Category:Expensive wine

New Year’s sparkling wine 2023

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Two glasses of sparkling wine on a counter
A sparkling wine beauty shot!

New Year’s sparkling wine 2023 recommendations

I’m not sure if it’s premiumization or Dallas retailers or some sort of bleh surrounding sparkling wine this holiday season, but I had a damned hard time finding quality bubbly at the blog’s prices for this post (or even quality bubbly that cost a few — or a lot — more dollars). And I went through a bunch of wine, since too many were almost as poorly made as this one.

But the WC is persistent. So my suggestions for New Year’s sparkling wine 2023. As always, keep in mind the blog’s annual wine gift guidelines and our sparkling wine primer.

• Cave de Lugny Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Rosé NV ($20, purchased, 11.5%): This French sparkler, which may be a Whole Foods private label, costs more than I like to spend, but it’s worth it. Well made, taut, and surprisingly fruity for a cremant (strawberries?). It takes a while to  open up. Imported by Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits

• Lunetta Prosecco NV ($11, purchased, 11%): This is much better than a supermarket style Prosecco has any right to be, and I’m still surprised I enjoyed it. Soft and sweetish, with candied lemon fruit, but it does the trick with sort of spicy food. Imported by Palm Bay International

• Jeio Bisol Prosecco Brut NV ($15, purchased, 11%): This Italian wine has about three names, but whatever it’s called, it’s a steal at this price. Firmish bubbles, not sweet at all, more apples than lemon, and a long finish. Highly recommended. Imported by Wilson Daniels

• Veuve du Vernay Blanc de Blancs Brut NV ($10, purchased, 11%): I used this French wine on the blog last year at Thanksgiving, but figured it was a one off. Not so — 13 months later, it remains a tremendous value. The bubbles aren’t flabby and the wine isn’t sweet, with some apple  fruit and a zesty finish. Not complicated, but quite enjoyable. Imported by Patriarche USA

More about New Year’s sparkling wine
• New Year’s sparkling wine 2022
• New Year’s sparkling wine 2021
• New Year’s sparkling wine 2020
• Three things to ponder while sipping sparkling in the summer
• Wine scores rant: Top-notch cava gets 86 points, about the same as a crummy supermarket wine

Photo:”My only regret in life is that I did not drink more Champagne. – John Maynard Keynes #cheers #misfitgram” by ajleon is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Expensive wine 175: Val de Mer Cremant de Bourgogne Blanc (No Dosage) NV

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Vale de Mer cremant bttle
Val de Mer Cremant de Bourgogne Blanc (No Dosage) NV/$21-$25

This French sparkler is about as different from the typical $60 bubbly as possible

What better bottle to use for the blog’s final expensive wine post than this one? It’s purposely made to taste unlike the typical, overpriced Champagne; it’s not especially expensive given sparkling prices; and it got a crummy score on the blog’s unofficial wine inventory app.

In other words, there’s more for the rest of us to enjoy.

The difference between the Val de Mer Cremant de Bourgogne Blanc (No Dosage) NV ($24, purchased, 12%) and Champagne (other than region) is that sugar (called the dosage) isn’t added to the fermented still wine to spur on the second fermentation and soften the bubbly’s acidity. There’s a more complete explanation here, though the subject can get past technical.

For our purposes, it’s enough to know that leaving the dosage out makes a tauter, more dry wine than even really nice $100 Champagnes, which can have a hint of residual sugar. Yes, even this one.

In the case of the Val de Mer, leaving out the dosage produces a wine where the chardonnay really shows off and that is oh so bone dry. So it tastes very little like this Champagne. Which, of course, is the point — and the reason for the crummy scores.

Not that it matters to the WC. This wine has gorgeous, tight bubbles, lots of apple fruit (with a bit of lemon tucked in the back), and what one tasting note calls chalky minerality. It’s an amazing wine; highly recommended and a steal at this price.

Imported by T. Elenteny Imports

 

Expensive wine 174: Vina Maquis Lien 2019

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Vina Maquis Lien bottle
Vina Maquis Lien 2019/$30-$45

Chilean red blend offers interest and value

Carmenere has long been the grape that Chile wants to be known for, and there have have certainly been some successes. But it’s not like you see much of it on the shelf at the local retailer, and when I checked the blog’s unofficial high-end wine shop, there was only one (and it wasn’t one of the famous brands).

So it was with more than a little trepidation that I tasted the Vina Maquis Lien 2019 ($38, sample, 14.1%). Carmenere, for several reasons, does not lend itself easily to winemaking; it can be unripe and tannic, even in blends like this one (46% cabernet franc, 36% cabernet sauvignon, and 18% carmenere).

But the Lien offered much more than I expected — not just in the way it tasted, but in how it was put together. The fruit is quite cabernet franc, which is to say there’s just enough in the way of dark berries to be noticeable, but not so much as to be fruity. There are lots of herbs (from the franc and the carmenere) and a little graphite, while the cabernet sauvignon holds it all together.

In other words, the kind of red wine that will not only age, but change and get more interesting as it does.

Pair this with red meat or sausages; it would be an interesting choice to serve someone who is used to California’s much more fruity and softer red wines.

Imported by Global Vineyard Importers

Expensive wine 173: Jordan Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

Jordan Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon bottle
Jordan Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018/$40-$70

California cabernet sauvignon doesn’t get much more dependable than Jordan

The wine business has gone through so many changes in the past decade that it’s sometimes difficult to keep up with all of them – even for those of us who get paid to do so. But one thing hasn’t changed – the quality and style of Jordan’s cabernet sauvignon.

No, this isn’t a hipster wine, and yes, it’s probably on every steak house wine list in the country. But that’s why Jordan endures, and has since its founding in 1972. A friend who was getting into wine in the late 1980s swore by Jordan, and it’s easy to to see why. Fads come and go, but the Jordan style doesn’t.

This vintage ($60, sample, 13.8%) is a wonderful example of that style. It’s classic, traditional California cabernet. That means a big wine, dark and ripe, but not so big that it seems larger than everything else on the table. If nothing else, the sub-14 percent alcohol speaks to that. The berry fruit is layered, there is the usual sort of mocha and hint of oak that these kinds of wines have, and the tannins are very soft.

It’s a food wine, certainly, and a food wine for a meal that takes in much more than meat loaf. It’s ready to drink now, but could also cellar for at least a few more years.

Expensive wine 172: 10000 Hours Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

10000 Hours Cabernet Sauvignon bottle
10000 Hours Cabernet Sauvignon 2018/$27-$40

Washington state red is a classic example of the region’s approach

The wine business has not been kind to Washington state over the past several years, with the recent Ste. Michelle Wine Estates production cuts just one more kick in the teeth. But none of this has anything to do with Washington state wine quality, as the 10000 Hours Cabernet Sauvignon demonstrates.

We’ve reviewed several 10000 Hours wines on the blog, and not because they were samples. As regular readers know, too many of the samples I get tend to make me stare skyward existentially.

But not in this case. The 10000 Hours Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 ($32, sample, 14.5%) is classic Washington state cabernet sauvignon, which means a bit eucalyptus aroma and a very rich and very very full wine that needs food.

But, as with the best of these kinds of wines, it’s not hot despite the high alcohol, there isn’t too much vanilla or too much oak, and it’s eminently balanced. The tasting notes talk about some coffee flavors, and that may be there, but there is certainly lots and lots of deep red fruit. The age helped to make the wine rounder and more agreeable (and there is still a fair amount of this wine on store shelves, despite the age).

This is a wine to to think about when as the weather cools (which may actually be happening here). Serve it with red meat and let it open for a bit before drinking.

Expensive wine 171: William Fevre Champs Royaux Chablis 2020

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

William Fevre Champs Royaux Chablis bottle
William Fevre Champs Royaux Chablis 2020/$25-$40

Another fine vintage of this Chablis from a top-notch producer

Chablis is one of the few places left to find value in white Burgundy, France’s high-end version of chardonnay. Value, of course, is relative in this case, since very ordinary white Burgundy that’s not especially high-end can cost $40.

Which is where the William Fevre Champs Royaux Chablis 2020 ($28, purchased, 12.5%) comes in. William Fevre is a top producer, and its wines have appeared on the blog a couple of times. They were also among the Big Guy’s favorites; several of us drank this in his honor a couple of weeks ago.

The Champs Royaux is richer than many Chablis, which is most often a lean, more crisp approach to chardonnay. That’s because the Royaux gets a tiny hint of oak – not enough so the wine is oaky, but enough to notice that it’s a bit different. But the lemon and apple fruit is subdued, and it’s still a mineral driven wine, as Chablis should be (what the wine geeks call wet stone). Let this age a bit, and it should get a little leaner.

Highly recommended, and something to think about when it’s time for late summer entertaining. The Big Guy would have asked me to roast a chicken to pair with it, and that’s always a fine idea with this wine.

Imported by Maison & Domaines Henriot America

Expensive wine 107: L’Enclos de Carbonnieux Blanc 2020

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

L'Enclos de Carbonnieux Blanc label
L’Enclos de Carbonnieux Blanc 2020/$23-$30

When it’s worth paying more than $10 for white Bordeaux

One of the most difficult parts of this job is not letting my prejudices and preconceptions about wines and wine styles that I don’t like get in the way of an honest assessment of what I taste. I do a decent job of that for merlot, but not as good for rose (or, as one tasting note for a $30 French pink said, “No, this isn’t three times better than the Bieler.”)

Hence, my biggest problem with this wine is that I was hamstrung by the idea that white Bordeaux doesn’t need to cost more than $10 (save for Chateau d’Yquem, of course). Which, if I had allowed that attitude to get in the way, would have meant I missed a fine wine.

Because the L’Enclos de Carbonnieux Blanc 2020 ($26, purchased, 13%) is a fine wine and well worth drinking: “Classic white Bordeaux — green, flinty, a bit of richness from the semillon,” said my tasting notes.

So, yes, it’s probably twice as good as the $10 or $12 white blends from that region in France that I drink all the time. It’s certainly more complex; there’s a lot more going on than the one-note citrus that so many $10 and $12 and even $15 white Bordeaux opt for these days. That means some herbal notes, as well as an almost chalky minerality.

It’s also worth noting that this is the second label from a top white Bordeaux producer, Chateau Carbonnieux, whose wines run around $50. Which, in the way wine works today, makes the L’Enclos a value.

Highly recommended; break out the poulet roti, or, if you’re feeling Hemingway-esque, chilled oysters.

Imported by Misa Imports