Two excellent American Pinot Noirs

 When it comes to American Pinot Noir, it is safest to avoid the 2019 and 2020 vintages. 2019 was very small, and 2020 affected by wildfires. However, 2018 and 2021 were very good.

At a recent tasting, I found two American Pinot Noirs standing out. The first was the 2018 Willakenzie Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. This not well known Oregon winery has 420 acres of vineyards across a diversity of soil, aspect, and elevation. The structure built around grippy tannins is the major feature of this blended wine. Blue fruit flavours give way to savoury notes of mushroom and licorice. This is quite different from a pretty wine; more like a grizzly bear, but well balanced (94 points).

The second wine was the 2021 Littorai Les Larmes Pinot Noir. Littorai is one of the influential and trend setting wineries in Northern California, pushing in particular higher altitude vineyards closer to the coast. Most wines are single vineyard, but Les Larmes is a blend from Sonoma vineyards. This is quite a fresh and racy wine. Red fruits, in particular pomegranate feature. The wine shows firm minerality and a lasting finish (94 points).

Portuguese White Wine

 Portuguese white wine is not something you come across every day. Recently I had the opportunity to taste five high quality Portuguese white wines. They showed interesting personalities, quite different from anything you would taste from France, Italy, Germany, the US, or Australia. All these wines are blends of a number of indigenous varieties. The winemakers claim this is not important. It is about the site.

The first wine was a 2019 Antonio Madeira A Liberdade from Dão. This is a blend of 23 varieties, wines come from two vineyards 25 and 80 years old. This wine has a darker, almost golden colour. In the mouth, the wine is quite thick with yellow peach on the front palate, but merging into lemon curd and a saline finish. The structure is more rounded than linear and the acidity not high (92 points).

The second wine was the 2019 Luis Seabra Xista Ilimitado from Douro. Louis Seabra studied under Dirk Niepoort, the most influential white wine maker in Portugal. This wine had a lighter colour, probably reflecting higher altitude vineyards. and more of a citrus flavour, and also stone fruit. There is Asian Five Spice and good energy in this wine (92 points).

The third wine was different again. The 2018 Vinho Imperfeitos D&V Code from Dão and Vinho Verde is made at tiny volumes and is a bit of a cult wine. The wine has good drive on the back of citrus flavours. This is quite a gentle wine. There are almond flavours on the palate. The acidity is medium. This wine is perhaps the most sophisticated of the line-up, but the price is hard to justify (93 points).

My favorite was the 2019 Antonio Madeira Branco. This wine has incredible personality. The wine is very peppery. The wine has more of a herbal character, with celery, fennel, and ginger prominent. This is quite a unique wine, very spicy. It would work well with Asian food (93 points). 

The final wine was the 2020 Luis Seabra Xisto Cru Branco. It is a field blend, as the others, with Rabigato the main variety. The vines are at least 70 years old, grown on schisty soil. The dominant flavour in this wine is pineapple. The wine has spent time on lees. It has some lactic or creamy feel, probably from malolactic fermentation. There is some minerality on the palate. The wine is well balanced with a bit more acidity than in the other wines (92 points).

If you like a more full-bodied white wine, you go for #1. If you like a citrus wine more closer to what you know, wine #2 is for you. Wine #3 is only for people where money is no object. Wine #4 is the most unusual, very spicy. And wine #5 is the most worked and complex wine. 

After Five Wine Co. Aglianico

 I am continuing with my exploration of less mainstream varieties. Aglianico is a highly regarded grape variety of Southern Italy, mainly grown in Campania. Australian wineries are interested in hot climate varieties for obvious reasons. The After Five Wine Co. is a second label of Purple Hands, focussing on single vineyard wines in the Barossa. The 2021 After Five Wine Co. Aglianico comes from Williamstown, the most southern sub-region of the Barossa Valley. 

This wine is black fruited with blackberry and mulberry flavours. The wine has good concentration and is full-bodied. However, I find it somewhat rustic, not very round in the mouth. I taste a sharp edge, based on firm acidity. The tannins are coarse. Obviously, this wine is too young to drink. Some of the rough edges will mellow over time.

Score: 88/0

Ferdinando Principiano Langhe Nebbiolo

 Langhe Nebbiolo is a wine made from the Nebbiolo grape which does not meet the strict criteria of Barbaresco or Barolo denomination. There can basically be three reasons for this. The grapes may come from the wider Langhe region, they are declassified, or they are young. The most interesting case for me is when the wine is made from young grapes. This then expresses the typicity of Nebbiolo in the Barolo or Barbaresco region, as well as give an early insight into the vintage (away from the usual hype) of the Barolos to come. So today I review the 2021 Ferdinando Principiano Langhe Nebbiolo.

The fruit comes from the southern part of the Barolo region, mostly Serralunga, I think. The colour of the wine is very bright, rose petal notes emerging from the glass. 

On the palate, you notice the freshness and lifted character of the wine, with red cherry, redcurrant and pomegranate flavours building a harmonious mouthfeel. Earthy and savoury notes are in the background, but will become more of a factor over time. The tannins are very silky, and the finish is long and lasting. This is a terrific expression of young Nebbiolo.

I like this wine a lot. And at the fraction of the Barolo prices, I will be drinking more of this style.

Score: 93/+++ 

 

Envinate Taganan Tinto

 I am currently keen to explore wines I have not tried before, as evidenced by the last few posts. Today, I am going to Tenerife, the Spanish island in the Atlantic. Envinate owns a number of vineyards on the island. Taganan is a village wine made from vineyards at the northern tip of the island. The vineyards  sit at an altitude of 75 to 400 meters, the minimum vine age is 50 years, grown on basalt. The 2020 Envinate Taganan Tinto is a blend of several local varieties. The winemaking is modern, using indigenous yeast, and a considerable amount of whole bunch. The wine is matured in used small barrels for 12 months.

The wine has a bright red colour. Fresh red cherry flavours hit the palate. This is a lively wine, at just 12% alcohol. There is some spice and earthy notes. This is a fruity wine, balanced by some pronounced acidity. The finish is a bit plump and not long.

Overall, this is a refreshing and vibrant wine, well made, but not complex.

Score: 88/+ 

  

Unico Zelo New Releases

 Unico Zelo is my favourite producer of natural wines next to Gentle Folks. It also has a very strong environmental bend and co-operative focus. I cannot quite understand Unico Zelo's portfolio, but in any case, I just tasted three wines just released. They are all based on Italian varieties, better suited to Australian climate or at least the warm areas where these wines come from.

The 2022 Jade & Jasper is the Fiano. The fruit comes from the Riverland. Obviously, most Riverland fruit is for large industrial production, but there is now one or the other grower who is serious about quality and Unico Zelo has access to them. This wine is very fresh, with peach flavour and with a good acidic backbone. Not much complexity, but a well made quaffer (86 points).

The 2022 Truffle Hound, as the name suggests, has its conceptual home in Piedmont. It is a Nebbiolo/Barbera/Sangiovese/Merlot blend. I struggled with this. One would expect quite a savoury and gamy expression, but this wine is quite fruit forward as well. The fruit is from Clare Valley and McLaren Vale. There is some licorice and spice on the palate, but the fruit is very dominant (86 points).

My pick of the three is the 2022 Fresh A.F. This is a Nero d'Avola with added Grenache and a dash of the white variety Zibibbo from Riverland. Brendan and Laura Carter love Nero d'Avola the most, because it is so water efficient. The cherry fruit is very vibrant. In terms of fruit weight, the wine sits between a Rosé and a Pinot Noir. I recommend to drink it slightly chilled. A great pizza wine (88 points).

The key feature about these wines is their freshness. I think about them as grape juice with alcohol. They are well made, very drinkable, and well priced.

Thymiopoulos Xinomavro Young Vines

 Wines from Greece have not achieved the same level of general acceptance as, say, wines from France, Germany, Italy, or Spain, despite its long history of winemaking. However, this may be changing. Assyrtiko from Santorini is certainly on the map now. The leading red variety is Xinomavro, and its leading region Naoussa in Macedonia. Until now I was skeptical about this having had some quite harsh wines from there some years ago. However, this has all changed since I have been exposed to the 2020 Thymiopoulos Xinomavro Young Vines. This is a very good wine which offers sensational value.

This wine is quite floral and lifted on the nose. The colour of this medium-bodied wine is bright. Earthy notes add to the red cherry and cranberry flavours. The wine is elegant with an appealing texture. It is light footed, and defies its 13.5% alcohol level. The tannins are well integrated and seamless. It could be taken for a Pinot Noir.

This is a very well made wine. It is the entry level. Apostolos Thymiopoulos is making five or six other reds which I have yet to try. I bought a 12 bottle case of this wine, which I rarely do. I highly recommend this wine. 

Score: 93/+++

  

Coriole Fiano

 I am not very experienced with Fiano. This 2022 Coriole Fiano is as bland as its label.

It starts with good fruit purity and flavours of green apple, pear, and grapefruit. Once the wine gets to the mid palate, it loses itself. I am not sure if it is a lack of acidity, intensity or texture. The finish is medium minus.

This is a pleasant summer drink, not very demanding. A number of wineries in McLaren Vale are pushing Fiano. I hope some more interesting wines will emerge.

Score: 86/- 

Château Clos de Boüard Bordeaux

 With ever increasing prices of wines from the best European regions, one is tempted to try new producers who still need to establish their brand. Obviously one needs to be selective. When I came across a new wine from a co-owner of Château Angélus, Coralie de Boüard, I thought this is worth trying, given she knows how top class wine is produced. This is my experience with the 2016 Château Clos de Boüard Bordeaux from the mountain area of Saint-Emilion.

So this is a wine at 15% alcohol. It had to happen in Bordeaux. This has not been a pretty experience. You smell the alcohol already on the nose. The wine is dark fruited with earthy notes. However, the alcohol kills the fruit quality. The wine is dense and ripe with firm tannins, but the alcohol kills these, too.

This was really unpleasant. Only the second time in my life did I add water to  wine to achieve some dilution. Not surprisingly, this did not help the taste.

Score: 76/---

PS: I woke up with a headache.

Shadowfax Straws Lane Pinot Noir

 When discussing wines from the Geelong region, the wineries which foremost come to mind are Bannockburn and By Farr. But there are others. Shadowfax is particularly interesting though, because it has ventured out to other regions. A special vineyard is Straws Lane in the Macedon Ranges, a very well suited region for premium Pinot Noir. It is a 40 year old vineyard, closely planted, on granite soil. My first exposure to it is the 2019 Shadowfax Straws Lane Pinot Noir.

This is an energetic wine with pretty blackberry flavours and lively acidity. The wine has an attractive saline character. It comes a bit at the expense  of a rounded mouthfeel, but the wine is serious and pleasant at the same time.

Score: 93/++

Three Châteauneuf-du-Pape

 I am continuing the theme of Grenache a bit more. It is not often you find a 100% Grenache in the Southern Rhone and possibly not at all in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the most highly regarded region there. Still, this is where I am heading today. I drank three Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines over three consecutive nights, all from 2016. This is what I found.

Those who have followed my blog for some years will know that I have a soft spot for Vieux Télégraphe. The 2016 Vieux Télégraphe is quite a ripe wine, yet it is balanced with complex flavours of blackberry, black cherry, olive, tobacco, and spice. Despite being full-bodied, it is an elegant wine. It feels very settled, with finesse and a smooth finish. The Grenache component in this GSM is 65%. These old vines are grown on the famous rocky soil of La Crau. This wine is quite dark and savoury, maybe not quite expected for a Grenache dominant wine.

Score: 96/+++

The 2016 Château de Vaudieu Châteauneuf-du-Pape is not the top bottling of this chateau, and it certainly did not measure up to the Vieux Télégraphe. The grapes are grown on sandy soil. This wine appears bigger in the mouth, reflecting the very dark colour. It is a juicier, more forward wine with earthy flavours. I would have anticipated a larger Shiraz component. However, this wine is 80% Grenache, most of the rest is Shiraz, with some Mourvedre. So it is a dark wine, but Grenache dominant, and grown in sand. Go figure?

Score: 92/++

The 2016 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf  is a more energetic wine. It is a lifted wine with pronounced acidity. I see a bigger Grenache influence in this wine. However, the Grenache component is only 30%, the lowest between these three wines.

Score: 94/+++

I found this wine comparison totally baffling.

Thistledown Sands of Time Grenache

 A couple of posts ago, I reviewed a Bekkers Grenache, which was highly aromatic but lacked some secondary components. This 2020 Thisledown Sands of Time Grenache comes from the same area of Blewitt Springs, in the Northern and slightly hilly part of McLaren Vale.

This wine is highly acclaimed. It is very aromatic. The fruit flavours of strawberry and raspberry almost explode in the mouth. This is a full-bodied wine, very aromatic, with a big mouthfeel. It is powerful and concentrated with firm tannins; but again, I think some complexity is missing behind the fleshy initial impact.

Why does this wine stand out in reviews? It is always the same thing. The first impression counts, and big flavours obviously stand out. But you drink a wine like this over an evening, and there is something lacking.

The other thought that comes to mind after drinking these two wines: The wisdom in Australia is that the best Grenache is grown on sand. And yes, this produces pure and aromatic wines, but maybe not much else. In contrast the best Grenache in Châteauneuf-du-Pape is grown on the famous rock field of La Crau. Similarly, the Grenache in Priorat grows on rocky slate soil. Most of Seppeltsfields famous Grenache fruit used to go into Port, but they have now bottled some premium Grenache, which I have yet to try. This is grown on red brown clay.

The Grenache story in Australia is still in its early stages. It reminds me a bit of the Pinot Noir development 20 years ago. This wine is a promising start, and maybe I judge it a bit unfairly, as this wine is very young and will no doubt develop further.

Score: 93/0