Another wine with Hong Kong connection

When I saw "Leung Estate" on the label of this Kiwi Pinot Noir, I was intrigued. Can this wine be from an estate with a Chinese or even Hong Kong connection? The answer is in the affirmative. The owner turned out be someone born in Hong Kong and then went to New Zealand to study dentistry. With an interest in food and wine, he and his wife started the restaurant Ma Maison (explaining the name on the label) and later started growing Pinot Noir in Martinborough. Apart from Pinot Noir reds, a Chardonnay is also produced as well as some special cuvees. 

As for this wine, it was a limpid ruby, with a sweet strawberry nose with some acid. The palate was sweet and acid with pronounced strawberry notes, right through to the finish.

Champagne Lemaire Cuvee Trianon Brut

We had this champagne for the New Year toast. This was one of the champagne carried by the neighbourhood wine store that I had been periodically buying from; they used to carry a greater range of champagnes and sparklers than now, but there are still many interesting ones to choose from. This example from the Champagne house of Roger Constant Lemaire  is made from 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, spending some 5 years in the cellars for vinification and maturation. Like the rest of its range, the base wines never undergo mal-lactic fermentation, explaining the tart character in the mouth. A golden straw colour with few streams of medium sized bubbles, there was a crisp acid slightly fruity nose. There was an acid prickle turning into a slightly tart minerally palate, with an acid backbone in support. The family however found it too tart to drink on its own.

Bourgogne Gamay

I mentioned in a blog entriy a few days ago that Bourgogne Gamay was made from the Beaujolais grape. I later found out that it was a new appellation from 2011, just like Coteaux Bourguignons. This new Burgundian appellation is basically allowing the Cru Beaujolais to be labelled as Burgundy again, but emphasizing the Gamay component (minimum 30%). Only fruit from Cry Beaujolais can be used (and there is a question of whether the youngest Cru - Regnie is included or not).

In the same overhaul of the wine law regarding burgundy and Beaujolais, the whites wines of the Beaujolais have been split into some continuing to be labeled as Bourgogne Blanc whilst others have to be labelled as Beaujolais Blanc. More details about the Beaujolais wine law revamp can be found in this Decanter article.

Cru Beaujolais at a chain retailer

Most people associate Beaujolais with the Nouveau wine and the Beaujolais Nouveau promotion campaign, but there is much more to Beaujolais than Nouveau. So it was quite gratifying to find such a display at a chain retailer, not only the gold labeled Bourgogne Gamay (which many may not realize is made with the Beaujolais grape) but also 4 out of 10 crus - Fleurie, Morgaon, Chiroubles and Regnie. Looking it up on the map these four crus are actually next to each other - from north to south they go in this order: Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon and Regnie.

Fleurie is light and though not as light as Chiroubles (which can be a good introduction to people who have only tried Nouveau only). Morgon is sturdy and full bodied and can age for some years (especially wines from the Cote de Puy vineyard location), whilst the youngest cru of Regnie had both fruit and structure aplenty to please.

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.