GEARING UP FOR THE NEW SEASON
I’ ve been on the road for the last two months with just a few days at home sprinkled in between wine adventures and as a result, my office looks as if it could star on TLC’s Hoarding: Buried Alive. Despite the paperless/ Internet world we live in, wine writers tend to get a lot of stuff and after too many days away, and 20 years in total, it is piled up everywhere.
There is wine for sure but that’s catalogued, tasted and moved in and out daily. It’s the other material that just keeps on coming. Press releases — not really news, regardless of all the exclamation marks used today are stacked up everywhere. Some moments before the event happens, others a couple of weeks before but given my schedule, most tend to miss the myriad deadlines that rule my life.
USB “content” sticks are all the rage but the reality is often that content isn’t much better than its paper counterpart and I’m looking at approximately 75 different shapes and versions of USB sticks appropriately stored in a wine glass on my desk. One day I’m sure I will open them and look for a photo or a piece of information not posted on the Internet.
Did I mention the magazines?
Yes, I still read words written on paper, especially about wine. The problem is there is always a story I want to keep or reread and now there are hundreds of magazines stacked up everywhere that I’m certain would not be missed if they were tossed in the recycling. Then there are the books. There has been a lull in the wine book business, yet somehow there is a stack of two dozen new books at the end of my desk that never goes away and needs to be shelved. My wife runs the main branch of the Vancouver Public Library and could help, but she couldn’t cope with shelves laid out by country/ region, then alphabetical by author before the miscellaneous books that do not fit any pattern. I call it the dopey decimal system and the result is organized chaos.
There’s nothing dull about all this stuff, which makes it all the harder to get rid of, but toss it out I will over the next two weeks, because the real wine season begins in September and I need to clear the decks to make room for more stuff I don’t really need.
I may have to call 1- 800JUNK to try to make some room for another fall harvest of press releases, books, bottles, emails, text messages and tweets. In the meantime, here are some terrific wines to sip today and over the weekend.
Much like the former edition, gooseberry and grapefruit dominate on the nose and palate of the Domaine du Clos du Bourg Sauvignon Touraine 2011 with hints of jalapeno and smoky dried herbs. Love the crisp fresh palate and refreshing citrus, gooseberry, jalapeno theme. Think clams, squid, mussels and any combination with pasta.
Single vineyard Leyda Sauvignon could make you think you were in Marlborough for a moment with its pungent gooseberry/ peppery nose. Proximity to the cool Pacific Ocean shapes the cool demeanour of the Caliterra Tributo Sauvignon Blanc Single Vineyard Block Vignoble Algarrobo 2011 while three pickings 10 days apart build a complex flavour spectrum of grapefruit, lime rind and stony minerality. No oak is used here. Try this with classic Alsace- style onion pie, or halibut with a fruit salsa.
The M. Chapoutier Domaine de Bila- Haut Occultum Lapidem 2009 is a blend of Syrah/ Grenache and Carignan that is aged in 50 per cent oak and 50 per cent tank. Dry, fresh, juicy, suave and concentrated, it’s packed with savoury, black raspberry, plum, spice tobacco and curry flavours. A warm- style country red with great fruit and balance to drink now or hold for a few years. Excellent value.
The Gabriel Meffre Côtes du Rhône Plan de Dieu Saint Mapalis 2010 is a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah that features a fresh, floral nose marked with savoury licorice component. The entry is firm with some dry tannin gripping the palate before the blackberry, blueberry, red cherry fruit flavours kick in. The finish is warm and round with bits of curry and garrigue underneath. Game birds would be a good match or roasted stuffed turkey.
The Guigal Côtes du Rhone 2009 may not be the flagship red at Guigal but it’s the money- maker and they produce a lot of it — now near 3.5 million bottles spread across some 500 growers. The blend is now equal parts Syrah and Grenache Noir with five per cent Mourvèdre. Winemaker Philippe Guigal is fine- tuning this stylish red that mixes dry, red, floral fruit with pepper, smoked meat and just a hint of spice from a touch of Mourvèdre. Powerful but round, this will cellar well, improving in bottle for the next five to 10 years. A perfect match for lamb chops or osso buco.
The Luigi Bosca Malbec 2009 opens with an intense floral, black cherry nose flecked with olive, dill, coriander and pepper notes. The attack is fresh and round with soft, juicy, black fruit, licorice and a strong savoury, balsamic, spicy undercurrent. The finish is warm and long flecked with bits of orange and tobacco. Try with a classic asado or steak grilled Argentine style.