Texas Roussanne

While wandering indecisively up and down the aisles at Spec’s on Monday, I wound up in front of the Texas wines and was reminded of an article my dad had recently sent, Battle of the Texas Roussannes, about a blind tasting of Texas Roussanes, pretty interesting read definitely worth checking out. I really hadn’t paid much attention to Texas wine in recent years (I’d had no idea that Roussanne was even being grown here) and decided that needed to change so I picked up a McPherson 2012 Roussanne and a Brennan Vineyards 2012 Lily Blend. I hadn’t had much experience with Roussanne before trying these wines, so I can’t honestly say if they were a true expression of the varietal or not, but I can say is that they were both very pretty in different ways.

McPherson Roussanne 2012: medium-bodied with notes of dried apricot, baked peach, candied lemon, honey and white flowers. Well-balanced complexity and medium acidity lead to a rich, short finish. I was actually really disappointed with this one when it was first opened, muted flavors and altogether kind of boring, but by the next day it had opened up beautifully and wound up being my favorite of the two.

Brennan Vineyards Lily 2012: a blend of 59% Roussanne, 23% Viognier and 18% Grenache. Medium-bodied with notes of apricot, roasted pineapple, canned peaches, butterscotch, ginger and caramel. Medium complexity and acidity that creeps up on you before being flattened by the creamy finish. It was very nice when first opened, but by the next day the butterscotch and caramel had started to overpower everything else. It was still drinkable, but not quite as enjoyable as before.

Just so I can end this on a completely random note: My dogs are more wine savvy than your dog.

Casa Silva Sauvignon Gris 2012

 Chilean wines will always have a special place in my heart simply because they remind me of my grandmother (Chilean)  who was a huge part of my life until her death almost 13 years ago. To me she was an extremely graceful woman, cultured and sophisticated, not a single hair out of place. She drilled my sisters and me on proper etiquette and manners until she was satisfied we were perfect (for the record I don't think I ever managed that perfection). It was a bit ridiculous and not very useful in the world outside of her home, but she was determined that her granddaughters not be ill-mannered hooligans. I’m probably making her sound like a ridiculous tyrant, but really she wasn’t, she just had standards for everyone, especially her family, and she made damn sure that we met them. To me she was elegance incarnate and I find most Chilean wines to be that same way.

The Silva family pioneered grape growing in the Colchagua Valley in 1892 and have the oldest cellar in the valley. The Sauvignon Gris is unique in that you almost never find that varietal anywhere since almost going extinct following the phylloxera epidemic. Not much has been planted since it was rediscovered in the 1980s in the Loire Valley. The Casa Silva Sauvignon Gris 2012 is medium-bodied and with crisp citrus flavors of lime zest, orange peel and pink grapefruit.  Fresh floral notes, spice and medium acidity lead into a rich, vibrant finish. It is elegant and complex, a wine I’m sure my grandmother would have loved and not just because her maiden name was Silva.

The Wolftrap White 2012

Last summer I became quite enamored with South African blends. I think it all started when I picked up a bottle of Goats Do Roam White from work mainly because I thought the name was very clever and it was under $10.  After that I started looking for other wines from South Africa and found that most of the white blends I tried were quite lovely, but the absolute best was Wolftrap White.

The 2012 is a blend of 60% Viognier, 21% Chenin Blanc, and 19% Grenache Blanc. Refreshing, medium-bodied bursting with floral notes of honeysuckle and orange blossom coupled with flavors of green apple, lime zest and melon. Crisp minerality and bright acidity are balanced by a hint creaminess which leads to a rich, lingering finish.

The Wolftrap Red is also worth trying, though it’s a bit too heavy for me during hot weather. It’s mostly Syrah and Mouvedre with a tiny amount of Viognier (2%) added to soften the wine a bit. I’m Still hoping to track down their Rosé one of these days, but so far no luck with that.

Chambourcin and Petit Manseng from Virginia

This past weekend I was in Alexandria, VA for my sister’s wedding. It was a happy, but very busy affair and I very much wish I had stayed a few days longer. Thanks to my sister I did manage half a day to explore a few close-by wineries: Narmada, Grey Ghost and Pearmund. Mostly I was interested in the unique varietals being grown in Virginia (namely Chambourcin and Petit Manseng) and I managed to bring back a couple of bottles in my luggage without any unfortunate accidents.

Reflection 2010 from Narmada, a dry Chambourcin. Lots of spice and red fruit with hints of eucalyptus and other herbaceous notes throughout. Soft tannins and some smokiness lead into a medium finish. I had this bottle open for a few days and found that it really opened up by day 3, I really hadn’t expected it to last that long. It’s always a pleasant surprise when a wine gets better after being opened more than 24 hours.

For those who have never heard of Chambourcin (no shame in that, I had no idea what the hell it was before a week ago), it is a French-American hybrid of uncertain parentage that has only been commercially available since 1963. Produces dry, aromatic red wines with deep-red coloring, used in both single-varietal wines and blends.

Late Harvest Petit Manseng 2010 from Pearmund Cellars. I tried both their dry Petit Manseng and the late harvest while I was there and preferred the dessert wine surprisingly enough. Stone fruit notes were present in both, tart and crisp in the dry while overripe and candied in the sweet. The other major similarity was the high acidity found in both. In the dry it was close to overpowering, you almost didn’t pick up on anything else, but in the late harvest it balanced perfectly with the sweetness. It’s incredibly rare that i find a dessert wine I enjoy (and that's not ridiculously expensive) and this late harvest Petit Manseng was definitely the favorite out of the four wines I brought back.

Celler Piñol Portal Blanco 2011 and 2012

I randomly decided to buy two different vintages (with two different varietal blends) of the same wine from Terra Alta in Catalunya's Tarragona province located in northeastern Spain. Mainly I was curious to see how the two differed, if at all, thought it would be a fun experiment.

2011: 70% Garnacha Blanca, 20% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Viognier and 5% Macabeo
-Stone fruit flavors (grapefruit, white peach and nectarine) and lemon zest with hints of wet limestone, jasmine, and chamomile. Medium acidity and a tinge of oiliness lead to a medium finish. Very crisp and refreshing, will be awesome for those miserable summer days that are coming our way.

2012: According to the label it’s 100% Garnacha Blanca, but their website has the blend as 85% Garnacha Blanca, 5% Sauv Blanc, 5% Viognier and 5% Macabeo, so we’re just going to assume that the website is right (and after tasting it I’m even more convinced that it’s not 100%)
 -Apricot, white peach, orange peel and lime followed by hints of fresh herbs, candied ginger, beeswax and wet grass. Medium-plus acidity leads into a crisp and slightly bitter finish. Definitely has more complexity than the ’11, but not quite as balanced.

In conclusion: both vintages were crisp and refreshing, perfect for summer. Between the two the ’11 was definitely more balanced, and though not quite as interesting as ’12, would probably be the more appealing palate-wise of the two. Really wish the ’12 had been 100% Garnacha Blanca, but that’s what I get for not researching these sorts of things before buying, oh well. 

Shaya Old Vine Verdejo 2011

When I was twelve years old my family spent a week in Spain over spring break, where I fell head over heels in love with the country. I simply couldn't imagine anywhere else in the world could be more beautiful and vibrant. So it only makes sense that nine years later I'd fall in love with Spanish wines. The bold, spicy reds and fresh, vivacious whites were just so much more alive and expressive than any other wine I'd experienced before. That first bottle of Spanish wine (a Rioja crianza) turned what had been a strictly platonic liking of wine into a full-blown infatuation and led me to where I am today. 

Since Spain is to blame for all of this I thought it only fitting to start this off with Shaya, an old vine Verdejo from Rueda and one of my favorite white wines of all time.

This medium-bodied white is 100% Verdejo with notes of mango, white peach, apricot and honey. Crisp minerality and vibrant acidity lead to a surprisingly creamy finish. It is an absolutely gorgeous wine, perfect for the miserably hot summer that's ahead!