June Wine Club Selections…

I  sometimes wonder what would happen if each wine we sampled and sold did not come branded to the max. Marketers will always push for brand development, supposedly best maneuverable within market dynamics with such a distinction along with a catchy label, a catchy quote, a distinguishable concept from the rest of the pack for imprint in the consumer consciousness, all for the leverage to grasp a hold of whatever market share is available. Just to be different and so as to create a non-brand brand for ourselves, I’m not going to promote the winery’s name or label on the bottle this month; trying instead to see if I can tip-toe around the brand and head straight for the juice, probably via the region. I realize I risk helping to brand a region, but if one is a devote of the religion of sense of place, this seems like a reasonable compromise. Maybe it is impossible to un-brand everything without inadvertently branding something else. Maybe we are stuck in another cyclical redundancy.

First up this month is a Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley, Oregon that is a result of blending Pinots from other wineries. I’m not a fan of a winery making wine for another winery that then just slaps a different label on the bottle. The difference with this Pinot is how the grapes are procured. They actually aren’t. Finished wines are sourced via a bargained agreement with certain wineries across Oregon. It could be a few or all or any number in-between. The wineries’ identities are kept secret. The concept is to blend the various wines in a controlled manner to bring conformity and consistency into the process. This is the same as acting in the role of a French Négociant. This particular Pinot consistently and in an inexpensive way is true to variety and vintage with bold aromatics. It has a moderately-deep color and a tannin profile to match with dark spices on the nose and palate, flavors you would expect from a good Oregon Pinot Noir: blackberry, raspberry, black cherry and earth. The oak is restrained and the natural acidity from the 2007 vintage gives the wine precision and tautness.

Next is a wine that has a gargantuan blended line up of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignane, Malbec and Cinsault that should overwhelm the senses at every turn with a numbing bombastic berry blasts from all sides of the palate spectrum. The best description I can offer up as an explanation of what I found from first sip on is it is an aggressive over-exuberant expression of subtlety. When I first tasted it I was a little disappointed in it’s lack of anticipated girth such varietals should project. But what I found is actually a very nice unassuming wine that is perfect for light BBQ fair on warmer than usual days. This wine is really all about bright red fruit and spice – raspberry, cherry and pepper. Quite zesty though I didn’t get to play with it to the finish, so I’m not sure how much it grows or recedes in the bottle over time with respect to air.

Any time I can dive into a bottle of Bandol from Provence, I’m a very happy man. It’s that place thing again and Bandol is famous for red wines of great power and depth. Bandol is a tiny seaside resort area between Marseille and Toulon on the French Riviera and Bandol vines are located in the hills between La Ciotat and Toulan. The particular Bandol offered this month has aromas of leather, cigar and the usual minerality with flavors of black fruit, eucalyptus, violet and licorice. If left to age there is the potential for black cherry, spices, truffle and hummus. An extremely complex wine that reflects it’s sun-baked terroir… south facing slopes directly into the Mediterranean sun. Bandol is one of the oldest vineyards in France. The first vine was planted in Bandol 2,500 years ago by the Romans… Thus its classification as being one of the five “noble wines.”

We are very hard on certain varietals (Chardonnay) and wines and Chianti is one of them. Probably something to do with shoddy wine making over time, we normally have very high expectations for this region in Tuscany and until just within the last few years at the mid to lower price ranges have been quite dissappointed. Not many Chianti Classicos under $30 have been worth the time and effort.  This offered Chianti Classico is a reserva and the vintage is 2001, a lark, a stumbled upon good luck charm, or maybe just the fate of being in the right place at the right time… somehow we got it. It is ready to drink, the tannins mellowed with concentrated, sweet aromas of blackberry, earth, smoke and a hint of cedar. Well-balanced, dryish flavors of black fruit, earth and tar. Light Sangiovese is right up there with Grenache as one of our favorites for the summer.

Our value club wines are coming in quite an array this month, much to do with the varying requests for more whites than reds or visa versa. Most are from South America as that region still reigns supreme for price to taste ratios, but as usual there are no absolutes. They had a horrible growing season this past year so hopefully that will not translate into too higher of prices next year… but for now:

A Torrontés from Argentina: abundantly aromatic with tropical floral scents, this is textbook Torrontés. Light straw yellow in color, with a zesty mouth feel, this wine will refresh. This high mountain grape is Spanish but it supposedly came transplanted from California…

An Argentine Viognier: Aromas of peach and apricot and wildflower on the nose easily carried over to the palate. Smooth with a crisp finish. Very well balanced. I usually find Washington Viognier a little too bitter and Californian a little to fruity. Argentine Viogniers sit nicely in the middle of the road… not at all like dead armadillos… no.

A Carmenere and Merlot Blend From Chile. Carmenere is to Chile what Malbec is to Argentina. This particular wine is a rich mellow red (thank you Merlot) with developed savory characters and some oak influence. A fairly gutsy wine but with interesting flavors. Needs food to bring out the best in it but isn’t that usually so with most wines.

An Argentine Malbec: Back to another bold Mendoza country bargain, this migrant Bordeaux varietal does very well in Argentine soil exuding big notes of blackberry and mocha added via some influence of oak. There is also that issue with tooth staining, but served with with a steak… not an issue.

An Italian Sangiovese: A slight shift to a different continent (and hemisphere), though from Tuscany, it is not in the same realm as the above Chianti, but still a very light and clean summer Sangio with all those roasty toasty elements, just blended with a younger expression of raspberry and cherry fruit. Sangiovese can get massive if allowed. See Washington State. But this one, especially for the money is a great everyday quaff…

A dry Muscat Canelli: a last but not least scenario, and it is one of our favorites for any spicy style Asian cuisine. It is a heavy viscous white but very fruity, and also somewhat creamy. A Walla Walla favorite of ours with just a touch of sweetness. Can’t get away from that Walla Walla sun.