Wines From Lesser-Known Regions

At a recent Thursday night tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton, Pete presented the wines for the tasting. Gail asked him for suggestions as to topics for the tasting and they eventually settled on wines that are not the “usual suspects”. It gave us a chance to learn about some smaller wine regions and taste the wines. It was a fun evening that took us on a tour of European wines.

2010 Zantho Grüner Veltliner — this crisp white wine had the most interesting nose, a combination of tobacco, green apples and spices. Flavors included minerals and lemon-lime. The flavors became more complex as the wine warmed in the glass. Clean and refreshing. This is a great summertime wine, it would work beautifully with hors d’oeuvre as well.

Grüner Veltliner is the most widely planted grape variety in Austria. The wine can produce a variety of styles of wine, from light and crisp to full-bodied. The Zantho Grüner Veltliner is produced in the eastern part of Austria along the border with Hungary in an area known as Burgenland. Its name, Zantho, is the historic name of the village known today as Andau near where the grapes are grown.

The soil in this area is gravel, mixed with mineral-rich sand. The area is among the driest and warmest in Austria helping to ripen the fruit. Fermentation took place in stainless steel as did finishing of the wine for 5 to 6 months.

2011 Château Des Labourons Fleurie — the nose is an alluring combination of strawberries and spices. Flavors tend toward tart dark fruit and cranberries. The wine has good acidity and smooth tannins. There is plenty of flavor, a fairly light body and it is well-balanced.

Beaujolais is sandwiched between Burgundy to its north and the northern portion of the Rhone Valley appellation to its south. Its unique soils are composed of granite. The climate is a bit warmer than Burgundy, not as warm as the Rhone Valley. The Gamay grape thrives in the granite soils of Beaujolais and comprises the majority of plantings in the area.

Carbonic maceration, also called whole-berry fermentation, is a winemaking technique common in Beaujolais. This technique involves fermentation of whole grapes in an oxygen-free environment. Fermentation takes place within individual grapes and results in a wine with fruity flavors and few tannins. Some Beaujolais wines are produced by a combination of carbonic and traditional fermentation or just using traditional fermentation.

Fleurie is one of 10 designated Crus Beaujolais, distinguished for the highest quality wine (other designations include Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages). Fleurie is located in the northern portion of Beaujolais and is known for producing producing floral, feminine wines. The 2011 Château Des Labourons Fleurie is produced using traditional fermentation followed by neutral oak aging before bottling.

2008 Boutari Naoussa — brick colored in the glass. Smoke and concentrated, dried fruit scents are evident on the nose. Earthy flavors along with dark, concentrated fruit flavors combine with significant, smooth tannins. This wine has juicy acidity and the tannins are very long-lasting. Very flavorful wine.

Naoussa is located in the northern portion of Greece, on the slopes of Mount Vermion. The area has a long history of producing quality wines. In the 19th century they were considered the best produced in the Ottoman Empire.

Xinomavro is widely planted in northern Greece where, according to Robinson, Harding and Vouillamoz in Wine Grapes, it likely originated. The grape is known for high acidity and significant tannins (it has dark, thick skins). It is generally considered to age well.

In 1971 the Naoussa region was formally designated by legislation as the first Greek Protected Designation of Origin of Higher Quality. The VQPRD Naoussa designation applies to wines produced only from select Xinomavro grapes in the area following strict growing and vinification standards.

Boutari has been making wine for more than 130 years. The winery was active in preserving the Xinomavro grape and advocated for the Naoussa VQPRD. In terms of recognition, 2013 has been quite a year for the winery. Boutari was listed by Wine & Spirits Magazine among the 100 Wineries of the Year in 2013. The 2009 Boutari Naoussa was recently included on the Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines (#69), giving it a score of 90 points. Impressive for an $18 bottle of wine.

2009 Sella & Mosca Connonau Di Sardigna — dark fruit on the nose with similar dark plum and fig flavors. Tannins are significant and acid is adequate. Good, but not overly complex tasting.

Stella & Mosca is located in the northwest corner of Sardinia, inland from the port city of Alghero. They are a large estate with 1600 total acres and 1200 acres of vineyards. The winery was founded over 100 years ago and the estate apparently very beautiful, drawing many visitors during the summer months.

This wine is 100% Cannonau, known to us as Grenache (Garnacha, as it probably was brought to Sardinia from Spain during Spanish control of the island between 1479 and 1720). This is not universally agreed upon, as some Italian researchers argue for a Sardinia origin. Robinson, Harding and Vouillamoz, in Wine Grapes, discuss multiple possibilities.

In any event, this wine really did not taste familiar to me. That is, it did not taste like other Grenache (Garnacha) I have tasted. The flavors were darker than those I associate with most Grenache. An interesting comparison.

2009 José Maria de Fonseca Periquita — very dark ruby in the glass with a bit of a “stinky” nose that quickly blows-off. Flavors are complex with layers of dark and red fruit along with spice. Moderate tannins and good acidity are present for a really pleasing and flavorful wine. This wine sneaks up on you, getting more interesting and complex the longer it sits in the glass.

The history of José Maria de Fonseca and Periquite dates back to about 1846 with the purchase of Cova da Periquite. Fonseca subsequently planted Castelâo and the first documented vintage was 1850. They consider themselves the first winery to bottle red wine in Portugal.

The blend of “the original” (as the winery refer to it) is Castelão, Trincadeira and Aragonez (Tempranillo). Castelão is known to be a bit tannic, so it is often blended with other grape varieties to soften the tannins. It produces a variety of styles of wine depending upon soil type, doing best in sandy soils. It is the most widely-planted grape variety in Portugal. Trincadeira can be a challenge to grow, but is capable of producing complex flavorful wines. It is a common blending partner with Aragones (Tempranillo) in parts of Portugal.

2010 Domaine Faiveley Mercurey La Framboisière — light ruby in the glass with spicy cedar scents. Flavors of dark cherries, spice and a pleasant saltiness combine with a very light body and smooth, well-integrated tannins to produce an elegant wine. The flavors are so complex in this very light-bodied wine.

We end our tour in Burgundy with Pinot Noir. Yum. One of my favorite varieties. The classifications in Burgundy are mind-boggling. There are 100 AOCs in Burgundy, based on geographical areas and quality. The area lies between Dijon to the north and nearly to Lyon in the south (except for Chablis which is by itself a bit northwest from Dijon). In The World Atlas of Wine, Johnson and Robinson dedicate 22 pages to Burgundy. It is worth reading. The detailed maps and discussion of the AOCs and allowed grape varieties are outstanding.

Rather than deal with all of the complexities of Burgundy classification, let’s just try and understand the Domaine Faiveley label. Domaine Faiveley is the producer, Mercurey is the communal AOC which is located within Côte Chalonnaise, the regional AOC. La Framboisière is the climat, or vineyard, and Monopole indicates that Domaine Faiveley controls the entire vineyard.

The indication of vineyard control is significant because many of the vineyards in Burgundy have multiple owners (due in part to inheritance law in France). This could mean inconsistent vineyard management within the vineyard, thus variable quality. The climat, La Framboisière, is a bit over 27 acres in size and planted on clay/limestone soil.

Wow, six distinctly different wines and a chance to learn a bit about each region and variety. It was a whirlwind tour, but a great tasting and great fun.

Cheers!

References:
Wine Grapes by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding, José Vouillamoz
The World Atlas of Wine (7th edition) by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson