Responsible Indulgence: May Wine Notes
Wine Club is Ready!!
Responsible Indulgence—May 2021
As I mentioned in the email that announced the release of the May Club Wines, my theme for May is Spring Rain, a hint of Summer Sunshine with one last Winter Breeze. I am such a New Englander, can’t help but talk about the weather! That said, we are here on May Day, having survived another winter, and there is abundant sunshine, our vegetation is starting to pop, greens are alive, hyacinths are perfuming the air, and I have a skip in my step. I had a salad last night made with fresh local lettuce that was so flavorful and crisp, which was followed by an herbed risotto that was filled with freshly cut herbs from the pots just outside my friend, Camille’s kitchen. We enjoyed that along with some perfectly grilled steaks and a glass of the 2016 Lyre White. It is rare that we get to try something with a little bottle age, particularly a white, and this one is a treat. It is still singing with freshness and character. So often the commonly held belief is that white should be enjoyed on release, but this, like so many rules, is just not true. So go ahead and throw on some white jeans and enjoy a glass of this wonderful aromatic white from the Southern Rhone. There is a nice richness to this white that comes from the varietals, Grenache Blanc, Uni Blanc, and Viognier, that in harmony give the wine its freshness and abundant fruit balanced with richness of texture and depth of flavor. You will want an extra bottle, and I recommend that you grab one quickly, as I only have a couple of additional cases!
Along with the Lyre, in the Value Super 3 Pack, you will enjoy the newest release of 2020 Tintero Rosato and the 2017 Quinta da Roga, which fulfill the thematic the summer warmth and winter breeze, respectively. The Tintero will surprise you with its touch of effervescence on the tongue, dancing across your palate like a spray of ocean water. It has all the lovely berry fruit of a Piedmont Barbera based rosato with a little sparkle to brighten the freshness. Enjoy this as a starter to your meal along with some cured meats, or take it along on your first beach afternoon to refresh you! Later open up that Poente to bring a little warmth to your meal. This is a red blend from the Douro region of Portugal, with Touriga National, Touriga Franca, and Sousao (which is just fun to say!), and it captures the depth, warmth, and lushness of the region in a balanced and delicious red. This wine can handle a lot of different meals without overwhelming because while having intensity of flavor, it is stylistically lighter than one would expect. Try it with pan seared pork chops or get busy in your kitchen and make some Portuguese Wild Boar Stew that is specific to the Douro Valley, where this wine hails from.
For the Value 6 pack, you also received, the 2018 Piquemal Tradition, the 2016 Barriobera Crianza Rioja, and the 2020 Tintero Bianco. These continue my theme, bringing joy to our May table in three distinct ways. If you have a hankering for a medium bodied red with lots of red berry fruit and a touch of spice on the finish, grab that Piquemal. Grown and produced in the Laguedoc-Roussillon region of France by a female wine maker, who brings elegance to a region that is known for power. The wine is dark in color and has alluring aromatics, particularly a lovely anise that I cannot resist. The supple mouth feel and tannins make my mouth water in anticipation of a bite of ratatouille with a roasted porkloin made with loads of fresh fennel. The wine is traditional in its style and flavors, unmistakably Southwest of France, but adds an elegance that elevates the wine far beyond its mid-teen price point. The Barriobera is a red built more like a fortress, intense Tempranillo, aged two years in oak barrel before bottling—it is big in flavor and style with good tannic structure and acidity that still maintains its freshness and zippiness. It is ideally suited for grilling, and we are all dying to get out there and start up that charcoal (or maybe you do it all winter?). The char of the grilled foods, from asparagus to steak will pair up to the intensity of this rioja and its surprising charred tomato paste note that I get on the finish. Let me know if you taste it too!
When you need a palate cleanser or perhaps you decided to grill some fresh local scup for dinner, grab that 2020 Tintero Bianco Secco, it is a dry, slightly fizzy, fruity white that would make a great aperitif. The Tintero wines come and go so quickly, that I gave you both the rosato and the white, so you would not miss out. These will sell fast, so if you love them, let me know to hold some back for you. Elvio Tintero blends Favorita, Moscato, Arneis, and Chardonnay to give this wine a serious mouthwatering expression, with loads of fruit—apricot, peach, citrus, apple, oh my! After gardening all day, you need something refreshing, so have this one chilled and ready to go. The spritz, created by a small dose of unfermented Moscato at bottling, will delight you!
The Select Wines for May follow the same theme, combining some lighter wines to refresh the palate, a couple medium bodied wines for elegance, and a couple with a bit more muscle to satisfy a hankering for greater intensity. To begin with, the 2018 Big Flower Petit Verdot Rosé has all the freshness that we want in a rosé, balanced that with an intensity of flavor. It is packed with deep berry notes, and for me, I get wild Maine blueberries. It is not the big sweet blueberry that we get at the supermarket, but rather the earth, blueberry with just a hint of sweetness, and throw in some watermelon and these lively floral aromatics. It will pair beautifully with a Mother’s Day brunch! You could follow the rosé with Ginny Poval’s Bordeaux Blend, 2016 Arboretum, which I also included for an interesting counterpart to her rosé. The Arboretum combines four of the five Bordeaux blending grapes—Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Merlot, and (that’s right) Petit Verdot, the very same grape used for the rosé. As with all of her wines, they are organically farmed in Stellenbosch at an altitude of 200 meters of largely granite soils. Like most wines that I carry, she hand harvests to ensure quality and care, gently pressed after fermentation is completed, and then oak aged for about a year before bottling. It is Cabernet Sauvignon dominant, so expect some tobacco notes on the nose and an intensity of flavors like plum and cassis with some tannins for structure. You can certainly add this one to the brunch, as well; it likes the richness and fat of cheeses, eggs, bacon, and pairs great with charred leeks on the grill. Mom will enjoy it, and so will you!
The other whites in the May selections, include 2020 Cerro La Barca Vegas Altas Orange wine and the 2018 Tendu Vermentino from Matthiasson. I offer these to you for two distinct wine experiences, but also because these are not easy to get your hands on, and as club members you get those before anyone else. This is a chance to learn a little while enjoying two delicious wines. The Vegas Altas Orange is made with a native Iberian grape called Cayetana and comes from the Extremadura region of Spain, and is made with skin contact, which gives it its orange name and color. Orange wines are all the rage right now but are a very old, traditional method of making white wines with red wine methods. In other words, rather than going directly to press, the grapes macerate for a period of time while fermenting to give the juice color, flavor, and tannins, just as red wines are made. The result is a deeply aromatic, richer, very flavorful and more intense white wine that often has color ranging from light amber to orange and even to brown. The wines are very interesting and quite delicious. This one is dry, with a touch of orange marmalade for me, lots of citrus, and a hint of pulp, finishing with a little earl grey tea. I am curious what you think, and I am certain you will love how refreshing this wine is. Try it with a big spring salad, sushi, or a big bowl of ramen.
For a contrasting white wine experience, chill the 2020 Tendu Vermentino. Interestingly, I would recommend similar foods with this wine, but this is not all that surprising, as it has similar flavor profiles just packaged differently. Where the Vegas Altas is nurturing and comforting, the Tendu is pretty. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that pretty means simple. This wine is deliciously complex. The aromatics sing of spring hyacinth and daffodils, and the fruit is full of citrus—more lime and grapefruit than orange—and green apple, and it also has a subtle almond paste (not so much sweet as richness with a little nutty thing) on the finish and loads of minerality. I love this wine, and highly recommend. If you are a fan of Sauvignon Blanc, you may have a new summer favorite!
If you are looking for a red that is lighter than the Arboretum, the 2019 Domaine de la Cote de Berne, Morgon Gamay from Beaujolais is popping with cherry fruit, a soft acidity, and light tannins, all of which provides a gentler option. Following a long standing family history of winemaking that dates back to 1870, Rémi Sadrin uses a semi-carbonic maceration in concrete vats to produce a lovely approachable red that is wonderful just to sip on or will elevate a meal. Semi-Carbonic is a method of wine making that allows the fermentation to begin without destemming or crushing the grapes, which results in is a more gentle expression of fruit. It is often used with Gamay, and I love these wines for their flexiblity, playfulness, and freshness. For a bit more intensity, you also have the 2018 Gaspard Cabernet Franc. In Goldilocks terms, this one is just right. This Loire Cabernet Franc is medium bodied, but has a wonderful intensity of flavors that range from strawberry to bell pepper to pencil lead and chili paste. (No, I don’t eat pencil lead, but I have licked the tip, and so have you, so you know what I am talking about!) It has more tannins than the Gamay, which give it texture on the finish and a dryness on the palate, so pair it with some fat to offset that, like Lyonnaise potatoes or baked pasta. I love lasagna with Cab Franc!! I also like my Cab Franc with a little chill on it, just leave it in your wine fridge, or pop it into your regular fridge for about 30 minutes before your drink it. Both Gamay and Cab Franc have abundant fruit, which lend themselves to the Spring Table, so get to your local farmer’s market and start cooking!
For those who opted for the Collector’s Wines this month, you have a real treat ahead. The Bret Brother’s wines from the southern areas of Burgundy are made in very small production and are very hard to get your hands on: they come and go in a snap! For a little twist this month, I am highlighting the white, while the baby brother red tags along for the ride. The 2014 Morgon, Les Charmes is the red and is from Beaujolais, and the 2015 Soufrandiere, Pouilly-Vinzelles Climat Les Quarts is a stunning Chardonnay from the Macon. These are wines that transport you to the land and culture of the place. The Bret Brothers, two brothers who returned to the place of their childhood to make wine together, believe in terroir, and they love the Pouilly-Vinzelles for its unique expression of place. “Why not walk, listen and smell ? You are in the middle of the ploughed vines of la Soufrandière in Pouilly-Vinzelles Climat « Les Quarts », this terroir we think is one of the best in Burgundy, because we are deeply in love with it, but it could be that we have deep conviction. The earth here is soft, aerated, smelling of liquorice. It is alive. The Terroir is present, simply, surely. The climat « Les Quarts » is undoubtedly the best of appellation Pouilly-Vinzelles.
The almost magic position of the South-East facing 40 to 68 year-old vines of Chardonnay here, plus the living clay and limestone soil (Bajocian with a lot of siliceous crystals) give birth to wines for the long term. A great Burgundy wine : a citrussy mineral nose and balance, complexity and richness in the mouth.” bretbrothers.com This Chardonnay is a show stopper for me with its balance of richness and delicate character. It is classic Chardonnay done so well that you want to sip it slowly to make it last. This wine has the capacity to pair with a wide variety of foods because it is so spectacular, full flavored and rich, but I would suggest roasting some local monkfish with a spring risotto. If you can find some ramps, work with them, as their herbal bitterness contrasted to the fruit in this wine would be delicious.
The Gamay, like so many wonderful Cru Gamays from Morgon has a leaning toward the character of Pinot Noir because of the more prevalent tannin structure. These old organic vines give the wine character and complexity and depth of flavor that ranges from red berries to dark cherry and a little herbal quality that I just love. These flavors start on the nose, this one has serious aromatics, so enjoy that before your first sip, but you won't be able to resist her charms very long! I want stuffed roasted meats with this one, along with a big pot of barigoule, so go out and find some baby artichokes!
Enjoy all the wines & give me feedback! Remember to Eat Drink & Think!
Cheers, Maria