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Rioja Worth Seeking – El Coto de Rioja
I love Rioja wines.
This is not a secret for anyone who has been following this blog for some time.
But despite such a strong proclamation, this love is not unconditional. Rather, it is very selective.
I have more of an exclusive club in Rioja. This is a club with a very limited membership. Anyone can apply, but only a select few can become members. Those in the club enjoy unconditional love and forgiveness for their little mistakes. For the rest of them… well, good luck making the cut.
I guess I need to change my opening line.
I’m a Rioja snob.
I love Rioja, but this love is very selective.
There, this would be a better opener.
The founding members of my exclusive club are CVNE with all of their lines (Vina Real, Imperial, Contino, …), La Rioja Alta, and Lopez de Heredia. Bodegas Tobias, Bodegas Beronia, and Bodegas Lan also have full membership.
Okay, let’s put another spin on this snobbish endeavor.
Rioja is a large region in Spain. There are about 14,800 grape growers, and about 574 wine producers in Rioja. That means lots of different styles and lots of different quality levels – even though all bottles will say “Rioja” on them. Seeing a bottle of Rioja doesn’t make me excited – seeing the name of a familiar producer who I know makes quality Rioja wine does. Hence my exclusive Rioja “club” – simply the list of my favorite Rioja producers.
What might be more important is that this “club” is actively taking applications (the approval rate is very low though), and I feel that it is time to formally add one more member there – El Coto de Rioja. El Coto wines were mentioned a few times in the blog already, but now let’s make it official.
El Coto de Rioja was founded in 1970 located in the town of Oyón. Over the 50 years of its history, El Coto de Rioja became the largest winery in Rioja, farming 1804 acres of estate vineyards. El Coto de Rioja plantings include 8 individual vineyards located across all Rioja DOCa sub-zones, such as Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa. One of the vineyards, Finca Carbonera, located in Rioja Alta, is the highest altitude vineyard in Rioja DOCa. In addition to all of the traditional Rioja red grape varieties, a significant portion of plantings are dedicated to the white grape varieties including new ones for Rioja – Verdejo, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. El Coto de Rioja also built a winery directly in the vineyard, dedicated to the white wine production.
I had an opportunity to taste (samples) a range of wines from El Coto de Rioja – here are my notes:
2022 El Coto Coto de Imaz Blanco Rioja DOC (12% ABV, $11.99, 93% Viura, 4% Sauvignon Blanc, 3% Verdejo)
Pale green
An enticing nose with lemon, acidity and minerality, fresh and vibrant
Lemon, Whitestone fruit, crisp, clean, refreshing.
8, delicious.
2021 El Coto Coto de Imaz Rosado Rioja DOC (13.5% ABV, $11.99, 90% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha)
Intense salmon pink
Beautiful, inviting, fresh strawberries
Fresh strawberries and cranberries on the palate, pleasant tartness, fresh and round
8, excellent
2018 El Coto Coto De Imaz Blanco Reserva Rioja DOC (12.5% ABV, $24.99, 100% Chardonnay, 12 months in new French oak)
Beautiful light golden color
A touch of butter and vanilla
A hint of butter, vanilla, Granny Smith apples, crisp, elegant, good acidity.
8, I want to try it in 5 years, I expect it to develop beautifully
2019 El Coto Imaz Crianza Rioja DOCa (14.5% ABV, $16.99, 100% Tempranillo, minimum of 12 months in American oak, at least 6 months in the bottle)
Garnet
Dark fruit, sapidity, gunflint, intense
Bright, uplifting, medium body, dark berries, smoke, crisp acidity, very “new world” in style, good balance, tannins show on the finish – will age and evolve well
8-
2018 El Coto Imaz Reserva Rioja DOCa (14.5% ABV, $22.99, 100% Tempranillo, minimum of 18 months in American oak, at least 18 months in the bottle)
Dark garnet
Dark fruit, earthy, being of herbs, medium intensity
Brilliant, classic Rioja, succulent cherries, cedar box, sage, salivating acidity intermingling with well integrated tannins, perfect balance.
8, delicious.
2016 El Coto Imaz Gran Reserva Rioja DOCa (14.5% ABV, $34.99, 100% Tempranillo, minimum of 24 months in American oak, at least 36 months in the bottle)
Dark garnet
A touch of minerality, cigar box, hint of cherries
Black fruit, concentrated, firm structure, well-integrated tannins, good acidity, good balance.
8, very good but will benefit from time in the cellar
I have to honestly say that while the red El Coto wines were good, I loved both whites and Rosé even more. The El Coto Rioja Blanco is a perfect quaffer any time you want a glass of refreshing white wine. Blanco Reserva is in the category of its own, a delicious Chardonnay rendition for any occasion when you crave a thought-provoking white wine.
El Coto de Rioja wines are well worth seeking – they are both delicious and still reasonably priced for the quality they deliver. And they are also widely available, so off you go to the store. Cheers!
Brilliance of the Bubbles
Champagne, anyone?
Well, I’m not in the mood to celebrate anything going on in the world right now. But I still drink wine, and while Champagne = Celebration is deeply ingrained in our minds, here I’m just talking about Champagne as a type of wine, the same as white, red, and Rosé. And I need to further correct myself – I’m not even talking about Champagne, the sparkling wine produced only in the Champagne region of France. The subject of today’s post is generic “bubbles”, the sparkling wine produced elsewhere in the world.
Simplistic on the surface, “bubbles” is an interesting wine category. Nobody is born craving wine, wine is an acquired taste. Bubbles might be the next level of acquired taste compared to wine, especially if we can exclude social pressure from consideration. Classic Champagne typically boasts cut-through acidity and is expected to be devoid of any traces of fruit for the joy of purists. And god forbid any sweetness can be detected in the glass… Not the wine someone intuitively craves. But this is not the biggest issue with the “bubbles”. The bigger problem is that people are well-trained to recognize the word Champagne, and once they hear that word, whether they truly love the liquid in the glass or not becomes irrelevant – “ahh, it is Champagne!”.
As anecdotal evidence, my favorite example is Kevin Zraly’s Windows on the World wine classes. The last class in the series of 8 started with Champagne. 4 wines were poured blindly to the group of roughly 120 students. After tasting all 4 wines, we were asked to have a show of hands for our favorite Champagne. I don’t remember details about wines #1, #2, and #3, but there was a somewhat equal spread between these three wines. Wine #4, however, had barely any hands raised. As the wines were revealed, Kevin Zraly said “and this is why, people, you shouldn’t drink vintage Champagne” – wine #4 was Dom Perignon, creme de la cream of Champagne world. Have we known that we were drinking Dom Perignon, I guarantee that wine #4 would be adored by everyone.
Before you get any wrong ideas, let me assure you – this is not a Champagne-bashing post. I love good Champagne as much as any other hard-core Champagne aficionado is. 2002 Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill Champagne was my wine of the year in 2016. I have enjoyed immensely Krug, both vintage and non-vintage. Champagne Lanson, Duval-Leroy, Piper-Heidsieck, Bollinger, and on, and on, and on. But the point I’m trying to make here is that when looking for bubbles, you shouldn’t hang up on Champagne and only Champagne – sparkling wines are made everywhere today, and there are lots and lots of very worthy bubbles you can enjoy, as long as you are willing to accept that great sparkling wines don’t have to come only from Champagne.
For an example of the great bubbles from outside of Champagne, let’s take a trip to Argentina. On a world scale, Argentina arguably didn’t reach yet the status of a world-class sparkling wine producer. And for me as a wine lover, this is very good news – it means I can still enjoy sparkling wines from Argentina at reasonable prices. Just to give you an example, we can look at the sparkling wines of South Africa, known as Cap Classique. Back 3 years ago, Graham Beck Brut Rosé Methode Cap Classique, one of my favorite sparkling wines from South Africa, could be found at my local wine shop for $16.99. The price two weeks ago? $30.99. So before it happens to Argentinian bubbles, let me bring you into the know.
Please meet Domaine Bousquet. Well, this might not be the correct way to introduce Domaine Bousquet here – if you are reading this blog regularly (are you??) then you already met Domaine Bousquet on multiple occasions. If you look at the Domaine Bousquet website, you will see that they present themselves as the #1 organic, regenerative and sustainable winery in Argentina. When I think of Domaine Bousquet, especially after tasting their wines, my first thought usually is “how do they do it???”. As an example of “how do they do it”, Domaine Bousquet offers USDA-certified organic wines (!) called Virgen that taste great and cost only $13 as the suggested retail price. And my latest discovery in the “how do they do it” category is two of their classic method sparkling wines.
I wrote about Domaine Bousquet sparkling wines before. Those were excellent wines produced using the Charmat method (secondary fermentation in the tank), the same method that is used in the production of Prosecco. These two new wines I’m talking about are produced using the classic method, with the secondary fermentation in the bottle – the same way classic Champagne wines are produced, hence the name Classic Method, a.k.a. Méthode Champenoise, a.k.a. Méthode Traditionnelle.
From the very first whiff, both wines were just spectacular. NV Domaine Bousquet Brut Organic Méthode Traditionnelle Mendoza Argentina (12% ABV, $18 SRP, 75% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir, 6 months on the lees) had a perfect nose of freshly toasted bread, brioche and apples. The palate was followed with the same toasted bread notes, perfectly fine mousse, crispy profile with just apple notes, just a pure delight.
And NV Domaine Bousquet Brut Rosé Organic Méthode Traditionnelle Mendoza Argentina (12% ABV, $18 SRP, 75% Pinot Noir, 25% Chardonnay, 6 months on the lees) was even better – the wine had an absolute precision that only the best Champagne and sparkling wines possess. Salmon pink in the glass, freshly baked, just out of the oven toasted bread on the nose – I couldn’t and didn’t want to put my glass down for a few minutes. After appropriately admiring the bouquet, the first sip perfectly matched the expectations – fine mousse, cut-through acidity, brioche, green apples, perfect structure, impeccable balance.
If I were to pair dinner with these two wines, I would have fresh oysters and seafood with the Brut, and then a steak with the Brut Rosé – you can keep the salad.
Here are two brilliant sparkling wines from Argentina – organic and delicious. In a blind tasting, these two wines can safely challenge any Champagne or sparkling wines – and I would definitely put my money on the Domaine Bousquet wines to win the popular vote.
Taking the price into account, and the holiday season upon us, these are definitely case-buy recommendations – these wines are perfect as a gift and perfect to enjoy at any moment, knowing that you didn’t have to break the bank to get the pleasure.
Have you had these wines? What are your favorite sparkling wines outside of Champagne? Cheers!
Beaujolais Nouveau Est Arrivé! 2023 Edition
Beaujolais Nouveau Est Arrivé!
Well, that happened almost 3 weeks ago, but I like the sound of “Beaujolais Nouveau Est Arrivé!”, so let me keep this title.
This might be discouraging, but I don’t have much new to say about the subject compared to what I typically say every year when I’m writing about Beaujolais Nouveau:
– originally more of a marketing gimmick, the Beaujolais Nouveau release became a worldwide celebrated phenomenon, largely thanks to the efforts of Georges Duboeuf, prominent wine negociant and producer.
– the wine is produced from the grape called Gamay in a French region called Beaujolais, neighboring ultra-famous Burgundy, from the grapes of this year’s harvest. Harvesting for the grapes for the Beaujolais Nouveau started on September 1st, so the wine made it from the grapevine to the bottle on your table in a mere 10 weeks.
– this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau was better than the last year. Note that I have said this literally every year for the past 5-7 years (or longer), so at this point you probably expect that this wine drinks at the level of DRC (my saving grace – I never had DRC, so I have no idea how far off I am).
If you want to learn more about Beaujolais Nouveau 2023, here is a link to a good article in Wine Spectator.
But seriously, the wine was simply excellent:
2023 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau AOP (13% ABV, $14.99) has a bright ruby color, a restrained nose of the freshly crushed fruit (no bubble gum, no hard candy – just a pure, pleasant vinous nose). A well-composed core of dark berries on the palate, raspberries and cherries, firm, tight, good structure (how about that structure – it is Beaujolais Nouveau I’m talking about here!) with good acidity and good balance. Drinkability: 8/8+
Every year, the bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau are adorned with specially designed labels, sometimes even multiple labels from the same producer for the same wine – I have no idea how that works. As I have been writing about Beaujolais Nouveau every year since this blog started, I can offer you a collection of labels starting with the 2010 vintage. Below is my little “show and tell”. By the way, in case you feel like it, choose your favorite label and share it in the comments (sorry, this is not a competition so no prizes will be awarded).
Here we go:
Beaujolais Nouveau 2023 has arrived, it is a reasonably priced, festive, and tasty wine. If you had one, I would love to hear your thoughts about this wine. If you haven’t tasted one yet – what are you waiting for? Cheers!
A Quick Trip To Malta and a Few Rare Grape Sightings
Have you been to Malta?
I have not, but hey, this is a wine blog, remember? As I like to say, “Have wine, will travel” – we can get a tiny bit of Maltese experience with the help of Maltese wine.
I honestly don’t remember why was I searching for a Maltese wine, but let’s try to figure it out. I call myself a “collector of experiences”, and I like seld-made challenges. On this very blog, I have this table that lists all (probably “most” is a better word) of the winemaking countries in the world, and I’m always on the lookout for ways to add checkmarks to that table. I added a few new places this year, and I guess while I was at it, I decided to see what wines from what countries I might be able to find. Malta came up during the search, and I found the website called Malta Products which offers food and crafts from Malta, and also wine.
As I was looking through the available wines, to my delight, I realized that I could kill two birds with one stone. Not only can I put a checkmark next to the Malta name, but I can also advance my rare grapes hunt as I found wines made from the two new indigenous grapes.
Long story short, I selected two inexpensive wines, one made with the local white grape called Girgentina – 2022 La Torre Girgentina Maltese Islands IGT. The second wine was a red blend containing another indigenous grape – Ġellewża – 2022 La Torre Ġellewża – Shiraz Maltese Islands IGT. The shipping was surprisingly reasonable, so I guess I spent a total of around $50 including shipping directly from Malta.
The wines showed up about 2 weeks later, but when I opened the box I found that instead of Ġellewża – Shiraz I got a bottle of Italian Cabernet Sauvignon from the same producer (La Torre). Considering how inexpensive the wine was, I decided that I would just let it be. On second thought, I decided to at least write to Malta Products customer service and let them know that they sent me the wrong bottle. After I sent them a picture of the wine I received, they apologized and said that they would fix it. I was not expecting anything more than a credit on the card, but instead, about a week later, the proper bottle showed up. It is easy to get cynical in the world we live in today, but then every once in a while we encounter people who actually take pride in the service they provide. If you ever feel like you want to visit Malta via Malta Products, you have my full, unquestionable endorsement.
I finally had an opportunity to try the wines at some point. Girgentina was excellent, bright, round, vibrant and delicious from the get-go. When I took a first sip of Ġellewża – Shiraz, I decided that it’s okay not to like every wine – it was not good [at all]. Not spoiled, but really not drinkable. About an hour later the wine transformed, and while it didn’t become magical, it became light, herbaceous, drinkable red, perfect for a hot summer day. While not a new grape or a place, the 2021 La Torre Cabernet Sauvignon Veneto IGT was simple and quaffable.
That was my quick trip to Malta and the addition of the two rare grapes.
As I’m trying to complete my Hexavin journey and reach that 600 grapes mark, the going doesn’t get any easier (expectedly, but I’m allowed to lament, am I). Or maybe I just like to complain, and it is not that difficult. There is a lot of work done around the world to bring back ancient grapes, to create new wines with a lot of pedigree and heritage, hundreds and hundreds of years of heritage. There are also new grapes, such as Solaris I just wrote about that help grape maniacs geeks move forward. Either way, here are more grapes I’m adding to the collection:
Moschomavro – NV Tsantali Rosé d’Estelle Greece – considering the non-vintage designation, I expected that it would fare worse, but it was drinkable.
Tămâioasă Românească – 2020 Domenile Tohani Tămâioasă Românească DOC Romania – you know that when you you are looking for a princess you might have to kiss a lot of frogs? This was one of them. Horrible.
Busuioacă de Bohotin – 2020 Domain Tohani Busuioacă de Bohotin semi-sweet wine Dealu Mare Region Romania – another surprise. While semi-sweet, the sweetness was nicely restrained and the wine was very tasty.
Krstač – 2019 Plantaže Crnogorski Krstač Montenegro – outstanidng. This was a delicious white wine in its own right. Crispy, focused, delicious.
The next four grapes were picked up last year at the Hudson Valley Wine and Spirits competition last year, where I was one of the judges. These are some interesting grapes, including the hybrid which doesn’t even have the name, only the numbers…
NY81.0315.17 – 2021 Weis Vineyards Perle Finger Lakes
Valvin Muscat – 2021 Milea Estate Vineyard Proceedo Hudson Valley
Regent – 2020 Milea Estate Vineyard Blaufrankish Hudson Valley
Obelin Noir – 2019 Christopher Jacobs Winery Deep Roots New York
Trebbiano Abruzzese – 2022 Masciarelli Trebbiano Abruzzo DOC – this was my recent discovery while working on the Masciarelly post – it appears that Trebbiano Abruzzese is different from the other types of Trebbiano and it is local only to the Abruzzo area…
Timorasso – 2018 Vietti Timorasso Derthona Colli Tortonesi DOC – it appears that this grape was already accounted for as part of Giribaldi Cento Uve, so no additional count. The wine, however, was a sheer disappointment – undrinkable.
Albilla – 2022 Bodegas Ponce Manchuela DO – this was delicious wine, fresh and vibrant.
All in all, I’m increasing my grape count by 11, and now I’m within the last 10 push before reaching the 600 milestone. I have an easy way of solving this – using clones. I can add 20 clones of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, all well documented on their usage. Should I do this? I’m not sure, but it is good to have options.
What are the wine artifacts you like to collect?
American Pleasures #9: Balverne Wines
Wine should give you pleasure – there is no point in drinking wine if it does not. Lately, I have had a number of samples of American wines that were delicious standouts – one after another, making me even wonder if someone cursed my palate. I enjoyed all those wines so much that I decided to designate a new series to them – the American Pleasures.
And we are back to talk about more delicious American wines (after a long and unintended break).
I love how wine not only entices your senses but lets you play a sleuth, a researcher, a scientist, a philosopher – a different role on a different day, or all of them at once – take your pick.
I can give it to you right now [spoilers alert]: I got a sample of three California wines, one better than another, one of them possibly even WOTY 2023 (told ya, spoilers) – and ended up doing the whole research (thanks, Google) trying to connect layers one by one. From the roles I mentioned above, I played mostly a sleuth trying to understand how far history was taking me and how all the little pieces fit together. Ah, never mind, let’s just get to it.
Source: Notre Vue Estates
In the center of this excitement are the wines produced by the Notre Vue Estate (Notre Vue stands for Our View in French) and called Balverne. Notre Vue is a 710 acres estate located in the heart of Sonoma County next to Healdsburg and acquired by Bob and Renee Stein in 1992. The history of the land where the estate is situated goes all the way back to 1841 when it was the part of Rancho Sotoyome land grant of 1841. The grapes had been growing on the estate starting from 1869, and commercially starting from 1907 – I’m assuming after the estate was acquired by Antonio Perelli-Minetti.
Let’s take a quick stop here – have you heard of Antonio Perelli-Minetti? I have to shamefully admit that I never have. We all know who Rober Mondavi and Andrew Tschelisteff are, but Antonio Perelli-Minetti? When Antonio Perelli-Minetti died in August of 1976 at the age of 95, his obituary in S.F. Chronicle was titled “Dean of winemakers is dead at 95″. Dean of winemakers – and with all my passion for wine, all the reading and learning, I never came across his name? Well, it may be just me… But then there is almost nothing written about him, for sure online… Okay, moving along…
The winemaking at the estate started in 1972 under the name of Balverne Cellars – supposedly, Balverne is a hybrid Anglo-French term meaning “a place of trees”, which is very appropriate for the estate. In the 1980s, two recent UC Davis graduates, Doug Nalle and John Kongsgaard (I’m sure both names need no introduction), made the estate famous with Balvernet Cellars wines being served at the White House dinners and at some of the finest restaurants in Los Angeles and New York. After Steins acquired the estate in 1992 they were mostly selling the estate grapes to some of the best wineries in California. The winemaking was reintroduced at the estate in 2005 under the name of Windsor Oaks Vineyards, and in 2013, the Balverne name was brought back.
Whew, done with the history. Let’s talk about the present.
At the heart of the Notre Vue estate lays 350 acres of “Forever Wild” Nature Preserve, covered by a variety of oak trees and inhabited by red-tailed hawks (Red-Tailed Hawk is a symbol of Balverne, depicted on every label), wild turkeys, owls, bluebirds, coyotes, bobcats, grey foxes, hares, rabbits and lots more. This Forever Wild nature oasis is a critical element of sustainable viticulture practiced throughout 250 acres of surrounding vineyards. These Sonoma’s Certified Sustainable vineyards are split into multiple blocks growing 18 grape varieties, and they span two of Sonoma County’s prominent AVAs – Russian River Valley and Chalk Hill.
I had an opportunity to try 3 of Balverne’s recent releases – Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay. I would typically start tasting with the white wine – here, as I was tasting in the comfort of the house instead of the tasting room, I started with the red – Pinot Noir. The wine was excellent, tightly woven which is not always the case with California Pinot.
2021 Balverne Pinot Noir Russian River Valley AVA (14% ABV, $35, Pinot Noir clones 459 and 667 with a small percentage of 114 and 115, 9 months in 25% new French oak)
Dark garnet
Plums, violets, intense, inviting
Nicely restrained, dark cherries, tart, crisp, lean, well structured
8, excellent
Cabernet Sauvignon followed, being nothing short of excellent, and perfectly drinkable from the first pour.
2019 Balverne Cabernet Sauvignon Chalk Hill AVA (14.3% ABV, $48, 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Petit Verdot, 9% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc, 18 months in French oak)
Dark garnet
Eucalyptus, cassis
Everything weaves around the acidic core. Perfectly restrained, nice Bordeaux/old world style, harmonious, balanced, delicious.
8+, outstanding.
And then came Balverne Chardonnay.
I poured a glass without much thought. Sometimes, it is best to have no expectations – not low, not high, just none. This was the case, even after the first two very successful reds. White wine is difficult. With white wine, the winemaker has nowhere to hide. Even if it will be two out of three, this would be a successful encounter.
The very first whiff of the glass made me literally speechless. The following sip confirmed my excitement:
2021 Balverne Chardonnay Russian River Valley AVA (14.2% ABV, $35, clone 17, 5 months in 20% new French oak)
Light golden
Beautiful, varietally correct nose – vanilla, apple, lemon
The first sip blows your mind – vanilla, golden delicious apple, honey, lemon, minerality – impeccable balance and beauty only a Chardonnay is capable of expressing.
9, spectacular. This wine is just something. Something special.
As you might see in one of the pictures above, my sample set went beyond wine – The Notre Vue’s own California Extra Virgin Olive Oil was a part of the package. I decided to do [an unfair] comparison between Californian and Italian EVOO. Both olive oils were expectedly different, with the Italian one showing green, tight, and peppery, and the Californian one being much more fruity. The beauty – it is not a competition, depending on what dish you are using the olive oil for, each one would have its own advantages.
Now you have a complete experience report, including my uninvited research (but everyone is entitled to their own version of fun). What’s important is that I presented to you three excellent wines, both on their own and as a value. Once you taste this Chardonnay, believe me, you’ll understand…
And we are done here. But – I always have more American pleasures to share, so stay tuned…
A Hidden Obsession
I made an interesting realization today – I have a hidden obsession.
Obsession doesn’t seem to be a good thing, especially when directed at someone. If this is an obsession for something, this is usually a different story.
Can obsession be hidden? Can you not realize that you have an obsession? Does obsession clearly manifest itself, or do we need to engage in a deep self-analysis to realize that we’ve been obsessed?
Okay, please worry not – first, I’m not engaged in obsession research while working on a degree in psychology. Second, we are only talking about my basic, simple, well-known obsession with wine. Nevertheless, today I realized that I had an obsession (a mini obsession? a sub-obsession? you will decide) that was literally hiding in plain sight.
Ten days ago we celebrated the arrival of the Jewish New Year (year 5784 in case you are wondering) – Rosh Hashanah. I always prefer to celebrate Jewish holidays with Israeli wines, but I almost never have any on hand, so I had to take a trip to a wine store. Long story short, I came back with two bottles of wine produced by Shiloh Winery, one of my favorite producers out of Israel.
On a big scale, Israel produces world-class wines. I had been exposed to Israeli wines for more than 25 years as I had been lucky to travel to Israel for work. Lots of Israeli wines are spectacular, but same as everywhere else, you have to go by producers. Some of the best Israeli wines are either not exported at all, or exported in minuscule quantities – and many of them are pretty expensive, especially outside of Israel. So finding good Israeli wines to drink outside of Israel is not necessarily an easy task.
During a dinner at a kosher restaurant in New York 6 years ago, I tasted a red wine called Shiloh Mosaic, and I immediately fell in love with it. The wine was simply a spectacular, rich, and opulent Bordeaux blend – I loved it so much that it made it to the Top Wines of 2017 as number 14. From that moment on, Shiloh literally became my go-to solution for all the Jewish holidays – and yes, you can even say that I became obsessed with it. Another wine from Shiloh, Shiloh Secret Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon made it to my Top 20 of 2020 list as number 18.
As I was getting ready to write this post, I searched my blog for the Shiloh references, and to my surprise, I discovered that Shiloh had been a hidden obsession for a while – for sure way before I thought I “discovered” it in 2017. Shiloh Secret Reserve Shiraz was included in the September 2014 Month in Wines post with a high rating; Shiloh Legend blend was lauded even before that in the May 2014 Month in Wines post. See, nothing can be hidden without becoming apparent – this is how I discovered my hidden obsession.
For this year’s celebration, I went with two wines from Shiloh that I hadn’t seen before – both of them under the Amichai by Shiloh label. As I bought wines at the large wine store, Total Wine, I was sure I would find all the wine information online. However, Shiloh Winery’s website didn’t offer any information about this brand. The distributor’s website offered exactly the same amount of information – zilch. And all my attempts to find any information online didn’t yield any results. Yes, the back labels offered basic facts, such as grape composition and oak regimen, but I was hoping to learn more – the inspiration, why the wines are called the way they are called, you know, the story. I can only assume that the wines represent a new project by Shiloh’s self-taught winemaker, Amichai Lourie, and maybe the project is so new that information didn’t make it to the website. Oh well, at least we got the wine.
I opened these wines for the Rosh Hashanah dinner, and everyone loved them, as both wines were delicious. I managed to save just half of the drop in each bottle so I was able to write my traditional notes the next day:
2018 Amichai by Shiloh Micah Judean Hills Israel (15% ABV, $57, 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 15 months in French oak barrels)
Garnet
Currant leaf, sweet cherry, eucalyptus
Cassis, earthy undertones, tobacco, dark, powerful, delicious.
8+, outstanding, will age well for another 10-15 years.
2018 Amichai by Shiloh Solomon Judean Hills Israel (15% ABV, $57, 93% Syrah, 7% Petit Verdot, 15 months in French oak barrels)
Dark garnet, almost black
Dark cherries, blackberries, mineral undertones
Blackberries, tart cherries, firm structure, firm tannins, white pepper, peppery finish, inky and powerful, tannins on the finish. Perfectly balanced.
8+, outstanding. Will age well for another 10-15 years.
Here you are, my friends. My obsession is no longer hidden. And I’m happy to face it, any time. L’Chaim!
Celebrate Pinot Noir!
And just like that, I almost missed International Pinot Noir Day, the celebration of one of the most popular red grapes in the world.
Pinot Noir is definitely one of the most popular, even though great Pinot Noirs are mainly limited to only four countries and regions – Burgundy, Oregon, New Zealand, and California – unlike Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which definitely win the popularity contest worldwide, growing successfully absolutely everywhere. Of course, you have Pinot Nero from Italy, Spätburgunder from Germany, Blauburgunder from Austria, Pinot Noir from Australia, Chile, and Argentina, but those rarely take your breath away.
Most popular or not can be contested, but Pinot Noir without a doubt makes the most expensive wines in the world. You can check it for yourself using this “Most expensive wines” page but at the moment of writing (August 18, 2023), Domaine Leroy Musigny Grand Cru is listed by wine-searcher for $43,869 per bottle, which I believe is more than the whole index of the most expensive Cabernet Sauvignon wines on the same day. I really can’t tell if wine can be worth this much to someone to drink it, but hey, it is a free world.
Pinot Noir is definitely a big subject in this blog. I decided to check on some numbers to see how Pinot Noir would stand up against other grapes. In terms of overall mentions, Pinot Noir is the second red grape with 378 posts mentioning it (Cabernet Sauvignon is ahead by almost 100 with 477 posts mentioning it). However, when it comes to tags, Pinot Noir has the highest number of posts, 79, tagged with “pinot noir”, well ahead of any other grape. This is important simply because the tag is matching the content of the post, so at least 79 posts are dedicated to Pinot Noir.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise as Pinot Noir is one of the central subjects of this blog, starring in the series of the Oregon winemakers’ interviews called Stories of Passion and Pinot. The series contains more than 25 articles, highlighting the “passion for the finicky grape” as I typically like to present it through the series of conversations with winemakers who got bitten by the Pinot Noir bug and never looked back. Whether you like Oregon Pinot Noir or not, I still recommend that you would get a glass (or two, or three) of your favorite Pinot Noir ready and go read some stories.
While I love Pinot Noir, I do have one gripe – the price. You can find an amazing Rioja for under $20. You can definitely find a nice Grenache, Sangiovese, or Syrah in that price range. Heck, you might even get lucky with Cabernet Sauvignon or Bordeaux blend. But with the exception of Chile, there is literally no such thing as a drinkable Pinot Noir in the under $20 range. I can’t refer much to Burgundies, but anything tasty from New Zealand’s Central Otago or Marlboro is pushing $40, and all delicious Oregon Pinot Noirs now really sit north of $50. California might offer some exceptions, but I’m not aware of a drinkable sub-$20 California Pinot Noir. Not that I’m complaining here, just stating the obvious.
As today’s celebration caught me off guard, I didn’t have many options to choose from. I have a few random burgundies which I need to look for and think about, nothing from Oregon or New Zealand, leaving California as a primary hope. I remembered that I should have a California Pinot somewhere as it was recently gifted to me, so I was quickly able to locate the 2017 Etude Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills (14.1% ABV).
I know the name of the producer – Etude, but I don’t think I had tasted their wines before. Turns out this wine was a very appropriate choice for the Pinot Noir Day celebration, as Etude was founded in 1982 in Carneros in California in a quest to produce world-class Pinot Noir. I love this quote I found on Etude’s website from the founder and winemaker Tony Soter: “Pinot Noir is the most appropriate vehicle with which to study wine growing, precisely because of its demanding nature but also because of its delicacy and transparency. Make no mistake it is a humbling pursuit, but when it’s right, Pinot Noir is a glorious and moving thing. It is in the pursuit of that experience that we all work.” This is a perfect summary of the nature of Pinot Noir that also helps to explain what makes it so good when it is good. Etude produces more than 20 designation-specific Pinot Noir wines – they might be a perfect candidate for the Passion and Pinot series, even if the winery is located in California.
So how was the wine you might ask? In a word, delicious. Dark, unctuous fruit on the nose and the palate, a hint of vanilla, mocha and dark chocolate, nicely layered with perfect structural presence but not overpowering, perfect acidity and perfect balance. An excellent celebratory wine.
There you are, my friends. Another grape holiday just passed by. Hope you had an opportunity to celebrate, and if not – every day is a perfect day to have a glass of Pinot Noir. Until the next time – cheers!
What Can You Do With One Grape? Ask Lugana Winemakers
What can you do with one grape? We are not talking about the quantity of the grape berries in your possession – we are talking about one variety. Especially if this is the white grape variety such as Turbiana (a.k.a Trebbiano di Lugano), for example?
Before I’m publicly ostracized, let me be clear. I’m not trying to say that Lugana is the only region in the winemaking world with only one official grape – Brunello, Barolo, Barbaresco, Burgundy, Albariño (Rias Baixas) are all single grape variety greats. But comparing Lugana with Brunello, for example, wouldn’t be fair. I will explain.
Feel free to disagree, but I always say that delicious white wine is harder to make than red wine. In white wine, you have nowhere to hide – typically, no oak, no skin contact – the grape itself either delivers or not. Besides, Brunello and the others we mentioned above already built their reputation, and a single grape is all people want.
Even in the white wine world, Lugana is not the only “one grape” place – we already mentioned Rias Baixas with its Albariño, and then there is Sancerre, Condrieu, Vouvray, and many others. However, as I tasted the delicious range of Lugana wines last week at the Destination Lugana event, I couldn’t help but wonder about Lugana winemakers’ ingenuity. So what can you do with one grape?
Lugana DOC wines can be produced in 5 different styles. First, there is a regular Lugana DOC wine, which requires minimum aging of 4–5 months in the bottle. Next, there is Lugana Superiore DOC, which has to be aged at least 12 months. Lugana Riserva requires a minimum of 24 months of aging, 6 of which have to be in the bottle. Two more styles to complete the list: Vendemmia Tardiva (late harvest), which also required a minimum of 12 months of aging, the same as Superiore. And last but not least is Spumante, which can be produced using both Classic and Charmat methods.
At the Destination Lugana event, we were able to taste all the different styles with the exception of late harvest. As the event was taking place at the rooftop bar in downtown Manhattan, I didn’t even attempt to take any sort of reasonable notes. As one general note, I can only tell you that there was not a single Lugana wine I didn’t like. Fresh, clean wines with beautiful acidity – if I have to use a serious descriptor, I would have to call them “happy wines”.
Here is the list of the Lugana DOC wines I was able to taste (we have to add to this a bunch of Lugana sparkling wines I didn’t take the pictures of the labels from):
2022 Tenuta Roveglia Linne Lugana DOC
2022 Zeni 1870 Vigne Alte Lugana DOC
2022 Ottella Le Creete Lugana DOC
2022 Cà Maiol Prestige Lugana DOC
2022 Tommasi Le Fornaci Lugana DOC
2022 Vigneti Villabella Lugana DOC
2022 Cantina Valpantena Torre del Falasco Lugana DOC
2022 Cantina Cereasa Ceresa Lugana DOC
There was also food. Fresh sushi, made right there on the spot – perfectly complemented by Lugana wines. Few different types of fresh pasta – I can’t even tell you if I had a favorite, all were tasty. And pizza, a simple pizza. All worked quite well with the wines.
Let’s get back to wine. So what else can you do with one grape? For example, you can take multiple harvests. As an example, in Oregon, early-picked grapes are used for sparkling wines (higher acidity), and then the later harvest is used to produce regular still wines. In the case of Lugana wines, we had an opportunity to taste such two wines from Scolari. While both belong to the standard Lugana DOC category, the first one, 2022 Scolari Lugana DOC was harvested about a month earlier than the second one, 2022 Scolari Premium Lugana DOC. While the first had cut-through acidity as a main trait, the second wine was more round and unquestionably more complex. Add to this a bit of time with the skin contact, and you get beautiful light tannic tartness from the wine which never saw an inside of the oak barrel.
And then, of course, you can age your wines, to produce Superiore and Riserva styles. We had an opportunity to try wines from 2017, 2019, and 2021 vintages, and I would be hard-pressed to name a favorite out of these three – I would just suggest you should find them and try them for yourself (you will not regret!).
2017 Corte Sermana Riserva Lugana DOC
2019 Le Morette Riserva Lugana DOC
2021 Perla Del Garda Madonna Della Scoperta Lugana Superiore DOP
And, of course, the rooftop bar means views, and it means I have an opportunity to inundate you a bit with the city’s pictures.
Here you are, my friends. Lugana wines are happy wines, I said it. Moreover, they are versatile, food-friendly, and will not make you break the bank to enjoy them. Do yourself a favor – visit your favorite wine store, grab a few bottles of Lugana wine, and then leave me a happy comment. Cheers!
The Land Whispers… You Just Need To Listen
I love wine dinners. Especially the wine dinners with the winemaker.
I dread wine dinners. Especially the wine dinners with the winemaker.
I know, I don’t make much sense at the moment. Wine dinners are wonderful, and I really do love them. The dreadful part comes from the experience of not being able to write about those wine dinners in a timely fashion. “Timely fashion”, huh – there are wine dinners I never wrote about in 5 years and such memories can hunt you down – they definitely do for me. I don’t know why this is happening on a regular basis – the elation often experienced during open and engaging conversations about wine becomes an ephemeral spirit, woefully resistful and easily escaping the slightest attempt to capture it in the form of words…
Let’s see if I will be able to break my unsettling tradition.
Last week I had a wonderful time and experience tasting the wines of Viñedos Veramonte and speaking with Gonzalo Bertelsen, General Manager and Head Winemaker in a small group of wine lovers, around the dinner table at the Monterey Brasserie in New York. The conversation topics were ranging from low-alcohol wines (is that really a trend? Are people really asking for it or is that just a gimmick?) to the production of organic and biodynamic wines to “why Germans don’t want to drink organic wines from Chile” (I will not tell you why but you are welcome to guess) and to many other far and between. But most importantly we got to enjoy Viñedos Veramonte wines with and without the food.
Viñedos Veramonte was one of the first wineries in the Casablanca region, founded in 1990 by Agustin Huneeus, a Chilean wine pioneer. From the very beginning, the winery embraced organic viticulture – and more recently, the winery spent more than 6 years making estate vineyards officially organic certified, obtaining ECOCERT® organic certification, one of the most respected in the world. The project involved the conversion of more than 1,200 acres of vineyards in Casablanca and Colchagua valleys to organic and biodynamic farming, with the aim to also become fully Demeter’s biodynamic certified – which requires making changes in the winery, not only in the vineyard – plus importers also have to be biodynamic certified.
Viñedos Veramonte produces 4 distinct lines of wines – Veramonte, Ritual, Primus, and Neyen – all from organic grapes, of course. We had an opportunity to taste wines from all 4 lines.
We started with the 2022 Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc Reserva Casablanca Valley ($13.99 SRP). This wine has one of the biggest productions, and it is very important for Veramonte. Preserving freshness is paramount, so special care is taken to prevent any oxidation of the grapes and juice, and the wine is bottled as soon as possible. The wine was herbaceous and crisp, delicious on its own but also nicely supporting our first course – Grande Plateau of seafood containing oysters, clams, tuna tartare, and lobster. The Sauvignon Blanc pairing with the oysters was the best – and the oysters were delicious, probably my favorite component of the Grand Plateau.
Next, we moved on to the 2019 Ritual Chardonnay Casablanca Valley ($20.99 SRP, fermented in oak barrels and concrete tanks). I wrote about Ritual wines many times, last time only a few months ago – the wines are consistently delicious. The wine was paired with a choice of appetizer – crispy artichokes or barbecued prawns. I selected crispy artichokes, forgetting that artichokes are notoriously difficult to be paired with wine. The dish was delicious on its own, and the wine was also good – on its own.
We also tried the 2020 Primus Carmenere Apalta DO ($20.99 SRP) with our appetizer course. The wine was excellent and had a nice profile of cassis supported by the bell peppers, showing off the pyrazines. Some of the winemakers are trying to prevent the pyrazines from showing up by changing growing conditions, harvesting regime and more – but I personally enjoy the pyrazines’ flavor very much, it adds to the authenticity of the wine. While Carmenere was still not a perfect match for the artichokes, it offered a bit better pairing than the Chardonnay.
Now we were ready for the main course, and the new wine arrived.
Last December I had an opportunity to try for the first time yet another Veramonte wine called Neyen. Neyen vineyards are located on a small parcel of land situated between the Andes Mountains and the Coastal Range. Neyen wines are literally always a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Carmenere, both coming from truly the old vines – Cabernet Sauvignon vines were planted in 1889, joined by Carmenere in 1936, which makes the vines respectively 134 and 87 years old.
In the local dialect, Neyen means “whisper”. The land whispers, you only need to listen to her – low intervention is what the Neyen winemakers practice. And this is the whisper you can taste.
The wine literally stopped me in my tracks. You know that stupid smile that you can’t control when something good is happening? This was my face upon the first whiff of the 2003 Neyen Espíritu de Apalta Apalta DO ($N/A) – the first vintage of Neyen wine ever produced. The time stopped – there was only the endless pleasure of aromatics that only mature wine can bring.
Time, wait. Don’t move. I’m still enjoying it. Please, just a few more moments.
Cassis and eucalyptus on the nose. Cassis and eucalyptus on the palate, silky smooth, perfectly integrated tannins, full body of the mature wine at its absolute peak, pleasure slowly descending layer after layer. This is the case where the words are clearly insufficient to describe the joy of the oenophile, but I hope I offered at least a glimpse.
For the main course, I selected Bluefin Tuna au Poivre with baby beets and citrus sauce – and to my delight, the 2003 Neyen offered a perfect pairing, elevating every bite of the food.
We also had the 2016 Neyen, Espíritu de Apalta Apalta DO ($N/A). Tasting 2016 after 2003 was somewhat of a mistake. 2016 is an excellent wine, but the beautiful core we were able to experience in 2003 was still covered by layers of baby fat, the wine showing a lot richer, almost jammy on the first sip, and in need of time to open up.
The culmination point of our evening, though, was … a bit unexpectedly, as we are talking about Chilean wines … the Malbec. 2019 Neyen Espíritu de Apalta Malbec Apalta DO ($149.99 SRP). 2016 was the first released vintage of this super low-intervention wine – harvested and destemmed by hand, fermented in small tanks, no machines, no electricity used in the production of this wine, aging only in 3rd and 4th use French oak barrels. This is the crown jewel of the Veramonte Neyen collection – even James Suckling agrees, rating this wine at 100 points. Only 200 cases of the wine were produced in 2019, with the US allocation standing at 40 cases.
The main word I would use to describe this wine would be “elegant”. The wine was showing beautiful eucalyptus notes, a lot leaner than most of the Argentinian Malbecs, begging comparison with old world Malbec, the Cahors. Elegant, layered, delicious.
And this, my friends, brings us to the end of the wonderful evening. The company was great, the food was excellent, the wines were amazing.
Mother Nature whispers, and good things happen when we listen. I wish I had a case of this 2003 Neyen Espiritu de Apalta – that would really make me happy. Well, we generally don’t get to have all the things we want – and I’m grateful for the opportunity to experience such wines at least once.
Veramonte wines offer a great selection for every budget and every palate – check them out when you will have a chance. Cheers!
American Pleasures #8: Flora Springs, Napa Valley
Wine should give you pleasure – there is no point in drinking the wine if it does not. Lately, I have had a number of samples of American wines that were delicious standouts – one after another, making me even wonder if someone cursed my palate. I enjoyed all those wines so much that I decided to designate a new series to them – the American Pleasures.
This very blog was born out of a desire to share with the world the excitement that a glass of wine can bring. To share an appreciation of a well-crafted glass of fermented grape juice that can inspire great paintings, great poetry, and great conversations.
Sometimes, it is not very easy to find the right words to share that excitement. Yes, there is a great arsenal of wine technical terms to describe body, aroma, bouquet, finish – but those words do a very poor job of conveying emotions. Yes, they describe wine, possibly correctly but subjectively (you say it is a blackberry, and I say it is black cherry) and possibly sufficiently to give another wine geek or professional an idea of how the wine might taste. But when one whiff from the glass literally stops you in your tracks, whether the aroma contains raspberries, black currant, or the hair of the wet dog is really irrelevant. What is important is that wine blew your mind and delivered an ultimate pleasure, which you can’t resist but share with the world.
Everyone derives wine pleasure on their own. For me, smell (aroma) and taste (bouquet) are two distinctly different categories. I had wines that had a magnificent aroma, and an underwhelming bouquet. I had wines where the aroma was either absent or borderline terrible, and the bouquet was magnificent. Of course, many have both. Taking about deriving the wine pleasure, mine definitely starts with the nose, the aroma. I’ve had wines that I didn’t start drinking for a good few minutes, just inhaling the aroma exuding from the glass. I can’t tell you why and how this works with the aromatics of some of the wines being so captivating – simply sharing my perspective here.
This was a long introduction to the gist of this post – two wines of Flora Spring from Napa Valley in California that I had an opportunity to taste lately.
From the moment I heard the name Flora Springs for the first time, there was something subconsciously attractive in that name – I have no idea why and how. But ever since the first encounter, I always expect magic while tasting Flora Springs wines.
Flora Springs Winery was founded in 1978 by Flora and Jerry Komes in Napa Valley, rooted deeply in the rich history of the US wine industry’s ups and downs, going from 763 wineries in California to only 40 surviving Prohibition. Name Flora in combination with the natural springs running through the property helped to define the winery’s name – Flora Springs. From the moment the winery was founded, it was truly a family affair, all built and developed by Jerry and Flora, their kids, grandkids and their families – you can learn all of it on Flora Springs’ website – and it is well worth a few minutes of your time.
The line of wines Flora Springs produces is something you would expect from the winery in Napa Valley – Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and a few others. Yet the two wines which prompted this post belong to the Flagship category – the white blend called Soliloquy and the red Bordeaux blend called Trilogy.
I tried Soliloquy for the first time 13 years ago – no, I don’t have such an amazing memory, I simply have my notes – in this very blog. The wine I tried back then was Sauvignon Blanc from Soliloquy Vineyard. Actually, Soliloquy Sauvignon Blanc is identified as a Sauvignon Blanc clone, certified by the UC Davis to be unique to Flora Springs, so I found that wine to add a unique grape to my collection (I actually added two, as that wine was a blend of Sauvignon Blanc Soliloquy and Sauvignon Musqué). My next encounter was about a year later when I was blown away by the 11 years old Soliloquy bottling.
It is worth noting that in the 1990s, the Soliloquy vines became nearly extinct due to the disease. The winery spent the next 8 years re-growing the Soliloquy vines first in the lab and then in the nursery before the plantings were restored in the vineyard.
2021 Flora Springs Soliloquy Napa Valley (14.2% ABV, SRP $60, 73% Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Chardonnay, 15% Malvasia, 7 months in French oak barrels), the wine which I had, is still made primarily from Soliloquy Sauvignon Blanc with the addition of Chardonnay and Malvasia. The wine offered beautiful bright aromatics, with the whitestone fruit and a distant hint of honey. The palate was full of energy, uplifting, showing more of the white stone fruit, Meyer lemon, crisp acidity, and overall perfect balance. A perfect example of the capabilities of the Napa Valley white.
Not to be overdone, my second wine was 2019 Flora Springs Trilogy Napa Valley (14.2% ABV, SRP $85, 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 7% Malbec, 18 months in French (80%) and American (20%) oak barrels). Trilogy wine was originally produced for the first time in 1984 (thus 2019 is the 35th vintage of the wine), with the name being a nod to the three main Bordeaux varieties comprising the blend.
This wine was truly a show-stopper. On the first whiff, the world slowed down. There was just me and the glass. Pure, delicious black currant, eucalyptus, currant leaves. Round, and around, and around. I few minutes later, I developed the courage to take a sip. To my delight, the palate delivered as much excitement as the nose. Polished, layered, seductive, Bordeaux-style textbook profile, black currants, well-integrated tannins, perfect structure, powerful but perfectly balanced. You really don’t expect the wine like that to be a pop’n’pour wine, and yet it was, in my glass. Absolutely delightful.
There you are, my friends. Another case of delicious American wines, delivering lots and lots of pleasure. These wines are not really everyday sippers but are well worth looking for to brighten up any special occasion.
I have more American pleasures to share, so stay tuned…
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