WINESCENE

Of Course, It's From Corsica

I remember the first time I popped a bottle of Corsican red. It was an Antoine Arena Patrimonio and came as part of a sampler case from wine hunter Kermit Lynch. In truth I have known Kermit since 1989 when he was on a book tour for his seminal tome, "Adventures Along the Wine Route" which has been updated and republished many times since. I met Lynch at my longtime friend, and now Kermit Lynch's head of restaurant sales, Steve Ledbetter's Odeon in Philadelphia on one of my usual after university classes lunches. Those meals, which included French country wines served by the glass, were part of my education about French wines as much as working for the Flyers was about marketing, events, promotion and of course PR. 

Well that day was indeed special, as later that night I was going to The Garden for the book signing and wine tasting. Lynch, who was sitting at the bar and I struck up a conversation, and since then I've been a steady customer. 

Last night, with friends, I opened the 2016 Abbatucci Rogue Frais Imperial. Here's a wine that's soft like a Pinot. Spicy like a Rhône. Silky like a Provence red. And of course it’s from Corsica.  I first had one of the Rogue Frais Imperial's back in 2014. I was visiting Lynch's shop in Berkeley, CA and shop manager, and another ex-Philadelphian Steve Waters encouraged me to try the Abbatucci. As a long time E Prove, Arena and other lover of Corsician reds I was of course all in. 

Waters was right, as that wine, which I shared with a lady friend at Buckles and Bells that night over dinner, was something to behold. Elegant. Light on the palate but full of fruit. Beaujolais weight with Cotes du Rhone power I recall. Well the 2016 is as good or better than that first Abbatucci I had in Oakland.

Served with a slight out of the cellar chill, the wine has a light ruby red color that's so so translucent that you can almost see through it. The bouquet is like being in a strawberry patch, which is quickly overtaken by a whiff of bright red cherry fruit. Then comes the very light red plum bomb. 

This is not a blockbuster, tour de force or a so-called powerhouse red. It's an elegant, silky, easy on the palate kind of wine that you want to enjoy with food, or even by itself. 

2016 Clos La Coutale Cahors Red

Old loves they say, die hard. And when it comes to wine, there's no older love of the rare, obscure or esoteric wine in my past than the wines from Cahors in France.  Long before the Argentines were selling Malbec by the ton and making headway in the USA for well priced, well made and well aging reds, the region of Cahors was a mecca for Malbec (and merlot too.)

My first exposure the famed "black wine of Cahors" was Clos Triguedina, a wine imported then and still now by Vineyard Brands. I recall buying a bottle in Manhattan Beach at a wine shop/deli and bringing it to a BYOB dinner in L.A on Sawtelle Avenue back in 1987 that was assembled by Jim Kronman, then the sysop of the Compuserve Wine Forum. Back then, and today, my passion for finding wines that were viewed as legendary, but under appreciated, was part of the game of being a wine hunter.  

A few years later, after moving to SoCal I renewed my love of Cahors with the 1990 Clos la Coutale as part of a case of gems from Kermit Lynch. Over time the Coutale would be the "let me surprise you" wine that I would pull out during the usual Saturday BBQ parties as its' "unknown status" made it one wine that would cause people to not ever guess what it was, with thoughts ranging from Bordeaux becuase of its body, bouquet and taste to Argentina or even some suggesting it was from Australia. The one region no one ever guessed was Cahors, while some even guessed it may have been from Paso Robles due to the inky dark black color.

Yesterday I grabbed a bottle of the 2016 la Coutale and renewed my love affair with the ethereal red. Talk about a value priced gem. At less than $14.00 the wine packs more punch and joy than wines at three times the price. Much like "The Pairing", the 2016 Clos la Coutale is one of those wines that you start by saying, just a glass, and as you work your way through dinner, you end up realizing that you and your friends have finished the entire bottle. 

Incredible body. Great length. Stunning nose all came to mind. Red raspberry, black currants, black cherry, blackberry, black plums all on the palate. How good? It was gone before we knew it.  Unlike the Coutales of the past though, this was way more approachable and an early drinker made in dare I say, a more modern style. Then again, 2016 was such a great year across France, with very forward fruit, and a harmonious blend of gentle, well balanced tannins. 

The 2016 Clos la Coutale is still in distribution across the USA, and given how low this is priced, and how this wine is drinking, this wine will out perform just about anything in that range.

 

2017 Domaine Jaume Generation Cotes du Rhone is a Real Gem

The 2017 Domaine Jaume Generation is another hit in the same vein as the 2016, 2015 and 2014's were. The bistro bottling from the small southern Rhone producer is the kind of easy to drink, approachable value priced wine that you find being poured in bistros, brasseries and cafes all over France. It has low alcohol (under 14%), is loaded with juicy fruit and offers up a non-stop bouquet that seems to never end. 

The Vinsobre grown blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre also has layer upon layer of fresh berry flavors making it a real crowd-pleaser that outshines wines that cost twice as much.

Unlike the '16 which was more spicy, the '17 is more aromatic and tasty with ripe blueberry, strawberry and black raspberry vs. its more peppery and blackberry tasting predecessor.  That said, the 16 has bigger bones and likely wll age a bit longer, if you keep them around.

While many people will go for higher priced Northern Rhones, Chateauneuf du Papes and Gigondas producers, much like wines I find in the Ventoux, the Cotes du Rhone blend is a much more early drinking red that provides immediate enjoyment and gratification.