19
Mar
2012
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Viva viognier

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To paraphrase Burt Bacharach, via Dusty Springfield (left) and Dionne Warwick, for years I have been wishin’ and hopin’ that wine consumers would succumb to viognier’s charms. After all, it is a super-seductive grape, from absurdly floral nose to seriously silky finish.

But for that to happen wineries, especially domestically, had to make more good to great viogniers. Now that this is happening, it’s not a reach to predict a steady rise in popularity for this ravishing varietal “” especially for fans of a similarly big-bodied white, chardonnay.

Unlike its Rhone mate syrah, with which it often is blended Down Under, viognier has not one but two California wineries producing widely available renditions in the $10-$12. Cline and McManis produce tasty versions with vibrancy and just the right balance of sweetish fruit and acidity.

For a few dollars more, the Desert Wind viognier is simply stellar, Miner Family makes a dandy rendition at $20, and Washington state-mates Dusted Valley and K Vintners weigh in with marvelous versions for around $25.

But the best domestic viogniers I’ve had come from central California and fall in the $30-$35 range. Calera has been a perennial favorite, and I recently sampled a 1994 Calera viognier that smelled like Froot Loops but had firm texture, still-fresh fruit and an elegant finish. Denner’s Paso Robles bottling showed great purity and focus, but mostly it’s just a sensual delight.

What these wines share, besides quality, is a deft tamping down of viognier’s potentially overpowering bouquet. I’ve been in a 10-by-10-foot space in which an open bottle of an E. Guigal Condrieu fairly filled the room with its perfume. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that for this perennial world-class wine.)

But in lesser hands, the aromas can be too much of a good thing, as can the alcohol levels. After a couple of decades of tinkering and learning ““ it’s always instructive to note that Guigal and his fellow French vintners have a multi-century head start in this arena ““ U.S. growers and winemakers are now nailing viognier.

Consumers presumably will take heed.

18
Mar
2012
0

Wines of the Week: March 12-18

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Everyday: Like most whites from Spain’s Rias Baixas region, the Paco & Lola Albariño ($15) has that big ol’ floral thing going on, but that aroma is augmented by almonds and green apples. On the palate, steely minerality and stone-fruit flavors provide a marvelous mouthfeel. The finish is lush and long. From start to finish, this is a wine that provides more than this price point should deliver. All manner of seafood (this is, after all, from an oceanfront region just above Portugal) will pair well with this refreshing white “” oysters, scallops, sea bass, ceviche, fish tacos “” as will with chicken enchiladas.

Occasion: During a recent visit with Randall Grahm, some pals and I were fortunate enough to taste both the 2005 bottle and the 2010 barrel versions of the Bonny Doon Bien Nacido Syrah ($40-$50). Both were off-the-charts delicious, with nearly endless finishes. Blackberry and roasted meats flavors predominate, and the stoniness means you can at least see the Northern Rhone’s classic syrahs from there. Just in time for spring lamb, which can be laced with all manner of herbs “” mint, rosemary, whatever “” and absolutely sing with this rustic red.

17
Mar
2012
0

A fast (with the quips) Ferrari

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OK, guess the native land of the wine personality who said these things over lunch: Riesling likes “rubbush soil.  Winning an award was a “bit higgledy-piggledy.  2010 “is going to be a cracker of a vintage.  A certain Twin Cities wine salesman is a “slick nickel. 

Yeah, that’s pretty easy. Only Aussies talk like that, at least in my experience. And this particular Aussie, Yalumba’s Jane Ferrari, is a classic Down Under character. Especially when she talks history, and Yalumba’s century-plus-old roots:

“In the 1890s England was the target because it’s the colonial nature of the beast. Barossa was called the Vineyard of the Empire, cheap fortified wines. Our first building that went up was the still house. Nothing changed from the 1890s until the late 1980s, which was the first time we made more still wine than fortified. 

Around that time, Australian wine took off in the United States, fueled by inexpensive shiraz and huge scores on the spendy stuff from market trendsetter Robert M. Parker. As Ferrari noted, “People fell in love with us. We had a long day in the sun. 

Now, of course, the Aussie section of most every U.S. wine store has shrunk markedly, as $12-and-under-leaning consumers tired of the jammy Aussie reds, often opting for slightly less jammy malbecs and Spanish reds at the same price points. That has forced Australian vintners to retrench and regroup.

Or, in Ferrari’s case, hit the road and get a revised message out.

“I think we’ve got a hangover that we’ve got to get over. We allowed Southeast Australia to be considered a region when it’s really a marketing term. It’s the size of Texas and Georgia combined. I’d hazard a guess that you’d find a few different soils and microclimates there.

“People understand Napa, the Russian River Valley; they get Washington state. We come from specific, designated wine regions like the French and Italians, and it’s our job to get that word out.”

She spends a lot of time in the States ““ “Americans see themselves in Australia, the Wild West and the Outback thing” ““ and was gobsmacked during her recent visits by people fishing on a frozen urban lake.

But mostly she’s using her sense of humor ““ one local retailer emailed me that his side was hurting from laughter when she did a tasting at his place ““ and the other people skills that made her the reigning Wine Communicator of the Year on her native continent. (Further proof she deserves it: her delightful Yalumba blog.)

“Instead of putting all our money in trinkets and T-shirts, we get out there and open bottles,” she said. “It’s no different: Generation X, Y and Z, they all love a story. We’ve got the best story there is, the poor relation that made good.

“The general public is a pretty clue-y beast. They’re very good at sorting out the good from the indifferent. When you win someone one-on-one, you’ve got them forever, and that’s how family-owned businesses survive. 

Recommended Wines
• Yalumba Eden Valley Shiraz-Viognier 2008 ($19): great minerality, bark and dark berries, firm.
• Yalumba Y Series Vermentino ($13): pure, snappy, lingering deliciousness; more here
• Yalumba South Australia Viognier ($17): surprising minerality and earthiness, lemony, nice depth.

11
Mar
2012
0

Wines of the Week: March 5-11

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Everyday: I love floral wines, but sometimes that element can be too much of a good thing, especially with torrontés. The Piattelli Cafayate Premium Torrontés ($15) tames this by aging 20 percent of the juice in new French oak. The result is a subdued but still striking nose and fruit that somehow is both rich and clean, all the way through the refreshing finish. The crisp acidity leaves a nice tingle on the tongue and makes this a seriously versatile pairing option. A fresh ceviche and fried fish or shrimp are obvious options, but this exhilarating white also can play with most spicy dishes, from barbecued chicken to pad thai and curries.

Occasion: When I started writing about wine, I dropped out of several wineries’ clubs because I couldn’t keep up with the regular shipments and the samples I suddenly was receiving. That changed last December at Paso Robles’ Denner Vineyards, where every wine was truly sublime. The Denner “Theresa” ($35) has none of the oiliness of most Rhone white blends, and its myriad flavors (melon, citrus, tropical fruit) have amazing focus. The rare white that’s powerful but elegant, it lingers languidly on the palate. Try it with soft cheeses, game birds, halibut or swordfish. Best I can tell, it is available only at the winery.

8
Mar
2012
0

Technology and writing: The good, the bad and the ludicrous

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For a good long while, and especially during the last decade, the drumbeat heralding the end of journalism has sounded. I’ve never bought into it, and not just because I’m losing my ongoing battle with Old Cootdom.

I don’t know a lot, but I do know this: Information gathering, informed perspective and great (nonfiction) storytelling will always be valued, even as the platform for delivering it might morph.

Every so often, something might come along to give me pause. Still, I must say that a computer that can write stories has never fallen into that realm. As is his custom, the Wine Curmudgeon has some fun with this and makes some cogent points.

Unless everything I’ve read about “” and observed from “” the Millennial generation is wrong, computer-produced copy from a winery or any other entity will not resonate with a demographic that places a ginormous priority on authenticity and back stories.

Millennials are computer-savvy, and they might not care about recommendations from Robert Parker or yours truly, but by all accounts they are guided by real voices, by their friends “” and not by Siri and “her” friends. That’s one reason I hammer home the importance of finding a winemonger (or three) who’s tuned in to your palate and pocketbook.

That’s also why, when I review wines, I don’t throw around a bunch of flowery descriptors but try to get at the essence of the wine: flavor, texture, body, finish. Although maybe it’s also because I’m paranoid about ending up like this hilarious wine-phrase descriptor algorithm.

4
Mar
2012
0

Experts aren’t working in a vacuum

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Scientific “studies” are a little like the Bible: You can find one that will “prove” anything, and another that will “prove” the exact opposite.

Take this “finding” from “a team of international researchers”: that since wine experts have different tasting skills, why should “average wine consumers” listen to them?

The natural response from folks such as myself is to get our backs up and snarkily answer: “Uh, because they’re experts?” But maybe that’s not enough in an era where much of society has gotten markedly anti-elite/expert.

I actually consider myself an “average wine consumer” who happens to taste a buttload of wines (200 a month, give or take) and kisses a lot of frogs in search of the good stuff. I’m not looking for kaffir lime or pencil shavings when I sample wines “”probably couldn’t find them if I were “” but rather for balance, focus and (the first job of any wine) deliciousness.

I’m not about to say that everyone should like any and every wine I like, since I know that people’s palates vary, often wildly. But when recommending wines for readers, I’m comfortable claiming that they are well made and tasty.

That’s my job, just as it is the task of people in the commercial end of the biz to find fermented grape juice that people will buy, preferably more than once. I tend to gravitate towards wholesalers and retailers who are passionate about wine (even if our palates often diverge) rather than the ones who might as well be selling widgets.

But their first task is to sell wine, and to use their expertise to find products that offer good quality for the price. I asked a few of them to respond to the article, and got very interesting responses from two folks who travel widely to find wines worth importing and distributing.

Annette Peters: “If I may include myself in that group, I’d say that most tasters I know look for the big stuff, balance, correct varietal character, tipicity, freshness, no flaws. It’s rare that I really ‘dissect’ a wine; the flaws, when present, are usually pretty big.

“I never tell someone that they are definitively tasting a blackberry or pepper or whatever. But if it’s a strong easily identifiable thing like Brett [a yeast contamination that can affect wines to varying degrees] well, then it can be their barnyard or earth or whatever, but it will always be my Brett. It is what it is, whether you like it or you don’t. But if you ask me to tell you if it’s a well-made wine, I will; that’s my job.

“Frankly, I don’t think anyone really is listening to [wine critics] anymore. Impartial reviews are just not there. There is too much money involved. It’s far too easy to take a ‘speaking fee’ type bribe, or spend $895+ to get your review published (I was recently asked to pay this for a wine I import). Best to drink whatever you like!”

Larry Colbeck: “Should people take the wine advice of “˜expert tasters’? The premise vastly understates what a wine professional does; what she or he provides to the wine lover.

“I offer this anecdote from my recent trip to France. Two handsome, young winemakers, cousins, fourth generation on the property; very photogenic, biodynamic growers, great story. Usually the wines are among the best of the appellation. Seems like a slam dunk.

“But I know that we will taste a vintage where the weather in this particular appellation was conducive to rot. I know these are biodynamic growers, which limits their options to respond. Does that matter to the person who might buy this wine in a restaurant or retail shop? Absolutely not, but in my job it matters.

“We taste. When you put the wine to your nose do you smell rot, no! When you sip the wine do you taste rot, no! So everything is hunky-dory, no! Experience informs me that the lack of any yellow in the hue of the wine, the lack of brightness on the palate and the simple vinous aromas evading any varietal definition suggest this wine was indeed treated, probably with charcoal, for rot. Does this matter to the person who might buy this wine in a restaurant or retail shop? Nope, because I’m paying attention for them.

“If I chose to offer a wine for sale, it must smell and taste of the appellation stated on the label. Yes, even if the customers doesn’t know what that is supposed to be. I know from years of tasting in this appellation and at this specific property that this bottling is not up to snuff. We won’t be buying this wine this year. That, my friend, constitutes expert advice.

“We taste for tipicity when we buy wine but then we sell on its hedonistic charms, including the story. But even before a wine professional makes a recommendation, the good ones have brought an awful lot to the table. 

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