I couldn't possibly write anything original about the 2005 vintage of Bordeaux. I wrote an article on it a year ago, and even then there was little to say, because it has been OVER-covered. There is some good news though, in that there is a broad swath of 2005 Bordeaux still in the marketplace that is offering some fabulous drinking right now at obscenely low pricing. In the coming days, I'll print my notes on several of these great bargains, most of which are small-quantity producers that I had not encountered before--score one for the little guy!

Keep your eyes peeled....

Popularity: 5% [?]

It is well-known that Europe is overrun with wine that suppliers cannot sell, so they have been turning wine into ethanol to power cars. It is a shame that the exhaust from a voiture du vin doesn't smell like wine--now that would change the nature of air pollution.

To combat this glut, the EU has taken steps to reduce wine production by mandating the removal of grape vines (essentially clear-cutting vineyards)--a rather draconian requirement, but something must be done!

I suppose.

Across Europe vineyards are being pulled up, but this has been particularly hard on France. According to a Reuters article, this poses a serious economic threat to Corsica, the tiny (Italian) island (belonging to France) in the middle of the Mediterranean. Sounds like Corsican wines need a worldwide makeover.

Corsican wines? Who cares about Corsican wines? We can hardly ever get them in the U.S! Well, I care about them, obviously. I've had enough of them to know that we are missing something, and besides, more than half the production of wine on the island is ROSÉ, so of course I'm a supporter!

This is only touched on briefly in the article, but the reason we rarely see the wines is Corsica's "island status." Exporting wines is the main hurdle that wine estates in Corsica face. From the perspective of U.S. buyers, it causes further trouble, because the wines not only have to get to mainland Europe, but also to a transatlantic port and then to the U.S. That's a lot of shippers that need to be paid. I have heard varying figures (from those who've imported Corsican wines to the US) that shipping costs account for between 20%-25% of the retail price of a Corsican wine in the U.S. It's hard to pass on the shipping costs at the same rate as a Côtes-du-Rhône, for example, because Corsican wine can't command the higher price.

Pure economic considerations perhaps dictate that this source of wine should be eliminated altogether except local consumption. I'm sure that's not under consideration, but if the local economics of wine production stop working--which, according to the Corsican winemakers' association, is a possibility with the EU's land-clearing program--then the local wine trade would head in that direction anyway. And that would be a loss. The stories behind the wines--the voices of those who make the wines and those who drink them--would be lost. This is nice and romantic and all, but another reason lies in one of Corsica's native grape varieties, Sciacarellu, which exists only on the island. It tastes like no other grape and it has a marvelous fragrance. That alone creates a different kind of experience, and as so many wines from around the world are tasting very much like each other, a different experience may soon be in short supply. It also offers some wonderful opportunities for use with food, as the unique flavors of this grape (fruit is excellent, but it is not fruity, and it has a slightly thorny--yet not tannic--notion) draw secondary and tertiary flavors out of saltier foods, and these foods in turn enhance the fruit succulence of the wine.

There are a handful of Corsican estates that are first rate, but apparently the author of the article didn't encounter any of these at Vinexpo. I would love to see these wines more often in the U.S., but like the arts in public schools, the economics of it dictate that they'll be the first thing to get cut when money is tight.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Decanter Magazine has posted a story suggesting, as many have before,that things might have to change in France, where change comes..........slowly. God forbid they give up The Patrimony, but as far as wine is concerned, I would welcome it: anyone who has been selling wine in the last twenty years has seen with increasing clarity that the French wine appellation system (administered by the INAO--Institut National des Appellation d'Origine) is too cumbersome and prohibitive to stem the ebb of sales. The article mentions that there is no unified marketing outside Champagne, but Champagne gets marketed because of the conglomeration of the big houses within luxury goods companies, and besides, the big houses are capitalized well-enough to advertise without any help at all.

There are too many reasons to enumerate in this present forum (but I will indeed explore many coming soon) as to why "Wine Pundits" are deriding the French wine industry, but they (the reasons, not the pundits) are many-layered and complex, very interesting, and profound...oddly, not unlike the best French wines. Except, the ways in which they are profound won't stir your soul positively, I'm afraid.

As a consumer though, I like the appellation system for the sense of mystery it engenders, but I am clearly in the minority. I would be delighted if French wine sales began to increase, and if that means going the route of the one appellation controlled region in France--Alsace--that allows labels to carry the grape variety, then that's just fine. But as of now, the...dyspepsia...continues.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Yesterday I tasted two wines from venerable Rhône Valley producer M. Chapoutier: Crozes-Hermitage Petite Ruche rouge and blanc, both from 2007 vintage. Crozes-Hermitage is the neighborhood/family harlot of the northern Rhône: it is the region's largest appellation, yielding an ocean of wine, most of it relatively easy to get into. Crozes-Hermitage doesn't have the prime real estate of its famous neighbors, as it is situated below and around the hillside that gives us unhyphenated Hermitage, but there are enough producers now who make their wine seriously that there is ample evidence that Syrah from Crozes-Hermitage can be beautiful indeed, and incredibly useful with food.

About 10% of Crozes-Hermitages made each year is white--most of it from Marsanne. The reds are Syrah (and can contain up to 15% white wine, though this is generally not done), and tend to be more approachable than those of Hermitage. Excellent vintages can mature beautifully over a decade or more (especially in the case of the reds), but usually they are best drunk within the first seven years of the vintage.

And for those who care....Tasting Notes:

M. Chapoutier 2007 Crozes-Hermitage Petite Ruche White
100% Marsanne. Aroma of saffron, mint, a slight smokiness, blanched almonds, quartz. Vivid fleshiness and acidity that suggests Roussanne as a minority partner, but it is without Roussanne's unique mineral expression. Brothy and pear- and plum-toned, long, pure finish where the saffron notion returns.
Food Pairings: Lobster (steamed, not too buttery), Pork, chicken, curry (but milder), risotto (sweeter), smoked trout

M. Chapoutier 2007 Crozes-Hermitage Petite RucheRed
100% Syrah. Stiff, tannin influenced aroma of black raspberries and allspice. Flavors of black raspberry a streak of tannin that doesn't release immediately, but with air it opens up nicely with excellent length, spice, and even a touch of meatiness. Finish has an attractive chalk texture, which will soften with some time, which this wine could use...at least five years, or a decanter and a few hours.
Food Pairings: Cheese (hard or aged), Eggplant, Osso Bucco, Venison, ratatouille, smoked meats.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Syrah is one of the world's great red wine grapes. It has a principal aroma and flavor of black raspberries. In its native northern Rhône, it is long-lived and can be stiff and somewhat unappealing in its youth, but it can be full of glorious, sensuous fruity and savory characteristics in its maturity. Grown in Australia, where it is called Shiraz (also called Shiraz in other regions where the desire is to communicate a warm-climate character), it comes in two basic styles: laden with jam qualities in hotter climates like Barossa or McLaren Vale, and elusive and edgy--more akin to its Rhône cousin--in cooler areas of Margaret River or Victoria.

Syrah is the northern Rhône's main grape variety. Famously long-term wines come from the appellations of Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage, but equally ageworthy wines hail from the small appellation of Cornas, where a minimum of ten years maturation is the norm for even the entry-level wines. Syrah is used to add some backbone to wines across southern France, usually giving longevity to Grenache-based wines. It is grown is every region of Australia, and is particularly successful in the central coast of California, and in the Columbia Valley of Washington.

Syrah has only recently been definitively determined to be a native of the Rhône Valley. The variety was for years conjectured by some to have originated in or around the ancient Persian city of Shiraz (located in modern-day Iran). A few blustery legends developed around this, but in 1999 a comprehensive ampelographic study determined it to be the offspring of two wildly obscure French grapes, Mondeuse Blanche and Dureza.

Syrah with Food
From the cooler climates, it is excellent with cheese, grilled duck, lamb, osso bucco, steak, venison, and wild mushrooms.
From the warmer climates, good pairings include barbecue sauce, BBQ chicken, BBQ ribs, chili, hamburgers, ribs, and grilled sausages.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Marsanne is the source of some of the Rhône Valley's greatest white wines, but is (perhaps owing to the rarity of white wine from this region) a relatively obscure white wine grape as far as the wine-buying public at large is concerned. It is the Falstaff of white wine grapes: its wine is fat, deeply colored, easy to enjoy, and high in alcohol so it might get in you Falstaffian trouble if you drink too much of it.

Marsanne is likely native to the northern Rhône Valley, but is planted widely across southern France. It is increasing in acreage under vine in the United States, and is revered in Australia, where some of the world's oldest Marsanne vines are still producing grapes.

It has aromatic elements that can include almonds, caramel, honeysuckle, unroasted hazelnuts, and pineapple; flavors include caramel, honey, marzipan, pineapples, plums, saffron. Marsanne is a high-yielding vine, whose grapes possess naturally high grape sugar and relatively low acidity. It is traditionally blended with Roussanne, which has pronounced acidity, to achieve more depth (and to broaden Roussanne...). It is also commonly blended with Viognier and Vermentino (which is known in southern France as Rolle).

Marsanne with Food
Chicken, lobster, pork, smoked trout, pâté, risotto, braised endive, fennel, curry, rich-ish cheese.

Popularity: 11% [?]