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Posts made in November, 2009
Posted
by Paul Howard
on Nov 30, 2009
in Reviews
Up in the Lebanese Bekaa valley at around 1,000 metres is an extraordinary property whose wines have become virtually synonymous with Lebanon. Serge Hochar has continued to make French-influenced wines here in spite of the various conflicts that have raged and blighted this beautiful but unstable region. He seeks to make only what nature will allow.
“The harmony of nature is better than anything we could ever create. I believe it should be a priority to seek to drink what is ‘true’ rather than what is ‘good’. I once produced a wine that was technically perfect but it lacked the charms of imperfection.”
These statements are the key to appreciating the wines, the best known being the unique Chateau Musar Red – a still modestly-priced wine that commands a strong cult following and that shows a distinctly different personality in every vintage. As it is made to develop and change, opening a bottle always has an anticipatory thrill.
So much for the red. It’s no great surprise to find that if the Chateau Musar White is less familiar it is just as individualistic; in fact it is a white wine that shares many similarities with red wine as well as one that has been criticised for faults by wine writers.
The White is an organic blend based on two grapes indigenous to Lebanon that date back thousands of years: Obaideh and Merwah. It is believed that Obaideh may be an ancient ancestor of Chardonnay, with Merwah playing a similar role for Sémillon, both vines journeying overland to Europe with the Crusaders. It is clear that this part of the middle-east is a cradle of viticulture and both grapes could be imagined to share some flavour characteristics with their modern siblings. However, to my knowledge, no DNA profiling has yet been undertaken and so the relationship remains mysterious.
These white grapes are grown higher up in the mountains at around 1,200 metres, where they are less affected by the intense heat of summer than the red grapes broiling on the Bekaa Valley plain. They are harvested in mid October when very ripe, so have good fruit concentration yet fairly low acidity, sugar and tannins. And yes, I did say tannins – more usually associated with red wines. The grapes then need to be transported from the Bekaa vineyards to the winery – and this perhaps contributes to the oxidised character shown by this wine. At the winery the grapes are partly fermented in French oak barrels for nine months, after which they are blended and bottled at the end of the first year. However, the bottles are not released to the market for another six years! Hence this 2001 was not released until late 2008, explaining why this older vintage is currently available –Chateau Musar does some of the ageing for you.
Rule one when serving Musar White is that it needs only the lightest of chills to show it at its nuanced best – 14/15 degrees is ideal. Give it an hour in the fridge door, after rule two has been observed: always decant it for an hour or so before serving – the additional aeration really does bring out the spectrum of flavours. Rule three is always drink this wine with food. This is a wine to dine for. There’s a whole range of Lebanese mezze that fit the bill, or try Tabbouleh or Fatoush.
A golden/amber colour, this wine is a joy to look at, with gleaming depths. The nose shows a wide range of aromas; brioche or pastry perhaps, more definitely marzipan, quince, apricot, apples and pears. Leave it to open up in the glass and vanilla and honey notes also peep through.
The honeyed palate is full bodied, despite being only 12.5% alcohol. Nuts, caramel/butterscotch, apples and quince all vie for your attention. Then comes the deliberately oxidised note, faulty perhaps yet best described as, “so wrong it’s right”. The firmness of a little savoury tannin (yes, some tannin in a white wine) creeps in before a slippery, polished texture leads to a fading marzipan finish. To paraphrase Serge Hochar, it’s these charms of imperfection that keep you returning for more.
In style then, it reminds me of a highly traditional white Rioja, as was common in Spain twenty years ago but now seldom seen, superseded by fresh, linear, modern wines.
For me, this 2001 vintage is exciting drinking now and is also a far more pleasurable wine than that of the previous 2000 vintage. But, aged eight, it is still youthful and is likely to have extraordinary development potential over the next 20 years – so best buy some to drink now and some to put away.
With no Lebanese food to hand, I enjoyed my bottle with a Wild Mushroom Jalousie, the puff pastry and chanterelles offered an excellent combination.
In the USA, priced at $29.00 at Flickinger Wines, Chicago
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Posted
by Katarina Maloney
on Nov 29, 2009
in Features
Thierry Casse of Domaine de Barbazan
Everyone is familiar with the great wine regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne. But when I had the chance to work with a producer in the small Madiran wine region in the south west of France, I jumped at the opportunity. It’s gorgeous, and the quiet countryside is overlooked by the huge and majestic Pyrenees mountains. The wine region historically supported the mountain workers with wine as extra calories to fill up on for the cold. On a clear day the view of vineyards with snow topped mountains in the distance is just heavenly.
Madiran is known for the Tannant grape which is, like its name suggests, extremely tannic. Because of this, traditional Madiran wines made with Tannant were aged for at least four years before consumption, but the use of modern micro-oxygenation has enabled winemakers to get their wines on the shelves after only one.
Madiran – Vieilles Vignes
Domaine de Barbazan, the only organic vineyard in Madiran and a petite operation of just five hectares, is a one man show run by Thierry Casse. Thierry likes to keep things simple by living in a non-renovated 18th century farm house, working with wooden farm tools from the turn of the century and driving a tractor from the 50s. As a result, seeing the whole overall simplicity of Thierry’s work style is to experience how wine in France has been made for hundreds of years.
The star of Barbazan is Madiran – Vieilles Vignes (Old Vineyards). The wine is produced from vines planted before 1900 and are thought to be some of the few lasting vineyards in the country that were not destroyed by Phylloxera, a plant parasite that wiped out more than half of the vineyards in France in 1865. Even without the impressive history, the wine itself is amazing. Rich, but balanced, complex but easily drinkable, the experience of Madiran – Vieilles Vignes brought to mind comparisons of a finely aged Barolo with just the right amount of French funk. In conclusion, a happy discovery that definitely made the trip to Madiran worth it.
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Posted
by Adam Morganstern
on Nov 24, 2009
in News
Looks like one less place to buy organic wine online. We got the following email announcement last week.
Organic Vintners has made the decision to stop servicing consumers direct. While this is a difficult decision, Organic Vintners is making progress in 28 states through wine distributors, retailers, restaurants, wine shops, and liquor stores.
Our focus for 2010 will be to grow our trade accounts with the goal that your favorite organic wines will be available in your town.
For the remainder of the year we will continue to bring you our certified organic selections while supplies last. Click here to browse our available organic wine selection.
I appreciate your continued business since 2002 and please do not hesitate to call me at 303-245-8773 x 17 to find out where our organic wines are locally available to you. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!
We wish our friends at Organic Vintners continued good luck with bringing organic wines to the masses.
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Posted
by Dave Kasper
on Nov 23, 2009
in Travel
Harvesting chenin blanc at Domaine de la Roche Fleurie in Chancay.
Our year in France started once again last February with the Salons des Vins de la Loire in Angers. This is a great venue for any wine amateur or professional, to sample new releases and meet with some of the great wine producers in the Loire Valley. Over 600 wine-makers were present, with all appellations represent, big and small.
It was a good year weather wise in Touraine, starting with a decent spring, a typically hot July and August with perhaps a little less moisture than is usual for this area, and most recently September which was picture perfect. In fact, as harvesting got underway in most regions the week of Sept. 27th, a little rain would be welcome by most opinion, but never too much at this time of year of course. Both Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc were plentiful on the vines, and most growers I met with were very pleased with the quality to date. There were some early signs of rot in the vines in Vouvray which they are monitoring of course, but at this point it all looks good. Perhaps some great sweet Moelleux this year?
We have just arrived back in Vancouver following our last week on the ground in Touraine. The weather was spectacular, and with harvest in full swing in all areas our timing was simply perfect. The week was organized for a group that asked us to combine aspects of our History & Wine and our Regional Cuisine & Wine for them. It was a packed week for sure. We ate like Kings and Queens of long ago, soaked up as much history as we could manage and sampled regional wine at every opportunity.
One highlight was our visit to the Chateau Chenenceau, often referred to as the Ladies Chateau due to the many powerful women who lived here in the XVI and XVII centuries, Chenenceau is a wonderful place to visit for those who are interested in Renaissance history. The Chateau which played a vital role in the life of the French Monarchy of this era is still adorned with its original furniture, many great works of art including original tapestries.
We had a foie gras tasting with Edouard Clement at Chateau du Vau in Ballan-Mire. Our good fortune had us arriving to a table laden with home made riette (pork pate) and two varieties of Edouard’s foie gras that we were eager to taste. After a tour of the farm and the kitchens we settled into our tasting accompanied by 2 bottles of Vouvray Moelleux Reserve 2003. Fresh bread, duck and goose foie gras, fleur de sel and sweet Moelleux wine… what a decadent treat.
Domaine Grosbois - Le Pressoir, Cravant les Coteaux, Chinon.
We harvested Grolleau grapes with organic wine-maker Sebastien Brunet at Domaine de la Roche Fleurie in Chancay. All grapes were picked by hand and participants had a great time calling out to Le Hauteur who would run over so that we could dump our basket of just picked grapes into his 80 kilo capacity (175 lbs) bin on his back. The group enjoyed an hour of picking grapes under a picture perfect blue sky. Back breaking work for sure if we had to do it all day, and impressive to see in operation. We headed back to Sebastien’s cellar, which is an enormous cave carved out of the limestone centuries ago and expands approximately 12 kms (7.5 miles) underground. There we saw grapes pressed, tasted the first pressed juice and had lunch with Sebastien and his team of harvesters before they headed back out to the vines. The group will just have to come back next fall to taste their hard earned contribution to the Sparkling Methode Traditionelle Rose of 2009.
The Royal Abbey in Fontevraud is one of the most significant Monastique sites in all of Europe. Dating back over 800 years, the tombs of Kings and Queens of the early Angevin dynasty are there to be seen. Henri Plantagenet (Henri II), Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lion Heart, Henri’s son, are buried side by side in the Abbey. The tombs are in perfect condition even after sitting quietly for 8 centuries. Many years later, the Abbey was turned in to a prison by Napoleon, and was used as such during the World Wars and until the last prisoner left in 1985. The Abbey grounds are impressive and it was well worth a morning visit.
Following Fontevraud, we headed to one of my favorite villages nearby, Chinon. The old city centre is beautiful and our group enjoyed lunch in a local café and a walk-a-bout on the old city streets.
We followed our visit to Chinon with a stop on the bluffs near Cravant les Coteaux and Panzoult. Chinon is arguably home to the finest cabernet franc in the world. My favorites are usually the barrel aged Vielles Vignes that are silky smooth with good fruit aromas and have soft tannins. The harvest teams were hard at work in vines nearby and we enjoyed watching them with a glass of Jacques Grosbois’s 2005 Vielles Vignes Cabernet Franc in our hands. This organic Cab Franc was a gorgeous ruby colour with vivid red berry fruit, a perfect way to end our afternoon before our farewell meal at Au Soleil Levant in Monnaie that evening.
We headed to Juno Beach in Normandy, where Canadian forces landed on D-Day, as well as the Juno Beach Centre. I was also able to arrange a quick meeting with friends Alain Berthelot, the Mayor of Larre, a little village in Normandy, and his wife Catherine. Alain, a local Military Historian, is forever greatful to the Allies who liberated this part of France and in particular a group of young Canadian and British aviators who crashed in a farmer’s field in his town. A monument has been erected in memorial of these soldiers, where we met Alain for a brief ceremony. It was a quick stop but very moving for us Canadians to experience the reverence in which our soldiers are held by local citizens in this part of France.
The Juno Beach Centre, coupled with a stop at the Canadian Military Cemetery in Beny-sur-Mer, were very emotional to visit. Speaking for the group, we were all very pleased to have had the opportunity to visit this area of Normandy. Words can not do it justice.
Whether we are visiting a 500 year old Renaissance Chateau, tasting wine with wine-makers who have been in Touraine for generations, savouring the local cuisine, or even experiencing the D-Day landing beaches in not too far off Normandy, the local history, culture and traditions that are the fabric of daily life in the Loire are all around to discover and enjoy.
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Posted
by Adam Morganstern
on Nov 19, 2009
in Features
Long Meadow Ranch is showing Napa Valley vineyards can do more than just grow great grapes. The Hall family is using the land to also produce organic olive oil, eggs, herbs, produce and grass-fed beef. Read the story by Drew Stoga over at FlypMedia.
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Posted
by Adam Morganstern
on Nov 18, 2009
in Press Releases
Pioneers in biodynamic winegrowing in New Zealand since 1983, James and Annie Millton’s winery, Millton Vineyards has recently received Demeter Certification. “It is great to see that my twenty six years of experience as a biodynamic winegrower are proving to be a useful foundation for the growth and acceptance of this methodology,” says James, who was instrumental in developing the Demeter wine standards in conjunction with the NZ Biodynamic Association.
Demeter is the only ecological association that has built up a network of individual certification organizations for agricultural products and represents more than 4.200 producers in 43 countries, with only 60 wineries recognized worldwide. Demeter Certification is based on the Biodynamic method, developed in 1924 by Dr Rudolf Steiner. Biodynamics focuses on treating the soil as a living organism and using a unique process of vineyard preparations and practices. As interest and demand for biodynamically grown products increases, this very unique and innovative method of cultivation is gaining more credence.
“It is somewhat amusing to consider that the conventional practice is centered around the control of ‘dis-ease’ whereas building harmony and balance is quite considerably easier to achieve with such innovative practice as we use,” says James. “By recognizing the energy and life forces within the universe all of the work of the farm is planned in the context of the wider pattern of lunar and cosmic rhythms. “Biodynamic farming takes a proactive rather than reactive approach to all aspects in the vineyard. Before a wine can be great, it must first be true”.
The Millton Vineyard is the only New Zealand wine producer in the union of producers commonly referred to as the ‘Return to Terroir – La Renaissance des Appellations”(www.biodynamy.com.) This group of 120 biodynamic wine producers come together several times a year to host tastings and exhibitions in cities globally including New York, San Francisco, Tokyo and London.
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Posted
by Cathy Garrard
on Nov 17, 2009
in Features
John Williams, owner of Frog’s Leap Winery and a pioneer on the Napa organic scene, is a man of analogies. When asked about grapes from irrigated vineyards, he conjures up an entirely different fruit.
Irrigated grapes, Williams says, lack the flavor of those from dry-farmed vineyards like his own. “It’s like bland tomatoes that are grown hydroponically. So what do you do with a flavorless tomato? You serve it with salt and pepper, balsamic vinegar and basil with mozzarella on top.” And that’s precisely the kind of manipulation he sees happening with wines produced on irrigated vineyards, too.
“They leave the grapes on the vine longer to develop flavor, which makes the sugars, and alcohol, go up and up,” says Williams. “So wines that have 14.5 percent alcohol or higher become about winemaking and not soil or grape growing. Given a choice, I think most consumers would prefer to drink more wine to get drunk than just one glass.”
Williams first started dry farming in 1998. A non-irrigation process of tilling and mulching the top layer of soil so it absorbs more water, it forces the roots of the vines to dig deeper to seek natural hydration. “Enough of a hippie to be interested,” Williams consulted local organic experts when the first years of working his vineyard weren’t producing the results he wanted. Today, his award-winning, certified-organic vineyard produces nine types of wine, most of which hover around the 13% ABV mark, and 60,000 cases a year.
Williams’ dry-farming philosophy may seem radical given California’s climate, save for the fact that there was no irrigation in Napa Valley until the 1970s. “If you ask people today, they’ll say it’s impossible to grow grapes without irrigation, which is a revision of history,” he says. “Dry-farmed vines are better hydrated because the grape roots grow down into the soil to get moisture that’s cool. It’s like putting your feet in an ice bucket on a hot day.”
Organic growing practices have instructed the vision of his entire vineyard, from the ground up. “It got us thinking, ‘What kind of fuels are we using in our tractors? How much energy are we using and where is it produced? What materials do we use when we construct a building? What do we do with our waste?’” Though modest about it, Williams says his vineyard is the first to have received LEED certification, and his operations have run on solar power since 2005. “I’m probably most proud of our sustainable employment practices,” he says. “All of our farm workers are full-time, benefited workers.”
Next year marks Frog’s Leap’s 30th anniversary, and Williams thinks winemaking is now at a crossroads. “Because of the unbelievable influence of critics, this modern style of high-alcohol wine is being exported all over the world. Their palates have lost any sense of nuance. Even in Barolo, families are fighting amongst themselves about whether or not they want to change their winemaking strategies. It’s a creeping problem.”
So how can you know if the wine is a tomato and not a grape? It’s as easy as reading the label. “If there’s an overly high alcohol content, it’s a good indication of what a winemaker’s thoughts are. They knock you over the head and drag you into the cave by the hair. If that’s where wines are headed, I’ll still be on this train.”
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Posted
by Adam Morganstern
on Nov 11, 2009
in Press Releases
The inaugural Nedbank Green Wine Awards were announced today at the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town.
The Nedbank Green Wine Awards have come about due to the increased popularity and consumer interest in this category. Nedbank was the natural partner for the awards due to their ongoing involvement with conservation projects. Their support for the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative through the Green Trust has been in effect since the organizations inception in 2004.
The Green Wine Awards are two pronged: Best Wine from Organically Grown Grapes, and Best Environmental Practices Award.
Best Wine from Organically Grown Grapes
Producers were asked to submit wines made from organically grown grapes together with valid organic certification. The wines were divided into categories according to grape variety or style and tasted blind (labels un-sighted) by a five-person panel appointed by WINE magazine.
One white and one red emerged a clear step above the competition, these being Lazanou Organic Vineyards Chenin Blanc 2008 and Laibach The Ladybird Red 2007 respectively. The Lazanou Organic Vineyards Chenin Blanc was declared the overall winner due to it’s higher arithmetic score.
Best Environmental Practices Award
The aim of incorporating a second category into the Nedbank Green Wine Awards was to recognize the effort being made amongst South African wineries to farm with a view to long term environmental sustainability.
Each producer was asked to provide comprehensive details on farming practices which were then judged according to guidelines set out by the Integrated Production of Wine (South Africa’s internationally recognized voluntary sustainability scheme established in 1998) and the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative.
The judges were Inge Kotzé, project coordinator for the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative, Tom McLaughlin, good business journey specialist at Woolworths, and Lourens van Schoor, a registered soil and environmental scientist and director of environmental auditing firm Enviroscientific.
The winner was Oak Valley in Elgin which will receive an IPW audit worth R11 000 sponsored by Enviroscientific for both farm and cellar. The runner up was Waverly Hills.
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