient renown. It occupies the finests crests in Pauillac, a region the Latin poet Ausonius spoke of as early as the year 325 B.C. The bouquet of Lafite is very suave, and of incomparable delicacy; its savor brings together, at the same time, the taste of almonds and the scent of violets."
Once in a while, on our anniversary, I open one. This year was one of those years, so I got out my last 1976 Lafite and opened it (what am I waiting for, right?).
What was the wine like? Well, its hard to live up to that kind of hype. The wine was definitely polished and smooth. I got flavors of cherries. The tannin was all gone, so it was not a blockbuster sort of thing, something more subtle. Relatively low alcoholic content, only about 12%. It was almost ethereal ; something to savor. An interesting experience, not the type of wine you run into every day, to say the least
If you happen to have any lying around, I recommend drinking them up; they will not improve with any more age.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Stealing My Thunder
A book has been published about many wines being over-priced, and how we should stop buying them because good wines are available at lower prices: http://blogs.roanoke.com/fridgemagnet/stop_buying_expensive_wine.html
Sunday, June 29, 2008
German Wines
Most people think of beer as the characteristic German beverage, but Germany also produces some very distinctive and unique wines.
The grape is the Riesling. Other grapes are grown in Germany (e.g., Sylvaner, Muller-Thurgau), but I don't recommend them.
The Riesling is a very misunderstood grape and wine. It is intended to be a desert wine; that means sweet wine, and that is where many people start to have trouble. "Desert wines" are called such because they are meant to be served with - desert!! A big, tannic, red wine just won't go with desert. We need a sweet wine, to complement the sweetness of the desert, but it's not quite that simple. Many sweet wines are flat, flabby, and awful. The sweetness can be used to cover up poor quality.
In addition to the sweetness, the wine needs balance, structure,and acidity. That is what makes them hard to produce. Examples are true port, sauternes, German riesling, and Hungarian tokay. These are some of the world's truly great wines, but they are desert wines.
In Germany, the Riesling grape reaches it's full potential and produces what some regard as the world's best white wine. Sometimes. Germay is a cold country, and in many years, the weather is such that the grapes don't ripen sufficiently, so no good wine can be produced. Unsuccessful vintages are so spectacularly unsuccessful that many times the grapes are simply discarded or sold in bulk to the producers of sekt or cheap, jug wines. But, as Hugh Johnson says, "When the sun shines and the Riesling ripens and goes on ripening far into October, the great bosomy smell of flowers and honey which it generates would be too lush without the apply emphasis of acidity. Then the Saar (a region in Germany) comes into its own. It makes sweet wines which you can never tire of. The balance and depth make you sniff and sip and sniff again".
The secret is a balance of sugar with acidity. In years when it comes out right, there is nothing else like a German riesling.
Most of the good vineyads are on hillsides beside rivers (Mosel, Saar,Ruwer, Rhein), sometimes so steep that they literally use ladders to get up into the vineyard. The soil is mostly slate. The best vineyards usually face south, where they have the greatest chance of getting enough sunlight to ripen the grapes
The quality of a German wine is detemined by the amount of natural sugar in the juice. The more, the better. There are four terms that are used to indicate this level of sweetness and quality: spatlese, auslese, beerenauslese, trockenbeerenauslese.
Spatlese means "late harvest". This occurs in years when the weather co-operates and the grapes can be left on the vine longer than usual, making them riper and higher in sugar content. Next up the quality scale is auslese. This is a wine made from selected bunches (the ripest) of late harvest grapes. Beerenauslese means "selected berry picking"; they take the ripest individual grapes and segregate them. Very labor intensive, and very expensive. Finally, there is trockenbeerenauslese. Here, the super-ripe grapes are attacked on the vine by the botrytis mold, which has the effect of taking water out of the berries and concentrating the juice. It produces a wine that can best be described as comparable to a true Sauternes.
Since the location of the vineyard plays a large role in determining the chances of the grapes to ripen, it is important in evaluating a German wine to be able to determine exactly where the grapes were grown. The best vineyards are well established in certain wine villages. Thus, label reading is important with German wines. In general, a top German wine will indicate on the label the village and vineyard where the grapes were grown. Thus, Piesporter Goldtropchen is made from grapes grown in the Goldtropchen vineyard in the village of Piesport (much like a person from New York is a New Yorker). Berkasteler Doktor is from the Doktor vineyard in Berkastel. Zeltinger Sonnennuhr. Etc.
These German wines from top vineyards will always be very expensive. Buy one sometime to see what the excitement is all about. Then, for value, look for a generic German Riesling not from a named vineyard. It won't be as spectacular, but good inexpensive ones can be found, and that is our mission.
A final comment: I am not a fan of California Rieslings. They all seem flabby to me. Surprisingly enough, Virginia does produce some interesting Riesling wine (Jefferson Vineyards, Abingdon Vineyards).
The grape is the Riesling. Other grapes are grown in Germany (e.g., Sylvaner, Muller-Thurgau), but I don't recommend them.
The Riesling is a very misunderstood grape and wine. It is intended to be a desert wine; that means sweet wine, and that is where many people start to have trouble. "Desert wines" are called such because they are meant to be served with - desert!! A big, tannic, red wine just won't go with desert. We need a sweet wine, to complement the sweetness of the desert, but it's not quite that simple. Many sweet wines are flat, flabby, and awful. The sweetness can be used to cover up poor quality.
In addition to the sweetness, the wine needs balance, structure,and acidity. That is what makes them hard to produce. Examples are true port, sauternes, German riesling, and Hungarian tokay. These are some of the world's truly great wines, but they are desert wines.
In Germany, the Riesling grape reaches it's full potential and produces what some regard as the world's best white wine. Sometimes. Germay is a cold country, and in many years, the weather is such that the grapes don't ripen sufficiently, so no good wine can be produced. Unsuccessful vintages are so spectacularly unsuccessful that many times the grapes are simply discarded or sold in bulk to the producers of sekt or cheap, jug wines. But, as Hugh Johnson says, "When the sun shines and the Riesling ripens and goes on ripening far into October, the great bosomy smell of flowers and honey which it generates would be too lush without the apply emphasis of acidity. Then the Saar (a region in Germany) comes into its own. It makes sweet wines which you can never tire of. The balance and depth make you sniff and sip and sniff again".
The secret is a balance of sugar with acidity. In years when it comes out right, there is nothing else like a German riesling.
Most of the good vineyads are on hillsides beside rivers (Mosel, Saar,Ruwer, Rhein), sometimes so steep that they literally use ladders to get up into the vineyard. The soil is mostly slate. The best vineyards usually face south, where they have the greatest chance of getting enough sunlight to ripen the grapes
The quality of a German wine is detemined by the amount of natural sugar in the juice. The more, the better. There are four terms that are used to indicate this level of sweetness and quality: spatlese, auslese, beerenauslese, trockenbeerenauslese.
Spatlese means "late harvest". This occurs in years when the weather co-operates and the grapes can be left on the vine longer than usual, making them riper and higher in sugar content. Next up the quality scale is auslese. This is a wine made from selected bunches (the ripest) of late harvest grapes. Beerenauslese means "selected berry picking"; they take the ripest individual grapes and segregate them. Very labor intensive, and very expensive. Finally, there is trockenbeerenauslese. Here, the super-ripe grapes are attacked on the vine by the botrytis mold, which has the effect of taking water out of the berries and concentrating the juice. It produces a wine that can best be described as comparable to a true Sauternes.
Since the location of the vineyard plays a large role in determining the chances of the grapes to ripen, it is important in evaluating a German wine to be able to determine exactly where the grapes were grown. The best vineyards are well established in certain wine villages. Thus, label reading is important with German wines. In general, a top German wine will indicate on the label the village and vineyard where the grapes were grown. Thus, Piesporter Goldtropchen is made from grapes grown in the Goldtropchen vineyard in the village of Piesport (much like a person from New York is a New Yorker). Berkasteler Doktor is from the Doktor vineyard in Berkastel. Zeltinger Sonnennuhr. Etc.
These German wines from top vineyards will always be very expensive. Buy one sometime to see what the excitement is all about. Then, for value, look for a generic German Riesling not from a named vineyard. It won't be as spectacular, but good inexpensive ones can be found, and that is our mission.
A final comment: I am not a fan of California Rieslings. They all seem flabby to me. Surprisingly enough, Virginia does produce some interesting Riesling wine (Jefferson Vineyards, Abingdon Vineyards).
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Chianti
Chianti is both a wine growing region and a style of wine (as is Bordeaux). The region is huge, stretching from Florence south to Siena in Italy. The style was formally established over a century ago by the illustrious Baron Ricasoli, sometime Prime Minister of Italy, at his castle of Brolio. As long ago as 1872, he distinguished between two forms of Chianti: a simple one for drinking young, and a more pretentious one intended for cellar aging. He allowed some of the then prevalent white grape, Malvasia, into the blend of early drinking Chianti with the red grapes of the time, Sangiovese and Canaiolo.
To make a long story short, Chianti has evolved over the years (remember those straw covered bottles?) to the point where there are now three levels of quality: Chianti, Chianti Classico, and Chainti Classico Riserva.
A wine labeled as simply Chianti can come from grapes grown anywhere in the Chianti region. It will generally be a simple but pleasant wine with lots of fruit flavors meant for early consumption. But there are lots of poor Chiantis, so one must be careful.
Chianti Classico comes from a smaller region that should produce higher quality results.
And finally, Chianti Classico Riserva is a producer's most serious wine, made from low-cropped, top-quality Sangiovese vines, aged in wood, with a life expectancy of ten years or more.
The opportunity for us is in simple Chianti. There is so much of it, prices are low, and gems can be found, especially as a summer wine.
One example is Caposaldo Chianti DOCG. It is a "brand name" owned by Kobrand Corporation. The grape blend is 75% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 5% Malvasia. So the style is a combination of the old (Sangiovese and Malvasia) and the new (Cabernet and Merlot). It has a nice cherry red color and well structured, intense flavors. I got it for $6.95 a bottle, a good value.
As a side note, the name comes from the Roman Empire's most famous race horse. Competing for an astounding 24 years and winning 1500 of over 4000 races, the horse was named Caposaldo by Emperor Nero.
If you can't find this one, experiment with some other Chiantis, but be sure it says DOCG (Denominazione Di Origine Controllata Garantita) on the label, which means that it is guaranteed to come from the Chianti region.
To make a long story short, Chianti has evolved over the years (remember those straw covered bottles?) to the point where there are now three levels of quality: Chianti, Chianti Classico, and Chainti Classico Riserva.
A wine labeled as simply Chianti can come from grapes grown anywhere in the Chianti region. It will generally be a simple but pleasant wine with lots of fruit flavors meant for early consumption. But there are lots of poor Chiantis, so one must be careful.
Chianti Classico comes from a smaller region that should produce higher quality results.
And finally, Chianti Classico Riserva is a producer's most serious wine, made from low-cropped, top-quality Sangiovese vines, aged in wood, with a life expectancy of ten years or more.
The opportunity for us is in simple Chianti. There is so much of it, prices are low, and gems can be found, especially as a summer wine.
One example is Caposaldo Chianti DOCG. It is a "brand name" owned by Kobrand Corporation. The grape blend is 75% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 5% Malvasia. So the style is a combination of the old (Sangiovese and Malvasia) and the new (Cabernet and Merlot). It has a nice cherry red color and well structured, intense flavors. I got it for $6.95 a bottle, a good value.
As a side note, the name comes from the Roman Empire's most famous race horse. Competing for an astounding 24 years and winning 1500 of over 4000 races, the horse was named Caposaldo by Emperor Nero.
If you can't find this one, experiment with some other Chiantis, but be sure it says DOCG (Denominazione Di Origine Controllata Garantita) on the label, which means that it is guaranteed to come from the Chianti region.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Falcon Ridge Syrah
This wine is from California's Central Coast region. This area is quite large, extending from the vineyards just south of San Francisco all the way down to the greater Los Angeles area. Some of the delimited regions within the Central Coast are Santa Ynez, Santa Barbera, and Paso Robles. However, a wine labeled as just "Central Coast", as this one is, would probably not come from one of the smaller delimited regions within the overall Cental Coast region that are generally considered to produce better wines, but could come from anywhere in the entire Central Coast, probably from a lesser area.
Syrah is the red wine grape of the Rhone Valley in France. It is the variety of red Hermitage and one of those used in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It gives a deep-colored, slow maturing wine, high in tannin.
The particular example is excellent. It has a rich, ripe feel to it with flavors of blackberries and currants. Almost chewy.
Falcon Ridge Winery is somewhat obscure, as it apparently does not have a web site, and I could find nothing on it. But the wine speaks for itself.
It is a great value at about eight dollars a botttle. I found it at Trader Joe's.
Syrah is the red wine grape of the Rhone Valley in France. It is the variety of red Hermitage and one of those used in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It gives a deep-colored, slow maturing wine, high in tannin.
The particular example is excellent. It has a rich, ripe feel to it with flavors of blackberries and currants. Almost chewy.
Falcon Ridge Winery is somewhat obscure, as it apparently does not have a web site, and I could find nothing on it. But the wine speaks for itself.
It is a great value at about eight dollars a botttle. I found it at Trader Joe's.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Wisdom From The Founding Fathers
"For me, fine wine is a necessity of life."
Thomas Jefferson
"We hear of the conversion of water into wine at the marriage in Cana as of a miracle. But this conversion is, through the goodness of God, made every day before our eyes. Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards, and which incorporates itself with the grapes, to be changed into wine, a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy."
Benjamin Franklin.
Thomas Jefferson
"We hear of the conversion of water into wine at the marriage in Cana as of a miracle. But this conversion is, through the goodness of God, made every day before our eyes. Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards, and which incorporates itself with the grapes, to be changed into wine, a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy."
Benjamin Franklin.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Chateau Plaisance and Other Bordeaux Treasures
I recently saw a Bordeaux wine at my local wine store that said Chateau Plaisance 2005 Bordeaux Superior, among other things, on the label. I became curious as to the provenance of this wine, since the store clerk told me that the distributor where he bought the wine said that the name "Chateau Plaisance" was just a generic, made-up name and didn't really mean anything. Well, this is just not plausible, since in France, wine labeling is taken very seriously; what you can and cannot put on a label is tightly controlled by strictly enforced laws. In France, calling a wine Chateau something or other just to make it sound impressive would not normally happen, or only under very special circumstances. So I became curious, and decide to undertake a little research project on this wine.
I couldn't find anything about a Chateau Plaisance in most of the standard reference books. So I went to the "bible" of Bordeaux references which lists and describes over 7000 wine producing estates in Bordeaux. According to this book, Bordeaux and Its Wines by Claude Feret, there are a total of five Ch.ateau Plaisance in Bordeaux, all of them more or less obscure. By the way, it’s not unusual for the same name to be used by more than one wine growing estate in Bordeaux. How many Chateau Bel-Air or Belair are there?
One of the Chateau Plaisance is in the Cadillac region of Bordeaux, an area that produces dessert wines in the Sauternes style, so this one is not the one we are looking for. There is another one in St. Emilion and another in Montagne St. Emilion. As I see it, neither of these is a likely candidate, since if a wine could be labeled St. Emilion rather than Bordeaux Superior as our Chateau Plaisance is, it would be. And none of the information about these two estates seemed to jive with the label on the bottle of Ch. Plaisance.
So, by the process of elimination, we are down to two remaining candidates, and both of these are in the Medoc region. One of these is in the Saint-Seurin-de Cardourne district, which is just to the north of St. Estephe, in the Haut Medoc. This estate is apparently entitled to use the appellation Haut-Medoc, and again, if a wine could use that instead of just Bordeaux Superior, it would. And again, none of the information in the book seems to indicate that this one is the one.
Now we are left with only one candidate. This one is located near the village of Macau, which is just south of Margaux in the southern Medoc. This chateau is very obscure; very little information is given about it. However, on the label of my bottle of Chateau Plaisance there are the words “Macau en Medoc” and “Margaux”. So this is almost surely our guy. According to the book, this wine is only entitled to the appellation “Bordeaux Superior” or “Bordeaux”, rather than “Haut Medoc”, so that is consistent with what we see on the label.
The label also indicates that this wine was “Mis en boutelle au chateau”, or “bottled at the chateau”. This is a guarantee of authenticity; if the wine is sold in bulk and bottled by a dealer where it could be adulterated, it cannot be labeled as “chateau bottled”. These laws are very strictly enforced in France; no one there would dare to fraudulently label a wine as “chateau bottled”. So we know that our wine did indeed come from some Chateau Plaisance in Bordeaux, and the only possibility is the one near Macau. The production is tiny, only about 500 cases, although that information is quite old, and it could well have changed by now.
To summarize, I was able to determine for sure that there is a real wine growing estate in Bordeaux called Chateau Plaisance; actually, there are five of them. I also know for sure that my bottle of wine came from one of these estates (since it is “chateau bottled”), and I can be very confident that it is the tiny estate in the vicinity of Macau in the southern Medoc. This wine is therefore an authentic estate grown and bottled Bordeaux, albeit from an obscure, minor estate.
Other than being of intense interest to the wine enthusiast, the lesson here is that there are so many "chateau" in Bordeaux that you can go treasure hunting among the more obscure ones to find bargains. My bottle of Chateau Plaisance cost $18.95, which, while above our "great value" limit of $10, is low for a chateau bottled Bordeaux. And with a special sale going on at my wine store, I can get a case of it for somewhere around $16 a bottle, which is getting good.
A good way to find a value among real Bordeaux, which tend to be grotesquely expensive, is to explore the many unknown, obscure chateau that there are. With ove 7000 to choose from, the fun never ends.
I couldn't find anything about a Chateau Plaisance in most of the standard reference books. So I went to the "bible" of Bordeaux references which lists and describes over 7000 wine producing estates in Bordeaux. According to this book, Bordeaux and Its Wines by Claude Feret, there are a total of five Ch.ateau Plaisance in Bordeaux, all of them more or less obscure. By the way, it’s not unusual for the same name to be used by more than one wine growing estate in Bordeaux. How many Chateau Bel-Air or Belair are there?
One of the Chateau Plaisance is in the Cadillac region of Bordeaux, an area that produces dessert wines in the Sauternes style, so this one is not the one we are looking for. There is another one in St. Emilion and another in Montagne St. Emilion. As I see it, neither of these is a likely candidate, since if a wine could be labeled St. Emilion rather than Bordeaux Superior as our Chateau Plaisance is, it would be. And none of the information about these two estates seemed to jive with the label on the bottle of Ch. Plaisance.
So, by the process of elimination, we are down to two remaining candidates, and both of these are in the Medoc region. One of these is in the Saint-Seurin-de Cardourne district, which is just to the north of St. Estephe, in the Haut Medoc. This estate is apparently entitled to use the appellation Haut-Medoc, and again, if a wine could use that instead of just Bordeaux Superior, it would. And again, none of the information in the book seems to indicate that this one is the one.
Now we are left with only one candidate. This one is located near the village of Macau, which is just south of Margaux in the southern Medoc. This chateau is very obscure; very little information is given about it. However, on the label of my bottle of Chateau Plaisance there are the words “Macau en Medoc” and “Margaux”. So this is almost surely our guy. According to the book, this wine is only entitled to the appellation “Bordeaux Superior” or “Bordeaux”, rather than “Haut Medoc”, so that is consistent with what we see on the label.
The label also indicates that this wine was “Mis en boutelle au chateau”, or “bottled at the chateau”. This is a guarantee of authenticity; if the wine is sold in bulk and bottled by a dealer where it could be adulterated, it cannot be labeled as “chateau bottled”. These laws are very strictly enforced in France; no one there would dare to fraudulently label a wine as “chateau bottled”. So we know that our wine did indeed come from some Chateau Plaisance in Bordeaux, and the only possibility is the one near Macau. The production is tiny, only about 500 cases, although that information is quite old, and it could well have changed by now.
To summarize, I was able to determine for sure that there is a real wine growing estate in Bordeaux called Chateau Plaisance; actually, there are five of them. I also know for sure that my bottle of wine came from one of these estates (since it is “chateau bottled”), and I can be very confident that it is the tiny estate in the vicinity of Macau in the southern Medoc. This wine is therefore an authentic estate grown and bottled Bordeaux, albeit from an obscure, minor estate.
Other than being of intense interest to the wine enthusiast, the lesson here is that there are so many "chateau" in Bordeaux that you can go treasure hunting among the more obscure ones to find bargains. My bottle of Chateau Plaisance cost $18.95, which, while above our "great value" limit of $10, is low for a chateau bottled Bordeaux. And with a special sale going on at my wine store, I can get a case of it for somewhere around $16 a bottle, which is getting good.
A good way to find a value among real Bordeaux, which tend to be grotesquely expensive, is to explore the many unknown, obscure chateau that there are. With ove 7000 to choose from, the fun never ends.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
More Evidence That Price Is Not Necessarily Related To Quality
I read an article in the Weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal recently that reviewed Merlots from California in the $20 to $50 price range. The conclusion was that most of the wines were mediocre at best! Fifty dollar wines!! These evaluations were done by professional tasters, so their opinions have credence.
This is the just more evidence of what I have been saying for a long time: In the wine world, price is not necessarily related to quality. You can pay a lot of money for a run-of-the-mill wine, and you can find some real gems for a relative pittance. Many producers seem to think that the wine consumer is too stupid to know the difference when they slap a fifty dollar price tag on an ordinary wine.
Now about Merlot, it is important to keep in mind that it has traditionally been used as one of the wines in the classic Bordeaux blend, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. The relative proportions of the blend vary from producer to producer in Bordeaux, but the wine is almost always a blend with about 20% Merlot. Also keep in mind that Bordeaux wines have been regarded as some of the absolute best red wines in the world for hundreds of years, so we should pay attention to how they do things.
Yes, in the Pomerol district of Bordeaux, the wines are usually about 80% Merlot, and some are 100%. But overall, Merlot is a component of the Bordeaux blend. It wasn't meant to "stand alone", except in some very special situations.
Here is what Bordeaux and Its Wines (the Bible of Bordeaux reference books) says about Merlot: "Merlot was often looked upon in its former times as an auxially variety. However, wine made from it has very real qualities, a lot of bouquet, savor and softness, which attenuates the firmness of the Cabernet wines and make them drinkable sooner."
I say go for a Merlot and Cabernet blend. Here is a good one: duo by Alto de Casablanca in the Maipo Valley of Chile. It's 74% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Merlot. Very good, lucious, deep, and rich flavored. It meets our criterion of a great value; don't pay more than eight or nine dollars a bottle, maybe less. Or do some experimenting with other Bordeaux blends from Chile.
This is the just more evidence of what I have been saying for a long time: In the wine world, price is not necessarily related to quality. You can pay a lot of money for a run-of-the-mill wine, and you can find some real gems for a relative pittance. Many producers seem to think that the wine consumer is too stupid to know the difference when they slap a fifty dollar price tag on an ordinary wine.
Now about Merlot, it is important to keep in mind that it has traditionally been used as one of the wines in the classic Bordeaux blend, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. The relative proportions of the blend vary from producer to producer in Bordeaux, but the wine is almost always a blend with about 20% Merlot. Also keep in mind that Bordeaux wines have been regarded as some of the absolute best red wines in the world for hundreds of years, so we should pay attention to how they do things.
Yes, in the Pomerol district of Bordeaux, the wines are usually about 80% Merlot, and some are 100%. But overall, Merlot is a component of the Bordeaux blend. It wasn't meant to "stand alone", except in some very special situations.
Here is what Bordeaux and Its Wines (the Bible of Bordeaux reference books) says about Merlot: "Merlot was often looked upon in its former times as an auxially variety. However, wine made from it has very real qualities, a lot of bouquet, savor and softness, which attenuates the firmness of the Cabernet wines and make them drinkable sooner."
I say go for a Merlot and Cabernet blend. Here is a good one: duo by Alto de Casablanca in the Maipo Valley of Chile. It's 74% Cabernet Sauvignon and 26% Merlot. Very good, lucious, deep, and rich flavored. It meets our criterion of a great value; don't pay more than eight or nine dollars a bottle, maybe less. Or do some experimenting with other Bordeaux blends from Chile.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Zinfandel
Don't buy them. After the advent of that horrid White Zinfandel, it's been all downhill, even for the reds.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Two Buck Chuck
When I lived in California, I went to a gourmet food and wine store called Trader Joe's. It's a great store in many ways, but especially if you are on a quest, as we are, to find great values in wines. They have a large selection of wines from all over the world, many of which are priced inexpensively. It's a great place to go treasure hunting.
One of the wines you will find there is a brand label called Charles Shaw. You can buy almost any varietal under this label: Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, etc. So what? Well, in California, they sell for two dollars a bottle. Yes, two dollars a bottle!!! Outside of California, it's a little more. And the wine is good. My favorite is the Shiraz. I bought a lot of it while I lived in California. Now, there is no Trader Joe's near me, so I can only go there once in a while. But when I do, I stock up on two buck Chuck Shiraz. My recommendation is to find a Trader Joe's if you can, buy one bottle of each variety of the Charles Shaw line, and then settle on your favorite.
One of the wines you will find there is a brand label called Charles Shaw. You can buy almost any varietal under this label: Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, etc. So what? Well, in California, they sell for two dollars a bottle. Yes, two dollars a bottle!!! Outside of California, it's a little more. And the wine is good. My favorite is the Shiraz. I bought a lot of it while I lived in California. Now, there is no Trader Joe's near me, so I can only go there once in a while. But when I do, I stock up on two buck Chuck Shiraz. My recommendation is to find a Trader Joe's if you can, buy one bottle of each variety of the Charles Shaw line, and then settle on your favorite.
Monday, February 4, 2008
White Bordeaux and Sauvignon Blanc
Bordeaux is most famous for it's super-premium Chateau red wines, plus the sublime desert wine Sauternes. But there is another, lesser known, side to Bordeaux: dry white wines. These are made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape, and they can be excellent. Unfortuntely, much of the white bordeaux we see is fair to poor, so we must be careful.
A good, white Bordeau is a brilliant golden yellow in color, and has tastes of butter, lemon, and tangerine. It is great as an aperitif or with seafood as a first course. To me, it's a nice change from the ubiquitous Chardonnay.
The best white Bordeaux comes from the Graves district, which gets it's name from it's gravelly soil. It is little known that Chateau Haut Brion, one of the creme-de-la-creme of the super elite Bordeaux red wine chateau, and which is in the Graves district, also produces (in very limited quantities) a dry white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc.
For a white Bordeaux, I like the generic Sauvignon Blanc from Premius (a brand name). It is labelled Bordeaux, so it doesn't necessarily come from Graves, but it is quite good and has a reasonable price, if you can find it. It has all the best attributes of a white Bordeaux.
I also have a few bottles of Chateau Maine-Bonnet, 2002 vintge, a white Bordeaux that is from Graves. This one is goood also, and I got it for under ten dollars, but it's not quite as enticing as the Premius.
I have recently tried another white Bordeaux called Chartron La Fleur. It will give you an idea of what this wine is all about, but it's a little thin. Worth trying, though.
Now lets talk about Sauvignon Blanc from elsewhere in the world. The grape does something different outside of Bordeaux. It usually produces what is often described as a grassy, earthy wine. It can be entrigueing, but you have to like this style of wine.
For an extreme example of this style of Sauvignon Blanc, try something from Australia called Silly Mid On (which is a Cricket term). The wine is actually a blend of 78% Sauvignon Blanc and 22% Semillion. It has a very unique taste, but is a bit pricey by our "great value" standards. Or try some other Australian Sauvignon Blanc.
For something more reserved, but still in the earthy style, try the Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc from California. This is more reasonably priced, but still very good, and a little more subtle.
Finally, for a zestier style of Sauvignon Blanc, find something from New Zealand.
In all cases of Sauvignon Blanc from somewhere other than Bordeaux, try a single bottle first, and then go back for more if you like it. The earthy style is not for everyone.
White Bordeaux is hard to find, but worth the search.
A good, white Bordeau is a brilliant golden yellow in color, and has tastes of butter, lemon, and tangerine. It is great as an aperitif or with seafood as a first course. To me, it's a nice change from the ubiquitous Chardonnay.
The best white Bordeaux comes from the Graves district, which gets it's name from it's gravelly soil. It is little known that Chateau Haut Brion, one of the creme-de-la-creme of the super elite Bordeaux red wine chateau, and which is in the Graves district, also produces (in very limited quantities) a dry white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc.
For a white Bordeaux, I like the generic Sauvignon Blanc from Premius (a brand name). It is labelled Bordeaux, so it doesn't necessarily come from Graves, but it is quite good and has a reasonable price, if you can find it. It has all the best attributes of a white Bordeaux.
I also have a few bottles of Chateau Maine-Bonnet, 2002 vintge, a white Bordeaux that is from Graves. This one is goood also, and I got it for under ten dollars, but it's not quite as enticing as the Premius.
I have recently tried another white Bordeaux called Chartron La Fleur. It will give you an idea of what this wine is all about, but it's a little thin. Worth trying, though.
Now lets talk about Sauvignon Blanc from elsewhere in the world. The grape does something different outside of Bordeaux. It usually produces what is often described as a grassy, earthy wine. It can be entrigueing, but you have to like this style of wine.
For an extreme example of this style of Sauvignon Blanc, try something from Australia called Silly Mid On (which is a Cricket term). The wine is actually a blend of 78% Sauvignon Blanc and 22% Semillion. It has a very unique taste, but is a bit pricey by our "great value" standards. Or try some other Australian Sauvignon Blanc.
For something more reserved, but still in the earthy style, try the Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc from California. This is more reasonably priced, but still very good, and a little more subtle.
Finally, for a zestier style of Sauvignon Blanc, find something from New Zealand.
In all cases of Sauvignon Blanc from somewhere other than Bordeaux, try a single bottle first, and then go back for more if you like it. The earthy style is not for everyone.
White Bordeaux is hard to find, but worth the search.
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