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November 24, 2007
Two Unusal Wines
2006 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine L'Arpent Rouge - France, Loire Valley, Touraine (11/21/2007)
Here's something new, a wine made from Pineau d'Aunis, sometimes called Chenin Noir. Light red/purple ruby color, quite light and translucent with marked thinning towards clear at the edge; remarkable looking, really. Nose of ripe fruit, brambles and dust. Medium plus body. Tastes a bit sweet and spicy, like a Beaujolais mixed with Chinese five-spice powder. Medium finish with dusty, sweet tannins and a spicy aftertaste, like an Asian candy. An interesting wine, which will be too sweet and lacking in acid for Burgundy aficionados, and a little too weird for the Beaujolais crowd. But, adventurous souls wanting a different wine for sipping on the patio on warm summer nights will be pleased. (86 pts.)
2005 Joseph Swan Vineyards Cotes du Rosa - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (11/21/2007)
At the winery they play a game when they pour this wine. You are told it is made from a southern Rhone varietal, and then you have to guess. If you guess Carignan(e), you guess right. The color is a dark ruby red but it isn't quite opaque. Nose shows earth and a touch of petrol and acid floating above ripe fruit that hints at California. The wine has a medium-minus body, stern tannins with a touch of bitterness and is strongly acidic. The finish is predominately tannins and acid. Because of its earthiness and relatively high acid, this wine would be easy to mistake for a French effort. The Oxford Companion to Wine says that carignan is is high in acid, tannin, color, and bitterness, but low in finesse and charm, which makes it unsuitable for early consumption and unworthy of aging. This wine is not that bad, but my take is that it is better at providing a chance to taste a wine made only from carignane than at providing real pleasure. (85 pts.)
No one did very well in figuring out what these were, and I promised to behave myself next time.
Posted by Paul at November 24, 2007 01:59 PM | Wine Tasting