2011 Domaine Thomas & Fils Clos de La Crêle Sancerre – Loire, France

Systematic Wine Tasting vs. Freestyle Wine Tasting

If you have ever seen the wine programs that Gary Vaynerchuk used to do on Wine Library TV and The Daily Grape in which he did 1,000 episodes of the former but only 89 of the latter then you are familiar with what I refer to as Freestyle Wine Tasting. The approach is fairly loose. You simply See, Smell, Sip, and Spit (or Swallow) the wine and then say whatever first comes to your mind. It is probably the most natural form of wine tasting and expressing one experience of the wine and it gives the taster and commentator the freedom to express himself however he may feel at the moment.

Then there are the more structured wine tasters who may write wine reviews for magazines (Wine Spectator, The Wine Enthusiast etc.) who taste an incredible volume of wine and write volumes of reviews. The challenge to this kind of writing is that it becomes difficult to say something differently than you may have said before, so these writers tend to want to become more poetic in style of writing and remain short and to the point in order to make their descriptions more reader-friendly and less boring. Here is an example of a tasting note of the 2011 Domaine Thomas & Fils Clos de La Crêle Sancerre from the Wine Spectator:

“Very ripe, focused and pure, with a lovely verbena and chamomile frame to the mouthwatering straw, lemon curd and gooseberry notes. Long, wet stone-tinged finish. Lovely. Drink now through 2014. 1,500 cases imported.” - Wine Spectator (May 31, 2012)

The ultimate structured wine tasting comes in the form of a preset Systematic Tasting grid which is highly regimented and has a more restrictive vocabulary than the previous styles of analyzing wines. The U.C. Davis aroma wheel is the most common source for the terms that may be used for describing a wine.

Both the Wine & Spirit Educational Trust (WSET) and the Court of Master Sommeliers use Systematic Tasting grids that are very similar but have some minor differences. The intent is not to provide information to consumers but to test the taster who is being evaluated for their ability to analyze a wine and determine its varietal, vintage, style, quality and region of origin and identity.

My personal style of wine notes that I have used in my blogs, such as The California Winery Review, is probably a combination of freestyle and systematic, leaning heavier on the more structured format. You don’t typically hear Gary saying things like, “It has medium+ acidity…” or reviewers for The Wine Enthusiast write, “The wine has medium to medium+ tannins…”

Monday October 28^th was the first day of the evening class of the Intensive Sommelier Training at the International Culinary Center in Campbell, California. On the first day the lecture and discussion was on the basics of viticulture and viniculture.

On Tuesday the 29^th, the second day, we learned the basics of wine tasting techniques and “the grid” of the Court of Master Sommeliers. During that time we did not study any particular region. Rather, we tasted 6 wines (3 Old World, 3 New World) and primarily focused on just learning the tasting format that will be used during our certification examination. Since this blog focuses on non-Calfornian wines, my next three posts will be solely on the 3 Old World wines as the others were all from California.

The Loire Valley

The Loire Valley is north of Bordeaux, starting from the West coast it is about 200 miles long and ends near the middle of France. The major red grape in the Loire is Cabernet Franc and it grows best in Chinon and Bourgueil. The region’s best white wines include Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc. The Loire Valley consists of 4 major wine sub-regions running along the Loire River - Upper Loire, Touraine, Anjou-Saumur, and Pays Nantais:

The Upper Loire’s premiere white grape is Sauvignon Blanc, the best producing appellations being Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. 

Touraine makes a variety of red, white, rose, and sparkling wines and Vouvray is well-known for its fruity Chenin Blanc. 

Anjou-Saumur’s primary grape is Chenin Blanc with the primary communes being Coteaux du Layon and Quarts de Chaume who make Chenin Blanc based sweet white wines. In Savennières you’ll find more austere Chenin Blanc that have the ability to age into a complex, full white wine with fruity bouquet. 

The Pays Nantes region is located at the westernmost edge of the Loire Valley near the city of Nantes. It is the home to a simple, bone-dry white made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape which has no relation to the Muscat family of grapes.

Sancere - The La Crêle Vineyard

The Medieval hilltop town of Sancerre overlooks the Loire River. This is the ancestral homeland of antiquity’s powerful Gaullic Celtic tribe, the Bituriges, “The Kings of the World.” After their defeat at the hands of Julius Caesar, a temple was built on a nearby hillside in the Imperator’s (victorious general) honor. Many historians and anthropologists lend credence that the temple’s name, “Sacred to Caesar,” eventually developed into the name, Sancerre. Once the Romans dominated the land, they established the Loire Valley for farming and vineyards. While Sancerre is primarily known for Sauvignon Blanc it also produces a small amount (20%) from the Pinot Noir grape, light red wines for quaffing under the designation of Sancerre Rouge.  A rosé style from Pinot noir is also produced in a style similar to Beaujolais.[1]

The soils of Sancerre are based on limestone with caillottes (small rocks), forming the top layer along with mid-kimmeridgian astrate calcareous soils. These small, white caillottes are the signature of the La Crêle vineyard. Located on a southeastern exposed hillside parcel, it adjoins the Perrière vineyard to the east. The vines average 35 years in age, the grapes are hand-harvested, and the wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks.

Domaine Thomas

For more than ten generations, the Thomas family has been producing wine in the tiny hamlet of Verdigny, one of the 13 villages that make up the famous appellation of Sancerre in the Loire Valley. Jean and Ginette Thomas are the current proprietors, and their two children, Julian (currently studying at the oenology school in Beaune) and Christale, are following in their family’s footsteps. The Thomas own about 33 acres of vines, dedicated almost exclusively to Sauvignon Blanc, the grape type of Sancerre.[2]

The Wine

The 2011 Domaine Thomas & Fils Clos de La Crêle Sancerre is 100% Sauvignon Blanc. It is a clear, day bright and straw-yellow wine of medium concentration. On the nose it has dominating aromas of white grapefruit, grass and fresh apples with underlying notes of chalk. On the palate it has medium to medium+ acidity, medium viscosity and a medium to medium+ length finish with citrus dominating the return. A very fine wine, it retails for about $25.

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[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sancerre_(wine)#cite_note-2

[2] http://www.domainethomas.fr/index.php/sancerre/vin/thomas/the-doers/21

2009 Chateau Reces Malbec – Cahors AOC, France

As most wine lovers know, Malbec is a minor player amongst the 6 Bordeaux varietals (the others being Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carménère) as it rarely makes its way into a blend. Consequently most people associate this grape with the Mendoza region of Argentina where it is THE major red grape. Americans have been going gaga over Argentinean Malbecs for quite some time as the wines are easy to pronounce, they tend to be very fruit forward, and quality wines are affordable. In fact, prior to tasting the 2009 Chateau Reces Malbec the only ones I had ever tasted were either from California or Argentina.

The best Argentinean Malbec I have ever tasted was the 2009 Capataz Malbec, imported by Darioush in in the Napa Valley, which sold for $48. But I have had many other Argentinean Malbecs for under $20, but none worth raving about. The best Californian Malbec was the 2009 Casali Malbec from Crocker & Starr which sold for $72.

The distinctive note in both of Argentinean and Californian Malbec wines which make them scream “I’M A MALBEC!” is the upfront and in-your-face blueberry aromas.

Cahors AOC

Cahors is an Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) which forms part of the South West France (in French often Sud-ouest) wine region near the town of Cahors. This region has 10,000 acres of vineyards, the dominant grape variety being Malbec which is known locally as “Côt”, “Côt Noir” or “Auxerrois”. A wine labeled Cahor AOC must contain at least 70% of Malbec and it is typically supplemented with up to 30% of Merlot and/or Tannat.

Chateau Reces – A Fictitious Winery?

I searched the Internet and cannot find any mention of a Chateau Reces other than on the BevMo web site so this is probably a non-existent winery. On the back label in very small print Chateau Chambert Vigneron is mentioned who more actually made the wine. They either are selling it under a second label or the wine was made by them and then purchased for export by the fictitious Chateau Reces who then imported it to the USA by Exclusive Imports, Inc Beverly Hills CA.

But what does this wine’s back label indicate? Note that it states “Mis en bouteille au Chateau Chambert sca vigneron-récoltant.” Unless you can read French you have no idea who actually made the wine. In French this means, “Bottled at the Chateau Chambert who is the winemaker-grower.” 

It is not uncommon for a winemaker (vigneron) to make a wine from excess juice, or less than perfect grapes, and then sell it under another name or to someone else (such as an importer/exporter) who then bottles it under a fictitious name. Many of the inexpensive wines that are sold at Trader Joes fall into this category. The front label has the name of the so-called winery who is credited with bottling, aging or cellaring (but not producing) the wine. The back label will indicate “Cellared and Bottled by…” or “Vinted and Bottled by…” which means that the they made less than 10% of the wine and possibly did not make any of the wine. If it says “Made and Bottled by…” it means that they made, fermented and finished at least 10% of the wine. If the back label says, “Produced and Bottled by…” it indicates that they fermented and finished at least 75% of the wine.

Note: Ignore the tasting notes on the back label, they’re worthless.

The Wine

The 2009 Chateau Reces Malbec is a blend of 85% Malbec and 15% Merlot. It is clear, dark purple at the core, has very little rim variation and it stains the glass when swirled. 

On the nose it has medium intense aromas with the Malbecian telltale signature of blueberries up front followed by dark cherries and dusty dark chocolate. I would never guess that this wine is anything but Malbec and I was expecting the Merlot to lighten up the blueberry notes, but it didn’t. On the palate the wine is bone dry with astringent chewy tannins. This is an indicator that it is Old World and from Cahor and not New World from Argentina or California which tend to be soft, silky and sweet like blueberry pie. It has medium acidity, medium complexity with medium weight and body and a medium length finish. There is nothing about this wine that says “WOW!” so if you are accustomed to really BIG Malbecs that have a lot of body and overbearing fruit this wine will seem underwhelming. This wine sells for $29.95 but I got it for $15 as part of a “Buy 1, get 1 for 5 cents” sale at BevMo and it is just a descent everyday wine for that price.

A Vertical Tasting of Cornas - Northern Rhône, France

Having a mental database from which you can draw when you are blind tasting requires developing a sense-memory of wines and the various contexts in which grapes are grown. This includes such things as whether the wine is from an Old World (France, Italy, Spain, German, Italy, Greece) or New World (USA, Australia, South America, Africa) country, the climate of the region (Continental, Mediterranean, or Maritime), the winemaking style, whether new or used oak is used, the origin of the oak barrels (French, American, Hungarian), the amount of time they are typically barrel-aged, as well as the weather for the particular vintage. These factors have an enormous impact on the wine and understanding them can help you figure out such things as whether a Sauvignon Blanc is from California, Sancerre, or New Zealand or whether a Syrah/Shiraz is from the Northern Rhône, Australia, California or South Africa.

Determining a vintage of a wine (within 2 years) depends on understanding the visual and olfactory clues the wine gives you such as the color, whether primary characteristics (fruit) or secondary characteristics (wine making process) are dominant. A youthful Syrah will be dark purple or even black at the core and will be violet at the rim. The fruit, spice and earth aromas will be up front. An older Syrah may have tints of garnet or brick red at the rim and it will display more tobacco and leather notes on the nose. But, how the wine was stored can also play a significant role as well as a warmer cellar will age a wine faster.

But if you really wanted to get accurate in determining the vintage, you would also need to memorize how the weather affected every vintage of a region. A good place to begin might be in understanding the radical differences between the weather patterns of 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 in the Napa Valley. Then do comparative tastings of a particular wine from each of those vintages and then determine what characteristics of the wine were due to the effect of the weather on those wines.

This is why it is important to not only taste wines from all over the world and learn the typical characteristics of those grapes, but also to taste various vintages to develop an understanding of how wines develop in time and how the weather conditions for a particular year are reflected in the wine. Buying a case of wine that you like, opening a bottle every other year (taking notes of course) and comparing them is a great to learn how wines mature.

Another way to understand vintage wines is to participate in vertical tastings in which you sample side-by-side the same wine from the same winery but from different vintages. Occasionally wineries, wine shops or wine bars will offer a Vertical Tasting of a particular wine and when they do you need to take advantage of the opportunity.

So, with that in mind I recently visited the Vin Vino Wine Bar and Shop in Palo Alto to do a vertical tasting of Cornas “Renaissance” from the Northern Rhône, France

The Cornas Region

Cornas is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in the Northern Rhône wine region of France south of Lyon. It is one of the smallest in the Rhone Valley, just north of St. Peray and Valence, south of St. Joseph on the western slopes of the Rhône River. This region only produces red wine and only from the Syrah grape. Unlike other northern Rhône red wines blending with white wine is not permitted and no white wines are produced in this region. The name Cornas is Celtic for “burnt earth” and the earliest known written mention of wine being made in the region go back to 885. Cornas became an AOC in 1938 but growers did not begin to bottle their own wine until 1950. While the Southern Rhône has a Mediterranean climate, the Northern Rhône has a Continental. While most of the northern Rhône appellations are influenced by the cooling le mistral winds Cornas is mostly shielded from the and consequently they are usually the first to harvest their grapes. The vineyards are fairly small and are planted on steep slopes facing east south-east 100 to 400 meters above sea level. In the northern end of Cornas the soil consists of chalk, sand, and is rocky with reddish-brown dirt.

The Winery

The Cornas “Renaissance” is produced by one of the top winegrowers in Northern Rhône -Auguste Clape. The Clapes have been vignerons for many generations, but the family moved to the region from Languedoc during the 1906-07 grower strikes. They then rebuilt their grape-growing venture terrace-by-terrace, along the steep, western slopes of the Rhône River. For many years, the majority of growers in Cornas sold their fruit to négociants but in 1950 they began to make their own wine. Auguste was the first to bottle his own wine and today he has been passing on the work to the next generation - his son, Pierre-Marie, and grandson, Olivier.

Though the Clapes farm only 8 hectares (about 20 acres) of old and older vines that are grown on steep, rough, tightly stacked terraces where it is impossible to use any machinery. The vineyard is planted on granite subsoil with optimal sun exposure. They own pieces of such prime parcels as Reynard, La Côte, Les Mazards, Pied La Vigne and recently acquired the vineyard, Les Sabarottes which they bought from the now retired Noël Verset. Individual parcels are vinified separately in old, oval foudres. Long élévages (progression of wine between fermentation and bottling) of twelve to twenty-two months add depth to the natural complexity of the wines.[1]

The Wines

Renaissance comes from Auguste Clape’s younger vines that are 30-50 years old which are considered the Clape’s “regular” Cornas bottling. The wine they label simply Cornas is really their “old vines reserve.”

The 2005 Cornas “Renaissance”

This wine is clear, dark purple at the core to violet at the rim. Although it is 8 years old it is still youthful in appearance with no obvious visual signs of age. It is a medium+ complex wine, on the nose it displays medium intense aromas of dusty blackberries, black tar, and black pepper. It is somewhat vinous with additional aromas of black ink and tar. After vigorous swirling and aeration it reveals additional aromas of black cherries, plum skins and black licorice. The tannins are quite high and astringent for a wine of this age, it is medium bodied with medium alcohol and acidity with long finish. This was one of my favorites in the line-up. This wine retails at $68 per bottle.

The 2006 Cornas “Renaissance”

This wine is similar in appearance to the previous wine and it stains the glass when swirled. On the nose it delivers dried black fruit aromas (prunes, dates, figs), black cherries and subtle notes of dried herbs. On the palate it is “sweeter” but not in a sugary way with fresher fruit. After aeration and much swirling it has additional aromas of dark cherries, cooked caramel, and roasted nuts. It is medium bodied, with astringent medium+ tannins that become silky on the mid-palate and it has a medium+ length finish with notes of black pepper and plums on the return. Although this wine is a year younger than the previous wine, it is actually softer and more refined. This wine retails at $60 per bottle.

The 2007 Cornas “Renaissance”

This wine displays aromas of fresh dark cherries, plums and a hint of pepper. On the palate it has medium to medium- tannins, medium acidity and a medium length finish. It is immediately approachable but it is not as complex as the previous wines and feels rather thin on the mid palate leaving it the lightest of all the wines in this vertical flight. This wine retails at $65 per bottle.

The 2008 Cornas “Renaissance”

This wine stands out from its predecessors and successors as having more black pepper and spice upon entry that lingers through the mid palate and finish. Once you work past the pepper it delivers additional aromas of dark plums, black licorice, dried roses and herbs. It has firm tannins that grip the teeth and gums, medium+ acidity and a medium length peppery finish. It is well balanced with good structure and was my favorite in the lineup. This wine retails at $65 per bottle.

The 2010 Cornas “Renaissance”

The newest vintage in the vertical tasting, this wine displays low-intensity aromas of sweet plums, raisins, mild notes of black pepper, dried herbs, black tar and just a smidgeon of burnt rubber that dissipates after aeration. On the palate it has medium gritty tannins, it is medium bodied but has higher acidity than the previous wines. This wine retails at $69 per bottle.

The 2004 Cornas Clape

The final wine is from a different vineyard that is much older. Although it is from an older vintage than the previous wines it too is youthful in appearance, clear, dark purple at the core to violet at the rim. On the nose it displays savory aromas of beef jerky, teriyaki sauce, dusty plums, dried herbs, and old leather with just a hint of black pepper. On the palate has refined silky tannins, it is medium bodied with medium acidity and a long finish. This is the BEST of Cornas! This wine retails at $95 per bottle.

All of these wines are unmistakably an old world Syrah as new world Syrahs, such as from the California or Australia, tend to have more ripe fresh fruit flavors, more body with higher alcohol and tend not to have the earthy-tar notes. While I find these wines to be intriguing and the educational experience of tasting them was valuable, at these prices I can think of many California Syrahs in the $35-$45 range that I’d rather drink.

Vin Vino Wine (VVW) gives substantial pours so unless you are spitting (I was the only one in the room doing so) drinking these many wines would get you tanked. So you either need to limit your pours or resist finishing the wine. 

Tasting isn’t cheap, for a short flight (3 wines) it costs $28 and for a long flight (5 wines) it will set you back $45. I also tasted the additional 2004 Cornas Clape for $13 so the total cost of tasting these wines was $58. But flight costs vary depending on what  they are pouring and they only serve top-notch wines.

Vin Vino Wine

437 California Avenue 

Palo Alto, CA 94306

Phone: 1-650-324-4903

http://www.vinvinowine.com/

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[1] http://kermitlynch.com/our_wines/auguste-clape/

2008 Pago De Sangara Crianza Tempranillo - Ribera del Duero, Spain

In my last post I reviewed a Verdejo, a white wine from Spain. In this post I follow it up with the most well-known red wine from Spain – Tempranillo. I have tasted a number of them from Rioja, but most of my experience with this grape is from wineries in warm regions of California such as Lodi, the Sierra Foothills, and Paso Robles. This is my first Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero.

Ribera del Duero Wine Region

Ribera del Duero is located in the Spain’s northern plateau and is one of eleven “quality wine” regions within autonomous community of in the Castilla y Leon. The capital of Ribera del Duero is the historic town of Aranda de Duero, which has a series of antique underground cellars (bodegas) built to store wine. The interconnecting cellars reach a depth of 40ft in places. Despite a long history of winemaking, Ribera del Duero was not awarded Denominación de Origen (DO) status until 1982.

The Tempranillo grape variety is known by many different names (at least 68) in Spain and Portugal (where it is known as Tinto Roriz), and in Ribera del Duero it is known locally as Tinto Fino. This grape is a clone of Tempranillo that has evolved as a smaller grape with a thicker skin that is a result of it adapting to the greater temperature fluctuations found in this continental climate.

The Wine

This wine is 100% Tempranillo and it is clear, dark purple to violet at the rim. On the nose it displays medium intense aromas of jammy cooked strawberries (like pulling a whole strawberry out of a jar of preserves), blueberries, milk chocolate, oak, coconut, vanilla and spice. On the palate is fruit forward on entry with medium tannins, very vibrant and mouth-watering medium to medium+ acidity, with a medium length finish of strawberries and spice. This wine is seemingly new world in style and it reminds of Tempranillo I have tasted California but none of them were this tasty. In fact if it had aromas of cassis instead of Strawberries I’d think it was a $35+ Napa Valley Cabernet. It very delicious but the finish is not quite as long as I would like. Nevertheless a very nice wine to pair with everyday meals, hamburgers, barbeque, or pizza.

I have seen this wine sell for as much as $45 a bottle, such as on Wine Enthusiast Magazine web site. But get this, Beverages and More (BevMo) has these weird sales where they put some wine on a “Buy 1, get another for 5 cents” sale. The reason the second wine is sold for 5 cents (and not “buy one, get one free”) is that it is illegal for a business to give away wine, so they have to give the second bottle a minimal price. The 5 cent wine does not have to be the same wine. You can get any other wine for 5 cents that is on the list that is of equal or lesser value. So, I bought this wine for $29.95 and I got a bottle of Malbec from Cahor, France (to be reviewed later) that is also listed for $29.95 for only 5 cents. Another way to look at it is, I bought both of these wines for only $15 each. At that price, the 2008 Pago De Sangara Crianza Tempranillo is an absolute steal!

Is This A Classic Ribera del Duero?

But this is the question I am left with, “Is this wine a good representative of a classic profile of a Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero?” If not, then I am confusing my brain if I am cataloging it into my memory thinking that this is what I should expect in a blind taste test of Ribera del Duero. So, I need to do lot more tasting of Ribera del Duero in order to establish an accurate profile of this wine in my memory.