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Travel Diaries: A Few Days in Chicago With A Few Wine Tidbits
Chicago might be my second favorite big American city after New York. Of course, this is a business traveler’s opinion (planned many times to visit the city of Chicago as a tourist, but this never happened so far). Situated largely around the Chicago River, the city offers magnificent views all around (just scroll down :)). The city also played a cornerstone role in American history, so you can’t help but think about all that was happening on those streets…
I spent pretty much an entire [work] week in the city, and had an opportunity to walk around a bit (mostly in the evenings). I stayed at the Fairmont Hotel, so most of my pictures, obviously, are taken in the proximity of that hotel (and some are just from the room). The hotel was very nice, no complaints. However, last year I stayed at the Palmer House Hotel, and being a historic hotel (the Palmer House was built in 1871/1875, while Fairmont was built in 1987), it offered a lot more charm – to my taste, of course. Okay, now you will have to scroll for a bit to get the wine portion.
I hope these pictures give you an idea about the beautiful city of Chicago – of course, nothing can replace first-hand experience so you might want to add Chicago to your “to visit” list. Now, a few thoughts about wine.
As I’m sure you know my habits by now – when I travel, if convenient, I like to buy wine in the local supermarkets and grocery stores, just to see what is going on with the local wine scene. In Chicago, I visited Whole Foods and a large supermarket called Mariano’s, and I bought a bottle of wine at each place. Before we talk about particular wines, I just want to make a more generic comment, about the state of the wine market overall.
Media loves to talk about how wine is losing its popularity – not all of the alcohol categories, as wine stores can’t keep enough of the High Noons on the shelves, but specifically wine. People are buying less wine, people don’t drink wine, especially young people, and yada yada yada. I visited two large supermarkets, and both of them had shelves and shelves full of wine from around the world. These supermarkets are located in downtown Chicago, where real estate, I’m sure, is at a premium. If wine didn’t sell, these supermarkets wouldn’t keep such a supply on the shelves and give it so much space in the store. So I think the wine market is doing just fine…
Now, let’s talk about a few of my wine experiences in Chicago. First, I got this 2020 Famille Perrin Nature Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge (14.5% ABV, Grenache, Syrah, aged in stainless steel/oak barrels for 1 year, organic grapes) at Whole Foods. Perrin is a well-known name in French winemaking, and specifically in the Rhone – the family owns one of the most famous Rhone estates, Chateau de Beaucastel. When I saw this wine on the shelf for $15.99 (it was also on sale and cost $14 and a change), it was a perfect combination of a good name and a good price. Perrin family had been farmed organically for more than 40 years, and now this wine comes from a certified organic vineyard. I’m always a bit afraid that generic Côtes-du-Rhône red would be a little wimpy – the fear was unjustified with this wine, which delivered a perfect core of the dark fruit, good energy, perfect balance of acidity with well-integrated tannins. Definitely try this wine if you will see it.
My visit to Mariano’s yielded this NV Locations F French Wine Release 7 France (15.5% ABV, a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and assorted Bordeaux varietals, barrel-aged for 10 months). The wine selection at Mariano’s was large, but not interesting. I didn’t want to spend too much, so the Locations F at $19.99 was not the best value, but the most reasonable value/interesting wine compromise I could come up with.
Location wines are produced by well-known California winemaker, Dave Phinney, of Orin Swift Cellars fame (Prisoner, Machete, …). Location wines are typically non-vintage, and produced from the variety of grapes in the country of origin which is depicted on the label – F and FR for France, I and IT for Italy, CA for California, ES for Spain, and so on – you can learn more here. While the wines are not vintage-specific, there are different release numbers and each release might have an entirely different grape composition. For example, the Location F I had in 2015 was a Cabernet Sauvignon wine from France, while this release 7 is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and other varieties.
The wine had a nice core of dark fruit, good acidity, and good overall balance. If I hadn’t looked at the label, I would never tell that it had 15.5% ABV – the alcohol was very well integrated and didn’t affect an overall balance. Not sure this would be my go-to wine at $20, but at the same time it was not the worst value either.
There is one more wine I would like to talk about here – 2021 Foradori Teroldego Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT (12% ABV, cement tanks and used 20 to 40 hectoliters foudres for about 12 months, certified biodynamic). I had this wine at the Siena Tavern restaurant. To be entirely honest, this was almost the cheapest wine at $78. If there is one thing I despise with passion, it is ridiculously priced wine lists at restaurants. This same wine can be found in retail for about $25, so it was priced at triple retail. Definitely not the worst, as I’m sure the obscure nature of Teroldego played a role here – baby Ornellaia, Le Volte dell’Ornellaia, was priced at $89 on the same list, which makes it 4 (four!) times retail. I know a restaurant is a business, but come on… have common sense. I have to say that I didn’t see too many people with wine bottles on the tables, maybe that wine list requires some thought…
The wine itself was excellent. A touch gamey, both on the nose and the palate, dark fruit, roasted meat notes, crisp acidity – it was drinking very well… I looked up Fordari wines, and frankly, I would like to try other wines in the portfolio, especially the single vineyard Teroldegos.
Here you are, my friends – my Chicago trip with a few wines attached.
Low Calories, Low Alcohol Wines – Second Encounter
About a year ago, I tried for the first time the wine deliberately produced to be in the “low calorie, low alcohol” category – you can find the story here. You might want to refer to that article as I made an effort there to explain how calories are calculated in wine, which I’m not planning to repeat today.
Back in April, I was offered to taste two of the low-calorie, low-alcohol wines – and this is where the story started. To put things in perspective – the “low calories, low alcohol” Pinot Noir I tasted a year ago had 124 calories per standard glass – versus 154 calories in the glass of full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon – with 30 calories difference, you make your own conclusions. To be clear, I relegate the “low calories” sentiment to pure marketing – therefore when I got an email with an offer to review two low-calorie wines, my first inclination was to respectfully decline. Also, the wine labels in the picture had a clear message depicted with the standout letters LO CA – I attributed CA to California which was also kind of a letdown as I prefer Californian wines to be unmanipulated.
After skimming (sic!) through the email I wrote back a reply (tirade, rather) explaining how I would only write about wines if I like them, and I wouldn’t write about them if I don’t like them – of course, this was obvious, but nevertheless, I decided for some reason to stress it and then agreed to try the wines.
A few days later I got the wines and then it was time to taste them. I took pictures of the bottles and studied the labels of the wines I was about to open. The wines are from California, so it is given that the white wine is Chardonnay, and the red should be Cabernet Sauvignon… Malbec? Why does it say Malbec? Malbec from California? What an unusual choice for the low-calorie wine!
oohhh…
Why does it say “Argentina” on the label?
Ah, the wines are from Argentina! LO CA simply stands for LOw CAlories, that CA has nothing to do with California (also “loca” means “crazy” in Spanish, but this is probably unrelated?). And the wines are produced not by some unknown little winery but by Domaine Bousquet, possibly the best organic wine producer from Argentina and one of my favorite producers overall as so far I haven’t had a bottle of wine from Domaine Bousquet that I didn’t like. And now I feel embarrassed.
Remember I told you that I skimmed through the email instead of actually reading it (horrible habit, I know)? If would carefully read the email this embarrassing situation would’ve been avoided, as I would just gladly accept the wines from Domaine Bousquet – I quickly rushed to write an apologetic email explaining my error in judgment.
From here on I was a lot more encouraged to taste the wines, and now was really looking forward to the first sip.
In almost 35 years of its existence (while vacationing in Argentina, Frenchman Jean Bousquet purchased 1,000 acres of arid desert in Gualtallary Valley in Uco Valley in 1990, the beginning), the folks at Domaine Bousquet accomplished truly a lot – a lot more than thousands and thousands of other wineries accomplished in their lifetime. Domaine Bousquet produces 4 million liters (the equivalent of 5.3 million bottles) of wine 95% of which is exported to 50 countries. More importantly, the winery started practicing organic viticulture in 1997, and today it is USDA-certified organic, Ecocert-approved, and Regenerative Organic Certified™. To make sure you can fully appreciate it, there are only 21 regenerative organic certified wineries in the world at the moment of this writing and Domaine Bousquet was the first winery in Argentina to obtain this certification.
How do you make your wines low calorie, low alcohol without any manipulation? I didn’t think of it, but as I started working on this post I had to read a bit about the wines I was tasting, and it appears that it is easy 😀you just harvest early.
Here is the information from the winery notes for these two wines:
“Grapes were harvested in the early summer, between late January and early February, about two months earlier than for standard bottlings. To guarantee optimum quality, different parcels were picked at different times. The grapes were then fermented in stainless steel tanks for 12-17 days. Bottling followed shortly after to ensure peak freshness, preserve its varietal typicity, and achieve a fruity and expressive character.”
Now, the culmination point – my impressions after tasting the wines.
2023 Domaine Bouquet LO CA USDA Organic Chardonnay Uco Valley (9.5% ABV, $14, Residual Sugar: 1,21; Acidity / PH: 7.72/3.21; 75 Calories):
This was an interesting experience. The nose was muted, and on the palate, there was still not much except the acidity. The wine had nothing but the acidity. Dont’ get me wrong – it was drinkable, but it was truly competing with Muscadet for the title of “Best oyster wine”. I would be more receptive to this wine if the label wouldn’t say Chardonnay, but instead simply said “white wine”, as I have certain varietal expectations for Chardonnay wines. Over the next few days, the wine continued to be drinkable and complexity increased a bit, but still the acidity was the key element.
Verdict: Food wine. I would love it with oysters, and I’m sure you would too. You can probably have a glass on its own on a hot summer day, but better have the food ready.
2023 Domaine Bouquet LO CA USDA Organic Malbec Uco Valley (9.5% ABV, $14, Residual Sugar: 1,21; Acidity / PH: 5.62/3.62; 79 Calories)
This wine was even more interesting than the Chardonnay. Beautiful ruby color. Nose of the fresh, just harvested wild berries, delightful. The palate offered the same berry medley, fresh wild berries all the way but without structural support, and of course acidity driven. This wine reminded me of how Beaujolais Nouveau was 10 years ago, just fresh berries and nothing else. The wine lasted for a few days, gaining a bit more complexity (a welcomed development). I wouldn’t say it is my wine, but if you are looking for a refreshing wine for a hot summer day, this might do it. And I only realized now, when I’m writing this, that I should’ve chilled the wine and it probably would make it more interesting.
Verdict: It is drinkable, and if you are really looking to cut some calories, this might be the wine you need – just don’t overdo it, because an extra glass with low calories will instantly negate all your “low-calorie” achievements. Serve chilled.
Here you go, my friends. Two organic wines, low calorie, low alcohol – perfect to serve at your next summer party. Just have the food ready.
Month in Wines – January 2024
Ahh, the difference between the picture in your head and the reality. I know that I’ve written “Month in Wines” posts in the past, to discuss the wines I had during a given month. What I didn’t realize was that the last “Month in Wines” post was written 9 years ago, in 2015. Oh well, such is life. Let’s get to our subject – the wines I had during January of this year.
I would say that January, and December for that matter, are usually a bit more special, as both months are centered around holidays and celebrations. For a variety of reasons, we got to celebrate New Year, our most favorite holiday, on 3 separate occasions, and every one of those celebrations involved bubbles and special wines. Here are my brief notes on what transpired in January 2024, sorted by the type of wines.
Some of the sparkling wines
Sparkling:
NV Veuve Clicquot Brut Champagne (12% ABV) – of course, no introduction is needed. As the most marketed Champagne brand, I find it annoying and thus drink rarely. We had a few bottles that my wife received as a present at work a few years back, so I decided to open one of them. The wine was not bad, I guess better than I expected. Not anything that would blow your mind off, but solid and drinkable (but not craveable if this is even a word).
NV André Chemin Brut Tradition Blanc de Noirs Champagne (12% ABV) – my favorite Champagne available from WTSO (or at least it used to be, great value at $26.99). Round, playful, beautiful toasty notes and perfectly balanced.
NV Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Brut Champagne (12% ABV) – everything is better from the magnum right? Nice, clean, classic.
2016 Secret Indulgence Brut Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine Napa Valley (12.5% ABV) – a bit more substance than a typical Champagne. Just a touch more body, a bit more fruit, but overall perfectly restrained.
NV Maison Laudacius Cuvée Réservée Brut Méthode Traditionnelle Montlouis-sur-Loire AOP (12% ABV) – I grabbed this Cremant from the WTSO selection right before the holidays. This was nice and round, with clean acidity and just a touch of the fruit.
2017 Veuve Doussot Brut Cuvée Ernestine Champagne (12.5% ABV, 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, disgorged January 2022) – this one was just okay. Bubbles, but not much else to report.
NV Duval-Leroy Brut Reserve Champagne (12% ABV) – nice, round, clean, classic. A hint of apple, perfect acidity.
2011 Castello Bonomi Cru Perdu Millisimato Franciacorta (12.5% ABV) – excellent. Very generous, round, refreshing, a clean profile with a touch of fruit and a great substance.
2012 Charles Clément Brut Champagne (12% ABV, 60% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier) – excellent specimen of a vintage Champagne. Toasted notes, brioche, fine mousse, all around delicious.
NV Henri Champliau Brut Authentique Crémeant de Bourgogne AOC (12.5% ABV, 85% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnay) – Zak, who brought this wine, mentioned that a “tik-tok sommelier” compared this wine with Veuve Clicquot and said that they are literally identical in the taste profile with this Cremant only costing a fraction of the Veuve. Upon first taste, we found no similarities, and the wine overall was kind of subpar, so we had to put it aside enclosed with the Champagne bottle sealer. The next day the wine was still not interesting. On the third day, it showed a much bigger body and became much more round and pleasant. I still don’t think the comparison with Veuve stands, but go figure…
NV Giacomo Scagliola SiFaSol Moscato d’Asti DOCG (5.5% ABV) – of course, this is a lightly fizzed sweet wine, but we had it as an aperitif, hence is it listed with other sparkling wines. When it comes to Asti wines, it is all about balance and acidity – and succulent white peaches in this wine were perfectly balanced by the lemony acidity, so overall the experience was light and refreshing.
Final group
Whites:
2010 CVNE Monopole Rioja White Wine (13% ABV, 100% Viura) – I love unexpected [good] surprises, and this was definitely the one. I always enjoyed Monopole, the oldest white wine produced in Rioja (the first vintage was produced 110 years ago – in 2014) – but typically as a fresh, young wine. I kept one bottle as an experiment, not expecting anything special. The wine was excellent – not at the level of mature Riesling or a well-made white Burgundy, but it was good in its own class, with white-stone fruit, white plum, and lemon on the palate, and a tiny hint of oxidative/sherry notes, still with freshness and well noticeable acidity. Don’t know if it would age for much longer, and I was happy that I opened it now.
2015 Château Pape Clément Grand Cru Pessac-Leognan (14.5% ABV) – unlike the previous wine, this was not a good surprise. A very strange palate which I can’t even describe – kind of medicinal profile with basil and currant leaves, rather overwhelming. “Strange” would be the best descriptor.
2011 Peter Michael La Carrière Chardonnay Knights Valley Sonoma County (15.2% ABV) – another disappointing wine. 2011 was not a good year in California, and this wine was simply bitter and lacked any sort of balance.
Reds
Reds:
2006 St. Francis Old Vines Zinfandel Pagani Vineyard Sonoma Valley (15.6% ABV) – I kept this trio for a while but decided that the time had come to drink them. All 3 wines were very similar, focusing on blackberries, a hint of cherries and fresh herbs, round and delicious. I can’t complain about either one – they were all gone very quickly.
2007 St. Francis Old Vines Zinfandel Pagani Vineyard Sonoma Valley (15.4% ABV) – 2007 was the biggest wine of the 3, still retaining the same core of the fruit and herbs, but more assertive in its expression on the palate.
2008 St. Francis Old Vines Zinfandel Pagani Vineyard Sonoma Valley (15.4% ABV) – possibly the most elegant of the 3. Again, same profile, but with more finesse and restraint, focused on elegance.
2009 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Toscana IGT (14% ABV) – I was hoping it would be great, and it was not. Another disappointment of the tasting.
2005 ArPePe Sassella Vigna Regina Riserva Valtellina Superiore DOCG (13% ABV) – I have a lot of respect for ArPePe wines, but for whatever reason, this was far from amazing. I would describe it as “lean”. It is possible that the wine was open during its “sleeping” phase, but I would never be able to find out now.
2001 La Serena Brunello di Montalcino DOCG (14.5% ABV) – this was an interesting experience. From the get-go, the wine was not bad, with a pleasant dark cherries profile and good acidity. It was lacking a body a bit, so we decided to decant it. The decanter didn’t make much of a difference, with the wine remaining pleasant but not exciting. During the next two days, the wine transformed, showing a powerful structure and becoming more assertive. This wine could probably wait for another 5-10 years. Oh well…
2016 Carlisle Two Acres Russian River Valley Sonoma County (14.9% ABV, Mourvèdre, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Pelourcin, Carignane, Alicante Bouschet) – a rare case of Carlisle missing the mark. I can only assume I opened the wine while it was in its “sleeping” phase – at the moment it was simply lacking balance, and it didn’t improve even over the next few days. Strange, but happens.
2010 Clarendon Hills Brookman Merlot Wine of Australia (14.5% ABV) – I saw a very discouraging review of this wine somewhere online (might be Vivino), but somehow was convinced that my experience would be very different. No such luck. If I would ever decide to present the list of the worst wines of the year, this would be definitely one of the top contenders. This was a wine that showed nothing – not on the nose, not on the palate. Not good…
2017 Quinta do Vale Dão DOP (13% ABV, 40% Touriga Nacional, 40% Tinta Roriz, 20% Alfrocheiro) – Portuguese wines represent amazing value, and this was a simple proof of that. For under $10, this wine was singing – fresh, succulent berries, perfectly integrated tannins, playful, delicious.
2009 Sauvella Luscinia Canta Costers del Segre DO (14.1% ABV, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache) – Spain never ceases to amaze. An eclectic mix of grapes (who blends Cabernet Sauvignon with Syrah and Grenache?) delivering outstanding wine – fragrant, playful, full of fresh succulent dark fruit and herbs, well-integrated tannins and long finish. By the way, 2009 is a current release (available in the stores now) and thought-provoking.
2017 Campochiarenti San Nicola Riserva Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG (14.5% ABV) – classic and precise. Beautiful, layered Chianti with all the attributes – succulent dark cherries, sweet tobacco, leather, perfect minerality, wonderful bouquet and overall just a quintessential Italian wine.
2008 Achaval-Ferrer Quimera Mendoza Argentina (14% ABV, Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, 12 months in 40% new and 60% old French oak barrels) – my last bottle. I can’t recall why but I was not happy about the previous bottle opened a few years back, so I had a bit of trepidation opening this one on the last day of the month. The wine was just perfect. Roll-off-your-tongue smooth, velvety tannins, succulent cherries surrounded by the black fruit. Perfectly balanced and supremely delicious.
This concludes the story of January month in wines. As you can tell, there were clear highs and there were clear lows. How was your January in wines?
The work on a sequel has already started.
Cheers!
2021 UGCB Vintage Preview
Do you ever get the feeling that you already did something, and then, after spending a good half an hour looking for it you realize that you only thought about doing that but actually you never have?
This is my story with the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux tasting – I already had 3 opportunities to write about this Bordeaux Grand Crus tasting, and have not done that – and was sure that I did – but only in my mind. Thus finally I want to correct the situation so I will have an actual record.
Let’s start with a short explanation of UGCB, the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux. UGCB was founded in 1970s by a group of Bordeaux winemakers to help promote Bordeaux wines in Japan. From that day onward, the promotion of the best Bordeaux wines around the world is what the UGCB has been doing. To give you the current set of numbers (as presented on the UGCB website in January 2024), UGCB has 131 members, all of them Grand Crus throughout the Bordeaux territory. UGCB organizes 80 events per year throughout 15 countries and 65 cities, bringing together 50,000 professionals and wine enthusiasts to taste Bordeaux wines.
For many years, the UGCB tasting has taken place in January in New York City, and all of the events I attended through the years have been at Cipriani restaurant in midtown Manhattan. The 2024 event showcased the 2021 vintage, with about 80 wineries participating, pouring about 90 wines during the 3.5-hour trade tasting event (consumer tasting was a separate event taking place in the evening).
When it comes to events like this, busy and crowded, when you have to try to extend your hand holding the glass between the people’s backs, I’m not good at taking notes – handling the glass, the phone, notebook, and pen is just too much. So I primarily was taking pictures of the wines I liked and was trying to obtain an overall impression about the vintage in general and specific sub-regions in particular. For what it is worth, this is what I’m sharing with you here.
2021 Bordeaux vintage
While tasting wines, I asked many winemakers how they would assess the 2021 vintage. Based on what I heard, I got a mixed feeling, so here is how I see it. The 2021 was good overall, not great. Rain presented somewhat of a challenge, bringing powder mildew as a consequence. 2021 was also cooler than let’s say, 2020. 2021 also resulted in a lesser yield than 2020. Overall wines are leaner than 2020 but well structured. And my impression was also that winemakers had to work harder to achieve good results. To put things into perspective, the Bordeaux 2020 was outstanding, with pretty much ideal weather conditions throughout the whole season (still regret not writing about it on time). And I was told that 2022 was even better than 2020, which would, I guess, make it a proverbial “vintage of the century” – we just need to wait for a year and see.
Below are my bit more detailed impressions, primarily on the appellation level. These are all the wines that I liked to various degrees, with the top favorites shown in bold. As a general observation, I was surprised by the amount of the new oak used across the board.
Note – all of the wines below are Grand Cru wines, hence I didn’t add “Grand Cru” to every wine name below.
Pessac-Léognan – this is the only appellation in Bordeaux that produces both white and red wines at the Grand Cru level. I definitely enjoyed 2021 whites less than 2020. Most of the reds were just okay, nothing special.
2021 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc Pessac-Léognan
2021 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc Pessac-Léognan
2021 Domaine de Chevalier Rouge Pessac-Léognan
2021 Château de Fiuzal Blanc Pessac-Léognan
2021 Château Malartic-Lagravière Blanc Pessac-Léognan
2021 Château Malartic-Lagravière Rouge Pessac-Léognan
2021 Château Olivier Blanc Pessac-Léognan
Margaux – It was hard to find anything I liked in Margaux – I don’t know why, but literally all the wines I tried were incredibly tannic, instantly shutting down the palate.
2021 Château Brane-Cantenac Margaux
2021 Château Rauzan-Ségla Margaux
Pauillac – no specific impressions, but I liked comparatively more wines from this appellation.
2021 Château d’Armailhac Pauillac
2021 Château Clerc Milon Pauillac
2021 Château Duhart-Milon Pauillac
2021 Château Grand-Puy Ducasse Pauillac
2021 Château Lynch-Bages Pauillac
2021 Château Haut-Batailley Pauillac
2021 Château Batailley Pauillac
Pomerol – these Merlot-based wines overall were softer and more approachable than Cabernet-based ones.
2021 Château Petit-Village Pomerol
2021 Château Le Gay Pomerol
2021 Château Le Bon Pasteur Pomerol
Saint-Émilion – I thought that Merlot might be a saving grace in the 2021 vintage, but apparently it is not as I only liked a few wines from this Merlot-driven appellation.
2021 Chateau Valandraud Saint-Émilion
2021 Château Villemaurine Saint-Émilion
Saint-Estèphe – no general impressions, very few wines were present
2021 Château Phélan Ségur Saint-Estèphe – might be my second-most favorite in the tasting.
Saint-Julien – same as with Pauillac, I liked quite a few wines here.
2021 Château Beychevelle Saint-Julien
2021 Château Langoa Barton Saint-Julien – this wine was tasty and had a standout, playful label.
2021 Château Léoville Barton Saint-Julien
2021 Château Léoville Poyferré Saint-Julien
2021 Château Gloria Saint-Julien
2021 Château Saint-Pierre Saint-Julien – this was probably my favorite wine of the tasting.
Sauternes – I had bad luck with Sauternes during UGCB tastings in the earlier years, as many wines were simply not balanced, with pronounced bitter notes. At this tasting, I literally liked them all. Note that the wines were presented from the different vintages.
2021 Château Rainey Vigneau Sauternes
2016 Château Sigalas Rabaud Sauternes
2016 Château Guiraud Sauternes
2018 Château Doisy-Védrines Sauternes
2016 Château Bastor-Lamontagne Sauternes
There were more appellations in the tasting (Haut-Médoc, Listrac-Médoc, Moulis-en-Médoc), but I didn’t like any particular wines from those so they are not covered here.
Here you are my friends – my report from the 2024 Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux tasting. I finally did it.
And I’m already looking forward to the 2025 tasting of the 2022 vintage. Will see if reality will match my expectations. Cheers!
The Art Of Italian Wine: Masciarelli
Italian wines are special.
Well, this statement says a lot and nothing at the same time.
Remember, wine is personable and subjective. Everyone has a right to have their own opinion, and that opinion can only be subjective.
What makes Italian wines special? I will allow myself to make a bold claim – Italian wines are distinguishable. At least the well-made Italian wines produced from the core Italian grape varieties. What I’m saying is that when you taste Chianti, Brunello, Nero d’Avola, Montepulciano, Barolo and others, you might not identify the exact wine and the exact producer, but you would be reasonably sure you are drinking an Italian wine.
When you drink wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay, you might be well able to identify the grape, but the origin of the wine can be equally anywhere in the world – Bordeaux, California, Italy, Spain, Washington, Australia, Chile and everywhere in between can be a source of a great Cabernet Sauvignon. This would be also true for the absolute majority of the so-called international grape varieties – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Grenache, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc. But when you taste Sangiovese made in Italy, you might be easily mistaken about the exact region, but you would be reasonably certain you are drinking an Italian wine. An important disclaimer – it would definitely help if this would be a well-made Italian wine.
Here is a great example of the well-made, and thus easily recognizable Italian wine – or, rather, wines – Tenute Masciarelli in Abruzzo in Italy.
In terms of “wine time”, Masciarelli is a very young winery, founded in 1981 by Gianni Masciarelli. However, the impact in the wine world is not directly a function of time. Wine has been continuously produced throughout Italy for a few thousand years. In Abruzzo, a province located in central Italy along the Adriatic Sea, Montepulciano is the king. Simple Montepulciano red wines were produced forever in the region, perfectly quaffable, but not really comparable, for example, to the wines of Tuscany. Gianni Masciarelli spearheaded the change in the region, both in grape growing (he introduced the French Guyot training system for vines in the region) and production – he was the first to start using French oak barrels for aging the Montepulciano Abruzzo and Trebbiano d’Abruzzo wines. 1984 saw the first vintage of the Villa Gemma Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, the first of its kind single-vineyard Montepulciano d’Abruzzo wine, which will be celebrating 40 years of production this year.
Today, Masciarelly sustainably produces wines from all 4 provinces in Abruzzo. Annual wine production exceeds 1 million bottles across 7 different lines and 22 wine labels. A few months back, I had an opportunity to review Masciarelli’s introductory Linea Classica – 3 very well-made wines that were not only tasty but easily lasted for 5 days after being open – a testament to quality. Now, I had the pleasure of reviewing the latest releases from two more wine lines – Marina Cvetic and Villa Gemma.
Marina Cvetic line includes 2 of the classics – Trebbiano d’Abruzzo Riserva and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo – the second one is my perrenial favorite, I’m always happy to drink it. Additionally, the Marina Cvetic line includes four of international grape varieties (Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Merlot) – however, I don’t think those are available in the US.
Villa Gemma, the winery’s flagship and the oldest produced line, includes three of the Abruzzo’s classics – white blend, Rosé, and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva.
Here are my notes:
2020 Masciarelli Marina Cvetić Trebbiano D’Abruzzo Riserva DOC (14% ABV, $60, 100% Trebbiano Abruzzese, 20-50 yo vines)
Light golden
A hint of tropical fruit, Whitestone fruit, honeysuckle
Round, clean, fresh, a hint of butter, soft and creamy texture with Meyer lemon finish
8, the wine is a bit aggressive when just opened, don’t over-chill it (I would serve it around 50F) and let it breathe, maybe 30 minutes in a decanter. Will stay fresh in the fridge for a few weeks.
2022 Masciarelli Villa Gemma Abruzzo Bianco DOC (14% ABV, $24, 50% Trebbiano, 30% Pecorino, 20% Cococciola)
Straw pale
whitestone fruit, lemon, clean, inviting
Crisp, clean, good acidity, lemon, expressive minerality, good balance
8, excellent
2022 Masciarelli Villa Gemma Cerasuolo D’Abruzzo Superiore DOC (14% ABV, $24, 100% Montepulciano)
Beautiful cranberry pink
Restrained nose of fresh strawberries, pleasant
Strawberries, cranberries, fresh, bright, excellent acidity, good balance, delicious
8
2019 Masciarelli Marina Cvetić Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Reserva DOC (14.6% ABV, $38, 100% Montepulciano, 15-30 yo vines, 12 months in French oak barrels)
Dark garnet, almost black
Dark cherries, espresso, tar, mocha, medium intensity
Dark cherries, silky smooth with beautifully present tannins, layered, round, well present, delicious.
8+, these are day 2 and day 6 notes, this wine is made of the long haul, was not very enjoyable upon opening, you need to decant it for 2-3 hours or forget it in the cellar for 10-15 years as the least.
2018 Masciarelli Villa Gemma Riserva Montepulciano D’Abruzzo DOC (15% ABV, $98, 100% Montepulciano, 35 yo vines, 12 months in French oak barrels)
Dark garnet, practically black
Black cherries, a hint of a barnyard
Black cherries, cherry pits, silky smooth roll-of-the-tongue texture, good acidity, excellent balance
8+, this is a big wine. It is surprisingly pop’n’pour, but will improve with the cellaring.
Here you are, my friends – wine, a liquid art form, made in Italy.
Do you think that Italian wines are easily distinguishable? What are your favorite Italian wine producers?
As Expected
Is “expectation” a wine term?
In a direct sense it is not, of course – “expectation” is not the name of the grape, not a wine descriptor, and not the name of the winemaking process. And nevertheless, for anyone who proclaims “serious affection, a.k.a love, a.k.a obsession” to the simple beverage produced from the grape juice, I would argue that “expectation” is a wine term, or at least, a wine-related term.
Expectations start from the very first look at the bottle – even before we see the label, the bottle’s shape and overall appearance initiate a thought process regarding the bottle’s content. Obviously, once we carefully look at the label, our expectations are enhanced further. Okay, young Barolo, I need to get the decanter ready. Ohh, this Sauvignon Blanc is too warm – I need to chill it before the guests arrive.
But then these are not even real expectations. Once you recognize the region, the grape, the producer – this is when the mind games of expectations start. Looking at the bottle of Opus One, Petrus, Penfolds Grange, or Dom Perignon, I’m sure that the mind of an average wine lover goes ballistic – “this is going to be amazing”. The brain would not accept anything less. Even after you try the wine, the brain will interject into the message from your palate if it is anything less than “oh my god, I love this”. But before I mount my favorite horse it appears that there is an idiom “to mount a hobbyhorse” (I hope there is a saying like this in English, as there is one in Russian), let me change the direction to where I’m actually trying to arrive.
As we are discussing the meaning of the wine term “expectations”, it is interesting to see how your expectations are built. Let’s say you tried a bottle of wine from an unknown producer, and you liked it. Then you tried another one. And another one – and I don’t mean in one sitting – slowly over time. As you keep liking the wines, your expectations are being built. You try new vintages, new wines from the same producer and your expectations keep growing. Once you become really familiar with the producer, you take a bottle you never had before, and before even opening it, you are confident that this will be a good wine – you expect nothing less. You might not love each and every wine from a given producer after you try them, but at least in terms of expectations, your ways are set. Just to give you an example, I expect excellent wines from La Rioja Alta, Lopez de Heredia, Field Recordings, Turley, Carlisle, Masciarelli, and lots of others – and yet while I’m writing this post, I’m drinking the wine from Carlisle that I don’t really enjoy at this moment (just opened the bottle, the wine needs to breathe). The fact that I don’t enjoy one particular wine doesn’t affect my general expectations – next time, holding a bottle of Carlisls in my hands, I would fully expect that I will like the wine “at hands”.
A “circle of expectations” is not cast in stone. As we taste wines from the new producer, we build confidence and our expectations are growing to the point of this unconditional trust. Today, I want to share with you one of my latest additions – Domaine Bousquet from Argentina.
Domain Bousquet is not even 30 years old – it was founded in 1997, so in the wine world this is a very short period of time – but take a look at this simple picture above, which perfectly summarises Domain Bousquet’s achievements – Certified Organic with multiple designations, biodynamic Demeter certified, 1st in Argentina and 4 th in the world regenerative organic winery – you can continue researching this very impressive list on your own. But this is the wine we are talking about, so all of the certifications take a back seat to the content of the glass. What’s inside of glass matters – does it give you pleasure or not. And Domaine Bousquet produces damn impressive wines.
I was introduced to the wines of Domaine Bousquet exactly 3 years ago, and that introduction started with their Charmat method sparkling wines – organic, delicious, and inexpensive. Next, in August of the same year, 2021, I had an opportunity to taste an extended lineup of Domaine Bousquet wines, that were also excellent. Earlier this year I was blown away by their unoaked organic wines containing no added SO2, and then one more time in December when I tasted their Classic method sparkling wines which were world-class superb and an absolute steal at $18.
Now, I had an opportunity to taste some of their very best wines. These wines perfectly speak to my obsessed oenophile mind, as they are not even single-vineyard, but rather single-plot wines – and they are produced only in exceptional years. You know that I don’t like quoting the original winery notes, but I feel that in this case it is appropriate:
“Named for Domaine Bousquet co-owner Labid al Ameri, Ameri is not just“single vineyard” but “specific cluster,” and made only in exceptional years. At 1,257m/4,125 ft, the highest of the estate, the certified-organic vineyard, located in Gualtallary in the Andean foothills, gets a perfect combination of near constant intense daytime sunlight and huge day/night temperature differentials. The result is fruit with increased levels of sugar AND acid, flavor, and aromatics.”
Yes, I had expectations regarding these wines. I expected these wines to be well-made and tasty. And my expectations were met. Fully.
Here are my notes:
2020 Domaine Bousquet Ameri Malbec Gualtallary Mendoza Argentina (14.5% ABV, $37, 100% Malbec, 12 months in French oak)
Dark garnet, almost black
Cherries, plums, eucalyptus
Cherries, espresso, firm structure, good acidity, good balance
8, excellent
2020 Domaine Bousquet Ameri Red Blend Gualtallary Mendoza Argentina (14.5% ABV, $37, 60% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon,10% Syrah, 10% Merlot, 12 months in French oak)
Dark garnet, almost black
Plums, fresh raspberries, mocha
Cherries, a hint of cassis, eucalyptus, sweet oak, perfectly integrated tannins, firm structure, excellent balance
8, delicious.
Both wines were just perfect from the get-go, but both also lasted for at least 5 days on the counter with the air being pumped out – a testament to the quality.
Here you are, my friends – all-organic, delicious, top-shelf wines from Argentina – delivering the pleasure.
As expected.
Happy Wines of Barra
What are happy wines you may ask? Can the wine be happy? Can the wine be unhappy? Can the wine actually express emotion?
The first two questions probably don’t have an answer. But can the wine express emotion? You bet. That’s the whole point of wine appreciation. The wine that gives you joy. The wine that brings back happy memories. The wine that gives you happiness. The wine that gives you pleasure. The wine that doesn’t leave you indifferent. Not every wine in your glass will do that for you – but some will. I think it will be fair to call them Happy Wines.
Happy wines are those that put a smile on your face. You open a bottle, put the liquid into the glass, swirl, sniff, sip – and smile, because the wine is actually that good. It doesn’t have to be the best wine you ever tasted. It doesn’t have to be expensive or inexpensive. As long as the wine puts a smile on your face and makes you happy, you can call it a Happy Wine.
My latest happy wine discovery was the latest release of red wines from Barra of Mendocino. I already wrote about the winery before – you can find the complete two-part story here (part 1 and part 2) with all the details about this 50-year-old, 350-acre organically farmed estate located in Northern California, in Mendocino. Everything I tasted so far from Barra was outstanding, and this latest release of the 3 reserve red wines made from organic grapes didn’t disappoint either.
2020 Barra Reserve Petite Sirah Mendocino County (14.5% ABV, $28, 18 months / 30% new French oak, balance in neutral barrels, organic grapes)
Dark Garnet, practically black
Beautiful nose of red and black fruit
Sweet cherries, perfect acidity, well-integrated luscious tannins, layered, delicious.
8+, outstanding, and a unique rendition of PS which doesn’t require waiting.
2020 Barra Reserve Zinfandel Mendocino County (14.5% ABV, $26, 16 months / 25% new French oak, balance in neutral barrels, organic grapes)
Bright Ruby
Dark fruit and herbs on the nose, a hint of fresh coffee, tobacco
Tobacco, cherries, luscious texture, round, pleasant, with long finish.
8, excellent
I just wrote about Barra Cabernet Sauvignon in the previous post where I tasted it alongside two superb Napa Valley Cabs – but I’m happy to talk about this wine twice in a row 🙂
2021 Barra Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Mendocino County (14.5% ABV, $28, 18 months / 30% new French oak, balance in neutral barrels, organic grapes)
Garnet
Eucalyptus, cherries, a hint of cassis
Eucalyptus, dark berries, cherries, cassis, well-integrated tannins, perfect balance, medium-long finish.
8, delicious
All three were happy wines – ready to drink from the moment the bottle was open, and thoroughly delicious, putting a smile on your face. I can also tell you that all three of these wines lasted for almost 7 days after being first opened, standing on the counter, with the air being pumped out – this is definitely a testament to the quality and to the longevity of these wines – while these wines will not set you back by anything comparable to any cult Californian wines, I guarantee you that they will age equally well or possibly even better.
Have you tried Barra of Mendocino wines? I would love to see the smile on your face once you do. Cheers!
Ode to Cab
Ode to Cab.
Or we can just call it a Love Letter to Cabernet Sauvignon.
As an oenophile, I always try to maintain my “grape neutrality”. I can never name my favorite type of wine, never mind favorite wine. If you will hard press me against the wall with this question, I might say that it is Rioja, but the reality is a lot more complex than that.
If you search through articles in this blog, you will find a full range of wine styles and grapes. There are many blogs out there that cover specific region(s) or specific types of wine – but when I started writing close to 15 years ago, I knew that I would not be able to do that. This blog is about wine appreciation – any wine. “Wine should give you pleasure” – and so this is what my writing is primarily after – sharing the joy, the pleasure of wine, no matter what is the pedigree. Wines made from little-known grapes – Bobal, Trepat, Kekfrankos, Romorantin by tiny producers can give you as much pleasure as first growth Bordeaux, cult California, or best super-Tuscans. The liquid in the glass matters, and the only opinion that matters is yours and only yours – you can not enjoy the critic’s 100 points in your mouth.
This is my approach – try any wine with an open mind, and always be ready to be pleasantly surprised – or even blown away for that matter. And yet there is something about Cabernet Sauvignon that makes my heart race, especially coming from the producer I know or have heard of. Listen, I’m doing my best to tell you the truth, even though the “thought spoken is a lie”. But the brain gets all excited when I’m opening a bottle of the familiar Cabernet Sauvignon because I already know how good it can be. Very different from the excitement of the possible taste of DRC, Petrus, or Quintarelly (I’m yet to taste either) – because with those I wouldn’t know what to expect. But I do know what to expect from the well-made Cabernet Sauvignon that is ready to drink.
Even with the wines I happily call the favorites, I can’t tell you what I’m expecting to taste. I can’t describe my expectations when tasting La Rioja Alta, Ken Wright Pinot Noir, or Loacker Corte Pavone Brunello di Montalcino. I expect that I will like those wines as I know the producers and had their wines many times before – but I can’t tell you my exact expectations of the aroma or the taste of the wine. With Cabernet Sauvignon, I have very precise expectations of the aroma and the taste for me to like the wine. If I do not find the cassis (black currant) on both nose and palate when the bottle says “Cabernet Sauvignon” on it, there is no way I will like the wine, no matter how good the wine is for anyone else. Eucalyptus, mint, and a good structure are also expected, but with this some variations are possible. But when the expectations are met… the Cabernet Sauvignon is nothing but a pure, hedonistic pleasure.
So yes, deep down, Cabernet Sauvignon might be the most favorite wine of all – I just hope I will remember it next time I’m asked about my favorite wine.
Now, truth be told, I had a good reason for all this rambling about the beauty of Cabernet Sauvignon. A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to conduct an accidental side-by-side tasting of the California Cabernet Sauvignon and the results were simply amazing.
With this tasting, we are taking a little trip. We will start in Northern California, where Barra of Mendocino is located. I wrote about their wines before, and now I have a few of the latest releases and I thought that Cabernet Sauvignon would be quite appropriate for the tasting.
Barra Cabernet Sauvignon was the leanest of 3, but still had a perfectly recognizable Cabernet Sauvignon profile:
2021 Barra Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Mendocino (14.5% ABV, $28, 18 months 30% new French oak, balance in neutral barrels)
Garnet
Eucalyptus, cherries, a hint of cassis
Eucalyptus, dark berries, cherries, cassis, well integrated tannins, perfect balance, medium-long finish.
8
Moving 80 miles southeast, we now arrive at the Flora Springs winery, located in the heart of the Napa Valley. Again, one of my favorite wineries in California, I wrote about their wines on multiple occasions.
The wine I had an opportunity to taste was a special holiday release. Flora Springs is big on the holiday celebration, so this bottle features etched gnomes, perfectly appropriate for the holidays. But it is what’s inside that counts, and this wine was nothing short of spectacular.
2019 Flora Springs Red Wine Blend Napa Valley (14.5% ABV, $95, predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, 18 months in 70% French and 30% American oak barrels)
Dark garnet
Cassis, mint, black tea, cassis is playing in and out – you can smell this wine forever. Cassis is prevalent, wow.
Burst of cassis at first, then tannins come in, offering some bitter notes around the otherwise perfect Cabernet core. A very powerful, delicious wine that needs time to soften up. Either decant for a few hours, or lose it in the cellar for 10 years. The winery says you can enjoy it through 2036 – I’m sure you can easily add another 20 years on top of that.
8/8+
Going back about 8 miles northwest, we now arrive at the Smith-Madrone, the winery located in the Spring Mountain district of Napa Valley. Smith-Madrone is yet another one of my favorite wineries, and the one I feel a bit guilty about as a writer. I wrote about Smith-Madrone wines on many occasions in this blog – 5 years ago, Smith-Madrone were my wines of choice to celebrate Thanksgiving; in 2019, Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon was my wine of the year. And I’m still yearning to write a post fully designated to the winery…
Nevertheless, Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon to me is one of the most textbook-proper, pure Cabernet Sauvignon wines there is. Not everyone would share my opinion – my sister-in-law with whom I was tasting these 3 Cabs, was preferring Flora Springs Cab, just for the sheer, unashamed beauty. But to me, a more subtle but very confident representation of the Cabernet Sauvignon by Smith-Madrone was just a perfection:
2019 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon Spring Mountain District Napa Valley (14.3% ABV, $65, 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 18 months in 55% new French oak)
Brilliant dark ruby
A perfection. A textbook Cabernet Sauvignon cassis, pure, perfectly precise cassis. You can think of a bell pepper – I’m not sure it is there, but it comes to mind.
The palate is amazing – cassis, eucalyptus, perfect minerality, a touch of the pencil shavings, salivating acidity. This is an impeccably balanced wine built for aging. In 10 years, it will be insanely good. In 20 – … well, I don’t want to even think about waiting that long…
9-, pure and superb.
If you like Cabernet Sauvignon, either one of these 3 wines will make you happy – each one perfectly representing their terroir and the vision of the winemaker, and yet unquestionably perfectly representing maybe the most noble grape of all.
So now you know what my secret passion, secret true wine love is. What’s yours?
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!
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