Wines of South Africa: It’s the fling itself

High five Sunday, at #winecarboot with @PIWOSA @WOSA_ZA @WOSACanada #journeysendvineyards #schapenberghills #sirlowryspass

A few weeks ago there was this South African fling in Toronto. Anyone who fancies themselves as anything showed, because everybody was there. Joshua Corea and Archive Wine Bar graciously played host. Cape wine swelled like water and the mass of sommelier humanity flowed like wine.

After we had first returned to Canada from Cape Wine 2015, Will Predhomme and Wines of South Africa Canada’s Laurel Keenan had asked Rémy Charest, Scott Zebarth, Nicholas Pearce and I a question in requiem of some deep Jack Handey thought. Of the bottles we tasted in South Africa, what would we most like to see at a paradigmatic tasting back home? We offered up our lists and many of them were presented at Archive, along with a tumultuous quantity more. The likes of such an amassment had never been seen this side of the great pond. Cape Town loomed in de Chirico casted shadow in the backwater distance, watching, wondering, judging. So I tossed a pondered abstraction out to the winds that drift in the South African wine diaspora. “What page is loomed in the giver?”

My mind travels back to the Western Cape. The retrospection remembers wines yet brought to North American light, to intrepid voyages still to disgorge and to stories ultimately untold. Looking back it occurs to me, from a northern point of view, having witnessed and experienced an immersion and exposure into the culture and wines of South African life, that it is not the thing you fling. It’s the fling itself.

It began with the trebuchet. At Journey’s End the Premium Independent Wineries of South Africa (PIWOSA) threw a car boot and catapulted some rather heavy objects at targets far away.

The prepossession laid out with tastes of The Drift Farm, The Winery of Good Hope, Glenelly Cellars and Mullineux & Leeu. Later the night begged and belonged to vignerons gathered at Longridge Estate, the following morning a tour of the Franschhoek Motor Museum and a tasting at Anthonij Rupert Estate.

Each of the three days at Cape Wine begat evenings in Cape Town of world’s away preoccupation. Velvet dissident South African Braai at Publik, her majesty’s secret service at Ellerman House and born in the USA-DGB in the Winelands. Events de facto, recondite and unshackled.

Publik, Cape Town

Then the Canadian boys played cricket with the Swartland cowboys and while our swings looked more like hockey snap shots and our bowls like little league change-ups, in the end we held serve and thankfully no one got hurt. True Swartland smoking at the hands of Callie Louw linked Groot Frankenstein to Barque Smokehouse BBQ.

Cricket adversaries #swartlandswingers

A #braai in the hand is worth two in the bush #callielouw #porseleinberg @SwartlandRev #swartlandindependents #swartlandswingers #swartland

An epic 12 hours followed the matches, first with Ken Forrester and a speed tasting across a portfolio shot through the heart with some striking, older bottles. Then the group got down to trials at the Winery of Good Hope with Alex Dale and Jacques de Klerk. Remy Charest, Scott Zebarth, Kler-Yann Bouteiller and Godello helped mix, match, add and subtract percentages of fermented juice to decide upon the blend for the Pearce-Predhomme Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc. Nicholas and Will are now taking orders for delivery in the new year. Then in order, wagyu beef and Radford Dale wines at Ken’s 96 Winery Road Restaurant, World Cup Rugby and Burgundy.

The view from the Winery of Good Hope

On the final day we paid a visit to the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley along the Hermanus wine route, with a tasting at Bouchard Finlayson and lunch at La Vierge winery.

I tasted hundreds of wines during the eight-day journey around the Western Cape. In due course I will put up tasting notes for as many as possible but for now here are a couple of dozen, specific to and in conjunction with the people and places that hosted us.

The PIWOSA Wine-Car Boot, Journey’s End Winery

The Drift Farm

The Drift Wines Year of the Rooster Rosé 2014, Overberg Highlands, South Africa (Winery)

Winemaker Bruce Jack’s 100 per cent shaken, not stirred Touriga Franca was inspired by a trip to the Douro. Rhubarb and salinity rub the ripe fruit in the right way. If 007 were to drink Rosé, this would fit the metrosexual bill. From four barrels. Drink 2015-2016. Tasted September 2015 @TheDriftFarm

Drift Farm The Moveable Feast

The Drift Wines The Moveable Feast 2013, Overberg Highlands, South Africa (Winery)

A blend (that drifts and changes every year) of Malbec and Shiraz with Tannat, Touriga Nacional and Pinot Noir. Though the notes are played without excess, the specs ruminate for infinite possibilities, with aspects as from mine run-off, ocean salinity, high body acidity, muted sunshine, rusticity and veneer. Rides a sonic highway, to “crossroads with nothing to lose.” The feast and the famine, a fighter, “put back together by a troubled groove.” From minimalist Hemingway to Foo from Grohl. Get the drift? Drink 2015-2019. Tasted September 2015

The Drift Wines Mary le Bow 2011, Robertson, South Africa (Winery)

A farm-designate red blend (Wildepaardekloof, Langeberg Mountain) built upon Cabernet Sauvignon (38 per cent), Shiraz (31), Petit Verdot (23) and Merlot (8). In ode to the Cockney saint, big Bow Bell and crusader’s crypts. Extended barrel age and the deepest, darkest maturity makes for a brooding red reflective of a Kloof’s tale from a crypt. Not for the faint of red blends. Indeed it trembles with power. Drink 2017-2021. Tasted September 2015

Journey’s End Sauvignon Blanc The Weather Station 2014, Stellenbosch, South Africa (Agent, Winery, WineAlign)

A product of the first Sauvignon Blanc clones planted in South Africa (next to a weather station). The wine had been bottled less than a week ago so while the pyrazine factor is set to high the equal and mitigating fruit freshness trumps the green. Free spirited, of spice, in bite and quickly settling, into balance. Drink 2015-2018. Tasted September 2015 @JourneysEndWine @vonterrabev @colyntruter

Journey’s End Destination Chardonnay 2014, Stellenbosch, South Africa (Agent, Winery, WineAlign)

A nicely, effectively minor reductive Chardonnay that knows the barrel well. Divides by mitosis the cells of mineral and spice into furrows, chiseling a secondary cytokinesis flavour profile in cut by brilliant gemstone flexure. From fruit fracture to cellular overlap, out of (approximately 10 months) wood and into impressionistic stone. Tasting accessed through four stages imagines time to be exigent; through reduction (prophase), oak (metaphase), stone (anaphase) and texture (telophase), until the ultimate descent toward’s the journey’s end. Drink 2016-2022. Tasted September 2015

Journey’s End

Journey’s End Trebuchet 2014, Stellenbosch, South Africa (Agent, Winery, WineAlign)

Two Cabernets and a Malbec conjoin to catapult funk-less, heavy laden red fruit into an atmosphere of veneer. The flavours are inclusive of pomegranate and anise, with some rust and circumstantial metallurgical magnification. The tang is a factor to be reckoned with in this primeval red blend. Crushes unsuspecting objects upon landing. Let it settle for 12 months. Drink 2016-2020. Tasted September 2015

Journey’s End Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, Stellenbosch, South Africa (Agent, Winery, WineAlign)

A 100 per cent varietal wine from a wind that blew through and away. The child of a markedly perfect vintage blessed with chalk, grit and terroir. Views from within the new barrel have diminished along with once terrible teeth gnashing tannin. At six years-old it sits cross-legged, big-boned, fruit fleshy, structured and sure. The evolution is far from complete with berries seemingly so presently ripe, the late spice and coffee kick making cause for yet jittery times. Two or three more years will offer further guarantees of pay dirt and peace. Drink 2017-2024. Tasted September 2015

Godello, Leon Esterhuizen and Colyn Truter from Journey’s End

Glenelly Estate Shiraz “Glass Collection” 2011, Wo Stellenbosch, South Africa (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

Screw cap Shiraz reason number one here, fresh from Stellenbosch, single-vineyard, whole bunch fermented for aromatics and 10 months in one-third new oak, for maximum flavour. “These wines are to be drunk young,” notes export manager Nicolas Bureau, “within five to six years of the vintage.” And so, why put a cork in them? From the hands of winemaker Luke O’Cuinneagain and Secateurs minimal intervention wine consultant Adi Badenhorst. Sparkle, vigour and dew. Drink 2015-2021. Tasted September 2015 @GlenellyWines @VinexxWine

Glenelly Wines

Grand Vin De Glenelly Red 2009, Wo Stellenbosch, South Africa (360339, $19.95, WineAlign)

There are components of the Shiraz and the Cabernet in the Grand Vin though its composure comes neither from sparkle nor funk. Nor does it pay direct homage any more to the Rhône than it does to Bordeaux. With time, the Grand Vin will go it alone, from Stellenbosch to the world. Time spent in oak was lengthy (18 months in one-third new) for a blend composed of Syrah (42 per cent), Cabernet Sauvignon (40), Merlot (14) and Petit Verdot (4). The estate clearly considers blends as more than the sum of parts. The Grand Vin is the thing. The Glenelly king. It’s hard to get under its skin, to comprehend its nuance, to know it as a child. The wood, the terroir and the structure yet relent to understanding. A matriarchal wine to be sure, a generation may need to pass for the Grand Vin to carry the torch. The Pichon Longueville connection is not lost or left to chance but this prodigy will need to find its own voice. Red wine of such eternal maturity exists towards a future that begins now. Or on in two to three years. Drink 2017-2024. Tasted September 2015

With Nicolas Bureau, Glenelly Estate

Mullineux & Leeu Syrah 2011, Wo Swartland, South Africa (Winery, Agent, SAQ 12490545, $36.00, WineAlign)

Grasps the subterranean funk of the Swartland terroir and runs with in, through fields of atmosphere, in a wholly singular way. A culling combination if shale, schist and granite, brushed by (15 per cent new) oak for 11 months. Pure, natural, fresh and rising, by citrus zest and inflating acidity. The oscillating flavours prick, pierce, push and pull with elemental and mineral inflections. Like a light show in the sky, Chris and Andrea Mullineux’s Syrah is a quiet spectacle. Drink 2016-2026. Tasted September 2015 @MullineuxWines @MullineuxChris @Nicholaspearce_

Mullineux & Leeu Cinsault Rosé 2013, Wo Swartland, South Africa (Winery, Agent)

Tangy tangerine, rhubarb and liquid chalk are the emotive emissions from this skin contact blush as much orange as it is pink. Wild in sauvage, perfectly musty, a Rosé of its own accord and spacing within the parameters of its very won world. Drink 2015-2017. Tasted September 2015

Mullineux & Leeu White 2013, Wo Swartland, South Africa (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

An old bush vines blend of Chenin Blanc (80 per cent), Clairette Blanc (13) and Viognier, 10 per cent of which was fermented in old oak. A wild and carpeted ride for Chenin Blanc, melding into gentle acidity with layers of smithy portent and even a bit of Greekdom. “The son. And the heir. Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar.” There is so much spice and complexity, from the skins of many citrus fruits. Strips, stripes and skirts the mouth with layers of mineral life. How soon is now for wines like these in South Africa and to be shared with the world? Drink 2015-2023. Tasted September 2015

Mullineux & Leeu Syrah Iron 2013, Wo Swartland, South Africa (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

If such cure, grip, ferric grab and intense tannin has ever infiltrated South African Syrah it has not yet found its way over to me. In a side by side comparative tasting with the Schist Syrah this one wrestles to win. The Schist is all perfume and soft elegance. The Iron draws power to strength from strength. It is an unrelenting conduit of energy, from soil clearly designed to outlive humanity. The Syrah is a product of geological wonder and winemaking that steps aside to let the terroir speak its mind. Demanding and filled with tension now, time will soften the stranglehold and loosen the wires. Lots of time. Drink 2019-2028. Tasted September 2015

Radford Dale Nudity 2014, Voor-Paardeberg, South Africa (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

From the Winery of Good Hope, vignerons Alex Dale and Jacques de Klerk. Ancient granite soil from a single-vineyard on Paardeberg mountain. Organic, dry-farmed, total consciousness, flowing robes, grace, striking. Low alcohol, high natural acidity, fresh, spirited, energetic Syrah. Impossible South African Syrah. Drink 2015-2022. Tasted September 2015 @Radforddale @WineryGoodHope @deklerkjacques @Noble_Estates

With the gang from Radford Dale

Radford Dale Black Rock 2013, Perdeberg-Swartland, South Africa (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

From old bushvine vineyards scattered amongst the granite outcroppings of the Swartland, the blend combines Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan, Grenache, Mourvedre and Viognier for full Rhône homage, if not necessarily effect or intent. The percentages change with each vintage, left to seek harmony in the hands of master blender de Klerk, a man who plays and has the mandate to do so. Natural fermentations persist, as they should and they rightfully accomplish goals of freshness, natural acidity and that elusive you’re born with cure that extends health and longevity. Modern South Africa of ancient longing here on display is just the tip of the bare essentials, in ferments and blends, yet to come. Drink 2015-2020. Tasted September 2015

Working on South Africa with a sundown over Stellenbosch @WOSACanada

The Stellenbosch Experience, Longridge Estate

Fleur du Cap Unfiltered Chenin Blanc 2014

Fleur du Cap Unfiltered Chenin Blanc 2014, Western Cape, South Africa (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

A markedly different and intriguing Chenin Blanc that saw seven to eight months in second and third fill barrels. Well-groomed, direct, crisp, clean and pure within the wooden framework and not even close to flirting with oxidative leanings or an overly creamy texture. A pleaser avec plaisir in excelsior, expression and exemplary restraint. Very tidy winemaking. Drink 2015-2019. Tasted September 2015 @FleurduCapWines

Venison and salted chocolate, Longridge Estate

Fleur du Cap Unfiltered Pinotage 2014, Western Cape, South Africa (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

If it was not for this early sip of Fleur de Cap’s Pinotage on the first night of the South Africa trip I’m not sure the doors to new perception would have ever been opened. Fresh, red fruit juicy, base, natural and nearly naked. A step into giving new meaning for the great hybrid history and varietal future. Though other examples over the course of a week would blow my mind, this unfiltered beauty set the altering stage for what was to come. Unexpected excellent match to Venison with salted chocolate. Drink 2015-2018. Tasted September 2015

Chenin gem @LongridgeWines & munificent hospitality @StellWineRoute @WOSA_ZA @WOSACanada #stellenblog

Longridge Estate Chenin Blanc 2013, Stellenbosch, South Africa (Winery, Agent)

Covers the essentials for Chenin Blanc in a Vouvray style; mineral, lemon, bitters and salinity. Emphasizes mastered qualities with proper stability and a strength of character. Will not usher in any sort of revolution but it takes beautifully bitter pear-like fruit from wizened vines and hits the target. And though it spent 11 months in second and third fill barrels you would never know it. A flinty fleeting moment, a slow ride and a shelter from residual sugar that might try to alter its corse. Instead it will munch on that sweetness to live on. Silky smooth, momentarily pungent and refreshing as can be. Stellar Chenin. Drink 2015-2020. Tasted September 2015 @LongridgeWines

Ken Forrester Vineyards Renegade 2011

Ken Forrester Renegade 2011, Stellenbosch, South Africa (SAQ 10703084 $24.25, Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

Mainly Grenache and inculcated with varietal layers thereof, though in the end it is the Rhône blend accrual that bounds over hills and dales. I’m not sure any number of Stellenbosch investigations will unearth more expatriate quality for the coin than is found in the Renegade. A true marker of its maker, The specs are spot on to produce heft, strength and confidence from tireless work. Healthy pH, minimal sweetness, virile acidity and generous alcohol. Like a blood transfusion even though you weren’t sick. Like drinking snake’s blood in grain alcohol on the side of a Hanoi road. Like an hour of intense yoga. Ken Forrester, all in, fully, completely engaged. This red blend speaks in his voice. “Renegade! Never been afraid to say. What’s on my mind at, any given time of day.” It’s no jay but it covers the Stellenbosch bases, from A to Z. Drink 2015-2020. Tasted September 2015

Ellerman House

Godello at the edge of the world #capetown #ellermanhouse #banghoekuncorked #southafrica

Tokara Sauvignon Blanc Reserve Collection 2014, Elgin, South Africa (Winery, Agent)

From the atmospheric growing conditions of Elgin, the new South African geographical epiphany for the cool-climate varietal future. From the winery’s Highlands farm, transported to Stellenbosch and fermented with tact, cold, stainless, with acidity intact. Tokara’s Sauvignon Blanc is bone dry (near and dear to 2.0 g/L of RS) and a straight piercing heart of an SB as ever there was. Takes the likes of Marlborough and teaches it a thing or two about the coastal ways of the Western Cape. Tasted with viticulturist Aidan Morton. Drink 2015-2017. Tasted September 2015 @TOKARA_ZA

Brandy sculpture @Ellermanhouse @WOSA_ZA #banghoekUncorked #capetown #southafrica

Oldenberg Vineyards Chenin Blanc 2014, Stellenbosch, South Africa (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

From vines planted in 2006 on alluvial soils. A tight, lean and bracing Chenin Blanc with seamless attribution. Simplicity of fruit meets oak (30 per cent ferment for 10 months in 300L French barrels, 50 per cent new) but somehow freshness wins outright. This in kind to sharp, feisty, sour-edged acidity that is lemon bracing and a linger for a good length of time. Also in spite of generous alcohol (14.11 per cent) and relatively low pH (3.21). Jasmine and honey? “Fields of flowers deep in his dreams (Ha ha, honey), lead them out to sea by the east (Ha ha, honey).” The reminder of Stellenbosch and Chenin Blanc. Drink 2015-2019. Tasted September 2015 @Oldenburgwines @HHDImports_Wine

Thelema Mountain Blanc de Blancs Méthode Cap Classique 2012, Stellenbosch, South Africa (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

Sparkling generously donated to with agreeable richness from eight year-old vines out of Tukulu soil. Generous of yield (16 t/hL) at low red/yellow saturated slopes near the basin floor. The dosage keeps it comfortably Brut, the acidity cozily numb. Classic bubble methodology, including three years lees aging, in line for such fine elegance. Runs for a straight purpose, of citrus incarnate with a penchant for piercing. In its youth it knows nothing of oxidative and yet that dimension will lengthen its future. For 15 years it will reside in the refreshing valley in between. Though he is a multi-varietal maestro and with no disrespect to the rest of his Thelma and Sutherland portfolios, if Sparkling is not winemaker Rudi Schultz’s true calling then I’ll have to spend three more hours at dinner with proprietor Thomas Webb to find out what is. Drink 2015-2030. Tasted September 2015 @ThelemaWines @tomwebbsa @EpicW_S

We’ve been expecting you, Mr. Bond #ellermanhouse #banghoekuncorked #007 #capetown

Thelema Sutherland Viognier-Roussanne 2012, Elgin, South Africa (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

In the realm of two-thirds to one-third ratio from Seven year-old (at the time) vines grown on Tukulu and Glenrosa soils. The ramp up of Roussanne percentage elevates acidity to balance the richer, broader and wide-ranging Viognier breadth. There is great grape tannin in this Elgin white with healthy yet balanced alcohol, negligent sweetness and that bouncy, bountiful acidity. Lays about happily in a pool of bleed from rock and stone. Possessive of the je ne sais quoi all impressionistic whites must have, vry of the land and tonic attention. In the end bitter grapefruit draws a cheek full of wince and sends goose bumps down the spine. Gotta love that. Drink 2015-2021. Tasted September 2015

Panels of terroir @Ellermanhouse Face in the crowd #terroirwall #angustaylor #rammedearth #paulharris #winegallery #cape town

DGB in the Capelands

Others would kill for her Pinot fruit and Lizelle Gerber kills it for @BoschendalWines #dgb #DGBinthewinelands

Boschendal Cap Classique Jean le Long Prestige Cuvée Blanc de Blancs, Stellenbosch, South Africa (Winery, Agent)

Chardonnay curried favour from impeccant and licid (2007 base wine) cool climate fruit and then ingratiated by 60 months plus one year on the lees. Of added significance by only having been sulphured at disgorgement. A yeasty B de B of beautifully beckoning oxidation and bone dry at 2.3 g/L of RS. Fizz of finesse and elegance, a feet sweeping, inveigling, influence exerting Stellenbosch cuvée. A skillfully applied mound of preserved lemon and freshly grated wild ginger, piled like airy mousse, or like lustrous wasabi without the burn. Benchmark for the Méthode Cap Classique B de B style. Drink 2015-2027. Tasted September 2015 @BoschendalWines @LiffordON @liffordwine

Cape Oysters Vietnamese #chefswarehouse #capetown

Boschendal Cap Classique Grand Cuvée Brut 2009, Stellenbosch, South Africa (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

Time is the settler is this Pinot Noir (51 per cent) and Chardonnay (49) of aeration and ripeness from its days as a sun-worshipper. From fruit primarily sourced in Stellenbosch with some help from the Elgin Valley. Disgorged in the Spring of 2014, six months post 36 months on its yeasts have brought it to a very happy place. As it found itself in requiem of a less than Brut profile, the sugar level is higher (7.8 g/L), a munching magic mousse transformative indeed, enacted during secondary fermentation and measured dosage. Distinctly nutty, rich, torch toasty and presented in purview by citrus. For Cape oysters, at the least, or foie gras and with a bowl of salted nuts. Drink 2015-2029. Tasted September 2015

Boschendal Cap Classique Grand Cuvée Brut 2009

Boschendal Sauvignon Blanc 2014, Elgin, South Africa (Winery, Agent)

From the highest of and one of the latest ripening mountain plateau vineyards in Elgin, 500m above sea level and only 18km away from the Atlantic Ocean. The Eikenhof farm offers well-drained Bokkeveld Shale soils and with a healthy yet restrained sugar component (4.4 g/L), here Sauvignon Blanc goes at it rich and grassy, herbal and highly textured. The white pepper olfaction in lieu of capsicum makes a yummo aromatic impression. Here SB executes in expatiated flection, with layers waiting to be peeled away in discovery of what lays beneath. I would suggest not treading near the surface. You will miss out on the mysteries weighted in its depths. Drink 2016-2021. Tasted September 2015

Pork Belly at DGB in the Capelands food truck event

Boschendal Chardonnay 2013, Elgin, South Africa (Winery, Agent)

Slow-ripened, low-yielding Chardonnay seasoned from unirrigated mountain slopes of Bokkeveld Shale mixed with some clay. Chardonnay paid attention in detail only a small farm can afford, followed by prudent picking in a warmer than average vintage. The barrel has its say in a heartfelt way, the integration with delicate fruit sprouting wings more effete than mannish. One quarter of the 80 per cent oak ferment is new and the rest either second or third fill. Fresh now, reductive to a necessary degree and built for a minimum five with an optimum seven to eight year shelf life. Drink 2015-2020. Tasted September 2015

This guy loves Canada @WOSA_ZA #DGBinthewinelands #foodtrucks

Boschendal Pinot Noir 2013, Elgin, South Africa (Winery, Agent)

This is the bomb. Lizelle Gerber may be benevolently pegged as the white wine maker at Boschendal but place Pinot Noir fruit from the second highest vineyard in South Africa in her hands and shazam; welcome to the hallowed alchemy payoff. The treatment is not unlike what Gerber effects upon her Chardonnay; 50 per cent natural fermentation, 12 months barrel maturation in (25 per cent) new, (35) second fill, (15) third and (25) fourth French oak. Variability comes by way of heavy red clays, from Table Mountain Sandstone, Bokkeveld shale, Tukulu and Silica Quartz with underlying Caoline clay. So what? Balance, so what. Her Pinot Noir finds separation by soil. The small berries are so prized even the baboons want in. The windswept vineyards are a place of chaste, inviolable grounds, where Pinot Noir needs little human interference save for some predator protection. The gathering here imagines Willamette salinity, Otago purity and Beaune delicacy. Gerber’s Pinot is simple, cast from only overnight free-run juice, unpressed, pitch perfect, virtuous and riddled with the tension of decorum. It will age for 10 years plus. Drink 2015-2025. Tasted September 2015

Good to go!

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In a gadda da vino baby

Dec11

Charcuterie and Appetizers @barquebutchers by the @greek_silver_fox, Chef Jo Castrinos

It’s December, baby. In Ontario that means one thing. Cash money for the LCBO. Lineups longer than a 1988 Moscow bread line. If you’re from somewhere other than this magical, monopolized place we call wine central you just wouldn’t understand. You would not be privy to and giddy with isles stacked in pyramids of critter red and whites, Bailey’s Irish Cream and Absolut Durian. Wait, that would be cool.

No, not la vida loca. We are not talking about living the crazy life to make you cool. No party trick, no Spanglish, no politically incorrect, Urban Dictionary Ricky Martin slur. Not this either. “The awkward silence and/or major anticlimax that follows the confession of a big secret that everybody else already knew.”

You want it all in December, the most wine for the money, for gifts, to bring to the holiday party, to stack some away in the cellar. You want the Garden of Eden in a bottle.

In a gadda da vida, honey.

Let me tell ya.

With the ghosts of Christmas gem releases now just a strange, uncomfortable and debilitating nightmare trailing away in the rear-view mirror of Visa cards maxed out past, now is the time to focus on what’s real. To concentrate on purchasing wines in your price bracket, wines that speak of people, places and who will be drinking them.

I have combed, tasted and considered the releases now on shelves for this weekend’s December 12th offering. The parameters are $15 to $35, something for everyone, to purchase with confidence and to equip you with a most necessary advantage, to present them with pride no matter the circumstance. Ten wines to work the holiday room.

Cabriz Reserva 2012, Doc Dão, Portugal (21410, $17.95, WineAlign)

Such a juicy red, of honest imporosity and primed with acidity to prop and speculate. Bang on for the price, in its weight class and with the charm of sweet adolescence. Solid Dao with a whole lot of propensity to mix and match with the multitude of foods at your table. Drink 2015-2019. Tasted November 2015 @wines_portugal @winesportugalCA @Noble_Estates

Gérard Bertrand Grand Terroir Pic Saint Loup 2011, Ap Coteaux Du Languedoc, France (376491, $18.95, WineAlign)

Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache blend from the Pic Saint-Loup mountain peak and limestone cliff flanks of the the Coteaux du Languedoc. Sharp with concentrated red fruit, tight acidity and just enough tannin to render this marketable to a five-year plan of evolution. Real and as naturally forged as they come from Gérard Bertrand’s Cross Series reds of southern France. Prime example from and one to celebrate a terroir like Pic St Loup which continues to play the unheralded outlier. Really fine and just the right and correct amount of attitude. Drink 2015-2020. Tasted November 2015 @GBvins @FwmWine @LanguedocWines

Tawse Spark Limestone Ridge Riesling Sparkling 2013, Twenty Mile Bench, Ontario (370361, $19.95, WineAlign)

Only a year and in conjunction with an improved Sparkling wine vintage for Riesling, short work has elevated the young Spark’s game. A repeat lees performance initiates the conversation, of cheese melted overtop composite laminate, with yeast burgeoning about. In 2013 the concrete crispness is cemented deeper, etched into stone and thus completing the sub-$20 legacy. That winemaker Paul Pender can coax Riesling character, striking Sparkling wine resolve and yet hover in the air of litheness, well, this is the kneading. Silty, salty earth and soft transitions to citrus acidity are a requiem for success as per the Twenty Mile Bench/Limestone ridges vouchsafe common. Can even imagine a bit of time turning this into sparks and honey. Drink 2015-2019. Last tasted November 2015 @Tawse_Winery @Paul_Pender

Ernie Els Big Easy 2013, Wo Western Cape, South Africa (220038, $19.95, WineAlign)

Big Easy, Stellenbosch

A massive amount of fruit, caked earth and big, bouncy reduction is packed into this free swinging Western Cape red blend. The reduction mixes with Rhone bacon and its own regional gamey notes. This is both typical and radical. It is made in a style that many love and will continue to love and yet others will balk at its generational specificity. The clean, pure focus in Rhone varietal terminology teams up to subdue the Cabernet though that variety does add lushness to smooth out some of the hard edges. Tons of flavour. Drink 2015-2020. Tasted November 2015 @ErnieElsWinery @WOSACanada @WOSA_ZA

Baron De Ley Varietales Graciano 2011, Doca Rioja, Spain (397166, $21.95, WineAlign)

Another terrific vintage for the varietal Ley, wrapping a wreath of pure Graciano fruit around your neck and letting you lay back with a sip of something beautiful. Pure floral liqueur, the violets and the sweat, the sweet fruit and the citrus accent. Soft lactic acid and chewy with an accent of dark chocolate and spice. A bit more burly than the ’09 and certainly increasingly oak apparent but a good mouthful nevertheless. Let it rest for two years to let the wood sink in. Drink 2017-2022. Tasted November 2015 @BaronDeLeyRioja @RiojaWine @AMH_hobbsandco

Stratus Evergreen Red 2008, VQA Niagara On The Lake, Ontario (437434, $24.95, WineAlign)

Where has this been? This harmonious composition, like a Starland Vocal Band, Cabernet Sauvignon (30 per cent) plus Cabernet Franc (30) friendship with a healthy dose of Merlot (27) and a bit of Petit Verdot (4) in minor support. The acidity and the tannin have nearly fully waned but it’s a real pleasure to drink at this seven-year mark. Pretty fruit, creamy texture, just enough energy left to keep the party grooving, weightless and soaring in the air. Some chocolate and dessert like tendency but with the right kind of salty main course or just a few sips leading to that point, this will be an afternoon delight. “My motto’s always been ‘when it’s right, it’s right.’ Why wait until the middle of a cold dark night?” Herbal finish is cool and Northern Ontario like in its slow, easy exhalation. Extra points for the foresight, the opportunistic release point and the effort in a hit or miss vintage. The Evergreen Brickworks market’s loss is the LCBO’s gain. Drink 2015-2018. Tasted November 2015 @StratusWines

Versado Malbec 2013, Luján De Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina (317008, $25.95, WineAlign)

The rocks beneath the earth precede the rich, dark fruit. After the berries and the candy beets and the spices subside the flowers grow and take over the room. The vintage brings more layers than before. Malbec of character and belief, even a touch of good VA, a coat that only the Southern Hemisphere can provide. It is not usually present in Mendozan Malbec so it’s really a breath of fresh paint here in the Versado. Great purity. Protracted length. Most expansive and intriguing vintage to date. The Reserva will be killer. Last tasted November 2015

Domaine Karydas Naoussa 2010, Dop Naoussa, Greece (272013, $26.95, WineAlign)

A rich, nearly creamy mouthful of Xinomavro, full on red fruit and as much scorched earth as prescribed to be necessary. There is plenty of front end acidity and back-end tannin though the pathway between is rocky, jagged and bumpy. I’d like to see this again in two or three years to see if it has smoothed out. For now it’s certainly edgy and divided though I will admit it has gained my full, undivided attention. Time will tell. Drink 2017-2022. Tasted November 2015 @KolonakiGroup @winesofnaoussa @DrinkGreekWine

Domaine Hamelin Chablis Beauroy Premier Cru 2012, Burgundy, France (391805, $33.95, WineAlign)

May just be the most well-rounded Premier Cru Chablis in the Ontario market today and orbits would not be its prescribed or described path. Linear more like it, star-shooting with trailing sparks from its steely beginnings out of stainless silo. Well-rounded because it draws fruit from every level of Kimmeridgien subsoil up and down the hills, from the bottom of the valley to the top of the slopes. Also because of its pinpoint unoaked Chablis accuracy, from mineral on the tongue to citrus receding and recoiling. So very clean old bones fruit (up to 35 years old) and direct at a price point most Premier Cru fail to touch. Drink 2015-2021. Tasted December 2015 @BIVBChablis @oenophilia1

Fontodi Chianti Classico 2012, Tuscany, Italy (933317, $36.95, WineAlign)

Classic and I mean classic Chianti Classico, cured, ancient, fruit forward. Modern, gritty, tannic, spicy, desperately in love and bound by leather. Tea and liqueur, all in Chianti Classico. Some iron and animale, bitters, tonics, cherries, medicines, all of the above. Acidity raging, thunder clapping, lightning striking. Needs seven years to shed emotional tears, fully settle and be a memory of its intense self. A wine that will remember. Drink 2018-2026. Tasted November 2015 @chianticlassico @rogcowines

Good to go!

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Garnacha covered part four: Terra Alta

Dec10

Terra Alta

This is the fourth of five instalments concerning the wines of Garnacha from the regions of Aragón and Catalonia.

Related – For a comprehensive report by Sara d’Amato and I read WineAlign: Discover the Flavours: Wines of Garnacha

In October of 2015 WineAlign colleague Sara d’Amato and I travelled together with Christopher Waters of Vines Magazine. The trip’s mission was to discover Spain’s Wines of Garnacha in their natural habitat, the five distinct and allied Denominación de Origen in the regions of Aragón and Catalonia.

Our host in Zaragoza was The Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (Instituto Español de Comercio Exterior, ICEX), the Wines of Garnacha campaign and the office of Garnacha Origen. The trip was orchestrated with expertise by Aragón Exterior Managing Director Ignacio (Nacho) Martinez de Albornoz and Head of Wines from Spain (ICEX) Alfonso Janeiro. Our chaperones were Ignacio, Sofía González Martínez, Ivo André Alho Cabral and Roser Mestre, in Zaragoza and on expeditions to the five DO’s that comprise the wines of Garnacha.

Terra Alta

Crossed off the bucket list is a visit to the land of Garnatxa Blanca, Catalonian of the heart, in drive and from desire. The journey from Zaragoza to the furthest afield of Garnacha’s five D.O’s passes through vast stretches of landscapes in painted desserts and sculpted of mountain congeries. Soon the valleys begin to wind and snake their way between the limitless hills, tracing paths carved out in memory of long ago raging, ancient glacial rivers. The road slices through terraced panal, the spongy soils of Terra Alta, davenports to vines cultivated by the most prolific producers of white Grenache in the world. In Terra Alta, that number occupies 49 percent of the total Spanish production.

Terra Alta can be found in the southwest corner of the northeast corner of Spain. In a nutshell it may be incongruously defined as a large geographical area, “la más meridional de Cataluña,” with a small population of a mere 12,000 inhabitants. The prevailing winds, el Cierzo from the north and the summer Garbinades, “the Arab wind” from the southeast, add humidity, to protect from vine disease and to help finish a grape’s ripening process. Unlike its Aragonese brethren, the grape varieties grown in Terra Alta at times need a little help from their friends. To that end, five years ago an irrigation system was created, useable from May to September, to also help with the ripening process.

Interpid travellers in Terra Alta: WineAlign’s Sara d’Amato and Godello

It is fascinating to note that when Pablo Picasso was sick he came to Terra Alta for the air. He also came for the wine. He drank what was called vino brisat, skin macerated white wine, somewhere between orange and straw wine. After his health was restored, he returned three years later and apparently developed his cubist style in Terra Alta. Picasso, innovator and oenophile privy to 21st century thought, knowing that white wines produced with a maceration step contain significantly more health restoring and promoting polyphenols than those produced in a more traditional way. Records show that Garnacha has been grown in Terra Alta dating back to 1647.

Cracking the wonders of #garnatxablanca @lafouceller #concreteegg @doterraalta

Terra Alta’s trump soil card is the panal, with its ability to retain moisture with nary rock or stone encumbrance. There are also soils imbued of limestone richness and a lack of organic material. The mediterranean climate combines abundant sunshine with little rainfall. Of the 6,000 total hectares planted, 1,400 is devoted to Garnatxa Blanca and the average annual production is seven million kg of grapes or, 50 hectolitres per hectare.

The DO “Terra Alta” (DOTA) was recognised provisionally in 1972. Together with Alella, Conca de Barberà, Empordà, Penedès, Priorat and Tarragona it is one of the seven historic denominations of origin of Catalonia. The first label noted as D.O. Terra Alta was 1984 and that wine was white. And so, today there are two symbols of guarantee, one for the D.O. as a whole and the other granted for whites. “SOM Terra Alta Garnatxa Blanca – 100×100.” More than simply a guarantee of 100 per cent Garnatxa Blanca composition, these wines must be deemed to score at least 85 out of 100 points in sensorial quality by the Consell Regulador. “Or you don’t get the sticker,” says proprietor of Altavins Viticultors de Batea Joan Arrufí, current president of the D.O. “Everyone is on board because it is necessary to put Terra Alta on the map.” The credo is “Cuerpo Y Alma,” or in Catalan, “Cos I Anima.” Body and soul.

John, Paul, George and Ringo ready to play @doterraalta #garnatxablanca tunes for #loscanadienses

What is so curious about the White Grenache here is that more than any other Garnacha, red or white, produced in the five D.O’s of Aragon, the Blanca of Terra Alta has proven its ability to age. Arrufí tasted a 2001 the day before we arrived, saying “it’s perfect,” having changed from white fruits (banana, apple, apricot) to frutos secos (nuts), honey and almond flowers.

Winemakers presenting in today’s market are mostly young, the children of the older generation, adding freshness, elegance, new blood and a willingness to embrace technology. Unique to Terra Alta, the new generation is taking over the winemaking. Ask one how to prevent oxidation? Hand-pick, before the sun hits mid-sky, ferment at low temps and protect with lees. Good plan.

Borraja, potato, sauce of peas, Casa Lac, Zaragoza

The night before heading out on the long trek to Terra Alta we pre-tasted some of the region’s wines at Ricardo Gil’s Casa Lac in Zaragoza. In Gandesa we met with Joan Arrufí at the offices of the D.O and then travelled to taste with the winemakers at Lafou Celler, followed by another tasting in the restored shell that once housed Corbera d’Ebre‘s destroyed church. It was at this meeting where the most poignant event of the Aragon trip took place.

The art of survival and restoration #corberaderbe #spanishcivilwar #terraalta

During the Spanish Civil War the Nazi warplanes dropped their bombs and Corbera d’Ebre was completely destroyed at the Battle of the Ebro (25 July–16 November 1938). The upper part, known as Poble Vell (Old Town), including the church were kept. One of the bombs landed in the river, killing a young girl and tossing her brother into the water.

A beautiful gift to #teamcanada @waters_wine @saradamato from #terraalta #manuelalvarez #corberadebre #spanishcivilwar #canadiansoldier #mackenziepapineau

A Canadian soldier from the Mackenzie-Papineau batallion fished him out. That boy, Manuel Álvarez, spent his life looking for the soldier. He finally found him 40 years later, in Vancouver. El Soldado Alto (The Tall Soldier) is the book Álvarez wrote to thank him and keep the story alive. Upon arrival in Corbera d’Ebre the story was recounted to us, Los Canadienses, along with a presentation from Ramón Gironés Julia, treasurer of Associació del Poble Vell, with a copy of the book. The Canadian soldier’s battalion was named after William Lyon Mackenzie and Louis-Joseph Papineau, leaders of the rebellions of 1837 in upper and lower Canada. They sought liberty, social justice and democracy, a spirit which the Canadian volunteers carried to Spain. Our job now, as the next Canadians to visit Corbera d’Ebre, is apparently to save the wines of Terra Alta. We’ll do our best.

Sofía González, Wines of Garnacha and Señor Valiente, Vins de Mesies

After the tasting in the historic village we went for lunch (ending at 6:15 pm) at Nou Moderno in Gandesa. The cooking and service by Rosa & Josep M. Vallespí is something every visitor to Catalunya need experience. We continued to taste the regional wines with Joan and the winemakers. The wines tasted were the following: Ilercavonia, by Altavins; Vallmajor Garnatxa Blanca and Tipicitat by Celler Batea; Edetària Selecció Blanc, by Celler Edetaria; Clos Dalián Crianza and Clos Dalián Crianza Blanco, by Cellers Unió; Mesies Garnatxa, by Ecovitres; Els Amelers, by LaFou; and Vila-Closa Garnatxa Blanca, by La Botera.

Nou Moderno Restaurant, Gandesa, Terra Alta

Celler Batea Vall Major Garnatxa Blanca 2014, DO Terra Alta, Spain (Winery, WineAlign)

With the intent to drink in the first year and quality to price ratio in mind, here the entry to Catalonian Garnacha Blanca. Sees 12 hours of skin contact, stainless steel housing after and with previous attention paid to low fermentation temperatures. Fresh as a brook running through a green spring glade. Pretty flowers, scintillant of acidity, young as a “back up the truck” kind of white. It’s chewy too. Has length of itself, from itself and for itself. Me, myself and I Garnatxa Blanca. From low yields in one of the higher production areas of Terra Alta. Tiny bitters arrive late, but still, that Terra Alta length. Drink 2015-2016. Tasted October 2015 @CELLERBATEA1

Los Canadienses taste and talk with the winemakers of Terra Alta at Celler Lafou photo (c) https://www.facebook.com/labotera.satlabotera/?fref=ts

Los Canadienses taste and talk with the winemakers of Terra Alta at Celler Lafou
photo (c) La Botera

Vins La Botera Vila-Closa Garnatxa Blanca 2014, DO Terra Alta, Spain (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

“It’s also a young wine,” admits Laia, the winemaker. Built on crisp acidity from young vines and more structure from some older ones. Then blended together for a balanced White Garnatxa. The older vines come bound with an increase in altitude. “We play with the two, hand in hand.” This has a deeper, slightly medicinal or tonic inflection. Mostly from Panal soil – so there is richness and citrus, a preserved lemon. Such a different expression – strikes as more complex but at the inconsequential expense of freshness. Approximate price $15.95 CAN. Drink 2015-2017. Tasted October 2015 @Bateabotera @thatslifewines

Vins La Botera Vila-Closa Garnatxa Blanca 2013, DO Terra Alta, Spain (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

Tasted in Toronto nearly a year ago. The handpicked Garnatxa Blanca from 35 year-old vines left to develop on the riper side of the equation blended with acidity elevating, younger fruit. Real cold soak plus three months of lees contact in stainless steel. So yes, this is a steely version, very much in the vein of straight-up Chablis. Bottled simplicity, limestone reckoning. Could drink this like water anytime the mercury rises. Approximate price $15.95 CAN. Drink 2014-2016. Tasted November 2014

To taste again @lafouceller in @doterraalta is today’s master plan @VINOS_ICEX #lovegarnacha #garnatxablanca #crdoterraalta

Lafou Celler Garnatxa Blanca 2014, DO Terra Alta, Spain (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

Ramon Roqueta Segalés, winemaker, soothsayer, visionary, seeker of the Garnatxa Blanca of today from “a narrow valley.” Ramon is very concerned with the valleys, the landscape, the geology, how the wind, the mediterranean climate and the ancient rivers that run through, having left their glacial deposits, all combine for this particular and most important expression of Garnatxa Blanca. Established in 2007, this wine was first released in 2011. Combines old and young fruit, some harvested fresher at a greener stage and others picked later, riper, brought together. Vinified separately, with some skin maceration, looking for fat to surround acidity. Ripe fruit (10 per cent) sees oak, the rest in egg shape concrete tanks with six to seven months of lees contact. Smells like a ripe peach, fresh and without sugar but instead a sprinkling of subterranean, ancient riverbed harvested salt. The tang is layered, variegated, mineral, mastered over and in corralling of oxidation, elaborated with gentle but forceful demand. “We learned that you can get a balance by harvesting and an early and a later stage, sometimes three times.” Finishes with lime, fresh squeezed, sweet tonic and distilled flowers. A wine that has succeeded in “mastering the oxidation process.” Plus the tannic (anti-oxidative) aspects offered in micro-oxygenation from the slightly toasted new oak. Approximate price $28.95 CAN. Drink 2015-2025. Tasted October 2015 @lafouceller @oenophilia1

Lafou Celler Garnatxa Blanca 2013, DO Terra Alta, Spain (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

Tasted in Toronto nearly a year ago, the mind’s eye and memory back remember a gorgeous wine, full of salient alkali in zest form, calcified sweet white flowers and the cleanest, most elegantly drawn lines. A prodigy of anti-terse White Grenache statements, so obviously cared for, from healthy vines the mild treatment by lees, wood or common concrete. In a nutshell, worth every penny of its $29 tag. Drink 2014-2023. Tasted November 2014

Los Canadienses @waters_wine @saradamato & @altavins getting serious with @doterraalta #garnatxablanca #joanbautistaarrufi #terraalta #lafou

Altavins “IL” Ilercavònia Garnatxa Blanca 2014, DO Terra Alta, Spain (Winery)

Named for the people in the west of Catalonia, Iberians who lived in Terra Alta and the surrounding areas from the 6th to the 1st century BC. From old vines (up to 46 years) shown cold fermentation and three days of skin contact. Time in 400L oak barrels (five months) on the fine lees. Here the most bronzing of all the White Garncaha we’ve been shown, certainly on the oxidative side. Fine pretty flowers and equally fine bitters on the finish. Fine acidity as well. All of this speaks to the phenolics, all pieces of essential White Grenache, all aligned. Herbal and platinum, in hue forward to sensation. This is the adult expression and a wine that can and will age (2001 was the first and we are told it lives very much still). This is very grown up, another chapter all together. Already showing what it will be – very mineral and yet acidity not the same in any way, as compared to the others. Yet very long. slowly, evocatively, long. Drink 2015-2025. Tasted October 2015 @altavins

Los Canadienses taste with the winemakers of Terra Alta at Codera d'Ebre<br /> photo (c) La Botera

Los Canadienses taste with the winemakers of Terra Alta at Codera d’Ebre
photo (c) La Botera

Edetaria Selecció White Vinyes Velles 2013, DO Terra Alta, Spain (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

From a fourth generation family vineyard in Gandesa, a project that began in 2003. Fully, completely Garnatxa Blanca, from a group of old vineyards, cooled down a degree or two more than the norm for 24-48 hours, with skin maceration. Barrel fermented in small casks for eight months, this also leans oxidative but never gets there, even less than the IL. White flowers, imaginations of futures thickened by honey and glazed in apricot. Possessive of a Riesling-like nose, Sémillon lean and pinpoint accurate clarity. Such a proclivity to seek evolution this alternative custodian of the Garnatxa varietal necessity. Seeker and keeper of tradition and to let the world know what has always been possible. This has acidity. It really has it. Bridges so many philosophies, histories and realities; Alsace Riesling, South African Chenin Blanc, Greek Roditis. Approximate price $39.95 CAN. Drink 2015-2023 Tasted October 2015 @EdetariaCeller

Edetaria Selecció White Vinyes Velles 2012, DO Terra Alta, Spain (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

Tasted in Toronto nearly a year ago. From the famous panal soil, fossilized sand dunes low in organic material and even lower in yields. Managed in go it alone ways for Terra Alta, with grapes kept gelid at zero degrees during the process and individual plot vinification prepared in 300L oak barrels. Primary aromas are the launching point and the end game. Eight months later a most unique aroma subsists and emits potency, leading to layering. A portent for pure distillation in White Grenache. Approximate price $39.95 CAN. Drink 2014-2021. Tasted November 2014

Edetaria Garnatxa Blanca 2013 and Mesies Garnatxa 2014

Ecovitres Vins de Mesies Garnatxa 2014, DO Terra Alta (Winery)

Founded in 2002, Ecovitres stands alone in philosophy meets execution. The organics are a no-brainer in their minds, in a land where the winds blow and vine disease is less than a deterrent or an issue. Here the producer of the eco-Garnatxa, from lots of cropping and the moving of soils for humidity, Such a soil impart in this Tinto, brimming with cure, natural charcuteries derived from a range of protein and fresh, liquid chalky red fruit.”This is what Red Garnatxa should be,” insists winemaker Señor Valiente. A wine of light colour, of natural yeasts, of freshness and of minimal sulfites. Just a minor pump over to keep the cap wet, from drying out and from letting foreign agents to enter. Very brave for making wine this way, without pre-pioneers. The irony is not lost, on me or Señor Valiente. Drink 2015-2020. Tasted October 2015 @VINSdeMESIES

One final wine, tasted at Nou Moderno Restaurant in Gandesa. The day was already 10 hours old, many courses had been consumed and we knew there were many more to come a mere three hours away. So I did not take notes here, but I can say this. Red Garnacha from Terra Alta has the ability to age.

Good to go!

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South African duck dynasty

Dec9

Avondale Wines Navitas 2008

Balance, health, sustainability, organics, bio-dynamics, 21st century science and a posse of ducks. For Johnathan Grieve, these are the tenets of growing grapes and making wine at Avondale. The family owned and operated winery in Paarl, South Africa is a purveyor of wines fashioned with low and slow dynamics. Their dynasty is bred from a form of naturalism practiced in farming and winemaking executed in its purest form.

Take a moment to consider the dowsing effects of viticulture and viniculture driven by divested interests, where natural fermentations and a complete absence of artificial adjustments are the sworn rule. Let yourself go and the tangent will take you further, to incurvate within a grower’s neighbourhood occupied by the dimensions of the spiritual intersected with the existential. You will find yourself stumbling upon life energies, living systems, cosmic influences and rhythms.

I tasted with Grieve in Toronto, May 2015, with thanks to Rare Earth Wines and Wines of South Africa Canada’s Laurel Keenan. I then sat down with him again in September 2015, at Cape Wine, in Cape Town, South Africa. The notes tell the stories.

Avondale Wines at Cape Wine 2015

Avondale Wines Armilla 2009, Paarl, South Africa (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

From a farm dating to 1693 purchased by Johnathan Grieve’s family in 1996. Poster bubbles, for the Blanc de blancs habitation and for the Avondale oeuvre, the Armillary sphere, Roman “circle of life” and ancient astronomical instrument used to show the position of stars around the earth. Traditional production, with a kiss of oak and a final act of dosage. Five total years on the lees, including two on coarse and one in bottle. Picking was accomplished at the end of that January, in purpose of stylistic elegance and beautiful bitters born of natural and integrated acidity. Terrific dip of biscuits into honey. Like Baklava in a glass though equally savoury to dessert. Baller bubble, balanced and with the sense to envision evolution, to the look ahead of an adult age. Would retail for approximately $28 CAN. Drink 2015-2027. Tasted twice, May and September 2015 @Avondalewine @RareEarth_Wines @WOSACanada @WOSA_ZA

Winemaker with a true sense of purpose- Johnathan Grieve @Avondalewine @CapeWine2015 #capewineconnect #terraestvita #paarl #westerncape #southafrica #southafricanwine

Avondale Wines Jonty’s Ducks Pekin White 2013, Paarl, South Africa ($14.95, Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

Named for the young ducks and their voracious appetites for snails on which they go to town in the vineyard. Chenin Blanc driven, with some white Muscat, Semillon and Roussane. Sweet Chenin nose while 10 per cent aged in big French barrels adds texture in fleshy orchard fruit, from white peach to yellow plum. Duck, duck, goose, as in tart, sapid berries and the way they solidify the finish. Drink 2015-2018. Tasted May 2015

Avondale Wines Jonty’s Ducks Pekin White 2014, Paarl, South Africa ($14.95, Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

The house white with the Avondale ducks always in mind. “How does mother nature do it? For each problem there is a natural predator available to do the job.” The holistic approach applies to the winemaking of Johnathan Grieve as well. In 2014 there is an easier and more naturalistic feel. With less oak and lees, some rest and the result is increased freshness, especially for the dominant Chenin Blanc. Ready to go as we speak. Drink 2015-2018. Tasted September 2015

Avondale Wines in Toronto, May 2015

Avondale Wines Jonty’s Ducks Pekin Red 2011, Paarl, South Africa (383547, $14.95, Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

At Avondale they employ beneficial bacteria, predatory wasps, birds of prey and their famous ducks. The Jonty’s posse goes frenetic when escargot are offered up at lunch. The same can be said for hordes of humans and this red blend. Composed from Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec, it is seamless at this price. While savoury to be sure, there is no grape dominance. The middle is filled with drupe, kernel and spice. Try finding volatility. You can’t. Speaks, comments and lectures in layers of fruit across its hexa-varietal spectrum. Drink 2015-2020. Tasted May 2015

Avondale Wines Anima Chenin Blanc 2013, Paarl, South Africa ($22.95, Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

Straight shooting Chenin of struck stone and flint, from 100 per cent whole clusters, naturally fermented and aged for 12 months on the lees in large (500L) barrels. Plus bâtonnage, in the name of lees. Offers a sense of wax and pollen, in airy texture, through a valley of sound, with bending notes and a big riff finish. Some bitter melon and unique berries fret about. Has developed its tannic structure with mineral for soul and weight from soil. Terra est vita, soul to soul. Soil to soil. Avondale makes use of concentrated sea salts and cover crops give balance to the vineyard, to add diversity without negativity. Like adding keyboard and saxophone to the blues, for soul. “Get away from the blind side of life.” Change it. Drink 2015-2020. tasted May and September 2015

Avondale Wines Cyclus 2013, Paarl, South Africa ($26.95, Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

A sink full blend of give or take equal (20-24 per cent) parts, with the vortex at Viognier, alongside Chenin Blanc, Marsanne and Roussane with (six to 10 per cent) Sémillon. Ostensibly, sensibly and spoken through megaphone, purporting the drive to and for such an appellative blend in South Africa. A circle of life and energy to announce the need for diversity, in vineyard, by way of bringing varietal togetherness and the notion that anything can be accomplished, anywhere, anytime. Confirms the idea that everything ripens in South Africa and can be showcased with the correct approach. An Avondale holistic approach. A Capelands example for which many should follow. Fruit in every pore, nook, hollow and cranny. Just as the vortices of a cow’s horn encourages blood flow, so are energies focused in the Avondale soil. Breathing in the Autumn, breathing out in Spring. The cycles. Drink 2015-2022. Tasted September 2015

Johnathan Grieve in Toronto, May 2015

Avondale Wines Cyclus 2012, Paarl, South Africa ($26.95, Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

Viognier, Chardonnay, Roussanne, Chenin Blanc and Sémillon. In 2012 it’s as if the five varieties are spinning in centrifuge. Quite the whirling white blend, dynamic, energetic, replete with tropical fruit, metals and pulpy paper. The entire accumulation grooves in a vortex, whorling within a dynamic container. The lees adds a perfume of fine format, of yeast cultures and beneficial bacteria in a frenzy, bringing character and expression. The nine months of coarse solids have filtered in, relegating to elegance and pausing in a northern Rhone way. Up front fruit once quiet is now showy in this, its early stages of development. Fascinating stuff. Drink 2015-2021. Tasted May 2015

Avondale Wines Camissa 2014, Paarl, South Africa ( Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

A different sort of animal, the Camissa is a Blanc de Noir made from red varieties, Muscat de Frontignan, Mourvedre and Grenache. Tells the story of Table Mountain and the stream that feeds the vineyard. An expression of mostly red fruit; strawberry, raspberry, cranberry and pomegranate, dried, saline and briny. Lithe like dry Rosé and struck by impeccable balance thanks to natural acidity. Citrus claims the finish. Drink 2015-2019. Tasted September 2015

Avondale in Toronto, May 2015

Avondale Wines Samsara 2009, Paarl, South Africa ($32.95, Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

A 100 per cent Syrah of purity, elegance and structure, from beginning to end. Nary a gauze or volatile moment intrudes, nor smoke and tar neither. Floral of violets, red plum and wet clay with just the faintest note of warm coffee grinds. Bright and vivid acidity, a rebirthing of Syrah, of South African roots incarnate and that grounded, earthy, yeasty cure. Much more elegant than the raw and energetic ’07. Drink 2016-2022. Tasted May 2015

Avondale Wines Samsara 2007, Paarl, South Africa ($32.95, Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

Hand-harvested Syrah, whole bunch, naturally warm fermented with no crushing at 30-32 degrees centigrade. Extended (15-16 day) skin contact. All this to gain maximum extraction and optimum flavour. What resulted was a deep, rich, red earth cured, funk-motivated Syrah, driven by soil above all else. Pepper and violets meld into severe grape tannin from those skins. Allspice and red citrus make their mark. Still not yet ready for prime time. Drink 2017-2022. Tasted September 2015

Avondale Wines La Luna 2009, Paarl, South Africa ($34.95, Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

A five Bordeaux varietal blend from Cabernet Sauvignon to Malbec with diminishing percentages by way of and through Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. A meritage in which the heritage aromatics driven by natural yeasts are accentuated by the bell curve of the ferment, during the decline and before the spike. Cake of the earth, fruit of dense expression and the structure of low and slow development. Extended skin contact, housing the place where yeasts reside, leads to the cultures driving the tannins. A culture club of composure and happiness. Really offers up a sense of what is achievable in South Africa. Drink 2018-2025. Tasted May and September 2015

Avondale Wines Navitas 2008, Paarl, South Africa (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

The flagship, limited release Navitas (just over 1000 bottles) endears juicy, parturient Grenache and Mourvedre to Avondale’s enceinte Syrah in a transformative and characterful Rhône blend. This ’08’s cup runneth over with intense energy in what may be referred to as the powerstream red, 100 per cent whole bunch fermented, powered by natural enzymes and essentially, prolifically gravid with the most severe envy of carbonic maceration. A post ferment skin contact for 30 days and 18 months in gently effacing, new 6o0L oak barrels transports grapes to near nirvana. This is what can be done with fruit that has fully completed a journey to phenolic ripeness. Approximately $139 CAN. Drink 2017-2028. Tasted September 2015

Good to go!

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Garnacha covered part three: Somontano

Dec5

Breath taken away by Jose Antonio’s Secastilla #garnacha with altitude @DOSomontano #aragon

This is the third of five instalments concerning the wines of Garnacha from the regions of Aragón and Catalonia.

Related – For a comprehensive report by Sara d’Amato and I read WineAlign: Discover the Flavours: Wines of Garnacha

Somontano

The centuries have seen to winemaking in Somontano though it was not until April 30th, 1984 that the protected designation of origin was granted by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture. What has transpired, transformed and transmogrified in 31 short years is astonishing.

Canadian journalists in the vineyards of Secastilla, Somontano. Photo (c) Ivo André Alho Cabral

The proof lies in a day of Somontano pudding. First a 130 km drive north out of Zaragoza, to the place they call “at the foot of the mountains” and a visit to the D.O office in the regional capital of Barbastro. A perfectly pressed early morning café and an overture of origen by local el presidente Mariano Beroz Bandrés sets the denominational stage. Second, a hike along with viticulturalist José Antonio through the highest bush vines vineyard belonging to Secastilla of Viñas del Vero.

Viñas del Vero’s José Antonio in the Secastilla vineyard

Next, a round table presentation, tasting and discussion at cellar door slash naturally lit, modernist Bodega Pirineos. Finally, remedying and restorative lunch at state of the art, colossal tanks and all, wine bottle art gallery installation, architecturally brilliant Vinos Enate.

The Barrel Cellar at @VinosEnate. Muchas gracias for the tour and the hospitality. Para todo @DOsomontano

The DO Somontano region is located at a height of between 350 and 1,000 metres above sea level and from Secastilla’s vineyard the six castles visible on peaks and throughout the Secastilla valley spread across the blue demure of a brilliant mid-autumn day. The view from Enate is nothing special, that is unless you are the kind of person that is moved by the awesome splendour of foothills and peaks fronting the drama of the Pyrenees.

Bodega Enate, Somontano

After lunch a tour through Enate’s labyrinth of great halls and hallways concludes with a mind’s daydream into a Sean Connery Bond film imagined.

Big tanks of Bodega Enate, Somontano

In the hills of Somontano low-fertility, brown limestone soil and its soft, permeable underbelly encourages roots to penetrate the earth, to extract just the right amount of limestone. The surrounding mountains protect the vines from the extreme cold and the rain.

Secastilla Valley, Somontano

Somontano is planted to 4200 hectares (of a total 205,000, 95,000 of it agricultural). There are 20,000 inhabitants, 43 villages, 424 growers, 31 wineries, 15 varietals, 200 wines and 15,000,000 bottles produced annually. Of that total, 70 per cent sold are domestically. The wide range of grape varieties cultivated are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo, Syrah, Parraleta, Moristel, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Macabeo (Alcañón), Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Red and White Garnacha. Six of these last varietal wines are involved in the Wines of Garnacha program. Mariano Beroz Bandrés talks about the collective approach for their wines. “Market niche, medium-high price, fresh, fruity, touch of oak, for young and innovative consumers.”

Somontano wines at Bodega Pirineos

Our hosts from Wines of Garnacha and Garnacha Origen Sofía González Martínez and Ivo André Alho Cabral sat in with Sara D’Amato, Christopher Waters and I to taste the following Garnacha wines: La Miranda de Secastilla Garnacha Blanca, La Miranda de Secastilla and Secastilla, by Viñas del Vero; Pirineos Garnacha, by Bodegas Pirineos; Mascún, by Bodegas Osca; Batán de Salas Monovarietal Garnacha, by Batán de Salas.

Restaurante Bal D’Onsera, Zaragoza

As we did each night previous to five D.O. visits around Aragon, we tasted the following day’s wines while at dinner in Zaragoza. Somontano accompanied Josechu Corella’s Michelen star Bal D’Onsera. Chef Corella’s cuisine is distinctly Aragonese adscititious of quality sea ingredients, to balance out any possible meat overkill on the heels of a Zaragoza week in celebration of the festival of the Pilar. Gastronomy harmonized, magnetized and gathered automatically for the people. Chef’s plates and bowls aligned, as if by invisible connections, to protein, from produce and by molecular touch, in textured attraction, together, without fail. Eleven courses of plentiful exigency chaperoned by the discreet and propitious staff. This amuse bouche was not one of the expected 10.

In the beginning: Oyster, seawater foam, sea algae, citrus teardrops @baldonsera #josechucorella #Zaragoza #amuse #estrellamichelin

The Somontano wines were tasted at Restaurante Bal D’Onsera, at Bodega Pirineos and over lunch at Bodega Enate.

Viñas del Vero La Miranda Secastilla Garnacha Blanca 2013

Viñas del Vero La Miranda Secastilla Garnacha Blanca 2013, DO Somontano, Spain (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

The first vintage was 2002, from purchased pre-existing vineyards, going back 60 years. The vineyard source is “Pago La Miranda” in the Secastilla Valley. Four months in Allier Forest French Oak. Subdued specs design this white wine; ph of 3.1, even lower sugar at 1.5 g/l and moderate acidity in at 5.38 g/L. These are the specs of balance, restraint and impossible not to discover-achieve elegance. A re-discovery of the rarity here in Garnacha Blanca, replete with a mineral forest of fruit, rock and wood. That acidity rules and combines with texture for variegation. This has foothills brush, herb and citrus running through. It is as far from lean and miles from fat. It travels a river through the middle of a valley. Mediterranean temperament and a bite into olive, almond and caper. Sea brine and lemon that mines like teardrops that burst when bitten. Just as it hits the tongue it pops and releases a zesty, juicy, fresh citrus flavour. Though the clarity to age is yet unclear, at three years it will likely lean oxidative, though that development will appear as slow as an early autumn wind. Approximate retail price of $16 CAN. Drink 2015-2019. Tasted October 2015 @VinasdelVero @WoodmanWS

Ocean Martini Salad, green pea crème, eco-tomato foam, galician white tuna, cucumber sorbet, violet potato crunch #baldonsera

Viñas del Vero La Miranda Secastilla Garnacha 2013, DO Somontano, Spain (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

Based on vines planted in 1998, beyond youthful in many terroirs but just a baby by Somontano-Secastilla standards. Blended with a minor amount of Syrah (12) plus the native varietal addition of Parraleta (3). Similar specs to the whites with just slightly elevated pH and rS. Vineyards are La Miranda, Prudence, La Mata and La Primade. Eight months in oak. The intent is fruit over savour, freshness beyond herbiage. It lies somewhere in the middle – the middle road trodden, the density is less than laden, the liqueur below a spirited threshold. High quality fruit from a giving vintage with acidity to prop up protein, lactic preparations and La Miranda itself. This Garnacha is focused and fortuitous, coming from solid fruit out of vineyards clearly delineated for their purpose and their capability. Clarity of Garnacha Tinto, with Mediterranean influence, manifested in olive brine and balsam, void of volatility, char and roast. No game, but with game in the name of purity. Elegantly cool, silk threaded and good length. Approximate retail price of $16 CAN. Drink 2015-2019. Tasted October 2015

Somontano winemakers at Bodega Pirineos

Pirineos Garnacha 2013, DO Somontano, Spain (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

Presented by Jesús Astrain Losilla, Director Téconico – Enólogo. From 12 year-old vines, located in traditional vineyard areas/sites, mixed with continental largesse in purple Mediterranean flora and snacks, such as almonds, olives, etc. This brings diversity and in combination with dry farming, vineyard selection for Garnacha and vinification, this ’13 goes at it beautiful, modern funky. Has the soil rubber reduction (it’s under screw cap, keep in mind) and the quick vanilla meets lavender impart of French meets American wood. Combines a barrel’s envelope with clay soil’s natural corrective. A lactic, chalky and liquid smoke impart. Chalk and rock, much red citrus. Most north facing vines for Garnacha in all Spain – makes for freshness. Really crushes as tomato just picked as well, with acidity fully intact – so the thought of such a gastronomy pairing would work well. A red wine for the “I only drink white wine” crowd. Reminds me so much of Alsace Pinot Noir, thanks to the little rainfall. This grows on you with complexity, if you give it time. More ease than demand. Does fruit, Garnacha, Somontano as it should and will. A Somontano statement, manifesto, declaration. Structure, structure, structure. Approximate retail price of $14 CAN. Drink 2015-2019. Tasted October 2015 @BodegaPirineos @TheVine_RobGroh

Batán de Salas de Beroz Garnacha 2011

Batán de Salas de Beroz Garnacha 2011, DO Somontano, Spain (Winery)

Nicolás Brun Aguerri makes the wines at this small bodega, in production of 300,000 kg’s of fruit annually. Pragmatically trying to make wines “for now and up to three to five years.” Here red Garnacha looking for something beyond freshness, working on aromatics, through a staggered harvest and six months in barrel, along with eight per cent Syrah mixed in. This has the deep sense of cure, like charcuterie, of meaty complexity. A solid second vintage and though there is tar, char, salinity, protein and grain, it has readily ranging though integrated acidity. Fresh is not the operative but alive and kicking butt is. Has reached this slight oxidative state and should linger there for two or three years more. A different style, not rebellious by any stretch and a great window in the Garnacha-Somontano potentiality. Drink 2015-2018. Tasted October 2015 @Batandesalas

Bodegas Osca Mascun Garnacha 2010, DO Somontano, Spain (Winery)

Produced since 1998, Mascun is always on point with 100 per cent varietal wines. Vines grow at between 350-550m. Mascun comes from the Latin, “house of witches.” After malolactic is completed the cask work is shared for 12 months between French and American oak. The first bottle indicates another slightly oxidative and pretty if verging on potent Garnacha, with a hint of tea. The supernatural Grenache, the witches Garnacha. A second pour is different, with more verve, acidity and fruit that stands out with much more hustle and animation. Drink 2015-2017. Tasted October 2015 @BodegasOsca

One of 10 paragons from chef’s menu degustation @josechucorella Grilled Galician White Tuna, salted radish, sea algae, sun-dried cherry tomato, sweet onion sauce, smoked olive oil #baldonsera #estrellamichelin #Zaragoza

Vinas del Vero Secastilla Garnacha 2010, DO Somontano, Spain (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

Based on vines planted as far back as the 1940’s, from the Guardia, Miranda and Botiguero vineyards. The lost valley, a discovered vineyard and not far from 100 year-old vines. Non-irrigated, poor stony soils, low yield, high concentration all work to fight what oxidative tendency that Garnacha might gravitate towards. Vines at 700m interspersed with almond and olive trees. Ten months in barrel, stabilized naturally. New barrels, for structure and age. Those barrels go to La Miranda after the first year. (Whites come from Chardonnay). Possessive of perfectly complimentary volatility. Very alive and fighting. The lush texture is driven like a stake through a beef heart with the acidity and a fine grain of tannin and line. Approximate retail price of $32 CAN. Drink 2015-2019. Tasted October 2015

Alubias Estafadas and Guindilla, Bodega Enate, Somontano

Alubias Estafadas and Guindilla, Bodegas Enate, Somontano

Bodegas Enate Chardonnay 2011, DO Somontano, Spain (Winery)

An oaked Chardonnay welling in gemstones, butter and salinity. Acidity end energy are set to full throttle. Fruit fills the crooks to brimming. Oak is not shy but rendered in decisive integration. Its reductiveness coupled with some years in bottle make for a showy wine in recognition of its own amour-propre. That ability to flaunt its wares is backed up by a surprisingly most excellent structure from what is not the most well-known Chardonnay region on the planet. Drink 2015-2019. Tasted October 2015 @VinosEnate

At the end of a Somontano day we drove further north to take in the medieval village of Alquezar. A bucolic, ancient place only needed be described in images.

“As we gaze out on, as we gaze out on,” #alquezar #somontano #pyrenees

“Looking up, I noticed I was late.” #alquezar #somontano #pyrenees

Good luck wild boar hooves of Alquezar

“In the middle of the road you see the darndest things” #alquezar #pyrenees #somontano

Good to go!

Twitter: @mgodello

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Garnacha covered part two: Cariñena

Dec3

Cariñena rocks! Autochthonous soils and their stones @DoCarinena @winesofgarnacha #bushvines #aragon #espana

This is the second of five instalments for a comprehensive study concerning the wines of Garnacha from the regions of Aragón and Catalonia.

Related – For a comprehensive report by Sara d’Amato and I read WineAlign: Discover the Flavours: Wines of Garnacha

Restaurante Palomeque, Zaragoza

As we did each evening before heading out the following morning to a particular DO, Sofía, Ivo, Ignacio and Roser introduced the intrepid Los Canadienses travellers to the wines of that DO over dinner in Zaragoza. For the wines of Cariñena the matchmaking happened at Restaurante Palomeque, a Zaragozan institution that bridges exemplary regional cooking with 21st century acumen. The dishes at Palomeque were as much exciting as they were down to earth. The cast of Cariñena could not have chosen a more supporting role.

Loganiza de Graus con setas (trompetilla negra) #Palomeque #Zaragoza Somontano sausage filled with black trumpet mushrooms

Cariñena

What is most glaring about Cariñena is the prevalence of a prairie geography and how it differs in stark contrast to the other DO’s in Aragon and Catalonia. Though mountains (including Moncayo) loom in the distance, Cariñena’s obvious dissimilitude to other wine growing regions has as much to do with climate as it does with soils. The Cariñena terra is primarily composed of clay and limestone, with very little in the way of slate like you find in Campo de Borja. The ground’s constitution aggregates with a significant absence of altitude, relative to the hills of Somontano, Calatayud and Terra Alta. That said, the are’s best examples of Garnacha are culled from vines that grow at reasonably impressive heights. What all of this essentially translates to is the basic, hard fact that the harvest here is completed earlier. At the point of our visit (October 18-19), the reaping was 90-95 per cent done. The brusque and breviloquent conclusion sees to less acidity and tannin, more elegance and less ageing potential, as compared to (certainly) Calatayud.

The autumn of old #Cariñena bush vines @DoCarinena #garnachaterroir

Calatayud is the DO to offer the best compare and contrast with Cariñena, just as a similar distinction can be ascertained with Somontano and Terra Alta. Campo de Borja is the outlier, unique, singular, the brother from another mother. Very important is the increased Mediterranean influence in Cariñena. Calatayud has more extreme seasons, particularly in spring and summer. In Cariñena, some striking, ancient Garnacha bush vines exist (and again, produce the region’s best bottles), but the age of the vines are generally younger. This aspect separates it from all of the other DO’s, especially when the discussion centers around the laying down of Garnacha.

The wine museum of Cariñena

After a brief tour through the wine museum housed in the offices of Cariñena’s DO, Christopher, Sara and I sat down for an extensive and brutally honest tasting with Care winemaker Jorge Navascues Haba.

Wines of Cariñena at Restaurante Palomeque

Bodegas Solar de Urbezo Garnacha 2014, Cariñena, Spain (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

From old bush vines (40-66 yrs) with some altitude. A family winery Garnacha with a gravelly feel, not so much rustic as gritty, for Cariñena and with really fine and necessary acidity. Reaches black cherry near ripeness, though being struck by that acidity (from altitude therefore later ripening) but more so from recent changes in winemaking. Judging ripeness has become the catalyst and in 2014 this is a wine of terrific extract, restraint and pinpoint focus. Possessive off Motherwell like brushstrokes, thick swaths of fresh blue-green cool colour and shaded by naturalism, in cure without funk. A good example of “good ripeness.” A lean and direct example. Only three chippy months of oak was used. All in all this is just prime freshness with a minor amount of green tannin. Approximate price $18.95 CAN. Drink 2015-2017. Tasted October 2015 @UrbezoWines @bwwines

Bodegas Solar de Urbezo Garnacha 2013, Cariñena, Spain (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

Carries with it more attitude in 2013, from a vintage that seems to have delivered variable ripeness over the course of the picking weeks. Definitely and devilishly imbued with complexity, from floral, through medicinal by way of bitters and across many angles. Has real garnet, Garnacha tang levied out of vivid acidity, sweet limestone tartness and those ever-bearing fruity bitters. Perhaps more interesting if not as accessible as the follow-up ’14. Drink 2015-2016. Tasted with the Wines of Garnacha, Toronto, November 2014

Vinedos Y Bodegas Pablo Menguante Garnacha 2014, Cariñena, Spain (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

From one of the more stated quality terroirs with elevation (between 500-650m) and stony-clay-chalk soils. In almost every and all respects it shies in a subdued, restrained and reserved quality. This quiet repetition and still the phenolics seem optimized, the acidity resolved and the tannins in relative, correct ripeness. Another family project, small and philosophically sound in practices. Working one of the highest and best quality vineyards in Cariñena. “The waning moon,” for a biodynamic outfit, not certified, the old vines in that altitude receiving the most benefits from the Cierzo wind. From this it is easier to cultivate organically and biodynamically because of nature’s pest control. Some 80-year old vines throw wisdom and culled subterranean culture into the mix. A bit of citrus and chalk bleeds on the very fresh finish. Drink 2015-2018. Tasted October 2015 @GranViu @VinexxWine

Vinedos Y Bodegas Pablo Menguante Garnacha Selección 2012, Cariñena, Spain (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

Two years on and with more oak this is a very different animal than the subdued ’14, integrated but on the other side of the aromosphere. The oak is dominant, vanilla and cocoa are the great waft in what is ostensibly pitch perfect fruit, in bottle on the dark side of the moon. Coconut, vanilla extract and cinnamon. The wood brings layered and sheathed character. Very plush and notes Jorge, “if you come to Cariñena to experience Garnacha, this wine will allow you to discover the wonders of American oak.” The deep fruit and earth melded into and by the barrel makes for a very pleasurable drop. The ’08 released into the Ontario market in November 2014 lends credence to the ageability of this Garnacha. Drink 2015-2019. Tasted October 2015

Vinedos Y Bodegas Pablo Menguante Garnacha Selección 2011, Cariñena, Spain (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

A grand, beguiling, sensuous, perhaps even pushing the boundaries of voluptuous Garnacha, “a wine that describes THE Garnacha,” according to dining companions in Zaragoza. Velutinous in composure and texture, with an orange skin finish. Here the gap is bridged, from traditional to modish, by nature and into seductive polish. The peeled citrus finish is also one of great mouth-watering acidity, intrigued by l’air de panache and laced by spice. Very well done. Drink 2015-2018. Tasted at Restaurante Palomeque, Zaragoza, October 2015

Vinedos Y Bodegas Pablo Menguante Garnacha Blanca 2014, Cariñena, Spain (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

One of the very few white Garnacha from Cariñena and the only example sampled in Aragon, alongside dinner in Zaragoza at Restaurante Palomeque. The mineral skips like a stone across the palate, white Grenache walking on water like a bone of peach skin and the weightlessness of almond paste. So subtle, breathless, atomic and minute. Mineral in ways to mimic Alsace, of low pH and high grape tannin, “the waning moon” is poignant to anti-fruit extreme and yet so refreshing it will, with age, point to honey and petrol. Drink 2015-2022. Tasted October 2015

Lechuza Garnacha 2014, Cariñena, Spain (Winery, WineAlign)

The Lechuza “owl” is a collaboration between Valkyrie Selections and local winemaker Ana Becoechea from old vines vineyards just outside the town of Cariñena. This Garnacha Tinto from 45 year-old vines is borne with nature’s funk and an earthy dusting in the way Merlot can be. A chalky grit in distilled, liquid form carries a river of grain marked by the milled smell of warm cereal. Persistent, lengthy and purposed. Smell’s like victory. An excellent pairing to Somontano pork sausage filled with little black trumpet mushrooms at Restaurante Palomeque. Approx. $15 CAN. Drink 2015-2019. Tasted October 2015

Lechuza Garnacha 2012, Cariñena, Spain (Winery, WineAlign)

Named for the prevalence of owls, here old vines Garnacha is uncovered out of clay and calcareous soils. You can really smell and taste the natural vineyard funk, thankful to no oak, fresh and unctuous in simultaneous fashion, yet full and yes, lifted. Highly perfumed, and incredible value at $10 US. Impossible actually. Old vines, likely 40-45 years. You can smell the violets for sure. Approx. $15 CAN. Drink 2015-2017. Tasted October 2015

Covinca Terrai OVG 2013, Cariñena, Spain (Winery)

From a good-sized cooperative with almost 1.700 hectares of vineyards where native varieties like Garnacha, Mazuela or Cariñena are merged with others such as Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Macabeo, Syrah and Chardonnay. Fruit purity escalated, with just a quick dose of oak, both French and American, more than seemingly good sized barrel, because there is integration and balance. Not the longest Garnacha in the DO but certainly a pleasurable drop. A bit sour-edged and lactic on the backside though a diplomatic red effectively considered. Drink 2015-2017. Tasted October 2015

Terrai OVG 2014

Covinca Terrai TLG Torrelongares Old Vine Garnacha 2014, Cariñena, Spain (Winery)

The vines in here are old by Cariñena stain cards (45 years) and the rich, suave texture brushes the velvet reasoning. Antecedent the median regional perfume and with Mediterranean effect, seen by an increase of the savoury, through briny black olive and caper. The converse flip side slides softer tannin, riper fruit of gregarious behaviour and that savour is a step up from the tart OVG. Accumulation sports a meaty, protein laced sensation. Comparatively speaking, this has more guts and virility. The mix of satin and natural cure matches beautifully with Palomeque’s Foie Gras Migas. Drink 2015-2019. Tasted October 2015

Bodegas Prinur Garnacha Vinas Viejas 2013, Cariñena, Spain (Winery)

A family winery with soils gravelly and with (not so common to Cariñena) slate and even more singular with some vines that are 100 years-old or more. Vines sit at altitudes of 600m (Cariñena) and 800m (Consuenda) above sea level. The old vines sports some raisin and prune ripeness with evolution void of the natural cure necessity, “a zombie wine,” notes Jorge. Here it is hard to recognize Garnacha, with age that could be 2009 or 2010, along with a showing of VA. This is a flawed but very curious wine. Sour and tightly tannic on the finish but not long. Very disjointed. Cooked fruit. From such a warm to scorching vintage. Drink 2015-2016. Tasted October 2015 @bodegasprinur

Gastranomia Zarogazana 101 at #Palomeque…Zamburiñas Gallegas with Paniza Rosé @winesofgarnacha #Zaragoza #aragon #espana #scallops

Paniza Garnacha Rosé 2014, Cariñena, Spain (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

The rusty, saline savour stands to be counted in a firm and responsibly, if surprisingly tannic blush. Talc, funk and serious tang but certainly not antiquity. Don’t expect the fruit to jump out and bite you in the behind, nor has it jumped the shark. Quite the structure for $12, sapidity and ping. Wow Rosado. Slightly higher in RS than Provence. Drink 2015-2018. Tasted October 2015

Paniza Garnacha Rose

Paniza Agoston Grenache and Syrah 2014, Cariñena, Spain (Winery)

From a 50-50 split with elevated sugar and acidity. French and American oak with an absence of restraint, and the oxy modernity of plush and pitch. The Syrah is so dominant in every way. The olives, pepper and bovine syndication is blatant and bullish. “Not a fair fight,” chimes in Jorge, and “that’s the point.” Dark and not so mysterious. “A winemaking wine.” No idea of origin but “a good palate.” Drink 2015-2016. Tasted October 2015

Paniza Garnacha Vinas Viejas de Paniza 2012, Cariñena, Spain (Winery)

From variegated (schist, clay, loam and chalk) soil at the base of the Iberia Mountains at 800m altitude. Has a multi-terroir funk and a level of unctuousness mixed with savour from altitude. Sour but rigid and tempered acidity. Chalky yet cool and with much character and personality. Two oaks give obvious and integrated flavours. Were it not quite so ripe this would be a wine to see what can be done with Garnacha from Cariñena and five plus years. A bit sweet. If it were three instead of six, this would age like it should, low and slow. Drink 2015-2018. Tasted October 2015

Artichokes and clams, Restraurante Palomeque, Zaragoza

Grandes Vinos Beso de Vino Garnacha Rosé 2014, Cariñena, Spain (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

Here Rosado advances into the glo but stops short of cool thanks to a retreat into warm aridity and salinity. Together they deliver, with strawberry and a bit of Co2. Refreshing, as if blush Vinho Verde. With a briny sea creature like clams or scallops (Zamburiñas Gallegas) it actually accentuates the crustaceous amplification, in both directions. Aprox. $9.99 CAN. Tasted October 2015 @BesodeVino @GrandesVinos_CA @Noble_Estates

Grandes Vinos Beso de Vino Garnacha Old Vine 2014, Cariñena, Spain (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

The Beso de Vino is produced by the third largest cooperative in Spain. It is basic, straightforward, red fruit juicy Garnacha from low altitude, flat clay soils of Cariñena. Character comes in a modern, big box style, more international than regional. There is a dusty component mixed with a chew of Bubbilicious and no shortage of tangy fruit to match with wide ranging cuisine. Simple and effective Garnacha. Has travelled to where it needs to be. Drink 2015-2016. Tasted October and November 2015

Grandes Vinos Corona de Aragón Garnacha Special Selection 2013, Cariñena, Spain (Winery, Agent)

Another commercial wine with a North American market intent. Elevation gives cooler savour and yet it’s volatile and short. Boletus sensation, the sour a bit of a deterrent, but it has savoury interest. Drink 2015-2016. Tasted October 2015

Grandes Vinos Anayon Garnacha 2013, Cariñena, Spain (Winery, 424424, Agent, $30.95, WineAlign)

A perched Garnacha, of a kind entrenched in the lush, the stylized, the worked and of smoothed edges. Extreme modernity, of a fast forward prepared cure, with similar fruit to the Corona but different winemaking. The fruit perhaps lags a bit behind the acumen. Possessive of an intriguing wild mountain herb. Drink 2015-2019. Tasted October 2015

Bodegas San Valero Particular Garnacha 2014, Cariñena, Spain (Winery, Agent)

Musty, mushroom and an hour ago tobacco linger, cool modern savoury and pitchy sweet though aromatically, not in taste. High acidity and much cocoa/espresso. High yield Garnacha (50 hL/L). Commercial to be sure. Drink 2015-2016. Tasted October 2015 @bodegasanvalero @ImportWineMAFWM

Bodegas San Valero Particular Garnacha 2012, Cariñena, Spain (Winery, Agent)

Combines Cariñena and Tosos fruit, of the same high yields, with a similar profile with some volatility. Cocoa, chocolate, coffee and liquorice. Very firm and rigid wine. Not fresh and fruity that’s for sure. Resinous and the long direction taken with wood. Drink 2015-2017. Tasted October 2015

Bodegas San Valero Particular Garnacha Vinas Centenarias 2014, Cariñena, Spain (Winery, Agent)

From 80 plus year-old vines, this has the levels of kirsch and high toned fruit I would hope for in an old vine Garnacha. Still the espresso, the cocoa and the high levels of acidity, more aridity, firm and quite striking. This is a meaty, savoury and mountain herbal expression. Really impressive. Cariñena and Villanueva fruit. Pretty? Sure. Volatile? Yes. Polarizing? Certainly. This is where the style goes with time and this kind of winemaking. Drink 2015-2019. Tasted October 2015

Care Finca Bancales 2012

Care Finca Bancales Garnacha Reserva Vinas Viejas 2012, Cariñena, Spain (Winery, WineAlign)

The most prized perfumed is found here, standing out among the extensive Cariñena line-up, of oaked violets arranged with aromatic presentation. One of the very few that truly preserve a heightened level of quality and identity for the region. From old (80 year-old vines) up at high altitude. Fashioned with carefully selected fruit and dealt a cool fermentation, followed by one month of maceration. Aged in bigger volume, old and new (300-500l barrels). “We are not pioneers, we are imitators,” admits winemaker Jorge Navascues Haba. What’s special is the size of the barrels and the mixture of oaks. Here Garnacha that should and will certainly live another six to eight years. Shows off enough fruit to match the tannin and the acidity pulsating in full rage. Grainy like few others yet with wooing, seductive, elegant, ripe red fruit. This is the benchmark for Garnacha from Cariñena with ego checked and left at the door. Drink 2015-2022. Tasted October 2015

Bodegas Ignacio Marin Duque de Medina Garnacha 2014, Cariñena, Spain (Winery)

From a family winery (largest in Cariñena) and a wine unlike any other yet in Aragon. Mature, nearly caramelized, nutty and almost desert like. Very low in acidity and tannin. Oxidative. Quick work. Drink 2015. Tasted October 2015

Bodegas Ignacio Marin Old Vines Garnacha 2010, Cariñena, Spain (Winery)

Touched, volatile, nutty to fruitcake, turntable vinyl and vaporizing. A flavour that recalls white cocoa and spun white wool. Once forbidden fruit playing hard to get. Old school, chiseled, locked in. Freshness no longer its number one asset. Drink 2015. Tasted October 2015

Welcome to the Hotel #Cariñena

Good to go!

Twitter: @mgodello

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Ten prodigal suspects

Nov27

Donatella Cinelli Colombini Brunello Di Montalcino 2010

Expensive wine surrounds us all year-long but in the 30 plus days leading up to Christmas the concentration multiplies. As the shopping days tick down, it seems as though we are inundated by an omnipresent $50-plus crowd. Do these wines have any effect on your life? Do you consider forking out half a yard or two, on yourself or for someone you (sort of) love? Are the jet-setting, usual suspects really worth considering?

In certain cases the answer is yes, but just because some wines are expensive, for a complex variety of reasons, does not make them either good or bad in a decidedly black or white sense. Many outrageously expensive wines are simply awesome bottles of fermented grapes while others are nothing special. High prices can be a reflection of designer labelling and marketing, while others are the summation of genius created by greatness and art. Sometimes it’s just a matter of economics.

I’m going to borrow a hypothesis from my WineAlign colleague John Szabo to illustrate the point. You go to a juice bar. The smoothie or vegan fruit and grass concoction cost not much more than a few dimes to produce. The expertise required came as a result of a half hour’s worth of learning and training. The machine costs a few hundred bucks. And you paid $8.95 for the beverage.

Wine grapes grow on vines that might be as old as 100 years, tended by a farmer far away who was paid a dollar or two for a kilo of his fruit. The vigneron spent perhaps the first 30 days slaving over the initial maceration and fermentation of that fruit and followed that up with at least a year (and in some cases five) to nurture the wine into becoming something special. The bottle and the cork cost another dollar or two and the shipping charges add at least another two again. Then there were the middle men involved; negociants, wholesalers, distributors, agents, retailers and monopolies. That wine might sell for anywhere from $9 to $20 in the Canadian market. And you don’t want to pay $20 for a decent bottle of wine?

Now imagine the fruit coming from some of the most expensive real estate on the planet and processed by the best equipment that money can buy for making wine. Then it is handled by experts in the transportation, selling and marketing fields. You can see how $20 quickly becomes $50 and so on. Don’t misunderstand me. Many wines are ridiculously overpriced. Many are the by-products of marketing juggernauts. It is important to understand, however, that many high-priced wines are deserving of their tags. The margins are not as inflated as you might want to believe.

Iconic wines are always a good buy for someone, but vintages determine when their purchase is the way to go for others. Varied and direct opinion of conceit is rarely witnessed with such certainty as there is found in the world of wine. “I speak therefore it is,” or “I think therefore I am” are two truisms that ring with pomp and circumstance in the world of winemakers, sommeliers and writers. Being sure about everything goes a long way towards determining careers and fortunes.

So, for the first time in this sketch of wine stuff I am offering up a list of high-priced wines that I may or may not be recommending. They are all household names in the world of iconic wine. Some are “best of” vintages while others are head scratches as to why anyone would spend such money on their wood or their contrivance. You are the one to judge. Here are 10 expensive releases from VINTAGES for November 28th, as usual, prodigal in their return in time for the holidays.

Donatella Cinelli Colombini Brunello Di Montalcino 2010, Brunello Di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy (431718, $56.95, WineAlign)

The fruit in 2010 is jam-packed, sealed in freshness and blessed with the unmistakeable Colombini soil funk. I first tasted this ’10 alongside 2007 and 2008. The dew, bloom and vigor hangs on a line threaded through each vintage. The 2010 stands alone for its poetic perfume. The flowers of Montalcino, along with the burst buds of herbs on the hills. This vintage pours a generous cup of Montalcino mountain tea. Smoky, opaque and of a proprietary liqueur thick and distilled, the level of animale is right there too. With so much aromatic potpourri the wine’s trotters scramble and ascend with a juggernaut of complexity. Beautiful Brunello with so much tradition running through its fast forward veins. It must of course be laid aside for a few years to really get it. Drink 2017-2022. Tasted April and November 2015 @news_donatella @ConsBrunello @LeSommelierWine

Château De Beaucastel Châteauneuf Du Pape 2013, Ac Rhone, France (711317, $89.95, WineAlign)

Quite a mouthful of Beaucastel with more warm, figgy fruit than memory generally serves. The surfeited structure can’t be denied but the advanced, occupied territory reminds of 1988. This ’13 may be viewed as acting with similar haste when it will have reached the age of 25, in earth-crusted caramel and sweet fruit scooped from a forest floor. Up until five years before then it will always have ripe red berries, spice accents, anise and the veritable design of garrigue. Drink 2018-2028. Tasted November 2015 @Beaucastel @VINSRHONE @RhoneWine @ChartonHobbs

Kistler Les Noisetiers Chardonnay 2013, Sonoma Coast, California (251223, $99.95, WineAlign)

A tremendous vintage for Les Noisetiers, cared for, tendered and placated by a clarity in hands-off winemaking. Deeply ingrained from juice maximized out of overloaded sensory sunshine and the choice to let sleeping fruit dogs lie. Possessive of an almond bitter bar not bitten into before and overlaid by lacy organza, a mild sheath overtop of purposed, wild fermented fruit, a lightly toasted barrel slumber and richness beyond the horizon. All in style of west coast Chardonnay, though simply prepared with the freshest local ingredients, with stony lactic lees texture and subtle spice. Drink 2015-2022. Tasted November 2015 @TheVine_RobGroh @sonomavintners

Antinori Guado Al Tasso 2012, Doc Bolgheri Superiore, Tuscany, Italy (986380, $104.95, WineAlign)

Deep, dark, rich and handsome, a thick red duke of aggressive, conceited, unctuous behaviour. Such tannin and aggression is not so much rarely seen as not always a factor provided by expatriate Cabernet Sauvignon. The dense and massive ferric monster exercises in many, thorough magnanimous machinations. Such a beast. It’s big and it’s good. Drink 2018-2028. Tasted November 2015 @AntinoriFamily @HalpernWine

Quintarelli Valpolicella Classico Superiore 2007, Doc Valpolicella, Veneto, Italy (986117, $104.95, WineAlign)

Here Quintarelli takes it to a new level, away from rusticity and into modernity, though it remembers every step along the historical way. Liquid caramel and red fruit meld into such sweet earth it feels as though the vineyard is right here and now. Some tobacco but just a puff, so much impression, cure without aridity and natural feel without an orange juicing. Intensity and acidity to take it 30 years. Amongst the best ever? No question it must be considered. Impossible to know. Drink 2015-2047. Tasted November 2015 @LiffordON

Luce Della Vite Luce 2012, Igt Toscana, Italy (685263, $114.95, WineAlign)

There can be no denying the density and wealth of flavour. Equally so the solid foundation and unwavering structure is the result of a winemaker’s ability to construct such a formidable pillar of strength. It can be imagined that this Luce will go ten years before budging into evolution even a single iota. It is a beast of fruit, barrel and tannin but more than anything else, oak. As shaken as a creamy, milky, anglaise cappuccino as there ever was or will be. Lots of spice from that oak. A designer label wine made with the finest materials. It really doesn’t matter when it is opened, now or in 15 years. It will take that long before it will begin to change. That is because the sum of its parts happen to be over the top. Drink 2015-2030. Tasted November 2015 @FrescobaldiVini @AuthenticWineON @AuthenticWine

Sassicaia 2012, Doc Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy (480533, $199.95, WineAlign)

Every once in a while an iconic leader of Tuscan wine feudalism takes a step back from its military rule and offers to feed both the army and its people. In 2012 Sassicaia is restrained, giving, generous and empathetic. The fruit is certainly ripe, as are the tannins and structurally speaking this has the layers, the soft libido and the desire to please like never before. Sassicaia for the people, like it may have once been, a king of the classes and for the masses. Not in price mind you, but you can’t have everything. Drink 2018-2038. Tasted November 2015 @Smarent

Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Ornellaia 2012, Doc Bolgheri Superiore, Tuscany, Italy (722470, $195.50, WineAlign)

Takes the purity of 2011, furthers the integration and mimics the precision, then pumps up the volume. Takes a breath and then, with soluble efficiency it refines the intricately woven lines a few steps furtrher, if that is even possible. I will say that the tannins are a bit tougher in ’12, with a tight string wound depressively around the fruit’s long and elegant tendrils. Fruit is the determinate factor, pure, blossoming and fragrant. It adds up to a consensus of one thought, that this vintage is yet another legend in the making, a fine and linear Ornellaia that should travel 30 plus years, perhaps longer. What liqueur, such botanicals and endless valleys passing through fertile hills. Drink 2019-2045. Tasted November 2015 @Ornellaia @AuthenticWineON @AuthenticWine

Antinori Solaia 2011, Igt Toscana, Italy (987586, $249.95, WineAlign)

Shows off the typically cured and seemingly advanced notes that Solaia always seems to display, whether the vintage purposed days of heat or nights of cold. A wine that seems immune from vintage variation, with fresh and dried fruit shacking up together. In 2011 Solaia is extremely rich, aggressive with acidity and yet with moderate tannins for five years of development, but not much more. Drink 2017-2020. Tasted November 2015 @AntinoriFamily @HalpernWine

Joseph Phelps Insignia 2012, Napa Valley, California (710400, $299.95, WineAlign)

The 2012 Insignia had me at first whiff. At first sip I could not be reached. Massive aromatics blast from this formidable Insignia, clearly noted with immediate clarity as a proprietary blend for the ages. The current torrent is so plugged in and highly climatic, like a visibly sparking conduit, storm and fire all wrapped into one electric happening. The peaks, valleys, waves and intonations are bred of perfectly ripe fruit sets traveling as one in perfect syncopation. The ripe, chain-link tannins will take this very, very far. This is as fine a California wine as I have ever tasted. Drink 2018-2045. Tasted November 2015 @josephphelps @LiffordON @NapaVintners

Good to go!

Twitter: @mgodello

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Four times ten reasons to drink wine on Halloween

Oct29

Smurfette does Halloween

October 31st is a date empowered. Each year I fall victim to its commercial holiday, Soma-coma induced temptations. I eat candy on Halloween (I never eat candy) and I write about what to drink with in compliment and in conjunction with its tasting menu confection. It’s all so very wrong on so many levels and yet I’m drawn to it like a moth to a flame? Why? What is it about this impossibly sappy and gagged up day that sucks me into its vortex of plastic, vinyl, crinkle and excess?

I blame it on childhood, on a time when innocence, naiveté and gullibility ruled my universe. When running with friends and getting sick on candy was both joyous and an exercise in self-flaggelent stupid. When two hours meant freedom, rebellion and independence. Halloween is a kids’ version of travelling through Europe with a back pack. It’s like quitting a job, like going to Vegas on a stag (I hate the idea of going to Vegas on a stag).

Well, that explains it. As adults, we try to justify the ingenuousness, callousness and asinine holiday, to make sure our kids find happiness in its bent farcicality. We try to grin and bear it. We attempt to embrace its forced beauty and its urban chaos. And we drink wine.

Looking back at those lists from 2012-2014 and the thirty reasons given for drinking wine on Halloween, the best ten can be culled and reformatted into the following quaternary list:

Because sometimes adults need travelling sippy cups too
The polyphenols in red wine can help offset the horrible effects of eating a pound of refined white sugar
Who doesn’t drop their pants for a Ghostly White Wine Spritzer?
Wine makes you forget Halloween ever happened
A person with a candy bag full of vodka is an alcoholic. A person with a candy bag full of wine is classy
To reduce the chances of having a heart attack or stroke at the sudden comeuppance of the neighbour’s $10,000 Halloween movie set
Why should this night be different from any other?
The doorbell rings every few seconds and beer takes much longer to pour
It rhymes with Frankenstein

For the sake of keeping things new, I’ll add the final new reason to the list:

10. A few glasses of Pinot Noir will make you smile as you remember how much money you saved by staying true to fun-sized candy

Be the life of the neighbourhood and fill those travellers with any of these 10 Halloween wines, subject to budget and chosen from the VINTAGES October 31st release. I promise not to suggest any candy pairings.

Fielding Estate Riesling 2014, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (251439, $18.95, WineAlign)

The Richie Roberts take on Riesling brings Beamsville to the populace, combining the natural acidity of the variety with the micro-saddle-plot-climat ipseity that the sub-appellation provides. This early to market ’14 is quite tropical, offering an en primeur portal into what invariably will follow. Fresh, juicy, accessible and in near-perfect balance. Slate, calcareous bleed and fruit generosity make for one tidy, markedly gratifying Riesling. Tasted March 2015 @FieldingWinery @RichieWine

Bodegas Muriel Reserva Vendimia Seleccionada 2008, Doca Rioja, Spain (276030, $18.95, WineAlign)

Carries with it the efforts and old barrel trials of generations in its classic aromas. Cedar, dried plum, bitumen, dried anise, wood soaking in natural sugar syrup. Really seamless, flourless and austere in a running wild kind of way. Possessive of length and deserving of that oddest of wine descriptions; supple. This will age for 10-12 years with ease. A great wine for the money, right up there with the Montecillo 1991, but cleaner, juicier and with more sex appeal. A red head, a ginger, Rita Hayworth, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone. Tasted March 2015 @bodegasmuriel @RiojaWine

Creekside Estates Laura’s Red 2012, Queenston Road Vineyard, VQA St. David’s Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (117906, $19.95, WineAlign)

The richest, wealthiest and most lush Laura’s red to date. Constructed in high tones, big fruit and the most oak it has absorbed. Structurally speaking this climbs to play at the top of the Creekside regime game, with tannins formidable to demanding and a texture filled with spirited matter. Behind the scene and to a certain extent the veil there is Niagara, painted and dressed. Laura’s ’12 bites chocolate and picks at buds with impunity. This much plum and berry fruit will find a way to improve then strut in tastings years from now. Drink 2016-2020. Tasted twice, June and July 2015 @CreeksideWine @hobbsandco

Château Pey La Tour Réserve Du Château 2010, Ac Bordeaux Supérieur, Bordeaux, France (349308, $19.95, WineAlign)

Here’s a well-organized, thought out and structured bit of tidy Merlot from the house of Dourthe. Bits of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec reinforce the pretty, dusty, deep blue fruit from between Bordeaux and St. Emilion. I wouldn’t call it rustic or old-school but I would mention its wise charm and traditional handling. Just a bit of astringency in the tannic composition will take this five years down the road. Drink 2016-2020. Tasted October 2015 @La_Cave_Dourthe @Dandurandwines

Wolf Blass Gold Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, Coonawarra, South Australia (606939, $23.95, WineAlign)

Prodigious Cabernet of and for protein. Melds flavours of salted caramel and real hot chocolate with melting berries like Churros filled with oozing centres, without sweetness. Has expansiveness and connectivity, with acids and direct displays of tannin. The real deal down in the depths of warm climate Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink 2016-2022. Tasted blind at WWAC15, August 2015 @WolfBlassWines

Lavau Vacqueyras 2012, Ac Rhone, France (104927, $24.95, WineAlign)

Rich and very perfumed Vacqueyras composed of Grenache (50 per cent), Syrah (40) and Mourvedre (10). A wine with every intention to seek out a standing rib roast or duck confit to meet its every move. Charges that mix depth of fruit with grain of wood. Stratagem that marks violets moved to red berry fruit and reasonable acidity melded into a fine grain of tannin. There is just enough restraint in the process to consider this a finessed wine of gastronomy. It’s chewy but easy to digest, crusted and built of simple pleasures. Really well-made. No pretension, no attention drawn to itself and just plain affordable. Drink 2015-2019. Tasted October 2015 @oenophilia1 @RhoneWine @VINSRHONE

Flat Rock Gravity Pinot Noir 2013, VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario (1560, $29.95, WineAlign)

Flat Rock’s ever involving vines (on 33 hectares planted in 2001 and 2002) enter a new phase with indicators blinking and refreshing in this 2013 Gravity Pinot Noir. Youthful adolescence and gregarious fruit expression initiated in 2010 and carried through the 2012 vintage. Those years saw to a world of astringency and tension relegated to mites in the rear-view mirror. The wine is now in a nexus cross-roaded with exigency holding pattern. To understand its confusion and survey fast forward to its future is not easy. Gravity is a bit large right now, seemingly advanced, but to me the fight is between that fruit abundant state and the return of, though eased by meditative Jedi tension. Gravity just needs a parachute to bring it back down to earth. That lifeline may not materialize in this 2013 but that does not take anything away from its discriminating and diagnostic tones. Brightness, astatic inflection and succulence. This vintage may suffer from some level of snafu but it will age, evolve and breath. That much fruit has to have some level of expectation. The follow up ’14 and ’15 will win the hearts of horses and men. Drink 2016-2021. Tasted October 2015 @Winemakersboots @UnfilteredEd @brightlighter1

Burrowing Owl Chardonnay 2012, BC VQA Okanagan Valley, British Columbia (208694, $34.95, WineAlign)

Showing reduction and barrel youth in its veins, pores, gutters and buffers. Smells just like a young Chardonnay after spending 12-18 months in a combination of toasts and forests should smell. A changeling constantly shifting, grooving, picking up steps and notes. Spice, prick and pierce with the gems of proper acidity. Of emeralds and pepper grinds. The piquant nature begs for time. A stab in the Chardonnay dark says Okanagan as distant cousin to Beamsville Bench or Vinemount Ridge. In the end winemaking steals the show. Drink 2017-2020. Tasted blind at NWAC, June 2015 @BurrowingOwlBC @LeSommelierWine

2027 Cellars Pinot Noir Queenston Road Vineyard 2012, St Davids Bench, Niagara Peninsula (421370, $35.00, WineAlign)

A highly perfumed Pinot Noir from winemaker Kevin Panagapka in 2012, complete with an exotic spice box of aromatics; potpourri, roses, cassia, clove and aamchur. The profile hydrates to a mulled simmer as the wine is once again warmed by the vineyard’s ability to ripen, exaggerated in ’12 but with more grace, bringing its personality in line with its modest (13 per cent) alcohol. The cherry flavour veers black with a paste of tar and charcoal, but again, the psyche is smooth and elongated. Long finish to this Queenston which should see it sing to 2018 and beyond. Drink 2015-2020. Tasted August 2014 @2027cellars

Château Grand Barrail Lamarzelle Figeac 2008, Ac Saint Émilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France (425546, $39.95, WineAlign)

Showing a twinge of age at seven years, in rim and out of the natural whiffing forest aromas escaping with ease. The absolute right kind of earthy and barrel-influenced funk emanates, like experienced Bordeaux should, as would Rioja in similar approach to climacteric transition. A bit of leather, licquorice and aged beef join the gritty fray, mixed with aromatic citrus and grainy tannin to seal the destined way. This is ready to drink and yet two more years would not hurt its cause. Drink 2015-2019. Tasted October 2015 @Dandurandwines

Good to go!

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Once upon a time in the Western Cape

Oct7

Cape Wine 2015

Independents, rebels, rogues, zoo biscuits, risk takers, revolution. Buzz words, gathered sects and constituents of rebellion. Clusters of assemblage ruminating, circulating and percolating at the latest edition of organized wine in South Africa.

Who among us might have foretold in dramatic foreshadowing the story of September’s Cape Wine 2015? Who could have known that the southern hemisphere’s largest gathering of producers, marketers, buyers, sellers, sommeliers and journalists would do more to quell preconceived notions and stereotypes for any wine producing country than any trade show that has come before? Total, utter energy.

PIWOSA

Centuries ago, when the fishing and trading boats would return west to the Cape they would mistakenly enter the wrong basin. “There’s that confounded bay again,” they would curse. False Bay. During the week preceding and following Cape Wine we climbed aboard cars and vans headed out from Cape Town or Stellenbosch. En route to a farm, estate or winery, more often than not, out the window, there was False Bay, like a magnet, drawing attention, setting and re-setting the excursion compass. As we watched the bay ache into and fade out of view each jaunt-acquiesced day, it just seemed as though we were always heading north and gaining altitude. Not really.

Cape wine country meanderings exist in requiem well beyond points A to B. Directional challenges are inclusive of L-shapes, U-turns and rotations. Lines draw as much east, southeast and northeast as they do falsely north. Journeys always conclude in a valley, at the base of a mountain or in an amphitheatre bound by geological reality. The getting there is often hazy but the arrival always comfortable.

Maybe I’ve a reason to believe
We all will be received
In Graceland

South African wine is not what we thought it was. This mantra can’t be repeated often enough. Ventures into the wine lands compounded the about-face turn of mind. Tastings, tours and zealous immersion into Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Swartland and Hemel-En-Aarde saw to that. South Africa is not what you thought folks, but it just might be what you dare to dream. If you’ve not visited you can’t possibly know what revelations lurk.

The frontier is inhabited by cowboys and their multifarious varietal schemes. It’s surfeited by demi-century established Chenin Blanc bush vines, painted pell-mell with expatriate rootstock and cuttings outside the Bordeaux and Burgundy box; Nebbiolo, Barbera, Tinta Barocca, Albarino, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Tempranillo and Tannat. Nothing is sacred and everything is fair game. Rhône blends are the current rage and Cinsault is going it alone with nothing short of remarkable results.

The Zoo Biscuits

Natural fermentation, skin contact and carbonic maceration have infiltrated the winemaker’s psyche. The eco-bio movement has challenged the fundamentalist incumbency and forced sweeping reforms. Fresh, natural, orange, caliginous and tenebrous have taken the Cape by storm. Praetorian makers are changing their ways. Pinotage has abandoned decades of Bordeaux wannabe style to once again don bell bottoms and retro suede. In 2015 South Africa, cats and dogs are living together.

Zoo Biscuits poster

Introduce me to a winemaker who is not in tune with his or her terroir and I’ll show you a winemaker who is either faking it or blindly towing a company line. That breed is few and far between. In South Africa I met exactly none of that ilk. So what? What’s so special about a nation of winemakers who work as one with their soil, their meso-climate and their geology? You’re supposed to intuit those abstracts to make great wine. “You’re supposed to take care of your kids!”

No, what separates South African vignerons from the rest of the world is the playground mentality and the execution in consummation of those ideals. The soils and the weather are nothing short of perfect in the vast growing region known as the Western Cape, or in the local vernacular, the Cape Winelands. Any varietal of choice can find its way to achieve perfect phenolic ripeness virtually anywhere the grapes are planted. The mitigating effect of Cape winds eradicates all disease. The place is a veritable garden of viticulture eden. Or, as in the case of the Hemel-En-Aarde Valley, a verdant, fertile valley known as “heaven on earth,” the adage takes on the paradisiacal guise of the sublime. South Africa is the wine collective equivalent of the wild west. In the Western Cape, anything goes.

Heap big trouble in the land of plenty
Tell me how we’re gonna do what’s best
You guess once upon a time in the west

I will expand, in due course, on all the wines tasted during the eight days I spent in South Africa. A list of top wines and a preponderant unfurling are sure to follow in the form of fifty odd tasting notes. For now I will concentrate, in the name of lede consistency, on the varietal and stylistic revolution taking place.

Swartland Independents

The following notes will unquestionably focus on three platoons, Premium Independent Wineries of South Africa (PIWOSA), the Swartland Independents and the Zoo Biscuits. The first is a collective of straight-shooting, accordant, premium, independent wine producers from across the diverse wine regions of South Africa’s Western Cape. The second comprises 25 (give or take) cricket playing, indigenous fermenting, Anglikaans-gabbing grape shepherds. The third may draw their name from beloved childhood memories of packaged iced silhouettes of animals on cookies when in actuality they are a gaggle of like-minded, boundary-pushing, fun-loving, serious winemakers.

Suzaan and Chris Alheit

Cape Wine 2015 may have seen 300 presenters toting thousands of South African bottles but the swagger of 40 young vignerons stole the proverbial show. They did it with passion, innocence, acumen beyond years and attention to history. They go it alone and with a pack mentality. They care about old vines, tradition and respect for the land but they also have chutzpah. They don’t really give a fuck what the establishment thinks about their winemaking.

Jamie Goode and Godello, CapeWine2015

Three days at the Cape Town International Convention Centre allowed for extensive coverage of the South African wine scene. It was a perfectly organized show. Credit begins with the vignerons. Their work is tireless, especially when all must be dropped to focus on all-in, three relentless days of pouring while offering elaborate dissertations about their wines and their place in the South African scene.

At the lead there is Wines of South Africa, headed by Michael Jordaan and Siobhan Thompson, chair and CEO, respectively. André Morgenthal and Laurel Keenan head up communications, marketing, events and PR for WOSA, in South Africa and in Canada. The show and the excursions around the Cape Winelands were made possible by their collective efforts. Their immense efforts and impeccable work can’t ever be overestimated.

Chenin Blanc

No discourse on new versus old in South Africa can be addressed without first looking at the modish dialectal of Chenin Blanc. The combination of bush and old vines, coupled with indigenous ferments and skin contact addresses has elevated the stalwart, signature grape to its current reality.

Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines Chenin Blanc Skin Contact 2013, Swartland, South Africa (Winery)

It begins with viticulturist Rosa Kruger and the cleanest fruit this side of Matroosberg Mountain. Vigneron and winemaker Chris and Andrea Mullineux use egg inversion to press and skin contact lasts for three months. This plus old barrels hyper-intensify umami; part bread dough, some pine forest, all wild yeast and a hint of Matsutake mushroom. The meld into acidity is a wild carpeted Chenin ride. Exhibits layers of Greekdom, in spice and complexity. The long inosinate to guanylate finish arrives and lingers in thanks to the scraped skins of many citrus fruits. They strip, stripe and spank the mouth. The spirited lashing and accumulated bejewelling is a sign of spiritual and plentiful life. Drink 2015-2021. Tasted September 2015 @MullineuxWines @MullineuxChris @SwartlandRev

A A Badenhorst Wines

A. A. Badenhorst Secateurs Chenin Blanc 2015, Swartland, South Africa (Winery, SAQ 12135092 $18.05, BC $23.00, WineAlign)

From Adi Badenhorst, old bushvines planted in the 1950’s and 1960’s and whole bunch handled with no crushing or de-stemming. Fruit is transferred to concrete and 500l old foudres. The simple, minimalist approach and lots of less stirring, leading to great texture, right up there with the most complex Chenin. Also possessive of the righteous level in bitters, intense citrus and bookworm herbology. Lucent, lambent, capable Chenin Blanc. Drink 2015-2020. Tasted September 2015 @AABadenhorst @SwartlandRev

Riesling

Not exactly household or predominant by any stretch of the imagination, Riesling does play a bit part in the white idiomatic presentation of South African wine. With the emergence of Elgin as a cool climate growing area capable of expertly ripening both aromatic and aerified varieties, the future will crystallize with more Riesling, Gewürztraminer and offshoot concepts.

Paul Cluver Riesling Close Encounter 2013, Elgin, South Africa (Winery, LCBO 500396, $23.00 WineAlign )

A more serious effort than the sibling ‘Dry Encounter’ because this Riesling knows what it wants to be. On its left may be Alsace and on its right the Mosel but in truth this speaks to a Kabinett reasoning, with Elgin layering. At nine per cent alcohol, 36 g/L RS and 8.2 g/L TA it knows the difference and speaks the truth about off-dry Riesling, with elevated and yet balancing acidity. It pretends to be nothing but what is of and for itself. Flint and an attainable stratosphere (between 300-500m above sea level) accept the airy drifts of oceans and the gathering returns to earth with the weight of wax and glade. If you think South African Riesling is “a real nowhere man, sitting in his nowhere land,” taste Elgin and think again. The skeptical Nowhere man is ignorant to the new frontier for Riesling and to him I say “please listen, you don’t know what you’re missing.” Drink 2015-2020. Tasted September 2015 @paulcluverwines @PIWOSA

White Blends

A category not to be taken lightly, what with so many varieties available to work together and with the idea of appellative blends not necessarily so far off or far-fetched. Chenin Blanc is most certainly the pillar and the rock with support ready, willing and applicable from Clairette Blanc, Verdelho, Chardonnay, Viognier, Gewürztraminer, Semillon, Roussane, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc and Colombard.

Donovan Rall

Rall Wines White Coastal Region 2014 (Winery)

A contiguous king blend of Chenin Blanc with Verdelho, Chardonnay and Viognier from vineyards allowing for increased production year after year. Natural fermentations acquiesce varying degrees and species of spiced dipped flowers set upon expressions of lees. The Chenin is 41 year-old Swartland (Paardeberg) fruit with Stellenbosch (Bottelary and Helderberg) quartz soil Chardonnay and Verdelho. Anise, star anise and pure white stone groove me in a gather of complimentary and controvertible Chenin (and friends) complexity. “Uhh! Awww, sookie sookie now!” @SwartlandRev

Other White

What obscure or less heralded white grape variety would you like to play with? Ask the Cape winemaker that question and he or she might keep you awhile. The rules again need not apply. Spin the wheel and work your magic. Odds are at even that a handful of least employed Châteauneuf and/or Gemischter Satz varietal wines show up at a CapeWine Fair sometime soon.

Cederberg Bukettraube 2014, Cederberg Mountains, South Africa (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

David Nieuwoudt’s Dwarsrivier rare take on the cultivar (less than 77 hectares of vines remain planted worldwide) is a wine with altitude and attitude. Cederberg is one of only three South African farms in kind of these vines in Glenrosa and sandstone soils on the escarpment atop the Cederberg Mountains. Natural sugar of 25 g/L from the arrested ferment is toothsome in a next to Spätlese way, though the citrus and herbal crasis separates this from Riesling. What brings it circling again is the formidable acidity, circulating and rounding up, culminating in a viscosity and a palate coating that ends with none word. Delicious. Drink 2015-2020. Tasted September 2015 @Cederseun @imbibersreport @PIWOSA

Cinsault

There was a time when all South African Rhône varietal wines needed to be compared to the mother land and many continue to encourage the adage “you can take the varieties out of the Rhône but you can’t take the Rhône out of the varieties.” The modern Cinsault maker has turned expatriate exploits on its axiomatic head. You’ve not likely had your way with these versions of Cinsault and like me, once you have, you may never go back.

Radford Dale ‘Thirst’ Cinsault and Gamay Noir

The Winery of Good Hope Radford Dale Cinsault ‘Thirst’ 2015, Stellenbosch, South Africa (Winery)

If the Thirst Gamay from vignerons Alex Dale and Jacques De Klerk is “a live rock concert rather than a manufactured, boyband studio album,” the carbonically macerated Cinsault is weekend long palooza replete with music, clowns, acrobats and roaming minstrels. The wonders of natural, nouveau Gamay are well known but the natural fermentation application on Cinsault goes funky, wild and complex in a whole other attitude. Chilled properly this Thirst adds a Mad max factor to the circus, tannins even and most certainly an explosive grit. If the Gamay is smashable, the Cinsault is obliterateable. Drink 2015-2017. Tasted September 2015 @Radforddale @WineryGoodHope @Noble_Estates @PIWOSA

Syrah

The globe trekking grape has been backed into a corner, with blood primarily spilled at the hands of big box Australian producers but some blame has also circulated South Africa’s way. Heavy petting, elevated heat and alcohol, street tar and vulcanized rubber have combined in resolute, culprit fashion to maim the great variety. As with Cinsault, but in an entirely more mainstream way, the fortunes of Syrah are wafting in the winds of change. Natural fermentations, some carbonic maceration and especially prudent picking from essential Syrah sites are turning the jammy heavy into the genteel and dignified wine it needs to be.

Journey’s End

Journey’s End Syrah ‘The Griffin’ 2012, Stellenbosch, South Africa (Winery, Agent, WineAlign)

The ’12 signifies a departure and a new style for the winery and for Syrah in the Cape. Some (three weeks) of carbonic maceration leads to a dichotomous passion play in which the middle romance is acted out in seven barrels for 18 months of (70 per cent American and 30 per cent French) oak. It’s as if the grapes are shocked into an awakening and then slowly brought down to calm. As if the fruit develops a protective shell, protected from and coerced by and with ushering along by slow motion micro-oxidation. This is Syrah void of cracked nut, pepper, veneer and big league chew. It’s a terribly beautiful experiment, the Syrah equivalent of similar function world’s away, done with Chardonnay, in Orange and all the while with natural yeast that sling the fruit to destinations previously unknown. At least around here. Drink 2016-2022. Tasted September 2015 @JourneysEndWine @colyntruter @vonterrabev @PIWOSA

Callie Louw’s smoker

Porseleinberg Syrah 2013, Swartland, South Africa (Winery)

They call Callie Louw a lekker ou. Having played on his side and under his tutelage for a bowl and a bat or two, I can concur. He is a nice guy. Having eaten his smoked pork shoulder, brisket and wings, I can tell you that he is a master smoker. Having tasted his ’13 Syrah twice, I can also say he is a great winemaker. Louw is proficient at many things, including cricket and smoking Swartland’s best BBQ. Making Syrah from the schist soils of Riebeek Kasteel is his true calling and with thanks to Marc Kent (of Boekenhoutskloof) he is able to work with some of South Africa’s best fruit out of one of its harshest climats. Picked fruit is left to its own devices, 40 per cent in concrete eggs and 60 in larger foudres. I’d hate to smack a natural sticker on this one because it resides outside the realm of labels, generalizations and uneventful stipulations. It has killer tannins and the legs to walk the earth. What else do you need to know? Drink 2017-2030. Tasted September 2015 @SwartlandRev

Porseleinberg Syrah 2013

Pinot Noir

The future for Pinot Noir is bright beyond the pale, with certain exceptional growing sites producing varietal fruit so pure and of ripe phenolics as profound as anywhere on the planet. A few producers have found their way. More will follow and when they do, South Africa will begin to tear away at the market share enjoyed by the likes of New Zealand and California.

Blackwater Wines

Blackwater Wines Pinot Noir Cuvée Terra Lux MMXI 2013 (Winery)

Winemaker Francois Haasbroek is not merely on to something. He has it figured out. The elegance of his wines (sourced from vineyards across the Western Cape) share a strong affinity with one another. In a consistently distinguished line-up this Pinot Noir may not be his most accomplished but it is his most definitive bottle. From three Elgin Vineyards this spent 18 months in older 225L barrels and help me if this does not purely express the humanity of Pinot Noir. Oh, the natural funk of Elgin, where Pinot Noir need be embraced and fostered. Not unlike Haasbroek’s Syrah, the sweetness is impossible, the imagined imaging haunting and asomatous. With time the true luxe will emerge, in the form of mushroom, truffle and candied cherry. Drink 2016-2021. Tasted September 2015 @Blackwaterwine @ZooBiscuitsWine

Pinotage

For so long we ignorant, pathetic and far away people knew not from Pinotage. We imagined its machinations through, by way of and expressed like espresso, forced and pressed with nothing but wood in mind. That the grape variety could have a personality bright and friendly was something we had no reference from which to begin. A visit to the Cape Winelands re-charts the compass and the rebirth is nothing short of born again oenophilia. The new Pinotage may be what it once was but it is also what it can never be again.

David and Nadia Pardelbosch Pinotage 2014

David and Nadia Paardebosch Pinotage 2014, Swartland, South Africa (Winery, WineAlign)

From parcels of the highest possible elevation and black rock that imparts swarthy tannin on a frame of alcohol sharpened at 12.5 per cent. Nothing short of stunning aromatics. Whole bunch fermentation, three weeks of skin contact and minimal punch downs are directed with pinpoint precision to what Pinotage should and simply must be. Fresh, lithe and promising. Good-bye Pinotage being Pinotage. Hello Pinotage in pure, honest perfume. Older oak barrels (4th, 5th and 6th fill) round out the texture, amplify the arroyo seco and excellence washes through, with simple acidity and riverine length. Drink 2015-2019. Tasted September 2015 @DavidandNadia @SwartlandRev

Red Blends

The sky is the limit for what can be attempted and achieved with the varietal kitchen sink of availability. In consideration that any red variety can scour the Cape Winelands in a journeyed search for phenolic ripeness, a prudent pick, ferment (or co-ferment) will certainly, invariably conjoin towards assemblage nirvana. Rhône styling is most often mimicked, from both north and south but OZ indicators and even California flower child prodigies are both seen and heard. There is no tried and true in this outpost of red democracy. In the case of Cape wine, anarchy rules and there is really nothing wrong with that.

Sheree Nothnagel, Wildnhurst Wines

Wilde hurst Red 2012, Swartland, South Africa (Winery)

Shiraz (62 per cent) co-fermented with Viognier (5) is joined in rank by Mourvèdre (33, though is some years it’s Cinsault) in an unembellished red that not only lies back but rises in free spirit. A red to express the personality of its maker, Sheree Nothnagel. Silk and lace, cure and mace, spice and so many things nice are the aspect ratios of a very natal wine, like a prevailing wind. A real stretch in tannin, sweet and smooth of grain leads to length, from Koringberg to the slopes of the Picketberg and Paardeberg mountains. Drink 2015-2020. Tasted September 2015 @WildehurstW @ShereeNothnagel @SwartlandRev

The wines of Duncan Savage

Savage Wines Follow the Line 2014 (Winery)

The Western Cape has likely never seen such polish and precocious affinity with its varied soils as it has or likely soon will when Duncan Savage is making wine. The blend of Cinsault (58 per cent), Grenache (21) and Syrah (21) is predominantly Darling grapes and shows a deeper, funkier understanding of Cape soil. Bright red cherry fruit supports life on this brooding planet and propagation is furthered with cinnamon-like spice and a purity for supplementary red fruit so direct and so very pure. The wine’s moniker comes from the farming expression “follow the line.” All rows lead to the farmhouse, eventually. All winemaking roads in the Cape will lead to the name Duncan Savage or at least involve him in the conversation. He is the farmhouse. Drink 2015-2020. Tasted September 2015 @ZooBiscuitsWine

Alheit Vineyards Flotsam & Jetsam and Cartology

Alheit Vineyards Flotsam & Jetsam Days of Yore 2014 (Winery, WineAlign)

Chris Alheit’s brand might allude to a chapter in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Two Towers but Days of Yore must pay some homage to the 80’s thrash metal band and with great irony. This Cabernet Sauvignon and Cinsault blend is no Doomsday for the Receiver and certainly No Place for Disgrace. What it is instead is pure liquid brilliance. Old 1960 Cabernet Sauvignon bush vines are (even if unintentionally) farmed the way they used to be, back in the days of yore. Now cropped, tended and produced in pitch perfect cure, the resulting wine (when Cabernet is blended with Albeit’s dry-farmed, stomped and tonic-singular Cinsault) shows smoky depth and musicality. Sour-edged or tart can’t begin to describe the tang. It’s something other, unnameable, sapid, fluid and beautiful. It brings South Africa from out of the heart of its wayfinding darkness. Drink 2015-2025. Tasted September 2015 @ChrisAlheit @ZooBiscuitsWine

Other Red

Momento Wines

Momento Wines Tinta Barocca 2013, Bot River, South Africa (Winery)

From a south-facing, 40 year-old, one and a half hectare vineyard in Bot River that Marelise Niemann convinced the farmer not to rip out so that she may continue to produce some 2,000 bottles of a variety you can’t really find or are want to grow anywhere else. This has been a small love affair since 2007 with this block. “My child, my charity case,” she admits. I am not sure I tasted any other wine in South Africa with such fresh, pure, unspoiled innocence as this Tinta Barocca. “You have to have a connection to the vineyard. To guide it.” The underlay of perspicuity is a streak provided by Bokkeveld shale. The clarity of red fruit and deferential tannin is too sacred to spit, too beautiful to spill and too genteel to waste. Drink 2015-2018. Tasted September 2015 @ZooBiscuitsWine

Godello and Marelise Niemann, Momento Wines

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Big regional love

Sep3

Grillin’ it, Veal sirloin and Ontario corn

First, an apology. Dear France and Italy. I have been ignoring you. Not all of you and your scopious wine regions mind you, just your most famous and popular ones. Grand Cru and idiosyncratic lieu-dit Alsace? Championed. Off the beaten track Puglia, Campania, Lazio and Emilia Romagna? Celebrated. Rhône Valley and Tuscany? I have been remiss.

September 5th marks the last VINTAGES release of the summer. No less than a half dozen exceptional warm weather whites are essayed on pitch but the big reds are neither dross nor toss aways of recrementitious behaviour. They are my picks for serious drinking and short term cellar defending.

From left to right: Vignamaggio Gherardino Chianti Classico 2012, J.L. Chave Crozes Hermitage Rouge Silène 2013, Les Vins De Vienne L’arzelle Saint Joseph 2011, Gundlach Bundschu Merlot 2011, Verbena Brunello Di Montalcino 2009 and Domaine Mathieu Vin Di Felibre Châteauneuf Du Pape 2010

Vignamaggio Gherardino Chianti Classico 2012, Docg Italy (963512, $24.95, WineAlign)

Here Chianti Classico remembers where it came from and knows a thing or more about where it will be going. There is just a hint of curative carve, enough to confuse the oxidative meter and a real reason to imagine wine made eons ago. But dont be fooled. This is clean, pure red Sangiovese fruit, umasked by oak and circumstances well within a winemaker’s control. This is judged with skill and soft hands. It will please in the present and find lingers beyond and across years, as many as 10 or more. Drink 2016-2025. Tasted August 2015 @vignamaggio @HHDImports_Wine @chianticlassico

J.L. Chave Crozes Hermitage Rouge Silène 2013, Ac Rhône, France (387332, $27.95, WineAlign)

A very fruitful, consumer fortuitous and elastically stretching, wholly dichotomous clarity from fresh to cure, from piquant to naturally stoked. You really can’t go wrong with the Chave, CH, makin’ it happen Rhône selection. Red fruits, flowers in bloom and meats slowly drying to dehydrated goodness combine for really fine results. Yes please every time to a glass of this. Smells like the soundness of doctrine with a conscience. This company does not mess around. Drink 2015-2021. Tasted August 2015 @HalpernWine @VINSRHONE

Les Vins De Vienne L’arzelle Saint Joseph 2011, Ac Rhône, France (115030, $37.95, WineAlign)

Rich, unctuous, full on red berry and modernity incarnate Syrah. Really, really fresh. Beneath the fresh surface is nature in naked form, grape exposed to elements and left to fend for itself. Has cure, baked earth, crusty crackling red fruit skin and nearly fierce tannin. Very meaty Syrah. The real deal. Drink 2016-2022. Tasted August 2015 @VINSRHONE @ProfileWineGrp

Gundlach Bundschu Merlot 2011, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California (397497, $39.95, WineAlign)

When west coast Merlot reaches for a marker such as found in this Sonoma County taste for sore tongues, it’s on the beam. The fruit is lush but not overripe and while the vintage was not exactly a scorcher, picking too late would have been a mistake. This wine is not a product of such adversity or abject waver. It’s also anything but dilute or green, two things Merlot often fizzles and falls alongside, which is then followed up with a seat in the make up chair. This hits all the correct notes; lithe vanilla, mild cedar, not so tough leather, newish and nearly 70’s suede. Love the mouthfeel and the eloquence. It’s as fine grained as you are likely to find with naturally occurring acidity to take it deep. A proper wine to be sure. Drink 2015-2020. Tasted August 2015 @gunbunwine @LeSommelierWine @sonomavintners

Verbena Brunello Di Montalcino 2009, Tuscany, Italy (165126, $39.95, WineAlign)

Talk about the passion for modernity and architecture that towers over the neighbourhood. Highest esteem of flowers, reductions and wood lots. Liqueur in every way, form and fair. My fair volatility. Big, big Brunello with massive tannins and multiple personality of acidities. So essentially big and brawny in consideration of the Grosso finesse. More Brunello for the money than many. Drink 2017-2023. Tasted August 2015 @buonvini @ConsBrunello

Domaine Mathieu Vin Di Felibre Châteauneuf Du Pape 2010, Ac Rhône, France (28209, $75.00, WineAlign)

The initial aromatic offering on this Châteauneuf Du Pape is just beautiful. It’s floral but understated, expressive but in total control. Gives of itself without begging. There is Kirsch mixed into a cordial of sweet smelling tonics. Such a balanced CdP, with parts in unison, nothing overtaking anything else and a floral-medicinal finish that indicates so much life ahead. You can enjoy its undeniable beauty now or walk with it through gardens, down meandering hillside paths and into pastoral villages for two decades. Such a deft, soft handed approach to an increasing regional modernity more often bruising than massaging. Drink 2017-2025. Tasted August 2015 @VINSRHONE

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Godello

a wine processor

Tag Archives: Grenache

Wines of South Africa: It’s the fling itself

The PIWOSA Wine-Car Boot, Journey’s End Winery

The Stellenbosch Experience, Longridge Estate

Ellerman House

DGB in the Capelands

In a gadda da vino baby

Garnacha covered part four: Terra Alta

Terra Alta

South African duck dynasty

Garnacha covered part three: Somontano

Somontano

Garnacha covered part two: Cariñena

Cariñena

Ten prodigal suspects

Four times ten reasons to drink wine on Halloween

Once upon a time in the Western Cape

Chenin Blanc

Riesling

White Blends

Other White

Cinsault

Syrah

Pinot Noir

Pinotage

Red Blends

Other Red

Big regional love