Tag: dry

‘DRY SAUTERNES’ STILL HITS THE HIGH NOTES

More than a decade ago we made something of a discovery.  Because of the production time and slowing demand for dessert wines, a couple of the top Sauternes producers decided to take things in a bit of a different direction by taking some of their production and making a modestly price dry white.  The first one that crossed our path was a much earlier version of the G de Giraud.  We loved it, it was a huge hit, and it has been a pretty consistent part of the program ever since.  Floral nose laced with hints of honey, bright and lively in the mouth, with a fresh, lifted, tender finish, it didn’t exactly fill a niche.  Rather, it created a whole new option.

The soils here are gravelly, with 80% over sand and 20% over clay.  Guiraud is farmed organically and got their certification in 2011.  They take the same care with this wine as they do with their Grand Cru dessert wines, hand harvesting into small crates to avoid bruising.  The wine is made from 50% Semillon and 50% Sauvignon Blanc from ripe grapes that were not botrytised, and sees seven months is second use oak barrels that held Sauternes the year before. 

The 2019 Giraud Sec is another exciting effort in this unique category, arguably one of the better efforts if memory serves. A plump, bright display of apple, peach, quince, apricot and a hint of the honeyed-floral profile one typically associates with Sauternes.  Pretty, delicate, tasty and light on its feet, it is extremely versatile with food but can play well as an intriguing aperitif.  A -unique, sneaky-good beverage that exists outside expectations, it was an exceptional wine to pioneer and it still surprises.

Typically the critics don’t pay a lot of attention to wines like this as it doesn’t fit nicely into the typical ‘boxes’.  But James Suckling’s note is spot on, “This is a dense, waxy white with sliced dried-apple and lemon character, as well as stone and white peaches. It’s full-bodied, flavorful and rich. I like the spicy finish at the end from the Semillon. Really excellent. From organically grown grapes…93 points.”

TROCKEN THIS, PART ONE: FRANKLAND ESTATE RIESLING

We know we have been a little harsh on the whole German trocken (dry Riesling) phenomenon.  Some might have said, “ these guys say they love Riesling, what’s their problem”.  Well, there are a couple of things.  One is execution.  Far too many are lean and skeletal as trocken wines.  The fruity examples with a little residual sugar to counterbalance blazing acidity is a true joy to us.  There’s nothing quite like a good traditional kabinett or spatlese anywhere in the wine world.

The other point is ‘why’?  Why muck with a good thing?  Plus, it has been done.  The Australians and Austrians have been making compelling dry Riesling for a long time.  There doesn’t seem to be a good reason to have another, less successful choice other than it’s German.  But we are not here to bag on the Geremans (they are probably cranky enough after the 2018 World Cup).  Rather we are here to praise some of the outstanding dry Rieslings that we do endorse.

We’ve been acquainted with the wines of Frankland estate for probably to decades.  The story is always a bit puzzling.  What possessed this family to head on out to one of the more remote parts of southwestern Australia to plant grapes is baffling.  To take a chance on a varietal like Riesling that doesn’t perform just anywhere  was a leap of faith.  But they have become one of the icon Riesling producers in Oz and have developed a unique and flattering style.  Delicate apple and pear, some pleasing citrus and floral notes, with a nice underpinning of a delicate earthy minerality, this is tender and fresh and lifted without being at all edgy.

The 2017 vintage in Australia is quite successful (a cracker!) and 2017 Frankland Estate Riesling is a beautifully composed expression of pristine fruit.  Made from various parcels from the estate including some of the original vines from 1988 and a 2006 planting on an ‘ironstone’ ridge, it is a subtle, layered, mouth-watering, ‘pretty’ example of the genre from a very special, if really isolated place.

We aren’t sure how much of a ‘Riesling guy’ Advocate’s Joe Czerwinski, but he seemed to like this one as well, “Scents of lime blossom and orange sherbet practically erupt from the glass. The exuberant 2017 Riesling is medium-bodied with slightly rounded edges and hints at red berries to go along with all of the expected citrus and green apple notes. It’s approachable now but should continue to drink well for a decade or more… 91 Points!”  This is how you trocken.