Uncomplicated Pleasures

If you read enough wine blogs, especially at the more geeked-out end of the spectrum, or just here for that matter, it may sometimes seem as if there's a constant march forward, ever seeking out something more complex, something more obscure, more I-drank-it-first than yesterday's experience. There's no question that those pursuits do keep wine blogging fresh and help to keep the love of wine alive. But I also expect that the people doing all of that exploring and writing are still drinking simple wines, too, and continuing to find pleasure in them even if at a more quotidian, less rarefied level. I know that, for me, there are plenty of nights where I actually don't want something challenging or provocative, instead preferring to sit down with something simple, straightforward and just plain old easy drinking.


Saumur Champigny, Domaine Joulin (Philippe Joulin) 2008
$18. 13% alcohol. Cork. Importer: Oslo Enterprise, Takoma Park, MD.
Sometimes that wine comes unexpectedly, in the form of something that's not familiar. I'd never had the Saumur Champigny rouge from Philippe Joulin so opened it on a night when I was up for anything. Something complex or challenging, something easy, maybe even something not so nice. This came out on the simple, straightforward point of the spectrum -- fresh, lively and supple; well balanced and direct. None of the gut, crunch or intense energy of, say, the Chinons of Bernard Baudry or the Bourgueils of Catherine and Pierre Breton; nowhere close to the depth and complexity of the Saumur Champigny's from Clos Rougeard, nor the richness of those from Thierry Germain. The only thing complicating this picture is the question of quality-to-price ratio. If this were three or four bucks less per bottle, there would be a good argument for slotting this into regular rotation for just the kind of nights I described above; at $18, though, it under delivers.



Barbera d'Asti, Roberto Ferraris 2009
$14. 14% alcohol. Cork. Importer: Petit Pois, Moorestown, NJ.
At the totally expected end of the spectrum sits the Barbera d'Asti of Azienda Agricola Roberto Ferraris. I've been selling Roberto's wines for well nigh ten years and enjoying them for several longer, although oddly enough I've only written about them once before, for my guest contribution to the Barbera 2010 blog. Ferraris makes a couple of wines of ambition but the wines in his portfolio that I most enjoy drinking are his single vineyard "Nobbio" bottling and this, his Barbera d'Asti "normale." The 2009 just came ashore in the last few weeks and is already drinking great. Less dark, rich and jammy than the iterations from 2007 and 2008, the '09 epitomizes what I like most about good, straightforward expressions of Piemontese Barbera: it's juicy, snappy, full of blueberry and black cherry fruit, completely soft when it comes to tannic structure but alive and zingy on the palate thanks to Barbera's naturally high acid profile. Barbera also has natural tendencies toward giving high potential alcohol and, at 14%, this is indeed "stronger" than I normally like to go for everyday enjoyment. In this case, though, the 14% alcohol is completely balanced and integrated, showing up only via the pleasantly warm glow the wine delivers in the belly. Perfect Monday night pizza wine and, as long as we're talking QPR, a spot-on value at its price point.

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Four for the Fifth

On the Fourth of July, I was far too busy wishing I was in Monaco to give much thought to what’s probably the biggest backyard BBQ holiday in America. A relaxed Sunday brought the opportunity to at least give tradition a nod, with some easy cheeseburgers and asparagus on the grill along with a potfull of early season corn on the cob. What we chose to drink seemed appropriate enough to the food if not the holiday.


Rheinhessen Grüner Silvaner trocken, Wittmann 2006
$28. 12% alcohol. Cork. Importer: Frederick Wildman, New York, NY.
Glowing medium yellow in the glass, with aromas of corn, fresh pressed linen and crisp green pears. At once rich and nervy on the palate, ever so slightly pétillant and showing a few graciously handled grams of RS. My first tasting impressions were hazy but one thing was certain right away: the wine has amazing length. Spätlese-like extract levels stain the palate, the wine’s flavors clinging with great tenacity. There’s also a great mineral depth lurking behind the up front pear and garden-fresh flavors. Much richer and more intense than Keller’s estate Silvaner trocken, and correspondingly more expensive.


Saumur-Champigny “Terres Chaudes,” Domaine des Roches Neuves (Thierry Germain) 2006
$25. 13% alcohol. Cork. Importer: Vos Selections, New York, NY.
This displayed the side of Loire Cabernet Franc that still sometimes leaves me scratching my head, showing aromas that nudge right up against those often associated with TCA though absolutely not corked. It’s little wonder that so many people have a hard time coming to grips with Cab Franc. In the end, just to be clear, I did like the wine. It showed lots of pepper – both black peppercorns and bell peppers – balanced by juicy plum and blackberry fruit. With a little time in the glass, it showed more aromatic depth: sweat, blood, pencil lead and some animal character. Firmly tannic, slightly low on the acid front and a little bit awkward, this needs some more time in the cellar to find its harmony though I expect it will always be more intriguing than elegant. It also needs meat on the table, so was a happy match with our burgers.

After an incredibly rainy June, the weather 'round here's been delightful of late. A fine night for dining al fresco, complete with patio flames as tended by Fireman Bill.


Rioja Crianza “Viña Cubillo,” R. Lopez de Heredia 2002
$22. 12.5% alcohol. Cork. Importer: USA Wine Imports, New York, NY.
65% Tempranillo, 25% Garnacho, 5% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo. Medium red, with faint garnet, brick hues. Its nose of forest floor and dried cherry tobacco hints at the beginnings of maturity yet the wines was juicy and sprightly as could be on the palate. This is Heredia’s “everyday wine” – and a really tremendous value. Beef jerky and dried cherries develop on the nose, as does a leathery streak on the mid-rear palate. But above all, the wine has energy and spirit. It’s as if you can taste the striations of the vines – sinewy, cut and fully detailed yet with no sense of clinical precision. I’ve heard of some bottle variation with this vintage – the last bottle I opened was corked, but that’s another story. This one was singing.


Moulin à Vent “La Réserve d’Amélie,” Domaine Gérard Charvet 2002
$16 on release. 13% alcohol. Cork. Importer: Wine Traditions, Falls Church, VA.
This we opened just to check in on its progress. My notes read something like this: “Pepper eau de vie, pepper juice, black pepper tea, brined green peppercorns….” You get the idea. Either I was wrong about this one when it was released or it’s going through an extremely strange stage. I’m heavily inclined to think the former is the case. When young, this was delicious and showed what I though was great potential. Now, though, it’s not exactly shot but it’s far from becoming. My last bottle is going into the experimental bin for a final examination a few years down the road. You’ll find slightly less disappointing notes on the 2004 vintage here, though my dining companions on this Fifth of July related that their last bottle of ’04, opened recently, was in a less enjoyable state than was this bottle of ’02. A never ending mystery….

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