WINESCENE

Eric Asimov on VinePair

New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov gave an interesting interview on VinePair. When media leaders take the time to share their thoughts it's always a good interview to check out. 

Asimov, who may be the most populist style writer of wine critics talks about the trends in wine, the Natural Wine movement and supermarket wines. His perspective on supermarket wines, also known as mass market wines included a discussion about The Prisoner. He also talked about millennials and their impact on the premium wine world.

My view on supermarket wines are rather polarized. Most of the wine on mass market shelves are the wine industry version of Miller Lite. It's wine made to a formula. There's a way they wine has to taste and year after year, the big brands seek to make a wine that will always taste mostly the same, year in, year out.

Give it a listen.

 

Old and New Wine Events Make April The Grand Pour

A new event is always a tricky endeavor. Take it from someone who has been involved in hundreds of events and thousands of event days through the years. But wine events, like a vintage is always full of unknowns. Will winemakers support the event? Will the trade buyers show up? Will the media care? How do you promote the event? Those are just some of the challenges that new event organizers will face.  So do those repeat event organizers who have the beneft of reaching out to past attendees and a track record for what the event will be like.

This April, surrounding the every other year Decouvertes du Vallee du Rhone, put on by Rhone Valley Wines the week of April
15th in Ampuis, Mauves, Crozes-Hermitage and Avignon, there's some very inviting events that are both new and worth knowing about.

Let's start with the Grenache Association's Grenache Night on Tuesday April 16th. It's scheduled the night before the two day Avignon days of Decouvertes du Vallee du Rhone (DVR).  While most of the other "offs" surrounding DVR are Rhone only producers, the G Night event often brings producers who are big into Grenache from other regions from around the world. 

A new event being held the next night, Ventoux Rising,features a group of winemakers from the region surrounding and on the hillsides of Mount Ventoux. The Ventoux is the next big thing from the Rhone Valley. Much like Lirac, Beaumes de Venise or Cairanne which have all received their boost after staking a claim at DVR in the past, the Ventoux has reached a point where the wines are as sophisicated as many Chateauneuf du Papes, and in some cases, just as sought after. Just check out producers like Chene Bleu, whose super Rhones are in high demand at top shops and restaurants, Domaine Vintur and their Le Gentleman or Clos de Trias Vieilles Vignes and Pied Porcher, or Fondreche's Persia and Divergent These are wines that are on par with the top southern Rhones, but at fractions of the price vs. comparable Gigondas, CdP's or Vacqueyras. 

For twenty years the small Languedoc village of Montpeyroux hosts Toutes Caves Ouvertes Montpeyroux. This year the event will be held on Sunday April 21st starting at 10 AM . The center of town is ransformed into a wine carnival, as all the streets become wine storefronts for the 25 or so wineries opening their caves to the public. Tastings, food, music and more are there for all day event. The event is as much for the trade as it is for the locals as the town pours out, and in typical French fashion, has a flair and flavor of where everyone is your new best friend.

But the Rhone and Languedoc aren't the only places for knock out wine events in April. Way down south, in Perpignan, a new event that brings producers from the Occitane (Roussillion) and Northern Catelonia in Spain
is happening. INDIGENES. the Northern Catelonia wine fest makes its debut in Perpignan on the Sunday April 28th and Monday the 29th at the Church of the Domenicans.

 

2018 Kaena Grenache Rose

Strawberry Fields Forever. My first thought was that I fell into a Strawberry patch. That was my feeling when I took my opening whiff of the the new 2018 Kaeana Grenache Rose made by Mikael Sigouin. Here's a Rose made in Santa Barbara County that could be easily dropped into a blind tasting and easily mistaken for one from Tavel.

Sigouin is one of the Grenache masters in Santa Ynez Valley. He really understands the grape and how to get the most out of it, and he always has. He, Lindquist Family Wine's Bob Lindquist during his ownership of Qupe, son Ethan with Ethan Wines and Core Wine's David Corey have for years been at the forefront of pursuing greatness from the red grape as has pal Doug Margerum of Margerum Wine Company. More recently winemakers Angela Osbourne, with A Tribute to Grace, Jeff Fischer of Habit and Larry Schaeffer of Tercero and a few others have been turning attention the Grenache grape as well, further underscoring why Grenache and Santa Barbara County are really so sympatico in the USA.

The 2018 Kaena Grenache Rose release, which follows upon the success of the 2016 and 2017's may be the best Rose ever to come out of Kaena as beyond the strawberry patch aromas comes both strawberry and blackberry fruit in a very easy to drink dry and crisp style. What makes this wine so great is how well it can complement many foods. I had it with a pizza that was covered in hot cherry peppers, herbs, and mushrooms. Given how Grenache has a bit of a spice, that's all so nice, it was a perfect test.

And the Kaena Rose really stood up to it. While the wine has only been in the bottle a few months, and there's always a precocious nature to a fresh bottle at that young age, the Kaena 2018 Grenache Rose is clearly going to be one of the better Rose's this year to grace my table.

Sigouin also gets credit for labeling the wine as a "Grenache Rose" versus just as Rose. The Grenache grape, which is rapidly becoming one of the most widely planted grapes in Calfornia is at the core of so many famous Rose wines these days. By doing that he's amplifying the importance of the grape in the world of Rose.

 

 

Direct To Consumer Is The Wine Flavor of The Month

The term "direct to consumer" or  DTC is being bandied about the wine world more and more every day. Unfortunately, if you're not a winery shipping your wine directly to the consumer, you're not DTC. This means etailers, retailers, importers, wholesalers and brokers are not DTC as the whole idea behind direct marketing is to eliminate the middleman.  Even being a direct importer, or an exclusive retailer doesn't make put them in the DTC camp as they are in the middle of the sale to the consumer.

With all the buzz around Direct to Consumer, I fully expect some retailers to position themselves as DtC even though they're not.

Real DTC is about that one to one relationship with the customer.  It is not about working through the endless maze of the wine sales route that is present due to the three tier system, where the winery doesn't always even know who bought their wines without lots of time and effort to hopefully find out.

At it's very core direct to consumer is all about the relationship between the brand and customer, and that implies the very premise of disintermediation of anything in between, because for real DTC there has to be no middleman. 

What's real DTC?

Let's start with Sears. For years DieHard batteries, Craftsman tools and Kenmore appliances were all great example of selling three very successful product lines as direct to consumer brands, as the only place to buy those branded products was at Sears.

When you shop at the Apple Store or apple.com and buy a new iPhone, that's DTC. Many forget when the only place you could initially purchase an iPhone was from Apple (grey market excluded) Today buying an iPhone from Verizon or T-Mobile or at Best Buy is all about Apple selling through the channel to broaden distribtion and gain market share because in effect the iPhone is the razor, while apps, music and video are the blades.

The same DTC approach holds true when you shop for a new pair of running shoes at the Nike store vs. going to a sporting goods retailer. Nike makes more money, and builds a closer relationship with the runner.

When you buy an airline ticket from United or Delta's website you've gone direct, vs. going through Expedia or American Express who are "travel agents," the long time middlemen of the travel industry which the internet put a massive hurt on. Just look at how hotel brands want you to book direct on their site, and reward you with points versus giving you less perks when you check in via one of the opaque booking sites.

Brands that choose to go DTC go that route so they can keep more of the profit margin, which is why more and more wineries are going "direct to consumer" and it's why they are stepping up their hiring and spending on it. Margin is the difference between the COGS (cost of goods sold) and the selling price. If you sell via the wholesale channel your margin is likely 50% or less. If you go DTC and sell at full retail your COGS can drop to half that and your profit take is much greater.

For example, that bottle of wine that costs a winery to make at $5.00 all in (bottle, wine, cork, capsule, label) is wholesaled for $10.00. The wholesaler then sells it to the retailer for $15.00 or more. And the retailer sells that bottle for $25.00 or more. In essence the winery by going indirect to the consumer is losing $15.00 or more per bottle. When they sell that $5.00 bottle direct to a customer from the winery, they make the $20.00.

As with any "buzz word" or hot topic, I fully expect some retailers (or etailers) to jump on the Direct To Consumer platform, but they don't pass the duck test, yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017 Domaine de la Mordoree Cote's du Rhone Rose

I've long been a buyer and consumer of wines by Domaine de la Mordoree. My first whiffs of their famed Tavel rose wines came at one of the earliest visits to Decouvertes du Rhone, where the line up of Tavel's at a tasting in the eponymous named wine's town showed how much more potential Rose has as more than an aperitif, but equally as a food wine.

The Mordoree wines though are not only from Tavel ,or their home base in Lirac, as the family also has holdings on both sides of the Rhone, including in Chateauneuf du Pape. That's why it's always interesting to open their wines from the "other side" of the Rhone when the mood strikes and the night is right.

Sure, I am an avid fan of their La Reine du Bois across the board, but for the most part, I'm more prefer their Tavel roses simply because of the power, purity and fruit they deliver at the same time. Last night with dinner I popped one of their 2017 Cotes du Rhone Rose's. It was like so many of the 2017's I've had from just about anywhere in the Rhone Valley.

Lovely. Striking. Crisp. Delightful and very, very enjoyable. While there wasn't a single characteristic that stood out in the wine, what made it so delicious was how it was just perfect. Served at about 50 degrees, the cool, fresh, crisp, bone dry body of the wine, its' low alcohol content and subdued by brisk style made it a pleasure to drink. Made from the usual Rhone Valley grape suspects of 40% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 15% Cinsault, 10% Carignan, 5% Mourvedre, the less significant components of Syrah, Cinsault and Carignan make it something a bit more fruity than the Tavel cousins, but not in a prominent, bold manner, but instead, in a more harmonious way.

More 2017 Rose Thoughts

Earlier this week I posted a 2017 Rose wines retrospective.  One of those I also enjoyed more than a few times is one of the more price approachable wines from Provence, the 2017 Estandon Cotes du Provence Rose.

This is not a rose like say Chene Bleu or Aupilhac, or even the Rose's from Bandol producers like Tempier or Pradeaux. So while I'm not drinking Roquefort Rose every day, this is a great example of what you would drink in Provence on a hot summer day and just enjoy.

It's not big. It's not something you spend time disecting. What the Estandon delivers is a Rose that is what you want to have by the pool, or as you sit on the veranda when the sun is out, and you're looking to share something light, bright and refreshing. 

While many other Rose wines seek to be "like" the wines of the Cotes du Provence, its nice to see a real Provence Rose that's as approachable in price just as it is to drink. 

 

 

2016 Shatter Grenache

As the USA Grenache Ambassador for the Grenache Association I take my Grenache very seriously. In 2014 I made a 100 percent Grenache wine from the 2013 vintage with Doug Margerum under the Comunicano Wine Company label dubbed the "Ambassadors Blend." It was a Californian's take on the Rhone Valley's best known region for Grenache, Chateauneuf du Pape.

The wine stylistically was conjured up to be in the vein of the famed Chateau Reyas, as the bouquet reminded both Doug and I of that, and the body was silky and sexy.  So while it's evolved nicely, I know it never will be Reyas, but it has become one very smooth tasting red wine that keeps getting better with age.

Last night I decided to have a glass of the 2016 Shatter Grenache, made by another Califironian, Joel Gott,with some support from Davis Phinney. Phinney is best known for The Prisoner, D66 and other red wines. The Shatter hails from the Maury France, a stony, desolate, almost lunar landscape area just outside of the town of Perpignan in the Roussillion Valley. The top producer there is Clos de Fees, made by Herve Bizeul, whose wines are epic for their long aging ability, and absolute dense fruit structure that combines elegant power with graceful delivery. His wines are easily on par with the great Super Non-Conformers like Trevallon, Chene Bleu, Granges des Pares, Mas de Gassac and Gourt de Mautens. But the Shatter is not meant to be in the same league as Clos des Fees, but it sure comes close.

The Shatter is 100 percent Grenache, with the grapes coming from vineyards that are more than 60 years old. It has an inky, dark purple color, and a gorgeous red raspberry bouquet. It's tasty, smooth and long. It has structure, balance and depth. As it opens it offers up a nice plum and cherry flavor with black tea and a bit of dusty tar. 

Shatter, like it's sibling D66, which is no longer in production it seems, is one of those "wine list" gems I like to find.  You should seek it out and enjoy it too.

A 2017 Rose Retrospective

As the 2017 Rose selection goes into the sunset, and as the 2018’s get ready to hit our shores in the USA, it’s time to reflect back on some of the best Roses of the year. This is never an easy task. There are so many to amazing Rose wines to choose from every year. So hopefully, this will help set the stage for what to look for from the 2018’s as they start to arrive this month and next, while also providing a guide for what may be some bargains as some 17s that remain on shelves are worth buying up.

Wines of Friends

To avoid the spectre of being partial, I have to admit I do have friends who make killer rose wines. If I just drank their roses all year, I’d still be sharing and consuming some of the best.

2017 Chene Bleu Rose-This is a wine made high up in the Vaucluse region of the Rhone valley. It’s a blend of Grenache Noir (60%), Syrah (18%), Rolle (12%), Cinsault (5%) and Mourvedre (5%). The Rolle and Cinsault give off that silky smoothness while the Mourvedre provides a nice blackberry finish. The upfront strawberry and blueberry fruit flavors comes from the Grenache and Syrah. It’s a powerhouse, food craving rose, that’s also delightful with cheese and charcuterie.

2017 Margerum Riviera Rose- (and Reserve) Doug Margerum has been cranking out two fantastic Rose wines for the past 7 years in a row. His almost all Grenache based Rose (even offered in cans) is a surefire poolside sipper, that makes you think you’re in St. Tropez. It’s got that ripe strawberry flavor. The strawberry flavor dominates, but it’s the cool, crisp body that makes this wine so enjoyable. The Reserve, like the regular bottling, has the same five grapes in it that the M5 has (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cournoise, Cinsault). The difference is the time it sees in the barrel and the added body. This is more of a food wine that screams for spot prawns, bbq or lobster pasta.

2017 Kaena Grenache Rose-Year after year Mikael Sigouin turns out a Rose that is the most Tavel like of all of Santa Barbara’s producers. While at times it conjures up a reminder of it being Provencale like, harkening thoughts of Pradeaux, Bastide Blanche or Vannieres, the 17 was more like a Domaine de la Mordoree in color and style than their Bandol siblings. A blend of two different Grenache vineyard, some Syrah for color and Grenache Blanc for some additional body, the salmon-colored gem is one that has your taste buds tingling and your palate

2017 Villa Creek Paso Robles Rose-Cris Cherry is perhaps one of the undiscovered winemaking heroes in California. His blend of 70% Grenache / 20% Carignan / 10% Mourvedre is more like drinking a rose from the Languedoc or Roussillon, or even Spain than from the Provence, Rhone or Bandol regions. A bit more red than salmon pink in color. A bit more spice from the Carignan and Mourvedre. A long, rich, ripe taste and a very lingering strawberry finish. The exciting thing about the Villa Creek Rose is how light on the palate it is at the start, and how full on the mouth it is on the finish.

2017 Domaine d’Aupilhac Rose- I first tasted the Montpeyroux Rose at the winery just after it had been bottled and before it was released. While most Roses are made for sipping by the pool, Sylvain Fadat’s is more of a food wine than most. Deeper pink color, with the scent and flavor of the best Bandols. Think Pradeaux, Bastide Blanche, Gros Nore, La Tour du Bon, and you’ll see what Fadat is up to with his blend of Mourvèdre 50 %, Cinsault 30 %, and Syrah 10 %.

2017 Domaine du Mourchon Loubie Rose- made in the medieval village of Seguret, and called a Cotes du Rhone Village wine, the Mourchon Rose is a blend of Grenache and Syrah. It’s one of my go-to, almost every day kind of Rose as it’s got everything you want when you can’t decide between Tavel, Bandol or Provence. The reason is simple. The Mourchon has it all. Great color. An appealing bouquet. Loads of fruit on the palate, and a long, elegant, crisp finish of blueberries and strawberries.

I'd be remiss if I didn't also mention the fine all Mourvedre Rose 2017 from Tercero, made by the one and only Larry Schaffer,. The Tercero has a very Bandol feel to it, with loads of citrus and fresh grapefruit on the attack. There's also the very pleasing 2017 Habit Rose by Jeff Fischer. It's got a dark Grenache color, and drinks like a red wine more than a Rose. Yummy.

The (Un)Usual Suspects

Rose wines that I tend to buy in quantity seem to come from three regions outside of the USA. While I tend to have the occasional Rosado or Rosato from Spain and Italy, and the rare, but always enjoyable pink Vinho Verde from Portugal. But when it comes to French Rose, not all of them are from the usual suspects, and not all from the usual places.

These are not always the ones that everyone looks for first, nor always the ones you expect to find the most joy from. And, sadly, these are not the Rose wines that you can find everywhere. You need to hunt around to find them, and when you do, it’s all about drinking them when the time is right.

2017 Domaine de Marquiliani Vin de Corse “Rosé de Pauline” is one of two Marquiliani rose wine. While the Vin de Corse is nice and tasty, the “Rosé de Pauline” is almost translucent in color and is so light you may mistake it for white wine. A blend of three grapes, 50% Sciaccarellu, 40% Syrah and 10% Vermentino that avoids any malolactic fermentation, this is one of the freshest, juiciest and tasty Roses around.

2017 Yves Leccia Patrimonio Rose-if the Marquiliani is the light, then the Leccia is the dark counterpart. Not so much in color, but in power and how it hits you. This is a Corsican tour de force. Orange peel, grapefruit, overripe raspberries and strawberries that is best when served ice cold, you want to not stop drinking this charmer.

2017 Chateau Pradeaux Cotes du Provence Rose- this is the second rose from one of Bandol’s top producers. Beyond it being one of the best bargains around, it has the kind of fresh, forward flavor of black raspberry and blackberry from the blend of Cinsault and Mourvedre with some Grenache and Carignan too. It has a stunning floral nose while being a crisp and dry Rose that offers excellent value not usually found at the price point of under $14.00 for a French rose.

Tasty Tavels

If there was a region in France that defines textbook Rose, it’s not Provence or Bandol or even the Loire Valley. It’s Tavel. Year after year the most food-friendly Rose wines I enjoy come from Tavel. And of late four producers really nail it.

2017 Alain Jaume Tavel Les Crustace- Jaume is one of these rising stars from visits to the Rhone in the ’90s and 00’s years ago and earmarked for future success. Their Chateauneuf du Pape wines are off the hook great, and their Cotes du Rhone reds for many years were go to’s while Guigal returned to form. The Les Crustace is one of those unexpected treasures where enjoyment in the glass is found all the time. Consistently reliable, the rose petal and strawberry aromas are fueled by the blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre. Usually found for under $17.00, in the age where French Rose from Tavel is over $20.00 this is the out-performer of the bunch.

2017 Prieure de Montezargues- While La Mordoree and Trinquevedel garner more attention, I don’t know of another Tavel producer who over the past 5 years has given me the kind of enjoyment that Montezargues always seems to do. If Rose were made in Chateauneuf du Pape, the Montezargues would be that wine. A blend of 55% Grenache both red and white, 30% Cinsault, 13% Clairette, and 2% of various grape varieties including Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Bourboulenc, the wine needs a bit of time in the bottle but when you open one, you find that this is a serious food wine that has the body, acidity, and crispness to stand up to the most intense Asian BBQ. Lots of red fruits, berries, peach, and spice, enjoy this wine now or over the next few years.

2017 Château de Trinquevedel-this is a rose I’ve been drinking for as long as I can remember. It was a regular staple in my house for years, and one of the most consistently enjoyable Rose with BBQ ribs, roasted red peppers with anchovies, Pacific Rim cuisine and even with BBQ tri-tip. It’s a blend of 45% Grenache, 24% Cinsault, 15% Clairette, 10% Mourvèdre, 6% Syrah and is so fruit forward, yet so crisp, you just don’t realize how good it is until it’s all gone.

The Domaine de la Mordoree in Lirac makes four rose wines, down from five in the past. One is their Cotes du Rhone which I tend to skip in favor of their other three. The two higher-end wines are always challenging each other year after year for which one is best, while their Vin de France, non-AOC Rose tends to provide the most pleasure because it is so different.

2017 Domaine de la Mordoree La Reine des Bois is a blend of 60% Grenache, 15% Clairette, 10% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, 5% Bourboulenc is a blockbuster. She’s the “queen of the woods” and is royalty in the glass. It’s a big Rose, one that is not your poolside sipper but instead is the Rose you pull out to impress a guest who usually goes for a rose sparkler. It’s big, head turning, spicy, fruity and all the while a replacement for red or white wines when the weather heats up or when the food does.

2017 Domaine de la Mordoree La Dame Rousse Rose consists of 60% Grenache, 10% Cinsault, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, 5% Clairette, 5% Bourboulenc is a fraternal twin to the Le Reine des Bois, but it’s the addition of Mourvedre that gives it a bit of white and black pepper kick and a deeper fruit taste. While dry and crisp, the Mourvedre makes it a bit riper in flavor to the Rousse adding to its exceptional ability to pair with spicy Asian dishes or rich lobster, shrimp, and clam dishes.

2017 Domaine de la Mordoree La Remise is the non-AOC blend of 35% Marselan, 35% Merlot, 15% Syrah, 15% Grenache and is in the same class as the Jaume Les Crustace as far as value. This is a very different Rose though, as the Marselan and Merlot makes it more fruity, bigger boned and much darker and deeper in color. While the color is light pink, the depth of fruit and richness in the body makes this ideal for thin crust pizza and grilled meats.

Best of Bandol

2017 Chateau Pradeaux- there are Roses, and there are Rose wines. While a few from other parts of France make the cut into the latter category, at the top of the list is the Rose from Pradeaux as the Pradeaux Bandol Rose is a food wine and a rose. It only has two grapes in the blend. Cinsault and Mourvedre but what power there is in those two grapes. Big, bold, spicy, racy. This is the blockbuster, Rose. It’s not a timid wine, nor is it one you just sit back and sip.

2017 Bastide Blanche-Made from Mourvèdre, some Clairette with just about the same amount of Cinsault and Grenache, the limestone soil based pink wine has melon and peach notes that balance out a very ripe berry and cherry wine. Lots of flavor, and lots of depth, like the Pradeaux the Bastide Blanche is as at home with food as any Rose around.

2017 Château Vannières-One of the hidden gems of Bandol that deserves more attention and acclaim are the wines of Vannieres. The rose is one that every time I visit the region I have sought out and then try to locate it in the USA. It’s one of those magical wines that stands out when you put it in a lineup and keep coming back to. It’s also pure and crystalline in style. Salmon colored, rose petal bouquet, bright blackberry and strawberry fruit the blend of 30% Grenache  30% Cinsault 40% Mourvedre is one of those wines that just keeps on coming at you, and while not full throttle, it’s the kind of wine that before you know it, the whole bottle has been consumed.

2017 Domaine de la Tour du Bon- this is one of those producers you wish you had more of their wine in your collection, and yet at the same time know you won’t keep your hands off of them for long. That’s always been the case with the la Tour du Bon reds for me, and when it comes to the Rose, I just never keep them around as long as the Tempiers or Pradeauxs. Much like the Vannieres, I find the la Tour du Bon as the most approachable, delightful, light on the palate and rich on the taste Rose wines made in Bandol. A blend of Mourvèdre 36%; Grenache 25%; Cinsault 32% and Clairette 7%, the light oriental spice aroma, backed by orange peel, blackberry and raspberry fruit and some black plum flavors makes this another ideal food wine from Bandol.

2017 Domaine Tempier- I’d be remiss if I didn’t include Tempier. It’s perhaps the most age-worthy of the Bandol Roses as it comes from some of the oldest vineyards in the appellation. Lighter in color than the Bastide Blanche and Pradeaux, it has that very light color, but lots of body. It’s refreshing at the same time as mouth filling. It’s juicy and filling, crisp and vibrant all at the same time.

Picks of Provence

2017 Chateau de Roquefort Corail Rose-longtime friend in Paris, Tim Johnston of Juveniles fame turned me onto the Roquefort rose back in the 2012 vintage. It was a monumental wine as the winery had lost its entire crop but many of the neighboring wines from Provence pitched in with grapes and the year wasn’t lost. The 2012 was a wine never to be duplicated, but since then I have sought out the Chateau de Roquefort Corail Rose like a hunter seeks its prey. Each year the wine changes in the percentages of the grapes in the final blend, which is one of its most charming characteristics. The 17 was a perfect blend of Syrah 35%, Grenache 27%, Carignan 24%, Cinsault 8%, Clairette 6% giving off citrus notes and spicy flavors of white fruit, Crenshaw melon, plums, cherries, blueberry, blackberry, strawberry, black currant and more. It’s also one of the best buys under $15.00 around.

2017 Château Sainte Roseline Lampe de Meduse-served in a very stylish “lamp” bottle there are a few different Sainte Roseline wines, but it’s the Cru Classe Lampe de Meduse which has stolen the breath away of many a lady I know. For some reason the very pale colored, light violet and rose petal pink wine has something going on that makes it so appealing to so many.  Having now gone through at least a half case of each of their rose wines the past few years since the 2015 vintage) I am wholly convinced that the Sainte Roseline is one of the hidden stars of Provence.

2017 Chateau Sainte Roseline Cotes de Provence Perle de Roseline-as much as the Lampe is a head turner, and a tremendous value for money pick in the Rose draft, the real winner is the Perle de Roseline, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Carignan. Different in style, complexity, aromas, and taste, this is one wine that like the Marquiliani is an outlier as the combination of Cabernet and Syrah with the Carignan is so different but the way it’s vinified makes it so light and austere while being fulfilling and tasty.

2017 Commanderie de Peyrassol Chateau Peyrassol makes a few Rose wines including its stunning and attention-grabbing entry level blend of Cinsault, Syrah and Grenache named Commanderie that is a great way to experience Provence in a bottle. But it’s the Chateau Peyrassol Rose that is the winner of the three roses produced in the hills of Provence. Syrah, Cinsault, Grenache, Ugni Blanc, and Rolle all come from the oldest vineyards on the property, and it’s the two white grapes, the Ugni Blanc and Rolle that give this wine the mouthfeel, fragrances, and structure that’s needed.

2017 Nigl Riesling ‘Dornleiten’ Is A Cool White

It was 2005 when I first visited Austria's Kremstal and Kamptal wine regions. With some help and advice from longtime Austrian wine importer Terry Theise, whom I first met at Jamey's in Philadelphia back in 1989 or 90, I visited a series of the Kamptal region's top producers, including Nigl, Brundlmayer, Heidler and Gobelsburg and dined like a king at Gasthof Jell and Landhaus Bacher.

On Theise's recommendation, I went to Nigl on that trip, and a few others since, each time more wowed by the pristine style of wines they produce, and the ethereal, almost out of this world quality they turn out year after year. Over the years, on other trips, I have had the good fortune to not only taste many of Nigl's wines, but to go through both the joy of a full "new release" line up, and sometimes even taste library wines from this famed estate, as well as dine full on in their restaurant, where the tasting and pairing of their wines may be the best of the best anywhere. 

Last night a neighbor whipped up some Kung Pao Chicken, complete with red peppercorns and Chinese five spice. That screamed for a racy, crisp white, that had the sweet type of fruitiness that one needs when dining on Asian fare. And the 2017 Nigl Riesling ‘Dornleiten’ certainly didn't come up short. 

While most times I would opt for a Nigl Riesling Senftenberger Piri or Riesling “Privat” Ried Hochäcker Erste Lage, the ‘Dornleiten,’ which Theise describes as a miniture Riesling, largely due to its' youthful charm and early maturity, sure fit the bill. 

The  ‘Dornleiten’ though is anything but tiny, light or diminutive. What it has is that total fruit in the body style thing going on that is found only in Austrian Riesling, without that "sweetness" that so many Rieslings from Germany have. And it's that dry, crisp, racy, high-acid style that makes Austrian Riesling so perfect with spicy Asian cooking.

Often I'll pull another Theise import, the Brundlmayer Riesling Kamptaler Terassen when the whiff of Asian spices comes along, as that's the usually best example of a Kampal white that punches well above its weight. And it's why when that wine is not in reach, I'll look to Nigl for something that can rival it.

The 2017 Nigl Riesling ‘Dornleiten’ is that wine.

Total cool body, crispy, mineral laden wet stone appeal with bright green apple and lime flavors. It's a real spice cutter, as one sip of the Nigl knocks the spice out of your mouth and gives you harmonious food and wine joy right on the spot.

Nigl's Dornleiten is a gem and for the money, a far better pairing for hot and spicy than any Chardonnay or even most Sauvignon Blanc so think about it the next time you go for Thai, Chinese, Korean or even Indian food. It's a cool wine, that goes great with just about anything hot and spicy.

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.