blanc

‘EOV’ BARGAIN ON A BOURGOGNE BLANC

We’re always on the hunt for high-performance, well-priced Burgundy in all of the colors. This one kind of fell into our laps but we’re happy to take it. There are probably a few things to explain. First is the fact that this Bouchard isn’t the more familiar one. Bouchard is a negociant family that originally came to Burgundy in the mid-1700s to continue their fabric trade. They rather quickly added being a wine merchant to their list of activities. Around 1828, Theodore-Joseph Bouchard set up his own firm as Bouchard Aine, separate from Bouchard Pere though, apparently, both originated from the same family of Michel Bouchard. Both operated continuously and Bouchard Aine was purchased by Jean Claude Boisset in 1993.

It’s always a little nebulous when you try and establish what is in something labeled ‘Bourgogne’. In this case, the grapes come from a few different locals. In Bouchard’s words, the grapes were harvested on selected terroirs in the south of Burgundy, the Maconnais and Côte Chalonnaise with a small part coming from Côte de Beaune vineyards. It has been difficult to profile the 2018 whites as it seems the proposition varies from producer to producer, but this effort had both the fruit and the verve to present itself well.

The Bouchard Aine & Fils Bourgogne Chardonnay 2018 effort hits all the right notes. There is the expected bright acidity that some 2018s lacked, and notes of fresh apple, pear, and floral notes. The palate has weight and expressive fruit, a pleasing core of fruit and lift to the finish. In short a very correct, delightful, engaging bottle of Chardonnay. It got our attention immediately and would have had a bigger play except that, inventory-wise, it was the end of the vintage. The EOV (‘insider’ acronym for ‘end of vintage) price we got did merit mention of this rather attractive Bourgogne as a value. Quantities are modest.

DASHWOOD SAUV. BLANC RIDES AGAIN: WS 90, $10.98

There are wines for all reasons. But that is perhaps one of the hardest things to manage. There are a lot of wines out there that are designed to merely function at a ‘price point’. There’s a not a lot of style or dimension. We aren’t really interested in those. But we are perfectly aware that people don’t necessarily all drink ‘top of the category’ stuff every single day. There is a great need for dependable ‘go-to’ wines for most of the days of the week. The problem is, in these days of ‘sensationalist media’, people don’t necessarily react to things that aren’t referred to as ‘best ever’.

Still, we like to keep everything in perspective. We aren’t going to tell you that this Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is the ‘greatest ever’. But we are going to tell you that this is one of the great, dependable, ‘staple’ Sauvignons on the market… sometimes. We have had great runs with Dashwood over the years. They don’t make the ‘cut’ every year, but when they hit it they are one of the best values around. This is one of those times.

The 2019 Dashwood Sauvignon Blanc checks all the boxes for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. You’ve got bright flavors and zing, but also some richness and texture that a lot of examples lack. There’s a citrus backbeat here but also tropical and stone fruit tones that make the first impression. There is a great variation in the personalities of Kiwi Sauvignons on the market, but this one has broad appeal in that it is pretty easy going and doesn’t touch any of the flavor extremes that the genre can have. A lot of credit perhaps belongs to the 2019 vintage, which one of the other Kiwi pieces we researched called a special vintage. But the juice is ample and friendly in a category where some examples can make your eyes water.

It isn’t just us either. Even the ‘tough guy’ Wine Spectator gave this one a 90 point score, no small thing for a low priced Sauvignon Blanc, with comments “Aromatic and distinctive, with a thread of honeysuckle and litsea oil mingling with Meyer lemon, peach and apricot flavors that are generous and intense through the finish, showing a touch of savory sea salt. Drink now.” At $10.98, it will fit into most budgets nicely.

ANOTHER OVER-THE-LINE BURGUNDY VALUE

Burgundy is sometimes a ‘game of inches’ as in a short distance one way or the other can determine a lot about quality, and price. As the demarcation of vineyards or appellations go, you have to draw a line somewhere. We’ve had good success finding little wines from top producers where the grapes are sourced in very close proximity to where the elite bottlings come from, but the prices are substantially less because the wine doesn’t carry the name of the top site.

Domaine Philippe Bouzereau et Fils has been one of the places where we have consistently found a very classy Bourgogne that is sourced from a plot ‘just over the line’ from their flagship Chateau Clos de Citeaux in the heart of Meursault. The Bouzereau family has been in Meursault since the 18th Century and this particular domaine was established in the 1960s by Philippe Bouzereau (senior). Philippe Bouzereau (Junior) took over in 2006 and runs this 18 hectares of vines on ‘lutte raisonee’ (meaning only intervening in the vineyard when absolutely necessary).

Like many of the ‘next gen’ vignerons, he is judicious with the use of oak and is all about letting the vineyard shine through. While it sounds a little trite, the term mini-Meursault is quite applicable here. The texture of the wine is consistent with the broader, more open profile of the 2018 white Burgundies in general, but there is sufficient acidity to keep everything bright. The flavors run from white peach to apple fruit-wise with classic flecks of grilled nuts and spice that is the signature of Meursault. A delicious choice for current Chardonnay applications, the Philippe Bouzereau Bourgogne Chardonnay 2018 is well priced ($24.98) given the pedigree it shows in the glass.

LE ‘HOUSE BLANC’?

A good ‘all-purpose’ white is handy for most folks. Something that is fruit-driven, bright, clean and food-friendly covers most of the applications for this kind of white and value pricing is also part of the equation. Frankly, we have had the most success in that field with White Burgundy but so often wines with the simple Bourgogne label simply don’t deliver.

We usually are able to find a least a couple of wines that will check all the boxes, but this time around the 2017 Faiveley Bourgogne Blanc 2017 convincingly displaced one of our long-running players in that role.It simply had more going on, more verve, and made an impression in the glass. Overall we have been pleased with the 2017 whites from Burgundy, but this multi-appellation blend came off as particularly well built.

Floral aad wild herb notes in the nose, a surprisingly authoritative palate presence of pear and citrus, palate-coating body and a rather long finish, while it didn’t speak of a particular terroir it had loads of personality and performed nicely in the glass. About 30% sees a combination of new and used oak, but its personality is closer to a broader shouldered Chablis than a sappier domestic Chardonnay. It will hold in the bottle for 2-3 seasons for sure if need be.

Certainly, the underlying minerality from the marl, clay and limestone soils defined the wine’s origins and this lively white does not lack for character. Most Bourgognes don’t have this kind of presence and Faiveley winemaker Jerome Flous got all of this one, especially for under $20.

NOT YOUR FATHER’S CHENIN BLANC

South Africa has been an interesting proposition winewise. Starting to export in the 90s after the apartheid was lifted, the political stigma and rather parochial styles of most of the wines made it difficult to get any traction for the category in this marketplace. Now that we are about a quarter century into the ‘program’, we and they have learned a few things. The styles of many of the wines have become more international in an attempt to create better market penetration. A lot of those wines are competitive internationally, but it is fair to say that a good many of them are not memorable or distinctive.

With a few exceptions, most of South Africa’s best efforts are uniquely South African. Among the most notable are the work of folks like Erin Sadie and some dynamic new white blends from an emerging cadre of open minded, creative newcomers. But the grape that seems to achieve the highest expression as a varietal is…Chenin Blanc!

Typically the vines are old, with deep roots extracting distinctive character from the unique vineyard sites, tremendous infused minerality and crackling, mouth-watering acidity. This is not the sweet, quaffable stuff that permeated the American market in the 70s, sort of a precursor to the white Zin era. In fact the best examples of South African Chenin can hold their own with the produce from the ‘motherland’ of the Loire Valley. Which is better? That’s not a sweeping debate but rather comes down to the individual comparison being made.

Huet or Chidane versus Sadie Family or Alheit? Fantastic comparison on the quality front though the acidity is a bit more driving in the South African wines. Frankly, for the most part, although the best of the Loire ‘giants’ are expensive these days, the best SA versions typically cost more. Advantage Loire. On the value end of the spectrum, however, we have seen things come out of South Africa that are downright unbelievable, and we have recently come across one of the most remarkable examples of South African Chenin Blanc we have ever tasted for this kind of price.

Simonsig was among the first wave of wineries that came over here when South Africa was permitted to enter this market. We tasted a number of wines over the years but mostly reds. We can assure you we never had their Chenin or it would have been a staple. Apparently, Simonsig Chenin Blanc was the first wine released by founder Frans Malan in 1968 and this particular bottling marks their 50^th Anniversary harvest.

For a wine that is going to sell for this kind of price, it is given the royal treatment in the vineyard with all hand harvesting from 30-40 year old bush vines and cool, controlled fermentation. In the glass, a honey/peach aroma makes its presence felt right out of the gate. The flavor aromas of crunchy ripe kiwi and green melon jump out of the glass. The palate is crisp and fresh with Granny Smith apples and sweet tropical limes all sitting atop of driving acidity. The Simonsig Chenin Blanc Stellenbosch 2018 is what Chenin is supposed to be, with broad, bright honeyed toast, peach, and subtle minerality all as part of the presentation, but with the kid of cut that makes it all quite vibrant.

Full and round up fruit, and so easy to sip, this has the kind of riveting acidity that makes an impression and makes the mouth water. A complete effort with sizzling character, a little punch of berries and lemon drops underneath and mouth watering snap to the finish. You can drink this with lighter fare or on its own as an amazing aperitif. Normally with most wines we’d roll out some sort of reviews, but wines like this doesn’t get the kind of respect they deserve and this one wasn’t reviewed anywhere we saw.

Like we said, we don’t recall ever tasting past incarnations of this effort from Simonsig, but this is one is one of the best Chenins we have had at any price in terms of its verve and, certainly among the best value white wines we hve had period. At $10, it’s downright silly. Over the years one of our value, go-to Chenins was Mann (also from South Africa), but this one is better. In fact we have tasted few others this compelling at any price. A stunner!

The Return of Grey Stack: Sauvignon Blanc like no other…

If you go through and read enough winery websites, you will see a similar thread where the producer is selling the proposition that there is no place like their site for whatever it is that they make. In the absolute sense that is true, but in the reality of tasting as many wines as we do, the differences are generally not all that dramatic. But the Bennett Valley in Sonoma is one of those places where the claim has exceptional merit. We recall some of the early examples of Sauvignon Blanc from Matanzas Creek when it was still run by the original owners. The fruit component was distinctive, unique and quite delicious.

As we have tasted through California Sauvignon Blancs through the years, there have been many fine examples, but only a handful that have set the bar. The most memorable was one called Grey Stack Sauvignon Blanc Rosemary’s Block that pretty much set us on our collective ear and got more attention from the media at that point than any Sauvignon of its time.

This was a dynamic mouthful, notably rich and palate stimulating, with a brilliant beam of acidity and tight focus, but at the same time juicily textured flavors of fig, apricot, grapefruit, and honeydew melon along with some floral notes and Loire-like notes of flint. Long, pure, and remarkably expressive, tasting this 2016, which is apparently the first release by a newly formed partnership, we were immediately transported back to those remarkable efforts that were pulling down 92-94 point reviews back around 2010.

We hadn’t seen the label for a while, nor had there been any reviews save some pretty tepid ones from Wine Spectator in the interim, but we are thrilled to have something back that is truly definitive for a genre. Where does the magic come from? Well we have, as we said, always noticed the uniqueness of the Bennet Valley going back a long ways. There are those that point to the particular clone used here, said to come from Collio in northeastern Italy near the Slavonian border. The winery website says it’s ‘the people’.

Our guess is some combination of ‘all of the above’. But whatever the reason, this Sauvignon is special in the way the Eric Kent we sold a while back was (half of the grapes for that wine came from this vineyard, incidentally). Special juice here, Spectator’s 90-point tout does not do this wine justice.