Water into Wino

WBW #30 New World Syrah

I must sound like a broken record. It seems like every wine I write about lately is from Chile. Well I just can't help it. The price to quality ratio of these wines is impressive. The Carmeneres are basically free. The Cab Sauvignon and Merlots are usually half of what I'd pay for a comparable domestic version. The Pinot Noir can be satisfying while still accessible under $20. For some reason Chilean Syrah is undeniably more expensive then the other varietals. While the bargain wines I've had before are consistently a pleasant surprise, at $20 I'm expecting a $35 flavor profile that will rock my palate.

Casa Lapostolle Winery was founded in 1994 by the Marnier Lapostolle family from France and the Rabat family from Chile. The French connection are founders and owners of Grand Marnier ( of the Spirit fame) and have been winegrowers in the Loire Valley. They own 300 hectacres and produce 150,000 cases, including Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenere, and Syrah.

Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre Syrah 2004
Cachapoal Valley, Chile ($22)

This Syrah is grown in rocky Las Kuras Vineyard of Requinoa, in the Cachapoal Valley, and it's from their midlevel Cuvee Alexandre series. It's made from 100% Syrah grapes grown after a dry 2003 season which resulted in budding some 10 days earlier than average. What's really crazy is that there was no rain registered that summer at all. The wine was aged for 21 months in new French oak barrels and it weighs in at 14.5% alcohol.

Dark purple in color. The nose took a while to open up, but when it did it revealed definite meat aromas with ripe dark fruits. This wine feels very fleshy and full bodied. I get some complex notes that include chocolate and cigar box. Overall, it's well balanced and persistent on the finish. While I do find this wine to be worth the $20 I paid, it's not as intriguing as the Montes Alpha Syrah I tasted a few weeks ago. It went extremely well with the sausage and peppers I had for dinner and got better with every sip I took. My grade: A-

WBW #29 Biodynamic Wines

I'm not a regular participant in the now infamous WBW (wine blogging wednesday). My tendency to procrastinate in combination with my impulsive wine consumption makes it hard to plan and execute such a time coordinated review. I find myself reading the other WBW blogs though and thinking that there's always next month. This month's topic, Biodynamic wines, hosted by The Fork and Bottle, is an interesting one because it seems that it's definitely a buzz word in the industry these days. One can walk into most wine boutiques here in NYC and find an ever expanding selection of organic, sustainable, or biodynamic farmed wines. I'm all for it unless it doubles the cost of a bottle.

This week I got lucky. Yesterday I was reading the master list of certified biodynamic producers and found one that I was already planning on mentioning this week. I did not even know it was a biodynamic wine. Once again I must give a hat tip to Jay over at the Wine Chicks for the recommendation. I was going to give you some background on the winery and winemaker but it's easier just to point you to Vinography's recent article on one of Nigl's Rieslings.

Nigl Gruner Veltliner Kremser Freiheit 2005
Kremstal, Austria ($15)

Pale straw color. Faint aromas of citrus and green vegetables. The palate is fairly neutral with that textbook minerality of a gruner veltliner. The flavor isn't too citrus based as it lacks the acidity I would expect from a dry white wine. Apricots and peaches come to mind but in a diluted fashion that takes a back seat to the stoniness. The finish is pleasant and extremely food friendly. It is the "cleanest" wine I've ever tasted. I can only assume that the practice of biodynamic or organic farming only contributed to the fresh and natural flavors here. For around $15, this is a total bargain. My grade: A-

So far my experience with environmentally friendly wines has been positive. I wrote about an organic Cab Franc from Loire last year that was like no other I've had. The sustainable Shinn Estates on Long Island has become one of my favorite wineries to visit when I'm out east. My trip to the only certified organic winery in Ontario, Frogpond Farm Winery, was an epiphany in which I realized how well a small 10 acre farm could produce wine up in the Niagara area. I'm pretty much sold on the sustainable farming theory and someday I hope I can be a part of the movement.

Wine Blog Wednesday #16

Voluntas Uva di Troia 2003 Italy, Apulia ($9)

Judging and buying a wine by its cover or label in this case was the theme this month. Ignoring the the descriptions, price, and any staff recommendations that accompany a wine on display is harder than it should be. The label here did draw me in with an illustration of a knight sipping a glass of red wine with some huge white bird perched on his helmet. It lacked the vintage, the region, and any recognizable varietal. I was drawn to this one because it stood out from the usually not so fancy lables in the Italian wines section. Seemed "new world" to me in style. Turns out that the Uva di Troia is a grape I've never had and the fact that it was $9 made this an easy decision. I will not leave any indeginous Italian grapes untasted!

This red wine was very arromatic with dark berries, herbal tea, and tobacco. I only wish the taste was as complex as the smell. An initial layer of dark fruit dried my mouth a little too quickly before dissolving into mediocrity. This bottle just wasn't able to define itself. Finished dry and bland. Perhaps this wine could have been decanted or aged a bit more. Next time I realize I am in the Apulia section, I should ignore the label design, and look for what I know I like about the region. This includes negroamaro grapes, malvasia nera, and primitivo based wines.

I should mention that I opened this bottle after a couple Dewars, Thai food, two beers, and a visit to Coldstone Creamery. Just to be sure I am going to try again tomorrow during lunch. Tonight it gets a C- grade.