Obscure Wine Appellations: 2007 Domaine des Ballandors Quincy

Surely a Loire appellation, but what grape? Pondering this, I opened it as an apertif rather than mistakenly serve a Chenin Blanc when a Sauvignon Blanc was called for...

The 2007 Domaine des Ballandors (Quincy) was fresh and joyful on the nose, some soapy white flowers at first, later fading to pink grapefruit...some minerality as well. On the palate a near perfect balance of fruit and acidity for a Sauvignon Blanc, and a fine-grain minerality and bitter citrus rind. Delicious, but should be at this price.
Cork. 12.5% alcohol
Score: 16.5/20
Price: C$21.25 (SAQ)

Obscure Wine Appellations: 2007 Argiolas Perdera Monica di Sardegna

It was inevitable that my tour through quirky wine appellations would dredge up a few interesting grapes to pad my Century Club resume, like today's Monica di Sardegna. In the Monica di Sardegna appellation the Monica grape, a red varietal rarely seen outside of Sardinia, must be at least 85% of the final blend, the balance made up using other red Sardinian varietals.

The 2007 Argiolas Perdera Monica di Sardegna was green and earthy on the nose, also showing dark currants, ink and liquorice. Crisp and grainy black currants on the palate, a modest finish, rustic yet refined at the same time - the Marlboro man in a glass. I quite liked it, and I think lovers of Loire reds would love this too.
cork. 12.5% alcohol
Score: 16/20
Price: C$15.80 (SAQ)

It gives me great joy...

In August I announced my final push for membership in the Century Club, a glorious organization devoted to obscure wine varietals. I just received a scroll announcing my membership - it will be framed and placed in an appropriately important place in my home.

Cheers to all of my fellow Wine Century Club members!

Drive for One Hundred: 2003 Quinta do Vale Meao (Duoro)

Sometimes my quest to taste 100 different grape varieties is, well, uninspiring. After all, there is probably a good reason why many of these varietals are rare, right? Well, a totally different story tonight as I knocked off number 98 and 99 on my list and sipped one of the most compelling wines I have tasted in 2008...

The 2003 Quinta do Vale Meão (Duoro) was tantalizing on the nose - tomato sauce, bing cherries, spicy cedar and green pepper at first, later some wet slate, jammy fruit, cocoa, vanilla and cloves. Gorgeous mouthfeel and texture - a healthy dose of acidity combined with crisp, dense berry fruit and velvety tannins for a finish that went on for minutes. A blend of Portuguese varietals: Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca.
cork. 14.5% alcohol
Score: 18+/20
Price: C$59 (LCBO)

Drive for One Hundred: Two Obscure Reds

Grapes #95 and #96 in my nearly completed quest are true "oddities" - one fashioned from a grape rarely seen in a single varietal wine, while the other is an obscure old world grape that has somehow found a home in Canada.

I approached the 2004 Vina Ijalba Graciano (Rioja) with some reservation - after all, there must be a reason why Rioja producers have pretty much abandoned (just 0.7% of the vineyard area) this grape, right? A very solid effort - notes of bing cherries, liquorice and truffles dominating on the nose, but some attractive leather, vanilla-y oak, and flinty black pepper as well - very nice to sniff. Crisp cherries and liquorice on the palate, silky tannins and fresh acidity, oaky but not overly so. This is seriously good juice, and could win back some wine drinkers who have abandoned the jammier "nouveau Rioja" wines. 
cork. 13% alcohol
Score: 17/20
Price: C$20.65 (SAQ)

I had similar issues with the Baco Noir, i.e. if Baco is so great, why is this grape so rare? Well it seems to have found a home in Canada. The 2005 Henry of Pelham Baco Noir was quite aromatic and interesting - cherry liqueur and old shoes (leather and rubber, but not in a bad way), green herbs and tarry ashpalt notes - somewhat odd, but interesting. Very crisp, fine acidity, but with little tannin and a short finish. An unusual wine, likely polarizing - I kinda liked it, but I just can't figure out the right pairing...
cork. 13.5% alcohol
Score: 15.5/20
Price: C$14.85 (SAQ)

Drive for One Hundred: Two Obscure Whites

Two more oddities tonight as I close in on the finish line and that fancy scroll, some whites from the South of France and Sicily. 

The 2006 Grande Reserve des Bastides Blanc Sec Perlé is from the Gaillac region in the South of France, and is made from the local varieties Loin de L'œil, Mauzac and Sauvignon Blanc.  A nose of cream and freshly squeezed lemons, some green grass, toasted bread and subtle floral notes. Refreshing...with a slight effervescence, intense minerality and crisp acidity - how about VdP Cotes de Gascogne meets Chablis? 
cork. 12% alcohol
Score: 15.5/20
Price: C$15.55 (SAQ)

From Sicily we have the 2007 Primula Firriato Bianco, a wine made from the native grape Catarratto. Minerally, creamy, and buttery lime scents, some yeast and banana. Fresh limes, soft and chalky on the palate, modest acid. A smooth, balanced and easy drinking wine - a well-priced and enjoyable patio quaffer but a touch bland and fleeting.
cork. 13% alcohol
Score: 15/20
Price: C$10.60 (SAQ)

For those of you who are wondering when this odd grape madness will end, tonight's wines are number 93 and 94 on the list. I'm actually up to 99, notes coming soon...

Drive for One Hundred: 2005 Eugenio Collavini Pucino

"Bartender, I'll have a glass of you finest Refosco" ... yep, don't hear that much.

Tonight's obscure grape in my Drive for One Hundred was made from Refosco, a red grape native to northern Italy. Technically it was a "Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso", which is a sub-variety found in Friuli. The 2005 Eugenio Collavini "Pucino", from the Isonzo del Friuli DOC, had a nose of spicy wet wood, smokey currants, grenadine and some dried oregano lurking in the background - some nail polish/solvent notes, but in an attractive way. Light-bodied with decent acidity, delicate tannins and a gravelly palate - fresh and well-balanced, intriguing but uncomplex. Kinda Beaujolais-esqe, but more woodsy, it was very food friendly and might work in white wine situations. It would be neat to blind this in a flight of Beaujolais...hmmm
cork. 13% alcohol
Score: 16/20
Price: C$17.60 (SAQ)

Drive for One Hundred: 2004 Foradori Teroldego

Teroldego is a red grape from Italy's northernmost Trentino-Alto Adige winemaking region, and is found only rarely outside of Italy. In fact the grape thrives on the gravelly Rotaliano plain in northern Trentino, hence the wines are labelled "Teroldego Rotaliano".

Foradori is the most prominent producer, with the 2004 Foradori Teroldego Rotaliano being the entry-level wine. A very nice nose of peppery dried fruit, herbs, pine, blackberry and cassis, with some medicinal and floral notes as it opened up. Light- to medium-bodied on the palate, with good, juicy fruit and silky tannins. A short-ish finish, but balanced and flavourful, kinda "Gamay meets Nero d'Avola". A very good match for a mild Italian sausage pasta.
cork. 13% alcohol
Score: 16/20
Price: C$25.15 (SAQ)

Not my first Teroldego - I tasted the impressive (but pricier) Foradori Granato as an opener to our "Oddities Night" - but I want documented proof for the Century Club membership committee...

The only Teroldego I have ever found outside of Italy was at Luna Vineyards, one of my Napa faves. They have used Teroldego in a variety of wines over the years.

Off the Beaten Path in Italy: Negroamaro and Ripasso

Keeping with the Italian theme this week I thought I'd try some more Italian reds, a negroamaro from Salento and an IGT Valpolicella using an "innovative" ripasso method.

Crafted from the Negramaro grape in Italy's Salento appellation, the aromatic 2003 Tormaresca Masseria Maime burst forth with dark cherries, leather and black tea, meaty earthy notes, some rose petal. But the haunting nose did not fulfill its promise on the palate - powerful, crisp and dry, with a neat slatey/minerally texture, but it became hot and unbalanced as the evening wore on. Perhaps a minimal decant would be more appropriate? Anyway, a rustic, interesting, pour, but that's a hefty price tag.
cork. 14% alcohol
Score: 17/20
Price: C$34.25 (SAQ)

A classic Valpolicella blend of corvina and rondinella, with a touch of sangiovese, the 2004 Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre was cherry candy on the nose, adding some vanilla, coffee and a hint of tar. Luscious, but not flabby on the palate, with velvety tannins and a nice long finish, and unlike the wine above it improved in the decanter. The Palazzo Della Torre is a consistently reliable bottle at a decent price, and always has a home in my cellar.
cork. 13.5% alcohol
Score: 17/20
Price: C$27.70 (SAQ)

So, the initial excitement for the negroamaro faded over the evening, while the cherry candy nose on the Allegrini was misleading. For a cheaper (maybe even better) negroamaro I highly recommend the Taurino Notarpanaro. Both paired well with a Greek-styled lamb stew, but the negroamaro worked a bit better in this role.

Mini Vertical #4: 2001 and 2002 Yalumba Signature - with a Middle Eastern Twist

Another mini-vertical tonight but my bro-in-law decided that, after some success with the Chateau Musar at our "Oddities Night", he would crash this Barossa party with a Lebanese wine. A Cab/Shiraz blend, it was a perfect match for my Yalumba tasting. This one is for you, Fadi!

Three wines, similar grapes, and harvested within a 12 month period, but with such different terroirs and styles - it should have been easy to pick out the Lebanese in this blinded tasting, right?

The 2001 Chateau Kefraya "Comte de M" is regarded in some circles as Lebanon's greatest bottling, vying with the Musar for that honour. A dark cherry red in the glass - similar to the others - but on the nose this wine was very different from the other two. Earthy, with melted chocolate, tea, liquorice, grendadine, cedar, musk, leather and compote - very complex, but an unusual wine that could be polarizing. On the palate is was a touch austere, even rustic. Very dry, with ample acidity and big tannins that made this full-bodied wine seem a touch off-balance. A lengthy finish, it softened up over the eveing, and it should be a few years before this wine struts its stuff. Nicely done, but I think I may have preferred the Musar. Rematch in five years.
cork. 14% alcohol
Score: 17.5/20
Price: $50 (SAQ)

The 2001 Yalumba "The Signature" comes from Australia's Barossa Valley, and is a blend of Cabernet and Shiraz. Deep, purpley-red in the glass with no signs of aging. Pepper and blackberry on the early nose, exploding over the evening with violet, strawberry, truffle, leather, vanilla, smoke and a hint of tarriness. Crisp currant fruit and very dry, dusty tannins on the palate, some tarry notes, this wine had an extremely long finish. This elegant, Bordeaux-styled wine was my favourite of the evening.
cork. 13.5% alcohol
Score: 18/20
Price: C$47

The 2002 Yalumba "The Signature" was so different from the 2001 that it was not easy to pick out the Lebanese wine amongst the three bottles. Deep, dark purple in the glass. Violet, blackberry, and vegetal notes dominated, later showing cherry, cedar, coffee, tobacco, cocoa and eucalyptus. Silky and elegant, it was juicier and more accessible than the others, yet had a very long finish and could also benefit from some cellar time. Definitely not a fruit bomb, but more fruit forward than the 2001.
cork. 14.5% alcohol
Score: 17.5/20
Price: C$43.50 (SAQ)

Despite a trio of warm climate cab/shiraz wines, there were no fruit bombs here tonight. These were complex, elegant and structured wines, and great pairings for Beef Wellington. As I tasted these a number of questions came to mind:

1) The '01 Signature was panned by Wine Spectator (87 pts), yet 95 points from Mr. Parker. Were they tasting the same wine? Perhaps Mr. Parker's roots in Bordeaux give him a better appreciation for this style?

2) The '02 Signature was better reviewed by WS (91), and similarly reviewed by RP (96). Hmmm - fruity and not fruity, but same in RP's books, but WS needed that extra ripeness to give it a decent score? Food for thought.

3) Is the Kefraya Comte de M Lebanon's best? A very well made wine and different from the Musar, which seems to come from another era. But the Musar was just so different, and therein lies he charm, in my mind.

4) There was a piece to the Comte de M and the Musar that was very similar, despite very different grapes and vintages. Earthy and liquorice-y, a Lebanese terroir?

(PS - apologies for the crappy photo)

Oddities Night...or Freakshow?

Our tasting group took the challenge of finding an oddity to heart, raiding their cellars and using incredible creativity to find odd - even freakish - wines. This grouping, probably gathering dust at the back of your local wine shop, was tremendously entertaining and a great learning experience, as our intrepid group of seven dove into the darkest corners of the wine world:

1998 Chateau Musar (Lebanon)
2001 Wunderlich Viktoria Cuvee (Hungary)
2002 Cava Amethystos (Greece)
2002 Grover Vineyards La Reserve (India)
2003 Marques de Grinon Petit Verdot (Spain)

There was no doubt that the legendary Chateau Musar was the crowd favourite. Located in the Bekaa Valley, Chateau Musar is probably Lebanon's most famous estate, weathering years of war to produce arguably the finest, most ageworthy, wines from the Middle East. Every year the winery uses a different blend of Cabernet, Cinsault, and Carignan. Visually, Cam's 1998 Chateau Musar was the lightest-coloured wine of the bunch, a pale ruby red in the glass, but it was anything but a lightweight. At first the nose smelled of very toasted oak, which dissipated over the evening to reveal notes of green pepper, liquorice, truffles, roses and a pleasing earthiness. Crisp raspberry fruit with oaky tannins, it softened beautifully over the evening. Despite its age, it still had finish that should allow this to go for a few more years.
cork. 13.5% alcohol
Score: 17.5/20, five first place rankings
Price: C$51 (SAQ)

Second place was my Spanish Petit Verdot. Like 2GrandCru, this was an impulse - Spanish? Petit Verdot? The 2003 Marques de Grinon Petit Verdot comes from the Dominio de Valdepusa appellation of Spain, and is 100% Petit Verdot. Most of you recognize this as a grape frequently used in Bordeaux-styled blends, but almost always at very low percentages. Insanely dark purple, it was impossible to see through this glass, all light, space and time vanishing into its blackness. (note - do NOT serve with white linens) Grapey and sweet at first, it had a funky rubbery smell that turned some off the wine, but later revealed nice leathery and minty aromas. On the palate was a big shag carpet of tannins that not only coated the back of the tongue, but puckered up the roof of your mouth as well. Medium-bodied, juicy, with a nice loooong finish and dry cherry fruit, it opened up over the evening and was beautiful drinking for those of us who got over the smell. Despite a whopping 15% alcohol it was not particularly 'hot'. I have one more bottle - it will be interesting to see if time will tame this beast.
cork. 15% alcohol
Score: 17.5/20, two first place (and one last as well)
Price: C$40 (SAQ)

Third place was a very competent wine that Chris brought from India, the 2002 Grover Vineyards "La Reserve". A blend of Cabernet and Shiraz grown on the hills near Bangalore, and if an Indian wine is not "odd" enough, Michel Rolland is the consulting winemaker! This wine was quite musty at first, but that gave way to leafy, cooked fruit, smoke and vanilla aromas. Pleasant, but thin and short, a good effort.
cork. 12% alcohol
Score: 15.5/20
Price: ~US$30

Fourth was Pramod's Greek wine, the 2002 Cava Amethystos, a Vin de Pays de Drama (I just learned an appellation!) by Domaine Costa Lazaridi. A blend Cabernet Sauvignon and some Merlot and Limnio. Not very complex on the nose - flint, cherry, and cinnamon - but velvety tannins, nice balance and a medium finish. I liked it more than the rest of the group.
cork. 13% alcohol
Score: 16/20
Price: C$48 (SAQ)

Lloyd's Hungarian wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend, was dead last. The 2001 Wunderlich Viktoria Cuvee was all Banana smoothie, with some leafy and floral notes, juicy with no length or structure, really never had anything like this. Could the bottle be off? Odd, indeed. Nobody finished their glass.
cork.
Score: 12/20
Price: ~US$30

So, the Indian hated the Indian, the Greek hated the Greek, and everyone hated the Hungarian (Lloyd promises never, ever, to bring such a terrible wine to a tasting).

It is interesting to note that we were truly blind - no one had tasted the wine that they brought prior to this tasting.

Overall, the quality level rapidly deteriorated after the first two or three wines, and even the top wines were not really up to the level of wines we typically crack open, but it was a terrific "learning" tasting, and as my readers know I am always on the hunt for something unusual.

Cheers!