Wine

A Tale of Two Riojas!

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Have you ever felt that slightly nauseating feeling you get when you think that you’ve paid too much for something while realising that there’s a cheaper alternative that’s just as good?

A friend of mine recently faced this dilemma when the penny dropped that two different Red Rioja Reserva’s he buys were both made by the same legendary producer, La Rioja Alta, for two different labels, one for Majestic and the other for the Wine Society.

He asked for my help in resolving this question and sent me a sample bottle of each for analysis to help decide if there was any difference and whether the extra spend was justified. As you’d expect there’s not a binary answer to this question and if there was this would make for a very short Blog post!

Both wines were opened and decanted for approximately an hour before tasting.

Majestic Definition (own label) Rioja Reserva 2013, £13.99 a bottle or £11.99 on a mixed case of 6 or £10.49 when buying a case on their Lock In plan.

An IWC 2018 Silver Winner, the Majestic Definition Rioja Reserva 2013 is a blend with the majority being Tempranillo. Despite its younger biological age, the wine tastes and smells more evolved than the 2011. The 2013 vintage was cool and wet in Rioja with a smaller harvest and fruit quality may have been down. 13.5% abv.

Tasting Note:

Appearance: Ruby

Nose: Medium+ intensity of forest floor, tobacco, vegetal notes, smoke, clove, dried blackberry with plums and red cherries. Developing

Palate: Dry, high acidity, medium+ tannin, high alcohol, full bodied and long finish. Pronounced intensity of more tertiary aromas; forest floor, wet leaves, dried blackberry, smoke and clove, spice, and hints of vanilla.

Conclusion: With great balance, length, intensity and complexity this is an outstanding wine drinking well now with the potential for a little further ageing maybe for a maximum of 2 years.

The Wine Society Exhibition Reserva 2011, £15.50 a bottle

 Made from 100% Tempranillo it still tastes incredibly youthful although still in a developing style. What distinguishes it from the Majestic is the primary red and black fruits (red cherry and blackberry) and the tertiary notes which combine cooked fruit jammy aromas with complex cedar vanilla (from the American oak) and forest floor. The 2011 vintage was officially excellent and may explain the brighter jammier fruit also appears more balanced than 2013. 13.5%

Tasting Note:

Appearance: Ruby

Nose: Medium+ intensity of forest floor, tobacco, vanilla and cooked blackberry.

Palate: Dry, high acidity, medium+ tannin, high alcohol, full bodied and long finish. Pronounced intensity led by bright red and black fruits; red cherry, blackberry, some smoke, cedar, vanilla, and a little forest floor.

Conclusion: With great balance, length, intensity and complexity this is an outstanding wine drinking well now with the potential for further ageing for a decade or more.

So was the higher spend on the Wine Society Reserva justified?

1.  The cheaper Majestic wine is drinking well now albeit with a lower potential to age.

2. If you like your Rioja with more brighter fruit in its youth or prepared to cellar 6 bottles or so then the Wine Society may be a better bet! It will be sure to yield a higher level of complexity in due course as it evolves.

It’s important to note that although the same winery makes these two wines they are are in fact very different wines. I suspect the Wine Society buyers bought a large consignment of 2011 when released in 2014/2015 and then decided to cellar for a further 2 years before release. There’s a premium to be paid for this as it ties up space and capital but the consumer is able to access older better vintages with low risk of them having to judge whether the vintage is good or bad. As a comparison London wine merchants charge an average of £13 per case of 12 per annum for storage adding roughly £1 to bottle price for year stored.

After the analysis was complete my wife and I finished off the Wine Society wine with a delicious aged rare sirloin steak. I returned the 2/3 bottle of the Majestic Definition Reserva to the bottle from the decanter and with a good degree of oxygen left in the bottle even after vacuum sealing left it in the fridge for a few days before opening and bringing back to a temperature of around 18C and serving without further decanting. The results were both surprising and unexpected. The wine had all the tertiary developed notes that were there two days earlier but a little gentle oxidation had somehow reinvigorated the fruit in a way that in my humble opinion enhanced the end product. I rarely leave a bottle to evolve after opening, choosing to take the assured pleasure of the here and now over the anticipated enhanced pleasure of tomorrow!

It reminded me of something I had been told by  Alex Starey, winemaker at Keermont Vineyards in Stellenbosch,  that he will often try to leave enough wine in the bottle at the end of an evening so that he can see how it will evolve over the next 24-48 hours. Great advice and something that I’ll try to practice a little more in future!!

Biblical Rains, A Bar with a Killer wine list and Thirteen wines tasted! The tour just gets better

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Waking to the sound of torrential rain pounding the tarmac outside our room we reflect on how lucky we had been yesterday with a dry day for cycling the Cote Rotie.

Summer Storm Video in Condrieu

We bid “au Revoir” to Julian our friendly waiter and dodging the Biblical rains we check out and go in search of breakfast.

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Finding a boulangerie with a selection of pastries to fortify the soul, pre wine tasting, we go in search of the other staple ingredient of a continental breakfast- Coffee!

Winding our way around Condrieu’s narrow streets we find coffee in a bar. Walking in to it feels like the set of a wine movie! A veritable cast of rugged rustic types perched on bar stools. Some with an espresso others a glass of wine at 9am! All in boiler suits and wellies taking a break from tending their vines!

With a clientele such as this it’s no surprise to see they have an amazing wine list! In addition there’s also a huge range by the glass and with very little mark up!!

After our coffee stop we leave behind the town of Condrieu and make our steep ascent to the vineyards of Francois Villard in nearby Saint-Michel-sur-Rhône. Sometimes trying to find a winemakers caveau is a little like a puzzle or initiation test. Often there’s no clear signage, neither Googlemaps nor my Sat Nav are our frinds but eventually we find our way into the reception.

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Our host Letitia guides us through a veritable line up of Monsieur Villard’s wines. I have to conceal my excitement as I’m a little like a small child in a candy store!

Legend has it that Francois is self-taught but in fact he trained as a chef which led him into sommellerie, and then onto grape-growing and oenology.

Letitia tells that Francois produces around 300,000 bottles a year. 12 years ago it was just a quarter of that!

To the whites first!

2016 Crozes Hermitage ” Cour de Récré” . Medium Lemon in appearance with a nose of medium plus intensity and greengages, made from 100% Marsanne. Rich intense aromas of yellow fruit, dry, with medium (+) acidity, high alcohol, and resinous overtones from 30% oak exposure culminating in a medium (+) finish.

2016 Saint-Peray, a blend of 80% Marsanne/20% Rousanne, with a nose of honey and honeysuckle flowers, on the palate dry with medium (+) acidity, medium alcohol and medium (+) body and medium plus finish.

2015 Saint-Peray Version Longue: The big brother, 100% Marsanne and a bolder style of winemaking. 35% new oak and 18 months of lees ageing. Pale gold in appearance with pronounced aromas of pineapple and dried apricot. On the palate same fruits follow through from the nose. Dry with medium (+) acidity, high alcohol, medium (+) body and very long finish.

2016 Viognier Les Contours de Deponcins. An IGT wine made from 100% Viognier that’s located just above the Condrieu AOC contour limit of 250m. Nose of honey, white flowers, toasted nuts, white peach and violet. Aged in oak for a fuller richer style more aromas follow through from the nose dry, with medium (+) acidity, medium alcohol and medium (+) body and a pleasing long finish.

2015 Les Grand Vallon Condrieu. This wine is fermented in oak barrels and matures in a mixture of 35% new oak and 65% 3/5 year old oak barrels. Pale gold in appearance with a bouquet of white peach and apricot and complex smoky notes form oak. Developing in age with aromas of more white peach on the palate dry, with medium (+) acidity, medium (+) body, medium alcohol, a seductive smoky toasted oakiness and long finish. This wine exhibits great balance, good finish well integrated primary and secondary aromas and a degree of complexity. It’s an outstanding example of a Condrieu.

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and then the reds…

2015 Saint Joseph “Poivre et Sol” (Pepper and Soil). 100% Syrah. Medium purple in appearance. Aromas of animal, truffle and cassis. On the palate dry, medium (+) tannin, medium (+) body, medium alcohol and high acidity. More blackcurrant and a little vanilla. Long finish drinking well now.

2015 Saint Joseph “Mairlant”. 100% Syrah Medium purple in appearance. Notes of cassis on the nose. On the palate dry with high tannins, medium (+) alcohol, high acidity, aromas of blackcurrant and vanilla with a long finish. Needs minimum of 3 years in bottle to soften acidity and tannins.

2015 Saint Joseph “Reflet”. 100% Syrah. Deep purple in appearance, a pronounced nose of cassis, violets, and myrrh. Developing in age, dry with high acidity, high tannins, full body, high alcohol, further aromas of cassis, myrtle berry and myrrh with secondary oak aromas of vanilla and toast. Lovely long finish integrated and well balanced.

2015 Le Gallet Blanc, Cote Rôtie. 100% Syrah. Matured in in oak for 18 months (30% new 70% 2/4 years old). Deep purple in appearance, Bone dry, with high acidity, full bodied, high tannin. Aromas of cassis and myrrh, vanilla and cream. Long integrated finish but still a baby with many years more to give.

2015 Cornas. Francois likes to make a Cornas that you can drink now! Its got fruit and spice and certainly doesn’t show the temperament of wine that usually needs to be tamed by 7 years plus in bottle. Dry, high alcohol, high tannins, medium (+) acidity, a balanced and complex mix of cassis and creaminess. Leaves you with a pleasurable long finish.

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We thank Letitia for the dégustation and leave behind us the sensuous contours of the Rhone valley.  In no time at all we are back on the A7 Autoroute du Soleil. The rains of yesterday are a distant memory and the temperature starts to increase as we head into Provence. As we pass Avignon we can’t resist a quick detour to the heart of the Luberon to the picturesque perched village of Gordes, our base for our first French road trip many years before.

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We stop for coffee at the cafe that was one of the main locations in Ridley Scott’s A Good Year set in and around Gordes…Russell Crowe’s character in the movie uses the adjective “intoxicating” to describe the enchanting atmosphere of this area and it couldn’t be more appropriate.

Revived and refreshed we get back on the A7 and blast our way past majestic mountains  set against azure blue skies and vineyards laden with fruit to La Cadière D’Azur our next destination. The prettiest and most typical of perched villages in this part of the Bandol AOC we arrive just after 7pm. We are greeted warmly by Madame Bérard of L’Hostellerie Berard and check in to our room overlooking the pool. It’s a Tuesday night and the little village is buzzing as we make our way down the  narrow main street to the Restaurant Regain.

Trio in La Cadiere D’Azur Part 1

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We are both blown away by the simple home cooked food and local wines! We choose a Domaine de la Garenne 2011,Comte Jean de Balincourt. It’s a deep ruby in appearance with complex tertiary aromas already evident on the nose of meat, game, leather, tar and stewed damson fruit.
On the palate it’s dry with medium plus tannin, high alcohol, medium plus acidity, full body, well defined stewed damson fruit with secondary aromas of cedar, charred wood toast and clove.
Beautiful balance with medium plus length, intense tertiary fruits aplenty and a level of complexity that is disproportionate to its modest price!
An outstanding Bandol wine that still could yield more to those who wait but is a killer partner to a rare entrecôte steak in a Provençal village this evening!

Settling our bill we walk back down the main street in the village to the soundtrack of a local French band entertaining the locals.

Trio in La Cadiere D’Azur Part 2

We settle down with a Pastis and soak up the balmy atmosphere, a fusion of cicadas and flutes and gruff but melodic Provençal voices. It’s a world away from our day jobs and beautifully hypnotic!

 

Wine! Wine! Wine! Burgundian Adventure Part 2!

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After unloading our precious cargo from Vinoboam and putting our 1.5L Bagnum of Le Grappin Gamay Rosé in the mini bar fridge, we picked up our cycle helmets and went off to the nearby Gite that did bike hire to start our next adventure on the Beaune to Santenay Veloroute. 

Having paid our 15 Euros rental for the 2 fairly decent mountain bikes, without even having to leave a deposit, we set off on our expedition.

We only got as far as le boulangerie before the enticing aroma of freshly baked bread wafted out on the pavement triggering pangs of hunger. Realising that it was in fact nearly  2pm we walked inside and picked up a few tasty snacks including a classic Quiche Lorraine and one of these

Myrtle Crumble from the boulangerie on the square, Meursault

Myrtle Crumble from the boulangerie on the square, Meursault

We sat outside le boulangerie and ate lunch taking in this amazing view across, Meursault Village Square . Travel Factoid: One of the features of many grand buildings in Burgundy are the beautiful glazed tile roofs which are thought to have originated from Central Europe and arrived in Burgundy via the merchants in Flanders.

After lunch we saddled up and headed off out of the village picking up the veloroute just behind the Hotel de Ville. As the road drops away from the village you are afforded some stunning views of the Cote D’Or and its vineyards.

View of vineyards to the South of Meursault

The veloroute has been specifically designated to follow a mixture of minor roads, vineyard tracks and cycleways to take you on a beautiful and relatively quiet route through some of the greatest villages in Burgundian wine. The route is predominantly flat but you can deviate off of it and push yourself with the odd hill climb if you are up for it and want to get some really stunning views.

About a mile out of Meursault we stopped to take in this view.

Les Genevrieres Home to the best Meursault vines!

Les Genevrieres
Home to the best Meursault vines!

Gillian spotted a board in the middle of this vineyard announcing that this terroir was none other then Les Genevrieres. One of the top 2 plots for producing Meursault. The Maison Roche Bellene that I had tasted at Vinoboam came from this terroir and I was delighted to have been able to secure a bottle of this fine wine but also walk amongst the vines from where it had come.

One of the great things about being released, albeit temporarily, from the shackles of the day job, is the liberated feeling of being free from being bound to a specific time. As we pedalled at a moderate pace leaving the spire of Meursault church behind us, like an up turned ice cream cone on the horizon we saw a sign off the main route ” Hammeau de Blagny”. This translated as hamlet of Blagny, and location of one of the Premier Cru that I had tasted at Vinoboam earlier in the day. (See below)

Meursault Blagny Premier Cru on the left

Meursault Blagny Premier Cru on the far right

It was just too tempting not to divert off the track and investigate this terroir a little further. Changing down to the lowest gear possible, we dug in for the push up to the hamlet. I did feel a little guilty as my bike had the full 21 gears but as Gillian had opted for a “girls” bike I’d omitted to check that it had the same spec as mine, and she only had 7 gears to power her up to the top of the hamlet.

At this point the map ceased to be of use to us. However, we were enjoying pedalling along the plateau at the top so much and looking out across the whole of the Cote D’Or valley. There is huge biodiversity here with an abundance of brightly coloured butterflies dancing along the hedgerows that intersperse with the vineyards. We even spotted wild myrtle berries growing, I’m tempted to bring some back on my next trip to include in my re-creation of that wonderful crumble we ate at lunchtime.

The track disappeared at the end of the village but in the distance we could see the village of Chassagne-Montrachet so decided to push on along the off road track used by the vigneron to access his vines. As we reached the edge of the plateau we reached one of my favourite views that we saw on the “Tour du Vin” . The view was looking towards Chassagne-Montrachet and St.Aubin and is nicely captured in this short panoramic film clip.

Blagny vineyards and view towarsds St. Aubin

As we descended towards Chassagne-Montrachet you pass the busy road to St.Aubin.

Downhill from Blagny with St.Aubin in the background.

Downhill from Blagny with St.Aubin in the background.

We toyed with the idea of making a further diversion out to St. Aubin and Auxey-Duresse but decided against it as a train of French lorries hurtled past us!

Away from the busy main road we picked up the veloroute again as it passes through the village of Chassgne-Montrachet. You have to really hand it to these guys as modesty is never a strong point as this sign at the entrance to the village proclaims.

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One of the reasons we wanted to do the veloroute was for both of us to enjoy a degustation of our beloved Burgundian whites but an hour into the ride not a drop had passed our lips! We were sure that Chassagne-Montrachet would deliver but sadly August is not a great time to visit any Domaines as the majority take their holidays before the harvest.

Disappointed we pushed on through the village which then drops down onto the veloroute into Santenay village, passing a lone windmill on an outcrop along the edge of the ridge forming the Cote D’Or,  we arrived in the village of Santenay after about 20 minutes.

As we were heading into the village my phone rang, but I didn’t pick up in time. The phone went to voicemail and was from a French number!

I pressed the spooled symbol on the phone eagerly awaiting the message. It was entirely in French, of course and from a lady at Domaine Sébastien Magnien who had picked up my earlier message. OMG! I was being invited to attend a personal degustation at the Domaine the next morning at 10am!! RESULT.

I rang her back, thanking her profusely for her kindness and also confirming that 10am would be perfect. This really was cause for celebration. We pedalled on to the main square and spotted a little cafe/restaurant with tables and chairs outside by the village fountains. Where we took our degustation break!

L’Etape de Santenay
10 Place du Jet d’eau
21590
Santenay

L’Etape de Santenay Hotel and Bar

With the anticipation of the first mouthful of Chardonnay on our lips, I asked for the Carte du Vin.

They were serving a 2013 Jacques Giradin Santenay “Les Terraces de Bievaux” by the glass at a very modest price. A moment later the waiter was bringing out two large glasses of these perfectly served at the correct temperature of approximately 12C, the classic cellar temperature.

Serving really good Chardonnay too chilled ( below 12C) is a sure fire way to mask the complexities and flavours that these wines possess. Conversely,  if you are ever faced with a dinner party guest bringing you a bottle of wine made from an insipid version of this wonderful grape serve it as cold as you like to make it more palatable unless of course you prefer to keep, to give away to the bottle stall at the village fair, as I usually do!,

I really became aware of this several years ago when staying at a lovely Chambres d’hôtes outside Beaune which had a Chardonnay fridge set at 12C for guests to chill their own wine in, if they were taking a picnic in their gardens! We sat enjoying the late afternoon sun in Santenay square and the Santenay went down a treat.

Over drinks we reflected on some of the more amusing anecdotes from our adventures so far. The impromptu diversion from the local policeman in La Cadiere D’Azur to avoid a funeral cortège which saw me driving down a narrow cobbled Provençal street making a 90 right turn and getting stuck as the road width diminished to about 6 inches wider then the car! We only got out f that one courtesy of a local who took pity on us and helped us by giving intricate “left a bit right a bit directions” in French. Then there was the dinner in Meursault the previous night when the  cheese course came BEFORE the main course! Half way through the cheese and with Gillian and Inlooked in a dispute about the peculiarities of Burgundinan service , the bar man confirmed that in fact in Burgundy they didn’t actually serve the cheese before the main course,they had just forgotten to serve it!!

Next we pushed on along our return leg of the journey north towards one of the most famous villages in Burgundy. Puligny-Montrachet is a very different place to its similarly named neighbour. On a more level aspect and with slightly more impressive architecture we headed straight for the centre of the village where we found the charming Hotel Le Montrachet .

They serve an extensive range of wines by the glass kept in tip top condition by the Enomatic machine behind the bar. We took a table outside and perused the Carte du Vin opting for a 2011 Puligny-Montrachet by Domaine Alain Chavy ” Premier Cru Les Folatieres”. This was rich and buttery and had all the flavours that One expects from a great white from this most famous of Burgundinan terroirs and of coursed served at exactly the right temperature!

Now feeling slightly tipsy and just remembering that the main shops in Meursault closed at 7pm we jumped back onto our bikes and pedalled furiously the 2 to 3 miles back to Meursault. Arriving at Le Traiteur ( no I know what you’re thinking and it’s the caterer come deli!) we just had time to order a few local delicacies (ham in parley and aspic/ pate en croute/ shredded carrot salad)  and then it was off to the boulangerie. 

But….. Oh la la… It was closed. So with our heads hung low we walked to the supermarché to pick up some tomatoes and crispbreads.

We had one final stop to make and we knew they shut later than the other stores after an earlier recce!

La Petite Vadrouille is more than just a deli. Whether you’re up for a picnic, a sandwich or you want a glass of wine and nibbles outside in the evening sun, this is the place! Hey, and when it comes to regional Burgundian cheese, these guys are the daddies!!

Left: Delice de Bourgogne Middle: Le Nuit St. George

Left: Delice de Bourgogne
Middle: Le Nuit St. George

Went for total Burgundian cheese fest with the above 2 beauties leading the way, followed by a Clos Burgong, a Burgundian take on Gruyère and of course Epoisse.

Armed with our produce for our picnic on the balcony we returned the bikes to the Gite rental place and set up setting up our picnic on the balcony. As we looked to the left of our balcony the sun was setting over Meursault and we saw this serene sight.

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The fact that we had no bread was still vexing me , so I gingerly walked into the prestigious restaurant at our hotel. Paul, the hotel manager was so sweet and took pity on us and gifted us a baguette from the kitchen so we could really appreciate the cheese! It’s no surprise to know that he had the pleasure of running the restaurant at Claridges many years ago where he was used to dealing with all sorts of unusual requests from guests!

Back on our balcony and with harmony restored to the picnic we opened up the Bagnum of Le Grappin Rosé and said “Salut” to Paul, the restaurant manager.