The UnCorker

Weird Wine of the Week: 2007 St. Laurent Klassisch, Hannes Schuster

The day will come when Austrian or German reds don’t automatically qualify for “weird” status in North America, but country of origin is not the only unusual aspect of this wine.  The varietal, St. Laurent, was once near extinction – a forgotten distant cousin to Pinot Noir – and the wine-making itself here flies boldly in the face of what the North American market supposedly demands from a red wine.  A  first whiff immediately reveals that this bottle is all about the fruit, which is farmer’s market fresh.  When you visit a winery and get a chance to taste the must – when the grapes have been crushed, but are not yet wine – you realize that the tannins at this point in the process are sweet and soft, like white tea.   And when the fruit itself is delicious, you can taste it – full, mouth-filling, sweet, and distinctive.  It is only during vinification, and the oak barrel aging that often follows, that red wine makers strive to tame this vulgar youthfulness in the wines and often end up struggling to keep the distinctiveness of the grapes with which they started.

Continue reading Weird Wine of the Week: 2007 St. Laurent Klassisch, Hannes Schuster…

2000 Bandol Domaine Tempier

So much has been written about Domaine Tempier by Robert Parker, Kermit Lynch, and everybody else with a pen or keyboard that we at The UnCorker thought it would be remiss to not do a bit of the same after having a bottle of their 2000 Bandol with a hanger steak a poivre last night. This is their entry level, a blend from all of their vineyards and a relative bargain at $30 bucks.

Bandol is a tiny AOC on the Provencal Mediterraenean- here, Mouvedre is king, and it produces lush, powerfully long lived wines. This blessed chunk of land is rugged, covered in aromatic herbs, has an abundance of sunshine, and is overrun with tourists from May through September.  The much heralded Domaine Tempier is the producer par excellence, though several other can occasionally give them a run for the money. The Bandol Rose produced here is often considered the finest in France. Grenache and Cinsaut are grown and allowed in the AOC, and really shine in the rose.

The 2000 Bandol from Domaine Tempier starts with whiffs of bacon fat, garrigue and wet earth. some dark berries follow with a palate that mirrors the nose and also has some smoke, tar and a bloody minerality that complemented my red meat so perfectly, I swear I almost cried. Decant Decant Decant

2007 Kerner Abbazia di Novacella-Stiftkellerei Neustift

The very farthest Northern DOC in all of Italy, Valle Isarco is where Abbazia di Novacella or Stiftkelleri Neustift produces white german varietals at around 2000 feet in the foothills of the Dolomites- a rich cultural stew of Germanic, Italian, and Slavic produce an alpine culture with a love of rich foods and crisp white wines- and so what if there’s a tad bit of sweetness? Get over it- the wine is ripe, aromatic, and at 14%abv, there is’nt much in the way of residual sugar. Plus, Kerner’s an unusual grape, originally a German grape,  a cross between (Trollinger)Schiava, an indigenous red grape, and Riesling, and is named after a 19th century writer of drinking songs.

The 2007 Kerner from Abbazia di Novacella is a beaut- all stainless steel vinification, and boy does it show; crispy and clean with a precise aromas of white peaches, grapefruit and flowers. Medium on the palate, it strikes a lovely balance between powerful acidity/minerality and fruit. Bracing and best drunk young- impress your winegeek friends- drink Kerner.

Weird Wine of the Week: Pulenta Estate Cabernet Franc Tardio 2004

Is this Weird Wine? Hmm…. where to start.  First of all, botrytis cinerea, the fungus which in it’s benign form is called the “noble rot” and is responsible for some of the world’s finest sweet wines – is not supposed to make good red wines.  Botrytis feeds on the skins, where red wines get their tannins and flavor, robbing red grapes of their pigment and producing off-odors in the wine during maceration. Sweet cabernet franc is therefore more common in ice-wine country, such as Southern Ontario – where long growing seasons are combined with early freezing conditions in certain years and complex sweet wines can be made without the help of the fungus.  Secondly, at 980 metres above sea level near the city of Mendoza lies the Pulenta Estate, which is fine Argentinian wine country – dry as hell, with thin air, and perfect for ripening red grapes.   However, its not humid enough for botrytis. The fungus just doesn’t show up, preferring damp Burgundy ocean moisture or finicky Bordeaux microclimates to this land of open ranges and pantalooned gauchos.

Continue reading Weird Wine of the Week: Pulenta Estate Cabernet Franc Tardio 2004…

Zimberno Aglianico Del Vulture 2005

With only 600,00 occupants, Basilicata is one of Italy’s least populated regions, and probably the least important (viticulturally speaking)- with only one DOC to speak of, and that accounting for less then 2% of production. But what a DOC; Aglianico del Vulture, 1000 acres of volcanic soils on the slopes of the extinct Mount Vulture. Along with the Aglianico’s of Taurasi, these are some of the last grapes to be picked in all of Italy- hot days, cool nights, mineral rich volcanic soils, and low yields of a grape perfectly suited to its enviornment make for a tannic wine with the huge potential of Nebbiolo or Sangiovese for character and ageability. Aglianico can be stubborn, and many producers are adding French oak barriques to their repertoire, to tame and refine it a bit.

This is Michele LaLuce’s “Zimberno,”  a single vineyard Aglianico from young vines. It’s medium bodied, but with dark garnet color, and packed with complex flavors.  Intensly dark juicy briary fruit, plums, and violets- great minerality and acidity with the hallmark aromas of tobacco, cocoa and tar.  Quite dry and austere on the finish – enjoyable now, if a little challenging, and might really sing in another couple of years.

Bouza “Parcela Unica” Tannat A8 – 2007

Uruguay, especially with the tannat based wines for which it is most well known, is evolving as a world class originator of powerhouse reds.  And to our knowledge the source for the most reliably well-crafted of Uruguayan tannat is Bodega Bouza.   Bouza bills themselves as the only ’boutique’ winery in the country.  We’re not sure what that means exactly – but if it means controlled production, incredible attention to detail, and spare-no-expense winemaking then this claim may very well be true.    Quality is a fetish at Bouza – evident in everything they do – from their bespoke monogrammed French Oak barriques to the drip irrigation system installed in their restaurant’s vegetable garden.  The Bouza family made their fortune in the frozen food business, and this winery (purchased in 2001 and completely revamped since)  must be their attempt to purge their souls of all those TV dinners they’ve put into the world.

A lot of Uruguay wineries still use cement fermentation tanks, and Bouza – which also has modern stainless steel and oak fermentation tanks, is no exception.  But the way they have modified their cement tanks reveals a lot about this place – the tanks, which date back long before the family purchased this winery,  have been painstakenly sub-divided, so as to vinify by smaller ‘lot.’   This enables them to individually taste and track each lot of grapes throughout the winemaking process – blending some for their regular tannat, and bottling the best of the lots individually as “Parcela Unica.” The tanks’ beautiful epoxy linings and gleaming steel hardware make you quickly realize that this place may have history – but in Bouza’s case, it’s been retrofitted and tricked out with the latest and greatest technology.  None of this might surprise in California, but this is Uruguay – a laid-back and simple land dominated by agriculture whose only touch of pretension is the visiting hordes of city-slicker Argentinians who flood into the nearby Punta del Este beach resorts.

The A8 lot is from their Las Violetas vineyard, where each berry was hand-sorted and  selected after destemming.   Only 3200 bottles were made.  The wine is their most aged offering, with 18 months on first-use French oak.   Tannat is supposedly to Uruguay as malbec is to Argentina, but this is one of the only 100% tannat wines from Uruguay that can stand up to the very top Argentinian malbecs.  This wine is age-worthy, but enjoyable right now with an extracted boquet of intensely wild briary fruit, dark and full and spicy on the mid-palatte, and a lingering finish with unusually balanced and complete tannins for tannat (the grape’s name means “tannin” after all, in French.)   At around $45, this wine represents value when compared to it’s Argentinian (or certainly European) peers.  For around twice this price, you can buy from the winemakers favorite barrells, which are designated on the label on those particular releases, but we haven’t tried this.  It feels like a gimmick, but may be something a collector would be interested in.  An UnCorker Tip: 2009 is looking to be a fantastic vintage in Uruguay, with a long and dry growing season – in fact, Bouza used irrigation for the first time ever this year… so watch out for these releases a couple of years down the road.

Weird Wine of the Week- 2005 Vinedo de los Vientos ‘Angel’s Cuvée’ Ripasso de Tannat

OK- There’s nothing intriniscally weird about Tannat, the country of Uruguay, or ripasso wines- put those three together, and you have the unusual 2005 Vinedo de los Vientos ‘Angel’s Cuvee’ Ripasso de Tannat. Uruguay isn’t your average wine-lover’s go to country, but it is a country on the move(viticulturally speaking). The 4th largest wine producer in south America, the people of Uruguay consume on average 32 liters of wine per year- a significant amount- with almost half the population living in and around the capital of Montevideo, the demand is high, so until recently, they hardly exported a drop. Wine has been produced in Uruguay for 150 years, from vines brought over by immigrants from from Italy and Spain’s Basque country, but the focus has been on quantity at the expense of quality. At least until the last decade when quality wines from Argentina and Chile started flooding  markets in North and South America- Uruguay has been rushing to catch up- and it seems as though tannat will be their signature grape.

Continue reading Weird Wine of the Week- 2005 Vinedo de los Vientos ‘Angel’s Cuvée’ Ripasso de Tannat…

The Great Whites of Campania

It’s 60 degrees today, and we at The UnCorker are looking to spring and all that means to us; grilled seafood, warm days and cool nights, the end(for now) of slow cooked heavy meals with big warming reds, and the chance to drink white wine all night long. The whites we’re thinking about right now; the bright, focused, unoaked whites from sunny Campania. The Romans knew Campania, with its capital of Napoli as the premier viticultural spot of the isthmus, if not the whole Mediterranean world. The region offers endless hillside sites, volcanic soils, plenty of sun, and temperature variations from day to night extreme enough to allow grapes to ripen over a very long growing season(Aglianico grown here is often not harvested until November) without cooking the grapes.

When the Northern Italians were producing oxidized whites that could only be characterized as drinkable at best, Campanians were making bright, focused white wines of real character. While Campania saw a decrease in quality and consumption in their whites for a time, the 1980’s saw investment in the cellar, and a lot of hard work in the vineyards; together, these factors have brought recognition and a big market for these remarkable, well-priced wines.

2007 Fiano Di Avellino Colli Di Lapio Clelia

Pale yellow. Intense nose opens slowly to offer  aromas of green apple, minerals, thyme and a bit of minty herbacousness. Green pear and stone fruit, menthol and a bit of brinyness typical of these southern whites  emerge on the palate, with strong, bright acids giving them focus. Finishes very long and clean, with lingering flavors of lemon, pine needles and powdered stone.

The Romans knew Fiano Di Avellino as Vitis Apiana, meaning the bees were all over it, prized for its almond hazelnut nuttiness and its fresh green pears, there are plenty of producers to be on the watch for; Ocone, Matroberadino, Terredora to name a few.

Falanghina is another ancient grape, the name deriving from the phalanges the Greeks would use to train the vine. Falanghina is bright and juicy like Fiano, with fewer savory aspects, but often with more bright tropical, zesty fruit.

2007 Falanghina Cantina del Taburno

Bright yellow with green tints, zesty lemon and stone fruits- beautifully fresh and appealing, with hints of almonds and white flowers. Acid and crisp minerality balance the fruit perfectly- a wine for sipping with shellfish, or a light meal, or sitting out in the sun on a warm afternoon.

Other good producers are abundent, just remember that these are wines to be enjoyed young-  We at The UnCorker even found a Puglian Falanghina (a real oddity) that knocked our socks off; from Alberto Longo, worth seeking out.

Greco di Tufo is believed to be the ancestor of Siciliy’s Grecanico, and Umbria’s Grecchetto- grapes that don’t really resemble Greco all that much, but show how long its been around, and how over time, vitis viniferia can mutate and change. Greco di Tufos have that typical Campanian brightjuicyacidity, on a slightly leaner frame then Falanghina or Fiano; they can be racy with a mineral delicacy that is quite refreshing.

2007 Greco di Tufo ‘Loggia della Serra’ Terredora Dipaoalo

A single vineyard Greco di Tufo from one of Campania’s premier producers, this is a powerful Greco di Tufo with aromas of white peach, green fruit and an herbal almost minty quality. Very precise delineation on the palate, with a great deal of focus, and the typical juicy acidity and pronounced minerality one expects from Campania.

Coda di Volpe is not a wine you’ll bump into many shops or restaurants, small production and small demand adds up to not much imported, and thats a shame, because Coda di Volpe is capable of producing memorable wines with real character. The name means foxtail, a reference to the shape of the elongated bunches on the vine, sometimes used in blends, Coda di Volpa can be a bit fuller and fleshier then Greco, Fiano, or Falanghina, but still has ample Campanian traits.

2007 Coda di Volpe ‘Bianco’ Perillo

Bright straw yellow with green tints, the Perillo Coda di Volpe has bright juicy green pear and an almost lifted nose with a hint of chamomille and white flowers and vanilla. With a layer of fat richness underneath all that fruit, its followed by a long liltingly acidic finish- a real beauty that makes us think about fat shrimp coming right off a grill.

2006 Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil La Martinière

The 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

Another 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.