Category Archives: Spanish Wines

Staying Home and Drinking Your Cellar

How do you entertain yourself when sheltered at home for weeks? Drink the cellar, that’s what. And cooking up magnificent dishes to pair with those gems. Here’s my feasting report: 

Caymus Vineyards began as a farm in Rutherford. In 1915, the Wagners were producing bulk wines and during the 1940s they were known for their excellent grapes. Their first commercial vintage of 240 cases of Cabernet was in 1972. Over the decades they have produced many award winning, stunning Napa Cabs.

Caymus Special Selection is the flagship wine of the Wagner family and is comprised of the very best barrels of the vintage. The Caymus 1997 Special Selection Napa Cab – rated in the high 90s by many – had been resting in my cellar for a couple of decades. The occasion had arrived.

This 23-year-old wine had that tell-tale ruby color with an orange rim. Definitely the right time to drink it! Showing amazing cassis fruit at first; it faded and all that was left was a rich, smooth, umami and mineral full-bodied wine.

And then the weather turned warm and sunny and bottles of white wine were then brought up from the cellar.

Pacific Rim Riesling was first released in 1992 by Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard (BVD). Grahm released three Rieslings that year. One quite sweet, one medium sweet and one dry! Unheard back then outside of Alsace, France.

It was also an anomaly in the BVD stable of mostly Rhone reds such as Le Cigare Volant (you must read the label), Old Telegram (a play on Vieux Telegraph), and Clos du Gilroy Grenache. BVD released the inaugural vintage (1984) of Le Cigare Volant in 1986, an homage to Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Over the years, BVD expanded with more brands – Big House, Cardinal Zin and Pacific Rim Riesling, sourced from Washington State. Then in 2006, a small band of Bonny Doon expats moved to Washington with a desire to craft the best Riesling in America.

In 2010, Pacific Rim became its own winery in Washington. A winery so obsessed with Riesling, there are 12 styles to choose from. The range is extensive – from dry and lean, to sparkling, to light and slightly sweet to dessert. They have a Riesling for everyone and every dish.

The 2016 Horse Heaven Hills Wallula Vineyard Riesling at 11.5% alcohol with bright, citrus flavors, juicy pear and crisp acidity is the perfect wine for Asian cuisine.  So I whipped up a curried cauliflower, coconut, garbanzo bean stew. It was warm, spicy and comforting and the Riesling was a sweet contrast.

Note: if you want to escape into the Dooniverse, read this web page: https://www.bonnydoonvineyard.com/about/history/  It’s highly entertaining and informative about changes to the wine industry over 30 years.

Another juicy Riesling is produced by the Woodhouse Wine Estates in Woodinville. While visiting last fall, I bought a bottle of the 2015 Yakima Valley Riesling because it was so delicious. This lovely wine is also made in the dry style by a winemaker that hails from Alsace. It’s stainless steel fermented, aged sur lie and sees a tiny bit of oak.

It was the perfect wine with the Moroccan potato, carrot and garbanzo stew, laced with cumin and pumpkin pie spice.

I reorganized my spice rack looking for pumpkin pie spice. Did you know that you can make your own pumpkin pie spice with what’s in your spice rack? Now I have enough pumpkin pie spice to make more stew, pumpkin pies and to share.

In 1986, local grape growers formed a cooperative in the northwest corner of Spain in close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. Bodegas Martín Códax was named after a thirteenth century Galician troubadour who sang of love, the sea and the coastline.

The 2017 Martín Códax Rias Baixas Albariño, aptly named the wine of the sea, has crisp notes of apples and pears, and a great complement to the creamy bowl of homemade clam chowder.

Brett and Marnie Wall established Open Claim Vineyards in 2012 with a 21-acre vineyard near Dallas, Oregon. The family vineyard has supplied Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to several well-established wineries.

The property has been in Marnie’s family for over 20 years. The name, Open Claim, reflects the spirit of the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850, a statute enacted by the United States Congress, intended to promote settlements in the Oregon Territory. It worked nicely.

In May 2018, the Walls released Open Claim Vineyards Chardonnay and Pinot Noir produced by renown winemaker, Tony Rynders. Rynders is a driven and brilliant winemaker. In addition to his own Tendril Wine Cellars and Child’s Play Wines, he’s the outstanding winemaker behind many other great Oregon wineries.

This rich, complex 2016 Willamette Valley Chardonnay is a fantastic wine. Partially aged in new French oak, its aromas of lemon zest, melon and pineapple were intoxicating.  A simple dish of fish and sweet potato chips doused in lemon juice was the perfect pairing for this Chardonnay.

Once named Enotria for its abundant vineyards, Italy (thanks to the Romans) has had an enormous impact on the wine industry. From the shores of Italy, the Romans brought grapes and winemaking to Spain, Portugal, Germany, and, of course, France.

Although not in my cellar until recently, you have the opportunity to buy the Pieropan 2018 Soave Classico right now. This white wine, made mostly in the hills near Verona, is a classic. Soave must be made with the Gargenega grape; DOC law requires at least 70 percent must be Gargenega. The addition of Trebbiano di Soave may also be used.

Pieropan 2018 Soave Classico is a wine with a steely mineral character, citrus, peach and apricot aromas and flavors and considerable body. It was fabulous with a Cobb-like salad that I tossed together with leftover Easter ham, white cheddar, grilled asparagus, marinated shrimp and baked goat cheese.

Hope you’re faring well and also enjoying the fruits of your cellar. Cheers!

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A Taste of Woodinville Wine Country

My holiday shopping began on Black Friday this year. Normally, I wouldn’t be caught near a cash register on that particular day. But an invitation to De Lille Cellars’ Grand Taste and Tour in Woodinville was an offer I didn’t want to refuse.

The invitation promised DeLille wines and cheese pairings while getting a first look at the new tasting rooms, library room, third-story rooftop deck with views of Mount Rainier and mezzanine overlooking the winemaking facility and impressive barrel room.

This celebratory occasion was the completion of its new tasting rooms and winery at Hollywood Station. DeLille Cellars CEO Tom Dugan said “This will mark the first time since 1998 that we’ve had our winery and retail operations under one roof.”

The “new roof” is the old Redhook Brewery site in Woodinville. The 20-acre site is now known as Hollywood Station. This location features DeLille Cellars, Sparkman Cellars and Teatro ZinZanni, which moved into the complex in 2018.

DeLille Cellars has been around for over 25 years. Over the years, the winery has garnered hundreds of 90-plus ratings and a bunch of winery of the year awards. Its wines are inspired by Bordeaux, one of my favorite regions, but it also has wines in the style of Rhone and Aix, two other much loved French wine regions.

The 2018 Roussanne from Ciel du Cheval Vineyard on Red Mountain was whole-cluster-pressed, which means no destemming before crushing. The result is wine with less bitterness and more clarity. After fermentation, the other process used was sur lie aging. This is an old French winemaking technique that increases the complexity of mouthfeel, body and aromatics.

About 85% of the wine was fermented in stainless steel, which produces a fruitier, crisper wine. There were wonderful aromatics of tart green apple, melon and peaches with a creamy, weighty feel from the lees contact. The balance was impeccable.

The new release of the D2, its traditional Bordeaux red blend, was delicious. But it would benefit from a few years in the cellar. It was so well-balanced that I knew it would make a wonderful gift. Check one off the list.

The pièce de résistance was the 2014 Grand Ciel Cabernet. From its estate vineyard on Red Mountain, it is powerful, structured and integrated with a long, remarkable finish. This, too, could benefit from time in the cellar. Check another off the list.

With over 130 wineries and tasting rooms and three wine districts, Woodinville wine country has a certain allure. It’s close with so many wonderful wines to taste. The Warehouse District has the largest concentration of tasting rooms, followed closely by the Hollywood District and the less-crowded West Valley District.

Many of these tasting rooms have their production facilities in eastern Washington. Many of the wines are sourced from prestigious vineyards in AVAs across the state. All require a tasting fee that is waved when a bottle or two are purchased.

As we made our way home through the West Valley District, we passed tasting room after tasting room. We made a U-turn.

Isenhower Cellars is a Walla Walla winery with a presence on the west side of the mountains. Founded in 1999 by general manager Denise and winemaker Brett Isenhower, the husband and wife team built their Walla Walla winery in 2002. The Woodinville tasting room opened in 2009.

Viognier is from a region in the Rhone Valley. In the 1980s, almost all of the Viognier planted in the world — about 57 acres — was in the Rhone Valley, most in the Condrieu appellation. Today, there are over 11,000 acres worldwide including Walla Walla Valley.

Fermented in French Acacia barrels and aged sur lie for five months, the Isenhower Viognier is very floral and peachy with crisp, mouthwatering acidity. Another gift checked off the list.

Isenhower also makes a bubbly from Marsanne, a grape that is normally blended with Viognier. This 100% Marsanne brut is from the Yakima Valley’s Olsen Ranch Vineyard. This delightful brut has the requisite small bubbles, dryish finish and total elegance.

Next door, Cascade Cliffs Winery from the Columbia Gorge AVA had just celebrated 22 years. It has some unusual grape varieties – Barbera, Symphony and Nebbiolo – planted on its estate.

Symphony is a hybrid grape, a cross of Grenache Gris and Muscat of Alexandria. This wine has that fragrant Muscat nose and the body and crispness of a Grenache Gris. It’s an unusual and delightful wine.

But from the beginning, Cascade Cliffs was known for its Barbera. Barbera is its most popular and sought-after wine. That intensity and richness of this fruit-driven, high-acid wine is the perfect wine for any dish with tomatoes. Be it tomato tart, shakshouka, lasagna, you get the picture.

Cascade Cliffs began planting this Italian varietal in the early ’90s, and over the years it has won numerous awards including the prestigious “Best of the Best in the Northwest.” This buy was my Christmas present.

Wood House Wine Estates is another winery in the West Valley District we stopped at. It’s a family-run winery that opened in 2004. The winemaker, Jean-Claude Beck, is originally from Alsace where his family has been producing wine since 1579.  He joined Woodhouse in 2008.

Its 2015 Yakima Valley Riesling reminded me of the wonderful dry Rieslings of the Alsace appellation in France. It was fermented in stainless steel and aged sur lie. The sur lie aging gives wine a creaminess and weight.

The 2016 Columbia Valley Cab was sourced from Klipsun and Hyatt vineyards. A brilliant ruby red, this wine had intense black fruits, a touch of herbs and a nice long finish. I bagged two more to complete my shopping.

It’s going to be a very happy holiday. Cheers!

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Spanish Wine Adventures

This hot, dry weather of recent weeks is not nearly as hot and dry as what a Spanish grape vine survives in.

The Spanish wine industry has more acreage under vine than any other country in the world. And yet it’s not the largest producer of wine. The reason for this is that most of the country is dry and hot. Irrigation was not permitted until recently so most of the vines planted are eight feet apart – in all directions!

Spanish grapes are very different. With over 400 native varieties, you wouldn’t find until recently, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Cabernet. Instead you’ll find white grapes such as Albariño, Verdejo, Viura, Palomino, Xarel-lo, Parallada and Macabeo.

Red grapes are a bit more familiar. Widely planted are Tempranillo and Garnacha (Grenache). Tempranillo by other names can be found in bottles of Rioja, Ribera del Duero, and Toro. Garnacha is the main grape of Campo de Borja and Priorat regions, to name a few.

Indigenous grapes Cariñena, Godello, Graciano, Mencia, Loureira, and Treixadura, Monastrell and Bobal have significant plantings, and produce rosé and red wines. The main grapes for sherry production are Palomino and Pedro Ximénez or PX for short.

Much like the rest of Europe, you’ll find place names (Rioja, Campo de Borja, Ribera del Duero, Rias Baixas, Rueda) on the labels and more recently grape names, (Albariño, Garnacha, Tempranillo) too. In Spain, there are 69 major wine regions with either a Denominación de Origen (DO) classification or a Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOC) Classification.

Denominación de Origen is a governmental regulation used to designate quality wines. About two thirds of the vineyards are classified as DO. DOC is a step above the DO level. Rioja, Spain’s flagship red, was the first region permitted this designation in 1991. Twelve years later, the only other one, Priorat received its DOC.

The Blind Wine Tasters gathered recently to delve  into Spanish food and wine. Tasked with bringing a bottle of wine and tapas for ten, tasters sampled whites and reds, with the Machego cheese, Marconi almonds, Manzanilla olives and fresh made ceviche tapas. And with the most Spanish of dishes, paella, more reds were poured.

We started with Sherry. Sherry styles ranges from very dry to very sweet and there are dozens in between. It’s a fortified wine, from cooler regions due to the nearby ocean. The Barbadillo Sanlúcar de Barrameda (place name) D.O. Manzanilla (style) is a very pale, dry wine made from the white Palomino grape. Sanlúcar is on the estuary and the cool temperatures and high humidity are perfect for developing flor, an essential yeast for sherry. It provides a blanketing cap on the fermenting wine.

Around the same area but further inland is Mantilla-Morales, home of Fino Sherry. Finos are also pale and dry. The Don Benigno Fino and the Barbadillo Manzanilla are great tapas wines and a bargain to boot.

Cava is the name for Spain’s sparkling wine. 95% of Spanish cavas are produced in the Penedes. The two major producers are Cordoniu and Freixnet. There are plenty of smaller producers, one of which I can highly recommend: La Granja Cava Brut is made with 70% Xarel-lo and 30% Parellada. And it’s highly aromatic and delicious.

For the whites, we tasted an Albariño and Verdejo de Rueda. The Albariño outshone the Verdejo. In hindsight, I should have served the Verdejo first. It was on the drier side with more minerality. The Albariño was fragrant, juicy and a crowd favorite.

Marqués de Cáceres is a producer from the Rioja and Rueda regions. Their Verdejo de Rueda took some time to open up but once it did it was fragrant with floral, minerals and citrus. The grapes, like many in this hot country are picked at night when it’s cooler and spontaneous fermentation is less likely to occur in the vineyards.

The Albariño, was a Spanish grape but I kind of threw a curve ball to the blind tasters. I had tasted this wine last spring and loved it. Amelia Wynn’s 2017 Crawford Vineyard Albariño is stunning. Very fragrant, juicy and so well balanced.

Red wines from Spain may have a designation on the label that tells you how much aging the wine has received. The three most common and regulated terms are Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva.

Crianzas are aged for 2 years with at least 6 months in oak. Reservas, 3 years with at least 1 year in oak and Gran Reservas, at least 5 years of aging with 18 months on oak and a minimum of 3 years in the bottle. These wines can be exceptional bargains if you’re looking for a wine with age.

The Cortijo Rioja Crianza 2016 is one of the best. A pre-fermentation cold soak boosts the wine’s aromas, color and flavors. After fermentation, half the wine spends three months in 3-year-old barrels and the other half in stainless steel tanks. This regiment produces a wine with softer tannins and better balance that highlights fruit and downplays the oak. The wine is redolent of red fruits and crushed herbs with smooth tannins and a wonderful juiciness.

Also from the Tempranillo grape, Tierra Aranda from the Ribera del Duero.  Harvested by hand from a rocky hillside, it’s fermented in concrete and goes through malolactic fermentation. But it’ll take a few years for this monster with hints of cherry peeking through the tannins to calm down.

The fragrant Lo Nuevo Garnacha Sorbo a Sorbo 2014 from Calatayud had flavors of raspberries and minerals. Sorbo a Sorbo translates to Sip Sip which is good advice. The finish was a bit tannic but was tamed by the paella.

The hands down favorite red of the afternoon was the San Gregorio Calatayud Garnacha. San Gregario was established in 1965 in the DO of Calatayud. Garnacha is the main grape of Calatayud with many plantings over 50 years old. Those old vines get to put “Old Vines” on their labels. Many wines are head pruned and not irrigated. This recipe for low production results in intensely flavored wines.

I’ve enjoyed this session on Spanish wines. It made me forget about the heat for a bit. Salud!

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Guidelines and Suggestions for your Thanksgiving Wines

Thanksgiving is my favorite feast. You don’t have to send cards or give gifts. You’re not expected in church, synagogue or mosque. You get to play chef, then dine, drink and be merry.

Turkeys, sides, pies and wines are the focus of this family and friend feast that marks the start of the high holiday season. You eat a little too much, celebrate a little too much. Afterwards, it’s acceptable to stretch out for a nap, occasionally check the score.  And, if all goes well, your team wins; there are lots of leftovers and much to be thankful for.

This year there are only 39 days in the holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. So be smart, look for wine deals. Buy a case of wine, typically 12 bottles that will save you 10-15 percent off of your case of wine.

Pairing the proper wines is pretty easy. With the traditional table fare of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, roasted root vegetables, sweet potato soufflé, cranberries and stuffed onions, there are myriad of flavors. Go for food-friendly wines. These would be not too oaky, sweet, alcoholic or tannic.

Almost any well balanced wine will complement or contrast with at least most of the meal if you use these simple guidelines:

  1. Generous fruit. Not necessarily sweetness but fruity with balancing acidity with both reds and whites are the key to pairing with most of these dishes.
  2. Modest tannins. Many young red wines have that drying feeling that’s a product of their thick skins and long stays in oak barrels. Some dishes can turn this kind of wine into an unpleasant, astringent tartness.
  3. Welcome guests with something bubbly — sparkling wine, cava or prosecco. It sets the celebratory mood. Bubblies can be crisp, cleansing and slightly sweet for the gathering of guests, a perfect start to the holiday season.
  4. While the turkey is resting, pop the rest of the corks and have the guests take a seat. Let the passing begin. Anyone who prefers fruity sweetness will navigate to a Riesling or Gewurztraminer. For reds, think about the perennial favorite Beaujolais or a fruity, dense Spanish Grenache or California Zinfandel; and others will navigate to the red blends.

Riesling or Gewurztraminer

Both are highly aromatic whites. Riesling greets the big flavors on the table with gobs of fruit and crisp acidity. Gewurz also has loads of juicy fruit with a touch of spice. And both varieties can be fermented to be sweet or dry with the ability to pair up with the turkey, sweet potatoes to the sausage dressing.

Spokane’s Latah Creek Riesling has a medium-sweet appley flavor with a crisp finish, or the best bang for the buck — Riesling from Chateau Ste. Michelle, the superbly crafted Columbia Crest Two Vines — is more on the stone fruit end of the spectrum with balancing acidity, all under $11. Gewürztraminer is becoming a rare commodity. As a result, many are more than modestly priced.

Beaujolais

The third Thursday of November is the official release day for Beaujolais Nouveau. This red wine is the ultimate refreshing Turkey Day wine. It can be served slightly chilled and actually does go well because it’s fruity with low tannins. It’s made from the Gamay grape, harvested in September, and graces your holiday table two months later. Because of the carbonic maceration method of fermentation, this wine is without tannins, full of fruity flavors and red, a perfect beginner red.

Wine aficionados may prefer a Cru Beaujolais with a little more stuffing to it. And you’d get that from a Beaujolais Village, whether Morgon, Fleurie or Brouilly. Classic producers like Lapierre and Duboeuf are lighter-bodied but have brambly red and black fruit character with baking spices and a smooth silkiness.

Grenache

Cherries and spice are often found in Grenache with an acidity level that balances the weight of most Thanksgiving dinners. GSM blends — Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre — have dark plummy, blueberry layers that links with the earthy root vegetables and savory stuffing.

The Spanish and Australians have a wonderful selection to choose from, most in the $10 range – before your six bottle discount. For Spanish, anything imported by Jorge Ordonez is worth every penny. Tres Picos Borsao Garnacha is an award-winning wine and a particular favorite of mine. Garnacha de Fuego Old Vine, Torres Sangre de Toro, Vina Borgia Campo de Borja are all under $10 and delicious.

Zinfandel

Jammy black fruits laced with spices make Zin a juicy red for Thanksgiving as long as the alcohol level is moderate. Some Zinfandel could be as high as 16 percent, which accentuates the hot effect. Bogle, Ravenswood, Cline and Fetzer have been around for the longest time and are modestly priced because they own their vineyards. Old vine Zins that aren’t aged in oak are great wines at great prices.

Red blends

On the other side of the planet, the Australians are the fourth largest exporter of wines with quite a number of fruit forward Shiraz blends that would please the party palates. Look for reasonably priced Lindemans, Jacob’s Creek or Penfolds.

Other reds that would make a terrific holiday wine are a blend from the Delicato family, Hand Craft. Reminiscent of the Italian immigrant practice of field blending, this Zinfandel Merlot is juicy, packed with ripe black fruits and delicioso.

Woodbridge Red Blend is composed of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Syrah that’s rich with jammy blackberry and baking spices. Totally affordable and quaffable.

My annual advice remains the same: buy wines you like at prices you can afford, open a wide assortment of wines and raise a glass with your family and friends with each and every wine.

Cheers and a very Happy Thanksgiving.

 

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Spring’s Eternal Blessings

Spring celebrates traditions and cultures and new beginnings. This month’s celebrations include the Passover, Easter and a  birthday. Happy Birthday, Mom!

Easter and Passover are time honored traditions filled with family, friends and feasting. At the Passover Seder, people of the Jewish faith celebrate their freedom from Egyptian slavery and Christians rejoice at their savior’s resurrection. Pagans had their own springtime traditions that involved Ēostre, a Germanic goddess of fertility, bunnies and eggs.

All this celebrating begins as Mother Nature sheds the cold, wet blanket of winter and displays the many shades and hues of green and the occasional clump of sunny daffodils.

Spring brings verdant fare with fresher, lighter dishes and wines on our tables. From appealing asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, to fresh sliced radishes on buttered toast points or crackers, lemony sorrel, the zingiest garden green ever, sautéed leeks and morels, roasted spring lamb with fresh peas, new potatoes with chive butter, juicy, sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb, and the emergence of abundant mint family, there are many refreshing ways to celebrate spring.

Below are some adventurous wines that play nicely with spring’s bounty. But first, my “Spring Wine Rules.”

  1. Spring wines can be complex wines. Color outside the lines with wines that are not your usual fare. Resist the urge to be safe! Be daring! Be adventuresome!
  2. The delicate flavors of spring wines have notes of herbs, grass and slightly tart fruit which are the perfect match for spring vegetables. The brighter the wine, the better the match.
  3. No new oak. These wines should be herbal and crisp; it’s lighten up time! Stainless steel fermentation insures a crisp and fruit forward flavor. Oak does not.
  4. Kosher wines are fairly plentiful and very good. They can range from big and hearty to lower alcohol, fruity Moscatos. From Italy to Israel to southern California, winemakers have been making these wines for decades.
  5. It’s not the perfect guideline for spring wines but wines that will age usually have a cork. Times have changed; screw caps do not necessarily mean bulk wine any more than corks signify high quality wines.
  6. No Chardonnays or Pinot Grigios.

Here are my plucky proposals for spring whites. These are not the easiest wines to find, so go with the region or the grape.

PINOT BLANC – This grape is a member of the mutant ninja Pinot family. Being a mutant ninja has to do with the ease that they can change skin color. The red skinned grapes are Nero or Noir and Meunier and the gray skinned grape is Gris or Grigio. White is Blanc or Blanco depending on where in the world it is made. Today, Pinot Gris or Grigio is more fashionable than Pinot Blanc.

But Pinot Blanc has the body of a Chardonnay and an easy drinking style that is likely to surprise and delight. And it does not see oak! Instead, it spends time in a great big barrel that is more often than not, lined with centuries of tartaric crystals. I often recommend an Alsatian Pinot Blanc as a choice for seafood, vegetables and roasted chicken salads.

As the third most mountainous country in Europe, Greece’s distinct topography enables the cultivation of 350 indigenous cool weather varietals in a warm weather climate. Somewhat unexpected after seeing all those movies of very sunny, sandy beaches in Greece.

One of Greece’s greatest white wines comes from the MOSCHOFILERO (Mohs-koh-FEE-leh-roh) grape. The wine is super dry but has an aromatic and floral nose. It’s a great wine for spring entertaining. Most Moschofilero can be found in Mantinia, a region in the middle of the Peloponnese Peninsula.

ALBARIÑO is native to Spain’s Rias Baixas region. It’s crisp, refreshing and reminds me of a blend of Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. Albariño can be lovely with an exotic aromatics and crisp citrus character. That makes it great with fish with a sorrel sauce or ham and pea salad. Zingy in style, it has enough fruit for great balance.

GROS MANSENG is a country white from Gascony, in southwestern France, and it delivers a terrific bang for buck. The Gros Manseng grape is filled with fresh, clean, herbal flavors and Armagnac brings more weight than most simple table wines. It’s hard to find a more versatile spring – or summer – wine.

MENETOU-SALONS made from Sauvignon Blanc are in the grassy, minerally flavor realm.  Its racy acidity is ideal for the tender spring vegetables.  Hailing from the Loire Valley, where Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé set the bar, the appellation of Menetou-Salon is just west of Sancerre. The chalky soils are similar to the vineyards of Chablis and the resulting flinty minerality of those wines. Pair it with asparagus and scrambled eggs or a pea risotto as a spring treat.

VINHO VERDE is a fizzy Portuguese white. The fresh citrus and-herb packed flavors, low alcohol and fizzy personality make it the perfect spring wine. The lighter alcohol content is perfect for a light spring brunch of frittata, fresh fruits, and hot cross buns.

PICPOUL, native to the Rhone Valley and Languedoc, tends to be crisp and green similar to a Sauvignon Blanc.  Picpoul de Pinet from vineyards overlooking the Mediterranean Sea can show richness that makes them one of the best value choices out there. Use it to begin dinner as it pairs especially well with clam linguine, barbequed oysters or crab cakes.

VERDELHO plays nicely with spring fare with scents of chervil and thyme and lots of citrusy brightness. It has sweet peachy flavors that add a bit of weight to the mouthfeel. The grape is Portuguese, but it has found home in California, where its ability to hold acidity in the heat make Verdelho a winner. It also shines Hunter Valley where it is blended to brighten up the mellower Semillon. Chill it up and pair it with sardines, olives or a chicken salad.

Another grape to consider is the CHENIN BLANC grape from France, South Africa or Washington. It has a steely, aromatic profile with ripe peach flavors that pairs well with the season’s flavors. Consider a bottle of this with your smoked trout or fresh fruit salad.

May your springtime celebrations be sunny with lighter fare and adventuresome wines!

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Annual Top Wine Lists

This is the time of year when wine journalists put together lists of “top” wines of the past year. To quote a few:

  • We rated no less than 20 perfect wines after tasting more than 10,000 bottles …
  • Perhaps this column should more accurately be titled the twelve most enjoyable wines of 2016…
  • Here’s our definitive 2016 list of the top 50 bottles …
  • As the year winds down, we can’t help but reflect on our favorite wines of 2016 …
  • After tasting nearly 4,000 bottles in the past 12 months, our wine critic pays tribute …

It’s a tradition and, unfortunately, most wines aren’t available. Unless the wine critic is familiar to you, use their ratings as a guideline. Know and trust your own palate.

Top wines from small production wineries rarely make it to the grocery store shelves. They just don’t make enough product to keep a shelf presence year round. So, traveling to Woodinville, Eastern Washington, Willamette Valley or California may be an option.

For unavailable wines, put them on your watch list and see what the next vintage brings. Lists of high scoring wines can be instructional about good vintages, cool climates and emerging regions.

One last thought when perusing annual wine lists. If a critic tastes 10,000 wines a year, that’s an average of 27 bottles per day. That critic needs help, so it may be a “collective palate” judging that $45 bottle of wine. And that collective palate, made up of several tasters, could change over the year.

And now at last, my 2016 list …

It’s a list heavy with sunny Spain’s top grape varieties, Garnacha and Tempranillo. Spanish wines are perfect for great wines at a small price. Even Gran Riserva Riojas are only about $40.

Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha 2014 is made from old vines; it’s my unfailing favorite. This purple red Grenache from the Campo de Borja region has a gorgeous aroma and flavors of raspberries and spice. It’s imported by consultant Jorge Ordonez who seeks out old vines and well made Spanish wines.

Solnia Tempranillo 2015 is crafted in the land of Don Quixote, La Mancha. The old vine Tempranillo grapes are hand harvested. From the deep color of the wine, you can tell it went through a long ferment and maceration. Aged for six months to give it further complexity, the wine is balanced and very drinkable at $10. Also imported by Jorge Ordonez.

From the Toro region, Enebral Tinta de Toro 2009 is made by the Well Oiled Wine Company.  Tinta de Toro is a clone of Tempranillo. Enebral’s vineyards are old and yield very low production. Also harvested by hand, the wine sees French oak for 11 months, then matured in bottle for six months before release. You can tell Toro is a warm region with an alcohol content of 14.5% and you’ll be amazed at the color and balance of this wine – for only $12.

Tinto Pesquera Crianza Ribera del Duero 1999 is another all-time favorite andtinto pesquera one I had been hoarding for some time. Crianza is a term used to describe the style of Spanish wine. It’s an aging regimen and describes the youngest category of a wine that has been matured in wood.  A crianza may not be sold until its third year from harvest and spends a minimum of six months in barrique.

Gotin del Risc Mencia 2012 hails from the Bierzio region. Mencia is a red grape variety widely grown in Northwest Spain. It’s a very fragrant grape with glass staining capabilities. It’s rich but not overpowering. Think paella partner for $15.

Atlas Peak Renegade 2013 is amazing. Atlas Peak is also an American Viticultural Area located within the Napa Valley AVA. It’s one of the higher elevations in Napa. The westward orientation also extends the amount of direct sunlight to ripen grape sugars. The soil is volcanic and very porous which means cool evenings for perfect pH. The 2013 Renegade is composed of 93% Syrah, 4% Malbec and 3% Petit Verdot. This wine is loaded with aromas of dark berries, violets, and tobacco leaf. Aged for 22 months in French and American oak barrels, the flavors are lush with dark fruits, leather and spice.

The Stoller Reserve Pinot Noir 2013 is one of the best Oregon Pinots and reasonably priced. From the best vineyard blocks and French barrels (30% new) in the cellar, it’s aged ten months and then blended prior to bottling. What comes out of the bottle is an marvelous balance of cherries and baking spices with a long, long finish.

Bill Stoller worked on the family farm as a child but as an adult he knew that the rocky terrain that broke discs and plows when tilled, the southern-sloped hills that made growing wheat difficult and the low-yielding Jory soils were all the ingredients of a successful vineyard. Today, the family vineyards are planted with Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Tempranillo, Syrah, and Pinot Blanc.

Intrinsic Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 made two publications’ Top 100 lists. This is the first release from this winery. Part of the wine was aged for a remarkable nine months on the skins, another part in stainless steel and the rest in neutral oak. The label claims, “It dazzles with brooding aromas of herbs and black cherry. The flavors are ripe and balanced with smooth tannins and a long finish.” Dazzles and brooding aside, I’m inclined to agree, found it reasonably priced and still available.

Another gem from the cellar was the Long Shadows Pedestal Columbia Valley Merlot 2004. Long Shadows collaborates with highly regarded winemakers around the world. They use Washington grapes to make wine like they do back home. It’s fascinating to taste a Washington wine next to another country’s wine.

For this wine it’s Michel Rolland, owner of Le Bon Pasteur in Pomerol and consultant to many others. Let me just name drop here – L’Angelus, Clinet, Smith Haut Lafitte, Pavie and Troplong Mondot in Bordeaux; Simi, Newton, Merryvale and Harlan in California. He has even consulted at Ornellaia in Tuscany and Casa Lapostolle in Chile. Pedestal has pedigree.

Bollinger RD (recently disgorged) 1985 was a pretty amazing bottle. Golden, aromatic and full-bodied, it didn’t have a lot of bubbles but I fully expected it to not be sparkling. I love Madame Bollinger, who would make her daily vineyard inspections in the 1950s by bicycle wearing a dress, a flower in her hair and her pearls.

She once quipped of her Champagne, “I drink it when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it – unless I’m thirsty.”  cork wreath

Cheers and All the Best in this New Year!

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What to Drink – Idilico Albariño

What a lovely start to the New Year! A friend dropped in for the annual open house and left without his hat. A few days later, I dropped by his house and reunited the hat and the head.

But the best part was I dropped by at dinnertime. They invited me in for a glass of wine.  And a little week night supper of fried rice to boot.

But back to the wine… It was a Washington winery that I had never heard of and a grape they had never heard of – Idilico and Albariño respectively. Both were quite a surprise to me. I had no idea Washington was growing Albariño.

Winemaker Javier Alfonso, a native of Spain, believes eastern Washington is much like the wine regions of Spain with dry, desert-like climate with hot days and chilly nights. He figures the climate in eastern Washington is very similar to the climate in northwestern Spain’s Rias Baixas wine region where Albariño originates.

Washington’s Idilico Winery is really into Spanish varietals. What other Spanish grapes do they produce you ask? Well, there’s Tempranillo, a juicy and luscious Garnacha (Grenache), Monastrell (Mourvèdre), Graciano and the rare but stunning Albariño

Finicky Albariño is a quality varietal but it’s low yielding. And its skins are thick so the pulp to skin ration is very different from other white grapes.

This Albariño is from a 6 acre planting of in a cooler area of the Yakima Valley north of Prosser. The wine was fermented and aged sur lie in stainless steel for three months.

The wine has the full spectrum of floral, almond and white peach aromas with the stone fruit flavors of apricots, peaches with a bit of citrus to make it really bright. Albariño has bracing acidity from those cool nights and should be consumed in its youth as it rarely ages.

As you might imagine, production of these varietals in Washington is still very small. Their website charmingly explains, “We would like to apologize in advance if finding our wines proves to be difficult. In an attempt to help you locate the wines we will start giving updates via our Facebook Page which you can access below. Happy hunting!

Your fail safe option is to contact your favorite wine shop and ask them to order any available Idilico wines for you. Don’t be intimidated, this is done by good wine retailers all the time. Just let them know which distributor carries the wine in your area.”

Elliott Bay Distributing distributes their wines in our area and the cost about $15. Enjoy!

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What we’re drinking: Finca Sandoval Manchuela 2004

Mary writes:

I confess. When it comes to where to plant wine grapes, I’m not the visionary that David Lake, MW was. I scoffed at the idea of planting Syrah back in 1989 when Lake produced Washington’s first Syrah. After all, Washington was the land of Cab and Merlot.

At this year’s Taste Washington I found out while sipping Proper Wines’ 2010 Syrah that Syrah has grown from 800 tons in 1999 — the first year it made the stat sheet — to 11,800 tons harvested last year.

After visiting the famed La Chapelle Vineyard in France’s Rhone Valley, Lake had this vision. By 2009, when Lake went to the great vineyard in the sky, Syrah was the third most widely planted red wine varietal.

Syrah is one of the world’s most diverse grape varieties, displaying a myriad of flavors. It can be floral, peppery, barnyardy, leathery, plummy, smoky and/or herbaceous depending on how old it is and terrior.

It grows best in hot, rocky climates such as the Rhone Valley, Sunny Spain, and the desert regions of California, Australia and Eastern Washington.

And that brings me to the wine of the day from Sunny Spain’s Castilla La Mancha wine region located in the southern half of a hot, dry plateau. Famous for Manchego cheese, Don Quixote and very fine wine.

Finca Sandoval Manchuela 2004, a blend of mostly Syrah and a dab of Monastrell and Bobal. It had been relaxing in my cellar, when a special occasion arose suddenly.

We popped it open and immediately the room was filled with aromas of violets, pepper, licorice, and cassis, which was surprising in itself because of the age. This wine has all the marks of a far more expensive Northern Rhone wine. It had intensity, velvety mouthfeel, wonderful balance and a finish of licorice, cassis and Asian spices.

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What we’re drinking: Don Ramon Tinto Barrica

Mary writes:

Looking for a good bargain wine? You’ve come to the right place.

Being a seeker of great wine for under $10, I highly recommend wines from the northeast quarter of Spain known as Campo de Borja. This region is a Denominación de Origen (DO) with a mild climate, located in the shadow of the mountains of the Sistema Ibérico.

One wine from this area I’d recommend trying is Don Ramon Tinto Barrica 2010. Its color is ruby and has aromas of pepper and raspberries with a jammy raspberry flavor. It’s an easy drinking a blend of 75 percent grenache and 25 percent Tempranillo. It retails for $8.

 

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Weekly wine defined: Xarel-lo

Mary writes:

Xarel-lo (pronounced: zar rel lo): is a white grape variety that is indigenous to Spain. The vines are found in both Catalonia and central Penedès at moderate elevations. In the Penedès region, it’s one of the base grape varieties of cava, blended with Parella and Macabeo.

Xarel-lo is a hardy plant with medium-sized, thick-skinned grapes. As a result of the thick skin, where all the flavors and aromas come from, the wines produced from Xarel-lo are full-flavored and aromatic.

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