What We Drank (January 4, 2010)
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief
For this, our first WWD of the new year, we have one old old bottle, and a few value wines that were enjoyed over the holidays. For me, my drinking over the last week has been mostly local, so those notes will be published as stand-alone and "Tasting Table" posts.
Evan Dawson: Alain Graillot 1989 Crozes-Hermitage La Guiraude
In a blind setting, this wine convinced the table it was a syrah — likely from the northern Rhone. But more experienced tasters were pegging it at 15 years old, and if you follow Northern Rhone winemaking, you know that Crozes-Hermitage is rather the lesser star of the region. In other words, no one was expecting this, and especially because the wine was an elegant beauty.
It was straightforward and mature, giving off secondary characteristics that had held up impressively.
It's a big, big stretch to connect a Northern Rhone appellation to the Finger Lakes, but I'm going to try. You see, someone recently asked how long the very best 2007 Finger Lakes reds might age (the example offered was Ravines Meritage).
My answer: We can't possibly know. Occasionally we'll luck into a late 1980s Finger Lakes red that is somehow still alive, but I haven't found much that is still singing. But a lot has changed in our young region.
What's the drinking window for the very best local reds? I wish I knew, but I'll be experimenting as time goes by.
Does that mean we're anything like Crozes-Hermitage? Nope. But like this surprising bottle, still holding up and showing well two decades on, there might be surprises to uncover here. It will simply take time and patience to make such discoveries, if they exist at all.
Jason Feulner: Relax Riesling
Relax ALREADY! At only 9% alcohol this Mosel riesling isn't going to
insist upon relaxation via drunken stupor, but I hardly missed the
extra kick.Apple dominated the semi-dry/semi-sweet composition, the
acidity nicely backing the spritzy finish with just a hint of
minerality.The residual sugar left over from fermentation integrated itself nicely
with the flavor components. I tend to like my rieslings a little more
dry, but in this case the lightness of the Mosel proved itself to be
adequate for an affordable, fun sipper.At $10, this is the type of
stuff parties should be made of (yes, I'm calling you out, you
mass-produced, overripe oak bombs!). With just a hint of both sweetness
and complexity, I'd consider this as a go-to for pleasing a random
gathering.
Julia Burke: G&M Machmer Bechtheimer Stein Gewürztraminer Spätlese 2006
My family's favorite Indian restaurant serves up phenomenal northern Indian and Pakistani entrees, fluffy naan and roti, tasty appetizers — and a horrendous wine list.
Fortunately, the owner is aware of this, and he allows BYOB wine and beer with no corkage fee. So when I met my family for dinner there on Saturday, my mom had brought along a bottle of her favorite Indian food wine: Gewurztraminer.
This one was sweeter than expected, with a delicate nose of apricot, toasted straw, and a light touch of vanilla and spice — a bit more understated than most of the gewurztraminers I've had.
The acidity was decent, with no oily characteristics, and to balance the moderate sweetness I ordered my tandoori chicken a little spicier than usual.
At $12 this was a good choice for the occasion, refreshing and pleasant.
Bryan Calandrelli: Saladini Pilastri 2006 Rosso Piceno Superiore Montetinello
There are some wines that get tagged as everyday wines based on price, quaffability and versatility. When I first started drinking wine everyday I would always count on a Montepulciano D¹Abruzzo to quench my daily thirst for dry reds. The 1.5L bottles were never all that complex, but they were good enough to drink with dinner or just sip over the course of an evening.
After several years of supporting the red wine industry I learned enough to know that the red blends of Le Marche can bring complexity and value by blending two grapes from the region.
This Saladini Pilastri Rosso Piceno Montetinello 2006 is a blend of 70% Montepulciano and 30% Sangiovese which is pretty much standard for Rosso Piceno.
It pours ruby red in color with aromas of plum, sour cherry, vanilla and toast. I also picked up some forest notes that I can only relate to evergreen trees. Perfectly medium-bodied, this wine had fine tannins and balanced acidity.
Clearly old world in style, I love the oak treatment in wines like this. It's balance and rusticity make it a good buy at $10.
Kevin Burns:
Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada Limb and LifeA last minute trip to Manhattan with friends meant only one thing — I get to stop by Rattle N' Hum.
Rattle N' Hum is quite possibly my favorite beer bar in the city and this trip allowed me to try a rare brew that I have been hunting after for quite some time.
Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head brewed sister collaboration beers in 2009. These beers, Life & Limb and Limb & Life, created quite a splash in the craft beer world.
I was lucky enough to try Limb and Life, a 4.8% ABV American Brown Ale on tap. The beer is malty on the nose and first sip with some light sweetness. The mid-palate is mellow and the finish is hoppy. Overall, a very mild beer especially for a Dogfish brew.
What a good bunch of wines you guys put away this weekend! Evan wins again I think with the old Syrah. As it happens, I used to sell this wine (Graillot Crozes) years ago when I was in the wholesale trade in Philly. I had the last bottle of it just a couple of years ago. If there is a more prestigeous vineyard designated Crozes-Hermitage made than Alain Graillot’s Guiraude, I can’t think of one. This bottle is the very definition of well-made Syrah on the plateaus of Crozes-Hermitage.
It doesn’t actually surprise me it lasted 15 years so easily - FLX reds and Northern Rhones will last for many years if they possess some tannic structure and supportive levels of fruit. Balance of acidity and fruit, buttressed with tannin will keep most wines alive - but only nobility like Syrah, Cab, Pinot, etc. will actually IMPROVE with age.
Living a long time and improving with age are two different very issues.
Jim -
Very well said, and a point that we often discuss (staying alive versus actual improvement). Based on my experience, here’s my take on that issue vis a vis Finger Lakes wine:
-Rieslings can improve, but only the top bottlings have shown that ability. It would be silly to buy any old FLX riesling off the shelf and expect it to improve with time. But wines from Red Newt, Sheldrake, Dr. Frank, Wiemer, etc have shown an evolutionary improvement. In particular I have a ’99 Wiemer Late Harvest Riesling in my cellar — I am seeking ways of multiplying a bottle’s contents, as I don’t want to extinguish it. My last tasting of it (this past summer) showed gorgeous brioche, sweet almond cake, lemon curd and lime. And while the new release bottling of that wine is very enjoyable, it needs time before it goes there.
The reds haven’t yet shown the promise of bottle age improvement. The select few top bottlings have shown an impressive structure that can hang in there for many years, but most wouldn’t say it’s a step up. That’s why I’m extremely curious about some of the very best ’07 bottlings.
Now, I should point out that I absolutely love a wine’s secondary and tertiary notes. I don’t mind when a wine goes “past peak” because I dig the loamy, truffly notes that come more to the surface. So I might dig an older Finger Lakes red than most people. But I still wouldn’t argue it’s improved since release, especially by most consumers’ definition.
(And regarding the Crozes, I’m interested to know the stylistic profile of the modern release. Have you had recent vintages?)
I haven’t had the wine in recent vintages, no, I would suspect they are guardians of the old style though. That’s interesting since back in 1989 they were the “new style” of Crozes-Hermitage - meaning they wines were excellent and well made, not throw-aways or also rans to “Hermitage”.
Going past peak really is a matter of taste, you rightly point out. It reminds me of an old joke I heard in this business somewhere: When is the right time to drink a wine? The Frenchman drinks his wines too young because he’s afraid the socialist government will take it away. The Englishman drinks them too old because he loves to invite his friends down to his cellar to admire all of the dusty old bottles. The American drinks his wine at exactly the right time…because he doesn’t know any better.
Wondering what a FL or Niagara wine will taste like in 15 years is like wondering what they will taste like in zero gravity. Most of us will never know.
Just had an 07 Graillot C-H tonight. Pepper, red fruit, earth, and some definite barnyard action. I love northern Rhones for their embodiment of rusticity + elegance, and Graillot is genius at this. Great post, Evan. Note to self: put away some Finger Lakes reds to see what happens in 2025.
Sasha -
There is no shortage of Brett in the northern Rhone, and of course we could spin off into a thousandth discussion of whether Brett can be desirable (it can). But just wanted to note an interesting distinction in those wines, for what it’s worth. Last weekend we had a 1999 Patrick Jasmin Cote-Rotie; it showed a lot of character, including bloody beef that I would not describe as Bretty. Other Cote-Roties show some unmistakable Brett. As a Northern Rhone fan, do you occasionally get that bloody, rare-meat kind of quality? I dig it, and I find it quite different than stereotypical Brett.
Regarding Finger Lakes wines, it’s a fun experiment, but of course only if you trust the producer. There are only a small handful of wines that I’d even attempt to stretch for two decades or more.