Zester Daily

5.20.13 -

In the 1970s, ’80s, and part of the ’90s, Italy’s Soave wines used to have a bad reputation as cheap, insipid, mass production whites, the kind you definitely want to avoid. But in the past couple of decades, a determined younger generation has been reviving the region’s even older tradition of quality. This crisp, almondy 2011 Inama Soave Classico, with its combination of smoky minerality, spicy fruit flavors and mouth-filling texture is a great everyday bianco that’s widely available at a very good price.

The Veneto region around the city of Verona, in the northeast of Italy, is Soave country. The wines are named for the town of Soave, and the best ones, like this Inama, come from rugged surrounding hillside vineyards of mineral-rich basaltic rock in the Classico zone, the original Soave area mapped in 1927. Only wines made in this zone can use the word Classico on the label.

The grape is late-ripening Garganega, which very much reflects where and how it’s grown. Soaves made from grapes grown on the flat valley floor outside the Classico zone tend to be pretty neutral. Though up to 30% of a Soave can contain Trebbiano or Chardonnay, Stefano Inama sticks to 100% Garganega, from old vines, which he believes give wines more richness and complexity.

Giuseppe Inama, the estate’s founder, began assembling a patchwork of small top vineyards in Classico zone in the mid-1960s, but sold his wine in bulk. Starting in the mid-1990s, his son Stefano shifted to organic viticulture, cut yields and started bottling the wines.

Climbing the Soave ladder

Inama makes three different Soaves; this is their basic, entry-level bottle, fermented and aged in stainless steel. The other two, which come from special parcels and single vineyards on Monte Foscarino, are fermented in barrels.

If you’ve dismissed Soave as just white plonk, it’s time to try again. This 2011 Inama Soave Classico is a low-cost introduction to the good stuff.

Top photo composite:

2011 Inama Soave Classico label. Credit: Elin McCoy

Vineyard. Credit: Courtesy of Inama

5.13.13 -

Over dinner a few nights ago, I was reminded of how delicious Oregon Rieslings can be. My husband and I were sipping this fresh, incredibly bright 2010 Brooks Ara Riesling, which has wonderful orange blossom and honeysuckle aromas, a sophisticated taste mix of juicy pear and herbs, powerful mineral spine and plenty of zingy acidity.

I found myself craving a platter of Oregon Dungeness crab, the wine’s ideal partner. Still, it was a fine match with scallops sautéed with paper-thin slices of lemon and baby bok choy. Given this white has only 11.5% alcohol, there was no reason not to finish the bottle.

Brooks winery was founded in Oregon’s Willamette Valley in 1998 by the charismatic, visionary Jimi Brooks, who passed away suddenly in 2004 at the untimely age of 38. He’d made wine at WillaKenzie Estate and Maysara Winery, and practiced organic and biodynamic farming well before many others in Oregon. His own wines have always had a remarkable purity of fruit and are among the most interesting in the state.

Brooks’ son Pascal, now a teenager, inherited the winery, and Jimi’s sister, Jamie Brooks Heuck, took on the role of managing the business until Pascal can take over. That involved acquiring a winery on a hilltop on Eola Hills Road in 2008 that had passed through the hands of several Oregon wine pioneers. The winery’s Eola Hills estate vineyard is 20 acres, but about two-thirds of the grapes come from diverse vineyards in the Willamette Valley.

The name “Ara” is a constellation in the Southern Hemisphere; its name is Latin for “altar,” and the wine is only produced, says the Brooks website, “when the stars are in the right alignment.” They sure were in 2010.  The 2006 vintage of Brooks Ara Riesling was served at President Barack Obama’s first state dinner at the White House, honoring Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh.

If you find yourself in Oregon wine country on Memorial Day weekend, Brooks is holding an open house on Saturday, Sunday and Monday where you can taste all their stellar 2012 whites and current releases of their Pinot Noirs. Just don’t miss this 2010 Ara Riesling.

Top photo composite:

Pascal Brooks, heir to the Brooks winery.

Label for 2010 Brooks Ara Riesling.

Credits: Courtesy of brookswine.com

4.29.13 -

I’ve long been a fan of the “other” Cabernet, but most of the ones I prize are French. This spicy, delicious 2011 Broc Cellars Cabernet Franc, with fresh, plummy fruit and savory accents, is, surprisingly, from warm Paso Robles in California. It’s a light, layered, easy red, with hints of olives and the kind of sappy acidity that makes a wine wonderfully food-friendly.

Last week, a West Coast wine colleague brought a bottle of this gulpable wine to a lunch at Le Philosophe, a tiny French bistro on Bond Street in New York. Since one wall of the restaurant has large black-and-white photos of famous philosophers, the wine seemed an especially appropriate choice: Broc Cellars’ owner and winemaker Chris Brockway obtained a degree in philosophy before eventually turning to wine. With the restaurant’s creamy blanquette de veau, this Cabernet Franc, his second vintage of the variety, was perfect.

One of the several interesting urban winemakers in the Bay Area, Brockway works out of a 1,400 square foot facility in Berkeley. Committed to a thoughtful wine philosophy of minimal intervention in the cellar, he’s part of the new wave of winemakers who are changing the taste of California wine. He dumps whole clusters of grapes into fermenting vats, relies on indigenous yeasts for fermentation, uses an old fashioned basket press and a tiny percentage of new oak barrels for aging, and adds only a small amount of sulfur for stability. The result is a wine with a pure, transparent, mineral character that speaks of the grapes’ terroir.

Cabernet Franc one part of the experiment

Brockway started making his own wines back in 2004. An experimenter, he offers a dozen or so bottlings, many from varietals popular in southern France such as Counoise and Picpoul. In the way of so many winery startups, he searches out organic vineyards with great terroir and buys the grapes.

On May 11, he’ll be pouring some of them at Bergamot Alley wine bar in Healdsburg, alongside 16 other vintners who make wines from little-known grape varieties. The tasting is billed as the “Seven % Solution,” which refers to the fact that 93% of the vineyard acreage in Northern California are planted to just eight varieties.

Well, Cabernet Franc is hardly an unusual varietal,  but the 2011 Broc Cellars version is an unusual example from California, one that I can hardly wait to try again.

Top photo composite:

Broc Cellars Cabernet Franc label and bottle. Credit: Courtesy of Broc Cellars

4.22.13 -

The 2009 vintage in Bordeaux was hyped as yet another “vintage of the century,” and the top chateaux released prices that were astronomical. Luckily, there are also some serious bargains to be had, like this dark, soft, plush 2009 Chateau Fourcas-Borie, a wine with a personality as silky and seductive as its sexy black lace on red label.

I sampled it recently in Bordeaux at a dinner with the chateau’s owner, Bruno Borie, who’s better known as the proprietor of the great second-growth Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou in Saint-Julien.

The Borie family bought Chateau Fourcas Dumont, in the Listrac-Médoc appellation of Bordeaux, at the end of 2008, and renamed the property Chateau Fourcas-Borie. Their first vintage was this 2009, which we sipped alongside a dish of white asparagus wrapped with salty bacon and topped with thin slices of parmesan cheese. This red was a surprisingly good match. The key to pairing wine with asparagus, says Borie, who also happens to be an excellent chef, is adding other, more wine-friendly ingredients, such as the bacon, to the preparation.

Listrac is one of the six appellations in Bordeaux’s Haut-Médoc region, and one of its least prestigious. The Borie family has a history there — Borie’s mother was born at  another estate, Chateau Ducluzeau, which has been in her family for generations.

The wines of Listrac, all red, have the reputation for being lean and dry. This area south and west of more famous Saint-Julien is fairly far from the temperature-moderating influence of the Gironde River and Borie says Listrac’s cooler climate makes it tough for Cabernet Sauvignon to ripen easily. Part of what makes this 2009 Fourcas-Borie red so appealing to drink is its high proportion of Merlot.

Merlot works well

for Chateau Fourcas-Borie

The estate’s 30-hectare (74-acre) vineyards are divided between clay and limestone soil, where Merlot does well, and gravelly soil, where Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot are planted. The wine spends 12 months in barrels, less than one-third of them new and Borie makes it in a deliberately juicy, round, approachable style, aiming for a mix of sturdiness and elegance.

No, this 2009 Chateau Fourcas-Borie doesn’t have the grandeur of Borie’s 2009 Ducru-Beaucaillou, which sells for 12 times more. But it does have lovely richness and real Bordeaux character at a more than reasonable price.

Top photo: Chateau Fourcas-Borie owner Bruno Borie. Credit: Elin McCoy

4.15.13 -

In recent years, Oregon Pinot Noirs have become awfully expensive, with some
topping $100 a bottle. So I was delighted to sample the more-affordable 2011 Ponzi
Tavola Pinot Noir, with its spicy cherry flavors, silky texture and bright savory notes on
the finish.

While this fruit-forward, juicy, recently released red isn’t layered or complex,
it is a gulpable everyday wine that wonderfully complemented a simple dinner of roast
chicken with tarragon, earthy mushroom ragout, and creamy polenta.

Dick and Nancy Ponzi founded the winery 40 years ago. Part of the wave of
pioneers on a quest to produce great Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley, they helped
start one of the world’s best wine events, the International Pinot Noir Celebration,
founded a culinary center and wine bar showcasing top Oregon vintners in Dundee, and
even established the state’s first craft brewery.

The second generation is now running things. (Brother Michael bowed out this
year to pursue songwriting.) Luisa, who apprenticed at famed Domaine Roumier in
Burgundy, became winemaker in 1993. She’s always had a delicate touch with Pinot Noir
that some might deem “feminine.” Her aims are classic balance and elegant textures –
both evident even in this entry-level wine.

A Pinot Noir graced by a ‘miracle’ of sun

Ponzi makes half a dozen Pinot Noirs, including an impressive $100 single
vineyard bottling, and first introduced the Tavola in 2003. (“Tavola” means “table” in Italian.)
Vintage 2011 wasn’t a slam dunk. The season was late, and in the last part of August
Ponzi was still wondering whether the grapes would even ripen. As often seems to
happen in cooler wine regions, a “miracle” of sun in October saved the day. Picking was
the latest ever, into the middle of November! The result is wines with lovely intensity of
fruit, combined with very reasonable alcohol levels.

Though their 120 acres of vineyards aren’t farmed organically, the Ponzis are
serious about sustainable winemaking. The new winery, built in 2008, uses solar panels
to provide energy and a reflective metal roof to help maintain cool temperatures in the
cellar. The non-irrigated vineyards and winery are certified LIVE (low input viticulture
and enology), which means a commitment to using non-chemical approaches to weed and
insect control.

All this, and the wines are delicious, too. Drinking the Tavola Pinot Noir is a good
introduction.

Top photo composite:

2011 Ponzi Vineyards Tavola Pinot Noir label and bottle. Credit: Courtesy of Ponzi Vineyards

3.25.13 -

Every week, I taste dozens of sample bottles that have arrived on my doorstep, looking for good values. One that really impressed me last week was this striking, aromatic 2011 Masseria Li Veli Verdeca, with lively fruit, mint, and spice flavors and a crisp texture. This white is much more expressive and complex than its price would suggest. It’s also a wine that needs the right dish — like the pasta with freshly-made pesto we served — to shine.

The Masseria Li Veli stone winery is on the Salento peninsula in Puglia, the “heel” of Italy’s “boot.” Its long history began in the 19th century, when famous Italian economist Marquis Antonio De Viti De Marco transformed the estate with the goal of becoming a model for winemaking in Italy’s south. A century later, the Falvo wine family purchased and restored it, aiming to focus on local varietals.

This white is part of the winery’s Askos project, started in 2009, to rediscover and celebrate forgotten grapes. Some are red, others white,  like the Verdeca and Fiano Minutolo used in this wine. According to “Wine Grapes,” the fascinating and massively complete new book on the subject by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and Jose Vouillamoz, Verdeca is identical to a Greek grape variety. Since Greeks were the first to settle the peninsula, it’s likely they brought it with them.

Minutolo (which used to be called Fiano Minutolo) was rescued from near extinction in the year 2000 when enologists discovered old vines in the Itria valley, now on UNESCO’s world heritage list. That’s where Li Veli grows its Verdeca and Minutolo vines, certified organic since 2005. The cool, windy micro-climate preserves acidity.

Local varietals at Masseria Li Veli

Puglia, once a land of mostly bulk wine, is becoming known for attractive, dark, hearty reds from grapes like Negroamaro and Primitivo, though local whites clearly do well, too. Sadly, some producers are planting international varieties. But who needs cheap Puglian Chardonnay? I applaud Masseria Li Veli for their commitment to indigenous varietals that have far more personality.

This once poverty-stricken region, home to an estimated 65 million olive trees, has also become a terrific food and wine travel destination, a place Romans head to for the weekend to sun themselves on beaches, spend time at thalassotherapy spas, and eat.  With its long coastline, Puglia abounds in dozens of varieties of fresh fish and shellfish. With mussels, sea bass or grilled octopus, the 2011 Li Veli Askos Verdeca would be just about perfect.

Top photo composite:

2011 Masseria Li Veli Askos Verdeca bottle and vineyard. Credit: Courtesy of Masseria Li Veli

3.18.13 -

The legacy of Jim Barrett, the 86-year-old owner of Napa Valley’s Chateau Montelena who died last week, inspired this selection. The fresh, creamy-textured 2010 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay is a wonderfully balanced white with aromas of citrus and white flowers and flavors of green apple, lemon curd and wet slate.

It’s a reminder that although the valley’s most famous grape is Cabernet, some producers make pretty good whites there too.

Chateau Montelena‘s historic 19th-century stone winery and vineyards north of Calistoga were  neglected when Barrett snapped up the estate in 1972. He poured in money to restore it and hired Mike Ggrich, who now runs his own Grgich Hills Estate, as winemaker.

Several years later, the winery’s Chardonnay gained overnight fame when French judges rated the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay (the second vintage) above four great white Burgundies in a blind comparison at the now legendary 1976 Paris tasting. Upon hearing the news, Barrett was widely quoted as saying, “Not bad for kids from the sticks.”

The tasting’s results reshaped the wine world forever. The complete story is well told in the book “The Judgment of Paris” by George Taber, the only journalist present at the tasting. The cheesy Hollywood movie “Bottle Shock” provides a fictionalized version of the Barrett/Montelena side of the tale.

Legacy of Jim Barrett continues

When many Napa Chardonnays jumped on the oaky, buttered popcorn style, Chateau Montelena remained true to its origins, avoiding malolactic fermentation (which reduces acidity) and aging only a small percentage in new oak.

It always seems to age better than most Napa Chardonnays.

The cool 2010 growing season was marked by a late August heat wave, which burned grapes in some wineries’ vineyards. Not at Chateau Montelena, where chief winemaker Bo Barrett doesn’t favor aggressive leaf-thinning — the grapes had plenty of shade until the harvest was finished in mid-October.

This 2010 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay is a combination of lush California fruit and a firm flinty finish that almost reminds me of Chablis. I tasted the wine on a visit to the Napa Valley a couple of weeks ago, soon after the winery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. But I opened another bottle this past weekend to drink a toast to Jim Barrett.

Top photo composite:

Jim Barrett and label from 2010 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay. Credit: Courtesy of Chateau Montelena.

3.11.13 -

At a recent tasting of rare sweet wines at New York’s The Modern restaurant, the producer also poured his $12 dry aromatic white as an aperitif. This fresh, lively, easy-sipping 2011 Domaine Cazes Le Canon du Maréchal has intense aromas of apricots and orange blossom, and soft, round tropical fruit and peachy flavors with attractive herbal notes. It was lovely for sipping without food while just standing around and chatting, but is also one of the few wines that would go with asparagus. So I wasn’t surprised to hear that it has been a by-the-glass pour for asparagus dishes at Alain Ducasse’s restaurants in France.

Domaine Cazes, which has no connection with the Cazes family of Bordeaux’s Château Lynch-Bages, is in the heart of the small, somewhat obscure Roussillon region between the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean in southern France on the Spanish border. The area is part of the historic principality of Catalonia, which is mostly around Barcelona. General manager Lionel Lavail showed off a few phrases of Catalan and said, “We’re more Spanish than French. The flag on my house is the gold and red Catalan flag.”

Founded in 1895, Domaine Cazes now has 220 hectares (544 acres) and is the largest certified biodynamic estate in France. The soil is limestone and clay and the weather is windy and hot, with 325 days of sun and only about 16 inches of rain a year.  The winemaker, Emmanuel Cazes, keeps freshness in the wines by picking grapes at night to preserve acidity.

Roussillon produces about 90% of the fortified sweet wines made in France under three appellations — Rivesaltes, Banyuls and Maury. But as sweet wines became less popular, Domaine Cazes also focused on a line of dry wines; they now make 13 different wines from 14 grape varieties.

Dry white wine to sip with friends

This dry white is one of their entry-level wines, labeled Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes. The wine’s name comes from a French slang expression, “Let’s drink a canon,” or have a glass of wine with friends. The Maréchal refers to the famous general Maréchal Joffre, a Rivesaltes native and World War I hero, who sold his vineyards to the Cazes family.

Lavail, determined to bring more people to Roussillon, opened a cozy restaurant next to the winery. They serve Le Canon du Maréchal Blanc with garlic soup, oyster mushrooms and white asparagus. The recipes are on the restaurant’s Facebook page, easily accessed from the website, www.cazes-rivesaltes.com. I plan to try them all.

Top photo composite:

2011 Domaine Cazes Le Canon du Maréchal bottle and vineyard. Credit: Courtesy of Domaine Cazes