Tag Archives: chardonnay

Wine to drink when everyone (and it does seem like everyone) wants to buy your house

housing bubble
Who knew there was a t-shirt to pair with these wines?

The calls, texts, and emails are crazy – and I don’t even have granite counter tops

The Wine Curmudgeon is not ashamed to admit he knows nothing about real estate. Hence, Dallas’ pandemic-fueled housing boom has left me especially baffled. Yes, my 1950s-style ranch has lots of trees and is more than comfortable, but there are no granite counter tops, double kitchen sinks, or master suites.

Nevertheless, the emails keep coming. The texts keep coming. The phone calls keep coming – in English, an Asian language, and Spanish. There’s even someone who keeps sending postcards with a color photo of my house.

And the message is the same: “We want to buy your home!”

So what’s the WC to do when overwhelmed with all this foolishness? Drink wine, of course. It works for power outages, tree catastrophes, and broken air conditioners. So why not a housing bubble?

These four wines have made it much easier to keep all that is going on in perspective. The housing market will eventually crash, but I’ll still have a place to live:

• Joseph Drouhin Mâcon-Villages 2019 ($15, purchased, 13%): This is chardonnay from Macon in France’s Burgundy region, and as such offers tremendous value. It’s bright, fresh, and lemony, truly tasting of chardonnay. I drank this one afternoon when I got six texts in a row about the house – so sip, block, delete; sip, block, delete;  and repeat, repeat, repeat, and repeat. Imported by Dreyfus, Ashby & Co.

• Capezzana Carmignano Vin Ruspo 2020 ($15, purchased, 12.5%): The Italian Wine Guy has pointed me in the direction of several top-notch Italian roses this summer, including this one. It’s almost pretty – full of berry fruit, sort of rich in the mouth, but also quite fresh. A fine example of this particular Italian style, and just the sort of thing to drink on the porch when the phone is inside the house. Imported by Dallas Terra

• Calcu Pinot Noir Escarlata 2020 ($12, sample, 13%): This Chilean red fits firmly in what passes for pinot noir these days – pleasant and drinkable, even if it isn’t especially varietal. There’s not too much red fruit, some sort of oak thing, and soft tannins. It’s dinner wine with leftovers – meat loan sandwiches, perhaps, and with the phone on mute. Imported by Global Vineyard Importers

• Bouvet Brut Signature NV ($12, purchased, 12%): This French bubbly was outstanding, and not just because I drank it to celebrate a Sunday afternoon bereft of anyone asking about the house. It’s softer than Champagne, since it’s made with chenin blanc. But the bubbles are still tight, there’s a zingy mouth feel, and nicely done lemon apple fruit. Highly recommended. Imported by Kobrand

Photo: “Mr. Housing Bubble” by Beige Alert is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Expensive wine 140: WillaKenzie Estate Chardonnay 2018

Willakenzie Estate ChardonnayWillakenzie’s Estate Chardonnay is a top-notch, New World-style Oregon white

Oregon is best known for pinot noir; chardonnay has traditionally been an afterthought. In fact, pinot gris has been the state’s main white wine for years.

That approach, though, has been changing. One reason, according to a long-term Oregon winemaker: High-end chardonnay has a bigger market than high-end pinot gris – depending, of course, on quality.

Which is where WillaKenzie’s Estate Chardonnay ($72, sample, 13%) comes in, even with the hefty price tag. This Oregon white is an impressive New World-style chardonnay that shows that Oregon producers can do for chardonnay what they’ve done with pinot noir.

In this, the Willakenzie estate chardonnay isn’t too ripe or too oaky, as might be expected from a similar California product. Look for green apple fruit and some lemon zest, more minerality than I expected in a New World charrdonnay, and even some brioche and yeastiness for those of you who want noticeable oak. The wine should become rounder and more full as it ages; it’s ready now, but will likely be that much better with a couple of more years in the bottle.

Mini-reviews 141: Be Human, Carmel Road, Brancott, Mulderbosch

Be HumanReviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the fourth Friday of each month. This month, bring on the residual sugar!

• Be Human Merlot 2018 ($17, sample, 14.5%): Slightly sweet Washington red, with lots of fake chocolate and fake cherry. Somehow, one review described this as a dry, cheap wine. Sigh.

• Carmel Road Chardonnay 2019 ($15, sample, 13.%): A California white that is about as typical a $15 supermarket wine as you’ll find: Pleasant and a touch sweet, the kind of wine that will leave you wondering what you saw in it after you finish the bottle.

• Brancott Flight Song Pinot Grigio 2019 ($12, purchased, 9%): This New Zealand white gives new meaning to the term post-modern. It’s a riesling-style pinot grigio, so it’s sweet – and its selling point is that it’s lower in calories than “regular” pinot grigio. Not so much gross as just annoying. Imported by Pernod Ricard USA

• Mulderbosch Cabernet Franc 2017 ($39, sample, 13%): South Africa’s Mulderbosch has found a way to add sweetness to a pricey red wine. Who knew? Otherwise, it’s a sort of New World cabernet franc, which means less graphite and more red fruit, and not much else. Imported by Third Leaf Wines

Photo: “A couple drinking wine” by freestocks.org is marked with CC0 1.0

Wine of the week: Joseph Drouhin Macon-Villages 2018

Drouhin Macon-VillagesSimple? Yes. But isn’t that what the Joseph Drouhin Macon-Villages is supposed to be?

Blame it on the pandemic or the presidential election or even my natural crotchetiness. But the Wine Curmudgeon is getting increasingly cranky when he reads the scores and comments on CellarTracker, the blog’s unofficial wine inventory app. One note for the Drouhin Macon-Village disparaged it for being simple.

My question: What’s wrong with a simple wine? And isn’t a Macon’s reason for being to be simple? It’s not supposed to be white Burgundy, is it?

So drink the Drouhin Macon-Villages 2018 ($13, purchased, 13%) and appreciate that this is an affordable and enjoyable French chardonnay that doesn’t cost $40. There’s a role for simple wine that isn’t stupid – call it the wine that most of us enjoy drinking, regardless of a wine world that increasingly sneers at those of us who aren’t in the 1 percent.

In this, the Drouhin fits the bill. Look for a bit of lemon fruit mixed with green apple, but that isn’t too tart, as some Macons can be. In fact, the fruit is round and fresh, and there is a pleasing mineralty. Do I wish this cost $10, like it did in years past and before the tariff? Yes, but it’s still a value at this price.

Drink this on its own if you want a glass of wine after work, or open it for weeknight roast chicken thighs.

Imported by Dreyfus Ashby

 

Expensive wine 139: Michel Sarrazin et Fils Givry Les Grognots 2018

Michel Sarrazin et Fils Quality white Burgundy for less than $40? Meet the Michel Sarrazin et Fils Les Grognots

Regular visitors know that white Burgundy, France’s high-end version of chardonnay, is the Wine Curmudgeon’s guilty pleasure. But I get to drink even less of it these days, what with the Trump wine tariff and continually rising prices for all Burgundy. Which is why I was so excited to see the Michel Sarrazin et Fils Les Grognots.

The Big Guy bought a sale bottle of the Michel Sarrazin et Fils Les Grognots 2018 ($32, purchased, 13%) as a Thanksgiving gift, for which I was most grateful. It was all I had hoped for: top-notch white Burgundy, which includes o ak so delicately used that it’s difficult to describe. You know it’s there, but you don’t worry about where it is.

This is a more fresh and fruit-forward white Burgundy than others. Hence, it’s ready to drink now, but should also improve over the next three or four years, as the fruit moves to the background. Look for lemon zest, almost ripe pear fruit, some white pepper, and quite a stony finish.

Highly recommended; even at its normal price, this is what passes for bargain white Burgundy these days. This is holiday wine, perfect with roast turkey.
Imported by North Berkeley Imports

Thanksgiving wine 2020

thanksgiving wine 2020Four Thanksgiving wine 2020 suggestions

Don’t feel too thankful this year, what with all the damn terrible things that have happened? The Wine Curmudgeon understands, but wants to remind everyone: At least we’re here to enjoy the holiday. A lot of us are much worse off.

So take a look at these Thanksgiving wine 2020 suggestions. The blog’s guidelines for holiday wine buying are here.

• Louis Jadot Beaujolais 2019 ($12, purchased, 13%): This French red is about as old-fashioned as wine gets, and I can hear the wine geeks snickering in the background. But the 2019 is a little heavier than usual, which makes it more of a food wine and which isn’t a bad thing. Look for berry fruit, a hint of tannins, and even a little pepper, Imported by Kobrand

• Branchini Pignoletto Frizzante 2019 ($12, purchased, 11.5%): Frizzante, in this Italian white, means fizzy. And that means you get a Prosecco-style wine without any of the off-putting qualities of cheap Prosecco. That means it’s not only delightfully fizzy, but minerally,  with a hint of pear, maybe, and barely sweet. Highly recommended — much, much more than I thought it could be. A  tip of the WC’s fedora to Paul DiCarlo at Jimmy’s in Dallas for telling me about this. Imported by Serendipity Wines

• Calcu Sauvignon Blanc Reserva Especial 2019 ($12, sample, 12.5%): An intriguing and enjoyable white from Chile, with about 60 percent sauvignon blanc and 30 percent semillon. It’s not light like a supermarket New Zealand sauvignon blanc, and it needs food. But it’s quite Chilean in character (soft lemon instead of grapefruit) with a pleasantly long finish. Not for everyone, but a fine value. Imported by Global Vineyard Importers

• Mezzacorona Rose Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2019 ($10, purchased, 12%): An Italian pink that does what it does quite well and for more than a fair price. It’s soft-ish but not sweet — lots of berry fruit, with a hint of acidity and a pleasing, long fruity finish. Imported by Prestige Wine Imports

More about Thanksgiving wine:
• Thanksgiving wine 2019
• Thanksgiving wine 2018
• Thanksgiving wine 2017
• Wine of the week: El Coto Rioja Blanco 2018
• Expensive wine 131: Justin Isosceles 2015

Mini-reviews 138: German riesling, white Burgundy, godello, Rombauer

rieslingReviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the fourth Friday of each month.

• Dr. Heidemanns-Bergweiler Riesling 2018 ($13, purchased, 10%): This Total Wine private label is a German white that is honeyed and lemony.  It’s simple but enjoyable, and the “medium dry” sweetness doesn’t get in the way. Imported by Saranty Imports

• Sauzet Bourgogne Blanc 2016 ($32, purchased, 12.5%): The Big Guy brought this white Burgundy, from our favorite Burgundy producer, to WC world headquarters for pandemic, socially-distanced, porch sipping. Sadly, thanks to the tariff and premiumization, this is no longer the “affordable” wine it used to be. It’s fine for what it is,  with some green apple and well-constructed oak. But it lacks the Sauzet verve and dash, and especially at this price. Imported by Vineyard Brands

• Virxe de Galir Pagos del Galir 2018 ($18, sample, 13.5%): This Spanish white is made with godello, which the wine geeks compare to chardonnay (same green apple fruit, same mouth feel, though a bit more spice). Hence the problem: You can buy a nice albarino or a Basque Txakolina  for more or less the same price. Imported by Aaron LLC

• Rombauer Sauvignon Blance 2019 ($25, sample, 14.2%): This California white is a terrific example of this style of pricey wine — and it’s the style that Rombauer made famous. It’s a little hot, and features some grassy notes but surprisingly muted citrus fruit. Plus, it has a much fuller mouth feel than other sauvignon blancs. In other words, $10 New Zealand it ain’t.

Photo: “Sunny Afternoon on the Roof” by winestyr is licensed under CC BY 2.0