Question: Do you have an example of a wine you purchased that disappointed you but later with cellaring surprised you?

Answer: Great question! Lots I could share. This often happens with the pinot noir variety which doesn’t always develop in a straight line of maturity. Particularly high acidity red Burgundy vintages like 1972 & 1988 with time now have developed into some marvellous fresh delicious bottles. More recently in Burgundy maybe the irregular still tart 1996 and the smaller crop 2010 may be similar – definitely the latter has fruit acidity balance for the future. A recent example from this month is 1975 Chateau Montrose from that very hard tannic vintage. Cellared and drank too early many disappointingly dry austere bottles which definitely needed food. Many 1975 Bordeaux just don’t have enough fruit to out-last those tannins. However, even though it may not be the 100 point 1990 this 1975 now at 40 years of age shows improved old style complexity of true St. Estephe terroir from that over 70% cabernet sauvignon dense fruit less hidden by the strong tannins which are starting to mellow. Surprise or at least patience rewarded!

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Do you know the difference in Rioja among crianza, reserva, and gran reserva? At a recent tasting producer Marques de Caceres founded in 1970 by Enrique Forner certainly showed wines displaying these levels with both vineyard age and yields being important keys.

CRIANZA:   Consistent vintage year (presently 2011) best seller in USA 85% tempranillo, 10% spicy garnacha, & 5% graciano aged 12 months in new and used oak French (60%) & American (40%) shows good freshness.

RESERVA:  Better vintages (currently 2008) using same grape mix of older 30 year vines with lower yields (30hl/ha) aged 22 months French oak (1/3 new) displays more concentration & elegance.

GRAN RESERVA: Same grape mix but slightly more natural acidity of graciano (7%) best years (currently 2005) oldest vines and lowest yields aged 26 months in French oak (1/2 new) shows fruit depth with ripe prunes complexity.

Also have a structured GAUDIUM ( “joys of the senses ” in Latin – not the famous Spanish architect Gaudi) GRAN VINO in 2009 (10th one, first one 94) limited production of 94 new French oak barrels (28,200 bottles) 18-20 months where the malolactic fermentation takes place from 95% tempranillo & 5% graciano from 6 special parcels of very old vines with one 1.5 hectare plot pre-phylloxera over 120 years (average 70+) & low yields (18hl/ha) results in more tannins for cellar aging potential.

Appreciated as well the good value of both their fragrant white 100% verdejo (harvested at night in Rueda when temperatures are cooler to intensify their mineral attributes) first own vineyards vintage 2014 but from vines 30-40 years old and fresh flowers Rosado (Rose) from 96% tempranillo & 4% garnacha.

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By Joseph Temple

Twenty years ago, few people living outside the borders of Argentina knew about its local wine industry.  Today, exports are at nearly a billion dollars per year, fueled largely by its world-famous Malbec grapes and a cost-friendly price tag (although this may be changing soon).  With Argentine wines being sold across the globe, it’s hard to imagine that at one time, the nation’s growers gave little thought to exports.  Of course, with a per capita consumption of twenty-one gallons per year – one of the highest in the world – satisfying their own people’s thirsty palates took top priority.  But with increased foreign investment, Argentina began aggressively looking at markets beyond South America.  And although the country has become synonymous with Malbec, other varietals including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sangiovese are being cultivated near the Andes, where the melted snow from the mountain tops is used to nourish the land through an impressive irrigation system.  So for this week, have a look at ten interesting facts about the Argentine wine industry.

By Rod Waddington from Kergunyah, Australia [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

1. Argentina is the number one producer of wine in South America
and the world’s sixth-largest producer.
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2. Wine grapes have been grown in Argentina since at least the mid-16th century.
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By Fred von Lohmann from san francisco (Wine Tasting: Malbec) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

3. More Malbec is grown in Argentina than anywhere else in the world.
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By Emilia Garassino [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

4. Most of the nation’s wine regions are located in the west central part of the country near the foothills of the Andes Mountains. With elevations
up to 4,900 feet above sea level, some of these vineyards have the highest altitudes in the entire world.
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By Fabio Ingrosso (Flickr: Francois Lurton, vigneti in Argentina) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

5. In Argentina, the land and labor costs are roughly $30,000 per acre. In comparison, the same costs per acre in the Napa Valley are $300,000.
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By European citizen (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

6. Mendoza is the largest and most successful region for viticulture in Argentina. Located east of the Andes, it accounts for 70% of the country’s wine production and is the sixth-largest producer of grapes in the entire world.
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7. With completion of the Mendoza-Buenos Aires railroad in 1882, the region became vital in supplying Argentina’s political and financial capital with agricultural products—including wine.
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By Tjeerd Wiersma (Flickr: Argentinie 123) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

8. Up until the mid-1990s, Argentina’s wine industry almost exclusively focused on domestic consumption, producing mostly inexpensive wines that were blends from many different grapes.
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9. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Argentina experienced hyperinflation at approximately 1,000 percent a year. With price controls placed on wine during this time, many growers shifted away from grape production.
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By Juan Pelizzatti (Bodegas Chakana) [CC BY 3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons

10. Those who stuck with growing wine grapes were given financial incentives to destroy older and traditional varieties in favor of high-yield and inferior varieties designed for domestic consumption.

Sources:

Catena, Laura. Vino Argentino: An Insider’s Guide to the Wines and Wine Country of Argentina. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2011.
Koplan, Steven, Smith, Brian H. and Weiss, Michael. Winewise: Your Complete Guide to Understanding, Selecting, and Enjoying Wine. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014.
Luongo, Michael, Mroue, Haas and Schreck, Kristina. Frommer’s Argentina and Chile. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing Inc., 2005.
MacNeil, Karen. The Wine Bible. New York: Workman Publishing Company, 2000.
McCarthy, Ed and Ewing-Mulligan, Mary. Wine For Dummies. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing Inc., 2012.
Nowak, Barbara and Wichman, Beverly. The Everything Wine Book: From Chardonnay to Zinfandel, All You Need to Make the Perfect Choice. Avon: Adams Media, 2005.
Parker, Robert M. Parker’s Wine Bargains: The World’s Best Wine Values Under $25. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2009.

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Question: I drink mainly New World wines. Just received an inheritance of some red Bordeaux mostly from the 2003 vintage including a case of Chateau Duhart Milon. Any guidance?

Answer: 2003 Bordeaux have some of the characteristics of the riper New World regions because of the heat wave experienced that year so you should enjoy them. Many were made from quite ripe grapes with lower acidity resulting in more forwardly drinking wines. In any event they are over 10 years of age and can be consumed now in that softer style. You have a real treasure in the Duhart a 4^th Growth from Pauillac in the 1855 Classification but  much improved under the Lafite Rothschild management. Their replanted vineyards from the 1960s are mature and thriving. I bought this 2003 on futures at what turned out to be a bargain price as every bottle I open is better still and no rush to drink up. Low yields of just over 30hl/ha for the blend of 73% cabernet sauvignon & 27% merlot show that typical cedar cigar box complex bouquet with rich full balanced flavours. A special treat. Lucky you as this is definitely one of the stars of the 2003 vintage!

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By Arnaud 25 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

DOCG Chianti Classico (CC) includes Italian vineyards between Florence & Siena of Castellina, Gaiole, Greve, and Radda and parts of 5 other surrounding communities.  CC was exported in 2014 to more than 60 countries led  by USA 31%, Italy 18%, Germany 12% and Canada 10%. There is now a new classification for Chianti Classico above Riserva (CCR) called Gran Selezione (GS) which requires the use of only grapes harvested from a winery’s own vineyards. The Consorzio led by Sergio Zingarelli of Rocca delle Macie have been on a North American tour explaining this new system and conducting formal tasting of the wines. More details on the classification with a useful chart can be found here. Interesting to note that the maximum yields for CC, CCR and GS are the same at 7.5 tons/hectare (or 3.35 T/acre) yet different minimum alcohol, maturation, and characteristics prevail:

CC:      Minimums: Alcohol 12  Maturation 12 Months “Young Full of fruit, Pleasant, Appealing and Very Drinkable”

CCR:   Minimums: Alcohol 12.5 Maturation 24 Months “Bigger Structure & Greater Aging Potential than the Year’s Vintage CC”

GS:     Minimums: Alcohol 13 Maturation 30 Months (no stipulation on minimum barrel aging at all) “Perfect Balance between Elegance & Potency, Careful Grape Selection in Finest Years Ensures Great Structure & Equally Great Aging Potential”

The seminar dwelt on GS finesse, refinement and the sensorial characteristics of the Sangiovese Variety “Signature” showing great structure, balance and harmony, depth of flavour, aromatic spicy persistent complexity with the immediacy of the fruit on the palate and the nuances to age. Yet the wines varied widely in style from a very oaky Castello di Gabbiano to 20% merlot added in the Principe Corsini-Villa Le Corti. Still questions are raised about no production volume maximums where large landowners are blending big lots from various regions while smaller producers are only making 2400 bottles (200 cases) or less. GS doesn’t help you understand the different vineyards and regions of CC but is more selection orientated rather than a terroir driven classification. Certification is obtained based on “chemical-physical tests conducted by authorized laboratories and approval of the wine’s organoleptic characteristics by special tasting committees”. Ripeness seems to be important factor as most GS wines were around 14.5 alcohol. Prices vary greatly too from around $35 (Bibbiano) to just under $200 (2010 Felsina Colonia). Nevertheless there are some excellent GS wines arriving in the marketplace that are worth exploring. Check them out.

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