Wednesday 27 February 2013

Au Bon Climat, Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir, 2009

Au Bon Climat (or 'ABC' for those of us too lazy to bother with the full name) is one of the few US wineries to have a really significant presence in UK wine shops. Others, such as Stag's Leap, Frog's Leap and Beringer pop up here and there, but ABC is certainly the most prevalent of them. One factor for the lack of American wine on UK shelves is that the Americans are (with some justification) proud of their wines, and as a result they are priced accordingly.

Clocking in at anywhere between £19 and 40+ ABC's range in the UK is pleasantly diverse, although I always seem to see more Pinot Noirs than anything else. I have a bottle of their Chardonnay somewhere, which I will taste and review sooner or later. Having recently visited Wine Country in California, I have been lucky enough to try a respectable number of American wines. I have a real soft spot for Californian Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, but if I'm on Pinot Noir I tend to aim for New Zealand or Burgundy as they tend to have more distinct styles and characters. I tasted ABC's 2009 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir alongside a mix of Burgundies and New Zealand PNs (blind, of course) and here's what I thought:

Nose: An appealing nose starting with a touch of oakiness which is almost instantly followed by heady aromas of raisin and strawberry jam. There's a smidgen of minerality and it's a perfectly pleasant nose so far.

Palate: Light and smooth, ABC has nice fruitiness with a hint of sharpness at the back. The fruitiness is very light and sweet, closer to strawberry than anything else, and this could explain the purpose of the sharpness as it tends to restrain the potentially over-sweet taste. On a re-taste some caramel came through and there's a velvety smoothness that makes this an almost dangerously drinkable Pinot Noir. There is, however, a slightly unappealing tickle of acid in there.

Body: A very well-balanced wine. No single flavour dominates or unbalances affairs and they lie together in a pleasant harmony. It's extremely smooth and (as expected with a Pinot Noir) it's not a heavy wine - the two of these factors combine to make a very enjoyable wine.

Finish: Not a great deal of development, but reasonably length and a nice mellowing of flavours. The acidity fades, which is a big bonus.

Conclusion: I'm fond of juicy, light Pinot Noirs and so this went down well with me. One complaint could be that there didn't seem to be an awful lot of complexity considering this is a £20 wine. My feeling is that I would be delighted with it had it been cheaper, but I feel that it is a tad over-priced as things stand.

Points: 85.

Sunday 24 February 2013

Morgenster 2004, Flagship Red

My new 'current favourite': whilst not actually called their 'flagship red', Morgenster 2004 is the second vintage of Morgenster Estate's flagship wine and is a classic example of South Africa's take on Bordeaux blends. With solid ageing potential, it is at the higher end of pricing but the 2004 is less costly (at around £30) than other vintages. Morgenster made it clear that they were not intending to make a 'showy' wine, but were rather looking for elegance, quality and balance.

While everyone loves a little bit of marketing and some gimmicks - after all, which winery isn't trying to make a supremely balanced and elegant Bordeaux-style red? - it's important to get through them. This is one of the advantages of tasting wines blind (I use some rather fun tasting sleeves which I shall post up in due course) as it allows the tasters to judge the wine itself, rather than the bottle, labelling, marketing and reputation. This was decanted for 2 hours before drinking and re-tasted at intervals of an hour.

Colour: Being reasonably old, the 2004 has begun to get a hint of tawny at the edges, although not enough for anyone to suggest that this was a seriously old wine.

Nose: Decent vanilla at first showing the oak coming through but then (surprisingly, given the age) a touch of green. Pepper, spices and red berries show the dominance of the Cabernet Sauvignon and there's a leathery edge to things. There's a good level of complexity in the nose and it's strong enough to allow most people to pick up the aromas whilst also showing off a good level of balance. The greenness faded after a further hour. Fruit began to emerge at the 2 hour mark and was more pronounced after 3 or 4 - which also saw the end of the savoury notes, which faded away to be replaced by a punchy dose of white pepper.

Palate: Somewhat muted on the first taste: a hint of vanilla and cedarwood with fruit tickling the back of the tongue. Slightly closed and grassy. After hour 3 this changed entirely. It was sweet and surprisingly light - a hint of astringency that faded away by the fourth hour - and the pepper and cedar remaining at the back end of things. There was a touch of earthiness. An extremely smooth-drinker that greatly impressed - perhaps the marketing isn't all rubbish? Elegance, balance and a distinctly Bordelais style. Nice.

Body: Thin at first, then opened up admirably after hour 3/4. Fairly high tannins and certainly a decent slog of alcohol in there.

Finish: Could be that of a top Bordeaux. All flavours in perfect symmetry with a clear direction and decent length. Supreme body and excellent balance.

Conclusion: Very nice wine - but it needed a LOT of decanting. I would have been hard-pressed to give it above 84 after the first two hours after decanting but it shot up to high 80s after 3 hours and touched 90 after that. If I were to serve it at a dinner I'd aim for serving it at the 3 hour mark, as its strength would be present for the early stages of the meal but then would soften off and become a much easier drinker as the evening progressed. One slightly sad point is that a search of Morgenster Estate's website comes up with 'account suspended' page. Whilst I hope this is only a technical problem, it may be worth buying a bottle or two while you still can.

Points: 90.

Thursday 21 February 2013

Karasi Zorah, Areni Noir 2010

Time for something a little more exotic and off the beaten path. Karasi Zorah is an Armenian wine grown a 1,400m altitude and is comprised of a grape called Areni Noir - which I am told is the signature grape variety of Armenia. Karasi Zorah has been well-reviewed by some top names in wine: Jancis Robinson gave it 17 and memorably described it as having 'gypsy' flavours - meaning it in a positive sense, suggesting an 'untamed' and wild edge. With such a review, I had to give it a go. On a side note, the bottle is also very pretty: made in a classic style with a wider shoulder than base, the label has raised colouring and the design is a nice touch of traditional Armenian art (although the wine itself was made by an Italian - Alberto Antonini).

Tried alongside several other wines from non-mainstream producers (but by no means non-traditional, as Armenia has been making wine for thousands of years), Zorah was a strong contender. Aged in oak and made in traditional amphorae, it certainly has character galore!

Nose: On first sniff it smelt almost exactly like a Cuban cigar, with notes of smoke and hay backed with a lovely heady mix of raisins, spice and coffee. A hint of pepper comes through at the back and complements the coffee nicely. There's a very distinct structure and on first impression it is extremely well-made.

Palate: How odd! I found it to be very similar to actually smoking a cigar with all the hay, smoke and spice that entails. The savoury tastes are backed with nice ripe fruit although there's a slight sharpness at times. Impressive pepper and coffee. In time, it became sweeter at the front end of things - perhaps a hint of blood orange - and heavier and more sour at the back, with the coffee coming to dominate.

Body: Quite a full taste, but strangely a relatively thin body. Perhaps I didn't give it enough time, but the body doesn't feel quite balanced. Definitely something a little strange about it.

Finish: Medium length with a nice little development. There's a bit of orange zest in the finish - with the bitterness associated with eating some peel.

Conclusion: A really rather interesting and fun wine. The bottle is very distinctive and, depending on your style, it's either a fun design point or an unnecessarily heavy gimmick. At £20 a bottle it's not exactly a cheap wine, but then it does come up with the goods in many areas. The imbalance in the body may have been from my bottle, so it will certainly be one that I re-taste (when I can find another supplier in the UK, as it's rather hard to get hold of). I thoroughly enjoyed the smokiness and spiciness which also seems characteristic of Armenia in its wildness and makes one think of mountain scenes in small villages (the vineyard is near Mt Ararat - where Noah's Ark finished its journey).

Points: 88-89. The slight weirdness with the body has removed a point or two from this, but I would have no hesitation in recommending this to someone who is interested in wine and would like to try something different.

Menetou-Salon, Domaine du Manay 2011

I took a punt on some Menetou-Salon after getting a recommendation from a friend who described it as Sancerre without the blockbuster name. At £11 a bottle, it's certainly priced competitively and it can often be bought for slightly less if you purchase in bulk at various wine merchants. As with Sancerre, Menetou-Salon has very limestone rich soil and the similarities between the two regions is clear from the first taste. It was tasted alongside various other Sauvignon Blancs (including my perennial favourite, Saint Clair Pioneer Block 3 - although it was Pioneer Block 11 at the time) and performed well.

Nose: Quite a restrained nose to begin with. There are light floral notes and an odd aroma that was described by one friend as 'fruity cauliflower'! A decent bit of zest and minerality give it some backbone, but this is certainly not a powerful wine - it is clearly designed for a touch of subtlety and for matching with food.

Palate: A very appealing minerality and rainy-day earthiness gives Domaine du Manay a classic and timeless edge. A touch of sweetness comes in at the back giving balance and ensuring the wine doesn't become too harsh or acidic. Whilst not hugely complex, this has been well done and is an enjoyable glass of wine.

Body: Medium-light.

Finish: A fairly short finish ties in with the comparative lack of complexity in the wine. It gets slightly sweeter and thinner. Not much to write home about, but nothing negative either.

Conclusion: A perfectly pleasant £11 / £9 bottle of wine that is not going to excite your tastebuds in the line of some of the others reviewed here but will certainly provide an excellent wine to partner with any manner of dishes. White fish, chicken, salads, dry cheeses and anything with a creamy sauce would go very well with it. I have tried it with risotto on several occasions and it was just about able to stand up to a wintery lentil and sausage stew.

Points: 85. Well worth a go at the price and a perfectly enjoyable wine to drink on its own, although clearly better for food matching.


Friday 1 February 2013

Peregrine Pinot Noir 2010, Central Otago

Wandering round through different styles of wine is always fun. I tasted Peregrine at an Old and New World tasting of Pinot Noir, highlighting the differences between the two styles, with the general rule being that Old World PNs tend to be more savoury and New World PNs tend to be fruitier.

Nose: There's a slightly musty nose here. Perhaps a hint of mushroom or tobacco coming in to slightly overpower a hint of fresh cherry. Oddly enough, there's a touch of cedarwood and then some pepper near the end. This is a much more savoury Pinot Noir than I was expecting - on first impression I had this down as a Burgundy, and a good one at that.

Palate: I'm afraid to say it was rather bitter. There was none of the rich fruit backed by spice that I was expecting. There's cherry, but it tastes like unripe cherry - it's sharp and yet musty at the same time. Pepper is present throughout but there's an unpleasant chalkiness to the wine. While I have since read reviews saying this flavour was an example of good minerality, to me it wasn't minerality in the classic sense - it was chalky and mouth-drying, and added little to the wine. Perhaps if I'm being optimistic I might be able to find some raspberry, but I'm not entirely sure that I actually tasted it or if it was simply wishful thinking looking for something to like.

Body: Surprisingly for a Pinot Noir this felt remarkably tannic. The sharp furriness coming from the musty unripe cherry added to this sensation and made for a not very pleasant drink.

Finish: Almost no finish. This was extremely short and very one-dimensional.

Conclusion: When the cover was taken off I was deeply disappointed to find a wine so highly regarded had disappointed me so much. At £25, it's not cheap either. Perhaps I ought to have left it open for longer, but even after 2 hours I don't recall noting any positive changes. My only note from the later tasting is 'The nose is the only redeeming factor'. What a shame

Points: 70. Not a fan. I shall have to re-taste to confirm this opinion at some point, but when there are so many better Kiwi Pinot Noirs out there, why waste the time and money on this? The vastly superior Kota Lime Rock (which I will review in due course) blasted this out of the water for a perfect mix of savouriness and fruitiness.