A dry German…

In my (very limited) experience of German white wines it is rare to find anything dry and even those sold as dry would be considered off-dry anywhere else. So when I was presented with the above (Kallstadt Vom Kalkfels Riesling Trocken, Rings, Pfalz 2018) I was floundering.

Very bright and crystalline in appearance, pale yellow, lemon nose with a hint of reduction, a sweet ‘attack’ on first taste, leading to a sour, hard finish of medium length and little complexity. At first I thought it was a New World Riesling but it really wasn’t rich enough. Not bad but not a style I much favour – I’d rather go over the border to Alsace.

[Geoff: From a case of 6 dry German wines from Tanners. Unlike R. I enjoyed this and thought it well-made. The difficulty it seems to me is the balance between dry/off-dry and acidity. Too dry and the acidity starts being obtrusive and the wine seems hard and unforgiving. The off-dry style many people find too sweet. However I thought this was, for my palate, just right and even better the following day as it got fuller in flavour. It’s from the Kalstadt area in the north Pfalz and Rings are a very respected VDP producer. Their web-site is worth a look just for the landscape shots alone.]

Yes, we have no bananas…

What was I drinking 50 years ago? Lots of stuff I don’t drink now – Liebfraumilch, heavy Australian Shiraz, litre bottles of supermarket blends like the dreaded Hirondelle – but one has stayed constant, namely Beaujolais, either crus (my first ever case delivery from a wine merchant) or, especially, Beaujolais Nouveau. From BN parties in the ’70s and ’80s to the occasional bottle as enthusiasm for the drink faded it is still a wine I have tasted every year.

One of the early jokes about BN was that it often tasted/smelt of bananas (or rhubarb). And in the seventies/eighties when every supermarket and wine merchant sold different bottle from different makers, quality was variable. Now we both bought the same bottle from Waitrose and that was it. None in M&S, the only other place I looked, given lockdown etc etc.

Fortunately it was pretty good. Purple and translucent, an unmistakable, inviting Gamay red fruit nose with no extraneous odours, juicy and succulent to taste, fresh, clean, some length. Perfect easy drinking (12%) and a repurchase this week if there is any left. (Domaine de Baluce 2020.)

[Geoff: Yes, very good VFM at about £8. Waitrose were also stocking an English Nouveau btw, which appeared to have sold much more quickly. The Beaujolais had an attractive sweet attack but finished dry. Quality was apparent. No point sending over poor quality now – too many bloggers around ready to write it off.]

 

Savoy (No, not the cabbage)

Savoy, in eastern France, is divided into three areas, their centres being Geneva, Annecy and Chambery. The whole area of 2,200 hectares produces 1.6 m. cases of white (68%), red (22%), rose (7%) and sparkling (3%). The dominant grape is Jacquere (white) whilst the reds are split between Gamay and Mondeuse. The latter comprised the Chateau de Merande, Le Comte Rouge 2015 which we tasted on Friday. The grape is either a grandfather or cousin of Syrah, depending on which DNA theory you believe. (All info. B Lewin, Wines of France).

It had a dull ruby colour with a slightly purple rim. The aromas were all red fruits, especially red cherry and cranberry, which were fresh but also having a cooked note. There was a hint of green, under-ripeness as well. Definitely dry and medium long it had a big mid-palate and bitterness/tannins which wasn’t unpleasant. The under-ripe quality was present on the palate giving the wine a rustic element. Great to try, very individual (from one vineyard, evidently) and enjoyable. Certainly not mainstream. A talking point.

[Richard, I liked this a lot. An individual taste, some complexity, fresh, not too alcoholic (12%), lots of character. Wines from this area are not easy to finding the UK – this one is now sold out at TWS – and this is the first we have blogged. An area worth exploring.]

Hot climate pinot noir?

The Limari Valley is a northern Chilean region; its closeness to the equator – and therefore heat – is the equivalent to Egypt and Iraq. Not the ideal place to grow a grape that likes it cool and moist. The saviours are a cold fog which clears late and a limestone soil beloved of PN and Chardonnay. Yet the heat’s effect is seen in the ABV of 14%. The wine is Maycas del Limari, San Julian 2016.

Given to me blind in Sunday’s remote tasting, the wine showed medium a intense red with some viscosity, yet the red wasn’t vibrant, more matt. Sour cherry aromas and red fruits were evident on the nose but not much else. The palate, thankfully, was more interesting. Soft tannins, acidity, some sourness and with some face-saving richness, the flavours ended long and dry.

I had originally thought Europe, then S. Africa, eventually jumping on Chile which showed that the maker had coped with the hot climate well. Not the most interesting wine we’ve tried but an easy drinking food wine.

[Richard: we have tried a few Chilean pinot noirs over the years with our favourite being Cono Sur Twenty Barrels from Tesco, a shop I haven’t entered since the first lockdown. This was not quite as good – even less pinot typicity but with some complexity on the palate making it reasonably interesting, if not a repeat buy. From Waitrose, I think – as you can see from the picture it’s been pulled from and returned to the rack a few times and might have been better a couple of years ago.]

La La-La Land…

…is unfortunately not the brand name chosen by Vins de Bordeaux for Lalande-De-Pomerol, an AOC on the right bank of the Garonne, although, in truth, the wine tasted didn’t have the air of frivolity that this suggests.

Dark red, clearly young, more black fruit than red on the nose which had a, not unpleasant, farmyard hint, sourish and dry to taste with a rather ‘Turkish delight’ feel – wood and spice, finishing a little raw. A well put together wine (Clos Haut-Laborde 2018) which I felt confident was a claret, despite the lack of grape typicity. But perhaps that is the mark of a successful blend (Merlot, Cabernet Franc). I’ll let Geoff explain the provenance but I also have two bottles which I think will benefit from some cellar time.

[Geoff: This was one of three clarets shipped from Bordeaux by a friend of ours. We had tried an earlier vintage previously but I remember it as being richer whereas this is on the leaner side. I think this will flesh out, as R. says it was ‘a little raw’. The one thing that disconcerts me is its farmyard notes which suggest early ageing. I might be wrong – I hope so. Much better the second day. £11.40.]

 

A ravishing Riesling from Rangen…

In 2013 Geoff and I spent a week in Alsace. One of our trips out was to the most famous cru in the region – Rangen – blogged and described here. Naturally we bought a few wines back but, I think, there is only one left, another bottle of the above.

This was a second opportunity to taste the wine blogged in the link above, Clos St Théobald, Schistes, Rangen de Thann Grand Cru, Schoffit, albeit a different vintage – this was the 2010, not the 2011.

Medium yellow in appearance with a rich, spicy, floral, slightly sweet nose, nice mouth feel, more spice with a sweet attack and a dry finish, ending with an attractive hint of bitterness. Complex, concentrated and layered and  – once I had got New World out of the way, as suggested by the richness (it’s 14.5%) – obviously an Alsace Riesling. Lovely wine and better than the 2011 not least because of the extra maturity.

[Geoff: Great taste, with a lovely earthy finish, classic Alsace. Had it with pork chops, potatoes and a cooked red cabbage, apple and onion mix. It coped beautifully, matched the food but didn’t dominate. One left – the 2011.]

 

The missing Musar…

This has always been an equal opportunity wine blog – ‘we try anything’ – but it’s inevitable that, given our tastes, certain areas and grapes recur like Burgundy, the Sherry Triangle and Pinot Noir, for example. Equally some makers appear often, for example Equipo Navazos and Chateau Musar, the subject of today’s blog and a particular favourite of mine, if not Geoff.

Musar vintages blogged include the 1998, the 2002, 2003 2004 and 2005 so when I saw that Waitrose were stocking the 2001 I bought a bottle in the recent 25% off sale, bringing it down to a very reasonable £21. Musar release vintages when ready to drink rather than sequentially but even so I decanted the wine which threw a fine sediment. A pale red, the nose was light and ‘high’ with lots of fruit and the unmistakeable Musar aroma. On the palate the wine was thin and savoury with lots of complexity and length. A lovely accompaniment to some braised feather blade steak from Peel’s on Wheels.

[Geoff: Musar is a blind spot with me. (Does everyone have a wine(s) that they recognise as good but can’t get on with?) It’s the ‘unmistakeable Musar aroma’ and taste. I can only smell fruit that’s gone off which masks everything else. What is attractive is its leanness. I know it’s got a cult following but … Perhaps it needs some local style foods with all the fruit and spices to make it shine. If R and I had a meal that involved Musar and Gewurtztraminer the wine conversation would be a bit one-sided.]

Remote St Peray.

The still St Perays we have tried have been really enjoyable; the sparkling, for which the small region is noted for, was not so good. This white only AOC is the southernmost of the northern Rhone and consists of only 65 ha. 90% of these are planted with Marsanne, the other 10% being Roussanne and Roussette. Berry Brothers declare it “undoubtedly appellation to watch”. Which means, in reality, the prices will start escalating.

We have a liking for white Rhone wines yet those flavours are often difficult to pin down, they just work so well together as one harmonious whole. Anyhow, here goes. The wine is Dmne. B & F Gripa’s 2015 vintage, a blend of 70/80% Marsanne, and the balance Roussanne. It’s 14.5% ABV, 13,000 bottles were produced. Really bright straw yellow in colour, we detected aromas of fruits, especially ripe melon, sour stone fruits and a slight hint of rubber. There was a defining mineral/salt quality to it. The palate was sour fruits again, rich yet refreshing with a lovely mouth feel and some pleasing bitterness at the finish. A lovely layered wine, a pleasure to drink. Recommended.

[Richard: from a TWS mixed case of three different St Peray vintages, at a bargain £20 each, in 2018. This is the first one blogged. The WS tasting notes say drink before December 2019 but this had plenty of life and the extra years in bottle had greatly added to the complexity. Can’t add to Geoff’s comments which sum up why we both liked the wine.]

 

Classico – but not classic

My s/d blind tasting last night was an opulent, bright red wine, very dark and polished in appearance. The nose didn’t give much away – hints of blackcurrant with a green edge. To taste it was thin and savoury, smooth, mouth-filling, medium length, finishing dry and tart. I thought it might be French but when that was wrong I went for an Italian Sangiovese, without much conviction as I didn’t get any sense of place.

In fact it was a Chianti Classico (San Felice Il Grigio Chianti Classico Riserva 2016) but, in what seems to be a frequent refrain on this blog, it didn’t taste much like the grape is supposed to with the tell-tale cherry notes undetectable. Not bad but not as good as Riecine. our favourite Chianti and it needed food, as I’m sure Geoff will confirm.

[Geoff: 100% Sangiovese from San Felice vineyards, two years in wood, one in bottle, 13.5% ABV. This was better later and really good with beef meatballs in tomato sauce. It was quite powerful and had a smooth quality not usually found in Chianti. I liked it and I think it could do with another two years to be at its best. From Toscanaccio in Winchester, where it was recommended by Cat, £26.]

 

 

Sexy Sadie…

The Sadie Family which made the Columella 2008 we tried (remotely, on the first day of Lockdown Part II) have their own Wikipedia entry. That must indicate fame or notoriety. Possibly both as Eben Sadie is described as an enfant terrible, a celebrity wine-maker and “one of the greatest and most original winemakers in the southern hemisphere”. I have never tried one of his celebrated wines before but R. had bought this some time ago evidently. Before the prices rocketed to about £70 per bottle.

Made from 95% Syrah and Mourvedre grown on sites in the Paarl district (this can all be read on Wikipedia) the wine has achieved fame because of high marks in the Wine Spectator magazine. So, US market-led then? And they like their wines big and fruity.

But it wasn’t all b and f. The dark red colour was brown tinged and the smells redolent of Rioja which suggested the involvement of American oak (20% new wood) but that’s not confirmed. Cooked red fruits, to be expected after so long in bottle, were evident on the nose and palate but there was also a lean, savoury quality which was attractive. There was also some alcohol heat on the palate. This held the classic mid-position between the New and Old wine world styles so typical of South Africa. An enjoyable wine, certainly.

[Richard: maybe this bottle didn’t inspire the Beatles but there’s no denying that this is a sought after wine – now available on allocation only – which I had the foresight or luck to purchase from TWS in 2012, at, I think £35 (pre TWS digitisation of orders). As it happens we tasted this on Geoff’s birthday – some of the neighbours set off fireworks – so I thought something special was appropriate.

I wasn’t sure what to expect and there isn’t much Syrah typicity, at least in the Rhone sense. It’s not a homage. Slightly better on day 2 with the overriding impression being a pure, linear taste, with plenty of acidity giving it a lift on the palate. Not dissimilar to Rostaing’s Ampodium, another wine with a Roman influence – Columella was a writer on agriculture – but, as Geoff says, it’s not obviously New or Old World and all the better for it.]