Coteaux Bourguignons

I encountered this bottle in the wine department of a large store in Japan. Louis Jadot was a familiar enough producer but Coteaux Bourguignons was not a familiar name. As label said, the wine is made from Gamay and Pinot Noir, and so I wondered if this was a new name for Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains, which was produced from those two grapes (with a few others permitted).

As it turned out, that was not the case. It was a new name, not for Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains (which still exists), but for Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire, which it replaced in late 2011. It can be produced from a variety of Burgundy grapes, either as varietals or in blends (both reds and whites). As Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire is hardly seen in Hong Kong, it's no wonder I have not come across Coteaux Bourguignons till now.

A Pinot Noir from Loosen

Villa Wolf is a Pfalz winery that was acquired by Ernst Loosen in 1996. Apart from Riesling, a number of other grapes were grown in the vineyards including Pinots Gris Blanc and Noir as well as Gewurztraminer. This above wine is from their varietal series, which uses both estate grown as well as grapes from contracted growers. This was tasted in the wine department in Osaka the other day.

The wine was somewhat between a very deep pink and a pale ruby. The nose showed the typical varietal strawberry aromas. There was a hint of sweetness on entry, followed by a touch of fruity accompanied by acidity on the palate, which led onto a nice acid backbone.

Vinous adventures in Kansai

I just returned from a week or so in Kyoto and Osaka (also taking in Kobe). As expected we did sample some wines (though it must also be said, we also tried different sakes as well). I had attended a conference in Kyoto, but the wines for the opening reception and the congress dinner were nothing to write home about.

I wondered about but eventually decided against revisiting the Kobe Winery. They make a fair bit of wine from various hybrids, although they do make some wines from the international varieties too. The vinous high point was a day shopping in Osaka, in which I had tasted a number of interesting wines on show at a couple of department stores. They will be dealt with in other entries.