“Red wine was made to go with meat, and it just won’t work without it.” I used to say that a lot, based on considerable experience and tasting. But I’m no longer so sure that it’s true.
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San Pedro Apostol 2012 “Campellares” Alta Rioja Tempranillo ($12.99)
A single-varietal, 100% Tempranillo, this wine is dark reddish purple with a clear violet edge. Juicy red-plum and black-cherry aromas are joined by an earthy back note of leather. Flavors mirror the nose, bright and clean. Mouth-watering acidity surrounds fresh but subtle cherry-berry fruit with an earthy hint of leather; palate-cleansing and food-friendly, 13.5% alcohol stays in the background. Tart cherries linger in a long finish.
Bodegas Forcada 2010 “Flor de Baco” Crianza Rioja ($11.99)
A typical Rioja blend of Tempranillo (85%), Garnacha (10%), and Graciano (5%), this wine is dark purple in the glass, shading to garnet, transparent at the edge. There’s a lot of sweet, vanilla oak in the nose, as you might expect from a “Crianza,” a Rioja designation for wines aged at least 12 months in oak and 12 more in bottles. Lurking behind the oak, though, there’s subtle and complex red fruit, cherries and red berries, that carry over onto the palate with good, food-friendly acidity, 14% alcohol, and soft tannins. Read article.
A new wine being introduced by the winery Vignaioli Morellino Scansano in western Tuscany is being made in a fashion that was once common in the region but had almost disappeared. Neil Duarte was recently sent a bottle of it. Here’s his report. Read article.
As if to teach me a lesson for whining about the disappearance of quality everyday wine at prices I can afford, the Fates have shown me a delicious, old-style French red for just $7.99.
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Dark ruby in color, it’s clear but not transparent. Its attractive aromas center on red fruit, raspberry and a little strawberry and plum. It’s not a “fruit bomb,” but fresh and appealing. Crisp and tart, good raspberry flavor fills the mouth with food-friendly acidity, modest 12.5% alcohol, and slightly rough yet palatable tannins. Light berries and a hint of stony minerality linger in a good, long finish. A bit “rustic,” but a great value at this price! U.S. importer: Cutting Edge Selections Inc., Mariemont, Ohio (March 16, 2016)
Compare prices and find vendors for a limited selection of Reserve de la Saurine Gard on Wine-Searcher.com.
To find other wines and producers from Gard, check the Gard page on Wine-Searcher.com and page down to the long list of wines at the foot of the page.
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Alsace, the quaint, scenic and too-often war-torn region where France meets Germany along the Rhine River, is the topic for our Wine Focus for March.
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This is a clear, straw color wine, showing just a touch of a greenish hue. Fresh, simple and appealing white fruit aromas offer gentle suggestions of pear and apple plus a distinct hint of musky melon. Flavors follow the nose with medium-bodied texture. It’s fresh and bright, 12.5% alcohol; fruit balanced by cleansing acidity, adding an intriguing sense of subtle minerality in a long finish. U.S. importer: Esprit du Vin, Boca Raton, Fla. (March 4, 2016)
Check prices and find vendors for Trimbach Alsace Pinot Blanc on Wine-Searcher.com. Read article.
Does this sound a little like a bad country and western song? I can hear a tune in the back of my mind, a wailing tenor, acoustic guitar, maybe a harmonica. “Riesling, I want to love you. Oh, Riesling, my baaay-bee, why won’t you love me?” Or something like that.
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This pretty Saar Riesling shows a clear straw color in the glass, with a slight brassy-green hue. Appealing scents of mixed white fruits show apples and pears at first, then open up to something more citrusy, juicy grapefruit and a distinct note of something bright like tangerine. Flavors carry over to the palate, fresh, gently sweet fruit nicely balanced by steely acidity, with a subtle, intriguing “rainwater over rocks” minerality lurking shyly in the background. Light and refreshing at a low 9% alcohol.
Find sources and compare prices for J & H Selbach Saar Riesling Spätlese on Wine-Searcher.com. Read article.
A recent gift of two Sicilian wines – a Nero D’Avola and a Grillo – made Neil Duarte want to return to Sicily again. Read his tasting notes on these two examples of Sicily’s ubiquitous varietals. Read article.
