Beaujolais Wines, De première classe

Beaujolais Wines 

De première classe

Many of us were introduced to Beaujolais through the much marketed Nouveau. Decades ago now, I remember seeing one half of the local Roches Stores (now Debenhams) front window absolutely packed with colourful bottles in November. And the hype was inescapable with all kinds of contrived races set up to be first with the Nouveau in Cork or Ireland.

And that Nouveau is is still going strong all around the world. So too is the region itself, though it might not have the gravitas of Bordeaux or neighbouring Burgundy. There is a continuity of quality here, almost a guarantee of it if you move up a step or two to the Villages or to one of the ten crus.

Read all about the May Beaujolais Masterclass in Cork here.
And three more (different) Beaujolais, including two crus, here

Chateau du Chatelard Beaujolais Villages, Cuvée Les Vieilles Vignes 2013, 12.5%, €15.95 Karwig Wines

Colour is ruby and the aromas, not very intense, are of strawberries and raspberries. On the harmonious palate, you meet the expected fruits, fine tannins, the typical acidity (good for food) and a decent finish. At a recent masterclass in Cork, Liam Campbell said that Villages may be better value than the basic Beaujolais. This perfectly balanced bottle is the proof and Highly Recommended!

It is produced from old vines (up to 85 years old) and is hand-harvested. I came across some sediment, so decanting is advised. Liam also mentioned that low tannin wines may be served at lower temperatures, between 13 and 15 degrees, and his favourite pairing is with tuna steak. The producers recommend “the cuisine of spring and summer”, listing white and red meats, charcuterie and cheese. Over to you!

Chateau du Chatelard Cuvée Les Vieux Granits Fleurie 2013, 13%, €20.30 Karwig Wines

Gorgeous carmine colour catches the eye and red fruits lead the aromas, quite beguiling overall. The harmonious palate features red fruits mainly in a delightful balance of fruit and acidity, gentle tannins too, elegant and silky all the way to a superb finish. Highly Recommended.

Fleurie is one of the ten Beaujolais crus and this is made from hillside vineyards of old pink granite and is hand-harvested. They recommend trying it with white and red meats, cheese, even chocolate desserts.

Baronne du Chatelard Cuvée Les Pentes Brouilly, 13%, €19.25 Karwig Wines

Brouilly is the largest and most southerly of the Beaujolais crus and this bottle, from plots located at the heart of the appellation, has more going for it on all counts, except perhaps for acidity, than the Fleurie. If I had to pick one of the three, this would be it. But no problem with either of the other two.

It has more to offer in colour, aroma and is better on the palate with a longer finish. It will suit those who like a little more presence in the mouth. Colour is an intense ruby and then come big fruit aromas (berries and plums), vibrant fruit flavours, a hint of minerality and good finish. This elegant medium bodied wine, with rounded tannins, is Highly Recommended.

Serve, they say, at 14-16 degrees with roasted meats in sauce, poultry, and cheeses. I noticed some sediment, so do decant.

Tomorrow, watch out for another three from Beaujolais, including two crus.

Go East For A Classy Pair

Go East For A Classy Pair

Diwald Grüner Veltliner, Grossriedenthaler Löss (Wagram, Austria) 2014, 12.5%, €16.00 Mary Pawle

“We don’t like Coca Cola wines or Glass House tomatoes,” declares this organic pioneer from Austria, their way of saying they prefer to make their wines in the vineyard. Organic it is and it also looks and tastes very much like a well-made classic Gru-Vee.

It is light gold in colour, bright and clean. White fruits in the aromas (apples and gooseberries, I thought). Refreshing white fruit flavours follow with a perceptible tingle, superb body though and excellent balance and a good long finish. Very Highly Recommended.

The vineyard is located north of the Danube, roughly equidistant from Vienna to the south-east and Melk (with its famous monastery, where they serve an excellent sauerkraut) to the south-west.

Kilian Hunn Spätburgunder 2009 (Baden, Germany), 13%, €18.30 Karwig Wines

Lots of talk, including some guff from this quarter, on Pinot Noir from Burgundy, New Zealand, Chile, even Oregon. All good for sure. But do be sure to add Germany to the short-list. With confidence.

And yes it is Germany. Lots of Badens around. More than one in Germany, one in Switzerland and there's even a Baden-Baden in Austria (the only one I’ve visited). Baden means spa so that accounts for the many towns with the same name.

Colour is a youthful red, red to the very edge, despite its relative age. There are good berry aromas, mainly strawberries. Super fruit flavours, dry, elegant, then a persistent finish. Simply excellent and Very Highly Recommended.

Dao. Burgundy. Lodi. A Trio of Reds

Dao. Burgundy. Lodi.

A Trio of Reds

Casa de Mouraz 2011 (DAO), 13.5%, €17.50 Mary Pawle

The grapes for this excellent red come from several vineyards of Casa de Mouraz “some of which are mentioned in documents from the 16th century”. They were no doubt organic then and are organic now.

The wine has been matured in fine Nevers oak for 8 months and is a blend of local grapes: Touriga Nacional, Tinto Roriz, Alfrocheiro, Jaen and the almost unknown Agua Santa.

It is an intense red colour with violet hue and the legs are in no hurry to clear. You’ll find ripe rich fruits in the aromas. It is smooth, spicy, with a lovely mineral streak, and a lasting finish. A serious drop indeed and Highly Recommended.

Ambroise Lettre d’Eloïse Coteaux Bourguignons 2013, 13%, €17.85 Le Caveau

The wines of Maison Ambroise, certified organic since 2013, are regarded as classic Burgundy “with distinct terroir influenced personalities”. This, new to the Le Caveau range, is 100 per cent Pinot Noir and has been aged in 400l barrels, two to five year old, for ten months. No fining or filtration has been applied so be sure to decant. 

By the way, did you know that synonyms for Pinot Noir include Pinot Nero, Pinot Negro, Spatburgunder, Blauburgunder.

Colour here is a pale ruby; red fruits in the aromas, most noticeably cherry. It is wonderfully fresh, the lively fruit flavours well matched by the acidity, a perfect balance, plus an excellent finish.  Highly Recommended.

Saw a few matching suggestions and the one that made most sense was Roasted duck breast with plum sauce. One from BBC Food here.

Jewel Collection Old Vine Zinfandel 2012 (Lodi, California), 14%, €16.90 Karwig Wines

Interestingly, this was “tested” on a Friday, then the Vacuvin was applied. The bottle was finished off on the following Wednesday and a small improvement was noted! The vine is made by a cooperative of growers from “gnarled 40 year old vines”.

Ruby is the colour, tending towards violet. And there are rich jammy aromas, plus vanilla. All that rich fruit appears too on the warm palate but nicely balanced by the acidity, some spice too, vanilla again, plus a decent finish. Pair with hearty dishes of beef, pork, fowl and various game. Recommended.

Raise Your Hat to Syrah! Praise Too The Shiraz.

Raise Your Hat to Syrah!

Praise Too The Shiraz.

Syrah is one the best known grapes in the world. The origins of this dark-skinned red have been widely debated but, according to Wine-Searcher.com, its modern viticultural home is unquestionably the northern Rhone Valley of eastern France. In Australia, Syrah is overwhelmingly (but not exclusively) known as Shiraz, and is regarded as the country's national grape.

There is a wee chapel dedicated to St Christopher on the top of Hermitage in the Rhone. But was it St Patrick who started Syrah’s rise to world fame? In Grapes and Wine (published 2015), the story that the Irish saint planted the first wines on the famous cnoc as he made his way to the island monastery of Lérins is raised.

Another famous visitor to the area was Alexandre Dumas. “In 1834, Alexandre Dumas travelled to the South of France along with his friend Jadin, arriving one evening at Tain-l’Hermitage. ‘On entering the hotel, I took Jadin over to the window and invited him to raise his hat to the hill that towered over the town. This Jadin did, and when I told him that these were the slopes of the Hermitage, he took it upon himself to raise his hat a second time.’ “  The above quote is from About Our Wines (a Cotes du Rhone booklet).

Wayne Thomas Shiraz 2004 (McLaren Vale), 14.5%, €26.80 Karwig Wines

Twelve years old but still displaying a great depth of colour, dark with only a slight lightening at the rim; legs slow to slide down. Aromas of berries and spice. Superb rich fruit and spice on the palate too, oak is well integrated and a long finish. Robust and balanced or, as his son said, Big and ballsy! This is more or less perfect and Very Highly Recommended.

Get on down to Karwig’s, or just go online, while they still have some of it. Sadly, Wayne Thomas died in 2007 and though his son is a winemaker he operates not in the McLaren but in the Hunter Valley.

Wayne “Thommo” Thomas was quite a character and you may read a tribute to him here.

 

Clairmont Classique rouge Crozes-Hermitage 2008, 13%, €22.50 Karwig Wines

This one hundred per cent Syrah (from vines over 30 years old) has a purple colour, slightly less so towards the rim; legs slow to clear. Red fruits are prominent in the aromas. Again, good fruit, some spice too on the palate, smooth with fine tannins, excellent balance and long finalé. Somewhat more restrained than the Thomas and also Very Highly Recommended.

The producers indicate that this red Crozes-Hermitage will pair well with grilled lamb, cold meat or roast turkey. Aged, it will be a great match to any kind of stew.                                        

Much larger than the prestigious Hermitage appellation which it surrounds, Crozes-Hermitage is also much more prolific.

  

Morambro Creek Shiraz 2008 (Padthaway, Australia), 14.5%, €23.40 Karwig Wines

The Bryson family “employ sustainable environmentally friendly viticulture” and “meticulous traditional winemaking”. It all adds up to gems like this!

It is purple in colour, a little less so at the rim, legs slow to clear. Ripe fruits and more in the aromas, blackcurrant for sure. Expansive on the palate, full of fruit and spice, yet great harmony there too, soft and balanced with a hint of sweetness, the wood is well integrated and you have a long and pleasant finish. Another excellent Shiraz and Very Highly Recommended.

Que Syrah, Shiraz. Southern Style.

Que Syrah, Shiraz

Southern Style

Bilancia Syrah 2004 (Hawkes Bay, New Zealand), 13.5%, €25.18 (was 31.50) Karwig Wines.

Before we even get to the contents, there are two things to note here. The grape is called Syrah and the closure is screw-cap. Don't think I’ve ever twisted a cap off a wine as old. In France, the grape is called Syrah. Elsewhere this ever popular grape is known as Shiraz unless the winemaker, as here, is aiming for the more restrained French style.

A small amount of Viognier (c. 2%) has been used here. The term for this, according to Grapes and Wines, is co-fermentation and says it “gives not just perfume but some extra silkiness of texture”. Syrah itself is, of course, a great blender, most famously in the Rhone where it mixes so well with Grenache and Mourvèdre (shorthand: GSM).

This Bilancia (balance) has a purple colour, aromas of ripe fruit, a little pepper. There is a gorgeous elegant mouthfeel, flavours (mainly plum) and spice; lives up to its name with perfect balance and harmony, good finish too. Highly Recommended. 

The Leheny Gibson mentioned on the front label refers to two people, winemakers Lorraine Leheny and Warren Gibson who first released their wines in 1998.

Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz 2012 (Padthaway, Australia), 14.5%, €16.75 Karwig Wines

This juicy vibrant wine is Shiraz rather than Syrah. Purple is the colour and there in the aromas you'll find ripe red fruits and some spice too. Juicy and vibrant on the palate, fine tannins, oak well integrated, well balanced and easy drinking. Excellent on its own, great too, they suggest, “with food and friends”. Highly Recommended.

Jip Jip Rocks is one of three Bryson family vineyards in the area; the others are Morambro Creek and Mt Monster, who also produce Shiraz. By the way, Jip Jip is well known too for its sparkling shiraz. Quite a few Australian vineyards produce a sparkling shiraz.

David Bryson told me in Cork a few years back that this still Shiraz is their main seller. It is a 100% Shiraz, 100% Padthaway wine with “a lot of vineyard character..a bottle of serious fun…,approachable”.

The Jip Jip rocks have existed for 350 million years and the striking outcrop is sacred to Aboriginal beliefs.

Pielow’s Shiraz 2012, (Tulbagh, Western Cape, South Africa), 14.5%, €17.95 Karwig Wines

Colour is a deep purple, dark fruit aromas plus oak. Quite a lively palate of dark berry fruit flavours, and vanilla; tannins well rounded. No shortage of power here yet it is well balanced with a decent finish. Juicy steaks, barbecued meats and spare ribs are suggested as matches. This is very much a New World Shiraz and is Recommended!

Colin and Teresa Pielow, formerly chef proprietors of two Irish restaurants (including one in Cobh), came to to South Africa a few years back and settled in the beautiful Tulbagh valley in the Cape Winelands. The property where they established and planted their own vineyard has produced this Pielow's Shiraz which is still in their ownership. They have returned to Ireland and opened Pielows Restaurant in Cabinteely where, of course, you may enjoy this fruit-driven Shiraz!

Pielow’s wines are available from:

Pielow's Restaurant, 2 Main Street, Cabinteely, Dublin 18, Ireland

Tel: 01 284 0914 Email: pielows@eircom.net

Karwig Wines, Carrigaline, Co.Cork.

Tel: 021 437 4159 Email: info@karwigwines.ie

Mitchell & Son, Glasthule, 54 Glasthule Road, Glasthule Co. Dublin

Tel: 01 230 2301 Email: glasthule@mitchellandson.com

Avoca Food Market, (stocked by Mitchell & Son), Kilmacanogue. Co. Wicklow

Tel: 01 274 6900 Web: avoca.com

The Topaques of Rutherglen. Intense. Luscious. Rich.

The Topaques of Rutherglen

Intense. Luscious. Rich.

Pfeiffer Rutherglen Topaque (Australia), 17.5%, €24.80 (50cl) Karwig Wines

Rutherglen fortified wine are internationally acclaimed for their intense luscious flavours and unsurpassed richness.

I wouldn't dream of disagreeing with this statement on the front label. These gorgeous wines though did have their problems and had to endure a name change when the Hungarians objected to the Australians using the Tokay name.

Sweet and silky, yet with a light feel to the texture, this golden vibrant Muscadelle is really quite superb. “This is 100% Muscadelle. No Botrytis here but it is well ripened. There is plenty of accumulated sugar but we don't lose the fruit,”  said Chris Pfeiffer when he introduced the wine here in Cork a few years ago.

James Halliday's Wine Atlas says these fortified wines are "absolutely unique; nowhere else in the world is an aged, fortified wine produced as this is from the Muscadelle grape." Grapes & Wines says the grape "reaches its apogee" in Rutherglen and is "less fleshy and syrupy" than Muscat.

Dessert wines are collectively known as stickies in Australia and you can see one of the reasons why on your glass: just note how long those legs take to slide down. But there is a beautiful lightness on the palate and finish. Silky and luscious yes, lovely aromas of honey and apricots too, yet the overall effect is a non-cloying sweetness. A delight and Very Highly Recommended.

The Rutherglen Topaques are classified under four descriptions which mark a progression in richness, complexity and intensity of flavour: Topaque, Classic Topaque, Grand Topaque, and Rare Topaque.

Never got to taste the Rare but, thanks to Chris Pfeiffer’s visit, did have the privilege a few years back of tasting the Grand. This expensive wine is not available in Ireland so I made the most of our taster, taking it tiny sip by tiny sip. It was twenty years old and had spent most of that time in barrel. Producer Chris said: “It is a very special occasion wine (like old Cognac). It is very complex and you don't need much.”

Might not be able to get the top ones here (the Rare is four years older than the Grand)  but the gorgeous Rutherglen Topaque, a delicious first step on the ladder, will do for now!

Pair with honeycomb ice cream, fruit based desserts, soft cheeses, chilled as an aperitif or as an after dinner drink with coffee. These suggestions came from a producer. We enjoyed it as aperitif and disgestif, also with St Tola Goats Cheese (Ash) and a Chocolate Biscuit Cake.

Top Ten Posts. (Past Three Months)

Top Posts
(Past Three Months)

1 Restaurant Reviews
2 The Sharp Knive at Urban Jungle
3 Top Wines
4 Club Brasserie
5 Rebel Chilli
6 Ali's Kitchen
7 Christine. Pastry Queen
8 Around the world without a duck
9 Joe Karwig's Rieslings. Reasons to Remember.
10 Dublin's Australia Day Tasting

Wines From California. Serious. Cheeky. And Over Here.

Wines From California. 
Serious. Cheeky. And Over Here.

California Wines – Less is More is the title of a Wine Event in Ballymaloe next month and here, by way of introduction, are three wines from the Golden State. Two are reasonably serious players, the other not serious at all!

Still on the lookout for Californian wines, so let me know if you have a tip!

Joel Gott Chardonnay (California) 2013, 13.8%, €14.99 Bradley’s, Cork.

This has a bright golden colour, micro-bubbles clinging to the sides of the glass. Aromas of white fruits, blossoms too. Fresh and fruity on the palate, tingles as it spreads its lively acidity, all combining in a really long finish. This elegant wine is unoaked and Very Highly Recommended.

The grapes come from three different counties of California; from Monterey (which enhances the acidity) and from Sonoma and Napa (for better concentration). It is all stainless steel after that with some time sur lies to “improve viscosity”.

The Gott family have been making wine in California for five generations and are also well known for Gott’s Roadside where you can get “great burgers and milk shakes” according to Wines of California which itself has Joel's recipe for Fish Tacos (paired with Sauvignon blanc). Watch out too for their Cabernet Sauvignon and Alakai (a red blend).

See the maker’s short video on the Chardonnay here.  

Wilson Vineyard The Crusher Chardonnay (Clarksburg) 2011, €16.90 Karwig Wines

Another with a bright golden colour, tints of green too. Aromas of white fruit, blossoms, even hints of herb. Great mix of fruit on the fresh palate, nicely restrained though, beautiful rounded mouthfeel, enough acidity to balance and a long engaging finish.

This well balanced wine is “a perfect candidate for a bevy of dishes. Try pairing with halibut with lemon butter atop of rice pilaf or a delicious vegetable stir-fry with soy sauce”. There is, by the way, a small percentage of Viognier included.

The Crusher, from Clarksburg (beginning to emerge on the wine scene), captures the freshness of this world-class growing region, and is Very Highly Recommended.

Barefoot Merlot (California), 13.5%, €10.00 O’Donovan’s Off Licence

“Wine tastes better in a tee than in a tux” is the motto, one of them anyway, for Barefoot who pride themselves on making wines “free from the tyranny of all wine snobbery”.  Jennifer Wall, their winemaker since 1995, is best known in-house as Pinky Toe and, with some 2,000 medals to her credit, Pinky is quite a success story. Barefoot is part of E & J Gallo since 2005.

Merlot, of course, is also quite a success story in California. In 1990, 15,205 tons of Merlot were crushed here and that had risen to 282,300 by 2014. In the US overall, consumption figures for the grape are 2.8 million cases in 1990, 18 million in 2014.

This Barefoot is a fun wine with 76% Merlot and 24% other red wines. The Merlot grapes were harvested from select vineyards in The Central Valley, at the mouth of the Sacramento Delta, a location which provides beautiful warm days and cool breezy nights that foster ideal weather conditions for perfect fruit ripeness.

Colour is purple and there are red and dark fruit aromas (mainly plum, cherry). This medium bodied wine is smooth and warming, full of raspberry and blackberry flavours, mild tannins, well balanced too and with a decent finish. It is an easy-drinker, good value and Recommended. One half of the house is more inclined to make that Highly Recommended, so I used my casting vote! It is versatile too and Barefoot say it may be served with beef, poultry, pasta (with tomato sauce), cheese and dessert.

Merlot. And Barefoot friends