This is an interesting picture from the archives (circa May 2013). These are 40 year old gewurztraminer vines from Becker Estate in Germany/France (the vineyards straddle the border between the Pfalz & Alsace). By now, the vines have been grafted over to pinot noir, which has become the hallmark of the estate.
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In the 1500s, the De May family purchased land in the Pomerol area and laid the foundations for their estate. Following the economic effects of the French Revolution, in 1858 the large estate was broken up into 'Petit Certan' (now 'Chateau Certan De May de Certan'), Vieux Certan, and Chateau Certan-Giraud. De May de Certan's 5 hectares fall between Petrus land, Le Pin, & the vineyards of Vieux Certan. Through 1925 the Certan de May de Certan estate remained in the hands of the De May family, until Andre Badar purchased the property. Current owner Odette Barreau-Badar's children run the estate, which is managed by her son Jean-Luc Badar. Jean-Luc believes that the 1982 is one of the family's best wines. In the vineyards, soils are 1/3 clay & 2/3 gravel; and plantings are 70% merlot, 25% cabernet franc, & 5% cabernet sauvignon. Chateau Certan De May de Certan 1982 rich, meaty, taught center, sinew, mushrooms, an earthy vegetal complexity like brussels sprouts Chateau Certan De May de Certan 1985 BBQ sauce, orange zest, raw beef, oak backbone, lots of power, dried currant fruit Bibliography
Coates, Clive. (2004). The Wines of Bordeaux. California: University of California. p348. Varaine, Florence. (n.d.) Sommeliers International. Chateau Certan De May: A Strong Personality. The Yarra Valley sits just north of Mornington Peninsula near Melbourne, and is one of the cooler climate regions of Australia that is well suited to varieties such as pinot noir and chardonnay. Some of the lovely chardonnays of Australia come from this part of the country. The first vines went down at Tarra Warra in 1983. This 'Estate' wine is a blend of chardonnay from across their vineyard holdings, and it's fermented partially in tank and partially in barrel. The oak is evident on the palate, and elegantly so. In the future, I wouldn't wait so long to drink a vintage, but I was curious about bottle evolution under screwcap. Whereas most wines chardonnays would be well past their prime after ten years, this one had some life in it, though I do wish I had opened it a few years sooner. I'll always remember the first time I had the Arkenstone wines at a lunch circa 2009. They're made by Sam Kaplan-- an inquisitive and thoughtful winemaker-- whose style had that unique balance of power and restraint. When this wine was made these were baby vines, recently planted in 1998, and the 2006 was their first ever release. I'm not a fan of the sauvignon blancs that scream for attention-- but here was one that had depth and power, yet a stoicness to it. It reminded me of a great white Bordeaux. But aside from evokation of other regions, the wine had its own distinct personality. It was quiet, yet full of strength-- just like Sam himself. Recently I revisited the inaugural vintage of Arkenstone's sauvignon blanc. The 2006 was richer than I remembered it-- time had worked a number on this one. Tartrates had fallen away, acids had mellowed, and a seemingly riper fruit manifested. Still though, the wine was lush and pleasurable. This is truly a unique producer on Howell Mountain. Turkey Flat boasts some of the oldest vineyards in Barossa, and also the world. One vineyard dates back to 1847, originally planted by Johann Frederick August Fiedler. Fiedler was from Selisia, a former region in Central Europe that now mostly covers modern-day Poland and some small areas of Germany. In the mid-1800s many Selisians fled to Australia to escape religious persecution. Many of them laid down vines, some of which still thrive, and pepper Australia with pockets of historic vineyards from this bygone era. In Fiedler's day, the estate was known as 'Turkey Flat,' named for the wild turkeys that once roamed the area. In subsequent years, a butcher shop was run on the property, which, today, has been renovated into the cellar doors. The grapes for the Turkey Flat rosé come from a dedicated rosé vineyard and are destined for rosé right from the start (and not-- as so many rosés are-- the castoff byproduct of a red pressing in an attempt to make a red wine more intense). Turkey Flat Vineyards 2012 Rosé (Barossa, Australia) 67% grenache - 22% shiraz - 9% cabernet sauvignon - 2% dolcetto The darker side of rosé, as you'd expect from these varieties. Aromas of ripe plums and herbs, with a fruity mid-palate. Charlottesville has several interesting inns, B&Bs, and special hotels that exude personality and laid-back luxury. The Clifton Inn in one of them. Once a private home, in 1985 the sprawling property opened as a Bed & Breakfast; the restaurant came later in 1991. Tracing its roots back to the 1700s, The Clifton has several antique-packed historic cottages for overnight stays. The central building includes a kitchen, a formal dining room complete with a grand piano and a fireplace, an expansive veranda that overlooks the countryside (with a great view of the sunset), a private room in the wine cellar, and a small private counter in the kitchen where you may watch Chef Tucker Yoder at work. In years past, I've enjoyed heart-warming family dinners in the wood-panneled wine cellar, and relaxing meals on the crisp, white veranda. On this visit, I sat at the source: the Chef's Counter. Rare in the restaurant world, a warm sense of teamwork emanated throughout the kitchen team. Watching the line, we could feel a steady and grounded ethos of creativity in the kitchen. The dishes themselves were a window into seasonality, and the homegrown or local ingredients seemed to tell a thoughtful story of the bounty of late summer.
A few barrel-aged cocktails started the night off, and we moved on to some finds on the wine list, including a 2002 Lopez de Heredia Rioja that brought out many subtle flavors in the last half of the tasting menu. Here are a some photos of the tasty dishes: Ata Rangi-- long a bellwether of Martinborough pinot noir-- is a quintessential expression of New Zealand's famed 'Gumboot Clone,' a clone claimed to have been brought to New Zealand in the work boot of a traveler who had taken a clandestine cutting from Domaine Romani Conti. To me, the Gumboot (also called Abel) clone is the dark side of pinot noir-- it's rich and spicy, and it marks most Martinborough pinot noir with its classic potpourri. Winery founder Clive Paton has quite an active life outside the winery, including forrest conservation, rugby, and cricket; but decades ago, he helped define Martinborough style when he planted Gumboot cuttings his late friend Malcolm Abel had given him. He is living history, and Ata Rangi winery is a new beginning for Martinborough agriculture. In fact, Ata Rangi translates to 'New Beginnng,' or literally 'Dawn Sky' in Māori. Here, winemaker Helen Masters runs a tight and focused ship. She & her vineyard managers farm sustainably and the 2011 pinot noir speaks of Martinborough terroir. Though there is much Gumboot in here, they also blend in other clones for complexity, resulting in a rich and complex pinot noir that excels on many levels. The warmer-than-usual 2011 vintage made this a ripe bottling. Because the stem and seed phenolics were so ripe, they used about 10% of whole clusters in the fermentation which also increased the power, density, and complexity of this wine. Petit verdot is a grape variety that you rarely see on its own-- it has difficulty ripening in most climates, but a few growers in Virginia are doing very well with it. Success with the variety at King Family has inspired other producers to work with it as well. 2007 was a warmer year in Virginia, so long-ripening varieties like petit verdot came through with a nice harvest. In these early stages of the Virginia wine industry, it can be difficult to see the imprints of regionality on wines made from young vines. King Family Vineyards was one of the earliest wineries to establish home vineyards in Virginia's Monticello AVA. They are one of the few wineries with currently mature vineyards, and they work with all estate fruit. Because they have some of the older vines in the region, tasting King Family current release wines is a nice gauge of some of the potential of the Monticello AVA. King Family Vineyards Petit Verdot 2007 (Monticello, Virginia) Tertiary aromas beginning- wet underbrush, dried leaves, but also a dense black fruit character. A meatiness starting to emerge. This is obviously a bordeaux variety, but mysterious in its provenance to blind tasters. *2007 tasted in 2014 Cool-climate syrahs have captured my fancy over the last couple of years, and I've been particularly interested in domestic versions that are able to capture the grace of this particular grape variety. Kivelstadt's 'The Inheritance' is an organic, small production (200 case!), native yeast-fermented syrah. The grapes are from a tiny vineyard in Sonoma, and they produce this great example of the new-wave, high-quality, cool-climate syrahs that are changing the wine landscape. I hunt for these beauties in regions that are known for growing grape varieties that favor a slightly cooler climate, such as pinot noir. Syrah and pinot noir share a unique dialogue: syrah can just ripen in places where pinot noir can thrive; it can live on the fringe in a pinot noir-prominent region. If a region is known for pinot noir, I look into who is growing syrah there, and that's a wine that has potential to be extraordinary. Such syrahs can still be dense and powerful, but instead of presenting jammy fruit aromas and flavors, they tend to be herbaceous and smokey, peppery, highly interesting, and perfect with savory food. Kivelstadt 'The Ineritance' syrah 2009 (Sonoma, CA) 200 case production - 30% whole cluster - 18 mo in French oak - 30% new oak Jordan Kivelstadt Jordan runs the winery with the help of his parents and good friend, Alex Pomerantz. In addition to 'The Inheritance' syrah, the team also makes a skin-fermented white wine, old-vine carignane, a pinot noir, and a few others. 'The Inheritance' refers to something Jordan's parents have established for him, and something he hopes to pass on to his own children. Jordan's surname is a blend of both his parents' last names (Nancy Kivelson & Tom Angstadt); and the winery as a whole is an extension of the family's unique amalgamation of kinship and identity. |
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ErinI’m Erin, and this is my wine blog. Here, you'll find information about wines from around the world, and Virginia. Top PostsArchives
March 2024
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