2006 Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil La Martinière

March 6, 2009 | In WINE REVIEWS | No Comments

bourgueilThe 2006 Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil from La Martniere is a hard wine to figure- Cabernet Franc can be many things; dark and peppery, rich and plush, or in this case bright red, spicy, and almost aggressivly acidic, this one needs a chill and some cured meats, or perhaps some cold chicken. Rarely does stainless steel vinification seem so evident; we would have guessed carbonic maceration as well. On the nose this is all bright juicy cherries, extremly fresh on the palate, again, so bright and fresh that without some kind of fattiness, it just doesn’t work.

2004 Condado de Haza Ribera del Duero

March 3, 2009 | In WINE REVIEWS | No Comments

condadoAnother delicious Tempranillo, this one from the Ribera del Duero. Ribera del is the Cotes du of Spain, literally the banks(coast, rib) of… these wines tend to be gutsier more extracted wines then Rioja- about 80 miles Northeast, with vineyards on both sides of the Duero river, further West, the famous Douro river of Portugal- The Ribera del Duero lies on a plateau at 850 meters, the summer days are hot, dry and bright, the night temperature can drop as much as 40 degrees- this kind of temperature variation is the key to lively acidity in big extracted red wines, and Condado del Haza has all that. Big, extracted bright fruit, blueberries, cassis, chocolate and espresso dominate the palate along with a bit of smoked meat. On top of all that, bright juicy acidity lend a freshness that makes this wine seem lighter then it is. 15 months in American oak rounds out the tannins and gives notes of cedar and vanilla- another wine for grilled meat or rustic cheeses.

2004 Finca Allende Rioja

March 3, 2009 | In WINE REVIEWS | No Comments

finca-allende1From time to time you’ll hear people compare Tempranillo to Pinot Noir, a comparison that almost never stands up to scrutiny- with the 2004 Finca Allende Rioja, the comparison stands up. 100% Tempranillo aged in new and used French oak, this doesn’t taste like Pinot, but like good Pinot, this wine is packed with dense fruit, dark rather then light, has a smoky, earthy aromatic complexity, leather and mint, and with all this denseness and complexity, it has a lightness that dances on the palate and keeps you reaching for the glass. This is modernist Rioja, very drinkable at this tender young age, french oak and no designation on the bottle telling us that its a crianza, which it is-Great to drink now with roast or grilled meat, definitly be cool to lay a few of these down and watch their evolvution. Available for $20-$25, a definite deal.

Weird Wine of the Week: 2006 Gugiarolo Pinot Nero Vercesi Del Castellazzo

March 3, 2009 | In WINE REVIEWS | No Comments

gugiarolo1Weird? Maybe not, when you think about it, lots of white wines come from red grapes- a blanc de noir from champagne is 100% Pinot Noir, as are plenty of white sparklers from around the world. Still wines like this are pretty rare, so it makes you wonder, why take Pinot Noir and vinify it white? Often, as in the case of lots of those sparklers, its that that Pinot adds aromatic complexity and loads of acid despite(or because of) the fact that it often doesn’ t fully ripen in northern zones. The 2006 Gugiarolo from Vercesi del Castellazzo is a case in point; straw yellow with green highlights,  delicate floral aromatic complexity that includes a bit of lime skin, lemon and a bitter almond skin like finish and a ton of acidity-  the Gugiarolo a wine thats gonna blow your hair back? Probably not, itsclean, its bright and easy to drink, but to us at The UnCorker, its instructive- from this bottle, we learn that red wine gets its color from its skin, not its flesh, that its fun to say Oltrepo Pavase,  the DOC, which clearly allows almost anything if it allows for this unusual wine.

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