Wash Post
The pleasures of true champagne
By Dave McIntyre, Published: December 20
Champagne has a secret: It.s great with food. The acidity, the minerality and above all those wonderful, palate-caressing bubbles make champagne an ideal partner with almost any dish except the heartiest red meats.
It seems a shame to consign it to a glass or two at midnight on New Year.s Eve, or at wedding receptions and locker-room celebrations. When food and wine writers make that discovery, they often proclaim that .champagne should be an everyday drink..
Yeah, right. In my dreams, too.
Recommended champagnes
.I should have drunk more champagne,. the economist John Maynard Keynes is said to have uttered on his death bed. Lord Byron extolled .champagne with foaming whirls as white as Cleopatra.s melted pearls.. And Lily Bollinger, of the Bollinger champagne family, said: .I drink it when I.m happy and when I.m sad. ..... Otherwise I never touch it, unless I.m thirsty..
Unfortunately, champagne is expensive. It.s more difficult to make than still wine, so production costs are higher, and the luxury image that champagne producers have cultivated has given them a stake in maintaining high prices. Any wine for which an under-$40 price tag is considered a bargain is not destined to be an everyday tipple. Not for those of us in the 99 percent, anyway.
Which really is too bad, because champagne is just that good. I.m talking real champagne, of course: the sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region of France, northeast of Paris. Bubblies from elsewhere are often delicious, and they make everyday celebrations possible. But they rarely, if ever, offer the depth and fascination of the real thing.
If you are at all serious about exploring wine, you should not be afraid of champagne. It is possible to savor what this archetype of sparkling wine has to offer while spending only an arm or a leg, but not both.
At the wine store, look for a .grower champagne.. You.re probably familiar with the names of the big champagne .houses,. such as Mumm, Veuve Cliquot, Moet et Chandon, Ruinart, Krug and Pommery, among others. I have nothing against their wines, which are made with purchased grapes according to a house style and are usually delicious. But quite often the greater excitement lies with the grower champagnes: wines made by the same people who grew the grapes. They tend to display characteristics of the vineyard (which can get lost in the larger blends of the houses) and even the personality of the winemaker. And they are often more reasonably priced than their big-house counterparts.
Grower champagnes are rare, however. If your retailer can.t steer you to one, here are other ways to spot them:
.Look for a family name on the label, such as Jose Michel et Fils.
.If you follow local importers and know one that specializes in family-run wineries, look for the importer.s name on the label. Reliable ones in the Washington area include Wine Traditions, Vintage 59, Robert Kacher Selections, Dionysus and Kysela Pere et Fils.
.There.s a tiny code printed on the front label of every champagne bottle. Spotting it can be difficult, but the letters .RM. signify a grower champagne. (The R stands for .recoltant,. or grower, meaning the grapes were not purchased. Most champagnes are NM, for .negociant,. or broker.)
And don.t be shy about trying unfamiliar champagnes when you dine out. Many restaurants are rather desultory with their champagne selections, but the Robert Wiedmaier group of restaurants is bubbling over about bubblies. Ramon Narvaez, beverage director for the company, has expanded the wine list at Marcel.s, Wiedmaier.s flagship restaurant in the West End, to include 100 champagnes, mostly small-selection grower labels.
Narvaez says his customers are welcoming the expanded selection. .The good times are coming back,. he says. That would be worth celebrating.
Recommended champagnes
By Dave McIntyre, Published: December 20
Recommendations
...Exceptional ...Excellent..Very Good
Prices are approximate. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through a distributor.
Most of these are grower champagnes. Because availability of these is often limited, use them as a reference to ask your retailers for similarly priced wines.
Lenoble Cuvee Intense Brut ... Champagne, France, $50
.Intense. is an apt name for this wine. It packs power, yet adds finesse in a tightly wound, mouth-filling wine that grabs your attention. Would that there were more of it.
Robins Cellars: Available in Virginia at Arrowine in Arlington, Chain Bridge Cellars in McLean, Vienna Vintner.
Jose Michel et Fils Brut Tradition ... Champagne, France, $38
In contrast to the Lenoble, this wine is all about delicacy, with charming fruit flavors that seem deceptive.
Wine Traditions: On the list in the District at Adour, Bistro Bis, Palena. Available in Virginia at Arrowine and Whole Foods Market in Arlington, Rick.s Wine & Gourmet in Alexandria.
Michel Turgy Blanc de Blancs Brut ... Champagne, France, $45
It.s made entirely from white grapes, which means the ultimate expression of chardonnay; orchard fruit flavors, stony minerality and lingering fizz.
Dionysus: Available in the District at MacArthur Beverages, Wagshal.s Deli, Whole Foods Market Tenleytown; on the list at Restaurant Nora. Available in Maryland at Balducci.s and Bradley Food & Beverage in Bethesda, Finewine.com in Gaithersburg. Available in Virginia at Arrowine in Arlington, Balducci.s in Alexandria and McLean, J. Emerson Fine Wines & Cheese in Richmond, Unwined in Alexandria and Belleview, Vienna Vintner.
Roland Champion Brut Rosé... Champagne, France, $58
Champion is a small grower in Chouilly, in the Cotes des Blancs, an area known for fantastic chardonnay. This rosé of which he makes only about 330 cases . includes 10 percent red wines (pinot noir, pinot meunier) to give it a pale, salmonlike color and a beguiling palate of cranberries, strawberries and currants. Wow. And yum.
Kysela: Available in the District at Ace Beverage, Bell Wine & Spirits, Magruder.s, Pearson.s, Wide World of Wines; on the list at Harry.s Reserve. Available in Maryland at the Wine Source in Baltimore. Available in Virginia at Mom.s Apple Pie in Occoquan, Rick.s Wine & Gourmet in Alexandria, Salute Wine Market in Winchester, Wine Lovers in Richmond.
Thierry Triolet Brut .. Champagne, France, $34
A textbook champagne, rich and elegant, with great balance and depth for the price.
Wine Traditions: Available in the District at De Vinos, P&C Market; on the list at Bistro la Bonne, Cashion.s Eat Place, Occidental Grill. Available in Virginia at Arrowine in Arlington, Rick.s Wine & Gourmet in Alexandria, River City Cellars in Richmond.
Louis de Varancy Brut .1 / 2 Champagne, France, $27
This offers the character of the real thing at a decent price, with lots of red-fruit flavors, steely acidity and structure to give authenticity.
J.W. Sieg: Available in the District at Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits; on the list at Hamilton.s, Sei, Oya. Available in Virginia at Leesburg Vintner, Unwined in Belleview, Vienna Vintner; on the list at Foti.s in Culpeper, La Bergerie in Alexandria.
and domestic bubbles from the SFGC
Sparkling Wine
The American sparkling wine industry is clearly being pulled in two directions. One school of thought sees a need for sweeter, easy-to-please bottles. The other is holding true to the vision of pioneers like Schramsberg, trying to create crisp, food-loving alternatives to French Champagne.
That latter style is proliferating in regular nonvintage brut as well as vintage and roséottlings. Top houses are hunting colder vineyard sites and reducing the amount of added sugar used to finesse the wines. The result is more sublime and affordable bottles that can be enjoyed year-round.
NV Domaine Carneros Cuvee de la Pompadour Carneros Brut Rosé$36, 12% alcohol):
There's some finesse at work on Duhig Road, seeing as the pink version of Carneros' brut shows a remarkable focus and distinction, with depth from added Pinot Noir. Accents of rose hip, damp stone and bread dough provide depth to this tight-knit, raspberry-inflected effort.
NV Domaine Chandon Brut Classic California Sparkling ($22, 13%):
Winemaker Tom Tiburzi has been fine-tuning Chandon's trademark bottle, with less added sweetness and more focus on the fruit. It's paying off beautifully, with rich pear-tart aromas and a bounty of fruit and pastry flavors. The bright lemon-oil and sea-foam accents signal a wine with serious intent.
2000 Gloria Ferrer Carneros Cuvee Carneros Sparkling ($50, 12.5%):
This long-aged reserve bottle from Ferrer shows its commitment to the potential of Carneros. After a full decade on its lees, this is simultaneously opulent and precise. Aromas of citrus pith, thyme, pear skin and yeast underscore remarkable youth for a 10-year-old wine.
NV J Vineyards Russian River Valley Brut Rosé$28, 12.5%):
There's a return to form at this Healdsburg house, with its pink brut offering a sweet yeasty note that underscores raspberry and rose petal, and vibrant citrus tying it all together in a mouthwatering way. Think of it for the holiday table.
NV Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut Rosé$27, 12%):
Roederer's rosén particular remains a standout, a sign of winemaker Arnaud Weyrich's talents. Subtle notes of rose, copper and peach, with a warm vanilla-bean accent and cool berry ice flavors.
NV Scharffenberger Mendocino County Brut ($19, 12%):
Now affiliated with its neighbor, Roederer Estate, this longtime local fave (just renamed Brut Excellence) has found a new level of precision for its quintessentially California style of sparkling. There's just a hint of a soft side to an otherwise steely texture, with green apple, poppy seed and morning bun flavors underscored by a perfect mineral bite. The best hidden value in American fizz.
NV Schramsberg Mirabelle North Coast Brut ($25, 12.8%):
Schramsberg's nonvintage second bottling is stellar right now. A Chardonnay-dominant blend is fresh with tree fruit, freesia and chalk accents, and a wonderful strawberry edge from its Pinot Noir. Just enough bready opulence without losing its playfulness.
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------------------------------
* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
* james(a)brewingnews.com James.Ellingson(a)StThomas.edu *
Dear friends,
In the current issue of the Pinot File, the estimable Rusty Gaffney, MD, the
Prince of Pinot, delivers this year's Pinot Noir All-Americans (USA pinot
noir all-stars):
http://www.princeofpinot.com/article/1153/
Happy reading, happy holidays, and always remember, if you drink no noir,
you pinot noir.
Russ
Here's one way to have a white Christmas.
Cheers,
Jim
December 19, 2011
A Toast to Versatility
By ERIC ASIMOV
NO doubt this column appears on first glance to be one of those dutiful end-of-the-year pieces on sparkling wines. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Let me be plain: I need no seasonal inducement to write about sparkling wines, in this case blanc de blancs Champagnes. .I don.t have to show you any stinkin. badges!. as the oft-misquoted Alfonso Bedoya put it in .The Treasure of the Sierra Madre..
Got that? Good. I don.t mean to sound belligerent, but I feel compelled to emphasize that I love Champagne and sparkling wines too much to ever consign them to the scrap heap of obligation. I drink them year round, with all sorts of foods, for any occasion, but more important, for no occasion at all.
An estimated 40 percent of Champagne is sold leading into the holidays, according to the Champagne Bureau, a trade association, but that does not mean we all must abide by the nonsense of restricting sparkling wines to end-of-the-year gatherings and celebrations.
The plain fact is that Champagne is one of the world.s most versatile and pleasing wines. That.s another crucial point: Champagne is a wine, though this may not be obvious to some, and it needs to be thought of in that context.
Too often, sparkling wines are set apart, as if they were a valued set of cuff links brought out only for special occasions, then returned to their plush box. But Champagne goes wherever other wines are capable of going, whenever, with ease.
I must say, this perception of Champagne is partly the Champagne industry.s fault. It.s done such a good job of turning Champagne into an emblem of black-tie urbanity that it now seems out of place on the kitchen table.
The panel tasted 20 bottles of blanc de blancs Champagne. What might seem like just another seasonal roundup was in fact a tasting with year-round staying power. Florence Fabricant and I were joined by two other members of the what.s-good-in-December-is-just-as-good-in-July club: Juliette Pope, wine director at Gramercy Tavern, and Carla Rzeszewski, wine director of the Spotted Pig, the Breslin and the John Dory Oyster Bar.
Now, I love all sorts of Champagnes, but I especially treasure blanc de blancs, the finest, most delicate of all. Most Champagnes are blends of three grapes: pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay, but blanc de blancs are made solely of chardonnay.
At least they are almost all the time. The three main grapes account for just about all Champagnes, but, as most Champagne geeks know, the rules allow three other white grapes: pinot blanc, petit meslier and arbane. Very occasionally, I come across a blanc de blancs that incorporates small percentages of these grapes, too, along with chardonnay.
Our Champagnes were from the lower end of the price spectrum, which admittedly is not so low in the greater scheme of things. You rarely see good Champagne for less than $35 a bottle these days. Yet only three of the wines were above $60, and the most expensive topped out at $80, which effectively eliminated high-end vintage Champagnes.
Only four were vintage dated, and only one of those made our top 10, the 2005 Ruelle-Pertois Grand Cru, our No. 10 bottle. Nonetheless, we all considered this an excellent tasting.
Florence and Juliette were both surprised by the range of textures, from lean to rich and broad. Carla suggested that many consumers might find these Champagnes confusing, primarily because the dosage, a small amount of sweetened wine added to Champagne just before it is sealed, can vary greatly.
Producers use the dosage to balance out the wine.s acidity, which on its own can seem harsh. But it also serves a stylistic purpose, as more sweetness can soften austere wines.
.Dosage is a delicate thing,. Carla said, posing a sort of three bears scenario. .Too much, it.s top-heavy. Too little, it can be abrasive..
We were seeking just right. Nine of our 10 favorites were bruts, which by definition may receive a dosage of up to 15 grams of sugar per liter. The remaining favorite, from Jacques Lassaigne, was an extra brut, meaning its dosage was 6 grams or under.
What stood out to me was how well balanced most of these Champagnes were. Few were too sweet or too harsh. I noticed most of all how the best of these Champagnes, like good Sancerre and Chablis, seemed transparent, with almost savory herbal and mineral flavors rather than the richer fruit tones that I often detect in Champagnes with pinot noir and pinot meunier.
Our No. 1 bottle, for example, the Delamotte nonvintage, was wonderfully elegant and fresh, with the sort of finesse and understated complexity I love in good blanc de blancs. Delamotte, incidentally, is the sibling producer of Salon, one of the greatest, and most expensive, blanc de blancs. Besserat de Bellefon, which produced our No. 2 bottle, has nowhere near the reputation of Delamotte, but this Champagne, with its lively texture, was surprisingly good.
Among our top 10 were several very good smaller producers, like Pierre Moncuit, whose precise, chalky Grand Cru Brut was both our No. 3 wine and, at $43, our best value.
The No. 4 bottle, from Marc Héart, was very different from the Moncuit . riper, fuller and more fruity than any other bottle in our tasting . while our No. 6 bottle, from Joséhondt, long one of my favorite small producers, was more austere and fresh. The extra brut from Lassaigne, whose grapes come from Montgueux, far removed from the other producers, was likewise distinctive, very dry with a touch of caramel, not austere at all.
Among the bigger houses we especially liked the complexity and finesse of the Billecart-Salmon, though it was the most expensive wine among our top 10.
Though we tasted 20 bottles, that really accounts for just a handful of the available Champagnes. Small producers like Larmandier-Bernier, Pierre Gimmonet, Agrapart, Guy Charlemagne, Aubry and Guy Larmandier are just a few of many who make excellent, reasonably priced blanc de blancs, while you could do a whole lot worse than the blanc de blancs from fine bigger producers like Louis Roederer, Deutz and Duval-Leroy.
I should mention that one bottle in our tasting, the Prestige Brut from Franck Bonville, was tossed out because it was corked. It was a reminder that Champagne is more like other wines than we think, for better or worse.
Tasting Report
Delamotte, $55, ***
Blanc de Blancs Brut NV
Great combination of finesse and complexity, with brisk, fresh flavors of minerals, herbs and chalk. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, Ala.)
Besserat de Bellefon, $56, ***
Blanc de Blancs Brut Cuvédes Moines NV
Savory mineral flavors with a rich, gripping texture. (Winesellers, Skokie, Ill.)
BEST VALUE
Pierre Moncuit, $43, ***
Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut NV
Chalky and herbal with fine, clear, lingering citrus and fruit flavors. (Polaner Selections, Mount Kisco, N.Y.)
Marc Héart, $46, ** ½
Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Brut NV
Ripe, fruity, with flavors of lemon, apples and plums. (Terry Theise Estate Selections/Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, N.Y.)
Billecart-Salmon, $80, ** ½
Blanc de Blancs Brut NV
Light, lacy, clear and pure with a fine texture and toasty, nutlike flavors. (Robert Chadderdon Selections, New York)
Joséhondt, $50, ** ½
Blanc de Blancs Brut NV
Clean, fresh and refreshing with citrus, mineral and herbal flavors. (Becky Wasserman Selection/Pas Mal, Tenafly, N.J.)
Jacques Lassaigne, $50, ** ½
Blanc de Blancs Les Vignes de Montgueux Extra Brut NV
Dry and earthy with flavors of minerals and herbs, and a touch of caramel. (Jenny & Françs Selections, New York)
Ruinart, $70, **
Blanc de Blancs Brut NV
Taut and fine with fresh, chalky, spicy flavors. (MoëHennessy, New York)
Demiè-Ansiot, $57, **
Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru NV
Steely aromas, with spicy, herbal flavors and a touch of balancing sweetness. (Becky Wasserman Selection/Pas Mal)
Ruelle-Pertois, $40, **
Blanc de Blancs Brut Grand Cru 2005
Fresh, tangy and herbal with flavors of herbs and green apples. (Charles Neal Selections, Richmond, Calif.)
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* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
* james(a)brewingnews.com James.Ellingson(a)StThomas.edu *
Greetings,
A review of Isaly Malts seems fitting given our Islay weather. Cold and wet.
A note on the ratings. I find Laphroig 10 to be almost undrinkable. The 15 and 18
are quite nice. Ditto the Ardbeg, Lagavulin, and Bowmore.
Cheers,
Jim
December 6, 2011
>From Scotland, Fog and Smoke and Mystery
By ERIC ASIMOV
TASTING whiskies can be a clinical, prosaic task, nosing and assessing, jotting notes, reconsidering, lips compressed in concentration, brow furrowed. Yet, as the spirits panel tasted 20 single malts from Islay, we reminded ourselves to step back a moment, to contemplate with no small amount of awe the magic of what was in the glass. Islay demands a sense of wonder.
I.ve never visited Islay, that island off Scotland.s western coast with the evocative pronunciation EYE-lah. But sipping a good Islay single malt, with its astounding range of complex expressions, transports you to an Islay that seems as mythical as it is real.
It.s a world unscarred by modernity.s claws, an island of fog, smoke, brine and mystery, where ancient distilleries, after years of throbbing production, go dark when demand wanes. There they sit, abandoned on the green and craggy landscape, their distinctive pagoda roofs intact, yet silent like phantom freighters.
Some remain that way, their sites revered like ancient stone circles by whisky lovers. For others comes reincarnation when market conditions change again. The ghostly cobwebs are cleared away, the pot stills rejuvenated, and once more they will yield the precious distilled vapors of malted barley, peat, yeast, crystalline water and air.
If it seems odd to consider air an ingredient, you have to stick your nose in a glass of Islay single malt. Along with all the other components, a savory whiff of salty sea breeze is unmistakable.
The sense of mystery in the terrain is palpable as well. .As you explore you can see how it compresses its secrets into tight parcels: dune-fringed beaches, remote hills, cliffs, caves, peat bogs, standing stones, lost parliaments, abandoned townships and Celtic memories,. Michael Jackson wrote in .Whiskey: The Definitive World Guide. (DK, 2005). .It is a tapestry of geographical and historical treasures through which whiskey runs like a golden thread..
It.s this air of mystery, along with a reputation for the smokiest, most robust and challenging malts, that seems to set Islay apart from Scotland.s other whisky regions. Most experts, however, agree that whiskies can no longer be classified geographically. Production methods have become so homogenized that they no longer reflect local eccentricities as much as they do a distiller.s predilections.
The smokiness comes from the tradition of using peat . bog soil made of decomposed vegetable matter that was harvested to fuel kilns used for drying barley. Assertive peating has long been a trait of famous Islay malts, like Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg, but it is not exclusive to Islay. And just as much a part of the Islay tradition are gentler malts like Bunnahabhain (BUN-na-hah-ven) and Bruichladdich (brook-LAD-dy), which are lighter in body and more floral than peaty. Another tradition, shared throughout Scotland, seems to be names that are impossible to sound out phonetically.
Our 20 Islay single malts included bottles from each of the eight working Islay distilleries. Indeed, two of the eight, Bruichladdich and Ardbeg, were dormant for years, only to be reawakened to distill again. The revival of another distillery, Port Charlotte, is planned.
With 20 whiskies, we tried to mix in widely available, well-known bottles with some of each distillery.s more esoteric malts. We also included one mystery malt, a bottle packaged by a whisky merchant who does not reveal the actual distiller.
For the tasting Florence Fabricant and I were joined by Flavien Desoblin, an owner of the Brandy Library in TriBeCa, which has more than 250 single malts on its list, including 50 from Islay. Also with us was Pete Wells, who next month takes over as the restaurant critic.
The gathering of 20 samples from Islay made it as clear as a Scottish spring that whatever traits the whiskies had in common were overshadowed by their differences.
.To pull utterly different characters out of essentially the same material is stunning,. Pete said. .It.s a wonderful demonstration of range and diversity..
The tasting also testified to the high level of quality in Islay malts. Seven of the eight distilleries were represented among our top 10, and the eighth did not miss the cut by much. Islay malts are not cheap. With a cap at $100, our 20 bottles ranged from $36 to $97, with 16 of them $50 or over.
Our No. 1 bottle was one of the easiest Islay malts to find, the Laphroaig 10-Year-Old. It was one of the smokiest of the group yet one of the subtlest and most complex as well, with all of the rich medicinal, waxy, savory and saline flavors that people associate with Islay, but with an underlying sweetness, too. At $45, it was also our best value.
By contrast, the Laphroaig 18-Year-Old, our No. 5 bottle, was less bracing and mellower. The smokiness was more of an undercurrent, amplifying its floral, honey and meadowlike qualities.
We found similar distinctions in comparing two other pairs of bottles that made our list. Our No. 2 bottle, the Ardbeg Corryvreckan, was huge and robust, with layers of complex flavors. Smokiness was only a small part of the majestic picture. Its 10-year-old sibling, the No. 4 bottle, was likewise complex, but emphasized a briny, smoky, almost oceanic quality.
Our No. 3 bottle, the Lagavulin Distillers Edition 1993, showed the warm, burnished complexity of age with a spicy, raisiny fruitcake quality that perhaps attests to time spent in barrels previously used for sweet sherry. The basic Lagavulin 16 Years, our No. 10, though not appreciably younger, was much less complex, mildly smoky with both savory and sweet flavors. I must say that, as a fan of Lagavulin 16 Years, which I remember as so robust it demanded a bit of water for sipping, this example seemed a bit meek.
The bottles rounding out our list show the range of Islay. Bruichladdich, No. 7, was the gentlest, most delicate malt, with sweet notes of butterscotch. Caol Ila, No. 9, was huge and oily in texture, smoky yet fresh, too. In the middle was Bowmore, No. 8, rich, balanced, moderate, delicious nonetheless.
That leaves the new guy, Kilchoman, which began production in 2005. Its Spring 2011 Release was one of the youngest in our tasting, if you do the arithmetic, yet it was superb, fresh and complex with plenty of smoke.
Bunnahabhain was the only Islay distillery not on our top-10 list, and although Florence and Flavien loved the 18-year-old (the $97 bottle), it barely missed the cut. Other bottles worth recommending that did not overcome the stiff competition include Bowmore.s 15-Years-Old Darkest, which Flavien and Pete especially liked, and the Laphroaig Triple Wood, which we all liked.
And the mystery malt? It was simply called Smokehead, a whisky that, judging by its busy graphics and aggressive packaging, is being marketed to young single-malt newcomers. It was powerful and smoky, and Pete and I liked it more than Flavien and Florence did.
.It.s for peat freaks,. Flavien said.
Guilty. But I will allow that, while I liked it, I would not classify Smokehead among the more contemplative malts in the bunch. No, for woolgathering and armchair voyaging, preferably in front of a fire, I would be most happy with any of our favorites. I prefer them straight, with maybe a spoonful of water and an equal amount of wonder. As the song goes, thinking is the best way to travel.
Tasting Report
BEST VALUE
Laphroaig Islay, $45, *** ½
10 Years, 43%
Heavily smoked, richly medicinal, savory, subtle, complex and deep. (Laphroaig Import, Deerfield, Ill.)
Ardbeg Islay, $80, *** ½
Corryvreckan, 57.1%
Lightly smoky and sweet with rich citrus, soy and saline flavors. (MoëHennessy, New York)
Lagavulin Islay, $90, *** ½
Distillers Edition 1993 Double Matured, 43%
Complex and mellow with flavors of smoke, wax, citrus and fruitcake. (Diageo, Norwalk, Conn.)
Ardbeg Islay, $50, *** ½
10 Years, 46%
Multidimensional and oceanic with smoky, briny, medicinal flavors. (MoëHennessy)
Laphroaig Islay, $75, ***
18 Years, 48%
Like a meadow, with aromas of flowers, honey, spices and a light touch of smoke and citrus. (Laphroaig Import)
Kilchoman Islay, $65, ***
Spring 2011 Release, 46%
Fresh yet complicated with aromas of smoke, butter cream and citrus. (Impex Beverages, Burlingame, Calif.)
Bruichladdich Islay, $52, ***
12 Years Second Edition, 46%
Gentle and mild, with aromas and flavors of citrus, honey, flowers and butterscotch. (Winebow, New York)
Bowmore Islay, $45, ***
12 Years, 40%
Rich and well balanced with aromas of flowers, forest and beeswax, and an underlying smokiness. (Skyy Spirits, San Francisco)
Caol Ila Islay, $57, ** ½
12 Years, 43%
Big, broad and almost oily in texture, with ample citrus and smokiness yet a freshness as well. (Diageo, Norwalk, Conn.)
Lagavulin Islay, $57, ** ½
16 Years, 43%
Pleasant and mildly smoky, with savory flavors but also a creamy sweetness. (Diageo, Norwalk, Conn.)
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------------------------------
* Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu *
* mobile : 651/645-0753 *
* Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *
* james(a)brewingnews.com James.Ellingson(a)StThomas.edu *
SFGC Top 100 - Sparkling
Sparkling Wine
The American sparkling wine industry is clearly being pulled in two directions. One school of thought sees a need for sweeter, easy-to-please bottles. The other is holding true to the vision of pioneers like Schramsberg, trying to create crisp, food-loving alternatives to French Champagne.
That latter style is proliferating in regular nonvintage brut as well as vintage and roséottlings. Top houses are hunting colder vineyard sites and reducing the amount of added sugar used to finesse the wines. The result is more sublime and affordable bottles that can be enjoyed year-round.
NV Domaine Carneros Cuvee de la Pompadour Carneros Brut Rosé$36, 12% alcohol):
There's some finesse at work on Duhig Road, seeing as the pink version of Carneros' brut shows a remarkable focus and distinction, with depth from added Pinot Noir. Accents of rose hip, damp stone and bread dough provide depth to this tight-knit, raspberry-inflected effort.
NV Domaine Chandon Brut Classic California Sparkling ($22, 13%):
Winemaker Tom Tiburzi has been fine-tuning Chandon's trademark bottle, with less added sweetness and more focus on the fruit. It's paying off beautifully, with rich pear-tart aromas and a bounty of fruit and pastry flavors. The bright lemon-oil and sea-foam accents signal a wine with serious intent.
2000 Gloria Ferrer Carneros Cuvee Carneros Sparkling ($50, 12.5%):
This long-aged reserve bottle from Ferrer shows its commitment to the potential of Carneros. After a full decade on its lees, this is simultaneously opulent and precise. Aromas of citrus pith, thyme, pear skin and yeast underscore remarkable youth for a 10-year-old wine.
NV J Vineyards Russian River Valley Brut Rosé$28, 12.5%):
There's a return to form at this Healdsburg house, with its pink brut offering a sweet yeasty note that underscores raspberry and rose petal, and vibrant citrus tying it all together in a mouthwatering way. Think of it for the holiday table.
NV Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut Rosé$27, 12%):
Roederer's rosén particular remains a standout, a sign of winemaker Arnaud Weyrich's talents. Subtle notes of rose, copper and peach, with a warm vanilla-bean accent and cool berry ice flavors.
NV Scharffenberger Mendocino County Brut ($19, 12%):
Now affiliated with its neighbor, Roederer Estate, this longtime local fave (just renamed Brut Excellence) has found a new level of precision for its quintessentially California style of sparkling. There's just a hint of a soft side to an otherwise steely texture, with green apple, poppy seed and morning bun flavors underscored by a perfect mineral bite. The best hidden value in American fizz.
NV Schramsberg Mirabelle North Coast Brut ($25, 12.8%):
Schramsberg's nonvintage second bottling is stellar right now. A Chardonnay-dominant blend is fresh with tree fruit, freesia and chalk accents, and a wonderful strawberry edge from its Pinot Noir. Just enough bready opulence without losing its playfulness.
The Chronicle recommends: Bubbles around the globe
Jon Bonnéunday, December 11, 2011
One final shot, then, to buy year-end fizzy drinks. We've covered Champagne (go to: sfg.ly/v9DY0K) and homegrown bubbles (go to: sfg.ly/trOkwT), but once more to the shelf for a grab bag of options that deliver a lot of fun for under $20.
While Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, traditional Champagne grapes, make the occasional appearance, you'll notice a proliferation of more unusual options. At these prices, your better choices are standout Prosecco, cava, Lambrusco and more.
It simply signals the desire of winemakers everywhere to apply their know-how to a diversity of sparkling options. What's not to like?
NV Les Vins ContéPow Blop Wizz Petillant Roséin de France ($19, 11% alcohol): Olivier Lemasson's avant-garde Loire label keeps making plain delicious table wine using minimal methods. Here it's a blend of older-vine Pineau d'Aunis and Trolleau doing the work. An oyster and crab wine - think mignonette - with robust accents of wet stone, celery, cranberries and sourdough. Showing a yeasty side, its spiritual sibling might be white ale. Great fun. (Importer: Louis/Dressner Selections)
NV Markus Huber Hugo Austria Roséparkling ($14, 11.5%): Huber's efforts in the Traisental region reflect Austria's merging of tradition and modern progress. We could use more wines like this fashionably frothy take on Zweigelt and Pinot Noir, pressed as a true roséWith tangerine, strawberry and jasmine tea flavors, and just a tiny hint of sweetness to give it body, it tastes well crafted and carefree without being cheap. (Importer: CircoVino)
NV Graham Beck Brut Western Cape Sparkling ($16, 12%): Famed South African vintner Beck leaves behind this beautifully dry effort based on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. A properly crisp nose of saltines and lemon peel, with a slightly softer texture to the bubbles and chalky orange flavors to the palate. Delivers a ton for the money. (Importer: Maritime Wine Trading Collective)
NV Borgoluce Brut Prosecco Superiore Valdobbiadene ($16, 11.5%): While too much Prosecco uses sweetness as a crutch, the Collalto family's sprawling estate frames the best of a true brut style. It has the baby's-breath freshness of dry Prosecco, with ripe pear, melon and orange. Immediate and refreshing, with a food-friendly bite that Prosecco too often lacks. (Importer: The Sorting Table)
2010 Vigneto Saetti Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce ($18, 12%): Lambrusco with soul. Using the Salamino clone, Luciano Saetti's wines undergo second fermentation in bottle - a Champagne-like method almost unheard of in Emilia. He uses no sulfur dioxide, again a rarity. The result, from organic 40-year-old vines, features earthy cranberry overtones with cardamom and bark accents and intense minerality, providing depth and vivaciousness so many Lambruscos lack. (Importer: Louis/Dressner Selections)
NV Vilarnau Brut Cava ($15, 11.5%): Sherry house Gonzalez Byass has invested heavily in this Penedes property, and it shows in the serious profile of this Macabeo-dominant bottle, aged on its lees for 18 months. Stony and accented by tangy mandarin orange flavors, it brims with refinement - subtly opulent without losing the chalky bite of good cava. (Importer: San Francisco Wine Exchange)
E-mail Jon Bonnét jbonne(a)sfchronicle.com.
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This article appeared on page G - 7 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Just say yes to disgorgement dates
Posted on 12/08/2011 at 11:03 am by Jon Bonnéin Champagne, France, Wine, Winemakers
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A bottle of Bruno Paillard Champagne shown next to a back label that reveals a disgorgement date. (Photo: Craig Lee / The Chronicle, 2004.)
Buying Champagne is a bit like shopping for a late-model car. The model itself may not change, but model years do. A nonvintage wine may not change, but Champagne houses always have new releases.
How do you know if you have the latest? Disgorgement dates on the label tell you when the wine was uncapped from its extended aging, its flavors polished with a bit of sugar or sweetened wine, and the bottle sealed with a cork. After being disgorged, Champagne is ready to be sold.
Yet the vast majority of nonvintage Champagnes lack disgorgement dates.
At the behest of importers like Terry Theise, who requires it of his producers, and thanks to the evangelism of Champagne makers like Bruno Paillard, there is a growing trend to include these dates. It is a trend largely pushed by small grower-producers, who increasingly are capturing the agenda for Champagne lovers. That said, some larger houses provide disgorgement dates for certain wines, like Bollinger.s R.D. (.rémment dérgé or .recently disgorged.) and Dom Perignon.s Oenotheque line.
But most large Champagne houses have no interest in including this information. At best they include a lot number, often on the cork, for the importer or wholesaler (but not consumers) to be able to trace a Champagne back to its origins.
That is changing, slowly. Last month the famed house of Krug, which had been steadfastly opposed to disgorgement dates, said it would start including them for its nonvintage Grande Cuvee . although it won.t reveal the base vintage for each release.
And that.s really the key information. A disgorgement date is in no way a sell-by date; just the opposite, since Champagne often improves with time. Instead it.s a clue to a bottle.s place in time: which vintage served as its base, which reserve wines were used, what the dosage was.
Not knowing this information presents a huge challenge if you want to review a nonvintage Champagne. A critic receives a bottle, tastes it and rates it. But how to know which batch it comes from, or whether it bears any resemblance to the wines on the shelf? Without a disgorgement date, there.s no way to know you.re buying the same wine I.ve tasted.
A writer.s crusade
Some wine writers have been frustrated by this lack of specificity, none more vocally than Antonio Galloni of the Wine Advocate, who announced he would only review nonvintage wines with that information included. Other writers, myself included, voiced our support for his stance, most recently in some Twitter banter noting the problem last month.
Galloni ramped up his challenge this week, saying it is .time for my colleagues at other pubs to step up to the plate..
For The Chronicle.s part, we already include disgorgement dates in our reviews if a Champagne lists it.
But perhaps that.s not enough. In a subsequent e-mail, Galloni said that .[t]he bottom line on disgorgement is really about credibility and protecting the consumer..
His argument: If the wines we taste aren.t the same as those you find on the shelf . except in name . then our reviews have little meaning.
And that.s exactly the point. The blending of nonvintage Champagne was once a means of ensuring continuity amid often marginal vintages. But it has been stretched by large producers who now insist that their wines show continuity year in and year out.
That can in fact be done; the solera-style system devised by Anselme Selosse can provide a continuity of flavor, much like similar methods in Jerez. But the truth is that nonvintage Champagnes are mostly based on a single vintage, and they vary significantly from batch to batch. Like Forrest Gump.s box of chocolates, you never know what you.re going to get.
The simple solution? Disgorgement dates.
While some large producers insist that info negates the value of nonvintage blending, it.s not true. A disgorgement date isn.t a vintage date; it.s a mark of a specific batch made a specific way.
So, why the opposition? Shouldn.t Champagne makers stand behind every bottle they release? Do they find batch varation less worrisome than the wide quality swings created by shipping and storage? (Next time you dash to your local liquor store for that top-shelf bottle of Veuve Clicquot or Piper-Heidsieck, ask yourself how long it.s been sitting there.)
91 forever
It.s hard to imagine who.s hurt by a disgorgement date. Certainly not the consumer. The Champagne houses? Only if they.ve sided with brand equity over full disclosure.
That.s why more writers, myself included, see the value in requiring disgorgement dates if we.re going to review a nonvintage Champagne. (Champagne expert Peter Liem laid out an effective case back in 2008, and his reviews on Champagneguide.net are probably better than any other at including this info.) Galloni and the Wine Advocate deserve credit for standing forward.
The next step is for other wine publications like the Wine Spectator to join in. Why? Because the way the system currently works, getting a 90-plus score on your nonvintage Champagne is like having your bar mitzvah: Once it.s done, it can.t be taken back. If the same Champagne gets a 91 and an 88 in different years, which number do you think gets quoted on the shelf?
What about a general-interest publication like The Chronicle? We don.t numerically score wines, so the value of our recommendation is different, and our readers aren.t necessarily as focused on Champagne connoisseurship. But certainly we and other newspapers should be seriously weighing this option. If we.re in the business of giving readers more information about the products we endorse, it.s a key data point. And not just for Champagne; ideally, we.d do this for domestic sparkling wine, too.
Decoding lot numbers
One recent example: My tastings this year found favor with Bollinger.s nonvintage Special Reserve Brut, which seemed more focused than a year or two ago. But Pol Roger.s often excellent nonvintage tasted reduced and slightly bitter. For the record, Bollinger.s lot number (found on the gold foil at the top) is L113801, which according to Bollinger.s U.S. importer corresponds to April 26, 2011. (For those playing at home, Pol Roger.s was SA10888.)
This sort of information shouldn.t require a secret decoder ring.
Is there a reason not to insist on this information before reviewing a bottle? I can.t think of one, although I.m open to your thoughts. It might not make all Champagne producers happy, but here.s a case where the wine media can tangibly improve the quality of the consumer experience.
If the current state of Champagne tells us anything, it.s that consumers are getting better educated. So why not continue that trend?
Champagne's Aube region gets a moment to sparkle
Jon Bonnéunday, December 11, 2011
The southern region of Champagne known as the Aube has long been an also-ran, growing grapes in large quantities for influential houses up north in Reims and Epernay. It has been a reliable engine of the region's growth but rarely given its due.
Now the Aube is ready for its close-up.
Within the past couple years, this pastoral area two hours southeast of Paris has become a darling, driven by a new generation of Champagne vintners who have turned to this unheralded spot, also known as the Cote des Bar, in the hope of pursuing greatness on a small scale. New names like Cedric Bouchard or Dosnon & Lepage, and established houses like Serge Mathieu, are making wines that speak more of their origins than of the stylish tastes that have turned Champagne from wine to beverage. As Champagne focuses on the small scale (go to: sfg.ly/v9DY0K) the Aube has become a new comfort zone.
The area's often uncomfortable attachment to Champagne has existed since the Middle Ages. Though its main city, Troyes, was once Champagne's provincial capital, counterparts in the Marne Valley regarded the area with disdain - enough that they rioted in 1911 as part of an effort to block Aube grapes from Champagne. Ultimately the Aube was ushered in, but even today its 17,000 acres of vineyards receive none of Champagne's top classifications.
So the Aube has long felt an affinity elsewhere. Indeed, its schism with Champagne can be seen directly in the soil.
Limestone rich
While the Marne's chalky soils come from a later period, the Aube shares the limestone-rich Kimmeridgean soils of its neighbor to the southeast, Chablis. In fact, Les Riceys in the southern Aube is about three times as far from Champagne's beating heart of Reims as it is from the village of Chablis, 30 miles southwest. To the south, the Aube abuts Burgundy, and in some sense its culture nods more toward the Cote d'Or's obsession with a sense of place than toward its sometimes haughty patrons in Reims and Epernay.
These Kimmeridgean soils are part of a band of white-wine greatness that encompasses not only Chablis but also Sancerre and Pouilly-FuméAnd yet this is predominantly Pinot Noir territory because plantings were dictated by the needs of the area's Champagne masters.
That is not to say white grapes don't have a profound role, especially in Montgueux, which grows ripe Chardonnay sought by large houses like Veuve Clicquot. Profound blancs de blancs can be found from such producers as Jean Laurent and Montgueux's Jacques Lessaigne.
But does the Aube speak clearly in the glass? To consider this, I was joined by Rajat Parr, corporate wine director for the Mina Group; Ian Becker, wine director for the Absinthe Group; and Mary Christie, wine director of the forthcoming State Bird Provisions.
Signature of place
Our conclusion: Regardless of grape, there's an unmistakable signature of place - the wines show a weightlessness and bite reflective of all that limestone. Aube Chardonnay can evoke Chablis with bubbles; Pinot Noir often reveals white-grape flavors and savory aromas that nod to Burgundy. These are not only very good Champagnes; they are true to their origins.
The Aube's partisans, even the early ones, clearly arrived at the same conclusion. In 1930, in the western part of the Aube known as the Barsequenais, the house of Fleury decided to bottle its own wines as a way to escape the economic whims of large houses. An early convert to biodynamic farming, Jean-Pierre Fleury now makes largely oak-aged Champagnes from his 50 acres that are dominant in Pinot Noir and brimming with foresty depth and a Burgundian complexity. They are powerful and lusty.
To the east in the Barsuraubois area is the Aube's most influential name: Drappier. This historic house in Urville, farming in the area since the 18th century, helped pull less prestigious Gamay Noir from Aube soils in the 1930s, replacing it with Pinot Noir. The Drappier wines are that rare exception that muscled their way into the ranks of high-profile negociant houses. Unfortunately, the wines appear here somewhat irregularly.
A new generation of pioneers is also making its mark in the Aube with wines that demonstrate skill in the cellar and absolute devotion to place. Even the region's co-op in Bar-sur-Seine, which makes Champagne under the Devaux label, shows remarkable talent.
But a range of tiny producers have caught the most attention. There is Bertrand Gautherot, whose Vouette et Sorbee is named for his two biodynamically grown vineyards in Buxiès-sur-Arce; his lean and uncompromising wines evoke those specific sites. Jacques Lessaigne in Montgueux makes distinct, rich cuvees (although they fell short in our tasting).
New names to know
In the south of the Aube lies Les Riceys, renowned for its rare, long-aging rosé It is further tribute to the dominance of Pinot Noir. It's no surprise that in nearby Avirey-Lingey, you'll find Serge Mathieu, whose hand with Pinot Noir reveals spice and vibrant red fruit reminiscent of a bubbly take on the Cotes de Nuits. And don't overlook Davy Dosnon and Simon-Charles, who in 2005 built a few acres of Dosnon family holdings into a new label that exults in supple, oak-aged wines.
Bouchard, however, is arguably the Aube's reigning star. Based in the tiny town of Celles-sur-Ource and making wine only since 2000, he has quickly become known for his exquisite bottles, each of which hails from a single variety, vineyard and vintage. Made in steel with minimal winemaking and a lower atmospheric pressure than standard Champagne, Bouchard wines like Les Ursules speak with absolute precision of their roots. With less than 20,000 bottles per year to go around, these vanish quickly.
These new names provide a context for the Aube that echoes a modern French tale: Relatively obscure corners become laboratories for innovation precisely because they are the only places the avant-garde can afford to work. Found a new Champagne label in the fancy Cote des Blancs? Doubtful. But if you're Bouchard, son of a vintner in a Champagne backwater, it's possible to find fame by applying a new generation's philosophy.
Now, as Champagne finds many of its big players treading water, the Aube can shine.
>From the notebook: the aube
NV Dosnon & Lepage Recolte Blanche Brut Champagne ($50, 12% alcohol): Davy Dosnon used some family land and additional nearby parcels to launch this Pinot-focused label, making unfiltered wines in oak casks. This all-Chardonnay cuvee lands in one of those "Is it Chardonnay?" spots, with the accents of orange peel and forest floor hinting at red grapes, but also fresh sea foam and green apple that's balanced by a touch of wood-aged richness. (Importer: Jon-David Headrick Selections)
NV Serge Mathieu Tradition Blanc de Noirs Champagne ($42, 12%): The Mathieu roots in the Aube run back several centuries. Pinot is the thing here, and the use of steel tanks with malolactic fermentation and long aging provide both depth and precision. A pure expression of chalk and citrus pith, with vibrant red-fruit notes - cranberry, watermelon skin, apricot, coriander - that telegraph the Aube's potential for laser-like focus. (Importer: Charles Neal Selections)
NV Cedric Bouchard Inflorescence Val Vilaine Brut Blanc de Noirs Champagne ($60, 12.5%): Made all from Pinot Noir in a single vintage, from the Val Vilaine parcel in the town of Polisy. Fermented only in steel, Bouchard's wines have an uncanny ability to telegraph their origins. This latest release , disgorged April 2011, comes from ripe 2009. Layered and dense, with musk, cranberry, dark stones and apricot skin. (Importer: Thomas Calder/Farm Wine Co.)
NV Jean Laurent Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne ($45, 12%): Like Bouchard, Laurent works in Celles-sur-Ource, and this all-Chardonnay bottle from several vintages shows the potential of white grapes there. After time to breathe, it matches a steely iodine presence with rich hazelnut, key lime, sea bean, peach and pastry dough. Disgorged May 2011. (Importer: Handpicked Selections)
NV Vouette & Sorbee Fidele Extra Brut Champagne ($85, 12%): Bertrand Gautherot began farming his parcels in Buxiès-sur-Arce in 1986, and the often-earthy flavors aren't for everyone. This latest Fidele, all Pinot Noir from Vouette and a nearby parcel, Biaunes, is powerful, if esoteric: pine pitch, wheat chaff, nori, lemon confit and a whack of mineral and acidity. You'd be hard-pressed to nail it as Pinot, a further testament to that Kimmeridgean signature. Disgorged January 2010. (Importer: Domaine Select Wine Estates)
NV Devaux Cuvee D Brut Champagne ($52, 12%): Champagne's co-ops often have a lowly reputation, but the Aube's is impressively committed to quality under its Devaux label. If the nonvintage Cuvee D, from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, is in a more polished style than that of some Aube mavericks, it's still expressive and almond-accented, with delicious apricot, morning bun and grated orange flavors. (Importer: Adventures in Wine)
NV Fleury Rosée SaignéBrut Champagne ($50, 12.5%): Fleury's rosépproach is uncompromising - it's all Pinot Noir, all pressed off the skins. A powerful, finessed wine with briny accents to cranberry, tangerine and fern, and richer notes of guava and mushroom. It's a serious, pure expression of Aube Pinot. Disgorged May 2011. (Importer: K&L Wine Merchants/Premier Wine Co.)
Jon Bonnés The Chronicle's wine editor. Find him at jbonne(a)sfchronicle.com or @jbonne on Twitter.
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This article appeared on page G - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
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