Wines for The Adventuresome

 

 

VINO NOCETO

It seems to us that many California producers of wines such as Sangiovese and Syrah have but a vague notion of what these wines are like on their home "turf."  Many vintners simply plant a vineyard, harvest the fruit and vinify the wine and, well, however it turns out, that's what we have.  And, having purchased expensive vineyard land, the price tags on many of these wines is shocking (especially when one can purchase benchmark wines from Europe for less money than it takes to ransom some California 'knock-off').

The story of Vino Noceto is that of a couple of likeable "nuts" (yes, Noce is an Italian word for 'walnut') who used to live near the shop here in Burlingame: Jim & Suzy Gullett.

They had purchased a piece of property in the Sierra Foothills in 1984 and in 1985 they ventured to Italy, exploring the Tuscan countryside, visiting estates such as Isole e Olena and Rampolla in Chianti and a few producers in Montalcino.   In 1987 they began planting a vineyard and today they make about 3,500 cases of their normal bottling of Sangiovese.  The Gulletts seem to have a good grasp of Sangiovese and the wine ends up being a nice California interpretation of Sangiovese, rather than a Cabernet-fortified red that's got a different label on it.

Over the years we've found some good vintages and have periodically had the Noceto Sangiovese in the shop.

We really like their 2007 vintage of Sangiovese, as it's a medium-bodied, mildly woodsy red wine with nice red fruit tones.  The tannins are modest and the wine is a lovely partner for Italianesque foods:  tomato-sauced pastas, red meats, roasted chicken, grilled sausages, etc.

Currently in stock:  2007 VINO NOCETO Sangiovese $14.99

 

 

FRICK WINERY

Bill Frick has been making interesting wines since the mid-1970s.  He was a young hippy back then and today he's, well, an old hippy.

And he makes some "hip" wines.

We were delighted to taste a Mendocino Carignane recently.  This is from the 2005 vintage.  The vineyard was planted in the 1890s and it's a head-pruned, dry-farmed vineyard.  The old-timers liked Carignane for its vigor.  High yields meant more wine.

When the vines get old, though, they don't produce much of a crop, but the quality becomes much more interesting.  One old-timer I knew back in the late 1970s told me Carignane could produce a wine of greater nobility than Cabernet Sauvignon if it was cultivated properly.  Well, I'm still not sure about that, but I have tasted some nice Carignane wines this past year.

Frick's 2005 is a medium-bodied red wine.  It has some brambly notes reminiscent of Zinfandel with some red fruit tones, too.  Oak is not part of this wine's profile...the Carignane is front and center here.

Currently in stock:  FRICK 2005 Mendocino CARIGNANE $19.99

 

DOMAINE BERTHOMIEU
2006 MADIRAN  $19.99  

From South-western France, we have a couple of exceptional wines from Didier Barre's Domaine Berthomieu.  

These are made from interesting and, to Californians, unusual grape varieties.  

His Madiran is called "Cuvée Charles de Batz," a blend of 90% Tannat and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.  If you like big, deep Cabernets, put a bottle of this on the dinner table!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JOSEPH SWAN

Joe Swan was a real pioneer in California wine history.  He was an airline pilot who was fascinated by wine and grape growing.  I was pleased to meet him a year or two before he died and can still recall a wonderful rendition of Cassoulet he made for our (mutual) friends from Italy.  

 

Swan's daughter and her husband, winemaker Rod Berglund, run the place today.  Neighboring wineries may make more polished wines and offer bottles which get higher numerical scores from various journals.

Wines here tend to be traditionally-made and some people find them a bit rustic.  But if a wine strikes a chord with you, it can be a memorable and delightful experience.

Berglund makes a proprietary blend called Cotes du Rosa.  I think it's predominantly Carignane from an old vineyard near the winery.  The current vintage is a lovely, soulful little red wine.  There's a peppery, spicy, brambly note reminiscent of Zinfandel.  It's a medium-bodied red that's perfect with braised or stewed meats or some spicy, Mediterranean fare.

 

Currently in stock:  JOSEPH SWAN 2007 Cotes du Rosa $19.99

 

 

CHALONE 2006 PINOT BLANC   List $26  SALE  $22.49

It's been noted that the grape which goes by the name Pinot Blanc here in California may, in fact, be the Melon de Bourgogne.  Melon is the grape found in the Loire where it makes the white wines called Muscadet.  Visit Alsace or Northern Italy and you'll undoubtedly taste Pinot Blanc (Bianco).  Wines of this variety are usually mildly appley and steely crisp.  California vintners usually take a page from the Chalone winemaking handbook and barrel-ferment the juice.  Chalone's Pinot Blanc, it is claimed, is le vrai Pinot Blanc.  Whatever, they have often made a good wine from its fruit.  Though it is made in the style of their Chardonnays, keen palates may be able to tell the two wines apart.  For my taste, Chalone's Pinot Blanc displays a minerally note behind the mildly toasty oak.    The wine seems to develop a bit with aging, so buying some bottles for cellaring a year or two might be wise.

 

ZOLO

The Torrontes grape is thought to have originated in Spain, but it's real home presently is Argentina.

Some people say Torrontes is probably a clone of Malvasia or, perhaps, several clones of Torrontes.

The Zolo 2009 would be Exhibit A in arguing this is a relative of Malvasia.  What a fragrance!  As soon as you open the bottle you'll get a whiff of a fruit bowl.  

But, despite its fruity aspects on the nose, the wine is actually dry on the palate.  Ten bucks, too!  Even better.

 

Currently in stock:  2009 ZOLO Torrontes  Sale $9.99

 

DOMAINE ILARRIA 2006 IROULEGUY $16.99

The vineyard land in this south-west appellation struck me as rather rugged, perched on steep hills and worked by rugged individuals.  I suppose it's little wonder, then, that the wines of the Irouleguy area are some of the most "sturdy" in France and they're a galaxy apart from today's modern, internationally-styled wines so prevalent thanks to point-counting world.  

You're in the Pyrénées and Basque Country when visiting producers of Irouleguy.   The language is different, the people are wonderfully different and the wines, thank goodness, are different.  

Domaine Ilarria is owned by Peio Espil, one of the top vintners in the region, not that there are hundreds.  In fact, most of the wine of the appellation is made by the local growers' cooperative.  Most of the production from the region stays at home...only 10% is exported.  But then, when you think about it, not many foreigners probably have a palate to appreciate this sort of wine.  They make a rosé, for example, which is screamingly dry and tart.  

Here's a wine based on the Tannat grape that's "tempered" with Cabernet Franc (yikes!), so it pairs well with red meats, duck, etc.  The word "austere" comes to mind as a good descriptor.  I like the 2006 from Ilarria.  It's big, moderately herbal and I found the Cabernet Franc to give much of the aroma in this wine.  If you're a fan of Madiran and Cahors wines from the Southwest, you might consider trying a bottle of Irouleguy.

 

  
Mrs. Espil.

American wine geeks visiting the Ilarria cellar.


Peio Espil in explains cultivating Tannat and Cabernet vines in Basque Country.  The vines, just 6 miles from the Spanish border, are cultivated organically because Espil says the indigenous yeast on the grapes is 'stronger' or more capable of a complete fermentation.  Yields are rather small in an effort to maximize quality.

A current vintage of Ilarria...

Here's an antique bottle of Irouleguy...a 1928!

GRAFF FAMILY

Dick Graff was a real pioneer in the history of California wine.  His family purchased a property near Soledad in Monterey County which is the site of the Chalone winery. 

Graff's family had given some money to Rodney Strong for his "Sonoma Vineyards" enterprise.  Strong used to sell wine from a storefront in Tiburon back in those days.  After Graff spent some time getting his feet wet at Sonoma Vineyards, his family gave him a few bucks and he took over the run down vineyard at Chalone.  

Back in those days, there wasn't even a power-line from town out to the somewhat remote vineyard site.  And plumbing?  Graff had to truck in water to nurse the vines.  He had old vineyards and planted new ones, diligently cultivating them so he could make a modest amount of wine.  

The first harvest was 1966 and by the mid-1970s the wines of Chalone were amongst the most fancy, most French-styled wines in California.  Graff was helped by a CPA from Touche-Ross, Phil Woodward.  The two of them slowly built Chalone, finally taking the company public and then it grew until it became part of the Diageo drinks empire.  

Graff died in a tragic plane accident in 1998, but his legacy lives on with the Chalone winery and its estate vineyards.  Even more so, the Graff Family Vineyards label produces some wines of interest.  The current crop were vinified by Dan Karlsen, former Chalone winemaker.

 

We're especially pleased with a Mourvèdre wine from the Graff winery.  This grape, as you may know, is the backbone of the wines of Bandol in Provence.  The 2007 Graff  Mourvèdre displays a bright, spicy note which we particularly enjoy.  There's a mild black pepper note to this wine.  It's medium-bodied and has a whiff of a woodsy note to it, also. Though it may age handsomely for three to five years, we find it quite drinkable now, especially with lamb or duck.

 

Currently in stock:  GRAFF FAMILY 2007 Chalone MOURVÈDRE  SALE $19.99

 

BENAZA GODELLO

The Godello grape is another one of those particular varieties that few wine drinkers know.

Its homeland is in Spain's Galicia and Bierzo regions (well west of Rioja, por ejemplo).

A bit more prominent on wine lists and store shelves are wines made of the Albariño grape.  This comes from many of the coastal areas of western Spain.  The Godello seems to be entrenched a bit farther inland in the sub-regions of Valdeorras, Ribeira Sacra and Monterrei.  

The Benaza winery is located in Monterrei and this little region sits close to the borders of Spain and Portugal.

  
The little purple area on the map above highlights Monterrei.

 

Benaza, like many of their neighbors, blends Godello with some of the other odd varieties from the area.  As a result, this wine is approximately 80% Godello with a bit of Dona Blanca & Treixadura.  The wine is fermented in stainless steel and left on the spent yeast for a short period of time (around 2 months, or so).

We like the fruit notes and the stony tones of this dry white.  It seems like it shows nice crisp melon and apple-like fruit and there's an underlying minerality.  The alcohol is low by California standards and the wine is a delight with seafood.

 

Currently in stock:  BENAZA 2008 GODELLO $13.99

CELLER EL MASROIG

There's a grower's cooperative in Spain's Montsant region called Celler El Masroig.  It was founded in the early 1900s and is still going strong, producing wine and olive oil.

Winemaker Carles Escolar produces a very small production of "Clos du Noi," a wine with the designation "Samsó" on the label.

Samsó is the Catalonian dialect term for "Cariñena" or Carignane.

At least that's what some people claim.  Since there's an appellation called Cariñena, vintners are obliged to designate the wine as something else, so it's been said "Samsó" is such a synonym for Carignane (or Mazuelo).  

In perusing the website of the esteemed Torres winery, it seems they view Samsó and Cariñena as different grape varieties. 
So, while many books assert Samsó is merely a synonym, Torres believes it's an entirely different variety and may be related to Carignane, but it's not identical.  

Whatever we have here, it's delicious.

Escolar, we're told, has mature vineyards from which he sources the fruit for this small production wine.  It is dark in color and displays nice plummy, blackberry fruit.  We find a nice touch of oak and the tannin level is modest, making this showy now, in its youth.

 

We have the 2008 in stock and it's a remarkably good bottle of wine.

Currently in stock:  2008 CLOS DE NOI Montsant "SAMSÓ" $14.99

 

 

 

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Last modified:  September 2, 2010