Wine Club Newsletter - January 2013
Jefford on Monday: Wine and Pretension
Here is a great article by Andrew Jefford who writes for Decanter magazine, a British publication that often has great stories regarding our industry. He discusses the outlandish product prices an Australian winery is offering to the obscenely wealthy of the world. He provides an interesting perspective:
(Gary Parker)
It came rather late in the year (on 12.12.12, ominously enough), but there was one press release last year which I read twice. The first reading was accompanied with growing incredulity; the second was to lay my disbelief to rest.
Let me put this as plainly as I can. You can (I mean, in theory) walk into Hedonism in London’s Davies Street, and write them a cheque for £1.2 million ($1,920,000 US) for a single purchase. It buys you £50,000’s ($80,000 US) worth of Penfolds wine. (I’m not sure what the Hedonism price is for Rawson’s Retreat Chardonnay, but that would equate to 643 cases at Asda prices.) The other £1.15 million ($1,624,000 US) goes on ‘the finest set of Penfold’s wines ever to be sold’ including a full vertical of signed Grange bottles from the experimental 1951 onwards through to 2007; thirteen magnum cases of more recent top-end wines; and a couple of business-class air tickets to Adelaide from Ulan Bator, or wherever you happen to be starting from, and no doubt party time when you get there, including a trip to the Magill Estate. It originally included a spiral cellar inserted in your own home, but on second thoughts (perhaps those of lawyers) the cellar was quietly forgotten.
This follows the June launch of 12 ‘ampoules’ of 2004 Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon at £106,797 ($170,875 US) premium on the normal bottle price. That premium buys you ‘the unique work of art’ which the ‘ampoule’ apparently is, plus delivery of ‘a senior member of the Penfolds Winemaking team’ to open it with you in a ‘ceremony’, drink it with you, and presumably help you recycle the ampoule afterwards. You can buy one of those at Hedonism as well if you want.
I can’t decide if all this makes me want to weep, or to throw up.
It’s no surprise, of course, that we live in a stupendously unequal world where individuals can be wealthier than nations. It’s no surprise that wine has become just another vacuous totem of wealth, like pointlessly complicated watches, tank-sized vehicles for urban use, houses which are never lived in and boats which spend the year bobbing about on their moorings. I don’t mind the fact that the price of certain wines puts them quite beyond the reach of ‘ordinary drinkers’: that’s how markets work. I certainly don’t object to the desire by Australian winemakers to have their wines globally feted.
These initiatives, though, seem to me to be statement-making of the crassest kind. They aren’t an offer to the market; they’re yelling at the market, and hitting it over the head with a mallet. They look so obviously like the fantasy of pale people who have spent too much time locked up in a room with glossy magazines. They are hilariously alien to the great Aussie traditions of piss-taking and pretension-popping.
They also seem to me to run the risk of being counter-productive. No First Growth or top Burgundy domain would contemplate anything this silly; they leave that kind of ludicrous marketing excess to the bubble-brained Champenois, where form regularly eclipses content. “How much it cost after ten years, how much the value changes, this is not the purpose of wine,” said Bertrand de Villaine to me back in November. “This is not how we do things in Burgundy.” What would Gérard and Jean-Louis Chave say to a Parisian marketing graduate who drove into Mauves one day and offered to do put a single parcel of their 2010 Hermitage into an €130,000 ‘ampoule’? They are polite people, but I don’t think the conversation would be a long one.
Meanwhile, just how treasured is Block 42? Go to the Penfolds website, and after a bit of poking about you’ll find it under ‘Kalimna’. Historically the two vineyards were part of the same large estate, but nowadays Block 42 lies on the other side of the Barossa golf course to the big, sandy Kalimna vineyard, a little way down the Heintze Road, just past Block 41. The ‘terrior’ (sic) is, we learn, “Deep and sandy to sandy loams and heavy, red-brown clays”. That’s a fair overall description of the entire 11,358 ha of the Barossa Valley, but doesn’t begin to do justice to this small, 4.4-ha single block.
Unlike Kalimna, it’s not sandy, but rather loamy over what chief winemaker Peter Gago calls “a medium-to-heavy blocky clay”, certainly vital in the flourishing of Cabernet here, while there is weathered siltstone or carbonate beneath that. Method of care? “Most blocks are mechanically pruned and harvested,” announces the website. “Some blocks, particularly Block 42 which comprises century-old bush vines, are hand-picked.” Phew! I visited Block 42 with Peter Gago in late 2009 (see photo above). The vineyard had recently been sprayed with herbicide, as it regularly is, which alarmed me; surely something this precious merits a little cosseting? Peter told me that it hadn’t produced anything for seven years after the company attempted to trellis these ancient Cabernet vines (planted in the mid-1880s).
I’d tasted the 2004 Block 42 about six months earlier: pristine Cabernet flavours at their most singing and lyrical, a kind of blackcurrant barbershop quartet, and a fine wine of enormous charm. Gago himself is a singularly gifted winemaking chief, perhaps the greatest since Max Schubert, who is nudging the wines towards naturalness of articulation without upsetting the traditional Penfolds consumer: a difficult act. He’s also a communicative genius, can obviously handle the office politics, and can out-name-drop Jancis Robinson (had any calls from Lance Armstrong recently, Peter?). Block 42 may indeed prove eventually to be the Lafite of the Barossa; it has few Cabernet rivals. If you ask me, though, this is an arse-about-tit way of getting there.
P.S. I asked Penfolds how many ‘ampoules’ had been sold. The company has kept one for its own museum, but the rest “have all been placed with customers”, including at least one in Hong Kong and another in Shanghai. The venture, in other words, has been a glorious success. Reach your own conclusions.
2011 Gutzler Pinot Noir Blanc de Noirs (January, 2013 - The WineSellar Club)
Growing Region: Rheinhessen, Germany
Varietal Blend: 100% Pinot Noir (Spatburgunder)
Fermentation: Steel Tank Fermentation
Suggested Retail: $25.00
WineSellar Club Case Price: $19.79
Broad Strokes:
Let me first state we have never had a white wine made from Pinot Noir in the club. It’s very rare. This is SO exciting! And the wine is fabulous! OK, now I can get into my regular notes session . . .
Spatburgunder is the German word for Pinot Noir; literally translated it means “late Burgundy.” Late because it is a late ripening varietal and Burgunder for the fact that Pinot Noir was brought over to Germany from Burgundy, France. Blanc de Noir literally translates to a white wine made from black grapes.
Gutzler estate is a boutique producer in Rheinhessen, known for its Burgundian like soil with clay, loes and limestone. It also features gentle rolling hills and a touch warmer of a climate than the Mosel for example. 90% of Gutzler production is white wine. The Gutzlers mutual love for wine is concentrated on the King of all red varietals - Pinot Noir, whose diversity is inexhaustible.
Appearance:
Red cap and dark bottle gives a first impression it is a red wine, and thank you again for the screw cap. The wine is beautiful and brilliant, with a sparkling clean appearance. It has great viscosity, with long tears dripping down the bowl.
Nose:
What starts off as rather delicate changes soon, as the fragrances ever evolve into a tropical fruit and spice delight. Tropical fruit is best described as mango, pineapple, and Lychee nut, with orange and ripe tangerine. Cumin is the definitive spice.
Texture:
Great texture, silken smooth, especially as it warms up. If too cold, it will start of a little sharp on the acid and lean on fruit, but that’s not the wine. It has excellent fruit to acid balance, and a very long, almost creamy like finish. BTW, the wine is totally dry, no residual sugar.
Flavor:
We can go right to the nose: Mango, pineapple, Lychee nut, orange and tangerine. We also find white apple fruit, honeysuckle, pine nuts and crème brulee. Fantastic.
Serving Options:
This is a GREAT aperitif wine, and super with all cheeses. Would be great with spicy foods, sushi.
2009 Domaine Grand Veneur, Cotes du Rhone, “Les Champauvins” (January, 2013 - The WineSellar Club)
Growing Region: Rhone Valley, France
Varietal Blend: 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre
Fermentation: Steel Tank Fermentation
Suggested Retail: $22.00
WineSellar Club Case Price: $17.99
Broad Strokes:
This is as close to a Chateauneuf-du-Pape as you can get, as the vineyard is located right across the street. I am totally in love with this wine and its pricing. I know you will be quite pleased, and I recommend storing 6-12 bottles for 2-5 years.
"Grand Veneur is one of the most brilliant estates in Chateauneuf du Pape as well as the force behind the negociant wines sold under the Alain Jaume label. Virtually everything they produce has merit. Some of this estate’s 2009 red wines are just hitting the market as they are bottled early to preserve their fruit and freshness.”
90 Points from the Wine Spectator:
“Ripe and distinguished, with a beautiful beam of linzer torte and macerated red currant fruit supported by graphite and licorice notes. The long finish lets the fruit hang on while staying fresh and racy. Modern and very suave”.
Appearance:
The label makes perfect sense, as all of its pedigree (albeit in different font types) are laid out clearly and definitively. The wine is dark garnet and opaque at the center, then dark brick like red, and finally a slight clear edge at the rim of the glass.
Nose:
The black fruits (blackberry, currant), lead pencil (graphite), dark earth (mushroom, truffle, tar) and red fruits (raspberry, strawberry) are fantastic. It has some nuttiness, certainly complex and engaging.
Texture:
It is rich in texture. What I mean by that is rich in complexity, and full in the mouth. A significant presence, but balanced with fruit, wood and acid extremely well. Lip-smacking, long finish.
Flavor:
Blackberry, wood, currant, raspberry, earth, mushroom, some truffle, raspberry, underbrush and cocoa. Do you find meat (beef blood), black cherry, black pepper and a bit of graphite/asphalt?
Serving Options:
Buy it and store it, and love it. Or with our Eggplant recipe this month, pizza, flatbread, or BBQ.
2008 Chateau Haut Selve, Graves (January, 2013 - The Two-Rouge Club)
Growing Region: Bordeaux, France
Varietal Blend: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot,
Fermentation: 14 Months in Oak Barrels
Suggested Retail: $25.00
WineSellar Club Case Price: $19.79
Broad Strokes:
South of the city of Bordeaux, the Graves region stretches to the southeast and is named for the area’s gravelly soil. In 1996, Monsieur Lesgourgues purchased landing Graves and proceeded to replant the older vines from a different vineyard in the property he acquired. In doing so he created the only new vineyard in Bordeaux in the 20th century. Two years later, the famous French architect, Sylvain Dubuisson was commissioned to build the winery itself. The result was a modern winery that blends both traditional and state-of-the-art winemaking facilities. Although Château Haut Selve released its first vintage in 1996, it has already become a major player in Graves. These wines illustrate why many in Europe have called this “a property to watch.”
Appearance:
Great looking package. I love the dark gold/metallic label (ala Chateau Brane-Cantenac) and the design with the gates opening. It’s a very cool message to send to the general public. The wine looks vibrant, deep garnet red at the core, bleeding out to a brilliant crimson on the edges. Excellent legs. Read the back of the label for more interesting information about the Chateau.
Nose:
Just as one would hope, the hot stones and gravel from the soil in Graves comes through on the nose very well. It has a noticeable spice component that jumps up to you. The nice cherry fruit is laced with notes of cola and root beer and a whiff of lavender.
Texture:
Typical and well-appreciated Bordeaux texture is delivered. That means it is even, smooth, balanced with firm, agreeable acid, and the fruit is well integrated all the way through to the long, even finish. I noticed a note of fresh strawberry acid playing off the rich, supple fruit.
Flavor:
That supple fruit has red and black origins, plum, cherry and strawberry. Of course we get the hot stone and gravel nuances, along with dusty wood, sweet cedar and tobacco.
Serving Options:
This is a killer Bordeaux, especially for the price. It is definitive in all facets of the classic style of fine Bordeaux wine.
2007 Sapaio Volpolo, Bolgheri Rosso (January, 2013 - The Two-Rouge Club)
Growing Region: Bolgheri, Italy
Varietal Blend: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15% Petit Verdot
Fermentation: 18 Months in Oak Barrels
Suggested Retail: $45.00
WineSellar Club Case Price: $35.99
Broad Strokes:
The philosophy of Podere Sapaio is to experiment and innovate: searching for new expressions of Bordeaux vines in Bolgheri, to produce wines that are strong, elegant and long lasting at the same time. The name Valpolo comes from an ancient Tuscany vine. It was purposely chosen to exalt the local origins of the product beginning with its name. The crown on the trademark for the Podere Valpolo is a tribute to the nobility of the wines and the land, which are always respected in the work that is carried out in the vineyard and in the cellar. Originally an IGT Tuscany in 2003, since 2004 Volpolo is classified as Bolgheri Rosso DOC.
92 Points from the Wine Enthusiast:
“This edition of Sapaio (a hearty blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot) shows ripe fruit nuances of cherry, blackberry, dark spice and moist tobacco. The wine boasts a soft, thick and velvety feel and would pair with any meat dish.”
Appearance:
A clean, easy to identify package with a simple graphic and easy to read font. I like it. The color is attractive, flowery purple and dark red hue, glistening in the light.
Nose:
A very fragrant big fruit nose but with Italian grace. Cherry and earth, ripe plum, bitter chocolate with herbs, hickory-smoke. At one point, this reminded me of an old BV Cabernet Sauvignon, with it’s dusty, woody, fruit forward fragrances.
Texture:
The texture is sweet and smooth, luscious and lush, full in the mouth. A hint of cranberry acid tries to crack through, but is thwarted by the assertive yet friendly ripe fruit.
Flavor:
Evolved but still youthful red and black fruit, with smoke, wood touches (vanilla and bitter-sweet chocolate) roasted nuts, dark spices and tobacco.
Serving Options:
From an outstanding vintage, the wine is excellent now, and will improve 5-10 more years.
2009 Riecine Chianti Classico (January, 2013 - The Gary Parker Collection)
Growing Region: Tuscany, Italy
Varietal Blend: 100% Sangiovese
Fermentation: Tanks, New and Used Barrels
Suggested Retail: $30.00
WineSellar Club Case Price: $22.49
Broad Strokes:
Located in the heart of Tuscany, in the small community of Gaiole in Chianti, Riecine takes its place among the finest vineyards in all of Italy and continues to progress as a classic winery. Church archives from 1112 A.D. provide the earliest known record of the wine farm known as Riecine. It is possible that wine has been produced at Riecine for thousands of years. The founder of Riecine, John Dunkley, one of the most admired producers of Chianti Classico, and his Italian wife, Palmina, acquired the original 1.5 hectares of land in 1971 from the nearby and famous Badia a Coltibuono.
92 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar:
Bright red-ruby. Sexy, oak-spiced aromas of cherry-vanilla, blueberry and sweet coffee, with a subtle floral quality emerging with air. At once plush and juicy, showing very good depth to its dark fruit flavors; vanilla and violet nuances contribute sweetness and lift. The supple tannins arrive late on the sweet, long finish. This is hard to resist now but will still drink well five or six years down the road.
Appearance:
Typical yet well-designed label from Chianti. Notice it doesn’t scream of Chianti, but all the trimmings of the land’s identity is on the bottle. It’s a proud showing. The wine is dark red with gray curtains, medium in hue depth, darker than most Chiantis.
Nose:
I really loved the nose. Bright cherry blended with mushroom, earth and spices of the land. Some very cool notes of vanilla and cocoa (coffee also), and a hint of dairy.
Texture:
Perfectly ripe and modern Chianti texture: smooth, elegant, ripe fruits, balanced, with a long, even finish of fine acid and fruit. Superb on the palate!
Flavor:
Cherry fruit is right there, with the earthen notes of mushroom, wood, dusty tannins and spice. Vanilla and cocoa, hints of truffle, herbs and coffee (cappuccino) make this just a fabulous drink!
Serving Options:
This beautiful Chianti Classico is worthy of your best Italian dishes and a corner spot in your cellar.
2009 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon (January, 2013 - The Gary Parker Collection)
Growing Region: Mount Veeder (Napa Valley) California
Varietal Blend: 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc
Fermentation: 22 Months in 85% New French Oak
Suggested Retail: $75.00
WineSellar Club Case Price: $67.50
Broad Strokes:
This is a big, well-developed Cabernet Sauvignon and is fantastic. This is only the second release from Mt. Brave, and I will lay money that after they get a little more noticed, you will not be able to buy this wine as easily as you can today. For you lovers of exceptional Napa Valley (Mount Veeder here) Cabernet Sauvignon, lap this up and put 6-12 bottles in your cellar.
The Mt. Brave web site is loaded with wine descriptors and discussion about their product. It is better than what I can say, as they are closer to the source, and obviously well tutored in such things. So I will defer the remainder of our notes to their commentary. (Gary Parker)
“Winemaker Chris Carpenter has a long and distinguished history with Mt. Veeder, and his wines for Mt. Brave reflect this careful stewardship. There is harmony on the mountain, a joining of vision, values, and respect for what the land has to offer, and a tradition of winegrowing that dates back a century and a half.
The wines of Mt. Brave show the characteristic brambly aromas and blue fruit flavors that are common to Mt. Veeder, but are expressed here uncommonly well. They feature intense minerality, well-defined tannins allowing for extended aging, and recognizable mouth-pleasing acidity. The incredible structure suggests an extended development over time, but the wines have been crafted for enjoyment and celebration in the present.
In every glass, there is a balance between rugged winegrowing and elegant winemaking, a harnessing of nature and a reckoning of sorts expressed in each new vintage. While much of Napa Valley is a mélange of 30 different soils, all traced to volcanic activity, much of Mt. Veeder is an ancient seabed, with thin, rocky soils typically 12 to 24 inches deep. Nutrients and minerals are scant, resulting in tiny berries with concentrated and complex flavors. At harvest, small lug boxes must be carefully moved up and down steep slopes to protect both vines and vineyard workers. The work is hard and labor-intensive. Little mechanized modern technology is found here. The growing season on Mt. Veeder moves slowly, with harvest here stretching into November, another reminder of how extreme the challenge, but how rewarding the results can be.”
Flavor:
The bright-fruit blueberry with a touch of bay, the wet shale with a bit of violet, the background cassis of Cab Franc, and the spice character of Merlot are showcased here. The wonderful complexity of the blend and the lush structure carry this wine for minutes after tasting it.
92 Points Mt. Brave 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, The Wine Advocate:
"The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon comes across as quite soft and lush for a Mt. Veeder wine. Dark red fruit, flowers, mint and crushed rocks are some of the notes that flow through to the intense, saline finish. I especially like the energy and drive here." —Antonio Galloni, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Healthy Eggplant Parmesan
We have two Italian wines and a Rhone wine in this months wine clubs, so I thought this would be most fitting. Here is a great recipe that has 1/3 the calories and fat of typical Eggplant Parmesan recipes, and it is really wonderful. Be sure to use whole wheat panko.
Ingredients:
Eggplant:
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 cups whole-wheat panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 2 (1-pound) eggplants, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- Cooking spray
Filling:
- 1/2 cup torn fresh basil
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 (16-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- Remaining ingredients:
- 1 (24-ounce) jar premium pasta sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup (3 ounces) finely grated fontina cheese
Method:
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- To make eggplant, combine 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon water in a shallow dish. Combine panko and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano in a second shallow dish. Dip eggplant in egg mixture; dredge in panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere and shaking off excess. Place eggplant 1 inch apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until golden, turning once and rotating baking sheets after 15 minutes.
- To make filling, combine basil and next 6 ingredients (through egg).
- To assemble, spoon 1/2 cup pasta sauce in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer half of eggplant slices over pasta sauce. Sprinkle eggplant with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Top with about 3/4 cup pasta sauce; spread half of ricotta mixture over sauce, and top with a third of mozzarella and 1/4 cup fontina. Repeat layers once, ending with about 1 cup pasta sauce. Cover tightly with aluminum foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes. Remove foil; top with remaining third of mozzarella and 1/4 cup fontina. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese melts; cool 10 minutes.
Kathy Kitchens Downie, RD, Cooking Light SEPTEMBER 2010