Unusual Takes

Beaujolais is not just candy-bright, nor is Pinot Noir only made in one part of France. Deciding to taste a cru-level Beaujolais of quality against an oak-matured Alsace Pinot Noir of quality, I was trying to examine how two wines unusual for their genre fared in comparison to each other, especially since they both are ruby-red, evoke red-fruits and have the same alchohol content.

The last time I tried Lucien Albrecht's Amplus Pinot Noir, it seemed somewhat unbalanced and one note, but the 2003 I opened tonight has a lot of depth, from its funky, green nose (read between the lines) to its spicy, hot palate paired with a lively acidity. The nose is full of raspberries and macerated strawberries, while the palate packs a lively combination of red plum, stewed strawberries, raspberries and spicy greens. Even at five years old, the vegetal quality is fresh and spicy, and vies with the fruit for attention.

The Laurent Martray Brouilly Vielles Vignes 2005, ruby-red with a magenta edge, has a nose full of still-green fruit, and band-aid box, with a touch of acetone. As unappealing as this sounds, the nose is vibrant and inviting, and the lovely pure-fruit palate of unripe strawberries, huckleberry syrup and fresh raspberries is delightfully balanced, while fruit-forward and simple.

Besides color, one would not confuse these wines. The eighteen months of oak aging that the "Amplus" undergoes would squealch the most charming aspects of the Brouilly, and there's an earthy quality to Pinot Noir, regardless of its viticulture and elaboration, that makes it stand out from a well-made, thirst quenching charmer like the Martray. There's more tension in the Pinot, which makes for more interesting drinking, but as a fellow wine aficianado once remarked "All those big, hot, tannic wines just make me crave a well-made Beaujolais." Certainly not a shameful craving.

More Side by Side

Continuing the side by side tasting project, which I began a week ago and didn't post about until today, Yesterday's side by side tasting was between the Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc 2006 from Marlborough and the Chateau Carbonnieux Pessac-Leognan 2003. Dog Point is one of my favorite New Zealand producers, and Chateau Carbonnieux, as little as it is to my tastes, is Chateau Carbonnieux, one of the handful of Grand Cru Classe white bourdeauxs. As far as Sauvignon Blanc goes, there are no two wines as diverse as a high alchohol, dizzyingly acidic New Zealand Sauvignon, and an oak-rich white Bourdeaux, with Semillon in the cepage and a more restrained acid profile.

The Chateau Carbonnieux, which I think may have been mislabled at 12.5% alchohol, has a toasty nose of yellow apple, Anjou pear and pineapple, while the palate displays non-fruit notes of white flowers, clove and black walnuts, along with a certain lanolin mouthfeel I associate with Semillon.

The Dog Point, a star-bright straw, is a different animal. The nose has unripe pear, lemon and green apples in it, while the palate, with its crackling acidity and an unmistakable Granny Smith apple quality, is all youth and vibrancy. There are secondary notes of green melon, kiwi and even fig, once the green apple recedes on the palate.

It seems almost frivolous to confirm assumed stylistic differences like this, but the differences are never so pronounced as when you can take a mouthful of one wine and then another, and really taste and smell how different terroir and elaboration can substantially alter the same fruit. It's rather splendid and strange!

Tasting Side by Side

Jancis Robinson, in her book " How to Taste : A Guide to Enjoying Wine" suggests tasting a few similar wines at a time to properly note the differences between them. In this spirit I decided to spend some time this afternoon comparison tasting two Spatlese Mosel Rieslings from two different vineyards, years and producers to establish sylistic differences in the Mosel and contrast a basic example of Tempranillo against a basic example of Sangiovese to note the basic differences between these two grapes, which I often confuse in blind tastings.

The first Riesling was from Karl Erbe, a 2004 from the Wurzgarten vineyard in Urzig, and the second was from JJ Prüm, a 2003 from the Sonnenuhr vineyard in Zelting. Both Rieslings were yellow straw in color, although the Prum was more intensely colored, and while both Rieslings suggested Golden Delicious apples, pear and citrus in the nose and on the palate, the Erbes evoked peeled pear and lemon, while the Prum powerfully evoked Bartlett pear and lime. While the Erbes had a clementine-like acidity, the pineapple-like acidity of the Prum was far more racy. With even a years difference, the whiff of petrol on the Zeltinger Sonnenuhr 2003 was pronounced, while the Erbes showed pretty much none.

As for the reds, even in color, the garnet Sangiovese and the orange-ruby Tempranillo distinguished themselves in the glass. The Sangiovese, a 2006 from Terre di Sole in Sicily, smelled like red plums, Empire apples and smoke, while the Tempranillo, a 2005 from Solar de Roudez in Rioja, smelled like unripe strawberries, yellow plums, cranberries and fennil. On the palate, the Sangiovese tasted like soft red apples and bay leaf, while the Tempranillo tasted like yellow plums and Earl Grey tea, both in a distinct bergamot note, and in its tannic structure.

Voici, Vouvray

The Domaine Pichot 2005 Vouvray is an opulent cocktail of golden apple, lime and banana, with a touch of creme brulee from oak fermentation. While the lovely balance between acid and lush peeled pear sweetness could recall a Mosel Riesling in its balance, the heft of the chenin blanc on the palate, cradled between two bright stripes of acid on the edges of the tongue, shouts Vouvray. One could see beginning and ending a meal with this wine, with it's brisk, green palate and salted caramel finish.