Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Oddball Wine of the Week: Côte Est 2007 Catalan

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This was just a random pickup at Whole Foods one day. The label design caught my eye, then I noticed the blend, then “Catalan” on the label. Wait, doesn’t Catalan refer to Spain… as in Catalonia? But this is French. That was interesting enough for me to plunk down my $11. I wasn’t sure when I bought it if I would use this for the Oddball series or not. “Catalan” was a new French appellation to me, but something made me think this might be more well-known than I thought. Then I looked it up in the Bible, I mean, the Oxford Companion to Wine (3rd edition) saw that there was no listing for it. That’s Oddball enough for me! I did finally find a one-sentence reference to it in the entry for Roussillon, by the way.

Côté Est 2007 Catalan

Producer: Maison Lafage

Grapes: 50% Grenache Blanc and Gris, 30% Chardonnay, 20% Marsanne

Appellation: Côtes Catalanes (Vin de Pays, France). This appellation is a region within Roussillon that sits on the other side of the Pyrenees from Catalonia, Spain. It’s a maritime terroir

Vineyards: The Grenache comes from 80-year old vines, the Chardonnay from 20 year old vines and the Marsanne from young vines. The name Côté Est refers to the fact that the vines are planted east-west, which they say keeps the grapes cooler, preserving the acidity and fruit.

Vintage: 2007

Winemaking: Stainless steel aging.

Alcohol: 13%

Price: I paid $10.88 at Whole Foods in Austin

My tasting notes: Really lovely nose on this wine, like a blend of pear and peach, highlighted by zesty orange and lime and floral notes. And the palate doesn’t disappoint either. More pear/peach and lime with a mineral streak. Really nice texture, too. Almost plush, though the fruit stays bright. Finishes clean and long.

Overall impression: I’m very glad I took a chance on this wine I knew absolutely nothing about. It’s a very enjoyable little bottle, and I’d definitely recommend you pick up if you see it. B+

Free association:

I can’t find the original source of this image. It’s all over the internet, but it’s not mine.

More info:

Imported by Eric Solomon.

Parker scored this 90 points.

Some reviews on CellarTracker and Corkd.

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

artezin Zinfandel 2007 Mendocino County

3 Comments

artezin (I think they prefer no caps) is a part of the Hess Family of wineries. The label is focused on Zin, Petite Sirah and Carignan. In this wine, they “strive for a classic varietal, fruit-forward, ‘Zinny’ Zin.” Let’s see if they hit the mark for me.

Producer: Artezin Wines

Grapes: 91% Zinfandel, 9% Petite Sirah

Appellation: Mendocino County (AVA, California)

Vineyards: “from the ridgelines and benchlands of the Ukiah Valley”

Vintage: 2007

Winemaking: Aged in 2nd and 3rd year French oak barrels.

Alcohol: 14.8%

Price: $11.99 at Costco in Austin

My tasting notes: For me this is has classic Zinfandel character in a more restrained style than many these days. Mixed berry fruit aromas with a caramel note from the oak treatment. More brambly berry flavors, with some spice and pepper. Smooth-texured. I was surprised when I looked checked and saw that this was 14.8% alcohol – it hides it well.

Overall impression: Zinny Zin, indeed. As long as you’re not expecting a “rip your face off” kind of Zin, I doubt you’d be disappointed with this everyday bottle. B

Free association: “Textbook” Zin… (lazy, I know)

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/underneath/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

More info:

There is a link to a podcast/video of the winemaker discussing this wine on the artezin website here.

90 points from Wine Enthusiast (this vintage and the 2006).

A few other takes on this wine at CellarTracker.

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Mourvèdre Monday #4: Juan Gil 2007

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This is the fourth installment of Mourvèdre Monday, VINEgeek’s yearlong deep-dive into the Mourvèdre/Monastrell/Mataro grape. Check out the other posts in the series here.

After I announced that 2010 would be The Year of Mourvedre here at VINEgeek Enterprises, I got lots of great recommendations from my fellow winos. This bottle was suggested by @Sonadora of Wannabe Wino blog.

Producer: Juan Gil

Grapes: 100% Monastrell (the Spanish name for Mourvèdre)

Appellation: Jumilla (say who-ME-ya)

Vintage: 2007

Vineyards: From estate vineyards of 40+ years of age. Soil: “shallow, chalky soils on a bed of limestone and rock”

Winemaking: 12 months in French oak barrels (not sure what % new)

Alcohol: 15%

Price: I paid $12 at Spec’s in Austin.

My tasting notes: Very deep color. On the nose I get dusty red and black fruit accented by a rich, chocolate/mocha note, mint and a spicebox character. There’s also a touch of greenness, as if you could smell the grape stems. In the mouth, it delivers ripe plummy/blackberry fruit, a brighter blueberry note and a touch of earth with chewy, grippy tannins in a full-bodied package. Enough acid on the finish and good, spicy length, though the alcohol can be felt in a sort of cool-mint kind of way. It really opens up with time in the glass and on the second day.

Overall impression: A rich, heady mouthful of flavor that avoids crossing the line into fruit bomb territory, yet delivers “oomph” for a reasonable price. B/B+

Free association: Something about this wine makes me think of Mr. T as B. A. Baracus. According to Wikipedia, in Spain he was known as Mario Baracus. Awesome.

"I pity the fool that don't appreciate Monastrell."

More info:

This wine was scored 90 points by Josh Raynolds, for Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar.

Check out the chalky soil and gnarly vines (note: I don’t know for sure if this photo is of the vineyards used for this bottling or other Juan Gil bottles):

Price: Over 20 bucks, Tasting Notes

Story Winery Picnic Hill Zinfandel 2006

7 Comments

I received this bottle as a sample provided by the winery.

Producer: Story Winery (these guys own the www.zin.com domain, so they’re serious about Zin)

Grapes: 100% Zinfandel

Appellation: Shenandoah Valley, an AVA within the Sierra Foothills appellation. Officially called “California-Shenandoah Valley” to distinguish it from Virginia’s “Shenandoah Valley” AVA). Gold Rush country.

Vintage: 2006

Vineyard: The vines in the Picnic Hill vineyards were planted over 100 years ago. Them’s seriously old vines, folks. Some wineries have 30 year old vines and call them old vines. These are Model-T old. Pre-forward pass in football old. Old old.

Winemaking: Aged 10 months in neutral French and American oak. Unfiltered.

Alcohol: a whopping 16%!

Price: $25 from the winery or Snooth.

My tasting notes: A very sweet-smelling, candied nose. There are beautiful raspberry/strawberry notes along with darker fruit. And something in there makes me think of the candied almonds you get at the fair. On the palate, the wine saturates my tongue with more sweet berry fruit and vanilla creme. The texture gets almost gritty toward the end (unfiltered). It finishes hot, though you don’t feel it so much in your throat as in your esophagus.

Overall impression: Definitely from the high-octane school of Zin. I really enjoyed the seductive nose. This is a bottle to share with several friends at the end of the night. B-

Free association:

"These go to eleven." (click for video at YouTube)

More info:

There’s a video review of this wine at Organic Wine Review. They call it: “Berry Balanced for the BBQ”

Some others’ reviews on Snooth.

Price: Over 20 bucks, Tasting Notes

Oddball Wine of the Week: Ribeira Sacra

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I only became aware of this Spanish wine region back in July from Eric Asimov’s terrific article in the New York Times. Take a few minutes to click through and read it. Go on. I’ll wait here.

Ok, pretty cool, huh? Remote/undiscovered wine region. Indigenous grapes. Ancient wine-making tradition. Dramatic terrain. Winemakers who care about doing it the “right” way. The line that really got me was the quote from one of the region’s winemakers, who said: “There are two types of winemakers: those who want to make money and those who want to make wine.” Come on. It’s almost too good to be true.

Ever since I read the article, I’ve been on the lookout for one of these wines and I found this one at the Austin Wine Merchant. Let’s see if it lives up to my romanticized expectations.

Viña Caneiro 2007

Producer: D. Ventura

Grapes: 100% Mencía (once thought to be same as Cab Franc, but not so)

Appellation: Ribeira Sacra (DO, Spain)

Vineyard: Vina de Doade. 80+ year old vines on steep terraces above the river Sil. Slate/Losa soils.

Vintage: 2007

Winemaking: Stainless steel fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Unfiltered.

Alcohol: 13%

Price: $26

My tasting notes: The wine serves up minerally, dusty, slightly green aromas on top of red fruit. In the mouth it’s medium-bodied with a silky, polished texture and bright, clear, fresh fruit that’s “sweet” without been candied. There is a strong mineral, smoky and herbal character to the wine that is just a great balance and accent to the juicy fruit. Really nice.

Overall impression: I’d love to split a bottle of this with someone who drinks mostly big, dense, high-alcohol red monster wines and turns their noses up a “lighter” reds. I think this one is pretty seductive. As is the backstory. By all means, try to find this wine and re-read the NYT story while you enjoy it. A-

Maybe that’s a bit high, but I’m digging this wine tonight. Also, it’s not exactly a bargain at $26 …but I’d like to see you farm those terraces.

Free association: As regular readers know, my free associations are usually not very literal; they’re often metaphorical, geeky and/or obscure. Here though, my mind is just stuck on those amazing terraced vineyards and the idyllic story. So…

Photos from RibeiraSacra.org.

More info:

500 cases produced.

Price: 10 bucks or less, Tasting Notes

Mourvedre Monday #3: Casa Castillo 2007

4 Comments

I’m still sort of tip-toeing into this Mourvèdre Monday series. I’m saving the big guns for later in the year and I’m sticking with a bargain Spanish bottle again this week. This one got 90 points from Parker and Tanzer, so let’s check it out.

Producer: Casa Castillo

Grapes: 100% Monastrell (Mourvèdre)

Appellation: Jumilla (DO, Spain)

Vineyards: From dry-farmed estate vineyards on the valley floor and lower slopes, with sandy clay soils. The vines are relatively young (up to 22 years old) and are bush vines, not trellised (see photos below).

Vintage: 2007

Winemaking: Fermented with natural yeast. The wine spent six months in 3rd-year oak: 80% in 500-liter French oak barrels and 20% in 225-liter American oak barrels. (The latter size are the more common — these days anyway — Bordeaux-style “barriques”, the kind you probably have seen on a winery tour.)

Alcohol: 14%

Price: $9

My tasting notes: On the nose, I get bright berry fruit and spice, but also definite whiffs of horse stable and even body odor (thankfully fleeting). On the palate, the wine is high-toned with vibrant cherry, blueberry and raspberry flavors with a strong herbal edge, a bit of minerality, good acidity, and dry tannins. The herbal, high-acid character of this wine is almost Italianate to me. It really smoothes out nicely by the second glass and becomes almost sexy.

Overall impression: Very nice. I wasn’t sold on the first glass, but the second won me over. This wine is more high-toned and “fresh” than I expect from a Mourvèdre/Monastrell (especially Jumilla), but I really like it. A nice bargain wine, just give it some air. B+

Free association: Lois Lane as a centaur…

More info:

This wine scored 90 points from Parker and Tanzer. Meanwhile Gary V delivered a beatdown to this wine during his NYC week earlier this year, giving it a 68! (I bet it was a pop-n-pour situation.)

Photos of the vineyards that this bottle is sourced from:

Commentary

Mashup Wine Names

11 Comments

The wines in my last two posts have had what I’ll call mashup names:

Petite Petit – a blend of Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot

Mo Zin –  a blend of Mourvèdre and Zinfandel, plus others (though it’s not clear if the Mo really stands for Mourvèdre or not. They also have a Mo Jo without Mourvèdre and they say things like Drink Mo Better Wine)

This got me thinking about other possible mashup names. So as a service to the wine industry I offer the following (not-so-serious) ideas free of charge. Now they may not all make sense oenologically-speaking, but that rarely stops a marketer with a branding idea!

Merlognier – Merlot + Viognier

The Merlot could be co-fermented with a small bit of Viognier like they do with Syrah and Viognier in Côte-Rôtie.

Marsangiovese – Marsanne + Sangiovese

The Marsanne could play the role that Trebbiano or Malvasia used to play in the Chianti blend.

ShiraZin – Shiraz + Zinfandel

I’m surprised this one doesn’t already exist.

Charbonarda – Charbono + Bonarda

This one could work. In fact, depending on where you are, they may even be the same grape.

Dolcettocai – Dolcetto + Tocai

This one makes no sense.

~

Please suggest some other examples in the comments!

Price: 16-20 bucks, Tasting Notes

Oddball Wine of the Week: Petite Petit

8 Comments

Michael~David Winery Petite Petit 2007 Lodi

This wine was a press sample provided by Michael~David Winery.

Which came first the name or the wine? That’s what I wonder when see that this wine is called Petite Petit for it’s combination of Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot (and oddball blend to be sure). Clever name, but is that the best reason to blend these two grapes? Does it make oenological sense? Let’s find out.

Producer: Michael~David Winery

Grapes: 85% Petite Sirah, 15% Petit Verdot

Appellation: Lodi (AVA, California)

Vineyards: no info

Vintage: 2007

Winemaking: The wine spent 14 months in French oak barrels.

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: $18 (though I’ve seen it at Whole Foods for $14)

My tasting notes: Deep purple-black color. On the nose, I get blueberry, sweet tobacco, baking spices and just a touch of fresh earth. The palate delivers nice blackberry and vanilla cream flavors (maybe a little black cherry, too) with a bit of spice. It’s smooth-textured, almost plush in the mouth with fine-grained tannins and decent acidity.

Overall impression: I’m not sure any magic came from the Petite + Petit combination (I didn’t sense much from the Petit Verdot), but this is an enjoyable bottle of wine, firmly in the “fruit & oak” camp. B/B-

Free association: Speaking of odd combinations, the Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual was full of them. Here’s a favorite.

More info:

88 pts. Robert Parker

More reviews at Gabe’s View, Wine is Life, What’s New in Booze, CellarTracker, Snooth and Cork’d.

If you ever played Dungeons & Dragons as a kid (or even now – hey, no judging here) you’ll love this series of Monster Manuel comics from one of the funniest people alive: Lore Sjöberg over at BadGods. The Owlbear one is here, though my favorites are: Orc, Chimera, Ear Seeker and Kobold.

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Mourvèdre Monday #2: Spann Mo Zin 2006

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This is the 2nd installment of Mourvèdre Monday. I’ll be posting a review of a Mourvèdre-based wine every Monday in 2010. The first post can be found here.

I picked this bottle up due to the unusual blend of grapes. Mourvèdre is traditionally blended with Grenache and/or Syrah in France and Australia. Combining it with Zin and Petite Sirah is odd and intriguing. Let’s check it out.

Producer: Spann Vineyards

Grapes: 42% Zinfandel, 30% Mourvèdre, 20% Petite Sirah and 8% Syrah

Appellation: The wine is a blend of grapes from a number of different regions so it can only use the general “California” AVA. However, the grapes are sourced from some respected AVAs: The Zin from Dry Creek, Russian River Valley and Mendocino; the Mourvèdre from Russian River; the Petite Sirah from Dry Creek; and the Syrah from Sonoma Valley.

Vineyards: The winery says the various Zinfandel sources are old vines vineyards.

Winemaking: Stainless steel fermentation, then malolactic fermentation in oak barrels. Spent 14 months in French oak, only 10% new.

Alcohol: 14.4%

Price: $18.75 (purchased at Austin Wine Merchant)

My tasting notes: The nose leads with raspberry and creamy oak with Cherry Coke notes. On the palate, the wine serves up very ripe mixed-berry fruit (almost raisiny) in a medium- to full-bodied, low acid framework. I think I can detect the Mourvèdre in a bit of meatiness coming through. Finishes with some black pepper, a bit of tannic presence and a touch of heat.

Overall impression: Despite the inclusion of substantial doses of Mourvèdre and Petite Sirah, the wine comes across to me a bit soft, with a lack of structure. If you don’t like big-boned wines, you might enjoy this wine for the pleasant flavor profile, but honestly, there are lots of cheaper alternatives. C+

Free association:

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremybrooks/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

More info:

1800 cases produced.

Reviews at Cork’d and CellarTracker.

If you like your tasting notes SUPER-SIZED (Now with 50% MORE flavor descriptors!) check this one out. (Good Grape brought this guy to our attention in this recent post and he just so happens to have posted on this wine.)

I thought the name Mo Zin was meant to indicate the blend of Mourvèdre and Zin, but the winery also produces a Mo Jo, which is 50% Sangiovese (sometimes pronounced San-Jo-vay-say), but has no Mourvèdre. Apparently they just like the word Mojo.

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