Wines of November 2019
I hope you are not too stuffed from Thanksgiving - here are some wines I've enjoyed.
2015 Feixa Negra,
Priorat, Spain
Tasting Notes: This
is 50% Garnacha and 50% Carineña, and thus a classic Priorat blend. It sees six months in oak barrels. The color is a dark, ruby red and
transparent. Red and black fruits on the
nose, with hints of oak, vanilla and caramel.
On the palate the wine has brisk tannins and good balance. It is medium+ in body. Nice structure frames a long finish. This is a quality wine, and is just short of
the big, bold Priorats that would also cost much more. Here you get all the pieces, albeit in a
slightly tamed version. Still, it is an
excellent wine and shows you what Priorat can bring.
A very good wine that
I got for about $10. Still had a little tannin so not close to over the hill.
Bright fruits, a broad palate and a good finish. Really nice bottle of wine
from Priorat that was affordable.
2014 Gravel Bar
Alluvial Red Blend, Columbia Valley, Washington
This is a full-bodied red with vibrant flavors of dried
cherries, plum, toffee, chocolate and vanilla. The structure is rich, with bold
tannins extending the finish.
Pairs well with lamb burgers, beef stew and baked penne with
pork ragu.
Blend: 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 15% Cabernet
Franc, 10% Malbec, 10% Petit Verdot
VINEYARD NOTES:
For more than twenty centuries, torrential floodwaters from
melting ice-age glaciers sculpted eastern
Washington's Columbia Valley, leaving in their wake deep
deposits of sandy, rocky, alluvial soils. Today, framing the Columbia River, broad plains of ancient sediment
constitutes one of the world's finest wine grape growing regions.
This wine is at its
peak about now. Pleasant blend with a broad palate of red fruits. Tannins are
mostly gone but a nice moderate finish. I got it for about $10, but worth the
$15-18.
2016 Walking Dead
Cabernet Sauvignon, California
The Wine:
Don’t let this wine catch you unaware, The Walking Dead
Cabernet Sauvignon opens with notes of blackberry with nutmeg and mocha spices.
This full-bodied wine reveals flavors of dark cherries and currants which pool
on the palate, giving way to notes of mocha and spice. Fine, chocolaty tannins
hold the long smooth finish.
Winemaking:
To achieve the rich varietal expression and approachable
fruit profile in our Cabernet Sauvignon, we harvested our fruit at the peak of
ripeness, followed by frequent pump-overs throughout fermentation. This
constant contact between the skins and juice enables maximum flavor extraction
from the fruit. We then aged the wine for approximately 11 months in a
combination of American and French oak barrels to lend sweet, toasty vanilla
tones and build structure.
OK, I got this for
under $10 (7.99 maybe). Not the worst wine I’ve had, but it didn’t do a lot for
me. Nose was just average, the mouthfeel was a little hollow in the middle
palate. Finish was relative short, not much tannin. Drink at your own risk…
2017 Gonzalo de
Berceo Tempranillo Blanco, Rioja, Spain
Bright and clear, this wine projects a pale, lemon yellow
color and really shines in the glass. Great, expressive aromas of peach, pear
& tropical fruits, with nuances of fresh grass, cream & white pepper.
This complex nose leads to a fresh, crisp palate, that is suprisingly round as
well, with reminiscent ripe & tropical fruits. A gem of a wine.
An elegant, yet lifted aroma of ripe fruits and a touch of
organic earth rise from the glass. A touch of spices, cream & vanilla from
the oak aging is present as well. The flavor matches, with an elegant, mellow
yet fresh and ripe palate. Velvety tannins close out this wine, and enough
acidity to provide a well balanced wine.
White Tempranillo was
discovered in 1988 – in the mid 2000’s, it was finally approved as a white
version of the Spanish red Tempanillo. Only grows in Rioja and often used as
blending grape with other white grapes, this is an excellent white wine. Nice
acidity for food, good fruits, pear and tropical and nuances of spices. Little
pricey, but worth a try at around $26.
2017 Malpie Listan
Negro, Canary Islands, Spain
Among the young wine selections, a young and pleasant red.
Cherry red with violet tones of great intensity, clean and bright. Aromas of
minerals and wild red fruits, balsamic. Great body and volume. The palate is
powerful, enveloping, fresh while intense, ripe tannins and long pass.
This is an unusual but
very nice wine from the Canary Islands (part of Spain, even though they lie off
the coast of Africa). Not a lot of tannin, but nice bright red fruits, acidity
for food and a modest yet pleasing finish. Flavor I described as silky yet a
hint dusty, like volcanic ash. Runs around $23 – worth a try to say you have
had it!
2011 Finca San Blas
Labor del Almadeque, Utiel-Requena, Spain
Grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon 50% and Tempranillo 50%.
Vineyard: Tempranillo comes from the plot called «Viña
Norte» (5 ha) and Cabernet Sauvignon, from the one named «El Duende» (4 ha).
Planting pattern 2800 vines per ha. High density and leaf surface treillis.
Clayey-chalky soil.
Winemaking: each grape variety is fermented separately.
Maceration for three weeks. Malolactic fermentation in new French oak barrels
from the center of France, fine-grained and slightly toasted.
Aging: 16 months in new French oak barrels (fine-grained)
from Allier forests (Cabernet Sauvignon) and second-use American oak barrels
(Tempranillo).
Tasting notes: opaque cherry red colour. Intense and highly
concentrated aromas, ripe black fruit with hints of jam and marmalade, smoky
oak, spicy hints of clove and pepper. Strong end, especially liquorice and
fennel. The palate is tasty, fleshy, with ripe and very rounded tannins. Nice
hints of very well integrated oak, with sweety notes and a spicy and mineral
background. Long aftertaste.
I noted this a a big
broad shoulder wine – and this is the current release (2011). The tannins are
still holding in this wine, with deep dark fruits, a good palate filling flavor
and a lengthy finish. Really good blend
that would hold up for several years of aging. Priced at around $23, very nice bottle
of wine.
2015 Demencia Taruquin
Tinto, Ribera del Duero, Spain
*RATING: 91 Points - The Wine Advocate* More arrogant,
independent, very elegant and deep, it is a great expression of an area and an
old vineyard that we work organically. With a nose that mixes mint and chalk
sensations, the 2015 Taruguin feels quite different from the 2014. The fruit is
ripe without excess, the oak is neatly integrated and there is better balance
and less rusticity on the palate. There are abundant tannins that are going to
require some time in bottle to be rendered invisible. A powerful Tempranillo!
Pairs well with the classic, grilled meat dishes of the region. Lamb or beef
lead the way, but can also be had with many game dishes, as well as hearty
stews and the like. Ribera del Duero D.O.
This wines nose was a
little subdues, but the flavors burst on the palate. There are tannins, this
wine will age for a number of years. I called it a real big-boy type of wine,
approachable but better in a few years. Needs a slab of red meat to go with it!
Priced at about $24, well worth the price to stash away.
2013 Finca San Blas
Vino Dulce, Utiel-Requena, Spain
Grapes varieties: Merseguera 50 % and Chardonnay 50%.
Harvest: by hand in small crates of 10 kg in the first two
weeks of December 2013.
Climatology of 2013: this summer was stormy and not very
hot. September was cool and rainy, with frequent fogs on the selected plots.
Development of abundant botrytis cinerea during October. Natural drying of some
grains.
Winemaking and aging: soft pressing for more than 12 h.
Natural fermentation, without added yeast or sulfurous, at room temperature
(12ºC), in second year oak barrels until the end of September 2014 (= almost 1
year fermenting), until it stops spontaneously. Aging with its own yeast in the
oak barrels where it fermented, for 15 more months.
Total production: 800 bottles.
Tasting note of the prestigious British magazine Decanter:
“beautifully honeyed and ripe Sauternes-like nose of peach, grape seed,
pineapple, passion fruit, saffron, marzipan and tangy marmalade notes. The brilliant
jab of wonderfully fresh acidity on the palate cuts through the honey and
spice, butterscotch, mango and toffee and leads to a great length.”
Alcohol: 10.5% vol.
A very nice version of
a dessert wine – or a “sticky” as the Aussies would say. Sweet, but with well
developed flavors and a good finish. Pricey, but most decent dessert wines tend
to be - $41 per 500ml.
2017
Domaine-Thevenot-lebrun Bourgogne Haute
Cotes de Nuits, Burgundy, France
It can be aged from 5 to 10 years but can be consumed from
now to keep the fruity side.
Les Renardes is a 2.5 ha parcel in Marey les Fussey in the
heart of the Hautes Cotes de Nuits region. The slope is steep with a south-west
south orientation. The top-soil is very thin what forces the vines roots to get
deep in the soil to find water. The vines were planted in 1983.
The fermentation is made by natural yeasts with a maceration
of 15 to 20 days. The maturing is made in 1 to 3 years barrels during 12
months.
This wine comes from their Les Renardes vineyard, a 6 acre
parcel in the heart of the Hautes Cotes de Nuits region. The slope is steep
with a south-west, south orientation. The top-soil is very thin so the mature
vines, planted in 1983, have very deep roots. The grapes are fermented with
natural yeasts and macerated 15-20 days. It's aged in oak for 12 months.
Tasting Notes
The nose is complex with a mix of fruity, spicy and floral
notes. In mouth the first feeling is on the roundness and then the tannins
appear to end on a very nice length.
2017 was a very fine vintage that many growers are comparing
the outstanding 2002 and this single vineyard Pinot Noir, although leaner and
racier than the wines from lower down on the slope, it still shows beautiful
cherry and strawberry with herbal hints on the nose and a lovely roundness on
the palate with caressing tannins and ripe fruit to balance the mouthwatering
acidity.
Until the prices start to catch up to the quality, this is
your best opportunity to enjoy red Burgundy with distinct character and
complexity that's completely affordable!
A nice affordable
bottle of Burgundy – this wine had a nice nose and red fruit in a full
mouthfeel. Decent acidity to make a good match with a holiday meal; good sipper
as well. Finish was modest, not a lot of tannin, so drink over the next two years.
Gift, but estimated around $20’ish. A nice
Pinot from France.
Well, another month has flown by and Christmas is pressing upon us. Enjoy and be careful - keep popping those corks and I'll meet you out behind the grapevines!
