Some Wines This Week

This week featured some bargain wines from the recent Wine Fest, as well as some lovelies at a wine/dinner pot luck with friends.

I picked the Sheep Thrills Pecorino 2016, Terre di Chieti IGP, Abruzzo, Italy as a good value wine during the wine show and I am sticking to my conclusion after sampling this wine again. The real find in a budget wine is one that has some character along with the attractive price. For $15.99 at the NLC, this one certainly checks all the boxes with plentiful fruity aromatics, good acidity, and a lemon/mineral palate. Score: 15/Very Good.

The Karl Karle Blanc de Noirs 2016 from the Kaiserstuhl (Baden) area of Germany was only available at the wine show, and was also a bargain purchase. Kaiserstuhl is one of the best known areas for producing red wines in Germany, with the foremost variety being Spätburgunder, which we would know as Pinot Noir.

Although this wine is a Pinot Noir, it is a white wine; the wine was vinified without skin contact after the juice was pressed. Hence the term “blanc de noir” – white wine from dark grapes. The aroma and body will seem unusual for a white wine, but our taste displayed pleasant characteristics of soft white fruit. Score: 14/Good.

Our “bring your own” wine, and pot luck supper for a group of friends creates an opportunity for guests to raid their cellars for special wines that they know will be appreciated by the group. That was certainly the case this weekend with an exemplary wine list.

We enjoyed white wines with each course. Opimian was the supplier for the Höpler Gruner Veltliner 2015, Austria which showed grassy, herbal intensity in the bouquet, and brisk acidity. I have enjoyed this wine in many vintages over many years.

The Château de Maligny 2015, Chablis, France lived up to its well-known name with delicious minerality and juicy acidity. With dessert we thoroughly enjoyed a Barsac: Château Doisy Daëne 2008, Sauternes, France. As anticipated in a wonderful Sauternes, the sweetness was accentuated by good acidity, and the delicious “noble rot” flavours thrilled the palate.

Opimian was once again the source of the first two red wines: Roggiano Morellino di Scansano Riserva DOCG 2014, Tuscany, Italy and Côtes du Rhône Vieille Vignes 2007, Rhône, France. Both of these were Founder’s Choice selections.

The Italian wine comes from the Sangiovese grape, but this DOCG wine packs a load of expressive fruit within a robust structure. Despite its youth, it is smooth and quite delicious. I am often disappointed by thin, sour Tuscan Sangiovese, but this wine restores my faith in the grape.

Côtes du Rhône might be considered an “ordinary” appellation, but that’s simply because it encompasses a very wide range of wine qualities. The best can be very good, and can improve with age. Our wine was such an example – cherry and red fruit supported with good structure.

The highlights of the evening were our very well aged wines from Pomerol and our vintage port (the red wines are pictured above). Some might question whether wines that are 40 years old can be any good at all. Well to some extent, it depends on the taster. Many prefer the freshness of youth, while others, like me, appreciate the tertiary flavours associated with age. The best I can offer is that if you have a chance to taste wines like these, take it, and see if those flavours appeal to you.

The two Pomerols, Château Certan-Giraud 1978 and Château Le Croix de Gay 1979, still had delicious fruit, although it was no longer freshly picked berries, but tending toward dried fruit characteristics. Both were impressively smooth, but there was enough acidity to keep the palate alive. There was some debate that the 1979 needed more time!

Of course 40 years is just getting into a sweet spot for drinking a vintage port such as the Quarles Harris 1977, Portugal. It was hard to pick the wine of the night between these three wonderful aged beauties.