A more affordable Scharzhofberg

Scharzhofberg is a famous Erste Lage vineyard as well as an Ortsteil near the village of Wiltingen in the Saar valley. Its most famous wine comes from the estate of Egon Muller, whose wines command a deservingly high price. There are other owners of this famous vineyard - German Wikipedia lists 8 owners from the largest holdings of Egon Muller (8.4 ha) to the 623 sq m of Weingut Resch. I have tasted the offerings of Egon Muller and Reichgraf von Kesselstat so far and was delighted to find this offering from von Hovel in a booth at the shopping centre underneath my flat, where a net based retailer was holding a few days roadshow. 

Spergola

Spergola is an indigenous white wine grape from the Scandiano area of Reggio Emilia, and the first mention of the grape dates back to the 15th Century. Forming bunches with a little side bunch giving the grapes a "winged" appearance, Spergola is a grape with high natural acidity and much is made into sparkling or semi-sparkling wine. It can be dried to make passito sweet wines. Although the above bottle was tasted at the Win Fair last year, i had already tried this grape at a previous PWC Unusual italian grapes wine dinner. As for this wine, it was a pale straw with few streams of fine bubbles. The nose had a slight note of sour plums and the palate was acid with slight fruitiness. The acid backbone was evident when the acid prickle faded away.

Joh Jos Christoffel Erben

 



Joh Jos Christoffel Erben has been a family owned estate for over 400 years and the estate has been called this since the beginning of the 19th Century. The estate has vineyards in Urziger Wirzgarten and Erdener Treppchen, both of which are planted exclusively with ungrafted vines some of which are over 100 years old. The planting of ungrafted vines is possible (and legally permitted) in the slate hillsides of the Mosel because Phylloxera does not thrive in these soils. In 2001, the estate was leased to Robert Etmael who owns the Monchhof Estate. The wines are now made by Eymael on the estate but with the advice of the Christoffel family to maintain an unbroken style with the past.

Palava

 



This wine is made from Palava, a white Slovakian wine grape bred in 1953 by crossing Gewurztraminer and Muller-Thurgau. Capable of attaining high sugar levels, Palava can be made into the full spectrum of wines from dry to very sweet. Green yellow in colour, wines made from Palava have also a tendency to exhibit exotic fruit notes. Elesko exhibited two versions at their booth in last year's wine Fair: a carbonated version and the above wine, which is actually a straw wine. Bright golden yellow in colour, it was sweet luscious and fruity on the nose. The palate was similarly sweet luscious and fruity, with a good acid backbone for support.

Duorum Port

 



A new port house is a rare thing indeed with most of the names in port predating even the 20th Century. Before Duorum, Churchill Graham was probably the newest port company, being founded by Johnny Graham (from the family that used to own the Graham port house) in 1981. Duorum stared in January 2007 as a partnership between JP Ramos, an established name in Alentejo and Jose Maria Soares Franco, who had been making Port and red wines (including Barca Velha) at AA Ferreira. The range of wines produced include dry reds and whites, as well as red port (cintage and LBV so far), with both Colheitas and Riservas being dry red table wines rather than ports. I saw this port at my neighbourhood wine shop thyat has an eclectic range. I shall look forward to tasting this wine.

Costieres de Nimes

 



Costieres de Nimes is an AC for wines produced between the ancient city of Nimes and the west Rhone delta. Initially Costiere du Gard (a VDQS) , it became a Languedoc AC in 1986. The name changed to Costieres de Nimes  in 1989 and it switched to being a Rhone AC in 2004. Wine has been made in the area for over 2000 years and these wines were consumed by Greeks in pre-Roman times. They had also supplied wines to the Avignon Popes. The bulk of the production is red wine, made from Syrah, Mouvedre, Grenache Carignan  and Cinsault. Roses are also made from mostly the same grapes, although a maximum of 10% of white grapes are allowed. Whites account for only some 4% of the production.

Mavrud & Rubin

 



This bottle of Bulgarian wine is made from two indigenous grapes, Mavrud and Rubin. Mavrud is a highly esteemed Bulgarian grape native to Kara Thrace in Bulgaria. It is a late ripening grape of low yields of small berries which gives tannic spicy wines capable of aging. Rubin was created in Bulgaria in the 1940s by crossing Syrah with Nebbiolo. It produces dark wines with good fruit, balanced acidity and tannins and medium to high alcohol. It tends to be high yielding which needs management, and it has good disease resistance. The above wine was a deep ruby, with a sweet fruity nose reminiscent of Ribena, but with a touch of acid. The palate was sweet acid fruity and tannic, with the acid and tannins continuing as a good backbone in support of the wine.

Bava Libera



This is a Barbera d'Asti from Bava, a family owned winery going back to the 1600s, which has become famous for its Barbera over the years. Its top offering is named after the famous violin maker Stradivarius and this Libera is a mid-range offering from younger vines in the PianoAlto farmhouse in Agliano d'Asti. Whilst its flagship wine is aged in barriques, Libera is only bottle aged after fermentation in stainless steel. The wine above was a deep ruby, with a rather closed nose opening slightly to reveal tannin, acid and a touch of fruit. The palate was slightly sweet on entry turning acid in a pleasant mouthwatering way. An acid backbone provided structure.

Devin

 

This wine which I tasted at last year's Wine Fair (albeit at a different booth than the one I tasted Dunaj, Alibernet etc - also see previous blogs) was made from another Slovakian grape, Devin. Like Dunaj, it was created in 1958 by the same people, this time by crossing Gewurztraminer with Gruner Veltliner. it produces a  green yellow wine with spice, somewhat reminiscent of Muscat, in which some may find hints of dried apricot, dandelion honey and bread. Both dry and natural sweet wines can be made from the grape. As for the wine above, it was a pale straw with an orangey grapey nose. The palate was slightly sweet with an extension of the orangey grapey notes onto the palate. An acid backbone gives structure.

Chateau Saint-Lo

 



I saw this wine at a hotel restaurant recently. I had one vintage of it around 10 years and that vintage was the millennial vintage. I had blogged about various Thai wines and the remarks about that 2000 Saint-Lo was included in one of those entries. This is because this St Emilion Grand Cru estate is Thai owned, being bought by the then Consul of Thailand in Bordeaux Pathom Vongsuravatana in 1990. He turned the estate around regaining the St Emilion Grand Cru designation that it had lost in the previous few years in 1992. That older wine was bought at a Chiang-Mai shopping centre in a holiday in August after the SARS subsided in 2003, but I had not seen it since, hence I was surprised to see it in Hong Kong.

Roquette & Cazes

I saw this wine at a shop in my neighbourhood. It was not the usual food and wine shop, but one in which the owner takes delight in trying out eclectic and different wines, in order to be able to recommend some really fabulous wine to his customer. He drew my attention to the wine above. I thought I had no knowledge of this partnership between the Roquette family (who owns Quinta du Crasto) and the Cazes family of the Lych-Bages fame. But an internet search revealed another vintage, another wine from the same terroir and partnership, Xistro, which although I did not taste, was nevertheless on sale at the same time in one of the wine chains as Chrysea, which I did drink. The latter is another collaboration between a port maker and a Bordeaux vigneron, just like this one.

Dunaj

I tasted this varietal wine made from the Dunaj grape at the Wine Fair last year. Dunaj was created in 1958 by crossing a Muscat Bouchet x Oporto cross with St Laurent, giving an early ripening and frost resistant grape. After a prolonged period of development, it was finally officially recognized and released for cultivation in 1997. Named after the Danube River (Dunaj is the local name) where the grape was initially bred, Dunaj gives deeply coloured wines with full body and delicate character.

The above sample was a dry version which had a deep ruby tint, with an acid fruity nose incorporating a hint of wood. The palate was soft and mildly woody, but with berries and acid. It was all supported with a good acid backbone. There was also a sweet version made from late harvested grapes, with the sugar levels preserved by cold fermentation arrest. That 2011 example had a more ruby tint, and a sweet stewed plum nose. The palate was sweet and smooth with a touch of berry. This younger sweet wine had more obvious tannins ion its acid backbone.

Daniel Rion Hautes Cotes de Nuits Les Millottes

Hautes Cotes de Nuits is a large subregion on top of the Cote d'Or escarpment and the adjacent slopes and valleys and has only the Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits AC, covering reds, whites and roses. Founded in 1955, Domaine Daniel Rion et Fils is a small family owned estate with an annual production of around 8000 cases, producing wines of 18 appellations in six villages in Cotes de Nuits and Haut Cotes. This white wine comes from a 2.35 ha vineyard at 400m facing south west for good sun exposure. Planted in 1989, the Chardonnay is vinified and two thirds matured in 500L barrels to add complexity. The wine is not fined but filtered sur terre prior to careful bottling. On its Website, they say this wine can be aged a few years. After 18 years, the bottle above was still an interesting and complex drink.

Chateau Feytit-Clinet

Chateau Feytit-Clinet is an estate in Pomerol, situated close to Chateaux Clinet, Latour-a-Pomerol and Clos l'Eglise. The first mentions of the estate dates back to 1825, but it was farmed and its wines sold by Ets Jean-Pierre Moueix (owners of Ch Petrus etc) since 1966. The owning Chasseuil family regained control of the estate in 2000, and made improvements to the property, including reducing yields and green harvesting. Their wines are 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Fermentation is mainly in concrete vats (the balance in stainless steel) with gentle pumping over to add maceration. Four or so weeks after the end of alcoholic fermentation, they are transferred to 70-80% new barriques for malolactic fermentation and then lees aging. A further 14-18 months maturation in 70-80% new barriques occurs before bottling.

Dom L Remy Chambertin Grand Cru 1991

The above wine was tasted a few weeks ago during the tasting in which we explored older Burgundies over 10 years old. It was the oldest and grandest wine, though the 1998 Echezeaux from Domaine de Perdrix was considered the best of the night. Founded in 1820, Domaine Louis Remy is a small family domaine (3.5 ha) with an annual production of some 15,000 bottles, including a monopole Clos des Rosier, and the following holdings of Grand Cru: Close de la Roche (0.66 ha), Latriciere-Chambertin (0.58 ha) and Le Chambertin (0.32 ha). The domaine seem to change its name with changes in leadership as it is now called Dom Chantal Remy. There is no room for confusion, since Lalou Bize-Leroy bought the other Remy (Phillipe) and incorporated the vineyards into Domaine Leroy in 1989. As for this wine, it was a deep garnet, with lots of sweet fruit (red berry fruits) on both nose and palate. A nice acid backbone provides ample support.

Clos des Papes

This is Clos des Papes, a well established wine estate from Chateauneuf-du-Papes. Paul Avril first sold wine under the name Clos des Papes in 1896; he later went on to campaign for the establishment of the appellation. The name came from the fact that one of the parcels of vineyard was right next to the ancient Papal palace, and used to be an enclosed vineyard (hence clos). Clos des Papes grows all of the grape varieties permitted in the appellation, and makes only one red and one white wine, the latter using nearly equal proportions of all of the white varieties. I have had quite a few vintages of their red wines, which are good, but have yet to sample their whites.

Warre's Vintage Port 1955

1955 was an underrated vintage for Port (considered by some to be one of the most under-appreciated) but one in which there was a general declaration (22 shippers). Some reckoned this to be the best since 1948. Generally the 1955 ports are balanced smooth fruity and concentrated wines capable of extended aging. As for Warre, the first eve British Port Company started off in 1670, trading in a large variety of goods, but by 1721 William Warre (grandson of the founder) started trading in port, so that by the end of the 19th century, Warre accounted for 10% of the trade. It also started buying land and building a lodge at Vila Nova de Gaia to mature their ports. I bought this bottle with some old wines (including a couple of 1966 First Growths and maybe the Taylor 63) some time ago. I am sure this will be a wonderful drink.

Beaune

Beaune is the wine town in the middle of the region (Cotes de Beaine) which bears its name. There are no Grand Cru vineyards in the Beaune appellation, but 42 Premier Cru vineyards, of which some, like Drouhin's Clos des Mouches, Jadot's Clos des Ursules and Bouchard's Vigne de l'Enfant Jesus, produce the flagship wines of these companies from the Beaune appellation. Beaune produces around 85% red wines with the remaining 15% white. It is of course famous for the auction of the Hospices de Beaune (see previous blog), which occurs on the third Sunday of November and gives an indication of the bulk wine prices for the rest of the region that year.

Traminette

Traminette is a grape obtained by crossing a Seyve French American hybrid with Gewurztraminer in an attempt to breed a table grape with large clusters and the flavour of Gewurztraminer. The resultant grape has good productivity, partial resistance to fungal diseases, good cold hardiness whilst retaining much of the characteristics of Gewurztraminer, including the ability to produce good wines. I tasted this fortified wine at last year's Wine Fair. A pale straw colour, the wine was a touch closed when tasted, but hints of sweet fruit were noted on the nose. The palate was sweet, slightly fruity but still retained the alcohol bite from the fortification. An acid backbone was evident in the structure.

Echezeaux

Echezeaux is a Burgundy Grand Cru vineyard in the commune of Flagey-Echezeaux, located between Vosne-Romanee, Vougeot and Chambolle-Musigny. There are two Grand Crus in the commune, Echezeaux and Grands Echezeaux, and these are the only appellations in that commune (ie no Flagey-Echezeaux AOC), as the other vineyards are also part of Vosne-Romanee. Of the two, Grands Echezeaux is considered the better Grand Cru, being less divided, with 21 owners, rather than the 80 in Echezeaux (cf Clos de Vougeot, also 80 something owners). I had only met Echezeaux in Hong Kong so far, and tasted only two, the wine above and a Henri Jayer bottle from the 1980 vintage. Both are very fine wines indeed, with the Jayer bottle the subject of an earlier blog.

An old white Hautes Cotes de Nuits

We had this 18 year old white Burgundy the other day. It could have been dodgy, because old white Burgundies tend not to fare well except for top wines. I had this wine at the 5th Anniversary dinner for Peter's Wine Circle, and a further 6 years down the road, it had matured to a golden orange colour, with a honeyed nose with pronounced wood. On entry the palate was distinctly lemony, with wood and a hint of the honeyed notes from the nose. There was a slightly astringent (some also say bitter) note in the palate at the end. A lemony acid backbone provided structure and support. Not bad for an 18 year old Regional Burgundy.

Roero Arneis

This is Roero Arneis, a Piedmont white wine made from Arneis grapes grown in the hills of Roero north west of Alba. There are three DOCs from Roero; Roero for reds made from Nebbiolo (with a smidgeon of Arneis (2-5%)), Roero Arneis and Roero Arneis Spumante, the latter two made entirely from Arneis. Other wines such as Barbera d'Alba, Bonarda, Favorita and Moscati d'Asti can also be made in Roero.

Arneis is a white grape indigenous to the area, making dry crisp full bodied wines with floral, peaches and apricot notes. It can be difficult to grow, with a tendency to become overripe and lose acidity if harvested after September. Chalky soils enhance the grapes acidity and structure, whilst clay sandy soils can give rise to wines with exotic perfumes.

Domaine J-M Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 2010

The original post which was published on this day was accidently missed during the archive process and as Yahoo log is now defunct; that post is now forever lost. Try as I might, I cannot gather from what clues that now remain, what I actually wrote on that day. So to avoid "missing" a post for this day, I will fill in with a post from things which occur in May 2014 to fill the gap.

This is a wine I had at a dinner after a MedicoLegal Society meeting in May 2014. Noe although Premier Cru Chablis is my first love amongst white Burgundy, Puligny-Montrachet also has a special place in my heart. My wife and I really like the wines from Domaine Leflaive but they are getting really expensive now and so we don't drink them as often. This offering from Domaine J-M Boillot is the the most basic of a range of wines from that village, which extends right up to Grand Cru. Although based in Pommard (and with vineyards also in Languedoc), they seem to have the most holdings and wines of different appleations of various levels in Puligny-Montrachet.

As for the wine, it was a nice grolden yellow with a nice crisp nose carrying faint notes of grapefruit. The palate was crisp with grapefuit notes and a touch of wood, supported by a woody citrussy acid backbone.