August 2018

‘BRANDING’: FRIEND OR FOE OF WINE

There have been similar rants on these pages in the past about the current trend toward ‘branding’. But it seems that every time a situation arises that demonstrates exactly what we object to, we feel the need to speak out. Maybe no one is listening. We do realize that a lot of fermented grape juice of marginal quality is sold out in the world and we are but a microscopic (if vocal) speck on the landscape. Maybe our rants are some sort of therapeutic exercise we need to go through, but we are becoming somewhat concerned about things that are happening in the wine industry that we feel are completely counter to what we find to be in its best long term interest.

Yes we are very passionate about what we do here and get excited to come to work and see what the day will bring. Sadly there are burgeoning trends we feel are encroaching on the true beauty of the business. One supposes it would be a good time to state what that ideal is. Well, for us, it is about the diversity and personality of wine. As importer Eric Solomon so eloquently stated on his philosophy of selecting wines, ‘place over process’. We want Bordeaux to taste like Bordeaux, Napa Cab to taste like Napa Cab, Rhones to taste like their place of origin and so on and so on. To us the joy of wine is in the diversity of expression that aspect is an inherent part of quality.

We still believe vintage matters because in each year the variables of weather have an impact on the finished wine, for better or worse. That is the essence of what the wine experience is all about. If you want something to taste the same every time, drink whiskey or one of those canned cocktails. Wine has never been about that to us. But now there are large forces in the world that are trying to make it that way.

We first noticed It with the distribution companies and wholesalers. We would order a particular wine and, if the distributor was out of it, he would just ship the next vintage as if that was perfectly OK. Same label, right? Doesn’t vintage kind of matter with wine? We, in our archaic mind sets, still think it does.

More recently we have noticed a couple of disturbing trends. First is the homogenization of wine. More and more we have noticed a certain artificial twang and overt primary grapeyness in a number of red wines. We have very specific ideas about who perpetrated this attempt to mediate ‘vintage’ with excessive manipulation in the cellar. For a number of reasons we will not name names. But these successful market brands, even though they don’t necessarily taste like their stated varietal because of additions of various winemaking ‘ingredients’, have spawned a whole series of imitators. Pretty soon everything will be made to formula and will all taste the same, or at least that is the fear

If, say, a 2011, 2012, and 2013 version of a Napa Cabernet, from vintages that are about as different from one another as it gets in California, are virtually indistinguishable from each other, what does that tell you? It tells you that there is ‘winemaking’ happening, and we don’t mean that in a nice way. Sadly, instead of being spurned by the marketplace, some of these companies are selling for ungodly sums of money because of ‘branding’. Big conglomerates don’t seem to care about quality at all, only having a name that has a certain public appeal so they can ramp up production even more. Is it good business? There are those that think so. Is it still wine? Technically and chemically, we suppose it is. But such beverages do not inspire a lot of passion in us.

We have been pretty vocal about ‘natural’ wines, too. We are all for organic farming and minimal handling in the cellar as long as it provides exciting juice. But we aren’t interested in buying something based on how it is made, only how good it is. If there is a compelling story about the wines process, great, but only if we like it in the first place. Sadly, the term ‘natural wine’ has become an excuse for shoddy winemaking as well as a philosophy. If something is oxidized, tawny, lifeless or full of mercaptans, that is perfectly fine if it is ‘natural wine’ and we must not ‘understand it’. To us it is simply flawed wine. Natural doesn’t mean ‘bad’ per se, but it has become an explanation for a lot of flaws when the process isn’t executed perfectly.

The other day really got us going on the branding thing again. Some new purveyors who were pretty full of themselves because they had been a part of another grocery store brand, were in to present their newest project. They proceeded to lay out a few wines that were essentially brand new labels and we tasted through. Frankly only one of them was even noteworthy and it had the strangest name and label from the standpoint of marketing a ‘food product’.

The rest were unremarkable in every way but that didn’t seem to matter. These guys were intent on making them part of the ‘Nielson 300’ (the list of top selling commercial wines that is the bible for grocery stores). Based on what was not so clear. Here you were marketing a name and, presumably, some sort of story that might cause people to pick up a bottle. Clearly these folks had a pretty low opinion of the people who they were marketing to in terms of sophistication.

They continued to represent these wines as competitive in the marketplace (not sure it was our marketplace, nor what kind of stuff these guys were used to drinking), even going so far as to say their Oregon rose was ‘the best in America’. Huh? Based on what?

Not sure what kind of conversations these people have with grocery store buyers but clearly they weren’t used to people like us that asked them about sourcing and how the wines were put together and had certain expectations about a wine’s viability based on how it tasted. Essentially these wines, we found out, were predominantly blended to achieve specific market flavor profiles, or as we like to call them ‘control group cuvee’. Is this the kind of thing people are drinking these days?

What we came away with was that there wasn’t any particular thought to giving people tasty, character-filled alternatives to the current spate of innocuous mass marketed wine, just the same old stuff in a different package. We’d venture to say little thought was given to the wine at all. This was a classic case of the ‘branding’ being the central issue. The concept of ‘branding’ is fine for Pepsi, Green Giant Nibletts, and Tide laundry soap, all of which can be manufactured to be the same every time. The concept plays a little differently in a product that can vary in quality and expression based on vintage.

Step one, dumb down character. Step two, sell the ‘brand’ because that is the key to success. Sadly more and more folks in this industry are acting as if the label and image are more important than what is inside the bottle. Maybe that is the real world. For us, wine doesn’t work that way…at least it didn’t used to.

TERLANO: SUPERSTAR HIDDEN IN THE MOUNTAINS

Sports teams like the New York Yankees, L.A. Lakers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Montreal Canadians are all hallowed franchises that are revered for their long-term success. But part of the reverence is based on the reporting of their achievements via the media. If you win a championship in the forest and nobody hears about it… well you get the drift. There are long running, highly accomplished entities in the wine business as well. Producers like Lafite Rothschild in Bordeaux, Opus One in Napa Valley, and the like, are famous because they have histories of great work, but equally because people have been told they were good.

Today’s producer has been working on a very high level for a long time, but isn’t as appropriately famous because Alto Adige doesn’t get anywhere near the media attention that, say, Bordeaux and Napa Valley do. But in their little world in northeastern Italy, Cantina Terlano is a serious performer who consistently makes spectacular wines. We have been following Terlano for a long time. Admittedly we have a soft spot for the region and the precise, well defined, racy, riveting wines from the region from the likes of Terlano, Valle Isarco, Nals Margreid, and Elena Walch. These can be some of the most compelling whites in the world in exceptional vintages, and the fresh arrivals from 2017 offer a fantastic opportunity for us to talk about this ‘champion’ producer.

In the world of wine, the story of Cantina Terlano is definitely somewhat unique. Terlano was founded as a co-operative in 1893. It is made up of 143 growers that work approximately 170 hectares of vineyards. The winery’s homepage very modestly describes Terlano as one of the leading co-operatives in the Sud-Tyrol region. We’d take that several steps forward and suggest it is one of the most successful cooperative wineries in the world, to be favorably compared with Produttori del Barbaresco in Piedmont and Domäne Wachau in Austria. These folks are among the elite of their field.

We were wowed by their new arrivals from the 2017 vintage, a harvest with which we haven’t had a lot of experience yet. If these are any indication, 2017 was another banner year in the region and also one that will speak to a broader range of palates. The 2016s were quite special to be sure. But the intense acidity, normally a part of their makeup in this cooler, elevated growing region, might have been a tad too powerful for some consumers. The 2017s are just as impressive but also are dialed back just a touch which makes their vigorous fruit component more giving. In short, the 2016s were a great but powerful vintage, and the 2017s look to be at the same level of quality, but a bit more user-friendly. Good times.

We’ve picked out three offerings from what we like to refer to as one of the superstars of the ‘German’ part of Italy. These are riveting, impactful whites and outstanding representatives of not only this house, but the region as a whole. The winery makes a number of wines, some of which reach into the $50-60 range. But we feel this trio is so good that it will make our point quite handily, and way over-deliver for their respective prices. These are driving, ‘naked’ wines that express the pristine terroir from which they come. If the farming isn’t right, there are no cellar tricks you can to fix them. These folks have it down to a science in the vineyard and, while they have wines that offer the opportunity to spend more, there isn’t necessarily a reason to do so. These play at a high level.

The Terlano Terlaner Classico Alto Adige 2017 is a great place to start, and this blended white dates back to the beginning in 1893. This is a blend of 60% Pinot Bianco, 30% Chardonnay and 10% Sauvignon Blanc that sees 5-7 months on the lees, 80% in stainless steel and 20% in large, probably neutral oak. The edges are polished and honed with nothing sticking out, and it shows plenty of deceptive power to the palate. You’ve got a variety of subtle flavors from white stone fruits to passion fruit to roasted grain with highlights of white pepper, wild herbs and a streak of minerality. This lifts and brightens as it hits the palate, and delivers plenty of punch. A 92 from Advocate in 2016, the 2017 is playing at the same level (we had them two days apart) as an authoritative quaff or versatile food choice.

The Terlano Sauvignon Blanc Winkl Alto Adige 2017 is a favorite around here as well. A 100% Sauvignon Blanc that dates back to 1956 is made the same way as the Terlaner. It is gentle and supple on the palate but sits nicely atop well-integrated, ripe acidity. Again stone fruits with faint suggestions of honey play against ripe grapefruit, sage, and mineral tones. Monica Larner, Wine Advocate’s Italian specialist, calls it one of her absolute favorite Italian whites. We definitely get that. This has texture and suppleness, but finishes with a dash of mouth-watering zing.

The Terlano Pinot Grigio Alto Adige 2017 is no ordinary Pinot Grigio. While the genre in general gets bagged on because there are so many banal, uninspired versions out there, this one has the kind of size, fruit and ‘pop’ that will get your attention and possibly frighten those who are patrons of those typical commercial examples. This one is clean, insistent, and deceptively powerful for what it is. The flavors have elements of stone fruit, grain, white peach and passion fruit with a fleck of wild herb. This is a Pinot Grigio with substance and one heck of a value.

These riveting whites belong in everyone’s conscience as well as everyone’s cellar. Fans of the genre know these for what they are, one of the best of the genre and world-class whites by any measure. If you don’t know Terlano, it’s high time you did!

DOMAINE LA ROUBINE: ANOTHER RHONE ‘SLEEPER’

The southern Rhone is home to a number of small estates that do great work in relative obscurity. We have made it our mission to look into as many as we can and that process has turned up a few hidden gems. While we can tell stories about a number of domains that we have been working with for a long time, or discovered before they became famous, La Roubine isn’t one of them. In fact we didn’t first see this house until the 2010 vintage. We bought some Gigondas from that vintage based not on press, or fame, but because it was simply a delicious, soulful bottle of wine. Crazy, huh?

Even though we have a small cache of that wine probably thanks to the media-centric world we live in (it did get a rather low-key 91 from Spectator in a vintage full of 95s), we are still going to sing the praise of this stylish small domaine. The domaine itself isn’t all that old in a place where some families can trace their roots back centuries. It was only 1990 when Eric Ughetto took over the family vineyards located in Gigondas.

he was joined by Sophie in the late 90s and the two of them decided to make wine with their own grapes. They defined the estate “La Roubine” in 2000 with the first bottled vintage of Gigondas. Today the company is still a family run business. Eric works at the wine cellar, while Sophie manages both the cellar and the business. They both do vineyard work. Though the estate has expanded via inheritance, purchase, and lease (which the couple farms), it is still relatively small with 15.5 hectares of vines (38 acres) spread over four appellations.

They bring it ‘new school’, which these days is actually ‘old school’. They use no chemical pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers, are agriculture biologique (organic) certified, and, because of their modest size, can wait on harvesting individual parcels until they are optimally ripe. The harvests are by hand, as is the first and second sorting, only natural yeasts are employed, fermentations takes place in concrete, and everything is bottled unfined and unfiltered. These are reds that speak of their origins, but also provide plenty hedonistic pleasure via their open, round, ripe, tender fruit.

Our focus today is on Eric’s sub-$20 duo, Sablet and Seguret, both appellations located in the higher ground near the base of the Dentelles de Montmirail. Both areas have enjoyed status as an appellated Cotes du Rhone Villages for over 40 years. Their higher-ground locales provide cooler nights that allow the wines to retain a certain freshness, but there is plenty of charisma to these efforts.

The Domaine La Roubine Cotes du Rhone Villages Sablet 2015 comes from 30-year-old vines, this particular assemblage being 70% Grenache, 25% Syrah, and 5% Cinsault. Plush kirsch and blackcurrant fruit is the center of attention, with underpinnings of spice and a subtle streak of stony minerality. There are also some savory elements as the grapes are not destemmed. The acids are tame in this vintage and the tannins are ripe, the wine itself layered and tasty, and very true to the region.

Domaine La Roubine Cotes du Rhone Villages Seguret 2015 has a somewhat cooler edge, no doubt thanks to the 30% Mourvedre (the rest is Grenache). The kirsch tones here are front and center with the Mourvedre providing pepper, garrigue and some earthy cocoa that add dimension. A little closer to the vest than the Sablet but there is plenty to like here too.

Some of you might wonder if we have any convincing scores that validate these wines. In truth, we don’t. La Roubine doesn’t get a lot of media attention in the first place, and what it does receive is on the Gigondas and Vacqueyras, not these. That’s OK as these punch well above their weight class, delivering pretty serious yet engaging wine for rather modest fares. We have been impressed the few times we have had Eric Ughetto’s wines. Numbers are all well and good, but delicious matters, too. You can’t brag about a producer most folks have never heard of from somewhat obscure appellations. But you can sure enjoy the heck out of them, and that’s what matters most. We even have a few bottles left of that 2010 La Roubine Gigondas if you want to see where these are headed or drink a mature bottle.

PINK UPDATE…

It’s time again to touch on the world of pink wine. A few new things have come in that deserve mention. We aren’t necessarily aggressively looking for additional roses but won’t hesitate if we run across something that truly rings our bell. After all, here in Southern California, pink wine season can last well into October and, as we have often said, rose has a place year around.

Antinori Guado Al Tasso Bolgheri Scalabrone Rosato 2017– This rose is from one of the most prestigious properties in Tuscany (Guado al Tasso) owned by arguably Tuscany’s ‘first family’ of wine, Antinori. The pedigree alone gives it a certain status except, of course, Tuscany doesn’t really have a significant tradition for pink wine. Our first go round with this offering was back in the 2014 vintage if memory serves, and the wine made a significant impression on us. In fact, it was one of the best pinks we tasted in that vintage.

For whatever reason, the next couple didn’t light it up but the 2017 is back in the saddle again. In a place known for Bordeaux varietals, the blend here is a predictable 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 30% Syrah. This is on the more savory end of the rose spectrum, with a firm backbone to the berry and cherry fruit and a subtle infusion of wild herbs. This one begs for food as you would expect for something from Italy, but it is pitched to play with a wide range of dishes and has enough muscle to stand up to grilled meats. This is not a little quaffer for that sidewalk table at the beach. This is a pink wine with more serious intentions.

While they have been making this wine since 1990, it hasn’t been a big player in this market until recently. The grapes were picked and fermented separately, destemmed, and saw a brief low temperature skin contact of only a few hours. Afterward the wine was assembled from the various selected lots, and it was bottled in January. The name (Scalabrone) comes from a local Robin Hood-esque bandit that preyed on ships here in the early 19^th Century. Given the prestige of this real estate, the price is attractive as well ($14.98).

Claude Riffault Sancerre Rose 2017– Some of you might recall that last year on these pages, we extolled the virtues of the Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Moussiere 2016, pretty much conceding it was among our top performers in the glass as far as pink wine was concerned. Thus far that importer has not presented us with the 2017 model of that wine, but another striking Loire pink has really gotten our attention. We don’t necessarily have an agenda with respect to this genre of pink, it’s just that for the second year in a row the region gave us one of the big winners. There will be plenty of enthusiasm for this bright, expressive, fruit-driven rose by virtue of its unabashed style.

Like the Moussiere last year, expect it to be everything you might be looking for in a pink wine. Made from 100% Pinot Noir, the nose gives bright red melon notes and there is plenty of expressive fruit on the palate, surprising weight given the varietal and more authoritative flavors to set it apart from the rank & file pink (which there certainly are a lot of out there). Loads of style here. From 10-60 year old vines grown in Kimmeridgeon limestone soils in a single 2.5 hectare site called La Noue, harvested by hand and then assembled from part saignee and part direct press juice, this shows the purity and clarity that redefines the genre.

Delicacy and insistence, there is plenty of strawberry, raspberry, and other red fruits on display here, with deceptive vigor, unexpected depth, and plenty of palate authority. This is one of those pinks that performs at a higher level and, while it can be lustily consumed as a casual beverage, the wine has the kind of panache that will get your attention on a more intimate level. One of the best we have tasted this year.

Le Cengle Cotes de Provence Rose Vieilles Vignes 2017–Given our penchant for estate bottled pinks with a long and clear history in the region, this one is a little hard to explain. We have seen a lot of folks proffering ‘Provencal’ roses where they went to some co-op in the region, bought some juice, put it in an attractive bottle, and proceed to try and ‘brand’ it. Most of these are adequate, but lack the depth and flair of the best examples.

Because of our extensive network of sources, we rarely have interest in this sort of wine. This one, which follows a more specific if rather similar path, has made the cut for a number of seasons in succession. That is saying a lot.

The L’Cengle importer gives the impression that the winery makes this wine to his specifications. We have no way of knowing but if you can produce something this true to appellation, tasty and well priced, let’s just say whatever the ‘story’ is, keep it coming. We don’t even need all of our fingers to count the pinks that have been recurring players on our team over the last several years, but this one has. It’s exactly what you want of a Provencal pink.

Delicate, pale salmon color, nose of currants and berries, plus maybe a little touch of lime and white stone fruits, a fresh, lifted, engaging palate of mixed red fruits with a lick of citrus on the back-end, this hits all the buttons exactly as it should. A blend of 50% Grenache, 25%, Cinsault, and 25% Syrah, it’s crisp and crunchy, refreshing and super friendly with all manner of lighter foods. We buy this one every year because it delivers, and does so at a remarkably attractive price.

RANDOM RAMBLINGS: SUMMER, 2018

**We have complained about many writers penchant to spend an inordinate amount of ink on wines that few people can afford and even fewer can get their hands on. This does no service to the majority of their readers and effectively serves as a de facto sales arm of the wineries they praise. The consumers actually suffer because the prose gives certain wineries the impetus to charge more because of the attention and other wineries to raise their prices because ‘if they can charge that much, so can we.’

**Not that we have to remind people around here that it is hot outside, but there are a few things that bear repeating with respect to wine practices. People chill their white wines so the only issue is how they keep them cool. Ice bucket is one solution, there are a number ‘keep cold’ devices on the market, and, if necessary, you can simply use a plastic ice pack in a bowl or a towel. Sometimes whites here start too cold, but it is better than the alternative of being to warm where the wines definitely suffer from an enjoyment standpoint.

It is reds that are of greater concern. The old adage of serving reds at room temperature envisions cold castles in English, not the back patio in southern California or Arizona in the summer. Simply put, if red wine gets too warm, it doesn’t taste very good. If you are pulling it out of a cellar, it will be the right temperature…for a while. You need to think ahead and maybe set the red in a bucket of some kind with some plastic ice. If it is too cold (it should be somewhere between 58 and 65 degrees ideally), it will warm up soon enough. If it gets too warm, you can put it in the fridge, an ice bucket or in a wine sleeve. But the idea is to prevent it from getting too warm in the first place. Keep it cool.

If the red is stored in some non-temperature controlled scenario, don’t be afraid to cool it down by whatever means you have. A half hour to 45 minutes in the fridge will work, or any of the other means we have mentioned (ice bucket, wine sleeve, etc.). You pay good money for your wine but extreme temperatures might require a little extra effort to let that wine show at its best.

**Speaking of useless prose, it has been interesting to watch Advocate ex-patriot Neal Martin as he sets up shop at his new home at Vinous Media. Now to be upfront, we have a pretty clear notion that ‘pay-for’ wine services should be devoted to looking at the scads of new releases on the marketplace and give the consumers who buy the service the kind of information that will help them sort it all out.

We have been hyper critical about most writers penchant for going out of their way to review wines that few consumers will ever see, let alone have the chance to buy. That being said, Mr. Martin has taken that process to a new level. Here is a sample of some of his ‘pearls of wisdom’ articles currently on the Vinous site.

In Excelsis: Château Latour 1887 – 2010

Looking Back To Go Forward: Lafite-Rothschild 1868 – 2015

1918 Bordeaux – 100 Years On

Cellar Favorite: 1961 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

Mugneret-Gibourg: Ruchottes-Chambertin 1945 – 2014

Cellar Favorite: 1961 Latour-à-Pomerol

Bordeaux In Excelsis (featuring historic vintages of d’Yquem, Haut-Brion, Lafite-Rothschild, Latour, Margaux, Mouton Rothschild)

Bear in mind that we hold no ill will for Mr. Martin. We’d love to get paid to crank out such ‘topical, timely’ pieces. We just wonder what is the purpose of these articles? Going into detail about such rare, eclectic, and expensive wines is intended to do…what exactly? Give working data to a couple dozen collectors who might stumble across something at auction? Deliver the message that he has tasted such wines and you likely haven’t? This is a glowing example of the kind of high-handed stuff that turns people away from wine.

Thousands of people pay good money to get relevant information in a timely manner about wines on the market that they might try and enjoy. Many are in it to learn more. If you asked them how much they cared about reading the guy’s notes on his three-star Michelin dinner with a variety of one-of-a-kind bottles, we suspect the response would be pretty unenthusiastic.

This individual has even deemed himself a music critic and put his notes on Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino by Arctic Monkeys and Heaven And Earth by Kamasi Washington on your wine website at no extra charge. Is this supposed to be some kind of ‘bonus content’? Thanks a bunch.

**You are going to hear this repeatedly within the context of a number of articles we are and will be doing over the next 2-3 years on individual wines…in certain areas of Europe, the 2016 vintage is one of the most remarkable we have tasted in our decades in the business, in some places possibly the greatest.

There have been many exceptional vintages over time to be sure, but we can’t remember one with this unique profile. Yes the fruit is ripe and well meshed, the flavors true to their terroirs. But the wines are rich and full of character yet light on their feet. There is a unique texture, one the Aussies call ‘slippery’, and perfectly proportioned acidity.

In many wine circles, a ‘great’ vintage is associated with size and density. These wines have the requisite size and density, but it is wrapped in a sleek package with bright acidity so they are not heavy or ponderous. Perhaps more important, there is almost another ‘gear’ evident in the finish of the best examples that suggests that they have more to give, yet they are perfectly drinkable now thanks to their striking balance.

While there are fine examples from a variety of locales in Europe, we have found that most compelling and consistent areas are Bordeaux, the southern Rhone, and northern Italy (Piedmont and Tuscany). We have had wines from these areas in this vintage that are at another level, so good that they border on ethereal and even approach transcending their appellation.

We realize this prose is a little hard to grasp. It’s hard for us, too, seeing as we have never encountered a vintage quite like this one to convey the message properly. If there is an easy takeaway, it is that if you have any space in your cellar, or closet, or under your bed, you need to keep your eyes open over the next few months as the 2016s roll in and be ready to grab some of them.

FRANCOIS LECLERC GEVREY: ANOTHER DELICIOUS, WELL-PRICED 2015

Everybody enjoys a good tale about a wine, and, frankly, we like telling them. But ultimately it is about the juice and sometimes there isn’t always riveting discourse to accompanying the offer. We accept that sometimes, particularly with Burgundy houses which are often the toughest to find info. These are people tied to the land that make small bits of multiple wines, not the easiest fodder for their stories or ours.

But Burgundy in particular isn’t about glossy brochures and state-of-the-art websites. Those things don’t actually fit in with the general vibe of the place. There isn’t a lot of ‘technical’ discussion at most places either as most of the successful domaines these days are reaching back into the less-manipulative past as the game plan for the future. Plowing by horses, harvesting by hand, using the minimal treatment in the vineyards and dialing back the oak are the current trends.

The story on Rene Leclerc is pretty straight-forward. The current generation is the third to run the domain since its inception in 1976. The reins have been quietly passed from father Rene to son Francois who still respects his father’s approach but has instituted a number of changes including lower yields, no new oak in the cellar, and an adherence to the current trend toward non-interventionist protocols. Francois did some time in Oregon and has a clear vision of how he wants to play it here in the home estate.

We tell this rather typical story because we absolutely love this village Gevrey from the juicy 2015 vintage. The Francois Leclerc Gevrey Chambertin 2015 is everything good about both this ripe, round harvest and the classic dark cherry fruit with some earth and mineral elements as dictated by this particular, special terroir. The Rene Leclerc Gevrey Chambertin 2015 comes from 11 different parcels over 5.33 hectares including Pressonier, Croix des Champs, and Clos Prieur. This is why people get hooked on Burgundy…tender edges, subtle, layered dark cherry fruit infused with notes of earth and darker mineral that support but don’t interfere with the fruit. Complete, satisfying, and clearly sure about its origins.

We have had the good fortune to taste this wine on three different occasions, and it has been a consistent crowd-pleaser. The price is at the lesser end of the quality ‘village’ Burgundy choices and the well expressed terroir and tender palate makes it our preference over similarly priced domestic versions. The engaging 2015 vintage is in full array here.

PEDRO BARQUERO AMONTILLADO: CLASSIC STYLING, 95 POINTS AND UNDER $30!

One of the things that differentiate us from the majority of the wine sources out there is our breadth. A long time ago we realized that just selling ‘mainstream’ stuff wasn’t quite stimulating enough to do all the time, so we expanded our search, and our product line, to include dozens of different genres in the world of wine. Yeah we can sell Cabernet, Chardonnay, Bordeaux and Burgundy well enough, but feel remiss if we don’t try and introduce new options for consumers to consider.

We have long devoted space to more extensive selections in less ‘popular’ categories like Germans, Madeira, Austria, and Sherry. These categories have some spectacular examples to consider. But most of the public isn’t familiar or comfortable with some of these genres, in part because the typical wine merchant devotes zero time to educating buyers to categories that might fall ‘outside the lines’. We have never stopped trying to teach people about new wines and road-less-travelled categories, but are careful to pick our spots. This very special wine from Montilla definitely needs to be shown to people and it impressed us with its performance.

They make what people refer to as ‘Sherry’ in both the better known Jerez and the lesser known Montilla regions. Though Montilla isn’t as famous as Jerez, the area is definitely on par qualitatively with notables like Barquero and long time house favorite Alvear among the fold. Pedro Barquero, founded in 1905 and still possessing soleras dating back to that time, makes the traditional styles of wine, Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso, and Dulce PX, in the traditional manner, blending various aging barrels to establish a cuvee for bottling.

What makes them pretty unique among sherry producers is that they do not employ any of the predominant commercial grape variety, Palomino (which can make up a substantial or entire portion of most Sherries out there) in their cuvees. They are all made 100% from the noble grape variety of the region, Pedro Jimenez. Pedro Jimenez is the prized grape of the region from the standpoint of depth of flavor and quality, no question.

But over the last few decades the amount of Pedro Jimenez, a variety with low yields and a somewhat fussy demeanor, has been substantially replaced by the lesser but far more predictable and higher-yielding Palomino. If you are a regular fan of Sherries, that information should be very exciting, and you should be all over this one.

In terms of style, Amontillado is the top of the list of dry styles, with much more body, deeper color and more pronounced nuttiness. The use of the more substantial Perdo Jimenez yields a wine that has more layers and complexity vis-à-vis most Amontillados out there (actually almost every one we have tasted over the years). You’ll notice that depth right away with the Pedro Barquero Amontillado Gran Barquero, and see a lot more unfold as you settle in with a glass. A great aperitif, a superb accompaniment to a variety of tapas (sardines, chorizos, manchego, and especially olives), soups and a surprising number of other lighter finger food type courses, this is no ‘one-trick’ sherry.

One of the additional benefits of sherry (and Madeira while we are at it) is that you can serve yourself a glass, put the cork back in and it will be the same tomorrow, next week or next month. We actually poured a lost bottle of Amontillado that had been open for three years and it was remarkably engaging and virtually unchanged. These wines have been intentionally oxidizing in barrels for years so they are pretty bullet proof and are one of only a handful of wines that can function in this way.

Our broad message, then, is to drink/explore the historic beverage known as sherry. Our specific message is to drink this one, as exciting an ambassador for the genre as we have come across in a long time. We could go the glamour route like the winery did and talk about a piece on the subject of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe or its part in the film Babette’s feast. But that doesn’t say anything about this Amontillado.

This excerpt from Wine Advocate does, “The NV Amontillado Gran Barquero is an impressive 25-30 years old. It wears a dark amber robe and a subtle, elegant and focused nose. It’s an Amontillado of finesse, with biological, salty notes and roasted almonds, close to the Fino character. The palate shows a medium-bodied wine of a velvety texture, fine acidity and clean, focused flavors, It represents superb value for the quality it delivers….95 points.” Serve with a slight chill, salud!

A DELICIOUS, WELL-PRICED WHITE AND AN UNUSUAL STORY

The search for great wines and great wine deals is never ending, but the discovery is always more fun when there is a unique story. Exciting wines certainly can come from anywhere, and the catalyst doesn’t necessarily have to be wine itself (though it often is). This particular white value gem starts more like a Disney story, with two young men, a long journey, and a dog.

It started in 2014, when two foreign exchange students from the U.S., Walker Brown and Charles Brain, chose to embark on a 6 day, 100-mile trek through South Africa’s Wild Coast. This part of the Cape is said to be the birthplace of Nelson Mandela. On the second day of this backpacking expedition, the travelers were joined by a wandering dog that the locals called Lubanzi, who accompanied them until the night before the final morning of the trip when he disappeared.

The story of the wandering dog, the striking beauty of South Africa, and a deep appreciation of the culture of the South African people motivated the pair to return to South Africa two years later with the idea of bringing well-made, true South African wine into the U.S. market. They met with over 40 small family farms and cooperatives in an effort to build a network from which they could source quality grapes on a consistent basis. Their intent sounded idealistic, their missions statement was that they were trying to build “… a young, innovative, and socially responsible wine brand built on the concepts of collaboration & exploration, with a ‘locally run, globally minded’ mantra.”

A lot of lofty ideas to be sure, but they found the right people to work with and proceeded to do exactly that. They made two wines that, in their minds, were the best choices to represent the unique terroirs of South Africa. The red, a Rhone blend, was certainly solid if a bit undistinguished, but the Chenin Blanc rocked us, particularly for the price.

We have been selling South African wines since the early 90s and have learned that they can be a bit parochial. Chenins in particular, on the plus side, show riveting fruit, driving acidity, and some intense stony minerality. The good ones can rival the best Chenins from the Loire Vally from the likes of Huet, Foreau, or Chidane. A lot of them, however, can cost substantially more than their accomplished French counterparts. On the flip side, many of them a bit too searing with an in-your-face minerality that is off-putting for American palates.

These out-of-towners and their winemaker managed to strike a remarkable balance between the tender, dry, citrus, melon, and peach fruit and well woven in, subtle, stony minerality from the decomposed granite and shale in a bush-vine, unirrigated vineyard in Swartland. Some 80% of this came from old vines.

This is a lovely foil for fish or fowl, and presents an excellent choice for aperitif (OK, porch pounder) scenarios. Well meshed, pleasing and brightly fleshy from front to back, nothing sticks out. ‘Nicely done’, we said, figuring that this sharply packaged bottle with a complex label and tee-top natural cork (we’d never seen one quite like it) was setting us up for something in the $25-30 price range.

While much of the press we read in our research in places like the Washington Post, Forbes, Eater, and the Mother Nature Network was commending their new age, socially conscious business model, we found some enthusiastic words from James Suckling about the wine itself, “Love the dried-peach and apple character with hints of cream and apricots. Medium to full body, sliced fruit and a flavorful finish. Drink now….91 points’.

As to the drink now part, we’ll be doing plenty of that! The wine was delicious, the package was striking, and the review was compelling. But the biggest surprise was the price, a mere $11.98! The Lubanzi Chenin Blanc 2017 far over-delivers for the price point. Clearly this is no ordinary story.

As to what all of the non-wine media attention was on about, well that’s almost over the top. Brown and Brain noticed in their vineyard travels that the living conditions for South African small farmers were difficult, to say the least. They wanted to give back to the community. So half of the profits from sales go directly back to the Pebbles Project, which is an NGO that supports the families who live and work on the farms that produce the grapes. Socially conscious, a superb value and a surprisingly engaging beverage, they have all the bases covered!