Reviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. This month, four wines that remind us how geeky wine can be
• Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan Großes Gewächs Riesling 2016 ($85, sample, 12%): This German white, which is apparently one of the country’s great wines, showed by magically and mysteriously — maybe a sample from a German wine trade group? It certainly is stunning wine, complex and layered (stone fruit, minerality); frankly, much more than I’m used to tasting. And it should age for years and years. Imported by Banville Wine Merchants
• Gillmore País Mariposa 2019 ($17, sample, 13%): The pais grape — known as mission in the U.S. — is about as trendy as these things get. Having said that, this red wasn’t very interesting. It tasted more like supermarket Beaujolais — some cherry fruit, too tart, yet thin and watery. Imported by Global Vineyard Importers
• Bodega Marichal Tannat 2019 ($16, sample, 13%): This Uruguayan red is adequate tannat — rough-ish and heavy-ish, but not heavy or rough, with some almost cherry fruit and surprising acidity. If you like tannat, you’ll like this. Imported by Global Vineyard Importers
• Tercos Bonarda 2020 ($14, sample, 13.5%): Fine example of bonardo, a little known red grape from Argentina. It’s a little earthy, with some spice and dark fruit, but not heavy. Imported by Global Vineyard Importers
This organic Chilean white brings back memories of the country’s great cheap sauvingon blancs
Too much organic wine tastes like supermarket plonk, but its producers figure that’s OK because it’s organic.
No, it’s not – and the Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc 2021 ($12, sample, 12.5%) shows why. In other words, it’s a great cheap wine that happens to be organic, which is the goal all should aspire to.
This is a Chilean sauvignon blanc that hearkens to the great days of Chilean sauvignon blanc, when I drank Veramonte by the case and it seemed like almost every Chilean sauvignon blanc was worth buying. So what makes the Cono Sur so enjoyable?
• It’s not as minerally as a French sauvignon blanc, not as grapefruty as a New Zealand, and not as rich as a Californian. Hence, strictly Chilean.
• Almost lime fruit, but not so citrusy as to be off putting.
• Very clean and crisp, with a long, not quite stony finish.
Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2022 $10 Hall of Fame. Drink it chilled on its own or even with Thanksgiving turkey.
The Vina Maquis Viola 2014 ($50, sample, 13.5%) is a step up from the aformentioned Maquis Lien, which is impressive enough given how accomplished the Lien was. What’s even more impressive is that the Viola is a great wine, one that can stand with any of the world’s more famous and more pricey great wines. So yes, Napa cabernet sauvignon and red Bordeaux.
Or, as I wrote in my notes: “Damn.”
This is a layered and structured – almost subtle – carmenere blend, which isn’t easy to do. Carmenere’s story is here; it’s enough for our purposes to know that the grape makes rough, tannic, and bell pepper-ish wine without any trouble at all. So that this wine is this sophisticated speaks volumes about the quality of the grapes and the care taken with them.
Look for black berry fruit, spices and green herbs (and not bell pepper), and tremendously well-done tannins. The 15 percent cabernet franc in the blend adds structure and helps make the finish — well, finish longer and in a more interesting way.
Highly recommended; a holiday wine for anyone who wants to try a high-end red and doesn’t have preconceived notions about what those wines should taste like.
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!”
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
“Let’s see — which of these roses that the WC likes should I buy?”
The blog’s 14th annual Memorial Day and rose celebration reminds us how wonderful pink wine is — and how little it needs to cost
Yes, there’s lots of bad pink wine news as the blog celebrates its 14th annual Memorial Day rose extravaganza — too many so called dry roses that are actually sweet, too many $20 roses that aren’t appreciably better than $10 roses, and the lingering effects of the Trump wine tariff, which means higher prices and limited availability.
But who cares? Many of us can drink rose with our friends and family this weekend for the first time in more than a year, as the pandemic begins to loosen its grip. And the tariff, thanks to enlightened leadership in the U.S. and EU, looks like it will end sooner rather than later.
So nuts to the bad stuff, and let’s drink great, cheap, delicious — and honest — rose. And that means not sweet, not high in alcohol and not tannic. And don’t forget the blog’s rose primer and the rose category (from the dropdown menu on the lower right), which lists 14 years of rose reviews.
One note: I have not been to find the 2020 vintages of the Spanish Zestos and the French La Viellie Ferme and Mont Gravet roses, all of which are always worth buying. However, there is still lots of the 2019s, and they’re still top-notch.
Today, six standout roses – each highly recommended. Tomorrow, five more roses worth writing about:
• Bielet Pere et Fils Sabine Rose 2020 ($13, sample, 12.5%): Prices are all over the place for this French pink, which is one of the world’s best every year — as little as $10 or $11 to as much as $16 or $17. The 2020 is terrific again — pleasantly tart strawberry fruit and wonderfully fresh, if not quite what the 2019 was (maybe missing some garrigue?). Talk about setting a high bar. Imported by Bieler et Fils
• Pedroncelli Dry Rose of Zinfandel 2020 ($13, sample, 13.7%): Each year, Pedroncelli turns out a rose that shows off a more traditional California style. That means heavier, but not heavy, and darker, deeper fruit (red berries and cherry), but still long and clean. So different and interesting and well worth buying.
• Faisao Vinho Verde Rose NV ($10/1 liter, purchased, 10.5%): How can vinho verde — and pink vinho at that — be made so well and taste like wine? A little spritzy, something akin to lemon strawberry fruit, and not so sweet you’d notice it if you weren’t looking for it. Imported by Winesellers Ltd.
• LaValentina Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo Rose 2019 ($12, purchased, 13,5%): The Italian Wine Guy and I tasted a quite delicious $20 rose from the same region in Italy, which made me appreciate this one that much more. Fruity (cherries?) and almost savory. A fine example of a not too common style. Imported by Dallas Terra
• Apaltagua Carmenere Rose 2020 ($13, sample, 13.5%): This is a Chilean rose, made with a uniquely Chilean grape, but that resembles classic Spanish rose. That means almost orange-ish in color, barely ripe berry fruit, sort of savory, and very clean and crisp. Once again, an exampole that all roses aren’t alike. Imported by Global Vineyard Importers
• Charles & Charles Rose 2020 ($12, sample, 11.8%): Winemakers Charles Bieler and Charles Smith combine on this Washington state rose, which shows up on this list every year. This vintage displays its usual brilliance — very Provencal in the back, almost tart, and with terrific strawberry fruit from the syrah. This, too, is priced from $12 to $17.
It’s not cabernet sauvignon. It’s not from Bordeaux or California. And, as far as I can tell, it has never gotten 95 points from one of the wine magazines. It’s a red blend from Chile’s Colchagua Valley; this vintage has mostly carmenere, not an easy grape to work with, as well as cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, and a splash of syrah.
So, with that as the caveat for those of you who are looking for a more polished and Winestream-y sort of wine, this is an amazing effort – young and still a little rough around the edges, but something that will show depth and power as it ages. That the carmenere – which can turn any wine green and unpleasantly herbaceous – doesn’t get in the way speaks volumes about its quality.
Look for just-picked red fruit (berries more than cherries), a surprising freshness given this is as old as it is, and a long, almost woodsy finish. Highly recommended — just the kind of wine to give someone as a gift who wants to try something different.
Reviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. This month, a special Christmas Eve 2020 edition.
• Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2020 ($15, sample, 12.5%): The South African Mulderbosch was once one of the world’s great cheap roses. This isn’t it — there has been a price hike and the wine is softer, without the edge the cabernet used to give it. Plus, there’s a touch of sweetness. Very disappointing. Imported by Third Leaf Wines
• Petra Zingari 2015 ($13, purchased, 14%): This red blend is made in the popular post-modern Italian style, so that the sangiovese is surrounded by three international grapes — merlot, syrah, and petite verdot. Notice I wrote surrounded, and not complemented. It is well made and professional, and spot on if you like this style. Imported by TMT USA
• Calcu Escarlata 2019 ($12, sample, 14%): This Chilean red blend is exactly the kind of supermarket wine that focus groups like — lots of dark fruit, no tannins, and very little acidity. It does what it does well enough, but there are hundreds of wines exactly like it. Imported by Global Vineyard Importers
• Chasing Rain Merlot 2018 ($24, sample, 14.5%): A very dark merlot from Washinton state that tastes like it has lots of winemaking going on. It’s more heavy and tannic, more like a caberent, with less soft merlot character.
Reviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. This month, a special Christmas Eve 2020 edition.