Category Archives: Red Wines

A Fiery Wine – Garnacha de Fuego

Garnacha de Fuego 2006

Garnacha de Fuego wine bottleImporter: Tempranillo Imports (Jorge Ordonez Selection)

Grenache of fire! I guess that means it’s pretty darn hot in Catalayud, Spain, where the vines of this grape grow. Garnacha / Grenache is a hot weather whore of a grape, much like Syrah and Zinfandel.

Luckily, this wine outperforms the old Renault Fuego (with or without the biturbo, it makes no difference).

For the uninitiated, Garnacha is the same grape known as Grenache in France, California, and many other areas of the world. In fact, Grenache / Garnacha is one of the most widely planted grapes in the world, though it’s most commonly associated with the hot, arid regions in the south of France, the southern Rhone Valley and throughout Spain. If you’re unfamiliar with the Garnacha of Spain, it may be helpful to know that Grenache is usually one of the base grapes of Cotes-du-Rhone and Chateauneuf-du-Pape (often, these wines also have Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvedre, and other grapes blended in as well).

But enough of the French version; this wine es de Espana, and does a fair job of representing the Catalayud region. Though “DO Catalayud” (“DO” is pronounced “dee – oh” and is short for Denomination of Origin) is fairly new to US consumers, in fact they’ve been making wine there for oh, about 2000 years. The region sits in the province of Zaragoza, toward the western boundary of Spain and sort of in the middle (between north and south). It should not be confused with Cataluna, which is another DO entirely and is covers several provinces. OK, enough with the boring details, let’s taste the wine …

Tasting Notes – Garnacha de Fuego

On the nose, this wine shows ripe black fruits: black raspberry and prune, with a touch of eucalyptus, pepper, and a smidgeon of earth. The palate offers a silky smooth texture, warm black raspberry, black cherry, and plum, with a touch of spice – maybe vanilla? Acidity and tannins are medium, appropriate for food but not so high that they’re overbearing when this wine is drunk by itself. Drink it with burgers, skirt steaks, cheese, tacos. At around eight bucks or less, this is a very good value. Yet another winner from perhaps the best importer without a decent website, Jorge Ordonez.

a-8 t-8 b-7 fc-7 v-9 ~ 89 Points

Find this wine at a local retailer using Wine-Searcher, Vinquire, or WineZap.

Wine for Thanksgiving: Easton Zin

Easton Zinfandel Amador County 2006

I’m looking for wines for Thanksgiving, so I’m looking for American. There’s no grape more American than Zinfandel, and it just so happens that Zins can be a decent match for the Thanksgiving meal. The “Easton” label draws my eye because in addition to being a wine geek I’m also a baseball geek, and Easton is the brand name for the most popular aluminum baseball bat. I turn the bottle to read the label and the wine is from Plymouth, California. Plymouth, as in Plymouth Rock (yes, I know the Mayflower stopped at the Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts … work with me here). Do I even need to move on to the tasting notes? It’s already a pickup for Thanksgiving, for nothing more than a conversation piece.

As it turns out, the wine is fabulous with the turkey and most of the trimmings. Though it has open, forward flavors on the palate, it’s not over the top but rather on the soft side, at least as far as Zinfandels go. The nose tempts with bright raspberry, blackberry, plum, and earthy aromas, with a touch of tar. In the mouth you get flavors of ripe blackberry, black raspberry, black cherry, blueberry, a spicy component, and hints of earth, tobacco, black pepper. The finish is only a touch hot with tar and ripe tannins dominating. The texture is smooth – almost creamy – the acidity is medium-low to medium, the tannins are a bit under medium. The wine works with the dark meat, and is just soft enough to compliment the white meat as long as you pour on the chestnut gravy and/or take a bite of stuffing with it. It surprisingly did not spoil the taste in my mouth after chowing down brussel sprouts – which is pretty impressive. Overall it is a fine choice for the Thanksgiving table. At $15.99, it’s a fair value.

a-7 t-8 b-8 fc-8 v-8 ~ 89 Points

Find this wine at a local retailer through Wine-Searcher , Vinquire, or WineZap

Thanksgiving Wine: Wyatt Pinot Noir

Wyatt Pinot Noir 2006

Tasting Notes

Nose exhibits ripe red berry fruit – raspberry, black cherry, and a touch of earth and a floral element (rose petals?). In the mouth you get good ripe strawberry, raspberry, and black cherry. There is the slightest hint of a green / stemmy / herbaceous flavor that melds well with the ripe fruits. Some spice – a touch of vanilla, black pepper, and earth. Acidity is appropriately medium, tannins are soft. Texture is smooth. A touch of hotness / alcohol in the finish, which is otherwise pleasant. The flavors are ripe and enjoyable for drinking alone but subtle enough for favorable food matching. An outstanding wine for the Thanksgiving table, as it pairs well with turkey, herbaceous stuffing (i.e., rosemary, thyme), and most of the other Thansgiving fixins’. Overall a very well put together Pinot Noir at a very fair price. This wine is as close to Burgundian in style as I’ve experienced from California (that is a compliment); in fact if tasted blind I might have guessed it was a simple Bourgogne or possibly a Monthelie (if you’re a geek you might know what I’m talking about; if not, take my word for it, it’s a very nice wine).

a-8 t-8 b-8 fc-9 v-10 ~ 93 Points

Find this wine at a local retailer through Wine-Searcher, Vinquire, or WineZap

Beaujolais Nouveau 2007 Tasting Notes

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau and Beaujolais-Village Nouveau 2007

Strangely, I had a hard time finding a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau — of any vintage — in the wee hours of this morning. Eventually, however, I found TWO, both from the “King of Beaujolais” Georges Duboeuf.

Tasting Notes: Beaujolais Nouveau 2007

Color: Lighter than recent years — looks like a deep rose wine. Magenta in the middle, turning to violet and blue at the edge.

Nose: Bright, fruity, lively, with aromas of red cherry, cherry candy, raspberry, a floral element (violets?) and a slight hint of ripe banana.

Palate: Smooth, glassy texture. Ripe, round, delicious red cherry, fresh plum, sweet pomegranate. Finishes dry and pleasant and not as quickly as expected. A touch of heat at the very end, along with an appropriate level of tart acidity. Overall a fun, bright, and zesty wine.

a-7 t-8 b-8 fc-9 v-7 ~ 89 Points

Tasting Notes: Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau 2007

Color: Magenta in the middle, transparent, with light purple on the edge.

Nose: Slightly more subdued than the “regular” Nouveau, with similar red cherry aroma. A slight touch of earth and black cherry. To my nose, this smells similar to a “regular” Beaujolais-Villages.

Palate: Glassy texture. Red and black cherry fruit, slightly earthy with a touch of bitterness. Acidity is tart / medium. Guess what? This wine has tannins! — something unexpected from a nine-week-old wine. Finishes with some hotness at the very end.

The Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau from Georges Duboeuf is new to the US, though I believe other producers have been sending it here in past years. I don’t believe much of it is imported however, so you may have trouble finding it. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of “regular” Beaujolais-Villages, and this Nouveau version shares its character. That said, if you like Beaujolais-Villages, I think this will be a good preview of what to expect later in the year when the traditionally bottled B-V appears.

a-7 t-7 b-7 fc-8 v-7 ~ 86 Points

Conclusion

As mentioned earlier in the week, the key to enjoying Beaujolais Nouveau is to take it for what it is: a wine that hasn’t been aged. It’s all about managing expectations — if you expect it to compare to your favorite Aussie Shiraz, then Beaujolais Nouveau will seem thin and underwhelming. If you consider it and match it with food as you would a typical fuller style of rose, you may find it appealing.

Over the next week or so I will continue stalking the local wine shops in search of Nouveau from other producers and publish my notes. Please share your own tasting notes with us — for any Nouveau you try — by posting them in the comments.

All About Beaujolais Nouveau

Beaujolais Nouveau — the first wine of the 2007 vintage (from the Northern Hemisphere, anyway) arrives tomorrow.

Here is almost everything you need to know about Beaujolais Nouveau …

What is Beaujolais?

Beaujolais is a region in France, just south of Burgundy; depending on who you talk to, some experts will include Beaujolais in their discussion of Burgundian wine. It is made up of 12 appellations (or specific winegrowing areas) — thus the “s” at the end of the name.

What is Beaujolais Nouveau?

Beaujolais Nouveau is a wine made from Gamay grapes grown in the Beaujolais region and released in the same year of its harvest.

When does Beaujolais Nouveau arrive?

Bottles of the current year’s Beaujolais Nouveau are officially released on the third Thursday of November. For many years, the official date was November 15th (ironically, this year’s arrival date), but in 1985 it was decided that a Thursday release would bring about a more festive celebration, as people tend to party on the weekend. What? you don’t start your weekends on Thursday? Might be time to move to France.

What is the history of Beaujolais Nouveau?

Legend has it that the wine was something of a cult wine in the French bistros, bars, and cafes surrounding Beaujolais and Lyons, produced by the local growers and delivered in barrels. In the 1960s, Nouveau was bottled and marketed outside of France for the first time, and the rest is marketing history.

How is Beaujolais Nouveau made?

Few other wines are produced, bottled, and released within a few weeks of the harvest. The most strategic way to do this is to employ a winemaking method called carbonic maceration. Without getting too technical, carbonic maceration is essentially the fermentation of grapes occurring inside the skins. Traditionally, the winemaking process begins with the crushing of grapes; the juice of the grapes is pushed out of the skins and gradually ferments. For red wines, this juice is often left to sit with its skins so that tannins are extracted, giving the wine a fuller, more concentrated structure, and often adding some bitter flavors. With carbonic maceration, the grapes are not crushed. Rather, the grapes are piled on top of each other in a sealed container that is filled with carbon dioxide. More CO2 is emitted by the grapes on the bottom of the container, as it is gently crushed by the weight of the top grapes. All this carbon dioxide causes fermentation to take place inside the grape skins (don’t ask why, take a chemistry course!). The resulting wine is fresh, fruity, and very low in tannins.

What Does Beaujolais Nouveau Taste Like?

It’s hard to say, because it tastes different every year. Typically, it’s a lot like a kicked-up grape juice. Nouveau will have very bright, fresh, red fruit flavors, such as cherry, strawberry, and raspberry, and will be delivered to your palate with a distinct zing. Because of the lack of tannins, it should be very soft in the mouth, and easy to drink. Beaujolais Nouveau is not a wine to sniff, swirl, and contemplate; it’s a wine to pour and party with. Consider it a beverage accessory.

How should I drink Beaujolais Nouveau?

Chilled. Unlike most red wines, you will want to put a Nouveau bottle in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes before drinking, as a slight chill will bring out the fresh flavors. Don’t have the time for that? Pour it over ice cubes! One of the fantastic things about drinking Beaujolais Nouveau is that wine snobs won’t come within 50 feet of it. So, you have the pleasure of performing all sorts of wine sacrilege on it. Drink it on the rocks, out of a plastic cup, with a straw, straight out of the bottle if you want. There’s a whole website devoted to drinking the “wine without rules”, including tips on throwing a Beaujolais Nouveau arrival party.

Another thing: drink it within a few months of release. Because of the way it is made — by carbonic maceration — Nouveau has almost no tannins, and tannins are one of main preservatives of red wine. With no natural preservative, the fresh fruit flavors you taste in Beaujolais Nouveau in November will fade away by the following spring (or sooner). But that’s not such a bad thing — that’s around the same time the “real” Beaujolais wines are released. In a way, Beaujolais Nouveau is a preview of what’s to come in the way of Beaujolais Villages and Beaujolais crus, such as Morgon, Moulin-a-Vent, and Julienas. More on those wines in a future article.

What foods match with Beaujolais Nouveau?

NOT red meat, that’s for sure. Because of the lack of tannins, you’ll want to avoid proteins, for the most part. However, it’s fresh fruitiness will match remarkably well with simple foods such as pigs in blankets, sausage, ham salad, and macaroni and cheese. There’s a French dish called Gougeres that is typically served with Beaujolais Nouveau; essentially it is a cheese puff made with Gruyere. Nouveau is also a good choice to match with fondue. The timing of Nouveau’s release couldn’t be better for Americans, as it may well be the perfect bottle to bring to Thanksgiving dinner. At one week old, it is just bright and fresh enough to go with turkey, and it has the versatility to complement nearly all the trimmings — particularly the cranberry sauce.

How is this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau?

Vignerons in Beaujolais report that the 2007 vintage will offer full ripe fruit and a round body and will be the best Nouveau in several years. Of course, wine producers will always promote a new wine positively, but I think we can trust that 2007 Nouveau will be fresh, ripe, and fruity. We’ll know for sure in just a few days.

Where Can I Buy Beaujolais Nouveau?

Around the end of November, it will be hard NOT to buy, as it is the most heavily promoted wine upon release. Most wine shops and liquor stores will begin carrying Beaujolais Nouveau on its release date: the third Thursday of November every year (November 15th in 2007). Cases and bottles of Nouveau will likely be surrounded by colorful bunting, banners, balloons, and posters from that date through the new year.