2010 ~ No. 5    

French Wines 102

Last month’s newsletter gave short shrift to white Bordeaux, so amends must be made! Here is a quick guide to both the white and sweet versions of these lesser known and often underappreciated wines.

White Bordeaux (Dry)

What You Need to Know

These wines combine the zingy, tangy character of Sauvignon Blanc with the honeyed richness of Semillon for a uniquely sumptuous flavor.

Grapes

Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle

What to Look For

Though Graves is the best-known appellation for dry white Bordeaux, wines from Pessac-Leognan are considered the best, and are often worth the slightly higher price they command.

For everyday drinking, look for a wine from Graves or Entre-Deux-Mers, though picking a well-regarded producer will save you from disappointment!

More Details

At one time, white wine production outnumbered red. The wine, however, was quite mediocre and vintners began planting increasing amounts of red wine in the post-World War II years.

The creation of the Pessac-Leognan appellation in 1987 helped reverse the wine’s fortunes. As the name became known and associated with quality white wine, it spurred producers throughout Graves to step up their game and improve their product.

Vintages

2000, 2001, 2007

Cocktail Chatter

Today, production of red wine outnumbers white by a ratio of 6 to 1!

White Bordeaux (Sweet)

What You Need to Know

Forget what you think you hate about sweet wines; these are nothing like perception! Sweet Bordeaux wines offer a combination of voluptuous character and layered complexity that will bring you to your knees.

Grapes

Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle

What to Look For

Sauternes are the most famous and best of these wines, and the region’s Chateau d’Yquem is one of the best wines in the world – sweet or dry. But there are multitudes of other Chateaux producing more affordable and equally delectable options.

Sweet Bordeaux from Barsac are even more affordable than Sauternes, though the wines in general lack the same level of depth and complexity as their counterparts.

More Details

Semillon is the most important white grape in Bordeaux, in terms of acreage planted and for its susceptibility to “noble rot” or botrytis.

Botrytis is a fungus indigenous to the region that grows on the grapes and “feeds” off of them, effectively concentrating the grape juice into a sticky, sugary pulp. (See photo.)

This potential for sweetness, however, is offset by the grapes’ naturally low acidity; once fermented, there is a balance between the sugar, acid and alcohol that is luscious instead of cloying.

Vintages

1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005

Cocktail Chatter

Because botrytis spreads willy-nilly, it takes up to 10 weeks to complete the harvest. Workers go through the vineyards several times, hand-picking each affected grape at the perfect moment in its ripeness.

On average, it takes five to eight grapevines to produce a bottle of wine. At Chateau d’Yquem, one grapevine produces a single glass of wine.

The Texas Two Sip

Following my earlier story on Texas wines, I was invited by the folks at the Texas Department of Agriculture Wine Division to do the Texas Two Sip at an event in New York.

This blind tasting pits a Texas wine against a comparable wine of the same grape(s) but from another region and the results were surprising. In many cases, the Texas wine was preferred over some very well known counterparts and the ultimate split of favorites was nearly 50-50.

In reviewing the notes, it’s funny to see the biases and where I was wrong. The biggest surprises for me were the Gewurztraminer and the Bordeaux blend.

In both cases, the Texas wine beat the wines from known estates with solid reputations. That a Texas wine could – to my palate - beat the pants off a respected French estate really caused a shift in my thinking. Yet I wasn’t alone; a vast majority of the people tasting with me agreed that the Texas wine was better than the Bordeaux.

Overall, I found the red wines disappointing. However, the white wines pretty darn good and would be happy to drink – or serve – any of them, particularly when sitting outside on a warm summer evening!

Here is a breakdown of the wines tasted and my notes on them, including the wine I thought was the Texas one and the actual Texas wine. The actual wines are revealed below each tasting note.

VERMENTINO
A: Grassy with a touch of mineral and saline; a little plain but with a nice bite at the end. Like this one best. Probably the Italian wine.	B: Round and minerally but with a better finish. Little aroma. Probably the Texas B: Round and minerally but with a better finish. Little aroma. Probably the Texas wine.
Mandola Estate Winery, Texas	Gagliardo Favorite “Fallegro”, Piedmont

GEWURZTRAMINER
A: Nice orange and petrol nose, very bright and fresh. Exactly what you expect from the grape. Not the Texas one!!	B: Stone and mineral notes, but not a lot of varietal character. Must be the Texas wine!
Messina Hof Gewurztraminer, Texas	Chateau Ste. Michelle, Washington

CHENIN BLANC
A: Aromas of grass and hay; round and creamy on the palate. Not bad. This is the Texas wine.	B: Musty, dusty odors and flatter flavor with more stone and mineral notes. Not the Texas wine.
Beringer, California	Fall Creek Vineyards, Texas

VIOGNIER
A: Bleah, no flavor. Water. Not the Texas wine.	B: Great nose, bursts from the glass. Like this one best. Texas wine.
Zaca Mesa, California	Brennan Vineyards, Texas

ROSE
A: Bubblegum pink color, tastes like spun sugar. The Texas wine.	B: Closed nose, watery flavors. Not a fan & not the Texas wine.
McPherson, Texas	Marques de Caceras, Spain

SANGIOVESE
A: Peppery nose with notes of tomato on the palate. Great start, disappointing to taste. Probably Italian.	B: Closed nose, watery taste, bleah. Must be the Texas wine.
McPherson, Texas	Ruffino “Aziano”, Tuscany

INDIGENOUS RED
A: Dark cherry and brambly aromas, nice flavor on the palate with a soft texture. Prefer this one. Think it’s the Texas wine.	B: Blackberry aromas and juicy cherry flavors, but with a slightly intertube-y quality. Not the Texas wine.
Crasto Douro, Portugal	Stone House, Texas

MONTEPULCIANO
A: Closed, watery, no real character. Probably Italian.	B: Lifted floral aromas, a touch candid on the palate. Prefer this one. It’s the Texas wine.
Cataldi Madonna, Italy	Mandola Estate Winery, Texas

BORDEAUX BLEND
A: Very closed and bland. Awful. This is the Bordeaux wine.	B: A little closed, tannic and puckery, but prefer this one overall. It just needs time. The Texas wine.
Chateau Calon Segur, Bordeaux	Inwood “Magellan”, Texas

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
A: Clean aromas, a little closed. Lots of pepper on the palate, but opens up a bit with time. Not a Texas wine.	B: Bland and watery. This is the Texas wine.
Llano Estacado Cellar Reserve, Texas	Clos du Bois Alexander Valley, California

WINE FOR THOUGHT

When I commented to someone that Texas’ white wines were pretty good, the response was, “Of course! White wines are much easier to make.”

A dispiriting comment, but is it true?

No, according to Mari Wells Coyle, the winemaker for David Girard Vineyards in the Sierra Foothills. “White wines are extremely sensitive to fermentation temperatures, sanitized conditions, and oxidation. Thus, making the winemakers work more challenging and deliberate.”

There is no simple answer to this broad question, notes Greg Bruni, Vice President Executive Winemaker for Llano Estacado Winery in Lubbock, Texas. “New World white wines [the style of the Texas wines] are more technical to make and traditional barrel aged reds more difficult.”

The whites must be “processed delicately, yeast and enzymes carefully selected…filtered properly and in most cases bottled with residual sugar requiring absolute sterile filtration, bottled under low dissolved oxygen conditions, with follow up [quality control] checks such as bottled wine sterility,” according to Bruni.

On the other hand, “Conventional reds are more technically forgiving but require extended time in the cellars to barrel age. As a rule of thumb the longer a wine remains in the cellars the higher the potential for oxidation and microbiological intervention.”

Based on their admittedly limited input from me, is there a reason I might prefer Texas white wines to Texas reds?

Wells Coyle suggests, “there could be something about the climate that allows the whites to be more friendly than the reds,” but also suggests that the problem is with my palate!

“Whites do spend less time generally in the cellar before bottling,” she notes. “If there is a particular aging regime that you don't prefer in the red program, like type of oak, or racking program, this won't be expressed as much in the whites as in the red wines.”

“Before coming to a general conclusion about wines from a particular area,” Wells Coyle suggests, “it's always good to taste from many different producers. It's true that many areas specialize in certain wines that 'work' for their site, soil, and climate. That's what makes wine so much fun!”

Clearly, more research is needed. Anyone want to join me?