Another wine in my recent French exploration! It's been fun, and I may continue for a while, but...I think Italy may be calling. Stay tuned. But for the meantime, I present a bourgogne blanc - a white Burgundy - from the Macon region. Laboure-Roi is the third largest Burgundy producer, and it has been around forever. Well, at least since 1832. They make wines in a number of appellations and at a variety of price points. This is one of the cheap ones, but I think their quality is fairly reliable.
The color is a relatively deep gold for such a young wine. I suspect it's seen a bit of oak, although I can't detect a lot of toastiness on the nose, which would darken the color. The nose also carries a lot of yeasty, baking bread aromas, which means the wine was left to age on its lees - the dead yeast cells - which may possibly darken the color as well. There is a bit of fresh fruit on the nose, such as green apple and honeydew, but the aromas are pretty subdued.
The wine very easy-going in the mouth. Moderate acid and a touch of sugar to lend viscosity. It's not what I'd call an exciting wine; in fact it's pretty pedestrian. But it's tasty and the flavors of yeast, toast, and fresh fruit are concentrated, if not complex. A very easy drinking wine, and accessible to most people, I'd imagine. And emphatically not overoaked, like many a California chardonnay. I'd recommend this wine if you're looking for something simple to serve to guests who aren't adventurous when it comes to wine. It's good and safe.
Vintage: 2009
Grape: Chardonnay
Region: Macon, Burgundy
Price: $13
Friday, February 18, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
2005 L'Oca Ciuca Toscana "The Drunken Goose"
I'll have to rely on someone who knows more Italian than "Grazie" and "Bongiorno" to tell me if L'Oca Ciuca actually means "The Drunken Goose," but either way it was good enough to get me to buy this bottle of Italian red. Not that I generally require that much persuasion. This is one of the so-called "Supertuscans" who operate outside the Italian wine laws by adding such grapes as cabernet sauvignon and merlot to their sangiovese. The horror! This particular blend is of sangiovese, merlot, and syrah.
It's an opaque garnet in the glass, with just a hint of browning towards the rim. The aromas are dense with dark fruits - blueberries and plums, mostly - and some palpable cocoa as well. The deliciousness extends to the palate. It's not at all sweet, but the fruits are juicy, the acid in perfect balance with the fine tannins and alcohol. Despite it's modest price, I suspect this wine could actually age a few more years and still evolve. The finish is a little sour, but overall the wine is very pleasant. I can see why the goose got drunk.
Vintage: 2005
Grape: Sangiovese, Merlot, Syrah
Region: Tuscany
Price: $12
It's an opaque garnet in the glass, with just a hint of browning towards the rim. The aromas are dense with dark fruits - blueberries and plums, mostly - and some palpable cocoa as well. The deliciousness extends to the palate. It's not at all sweet, but the fruits are juicy, the acid in perfect balance with the fine tannins and alcohol. Despite it's modest price, I suspect this wine could actually age a few more years and still evolve. The finish is a little sour, but overall the wine is very pleasant. I can see why the goose got drunk.
Vintage: 2005
Grape: Sangiovese, Merlot, Syrah
Region: Tuscany
Price: $12
Friday, February 11, 2011
2006 Jean-Baptiste Adam Riesling Alsace Réserve
Mmmmm....smell that mold.... Contrary to what you might expect, this is not actually a criticism of the wine. Botrytis cinerea is a fungus that, under certain conditions, can make some very luscious (and extremely expensive) white wines. Chateau d'Yquem, for example. The fungus bores tiny holes in the grape skin, letting the water evaporate and concentrating the sugars and acids in the grape; thus, many botrytized wines are very sweet - Sauternes, Tokaji, etc. But not all. Grapes that are affected by botrytis only moderately can retain enough water and be fermented dry, so you get a white table wine with the exotic floral, honey, and pineapple notes characteristic of a sweet botrytis wine.
This Alsatian riesling has all of these aromas, plus some delicous lime and orange blossom. It's a dark yellow-gold in the glass, due partly to it's age, I'm sure, but also to botrytis' influence. Honestly, I have no idea if it's going to be sweet or not on the palate. I do suspect the grapes were harvested late, which allowed the sugar levels to increase, so the wine could be sweet. Or it could have really high alcohol. Let's see, shall we?
It's half and half! It's a touch sweet, but by no means a sweet wine. Definitely some botrytis characters, some alcohol-related heat, and disappointingly low acid. This may be a result of the late harvest, since as sugar levels rise, acid levels decrease. It may also just be that the wine is a little past it's prime. While the actual levels of acid in wine don't really decrease with age, the molecules can enter into complexes with esters in alcohol, thus lowering one's perception of the acid. Once this process passes a certain point, the acid levels can seem too low and the wine feels flabby.
The wine is pretty tasty, though. I'd be happy to sit down to a glass of this, with or without food. It would have been even better 2 or 3 years ago.
Vintage: 2006
Grape: Riesling
Region: Alsace, France
Price: $12
This Alsatian riesling has all of these aromas, plus some delicous lime and orange blossom. It's a dark yellow-gold in the glass, due partly to it's age, I'm sure, but also to botrytis' influence. Honestly, I have no idea if it's going to be sweet or not on the palate. I do suspect the grapes were harvested late, which allowed the sugar levels to increase, so the wine could be sweet. Or it could have really high alcohol. Let's see, shall we?
It's half and half! It's a touch sweet, but by no means a sweet wine. Definitely some botrytis characters, some alcohol-related heat, and disappointingly low acid. This may be a result of the late harvest, since as sugar levels rise, acid levels decrease. It may also just be that the wine is a little past it's prime. While the actual levels of acid in wine don't really decrease with age, the molecules can enter into complexes with esters in alcohol, thus lowering one's perception of the acid. Once this process passes a certain point, the acid levels can seem too low and the wine feels flabby.
The wine is pretty tasty, though. I'd be happy to sit down to a glass of this, with or without food. It would have been even better 2 or 3 years ago.
Vintage: 2006
Grape: Riesling
Region: Alsace, France
Price: $12
Monday, February 7, 2011
2006 Domaine Michel Lafarge Bourgogne Passetoutgrain
Emergency - I have found a wine shop going out of business! Sad for them, and oh-so-dangerous for me, because all their wines are 20-25% off. So I splurged on a Burgundy - not a super-expensive one, and not a particularly "classic" one either - but a Burgundy nonetheless. The appellation Bourgogne Passetoutgrain is one of those rare Burgundy reds that isn't required to be made of 100% Pinot Noir. In fact, they tend to be more like 30% Pinot Noir, and the rest Gamay (the grape used to make Beaujolais, also part of Burgundy), and even some varied white grapes.
The color in the glass is beautiful - a pale garnet with lots of brown and some pale orange towards the rim. The aromas are wafting across the 2 feet between me and the glass. Definitely some grape jam (hello Gamay), but also some delicious, earthy Pinot notes, like black pepper, cocoa, mushroom, and forest floor. Very aromatic, indeed.
It's also quite nice on the palate - a little hefty on the acid, likely because 2006 was a somewhat damp year in Burgundy, and some of the grapes were unable to ripen fully - but there is still some very nice fruit, slight but refined tannins, and a peppery finish that I find very pleasing. (That last bit sounded very Jane Austen, didn't it? I bet Jane was a wine-lover....) It definitely tastes more like a Pinot than a Gamay to me, and Michel Lafarge is certainly known for his other, Pinot-based, Burgundies, so I'd hazard a bet that this is more than 30% Pinot. Regardless, it's a nice wine that I am happy to have found on the discount rack!
Vintage: 2006
Grape: Pinot Noir, Gamay
Region: Burgundy
Price: $18
The color in the glass is beautiful - a pale garnet with lots of brown and some pale orange towards the rim. The aromas are wafting across the 2 feet between me and the glass. Definitely some grape jam (hello Gamay), but also some delicious, earthy Pinot notes, like black pepper, cocoa, mushroom, and forest floor. Very aromatic, indeed.
It's also quite nice on the palate - a little hefty on the acid, likely because 2006 was a somewhat damp year in Burgundy, and some of the grapes were unable to ripen fully - but there is still some very nice fruit, slight but refined tannins, and a peppery finish that I find very pleasing. (That last bit sounded very Jane Austen, didn't it? I bet Jane was a wine-lover....) It definitely tastes more like a Pinot than a Gamay to me, and Michel Lafarge is certainly known for his other, Pinot-based, Burgundies, so I'd hazard a bet that this is more than 30% Pinot. Regardless, it's a nice wine that I am happy to have found on the discount rack!
Vintage: 2006
Grape: Pinot Noir, Gamay
Region: Burgundy
Price: $18
Friday, February 4, 2011
2009 Cave des Vignerons de Saumur White Les Pouches
Chenin blanc can have a very pronounced, somewhat telltale aroma. Some people think it smells like wet dog. Others think it smells like skunk. I think it smells like stinky blue cheese. Not always, and it becomes more pronounced, I think, when winemaking practices are less than idea (or sanitary).
This chenin blanc from the Saumur region of the Loire Valley smells like blue cheese. But not too much. A fine gorgonzola, perhaps, as opposed to a stinky stilton. There is also a cool mineral aroma, almost musty. I'm not getting any fruit to speak of.
The wine is bone-dry on the palate, and very sour. I did make the mistake of having some ice cream before tasting, though I tried to cleanse my palate. Sweet foods can make a dry wine taste overly sour and one-dimensional. So it could be that, but really I'm finding the wine quite thin in flavor, with some burning acidity. I can't really say whether it's balanced or not, because there's nothing there to balance. I'll have ot retaste this wine sometime pre-ice cream and see if it's any better. Because right now it's kind of like a glass of ice water with fake lemon juice squeezed into it.
Vintage: 2009
Region: Saumur, Loire Valley, France
Grape: Chenin Blanc
Price: $15
This chenin blanc from the Saumur region of the Loire Valley smells like blue cheese. But not too much. A fine gorgonzola, perhaps, as opposed to a stinky stilton. There is also a cool mineral aroma, almost musty. I'm not getting any fruit to speak of.
The wine is bone-dry on the palate, and very sour. I did make the mistake of having some ice cream before tasting, though I tried to cleanse my palate. Sweet foods can make a dry wine taste overly sour and one-dimensional. So it could be that, but really I'm finding the wine quite thin in flavor, with some burning acidity. I can't really say whether it's balanced or not, because there's nothing there to balance. I'll have ot retaste this wine sometime pre-ice cream and see if it's any better. Because right now it's kind of like a glass of ice water with fake lemon juice squeezed into it.
Vintage: 2009
Region: Saumur, Loire Valley, France
Grape: Chenin Blanc
Price: $15
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
2009 Celestin Blondeau Sauvignon Blanc Vin de Pays du Val de Loire
My wine class is discussing Loire wines, among others, this week so I'm...ahem...doing homework. I've had some lovely Loire wines in the past, including a 1989 Vouvray that I've probably mentioned before because it blew my socks off, or would have if I had been wearing any. I haven't had any real stinkers, but from what I understand, they are certainly out there. The viticulture & vinification restrictions in some parts of the Loire aren't as strict as other regions of France (for example, Bordeaux, where you can only pick grapes with your left hand every second Thursday of the month; I'm exaggerating, but not by much). This had led to some sloppy winemaking and overcropping practices that have left some people with a sour (literally) taste in their mouthes when it comes to Loire wines.
This one likely isn't of superior class - for one thing it says "Sauvignon Blanc" on the bottle, which is rarely a good sign on a French wine. Those strict French wine laws generally discourage - and sometimes prohibit - use of the varietal name anywhere on the bottle. Which is why you'll often have absolutely no idea what kind of grape is in the bottle you're holding in your hand. They like it that way. This wine is also just a generic "Loire," not from any specific appellation within the region, which means the grapes could come from anywhere and the laws limiting crop yield and winemaking procedures are less strict.
It's a surprisingly deep green-yellow in the glass, and what may be effervescence, or may just be that I poured a little too vigorously. The nose isn't leaping out of the glass at me, but it's pleasant enough. It's a little musty (not in a "corked" way, but just smells a little dusty, and there is some distinct brine on the nose as well, which I understand isn't uncommon for Loire wines. Which is one of the reasons they pair so well with seafood, I imagine. There is also some fruit - dried apricot and and maybe some graprefruit rind as well.
On the palate, it's actually surprisingly lacking in acidity. I mean, it's not missing altogether but this is by no means a classic cool-climate sauvignon blanc. So it's tending towards flabby and the texture is a bit oily in the mouth. A touch bitter, though that gives way to a bit more acidity on the finish. There isn't much fruit in the mouth or, really, much of anything. It's not disgusting, and it'll work fine for dinner tonight (shrimp in lemon and oregano vinaigrette), but it's not a wine I would hold up as a paragon of Loire winemaking.
Vintage: 2009
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Loire Valley, France
Price: $13
This one likely isn't of superior class - for one thing it says "Sauvignon Blanc" on the bottle, which is rarely a good sign on a French wine. Those strict French wine laws generally discourage - and sometimes prohibit - use of the varietal name anywhere on the bottle. Which is why you'll often have absolutely no idea what kind of grape is in the bottle you're holding in your hand. They like it that way. This wine is also just a generic "Loire," not from any specific appellation within the region, which means the grapes could come from anywhere and the laws limiting crop yield and winemaking procedures are less strict.
It's a surprisingly deep green-yellow in the glass, and what may be effervescence, or may just be that I poured a little too vigorously. The nose isn't leaping out of the glass at me, but it's pleasant enough. It's a little musty (not in a "corked" way, but just smells a little dusty, and there is some distinct brine on the nose as well, which I understand isn't uncommon for Loire wines. Which is one of the reasons they pair so well with seafood, I imagine. There is also some fruit - dried apricot and and maybe some graprefruit rind as well.
On the palate, it's actually surprisingly lacking in acidity. I mean, it's not missing altogether but this is by no means a classic cool-climate sauvignon blanc. So it's tending towards flabby and the texture is a bit oily in the mouth. A touch bitter, though that gives way to a bit more acidity on the finish. There isn't much fruit in the mouth or, really, much of anything. It's not disgusting, and it'll work fine for dinner tonight (shrimp in lemon and oregano vinaigrette), but it's not a wine I would hold up as a paragon of Loire winemaking.
Vintage: 2009
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Loire Valley, France
Price: $13
Friday, January 28, 2011
2009 Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough Regional Collection
Quick post this time, because I'm just really anxious to taste this wine. I found it on sale for $11 (normally $14, but still), and I just couldn't resist it. I've become quite a fan of the New Zealand sauvignon blanc, perhaps because they smell like the tropics. And believe me, buried under a cumulative 3+ feet of snow as I am, I could really use some tropics.
It's a light green-yellow in the glass; very green, in fact. The nose does not disappoint. Mango and papaya and tamarind, and a touch of something green and spicy - almost like a chile. The chile really carries over to the palate, too. It's not spicy hot, of course, and it's not underripe or green pepper - it's like a mild green chile! Poblano, Anaheim, cubanelle...mixed with heaps of ripe papaya. Oh boy, did I need this wine today!
Either I'm getting better at picking wines or I'm becoming less discerning, because I haven't had a loser in quite some time. (Now that I've jinxed myself, stay tuned for my next tasting, which will inevitably smell like barnyard and taste like vegetable oil.)
Vintage: 2009
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Marlborough, New Zealand
Price: $14
PS I think I'm going to stop giving my ratings. The more I learn and the more I taste, the more I realize that trying to put a number to a wine is kind of a lot of hooey. Who cares what number Robert Parker, or Wine Spectator, or I can calculate based on the acidity, the tannin, the longevity, whatever. I'll give you my opinion, and you can taste for yourself!
It's a light green-yellow in the glass; very green, in fact. The nose does not disappoint. Mango and papaya and tamarind, and a touch of something green and spicy - almost like a chile. The chile really carries over to the palate, too. It's not spicy hot, of course, and it's not underripe or green pepper - it's like a mild green chile! Poblano, Anaheim, cubanelle...mixed with heaps of ripe papaya. Oh boy, did I need this wine today!
Either I'm getting better at picking wines or I'm becoming less discerning, because I haven't had a loser in quite some time. (Now that I've jinxed myself, stay tuned for my next tasting, which will inevitably smell like barnyard and taste like vegetable oil.)
Vintage: 2009
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Marlborough, New Zealand
Price: $14
PS I think I'm going to stop giving my ratings. The more I learn and the more I taste, the more I realize that trying to put a number to a wine is kind of a lot of hooey. Who cares what number Robert Parker, or Wine Spectator, or I can calculate based on the acidity, the tannin, the longevity, whatever. I'll give you my opinion, and you can taste for yourself!
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