Chablis

Chablis vineyards in Autumn/Adobe image

To oak or not to oak?  That's the question that has been troubling Chablis producers since the end of the 19th century.  

While most fine white Burgundies, made from Chardonnay, are fermented and aged in oak, the question of oak contact in Chablis, also made from Chardonnay, is up to the individual winery.  Many things are certain in Chablis, but not the use of oak. 

The use of oak is not the only difference between the two wines.  Chablis and the Cote de Beaune, a part of southern Cote d'Or, are separated by geography.  Chablis is the most northern part of Burgundy, more than 60 miles to the northeast of Cote d'Or, closer to Champagne than Burgundy.  This odd arrangement goes back to the 15th century when Chablis became part of the Duchy of Burgundy.

Thus, geography places Chablis far from the equator, subject to the variable and uncertain effects of a northern continental climate, and the threat of Spring frosts.  Weather variables have a major impact on grape quality and harvest quantity. 

The Chablis Commission says that vineyard production has reached maximum and that growers are dealing with challenging problems like bad weather in 2024 that resulted in very low wine production.

Wine making under these conditions, in both Chablis and Cote d'Or, is reflected in the character of the wines. Unoaked Chardonnay from Chablis is crisp and mineral, while the Cote de Beaune Chardonnay is fuller, with spice from time spent in oak.  

Oaked Chablis becomes a different wine, while still reflecting its terroir.  And in Chablis, as it is everywhere in France, vineyard terroir is everything.

Chablis winemakers wanting to retain a mineral characteristic, known locally as gout to pierre à fusil (the taste of gunflint), prefer stainless steel fermentation. Other winemakers,  favoring the use of oak, like the extra dimension, provided by oak, in the wine's taste and structure.

Quality levels for Chablis are based on vineyards.  Within each of the four levels, there are specific vineyards, often mentioned on the label.  At the top are Grand Cru Chablis are seven named vineyards, including Les Clos and Valdesir.  Next are Premier Cru Chablis from 79 named vineyards.

                                                                              

 The two lowest levels, Chablis and Petit Chablis, vie for authenticity and quality.  Those wines labeled Chablis are from anywhere in the appellation, whereas Petit Chablis are made from lesser vineyards or plots. 

Officially, Petit Chablis wines are rated lower in quality, but lately some producers have been more selective about vineyards and wine making, thus the positioning may be shifting. 

Petit Chablis is selling well in the United States, helping to make the U.S. the top market for all Chablis.  The market is seeing rising prices for all Burgundy, causing astute shoppers to see Petit Chablis as Burgundian Chardonnay at a more reasonable price.  

Prices for Burgundy, including Chablis, are all over the board: Puligny-Montrachet, $120 to $300+;  Chablis Grand Cru, $120 to $200+; Chablis Premier Cru, $35 to $50; Petit Chablis, $25; Chablis, $15 to $30. 

There will always be a demand for great Chardonnay, whether it be from the Cote de Beaune, Chablis, California or Australia.  With steadily rising prices, now may be a good time to look at Chablis.

 

Next post: The Value of Aging Wine

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Lombardy

                          

At an unknown time in the distant past, an odd geologic upheaval formed what is today the country of Italy, shaped like a long high heel boot. Economics and politics exerted a different force, in present day Italy, shaping the country into an industrial north and an agricultural south.

Milan, the great industrial city of northern Italy, developed as the economic force of Lombardy, the most populous region in the country.  And, Milan became the center of a burgeoning wine culture in Lombardy and neighboring Piedmont. 

In Lombardy, the cool growing climate is ideally suited for the production of much of Italy's best sparkling wine in the region of Franciacorta.  Historically, while Franciacorta developed as Italy's leading producer of high-end spumante, the region did not come on the scene until the 1960s. 

Franciacorta spumante (the Italian word for sparkling wine) is  made in the hills near Brescia.  The spumante is made by the traditional Champagne method from Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir), Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco (Pinot Blanc).  Most of the top houses, like Ca' del Bosco, favor a higher percentage of Chardonnay in their blends. 

There's a lot of speculation about when the French varieties arrived in Franciacorta, but the money seems to be during the replanting of the vineyards after the devastation of phylloxera had passed.  In an homage to Champagne, Franciacorta spumante sports French label language  and uses the same residual sweetness levels as Champagne.

While Champagne deserves its reputation for elegant, refined sparkling wine, Franciacorta produces an equally good bubbly.  Unfortunately, the Italian wine does not enjoy the same prestige as the French wine.

Oltrepo Pavese, Lombardy's oldest sparkling wine region, in the Pavia zone, supplies Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes for the production of spumante in neighboring Piedmont.  The spumante from Pavia is made according to the traditional Champagne method.  Other authorized varieties include Pinot Bianco and Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris), two grapes that give the sparklers a decided Italian character.   

The requirement for spumante is a minimum of 70% Pinot Noir, and the wines must be aged on the lees for at least 15 months, or 24 months for vintage wines.  Oltrepo Pavese was granted DOCG status in 2007.

In the 1960s, English wine writer, Cyril Ray, did not mention Oltrepo Pavese in his book, "The Wines of Italy."  Twenty years later, American writer, Burton Anderson, in his seminal book "Vino" declared the wines of Oltrepo Pavese, "conspicuously underrated."  

Things have improved for Oltrepo since Anderson wrote that  in the early 1980s.  Today, the area is best-known for still red wine, made from Pinot Noir.

 The rest of Lombardy is divided into several DOCs, and with one exception, they are lesser known than the heavy hitters on the Italian wine list, like Barolo and Chianti. 

While Lombardy's two sparkling wines follow the French methodology, Lambrusco became an international best seller as a distinctly Italian wine, taking the American market by storm in the 1980s.  The popular Lambrusco is a version from four production zones in Emilia-Romagna, south of Lombardy, across the Po river.  Lombardy's claim to Lambrusco is Lambrusco Mantovano, a lightly sparkling ((frizzante) red wine, made from the Lambrusco grape. 

Exclusivity on Lake Garda

Lake Garda is one of the loveliest spots in Italy; if you can afford it.  Lugana, a dry white wine produced in a small area south of the lake helps ease the sticker shock of living large on Garda and nearby Lake Como.  Lugana, made from Trebbiano di Lugana, has a trace of mineral, likely from the limestone and clay in the zone's best vineyards. 

Not far from the border with Switzerland, in an alpine valley, is Valtellina, a DOC red wine, made from Nebbiolo (known locally as Chiavennasca), the same high-value grape in Barolo and Barbaresco, from neighboring Piedmont.  The mountainous terrain and terraced vineyards of Valtellina give the Nebbiolo wines a certain "nervousness," the local way of describing the wine's brisk acidity.

Additionally, there are four single high-altitude vineyards in Valtellina, each with a different take on Nebbiolo: Grumello, Inferno, Sassella and Valgella. These four red wines are labeled Valtellina Superiore and are mostly available in major U. S. markets.

Piemontese wines may get a lot of attention for its stellar red wines, but neighboring Lombardy wines have plenty of sparkle. 

(Italy "boot" - Getty image)

Next blog: Chablis: the alternate white Burgundy

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Carneros

In 1981, a young German couple arrived in an alien wine culture.  Markus Moller-Racke's father, director of the German wine and spirits firm, A. Racke, sent Markus to head up Racke's recent acquisition, historic Buena Vista Winery, in the Carneros wine region of Northern California.  Markus and his wife,  Anne Moller-Racke, a talented viticulturist, were anxious about their new adventure. 

Markus Moller-Racke

In Germany, the Moller-Rackes were used to steeply terraced vineyards, subject to a northern climate best suited to white varieties like Riesling and Muller-Thurgau.  They would encounter something different in Carneros; vineyards running along gently rolling hills, adjacent to a large body of water that tempered the climate for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. 

The Moller-Rackes met the challenge head on, injecting new energy into Buena Vista's vineyards and wines. By 2000, though, things had changed in Germany and the elder Moller-Rache decided his son should come home to run the family business.  The Moller-Rackes went their separate ways: Markus back to Germany, while Anne stayed in Carneros, running the very successful Donum Estate.

In the twenty years that the Moller-Rackes were in Carneros, the wine community came together to form the Carneros Wine Alliance, attract new wineries and grape growers and establish Carneros as one of California's premier wine regions. 

Carneros By the Numbers

Los Carneros means "the rams" in Spanish, an appropriate name since the land was once part of a Spanish land Grant, used as grazing pasture for large flocks of sheep.  In the late 1800s, Agoston Haraszthy, the Hungarian entrepreneur who brought premium grape varieties to California, planted the first vineyard in Carneros, overlooking San Pablo Bay.  The area's first winery opened in 1880 at the Stanly Ranch.  Today, the historic property is owned by Auberge Resorts.

San Pablo Bay, at the northern end of the San Francisco Bay, provides morning fog and cool breezes for the Carneros vineyards along the southern parts of Napa and Sonoma counties.  Los Carneros, granted an AVA in 1983 (amended in 2006), is one of many California AVAs located in more than one county. 

The bulk of the rural Carneros appellation is in Sonoma County, from the historic town of Sonoma in the north to a southern point near the famous Sears-Point Raceway.  There is a sameness to the land, from one county to the other. 

In wine terms, Carneros is defined by climate and not political lines.  At one time, the climate across Carneros was cooler than it is today.  Still, because it is close to the northern reaches of San Francisco Bay, Carneros can be cool, foggy and wet, the right growing environment for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. 

Once, California Pinot Noirs were few and far between.  Except for the occasional Pinots from Joseph Swan and Hanzell, the PN Revolution didn't get started until Russian River devotees came along in the late 1980s.  

Since then, interest has grown. Today, noteworthy Pinot Noir is being made in Carneros, and the Russian River Valley, Santa Barbara, Anderson Valley and Santa Lucia Highlands. Except for Anderson Valley, Pinots from the other areas tend to be more concentrated, with deeper black cherry flavors.  

In the early 1980s, new wineries making Burgundian-style wines came on line in Carneros,  including Saintsbury, Bouchaine, Acacia, Gloria Ferrer and Richardson.  Syrah and Merlot were added to the grape inventory, along with a growing list of other varieties, but it was Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that showed promise for still and sparkling wine.

During the same decade, the Carneros wine map added another new dimension, with the arrival of a handful of sparkling wine producers.   On the Napa side, Domaine Carneros, owned by Champagne Taittinger, opened its doors in 1987.  In Sonoma, Spain's Freixenet, a CAVA maker in Catalonia, began making sparkling wine under the Gloria Ferrer label.  Codorniu, another major CAVA maker, had Codorniu Napa, but converted to still wines, rebranding as Artesa.  

Today, there are more than 35 Carneros wineries making still and sparkling wines. On the Napa side, Carneros Creek lays claim to the oldest Carneros winery, operating since 1972. Mont St. John, a reliable maker of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, opened its doors in 1979. 

Although the effects of climate change will continue to alter the growing environment, for now Carneros Pinot Noir remains a lighter wine with more delicate berry flavors, supported by brisk acidity.  Carneros Chardonnay tastes of sweet-tart apples, spice and the zesty acidity characteristic of Carneros.

Sheep that once grazed on the rolling hills of Carneros are gone, replaced by a growing number of vineyards, supplying grapes for the distinctive wines of Los Carneros. 

Next post:  Italy's Northern Lombardy

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Pleasureable Port

Port is a fortified wine born of a trade war in the 17th century between English and French tradesmen.  Now, hundreds of years have passed, and Port, like most sweet wine, still appeals only to a relatively small group of wine collectors. 

Why the attraction mainly for collectors?  Because wine drinkers serious enough to build a collection understand that nearly all Port is to be aged before consumption.  Port is not at its best, except for most Ruby, within months of bottling.  Indeed, Vintage Port from a declared year, is not ready to drink until it has been in bottle for 20-30 years, or longer if the year was exceptional. 

The production of Port begins in the terraced vineyards of the upper Douro Valley.  Scattered among the rolling vineyards are estates that ship the new fortified wine down river to aging lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia across the river from Porto.  

The Eiffel-designed bridge over the Douro river

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are three terms to know that make understanding Port easier.  Port is a fortified wine that takes its name from the city of Porto, in northern Portugal.  Oporto is English for Porto.  Vinho do Porto is the official name for the Portuguese wine.  

Officially, Port can be made from a mind-boggling collection of 80 different grapes.  In practice, just five varieties are used today by most Port firms, including Touriga Nacional and Tina Roriz (Spain's Tempranillo).

A rapid fermentation is needed to extract maximum color and tannin from the deeply tinted grapes.  After two to three days, a fortifying spirit, of at least 70%, with approval of the Institudo dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto (IVDP), is added to stop the fermentation.  Specific styles of Port are then matured in oak barrels for varying times. 

Port styles range from young, ready-to-drink, to more complex requiring aging.  In general, there are two broad categories. Wood Ports (Ruby and Tawny) are aged mainly in oak barrels, then following filtration, are ready to drink.  Bottle aged Ports mature in wood for a short time, then are bottled and are not ready to drink for many years.  These are the specific styles. 

Ruby is the least expensive and simplest Port, aged in bulk for 2-3 years, then bottled while still ruby in color.  Many producers use proprietary names for their Ruby Port.  Rubies are grapy, with a rich texture and a hint of spice.  A Ruby with more character and depth may be called Reserva. Priced $20 and under.

Tawny  is, in theory, a Ruby that has lost its color and is now amber brown.  In practice, most Tawny sold today is made from lighter wines and sells for little more than a Ruby. Tawny tastes nutty and lightly caramel.  Aged Tawny is a "true" Tawny Port, aged for at least six years in wood and carries an indication of age on the label: 10, 20, up to 50 years.  Aged Tawny is a favorite of Port shippers.  Price: $25-$30.

Vintage is the most expensive and coveted style of Port.  Vintage Port is made only from select ripe grapes grown in the Cima Corgo, northern Douro.  When the majority of shippers agree on the quality of a vintage, and the IVDP approves, the year is "declared."  Generally, only three years in 10 are declared a vintage.  So far this century, these are declared vintages: 2000, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2016, 2017.  The 2017 Quinta do Vesuvio, is $85 and Graham's 1977 is $150.  Quantity made of a Vintage Port and demand set a premium price for a Vintage Port.   

Late Bottled Vintage is a Port  bottled between the fourth and sixth years after harvest.  Better LBVs are unfined and unfiltered, thus require decanting, like a Vintage. The most common LBVs are fined and sometimes filtered and are ready to drink sooner than a Vintage Port.  Many LBVs are $50 or less.

There are two more styles most often seen in wine shops specializing in fortified wines. Garrafeira means "reserve" and comes from a single year and must be aged a minimum of seven years in glass demijohns.  Colheita is a Tawny Port from a single year with the date of harvest on the label.  By law, a Colheita must be aged in wood for at least seven years.

Praise for Port

For a drink as revered and enjoyed by so many people, there is a surprising  dearth of quotable praise for Port.  But, I did find these tributes.  

H. Warner Allen, early 20th century English journalist mused: "Port is essentially the wine of philosophical contemplation." 

A more commonplace view of Port is this often heard paean, "Any port in the storm."  The idiom is not attributed to any one person, but is thought to describe a nautical term for sailors needing shelter, going back to at least 1749.  Nevertheless, the idiom is applied often to the wine.

If the enjoyment of sipping a well-aged Port gets a little out of hand, try this "hair of the dog that bit you" remedy: melt butter over hot water, stir in a dessertspoon of Worcestershire sauce, the same quantity of orange juice, a pinch of cayenne, and about half a wineglass of old port.  Take some freshly browned toast and soak in the mixture before eating.  The concoction is known as the "Coalman," presumably referring to the man who worked in a coal mine, or maybe the guy who once delivered coal to your house.

Port and Food

Finally, a few words about Port with food.  Ruby and Tawny with no age are best as aperitif drinks.  Favorite dishes with Port include créme brulée and chocolate truffles and simple hors d'oeuvres or fresh fruit.

Vintage and those Ports with vintage character, are best on their own, or maybe with a piece of cheese and some lightly salted walnuts or Spanish Marcona almonds.  An English tradition is to marry Stilton cheese and Port.  Some misguided folks have been known to hollow out a large wheel of Stilton and fill the cavity with Port.  

A more sensible person would pour a few ounces of Port into a tulip-shaped glass and enjoy it with a bit of Stilton or any veined cheese.

Happy New Year everyone.

Next post: Los Carneros

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Oregon's Willamette Valley

South of Portland, Oregon, running for 150 miles alongside the Willamette River, is the  famous Willamette Valley and its world famous wine.  For years, fruit wines brought attention to the Willamette, but by the mid-20th century, a new breed of winemaker began  making America's world class Pinot Noir. 

The name Willamette comes from the French pronunciation of a Native American village, although some say it's an indigenous word meaning either "still water," or "west bank."

Columbia River route along the Oregon Trail

Willamette's fertile valley nestles between mountains on three sides.  The welcoming environment in the west attracted pioneers in 19th century Missouri  to endure the hardships of the Oregon Trail.  Over the decades the pioneers settled in what today are Oregon's five largest cities in the valley.  Portland and Eugene are at the two ends of the valley, with Salem forming the dividing point between north and south Willamette.  More than 70 percent of Oregon's population live in the five major cities.

Willamette Valley is home to a wide array of  crops and animals, including hops, mint, hazelnuts, cattle, Christmas trees, poultry and, of course, wine grapes.  Most of the vineyards are west of the Willamette River.  Today, there are 700 wineries, most of them in Yamhill County.

Pinot Noir tops the Willamette's wine list, with Pinot Gris, a pinot family member, growing in popularity, although it has a way to go before taking over from Chardonnay as the valley's top white wine.  Presently, there are 193 Chardonnays made in the Willamette compared to 69 for Pinot Gris.  The demand is so strong for Chardonnay, that Pinot Gris will be waiting in the wings for quite a while.

Other Willamette Valley wines of interest, include Syrah, Gamay Noir, Pinot Blanc, Riesling and Tempranillo, plus about 30 others.  Still, Willamette's moderate climate is a limiting factor for some grapes, like Cabernet Sauvignon, so the emphasis is focused on what works best, like Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay.  Willamette Syrah embraces the cool climate style, with leaner bright fruit, and a little black pepper.

Papa Pinot

Wine making in Oregon can be traced back to the 19th century. By the time Prohibition was finally over, a thriving fruit wine industry had set the pace for new  growth in Oregon wine, populated in large part by Californians migrating north to find a more hospitable climate for vinifera grape wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

In 1961, Richard Sommer was one of the first Californians to come north, at least as far as the Umpqua Valley, in southern Oregon, where he established Hillcrest Vineyard.  Against advice that wine grapes couldn't be grown in cool, wet Oregon, Sommer planted Pinot Noir. It was a valiant effort, since the southern Umpqua was better suited to Cabernet Sauvignon. 

David Lett followed Sommer to Oregon, continuing on to the Willamette Valley, a spot he knew was more suitable for Pinot Noir and later, Chardonnay.  In 1965,  Lett planted the first vinifera vines in the Dundee Hills.  David Lett was a pinot pioneer in the Willamette and for that, he became known as "Papa Pinot." 

About the same time, Dick Erath and Sokol-Blosser set up shop.  It would be 18 years, though, from the time of  Lett's arrival in the valley, before the region was recognized with an AVA.  Eventually, 11 sub-AVAs were  added, including Enola-Amity Hills and Chehalem  Mountains in 2006, proposed by David Adelsheim, Dick Ponzi and Paul Hart of Rex Hill Vineyard.

Pinot Noir

Satisfied with the quality of Pinot Noir from test sites in the Dundee Hills, Burgundy's Robert Drouhin opened Domaine Drouhin in 1987, installing his daughter, Veronique as winemaker.  Some observers pointed to Drouhin's arrival in Oregon as proof that the Willamette Valley was the premiere spot in the United States for Pinot Noir.

 The "Left Coast" Comparison  

Wine people are protective of their own corner of the wine world.  Comparisons  of these various places are usually ignored, except, for some reason, for the inevitable match-ups  that linger of Oregon Pinot Noir to red Burgundy and Napa Cabernet Sauvignon to red Bordeaux. 

While writing this piece on the Willamette Valley, it occurred to me, how many things in common, besides a vibrant food scene and relaxed lifestyle, there are between Oregon's Willamette Valley and California's Napa Valley:  

* Signature grape and wine - Pinot Noir in the Willamette, Cabernet Sauvignon in Napa.

* Central wine town - McMinnville in Willamette, St. Helena in Napa.

 * Closeness to major metropolitan area - Portland, Oregon, San Francisco, Calif. 

  * College-level wine programs - Linfield University, McMinnville, Napa Valley College, Napa.

Wine is an integral part of the Willamette Valley and the hundreds of wineries are waiting to welcome visitors with a thirst for Oregon Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. 

Next post:  Pleasurable Port

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Gift Wine Books

                                                            

Recently, my Copy Editor and I had lunch with an old friend and his wife.  We meet now and then to swap past wine stories, talk about family and generally enjoy each others company.

At the end of our meal, Gerry surprised me with a generous gift of eight wine books.  Not just any wine books, but old ones that are probably long out of print.  The authors are mostly familiar to me: H. Warner Allen, Paul Lukacs, Maynard Amerine, Thomas Matthews, Don Kladstrup, Pierre Galet, while Barry Woelfel and Gordon M. Shepherd are not.

If my life had taken a different path, I might be growing wine grapes today instead of writing about them.  So, when I got back to my office and unpacked the book bag, Galet's "A Practical Ampelography," was the first book I leafed through.  The last grape in the index of grapes was Valdiguie, an almost forgotten variety I had mentioned in my November 15 post about Gamay.

I was being snarky in that post by suggesting a grower might have second thoughts about   planting Valdiguie, since "who's going to buy a wine labeled Valdiguie?"  I was second guessing growers and should have noticed there are dozens of varietal California Valdiguies and Valdiguie/Gamay blends on retail shelves.   

A reader of this blog and a friend also pointed out that he found J. Lohr 2022 Wildflower Arroyo Seco Monterey Valdiguie at his local wine store.  That friendly note jogged my untrustworthy  memory that J. Lohr has been making Valdiguie for years.

Anyway, with the holidays coming soon, there may be a book lover, especially with a fondness for wine books, on your list.  Although, as I noted, the eight books are probably out of print, but check your local used book store or run a neighborhood want ad to see if any of the books turn up. 

And to help in the search, here are a few lines about each of the eight gift books: 

The Pierre Galet book on ampelography, 1979, is an abbreviated edition, with new additions, of his massive four-volume book on wine grapes of France. The Galet is a standard reference of 150 American and European grape varieties, supplemented by hundreds of illustrations.   American viticultural consultant, Lucie Morton, provided the translation and the late Leon Adams, "Dean of American Wine Writers," wrote the Foreword.

Another seminal text on grape cultivation and wine making is "Wine," by retired UC-Davis professors Maynard Amerine and Vernon Singleton, second edition, 1977.  This update  expands on American wine while including chapters on European and Australian wine, plus sections on wine making and grape growing.  "Wine" should be in every wine lovers library.

"A History of Wine," H. Warner Allen, 1961, is an engrossing read, subtitled, "Great Vintage Wines from The Homeric Age to The Present Day."   Allen was a British author and journalist who died in 1968.  He wrote numerous books on many subjects and has an impressive way with words.  Part One of this history is titled "The First Golden Age of Vintage Wines."  Part Two captures "The Fall of the Roman Empire, through the "Dark Ages of Vintage Wine." And Part Three follows the transition to the Silver Age, which Allen sees as a decline in vintage wines.  Allen's travels through the history of vintage wine is food for thought.

"Inventing Wine," 2012, by the late Paul Lukcas, is a more modern look at the history of wine and what we think of it.  In nine chapters, the author takes the reader on a wine journey from the Middle Ages to the New Millennium.  Paul Lukacs was a college professor with a solid knowledge of wine and a talent for sharing that knowledge in words. 

"Wine & War" was published in 2001 and I read it shortly after.  This well-written history book with a wine connection, is by journalist Don Kladstrup and his wife Petie, a freelance writer.  Kladstrup is an award-winning television news correspondent.  The engrossing story the Kladstrups tell is about the French Resistance, many of whom were winemakers, and how they hid thousands of bottles of valuable wine from the Nazis in Paris.  It's a great read.

The three gifted wine books, now on my reading list, are "A Village in the Vineyards," Thomas Matthews, Photographs by Sara Matthews, 1993, is an account of a year spent by the couple in a small wine town in Bordeaux; "Neuroenology," Gordon M. Shepherd, 2017, a Yale professor of neuroscience, examines  how the brain creates the taste of wine; "Through a Glass, Darkly," 1984, edited by Barry Woelfel, is a fascinating anthology of 13 tales of wine and crime, by such authors as  Edgar Allen Poe, Arthur C. Clarke, Roald Dahl and O. Henry. 

There's something here in this short list of wine books for every wine drinker, find the right book and gift it to someone you know. 

Next post: Oregon's Willamette Valley

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Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

                                                                                                               Freepik image

When wine drinkers gather for a meal, the collaborative plan is to first select white wines that will go with the first course. Then, in natural progression, the call is to decide on the red wines that arrive later in the meal.  

Matching a white wine to a red wine has long been a common practice. Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc is a traditional example.  For me, though, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is one of the most successful pairings.

Both grapes have been associated with the Burgundy region of eastern France since the Middle Ages, and they remained exclusively in France for centuries, before heading out to wine regions around the world.  The two varieties had a symbiotic, though unknown, relationship until the 20th century when DNA profiling disclosed the ancestry of Chardonnay to be none other than Pinot Noir.

Today, Chardonnay is a global brand.  Pinot Noir, however, stays more on a regional basis, owing to the grape's sensitivity to climate and vineyard propagation. Chardonnay's adaptability has allowed growers to plant it under a range of climate and soil conditions. Pinot Noir, on the other hand, stubbornly proved difficult to grow and sensitive to make.

There's more to both of these varieties, but before delving a little deeper into each, I'll pause here for a brief aside. While writing this post, I took a moment to read this funny bit about wine writing in Tom Wark's Fermentation:  "While learning grape varieties and regions can be fun - in the sense that staying home on Saturday nights to watch documentaries on Theodore Roosevelt is fun - it is unnecessary." Joel Stein, wrote that in his "The End of My Career." And while it fulfills my wish for more humor in wine writing, Stein's claim is like saying one doesn't need to know anything about Ernest Hemingway's personality and lifestyle to know what motivated him to write "The Old Man and the Sea, " and "The Sun Also Rises."  Background helps with context.  

                                       

Understanding Chardonnay

Few wines, white or red, have been both lauded and trashed like Chardonnay.  For instance, the Chardonnay grape has been mistaken for Auxerrois, a variety that's more at home in Alsace than Burgundy.

A bit of grape trivia.  In Alsace, Auxerrois is another name for Pinot Gris, which itself was once called Tokay Gris, although it has nothing to do with Hungarian Tokaj.  As if that's not confusing enough, Auxerrois is also known as Auxerrois de Laquenexy in Alsace and Luxembourg.  And nearby, in Germany's Moselle, Chardonnay was once known as Auxerrois Blanc. 

Then, there's the mistaking of Pinot Blanc, a white mutation of Pinot Noir, for Chardonnay.  Despite the confusion, though, since the early years of the 20th century, Chardonnay has been planted just about everywhere and celebrated in even more places.  

But you don't have to be a grape grower to appreciate the charms of Chardonnay (or Auxerrois).  But knowing a little about the growth habits of the grape will surely improve and increase your appreciation of the wine.

Climatically, Chardonnay likes to be right in the middle between cool and warm, especially in clay soils, veined with limestone and chalk.  In cool climates, Chardonnay is lean with racy acidity, while warmer climate Chardonnay can be weak and flabby from low acidity. 

Chardonnay wine making is either cool in stainless steel fermenting tanks or warm in oak barrels.  Because Chardonnay is low in aromatics and distinctive flavors, it usually is accompanied by the toasty smoky notes of oak, mainly French.  Cool climate unoaked Chardonnay leans toward pears, citrus and honey. 

Pairing Chardonnay with food is an easy task, because there is a style of Chardonnay for every occasion.  Leaner unoaked Chardonnay is a good match with simply prepared fish, roast chicken and pork.  Add oak, and the best food matches become more flavorful smoked fish, or roast turkey dark meat and spicy Asian dishes.  

                                                       

Understanding Pinot Noir

Nailing the essence of Chardonnay is easy, compared to the more difficult challenge of  describing the character and flavor of Pinot Noir.  I've had a lifelong fondness for Pinot Noir, but I still struggle to say what Pinot Noir means to me.  I could tick off the places where Pinot Noir shines, like Burgundy, Oregon and California, but it's more than that.

Youthful Pinot Noir overflows with ripe black cherry and strawberries, maturing to deep fruit flavors, accented by leather, wood smoke and enticing exotic spices.  Savoring all of those things together sounds crazy, but before you take a sip, put your nose in the glass and take a deep sniff. 

Don't be swayed by verbal nonsense, like "sweaty saddle." It was once used in place of leathery to describe Pinot Noir and thankfully never caught on.  Then, there's the unfortunate example of bad translations that developed into a minor flap.  A number of years ago, a misunderstanding circulated in wine circles that a noted English Master of Wine had described the smell of Burgundy as "gout de merde."  In fact, the MW had been talking with a maitre de chai (cellarmaster) in Burgundy who, when describing his red wine, meant a barn smell.  To Americans, though, the m-word meant human rather than animal and the story got legs.  

Also misunderstood is the proper color of Pinot Noir.  It should be a medium ruby, not light like rosé, or deep red like Syrah.  With age, Pinot Noir takes on a brick-red color with yellow edges.  

The taste of Pinot Noir is black cherry, spice, earthy and smoky oak. There is no other wood for aging Pinot Noir than French.  American oak is too bold and resinous, while the gentle spice of French oak makes a good partner with Pinot Noir and it blends nicely with the taste.

Before Pinot Noir, from Burgundy or elsewhere, ever gets to that earthy stage, there is the influence of the vineyard.  Pinot Noir is an early-ripening variety that does best in cool climates like Burgundy, Carneros, Russian River and Oregon's Willamette Valley.  The best soils for Pinot Noir are threaded through with limestone and clay, giving the wine a distinct minerality. 

Deciding which grape makes the best wine is a matter of taste.  Devotees of Cabernet Sauvignon say the character of their favorite grape is, by definition, what makes the wine great.  Mature Cabernet Sauvignon/Bordeaux is, without question hard to beat, except for one other wine: Pinot Noir/Burgundy.

Finally, there are classic dishes, like boeuf bourguignon and coq au vin, that are traditional with red Burgundy, but Pinot Noir is great with roasts and grilled meats, mushrooms and vegetables.  And it tastes great with roast turkey, grilled salmon and aged cheeses. 

There are many white and red wines to choose today, but when thinking of one as an aperitif or with dinner, you'll never go wrong with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

 

Next post: Gift Wine Books

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Better with Age

Modern society, at least in the west, has been accused many times of not valuing its senior members.  Tim Atkin MW, an insightful British wine writer, was thinking along those lines recently, in his wine column for Harpers Wine & Spirit magazine.

Atkin's thoughts are reprinted here as a kind of homage to old dudes still making wine and those still writing about it. 

Tim Atkin MW

In an interview for 60 Minutes in 2004, the journalist Ed Bradley asked Bob Dylan if there was anything in his early work that surprised him. His Bobness looked pensive for a moment before quoting the beautiful opening lines of It’s Alright, Ma (I’m only bleeding). “I don’t know how I got to write those songs,” he said, “…they were almost magically written.” Did the muses still hum such poetry – the very stuff that earned Dylan the Nobel Prize for Literature – in his ear? Dylan shook his head. “You can’t do something for ever,” he replied. “I can do other things now, but I can’t do that.”

What other things can Dylan do? Well, earn money touring for a start. If you’re tempted, over the next month or so you can hear him at the Uber Eats Music Hall in Berlin, the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham or the University of Wolverhampton. Will he be playing any new material? Of course not. As the golfer Lee Trevino once said, “the older I get, the better I used to be.” Even if Dylan could write as he once did, fans want to hear the classic songs. As David Hepworth puts it in his new book Hope I Get Old Before I Die, famous musicians become “human jukeboxes.” There’s a whole industry built on ageing rock stars performing their greatest hits. Sir Mick Jagger is 81; Sir Paul McCartney 82; Dylan 83.

During my recent trip to Ribera del Duero, I caught up with Mariano García, one of Spain’s finest winemakers. Now 80, he is still at the top of his considerable powers. He looks trim; his mind is alert, his palate discriminating. García was a legendary figure at Vega Sicilia, where he made the wines between 1968 and 1998, before leaving to set up Bodegas Aalto. Today, working alongside his sons Eduardo and Alberto, he oversees family projects in Toro (San Román), Bierzo (Valeyo), Rioja (Baynos), Ribera del Duero (Garmón) and Castilla y León (Mauro). For a man whose passions in life are “travelling and gastronomy,” García is in great shape. “My dad takes care of himself,” Eduardo told me. “He doesn’t eat or drink too much and he does pilates several times a week.”

The point about García – and other elderly winemakers I admire – is that, unlike rock stars of a similar age, they aren’t just performing their greatest hits. Each vintage is different; new challenges are accepted and even welcomed. Before he retired – at 80 – from his job as CEO and winemaker at Ridge Vineyards in California, Paul Draper produced sublime reds whose style was constantly evolving. He claimed to favour “pre-industrial techniques,” but Draper was no Luddite. Indeed, he is one of the most thoughtful people I’ve ever met.

Do winemakers improve with age? Some do, some don’t. I can think of at least one global consultant who’s been prating the same shibboleths since the 1980s and still commands big fees for increasingly outmoded advice. Past a certain point, our noses and palates lose focus as the decades accumulate – an early sign of Alzheimers is loss of smell – but experience and judgment can help to compensate for that relative decline.

Successful older winemakers also have the self-assurance that comes with financial security. When Marcos Yllera went to see Jean-Claude Berrouet, the so-called poet of Pomerol who made Château Pétrus between 1964 and 2008, to ask him to get involved with his new project Vivaltus in Ribera del Duero in 2016, the great man served his Spanish guest two wines. One was inky, extracted and smudged with new oak; the other was lighter-bodied, elegant, detailed and refined. “If you want to make this,” he said, pointing at the first glass, “I’m not interested. If you prefer the second wine, I’ll consult for you.”

How long will the likes of Berrouet, now, at 81, “older than President Biden,”as he likes to say, and Mariano García go on for? They’re obviously not eternal, but I’d like to think that they’ll be with us for a while yet. The decision will be theirs, at least. In 1996, the great Burgundian winemaker Henri Jayer was told to stop making wine or forfeit his French pension. Undeterred, he transferred his vineyards to his nephew, Emmanuel Rouget, and helped him in secret for another five years. The best winemakers love what they do, you see. The rewards are much bigger, but that’s probably true of crumbly rock stars too.

And, I would add, probably to crumbly wine writers.  Happy Thanksgiving.

 

Next post:  Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

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Making Wine Sparkle

Ever since wine first got its sparkle in the 17th century, the trend has been to sip a glass of bubbly only on special occasions.  Despite requests from producers that Champagne and sparkling wine compliment all meals and occasions, consumers still prefer to uncork a bottle of sparkling wine only to celebrate a birth, graduation or wedding. 

So, this is my annual plea to enjoy sparkling wine with the family meal, whenever friends and family gather around the table, or just any time.  And to better inform the next time you lift a glass of bubbly, here is a quick guide to sparkling wine.  

Sparkling wine made by the Champagne method is usually referred to as méthode traditionnelle, méthode classique or traditional method. To simplify things, "sparkling wine" will be used here, except where it is appropriate to identify the wine as "Champagne."

Pinot Noir

Sparkling Wine from the Vineyard 

"Great wine starts in the vineyard" is a time-worn cliche.  While the adage is true, there is a  more meaningful one: "While you can make mediocre wine from great grapes, you cannot make great wine from mediocre grapes." 

Traditionally, the standard grapes for making Champagne and the best sparkling wines are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.  Worldwide, though, bubbly is made from many different varieties, such as Glera, in the wildly popular Prosecco from northern Italy.  

A base wine for making sparkling wine requires healthy high-acid grapes with low levels of varietal flavor, since what is important in a base wine is flawless balance, not varietal character.  And a flaw in the base wine will be magnified later in the wine making process. 

Sparkling Wine in the Cellar

Making a bottle of sparkling wine can involve as many as 300 individual steps.  The number  varies according to the various styles of sparkling wine.  Champagne and those wines made by the traditional method require the most hands-on steps. 

For traditional method fizz, the multi-step process starts with the assemblage, or blending of the grapes and the primary fermentation.  Next is the second fermentation and  development of pin-point bubbles, created by the addition of a dose of sugar and yeast, called  liqueur de tirage. The new sparkling wine ages on the lees as the yeast and other particulates are then riddled, manually or by machine, in a step known as remauge.  Removal of the dead yeast cells happens thru a deft procedure called dégorgement.  The dosage, or liqueur d'expedition, to adjust style, is added, a cork rammed home and held in place by a wire cage, and the bottle dressed with a hood.

Now on to labeling

Alternatives to the traditional method include the transfer method, where following a short period of aging on the lees, the sparkling wine is transferred to a tank, dosage added and the wine is re-bottled.  Charmat is another common way to make wine sparkle.  Following tirage, the wine enters a pressurized tank for the second fermentation, then dosage is added and on to bottling. 

Dosage is the essential step that determines sweetness of Champagne and sparkling wine made by the traditional method.  Dosage comes near the end of the multi-step sparkling wine process.

Sparkling wine is naturally high-acid, and without some residual sweetness, it is bone dry.  So dry, in fact, that the acidity is raw and unpleasant.  To get a handle on the range of dry to sweet,  these are dosage levels for Champagne, in percent of residual sugar: brut nature, zero dosage; extra brut, .6%; brut, .6 - 1.2%; extra dry, 1.2 - 1.7; sec, 1.7 - 3.2; demi-sec, 3.2 - 5; doux, 5% and up.  

Dosage designations on sparkling wines may vary and except for brut and extra dry, the other styles of Champagne and sparkling wine made by the traditional method, are rarely seen in the U.S. market.

Styles of sparkling wine include Non-Vintage, Vintage, Blanc de Blancs (only white grapes), Blanc de Noirs (only red grapes), Rosé, Cremant (Cremant d'Alsace), Non-Dosage (Extra Brut), Prestige Cuvee (top of the line and most expensive).  Not all styles are made by every sparkling wine maker. 

Sparkling Wine on the Table 

When planning a sparkling wine to have with food, first decide if you prefer a lighter brut or one of the  fuller rosés.  Rosé Champagne, made mainly from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier  are good choices with more deeply flavored dishes, such as grilled white meats and cheese souffle. 

Drier styles like brut nature, extra brut and brut, are best with savory appetizers and lightly salted popcorn.  It may sound like an odd choice, but the lightness of the corn and a light sprinkle of salt are a near perfect match with bubbly.  Popcorn not your nosh?  Try potato chips with sparkling wine.

Sweeter sparkling wines, like extra dry thru doux are better on their own, with a simple pound cake or fresh fruit.  Demi-sec and doux are very sweet and should be enjoyed as dessert rather than with dessert.

Sparkling Wine in the Store

There are hundreds of Champagne houses, including G.H. Mumm, Möet & Chandon and Veuve Cliquot.  Top California traditional method bubbly brands are Schramsberg, Roederer Estate, J and Domaine Carneros.  Argyle is a good choice from Oregon. 

Popular Italian sparkling wines made by the Charmat method include Prosecco,  Asti-Spumante and Lambrusco.  Other Charmat-made wines are German Sekt and economy bubbles from California.

Finally, a sparkling exit with this anecdote about Nicole Barbe Ponsardin, who became famous after the death of her husband, Francois Clicquot.  The widow (veuve in French) took over running the Champagne firm, renaming it Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin. La Grande Dame, named for the widow, is Clicquot's Prestige Cuvee.  

Cheers!

Next post: Better with Age

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It's Time for Gamay

 

Every year, as the holiday season approaches, I make a pitch for Gamay as a good wine choice with the holiday turkey (aka, "The Bird").  

Mostly, my plea falls on deaf ears.  But,  I'm determined.  So, let's give it another go.

Gamay, of course, means Gamay Noir (officially Gamay Noir a Jus Blanc).  And the pitch should include Napa Gamay, which is actually, Valdiguié.  In the same neighborhood is Pinot Noir , but more on that favorite later.

One more thing before we begin.  The traditional American Thanksgiving feast is a cornucopia of different dishes with an array of seasonings and flavors.  So, save your aged red wine, like Bordeaux/Cabernet Sauvignon, Rhone/Syrah/Shiraz, for a meal planned around red meat. 

Why serve a treasured wine, when Gamay fits the holiday wine needs.  Gamay is the go-with-everything red wine, which means you'll have no worries and you  can relax and enjoy the meal, with family and friends gathered around the table.

The Meal

Holiday family meals often include obligatory dishes, like the ubiquitous three-bean casserole and sweet potato pie.  Menus for the Thanksgiving feast are highly personal, often containing ethnic and geographic preferences, such as a spicy Southwest dish or briny shellfish.  

The Boyd family holiday meal is not complete without the Creamy Onion Bake, a rich side that has been a welcome dish at our table for years.  My son, who took over preparing the Creamy Onion Bake from his mother,  once took the dish to an employee holiday buffet where he worked, prompting one person to exclaim, "It's the orgasmic casserole!"

Side dishes are essential holiday fare, and none more important than dressing, or is it stuffing?  In eastern Pennsylvania, where I spent my early years, it's called stuffing, because it goes in the bird.  I didn't hear stuffing referred to as dressing, cooked outside the turkey, until I left home.  

Another consideration for what goes into or alongside the bird is the use of poultry seasoning, that is usually heavy on sage.   My mother's recipe for stuffing: small torn pieces of slightly stale  white bread, celery, onion, salt and pepper and plenty of butter.  No poultry seasoning, oysters, cornbread or whatever.   Add carrot to that classic combo and you have what the French call mirepoix, although my mother never knew that.

In my youth, the smell of celery and onions simmering in butter, wafting from the kitchen, was the tantalizing promise of the future meal.  Many years later, I still looked forward to that sensory pleasure. 

                                                                                               IStock image

The Wines

The challenge is to select a wine that goes with all of those  multi-flavored dishes.   Chardonnay would be overpowered, Cabernet Sauvignon would lose the battle with sweet potato pie.  And Syrah should've been the wine you picked for roast beef and not turkey.

So, it's back to Gamay Noir, which I find stands up nicely to all but the spiciest dishes, and for those, you're probably better off with beer.  Gamay Noir is the grape of Beaujolais, so a simple Beaujolais, or if your budget will stretch, one of the 10 Cru Beaujolais.  The Beaujolais Crus are not that far from a lighter Burgundy, made from Pinot Noir, in the Cote de Beaune, such as Santenay or Volnay. 

At one time, Gamay Noir had a respectable place in U.S. vineyards, although there's not much planted now.  In the late 1980s, Napa Gamay was doing business in the Napa Valley until a visiting French ampelographer told vintners they had the ancient French variety, Valdiguié, in their vineyards.  Valdiguié looked like Gamay Noir, tasted like Gamay Noir, but some growers reasoned, who's going to buy a wine labeled Valdiguié?

If you like your red wine with more juicy fruit, grab a bottle or two of Beaujolais Nouveau, a ready-to-drink red wine that will be in the U.S. market in time for Thanksgiving, and a week earlier in the bistros of Paris.  

Nouveau's major distinction is a technique called carbonic maceration, where fermentation takes place in individual grapes, so long as the skins are unbroken.  Each grape becomes a mini-fermenter. Not all grapes at the bottom of the tank remain intact, as the weight of the clusters above break some of the skins.  Important to the texture and flavors of the wine is a small increase in ethanol and flavorful compounds. The high degree of fruitiness, and relatively low tannin, is what attracts consumers to nouveau (new) wines. 

And carbonic maceration marries effortlessly with a variety of foods.  Some people believe  that a special meal deserves a special wine.  Others, myself included, think a special meal, like the American Thanksgiving feast, is a time of communion, when friends and family gather for a meal with wine, but not a gathering where wine is the centerpiece. 

Next blog:  Making Wine Sparkle 

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Armagnac

  

                                                                                                      Image: European Waterways

Armagnac, the great Gascon brandy, was first distilled in the 17th century, although the origin of the storied eau de vie dates back to the 13th century, making Armagnac the world's oldest brandy.  

The popularity of Armagnac spread quickly throughout Gascony and by 1841, the French author Alexandre Dumas wrote that his roguish Musketeer, d'Artagnan, had been inspired to heroic exploits by Armagnac, or so the legend goes. 

Gascony, in southwestern France, is famous for truffles, the delicacy paté de foie gras, the Three Musketeers and Armagnac. The Gascon spirit is one of two famous French brandies, the other being Cognac,  distilled north of Bordeaux. 

Grapes and distillation are the two main differences that distinguish Armagnac from Cognac.  A blend of Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle Blanche and Ugni Blanc gives Armagnac the distinct aromatics of dried fruits, vanilla, roasted nuts and alcohol.  Ugni Blanc, the grape of Cognac, produces a more refined, delicate brandy, marked by floral notes.

The base wine for Armagnac is distilled in a continuous or column still and Cognac is the product of single batch pot still. 

                                                           Armagnac Facts

* Annual production of Armagnac is about 3 million bottles, while Cognac tops out at 220 million bottles.

* The latest addition to Armagnac is Blanche d'Armagnac, a clear un-aged "white" brandy.

* The "angel's share," or part des anges, is the amount of Armagnac in a barrel that evaporates and is visible as black mold on distillery buildings. 

* Though opinions differ, mature Armagnac does not age in wood beyond 15-20 years and should be racked into glass demi-johns or carboys that range in capacity from one to 16 gallons.

* Rancio is the smell of ripe cheese, overripe fruit,  sometimes metallic that develops from spirits that spend an extended time aging in wood. Rancio is common in wood aged brandy, such as Armagnac. 

Pot stills, of one design or another, have been in use for centuries; the Moors used a pot still to make alcohol for perfumes and medicines.  Today's modern pot stills, so-called because the bulbous shape is like a cooking pot, is in use throughout the Cognac region, as well as Scotland, for the distilling of single malt Scotch whisky.   Following the completion of a distillation, pot stills must be re-charged for the next round.

In 1830, Aeneas Coffey, an Irish inventor and distiller, revolutionized distilling with the invention of the continuous or column still.  The Coffey still is more efficient than a pot still, produces a higher concentration of alcohol, is easier to operate, and because it uses steam for distilling, there is no danger of burning the distillate, like in a wood-fired pot still.  The Coffey still runs continuously and does not need re-loading after each distillation.

Raw Armagnac must be matured in oak barrels and the alcohol level adjusted before bottling.  Armagnac is aged in oak mainly from the Limousin forest, but also Allier and Vosges forests.  Traditional Armagnac was once aged in Gascon Black Oak.

Armagnac is sold at these levels of maturity: 

3 Star or VS is a blend with at least one year of aging in oak

VSOP is aged in barrel for at least four years

XO and Hors d'Age, aged for a minimum of 10 years

Vintage or Single Year, 10 years minimum

Armagnac is traditionally enjoyed at room temperature, from a balloon or tulip glass, as an aperitif or at the end of a meal.  A bottle of VS Armagnac costs about $50.00, with prices climbing to $200-$300 for older Vintage bottlings.   

These are a few popular brands of Armagnac: Chateau de Laubade VS, $47; De Montal VSOP, $56; Janneau VSOP, $58; Delord Napoleon Bas Armagnac, $48; Delord 25-Year Bas Armagnac, $198 and 1984 Bas-Armagnac, $265.

Temperatures are falling outside, but you can ignore the chill with a glass of warming Armagnac. 

 

Next post: It's Time for Gamay 

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