~$22US, 100% Riesling, Erdener Treppchen Vineyard, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany

I don’t know why, but I’ve been a little afraid of the ‘A’ word when it comes to German Rieslings. ‘A’ as in Auslese or Selected Harvest - typically meaning selected ripe berries. The lightbulb went off in my head after the recent fantastic Donnhoff Spatlese, where I realized that these labels (Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, etc) are quality markers, not necessarily universal sweetness indicators. No doubt, Riesling can be high in residual sugars, especially Auslesen, but there is a lot more going on than just ’sweet’.

Riesling’s core minerality and acidity affords it’s flexibility and interpretive diversity. For instance - the longer hang-times of Spatlesen or Auslesen concentrate flavors (including sugars and acidity). Of course the weather, climate, and place affect exactly how and how well this happens, but the results (in the hands of able growers) can be strikingly balanced, proportionate and concentrated wines, from dry to dessert styles. 

The Merkelbach poured a pale hay, almost clear. Honeysuckle and pears on the nose. The palate moved from ripe apples and pears to a powerful mineral-driven midpalate - like a hitting a gravel speedbump while dragging your tongue on a smooth nectary road. The lemon/lime acidity charged back with some nice lift, but lacked a little oomph to really take it all the way home. 

Another very versatile wine, easy to enjoy with aged cheeses, by itself, or with all kinds of food (richer pork and grilled chicken dishes especially). A delicious example, not one to overthink - but I’m not afraid of Auslesen anymore. 

~$11USA, 85% Verdejo, 10% Viura, 5% Sauvignon Blanc, Rueda, Spain

I’ve loved Basa since the ‘03 vintage, and believe this to be the best expression yet. Vibrant ruby grapefruit, white peaches with slightly under-ripe cherries, along with a mineral streak that you’d expect from a German Riesling. A shockingly good effort that has the guts to impress wine-geeks, and the accessibility to slug and laugh with friends and summertime food.  No brainer white wine, if you see it, buy it.

~US$20, 100% Sauvignon Blanc, San Antonio Valley, Chile

Chile? No doubt this is exciting wine - in theory and practice. Take a white grape indigenous to the Loire valley and Bordeaux, put it in an even more exotic locale than New Zealand…say…mountainous granite slopes in Chile, facing the Pacific, and see what happens.

Pours very pale straw. Big nose hopping out of the glass…almost un-enticing, smokey diesel fumes at first, followed by more appealing broccoli, bell pepper, snap-peas and granny smith apples.

Smooth approach in the mouth, but a big wide spread of high-toned fruit (and vegetables) on the mid-palate. Lots of jalapeno pepper and wet stones. Sharp acidity closes the deal in a clean, mouthwatering finish. Tons of tartness here and quite a bit of funk alongside it - like a  “Garden” flavored Sour-Patch Kid (that probably didn’t do well in the focus groups).

The remarkable acidity and flavor intensity make this an intriguing pairing wine….Toro/Fatty tuna sashimi would be a perfect partner. It would rock with an avocado or simple guacamole. Or with a warm bacon salad.

This is a wine of serious personality and will be polarizing to many folks out there. It’s no tropical patio-pounder sauv-blanc. But I’m not sure if it’s a 95-point, genre-defining, or profound expression of the grape either. It’s just a well-crafted wine demonstrating that the old- and new-worlds can collide in totally unexpected ways and produce wines of character and value.

~$13US, 100% Cabernet Franc, Saumur, Loire Valley, France

Wine Blogging Wednesday 47 is upon us, and this month the theme is simply the letter ‘S’. Slim pickins in the Bestdrinkever HQ cellar - It was either this Saumur, a Spatburgunder (which just felt wrong), or a choice of Syrahs (too ordinary).  My daughter thought this one looked cool, especially the kitschy alligator-skin capsule that just screamed ‘drink me’.

The Saumur Rouge (Saumur also produces Blancs with Chenin Blanc) poured a deep magenta purple, and had an unmistakable pickled jalepeno pepper spice on the nose. There was something ‘twiggy’ or ‘leafy’ about this wine on the nose and palate - a crispy vegetal/earthiness that overwhelmed any fruit character. A big bolt of acidity and astringent tannins on the backend gave the wine an overall inaccessibility. Food pairing is a must - Just not sure what exactly…maybe rabbit or game with a mushroom ragout? Cheeses? Twigs?

While I routinely enjoy old-world old-school wines, and I prize acidity and earthiness quite a bit - this  didn’t really tickle me as much as I’d expected. Maybe more time in the bottle would help the mid-palate fatten up - but more time in the glass just made it skew more tart and thin. I respect the Chateau’s natural winemaking techniques, non-filtration, and low yields, but I’m just not feeling this particular bottle.

~$32US, 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay, Champagne, France

Sprightly, rich and toasty nose - one of those wines you could smell for hours. Very red-fruit-driven, strawberries and right-off-the-tree red apples. Fantastically appley on the palate, like a perfectly ripe Pink Lady apple - red apple sweetness initially, with green apple tartness on the back-end.  Weightier than expected from a Non-Vintage , with a fine chalky finish. Enjoy it with pretty much any food - I actually had fair luck with a Pan-seared Ribeye -  although the sweet potato fries loved it. One of those bottles that make you wonder why you don’t drink more Champagne.

~$46US, 100% Riesling, Nahe, Germany

Helmut Donnhoff is a master wine-creator, without question. His family’s Nahe vineyards produce exemplary Rieslings that stand up to any in the world, each with a signature sense of balance, place and power.

The Oberhauser Brucke is absolutely shocking in its intensity across the board, from nose to finish. There is a sense of infusion, like the liquid had been invisibly fortified by more Riesling-ness. Dazzling and complex on the nose, with pineapple, lime, and green apple on the top end and a substantial base of red cherry, red apple, and red currant. Even strawberry. Vivid like a kaleidoscope, but hard to pin down definitively.

Viscious palate transitioning from the lush fruit towards a brilliant acidity - like a gemstone hiding in a velvet bag. Perfect balance, I never once even considered the notion of ’sweetness’ or ‘acidity’ or ‘minerality’….everything just seems so right, concentrated, full of energy and vibrancy.  Of course it was all there, but the qualities of each played into an overall transcendent harmony. A singular wine enjoyable now, but full of complexities to be revealved over the next 10-20 years. One of the most memorable wines this year.

~$15US, 100% Carignan, Vin de Pays des cotes de Thongue, Languedoc, France

The Carignan grape has been quietly awakening in old parcels of land surrounding the Mediterrean for the past decade. The grape was an easy bet in creating the ‘jug-wines’ of 19th and early 20th century - due to the vine’s high production and vigor. Since then, many very old plots have been grafted over to the more ‘marketable’ varieties like Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah.

Luckily, a good amnount remains, and vignerons are focusing on taking advantage of these old, ‘wise’ vines. In Priorat, Carignan’s importance has been recognised as a key component (sometimes sole varietal)  in world-class wines, so long as yields are controlled and the wine is carefully vinified. Similar old plantings exist throughout Southern France, where the same care is being used to restore the vineyards- and wine-making techniques like carbonic maceration and whole-cluster fermentation can improve Carignan’s expressiveness and strength.

All that being said, the 100% Varietal Font de L’Olivier is a solid artisanal French wine for $15. Milk-chocolate covered-cherries give way to a very straight, honestly-structured wine. It begins and ends stronger than the midpalate, but there is enough going on to keep things interesting…like good acidity and big tannins, some secondary herby and licorice flavors. Very dry, even after lots of breathing-time, but moutherwatering finish. The stucture here make this a natural food partner, and I’d go with a fattier meat, like duck or sausages.  Old-word styling - It’s probably not going to convert any hardcore-Shiraz drinkers,  but I’d recommend it to them anyway just to try something out of-the-box/critter-kennel.

~$25US, approx 80% Grenache, 20% Syrah, Gigondas, Southern Rhone, France.

I had fun with this one…Saw the single ‘99 sitting in a bin-end & having read great things about Barruol and the Gigondas appellation but never having the opportunity to try either, I bit. I had intended to pick up a Chateauneuf, but I couldn’t miss an opportunity to try something new.

Popped and decanted on Saturday. Had a sip and it tasted good - but the fruit, alcohol and herbiness seemed out of wack. Ended up drinking beer…Put it back in the bottle after 3-4 hrs in the decanter, recorked and threw it in the fridge.

Sunday afternoon, I took it out of the fridge and let it warm up a touch. Beautiful. The time had softened the wine considerably - to almost Pinot-Noir suppleness. Really exciting stuff coming into play. The Thyme/Sage herbal flavors really locked themselves into sweet strawberry and red cherry juice. Great acidity and medium body. Firm and lengthy finish; after all this playing around, the end-grip balanced the fruit’s fullness perfectly.

After nearly a decade, this wine was showing all kinds of beautiful, and had the cojones to go another 10 in bottle. This is a tough wine, but kinda  tough in it’s principals and resolve more than brute force or brawn.

While Chateauneuf-du-Pape is getting expensive and trendy (though always near and dear),  I’ll be buying up all the older Gigondas that I see, thank you very much. And playing with wine for a day or two can be really rewarding.

~$15US, Gamay / Pinot Noir Blend, Cheverny, Loire Valley, France

Cheverny is one of the many unheralded appellations within the Loire Valley a.k.a. The Garden of France. By appellation law both red and white  wines must be blends - so the actual mix is here unknown, but Gamay Noir and Pino Noir are both in play - predominately Gamay.

After popping there was definitely some barnyard funk and a rustic edge, so I decided to decant to let things blow off. After about an hour, aromas were much more harmonious; obvious cherries and something like the smell of the forest right after a rain…damp and earthy. Home-grown, understated, but over-achieving, like a back-woods guitar prodigy that can play like the devil, but doesn’t realize it’s anything special.

A great food partner with medium-bodied cuisine - nothing too exotic and bold, and nothing too delicate. Grilled pork, salmon, simple pastas, and goat cheeses all would make easy friends.

~$US15, 100% Grüner Veltliner, Kamptal Austria

Lemony-limey nose with some mushroom earth-funk. Lush Creamsicle body with tons of mandarin orange. Wonderful acidic lift beneath the soft body. Expressive chalky and spicy finish. Lipsmaking wine and gobsmacking value.