…wins big at the 2009 Decanter World Wine Awards in London (UK), the largest and most competitive wine competition in the world. It was the only wine awarded a silver medal or better from any winery outside CA/OR/WA. Only 3 gold medal were awarded to U.S. wines, all high-end reds from Napa Valley.
These are two exciting finds from France, both 100% Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley, and very reasonably priced. Cabernet Franc is most famous for being blended in high proportions in right-bank Bordeaux blends. But it exists in pure form further north in a few AOCs in Loire, notably Bourgueil and Chinon. In some respects, these wine are the antithesis of New World red blends and modern Bordeaux wines: they are tight in acidity, mineral, metallic, with subdued fruit, almost no oak influence, and moderate alcohol levels. Yet they are rich, dark, and extracted. At $32.00 (Breton) and $29.00 (Baudry) retail in the USA, these wines are at the top of the red Loire price scale, with most examples in the low $20 range. These wines are some of the best values in red wines. Too bad they are essentially unknown in the USA.
2005 Catherine & Pierre Breton "Les Perrieres" Bourgueil
2006 Bernard Baudry "La Croix Boissee" Chinon
Our next Production Tasting will occur on April 25, at 3:30 pm at the winery. This time we are looking at Chardonnay. This variety has not received much attention lately, but it is the most popular wine in the U.S. and is the most planted grape variety in California. It’s also the number one white wine variety in Virginia, far out-selling Viognier. We will taste ten wines, some of which are considered the best examples of Chardonnay in the world.
Here is the line-up:
1. Domaine Fevre (France) – Chablis Grand Cru (Burgundy) Les Clos 2006
2. Domaine Fichet (France) – Mersault (Burgundy) Les Tessons 2006
3. Vincent Girardin (France) – Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru (Burgundy) 2006
4. Philippe Colin (France) – Chassagne Montrachet (Burgundy) 1er Cru Chenevottes 2005
5. Hanzell Vineyards (California) – Sonoma – Chardonnay 2005
6. Hanzell Vineyards (California) – Sonoma – Chardonnay 1999
7. Lewis Cellars (California) – Sonoma / Russian River Valley – Chardonnay 2007
8. Savannah·Chanelle Vineyards (California) – Santa Cruz Mountains – Chardonnay 2007
9. Rappahannock Cellars – Virginia – Chardonnay 2006
10. Rappahannock Cellars – Virginia – Chardonnay 2007
Cost is $85.00/person and will be charged to your credit card about ten days before the event. Limited to ten people. This event will fill up fast and I will maintain a standy-by list of ten people. Please direct inquiries to me at (use Contact page).
This is a French wine from AOC Cotes du Roussillon Villages (south of France close to the Mediterranean Sea). 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 10% Carignan. A 92 rating from Wine Advocate and the $15.99 price made this wine a good bet. Two hours after opening and half a bottle shared with my wife, this wine reminds me of a late harvest Zinfandel from California. Dark in color, extracted, and high in alcohol (14%), this is definitely a New World style wine. This is a wine that is the result of winemaking, not terroir (that’s not necessarily a bad thing). With such ripe grapes, extraction and alcohol define this wine.
Grenache normally has a wonderfully unique tobacco/smoke/ash character that is lost in this wine. French Syrah can have a powerful mineral character that is also trying to show through here. What I get instead is reminiscent of many high alcohol, barrel-aged wines: a citrus/orange/tar character. With well-integrated fruit, this is not a fruit-bomb, hinting at it’s Old World origin. Very similar to an Italian wine – the 2004 Le Macchiole Paleo (100% Cabernet Franc, WS 94 points) costing $96.00. The dissimilarity in variety points to the fact that there’s a homogenization of character when grapes remain on the vine after achieving ripeness.
2006 vintage
This is a critic wine (a wine that critics are especially drawn to). But at 14% alcohol, the wife and I will leave the remainder of the bottle until tomorrow.
The 2007 Rappahannock Cellars Chardonnay was given this award several weeks ago at the annual Governor’s Cup Wine Competition in Richmond. There were over 250 entries and 22 gold medals given. The 2007 Rappahannock Cellars Chardonnay was the only Chardonnay to receive a gold medal.
Noted wine writer and judge at the competition, Richard Leahy, had this to say about the Chardonnay:
“A nose with custard and almond/crème brulee nuances shows a subtle oak influence. On the palate, a rich smooth texture, nicely nuanced pear flavor with spice hints in the finish. A skillful New World homage to Puligny Montrachet-style white Burgundy.”
In describing the quality of wine in Virginia:
“…there is also a top tier of winemakers who have pulled away from the pack (some of whom have been ahead for some time), and their wines are not just excellent wines, they are wines that showcase Virginia terroir in exciting ways, showing what is possible here while pointing as often to the classic Old World prototypes as to the New World. From the Puligny Montrachet-like Rapphannock ’07 oaked chardonnay, to the Cote Rotie-like Rockbridge syrah, to the Duoro-like touriga from Barren Ridge Vineyards, Virginia’s top wines are among the best in North America.”
You can read all of his comments here.
We had a very successful tasting this past Saturday (March 14) at the winery. I think we all expanded our ideas of what Cabernet Franc can taste like. The French Loire Cab Francs exhibited typical austere and extracted (and somewhat vegetal) character. The California examples had characteristic ripe and tannic dispositions, though with less “Cab Franc” character. Surprises included the 100% Cab Franc example from Tusacany, from the Super Tuscan producer Le Macchiole. This wine had pronouced tar and citrus/orange-peel notes that no one would have suspected to come from a Cab Franc (though this seems to be a cellar creation rather than an aspect of the fruit). The much-anticipated 2004 Chateau Cheval Blanc was widely panned, with pronouced oxidized vegetal character and little fruit. I’m happy that our own Rappahannock Cellars fared well, especially against some very expensive wines from Europe and California. Be on the look-out for the announcement of the next tasting, to be held on April 25 here at the winery where we’ll look at Chardonnay.
That's 110 glasses!
