Steve

Wine Aroma

May1

May 1, 2013 by Steve Leave a Comment

by contributing writer Steve Gross

Reading descriptions of some wines, you wonder why anyone would drink them at all. Cigar Box? Leather? Barnyard? What gives?

Ironically, these are some of the aromas that bring many wine drinkers clamoring to certain wines, all across the price spectrum. When those smells integrate into a cohesive whole, and when the wine’s mouthfeel and finish are smooth and pleasing, you’re really onto something.

It’s ironic that menthol is a desired aroma in some wines, and I haven’t seen a pack of Kool or Newport cigarettes for years. If it really improves the wine, bring it on, man.

Personally, I like aromas like forest floor, mint, eucalyptus, bramble (the earthy smell of forest undergrowth and berry vines), and leather. They need to fit in with the other components of the wine, but when they do, they really add dimension and enjoyability to the wine.

What about rocks, you say. Most of us don’t even know what rocks taste like, since we’ve had the good sense to avoid putting them into our mouths. However, in the wine world, rocks have a lot to add. There really is a smell to wet rock (I know because I’m a fly fisherman and I spend a lot of time in rivers), and it’s quite pleasing, kind of like the air smells after a summer rain.

Rieslings, Viogniers, and Torrontes, three aromatic white wines get some of their specialness from their stony aspects. In fact, the first wine I ever experienced as minerally was a Viognier. Chablis, the flinty, crisp Chardonnay of northern Burgundy, is treasured by many for its stoniness (yes, that’s now a word).

So, the next time you swirl your wine and breathe it in, give those rocks and that dirt some play. I think you’ll be surprised at what you get.

Do you have a rocky, earthy wine that you especially like? Let us hear from you.

photo credit

Steve Gross likes wine that smells good, moves him to states of reverie, and demands a second, third, or fourth taste. Seeking these wines keeps him busy, but he somehow finds time to work as a Special Education Teacher and to guide birdwatchers throughout Texas and the Western US. Look for Steve wherever great food and wine, mountains, birds, and fresh air are found.

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Chateau de Beaucastel – A Quality Wine

Apr12

April 12, 2013 by Steve Leave a Comment

by Contributing Writer Steve Gross

It helps to have adventurous friends. Every few months, I have dinner and wine with a co-worker, Barbara. One of the great things about Barbara is that she’s wiling to follow up on the crazy ideas I come up with.

Recently, we were at Brix Wine Cellars, a local wine bar/restaurant with a good wine list. Barbara and I usually split the wine cost from the food cost, with one of us paying for each. On this occasion, it was Barbara’s turn to cover the wine, though I got to pick it (not a bad deal, huh?). All was well until I saw it – Chateau de Beaucastel.

This was the first time I’d seen this famous Rhone Valley red wine on a list. Based on what I’d read, I really wanted to try it, but there was one big problem – a $132 price tag.

I couldn’t really ask Barbara to foot the bill for my flight of fancy. So, I made this offer: we’d go 50-50 on the whole check. Because Barbara is a gamer, she agreed to the arrangement. Our choice was rewarded by a great experience with a very memorable wine.

As I said in my last post, I’d rather drink wine of great quality than more wine of less quality. My budget is not bottomless, but I’d rather splurge on one very fine bottle than simply have a lot of lesser wine to drink around the house. Having adventurous friends really helps.

So, here’s the skinny on the wine: every sip was a revelation. We tried the Chateau de Beaucastel with several cheeses and fruit. Every combination allowed the quality wine to show different elements of its character. Barbara and I savored every taste, and though the temperature dropped as we sat outside, the wine kept us warm and smiling as we watched the bottle drop inevitably toward emptiness.

Soon, we had only our memories of the wine, the conversation, and the experience, and it was time to head into the dusk. Great wines offer these memories, carrying us through until the next great bottle.

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Quality Wine: JJ Prüm Riesling

Mar19

March 19, 2013 by Steve 3 Comments

by contributing writer, Steve Gross

Slowly but surely my expectations for the wine I drink rise up and up. At this point in my wine-drinking life, I’d rather drink less, but very good wine, than drink wine just for the sake of drinking it. I now know what the really good stuff tastes like! Why settle for less?

Riesling

Let’s take Riesling, a wine produced in several parts of the grape-growing world. Most Rieslings won’t cripple your bank account, but you don’t always get a memorable wine for the $10-20 you spend.

I’d heard, however, that Riesling is the favorite wine of a number of real wine heavyweights (Jancis Robinson of the Financial Times, for example). Considering her credibility, I was willing to listen. Then I read an article by Jay McInerney, a novelist and wine author, about the thrilling wines of JJ Prüm. I was further intrigued.

JJ Prüm

I found several bottles of Prüm Rieslings in a local wine store, so I pounced. The wines completely confirmed what Jancis Robinson and Jay McInerney had said – they were utterly fantastic. I was converted. Riesling had a high end that I had not yet experienced, except in a few wines I’d tasted in the Finger Lakes of New York.

The Joh. Jos. Prüm Bernkasteler Badstube Auslese 2007 ($32) was the best Riesling I’d ever tasted. Steely, with a complex of pear, apple, wet stone, and clean linen tastes and aromas, the wine stayed around with a long finish that allowed you to really savor what you had just tasted. Wow. Every sip demanded a bit of reverie. You didn’t want each taste to end but also couldn’t wait for the next sip.

The proof, interestingly enough, of the quality of the Prüm was cinched when my mom, who’s usually pretty accepting of what you pour for her (as long as it’s white), had a very strong positive reaction to the bottle I brought over one afternoon. She kept commenting on how good it was, and she’s usually pretty reserved about all of this wine and wine talk we bring around.

So, an average wine drinker thinks it’s extraordinary. A drinker with more experience thinks it’s extraordinary. Ratings of the wine from various locations list it as extraordinary. I guess it’s extraordinary.

Less is More

Drinking less, but markedly better, wine may be the way to go for the budget-conscious among us (myself included). $32 is nothing to sneeze at. Chalk this up to a quality versus quantity argument, but taste the Prüm Rieslings first, then see where you wind up. Enjoy.

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3 Comments Filed Under: Wine Reviews Tagged With: Riesling

Champagne Reviews and Tasting Notes: A Tasting Tour of French Wine

Dec29

December 29, 2012 by Steve Leave a Comment

By VineSleuth Contributing Writer Steve Gross

Tasting Champagne is hard work. Really.

First of all, there’s the death-defying act involved in uncorking a pressurized vessel of spuming deliciousness. How else to explain the new dents in the wall and sticky surfaces?

I’m kidding. Opening a bottle of bubbly can be a quiet, safe enterprise if the proper procedure is followed. In fact, the bottle should whisper open and not launch a projectile that alerts the Strategic Air Command.

Once they’re opened, you’ll find a somewhat set stable of aromas in many Champagnes – toast, brioche, lemon, yeast, etc. The differences come from the balance, the flavor, and for lack of a better term, the elegance of the wine.

I tasted Champagnes this month in regular white wine glasses. I find that the aromas and flavors of the wine are more apparent to me that way. Flutes keep the mousse (bubbles) streaming ever upward in tight packages (bubbles), but I have a harder time telling the wines apart.

As Cortney stated in her previous post, it’s tough to find a French Champagne for less than $30, as you’ll see below. Most of the wines we tasted this month were in the $35-45 range, with one splurge wine, the Dom Perignon ’03. Was it worth it? Read on, McDuff.

Balance: I refer to balance as the interplay between sweetness and dryness. Most of the wines we tasted were dry, though the Duval Leroy showed some sweetness.

Flavor: All of the wines we tasted this month delivered bigger, more delicious flavors than the usual “cheap sparkling wine” flavors. To me, the Dom Perignon was the most opulently flavorful, particularly when paired with sweet tidbits. NOTE: Taste your wines with a variety of foods; as with just about any fine wine, you’ll note different elements in the wine with sweet vs. savory foods, for example.

Elegance: This, to me, was a key difference in the wines. Were they light on the tongue? Did they have cloying aftertaste? Were the bubbles just too aggressive to really taste anything? Perhaps, not surprisingly, the Dom Perignon placed first in this area.

Wines Tasted

Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV $42
Grapefruit and lemon to start, with sharp acidity, followed by mellow tones, with a bit of a bitter finish. Okay, but not great.

Chateau Duval Leroy Brut NV $39
Very light in color. Mellow, very light. The choice of the group. Slightly sweet, with no bitterness. Very drinkable. This is the wine that everyone poured once they’d tasted all of the others.

Taittinger Brut La Francaise NV $42
Deeper gold color. Heavier, with a hint of yeast. With salami, the acid was very present on the tip of the tongue. This was the second choice of the group. No bitterness on the back end, and the wine was bigger, though not syrupy. Enjoyable.

Dom Perignon 2003 ~$133

Vintage Champagne, if the Dom Perignon is any measure, is very much worth the very occasional expenditure. This wine was light, elegant, with an ethereal quality. With a few Christmas sweets, like the surprising white chocolate pretzels, the creaminess and depth of the wine really showed. I really enjoyed it, and perhaps we’ll pour some more when I turn 50 in a few years.

Bubbly wines certainly have their own place in the wine spectrum. They often match well with a wide variety of food, so don’t be afraid to try some with your entree rather than just before or after dinner. I really like bubbly with popcorn (if you haven’t tried this stunt, please do), sitting with good friends (it seems that opening a bottle of bubbly alone never happens, perhaps because once the bottle is opened, it’s usually finished at that sitting).

Do a little exploring of sparkling wines. There are a lot out there, from New Mexico to Australia, and they match just about every taste, from sweet to very dry. Tasting these wines is a great way to travel the world. [NOTE: This sounds like a pretty good New Year's Resolution!]

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Leave a Comment Filed Under: French Wine Tagged With: France, Over $50, Under $50

Red Bordeaux: A Tasting Tour of French Wine

Dec15

December 15, 2012 by Steve Leave a Comment

by VineSleuth Contributing Writer Steve Gross

Our Tasting Tour of French Wine continues with Steve’s observations of a few red Bordeaux.

Now I know what all the fuss is about….

I’d tasted a decent number of red Bordeaux over the years, but never really found one that I would go out of my way to buy again. There was the odd Pomerol that was pretty tasty, but most of what I’d tasted (admittedly in the lower price range) were dusty, lean on fruit, without much aroma, and drier than I’d like.

I can certainly see how a new wine drinker would try an inexpensive red Bordeaux. The reputation of these wines transcends the pages of the wine press. Novels and movies extol the virtues of the wines of Bordeaux – they’re true status symbols, the stuff of legend, if you go in for that sort of thing.

Now, our new wine drinker opens and pours the deep, red liquid into a waiting glass. The first sniff is marked by a dusty aroma, and fruit is not necessarily among the first five things she smells. Tobacco, oak (often a LOT of oak), mocha, maybe, but any kind of fruit is often missing.

The first taste is accompanied by a marked drying of the lining of the mouth. Is this really what people rave about? Was it even worth my $15?

I’ve wondered that myself. The truth is, there are some fine wines out there that do show fruit, don’t overly dry out your mouth, and can even taste good.

Note this, however: you might have to kiss a lot of inexpensive frogs to find the really good one, or you might have to go up the price scale.

Enter the Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Wow. Really, wow. Read about it below.

Red Bordeaux Wines Tasted

Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2004 $85

This wine smells great, tastes great, and it went phenomenally well with Boeuf Bourguignon. It added layers to a wonderful dinner, stimulating our conversation and our taste buds at the same time. The standard tasting note format really does not do justice to the finesse and sheer wonderfulness of this wine. It needs to be tasted to be appreciated.

Mouton Cadet Bordeaux 2010 $8
13.5% ABV

Not much here in the way of fruit, on the nose or palate. Astringent, with tannins that dry out the rear of the mouth. Even on the second day, when some fruit emerged, the wine was not enjoyable.

Chateau Lepine 2009 $12
13.5% ABV

More to be found here that the previous wine. More pleasant aromas of dark fruit and berry vine. Drinkable, but not to all palates. On the second day, the wine was rounder, softer, and it offered more fruit. This wine held up well to bleu cheese and hummus with roasted red peppers, which is quite an accomplishment if you think about it.

Chateau Bois-Martin Pessac-Leognan 2007 $24

The nicest of the less expensive wines. Smooth drinking, without overly agressive drying of the mouth, with nice fruit flavor, some oak, and no bitterness on the back end. I would drink this again, but the price makes for some tough decisions. There are other wines I know I like, for the same money.

Delicious red Bordeaux is not cheap. You might decide that the price is simply too steep. If you do take the leap, though, and if you find the right bottle, you might found out for yourself what all the fuss is about. I certainly did.

To learn more about Bordeaux in general, click over to Cortney’s post on the Bordeaux region of France. Or click over to see what Steve observed in white Bordeaux.

Do you have a red Bordeaux that you especially like? What has your journey through red Bordeaux been like? Any standouts or surprises?

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Leave a Comment Filed Under: French Wine Tagged With: Bordeaux, France, Over $50, Under $20, Under $30

White Bordeaux: A Tasting Tour of French Wine

Dec4

December 4, 2012 by Steve Leave a Comment

by Steve Gross, VineSleuth Contributing Writer

Steve continues his Tasting Tour of French Wine by sharing his latest round of wines: White Bordeaux.

Want to learn more about the region before continuing? Click back to read Cortney’s post on Bordeaux so you ‘ll know what to expect generally and then come back to see what Steve and his tasting group had to say about a few picks….

White wines from Bordeaux are made from Sauvignon Blanc and/or Semillon grapes. Don’t expect a New Zealand-type, zippy, grassy, Sauvignon Blanc here. These wines are more understated, made to pair with food, and those blended with Semillon tend to be fuller, more substantial, and less acidic in the mouth. These are not flashy wines, but in the right environment, they can be very satisfying. Note that we had to go up the price ladder a bit before we found wines that were the most pleasing. One bottle was hardly touched after the tasting group had their first go. It was easy to tell which wines the group liked – just look for the empty bottle!

Chateau Coucheroy 2007 $16
12.5% ABV 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Rich gold color. This wine is much more mellow than the Sauvignon Blancs of the Loire Valley. It is oaked, and according to the label, the wine spends six months on its lees (dead yeast cells, grape skins, etc. that are the residue of fermentation). This adds fullness to the wine, making it different from the more acidic, sharper taste of New World Sauvignon Blancs.

As this wine warmed up, and as I had some food, the wine picked up spice and brightness. Lemon curd, with some wet stone and clean linen. A nice wine, with something to hold your interest.

Chateau D’Archambeau Graves 2010 $24
12.5% ABV Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend

Mellow, with aromas of orange flesh. On the palate, the wine thins out, not quite delivering on the pleasant nose. With the right food, this might be quite nice with a meal. The tasting group suggested a day after Thanksgiving turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce, herb bread, and brie.

Mouton Cadet Bordeaux 2010 $7
12.5% ABV 65% Sauv Blanc 30% Semillon 5% Muscadelle

Grapefruit and tangerine on the palate. Kind of thin with a short finish. Decent, inexpensive wine that would accompany food quite well.

Chateau Nicot Entre-Deux-Mers 2010 $9
12.5% ABV Listed as a Sauv Blanc blend

Somewhat ammoniac aroma, along with grassy, coppery, and lemon elements, but with a bitter back end. Finish is longer than you want it to be.

Chateau Carbonnieux Pessac-Leognan 2006 $43

Oxidized. Bottle, though well-rated by others, was undrinkable. I was very disapointed that I was not able to enjoy this wine.

Have you ever tried a white Bordeaux? If you haven’t give one a whirl sometime. Next post in the series: Red Bordeaux. The big leagues!

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Leave a Comment Filed Under: French Wine Tagged With: France, Under $20, Under $30, Under $50, White Bordeaux

Loire Valley Reds: A Tasting Tour of French Wine

Oct30

October 30, 2012 by Steve Leave a Comment

by VineSleuth Contributing Writer, Steve Gross

In the Rhone Valley intro post, Cortney mentioned the red wines of Chinon, which are made from the Cabernet Franc grape. In the Houston area, I found disappointingly few examples of Rhone Valley red wines. Interestingly, for a little-known set of wines (the whites are widely acclaimed, but the reds are kind of under the radar) the bottlings I found were all above $15. I have found that the law of supply and demand holds up pretty well in the wine world, but this seems be a rare exception.

Cabernet Franc is a grape that is earthy, rustic, and a little rough around the edges in the examples I’ve tasted this month and on previous occasions. I do like it, however. Just like the other French wines this year, they have evolved to be drunk with locally-grown food, and I certainly could see how these Rhone Valley reds would hold up to simple, yet robust food, like grilled meat, bread, soup or country paté (I know, I know we Americans don’t consider paté to be simple food, but the French do). If you enjoy taking a picnic when there’s a chill in the air (I certainly prefer this over muggy and hot days), these might be good wines to take along.

The Wines

Couly-Dutheil Chinon 2010 $20
13.5% ABV

Nice ruby color. More purplish when swirled.
Green pepper and berry vine nose; somewhat fumy with a bit of acetone.
In the mouth, this wine is sharply tart but also somewhat diluted.
This wine seemed a little bit raw, but within the range of many Cabernet Francs I’ve tasted.

Les Pensees de Pallus Chinon 2009 $22
13% ABV

Ruby color with clear rim. Less herbaceous smelling than the Couly-Dutheil above, with more fruit available to the nose. On the palate, has some of the same tartness as the other Chinon, but it is more enjoyable to drink. This wine has some of the rustic nature of the other Chinons I have tasted, but this is a more complex, less spiky wine. This would definitely be a good food wine, using the same pairings as above.

Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Cuvée Pif 2008 $16
12% ABV

NOTE: This wine is listed as a Red Blend. I do not know which grapes were used, but many Touraine reds use Cab Franc or Gamay grapes. Deep ruby wine. A little sweetness on a nose that includes light red fruit and acetone. Fruit goes away in the mouth, leaving a somewhat astringent tasting wine. Not to my taste.

Lucien Crochet La Croix du Roy Sancerre 2007 $40
13% ABV

Of the reds that I tasted, this was head and shoulders the best. All three tasters in my group (two of whom drink very inexpensive wine as a rule) went right for this bottle after we tasted each wine. Bordeaux-like nose, with hints of tobacco leaf, leather, and deep fruit. Refined and subtle, this wine makes you want to investigate it more deeply.

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Loire Valley Whites: A Tasting Tour of French Wine

Oct16

October 16, 2012 by Steve Leave a Comment

by VineSleuth Contributing Writer, Steve Gross

As Courtney so ably put it in the intro post about the Loire Valley, Loire Valley whites are predominantly represented by Sauvignon Blancs from Sancerre, Chenin Blancs from Vouvray, and Muscadets from the lower Loire Valley. These grapes have very different characteristics, and I’d like to encourage anyone who thinks that “all white wines taste alike” to take a wine-tasting tour of the Loire Valley. Vive la difference!

Here’s what I found while tasting…

Loire Valley Whites Tasted

The Muscadets I tasted shared a bright, briny presentation, calling out for salty food, like oysters or salty cheeses/crackers. These wines might be to everyone’s taste, but you should definitely try them with food.

Estelle Sauvion Muscadet 2009 $24
12% ABV
Refreshing, briny, but in a good way. Some depth on the palate, with layers of flavors. Would be great with salty cheese, oysters, etc. seemed to demand salty accompaniment, even the salt from crackers. Nice wine, but likely not to everyone’s taste.

Chateau La Tarciere Muscadet Sevre et Maine 2011 $15
Cuvee La Leveraudiere 12% ABV
Many of the qualities of the wine above, but not as complex. Would be great with food.

I really enjoyed the Vouvrays I tasted this month, and I find these very user-friendly wines. A bit on the sweet side, with readily identified fruit flavors, these wines vary in complexity but not on the basic level of enjoyment. Try one soon.

Domaine de Vaugondy Vouvray Demi-sec $19
100% Chenin Blanc 11% ABV
A bit of yeast before swirling the wine, along with apricot and tropical fruit.
More apricot and fleshy fruit (starfruit and tangerine) in the mouth, with a bit of sweetness, balanced by lively acidity. A bit of caramel emerged as the bottle progressed.
Very nice wine, with long finish. Not just a wine to drink and forget about; each sip starts you thinking, examining the wine’s layers and elements, and adding nuance and enjoyment to your evening.

Domaine Pichot Domaine Le Peu de la Moriette Vouvray 2010 $17
100% Chenin Blanc 12.5% ABV
Not a whole lot on nose, chalk and clean linen. Lively, with tart sweetness, and a bit steely.
Enjoyable, but not especially complex. Crushed Sweet Tarts with a splash of lemon juice.

Charles Bove Vouvray 2010 $16
12% ABV Wet chalk and clean linen on the nose.
In the mouth, more sweetness emerges, with tangerine and a little honey.
Nice, enjoyable wine, even for non-wine drinkers, like my sister, Lyn.

There’s a lot of Sauvignon Blanc out there, and it varies from the completely obvious “cat pee on a gooseberry bush” description that serves as the stereotype of the varietal, to really complex, integrated, sophisticated wines. It’s worth trying a number of them until you find one you really like.

Henri Bourgeois Petit Bourgeois Sauvignon Blanc 2011 $15
12.5% ABV
Lemongrass and lime on nose, pleasant and bright, though not all will appreciate the ammoniac notes found in many Sauvignon Blancs. In the mouth, elements of lemon zest accompany the dry, clean, moderate finish.

La Cotes des Monts Damnees Sancerre 2010 $30
13% ABV
Elegant, integrated, and complex nose of lime, lemongrass, and fresh linen. On the palate, blood orange, grapefruit, and lemon hold strong, with a touch of sweetness (just a touch) that offsets the bright acid of the other flavors. Really nice wine, showing me that I don’t have to settle for the acid-attack, grassy Sauvignon Blancs out there. There are wines of nuance and complexity out there.

Domaine Daulny Sancerre 2011 $25
12.5% ABV
Darker nose than the Petit Bourgeois, a bit better integrated, less sharp on the nose. It might’ve just been this bottle, but this wine seemed a bit flat, with a slightly unpleasant aftertaste as you swallow the wine. On second tasting, it still seemed uninspired.

…..

Please keep in mind that these are the impressions Steve had of the wines he tasted this month. Your palate might have a different opinion.

Have you enjoyed any standout whites from the Loire Valley? Or have you tasted any Steve mentioned? We’d love to read your observations in the comments…

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Leave a Comment Filed Under: French Wine Tagged With: France, Loire

A Tasting Tour of French Wine: Southern France, The Wines

Sep25

September 25, 2012 by Steve Leave a Comment

Steve’s Tasting Tour of French Wine continues with this tasting notes from the wines of Southern France…

by VineSleuth Contributing Writer, Steve Gross

After delving into several of the widely-distributed wines from Southern France, I’ve reached a few conclusions. Note, however, that the sample size is small. This is due to the fact that there aren’t a whole lot of these wines on the shelves of my local wine shop. I find more pink wines from this region (Tavel, Bandol) than others. And we already covered the roses in a previous post.

I was glad to come across the Picpoul de Pinet, and I’ll introduce this wine to friends who like drinkable, light, and refreshing whites (a real plus during Houston’s long, humid summers). Prices for these Southern wines are relatively low (the highest price I paid for a wine this month was $27, and most were just above $10), and most of these unassuming wines are user-friendly, to be sure.

There was a hit-and-miss element to this month’s tastings, since a wide variety of grapes are used in the wines (see my previous post for details on that). Some were really nice, like the Domaine Delsol Picpoul de Pinet and the Domaine Sorin Cotes de Provence. Others were not so great.

This year of tasting French wines has taught me the importance of trying A LOT of different wines. I’ve learned a lot more about what I like and what constitutes a well-made wine. I’ve learned to appreciate the great variety of satisfying wines that France has to offer. I’ll have to get to the rest of the world starting January 1st.

Next month, the Loire Valley. I can’t wait to taste what French winemakers can do with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chenin Blanc, just to name a few. Stay tuned.

Tasting Notes from the Wines of Southern France

Domaine Delsol Picpoul de Pinet $9
Nice straw color
Some petrol on nose, but not off-putting
Bright acidity, Sweet grapefruit and bit of orange pulp
No bitterness on finish
Good wine for a warm summer day

Font-Mars Picpoul de Pinet $9
Slight bit of petrol on the nose, with lemon curd
More lemon than apple, but both on palate
Refreshing, fleshy, with short finish; not as enjoyable as the other Picpoul de Pinet

Pere Anselme Syrah $11
Corked, so I couldn’t sample it.

Domaine Sorin Cotes de Provence 2006 $27
Mourvedre blend
Really wonderful nose, full of earthy aromas, like cedar, handfuls of rich soil, and dark berry fruit. Strong oak presence, but not overpowering.
In the mouth, tart cherry, dried cranberry, dries the mouth, but not in an overbearing way. This wine will stand up well to food and got better as the bottle progressed, as a bit of sweetness emerged. Nice wine.

Long Duck Cabernet Sauvignon $8
Deep ruby color with a bit of purple
Pruny aromas immediately on the nose, kind of plasticky with an artificial sweetness
Not very pleasing, quite dry, with notes of raisins and petroleum. Hard to find anything natural here.

Tortoise Creek Pinot Noir “Les Oliviers” 2010 $15
Very little Pinot character here. Artificial aromas, with some tart cherry flavors, possibly from added acid, but little nuance or subtlety. I’ve had this before and liked it much more.

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Southern France: A Tasting Tour of French Wine

Sep4

September 4, 2012 by Steve Leave a Comment

Series by VineSleuth Contributing Writer, Steve Gross

This month, we find ourselves in the South of France, home to the azure waters of the Mediterranean, the Riviera, Provence, Nice, and Marseilles.

Many American tourists travel to this part of France, but there is comparably less talk about the wines than those of Burgundy or Bordeaux. There is, however, one section of Southern France (other than the Rhone Valley I’ve already covered) that has produced wine for hundreds of years, but is little-known by average wine consumers: Languedoc-Roussillon.

What Should I Know About Languedoc-Roussilon?

Consumer awareness of the Languedoc is quickly changing, however, as more and more affordable and tasty wines are reaching interested buyers. Some wine producers are using English-language labels, even puns, to offset the daunting language on traditional French labels. In the Southern France section of a wine shop, you’ll see names like Long Duck (get it?) and Tortoise Creek, a real difference when compared to the imposing names of wines from other French regions, like Chateauneuf du Pape.

Though it may be a little surprising given the warm temperatures at this latitude, wines made from many of the wine grapes used in the rest of France can be found in the South, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Chardonnay.

One new wine for me was Picpoul de Pinet. Picpoul is the grape, and Coteaux du Languedoc, Picpoul de Pinet is the appellation (wine-growing region). This is a refreshing white wine that pairs well with the variety of seafood available in Southern France. It’s not as steely as a Chablis, and its tropical and fleshy fruit elements make for a clean, easy-drinking, enjoyable wine.

In my next post, I’ll cover the wines from southern France that I tasted this month. There is quite a variety, and the wines tend to be very affordable (only one wine I tasted this month was above $20). I like this combination of low prices and grape variety, because it makes it easy to try a lot of different bottle. There’s treasure there if you make the effort to do a bit of hunting.

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Leave a Comment Filed Under: French Wine Tagged With: France

Riesling

JJ Prüm

Less is More

By VineSleuth Contributing Writer Steve Gross

by VineSleuth Contributing Writer Steve Gross

Now I know what all the fuss is about….

Red Bordeaux Wines Tasted

Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2004 $85

Mouton Cadet Bordeaux 2010 $8 13.5% ABV

Chateau Lepine 2009 $12 13.5% ABV

Chateau Bois-Martin Pessac-Leognan 2007 $24

by Steve Gross, VineSleuth Contributing Writer

by VineSleuth Contributing Writer, Steve Gross

Series by VineSleuth Contributing Writer, Steve Gross

Mouton Cadet Bordeaux 2010 $8
13.5% ABV

Chateau Lepine 2009 $12
13.5% ABV