Tasting Reviews - Details https://www.oxfordwineclub.org.uk/tasting-reviews http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification mojoPortal Blog Module en-GB 120 no 'Red Squirrels, not Grey Squirrels; rare regional goodies Nik Darlington made a welcome repeat visit to the Club on 27 February, bringing with him his personal selection from the Red Squirrel list. Nik has had a varied career, a political reporter, business consultant, scuba diving instructor and now wine merchant. He is driven by the determination not to allow the invading ‘grey squirrels’ (the standard ‘international’ grapes) to spread their tentacles and drive out the regional grapes that still cling to a spot in the world’s vineyard areas.

We started the tasting on a very chilly night in the toasty-warmth of the welcoming Cherwell Boathouse Marquee with a very refreshing glass of the Dal Zotto family’s sparkling Col Fondo 2014. Yet another Prosecco? Far from it? This is made by Italians from the Prosecco grape – but in Australia’s King Valley, an Alpine region some hours to the north-east of Melbourne. Nik explained the background to an intriguing story. Fifteen years ago, before Prosecco started its decade-long boom, it was made from the Prosecco grape as a budget alternative of sorts to champagne. But, and this is the key point, ‘prosecco was the name of a grape. Hence it couldn’t be protected in the way that champagne is and has been for over a hundred years. So, the prosecco industry changed the name of the grape to Glera (a rarely used alternative name that had lingered on in a village somewhere in the Valdobbiadene district). What they forgot was that Italian emigrants had taken the prosecco grape to Australia. So, the Dal Zotto Pucino Col Fondo is the real thing: tank-made but bottled with the lees still in bottle under a crown cap. Hence the wine is cloudy, close to the colour of ginger beer and with a fascinating lemon cheesecake nose and a beautiful bitter finish. Dal Zotto’s prosecco is market leader in Australia and despite legal threats the Italian industry has failed to dislodge this really rather traditional challenger.

The second wine was one of three still whites we tasted. This was the Clos Rocailleux ‘Far from the eye’ 2016. As members will know ‘Far from the Eye’ is the English translation of the French ‘Loin de l’Oeuil; (and the Occitan ‘Len de l’El’). Made by English couple in a village in ‘La France Profonde’ near Gaillac, the Loin de l’Oeuil is usually vinified as part of a blend with Mauzac but this is a single variety wine – just 800 bottles a year. The wine is pale yellowy white with a rich nose of grapefruit and pear – and a touch of something a bit creamier and a candied. Something like a blend of dry Semillon and Picpoul perhaps. This would be a brilliant food wine – either with richer fish dishes or with the local cuisine. Do go and visit them, said Nik. They’re fabulously welcoming.

The second of the whites was another rarity – a varietal wine made from Roter Veltliner. No relation of Gruner Veltliner, this is a pink-skinned grape made in tiny quantities in the Wagram area of Austria. The nose is rich and spicy (a hint of Gewurztraminer perhaps?) with citrus, tropical fruit and orange blossom. Dry (5-6g of residual sugar) but full and rounded in the mouth, this wine had bags of character and body but remains quite light at 12.5%. Definitely more versatile than Gewurz, this wine would pair perfectly with fish, white meats and rich pasta dishes.

Last of the three whites was another 100% varietal wine. This time we sampled Muscadelle made in a ‘solera style’ blending of several years production by Château de Bel. Bel en Blanc is necessarily a non-vintage wine and which (somehow and thankfully) hasn’t yet been banned by the Bordeaux authorities. Olivier Cazenave buys in white grapes from an organic farmer and produces this ‘Vin de France’ in a bottle shape of his own choice (close to Ruinart champagne), with a tied on label and an attitude that says ‘I make what I like!’. The result has the appearance and feel of a sweet wine but is bone-dry and (as a result of skin contact) a touch of tannin. Olivier gives Cab Franc similar treatment and there’s a Chenin Blanc / Riesling experiment on the stocks. As Nik noted, the Appellation Controlée system has secured heritage status and (more or less) ensured that little bad wine gets through the system – but this is at the expense of experimentation. Nik has very generously offered all members a 15% discount on these wines so do check out his website and see what you fancy to support diversity and bravery. It’s www.redsquirrelwine.com.

We then moved over to the red wines – all of which went down very well with members. First up was the Laventura Rioja Tinto 2014. What’s new and rare about Rioja, I hear you ask? Well, a surprising amount in this case. The typical Rioja for the last century or so has been the warm climate wine of the lowlands ‘Rioja Baja’; rich tasting, lashings of vanilla and spice and quality measured solely by the number of years in oak. Not so the Laventura wine which is grown at 600-700 metres altitude, has a paler and brighter colour to it and loads of fresh fruit. Just a touch of oak but the aim is a dry wine with crisp tannins and flavours of black cherry (and a touch of blackcurrant leaf). Check out ‘Rioja ‘n’ Roll’, the loose group of friends and renegade wine makers who practise minimally invasive viticulture and do their own thing in the winery.

Wine number 5 was, for many members, one of the stars of the evening. This was the Altavia Rossesse di Dolceacqua Superiore Riserva of 2012. Rossesse, grown in only a few inland spots on the Ligurian coast, is a real rarity. Nik knew the area and, as he put it, Rossesse was one of the reasons why he came to believe he had to set up Red Squirrel to give such wines a chance of survival. Rossesse is a clone of Tibouren (Provence by way of Greece) and there’s more than a touch of Pinot Nero’s elegance and freshness. The wine was pale garnet with a broad rim (another Pinot like quality) and we found loads of dry black fruit (blackcurrants and cherries) and white pepper with more than a touch of the minty nose that some compare to eucalyptus oil. Complex, more-ish and a long, harmonious finish.

The final red was the Coline de l’Hirondelle ‘La Joupatière’ 2012. Seriously rare (only four cases left in the UK), seriously expensive and an extraordinary blend of thirteen named varieties (including every version /c colour of Pinot you can think of) and three unknown varieties. All from the same sandy field, all pre-phylloxera vines found in one of the oldest of all French vineyard areas near Corbières. This was another ‘Vin de France’ but the quality was closer to Grand Cru – dark, spicy, reminiscent of black treacle on the nose with great complexity and depth and a magnificent finish.

Last up was Champagne Levasseur’s ‘Ratafia de Champagne’. Finishing a tasting with champagne? Yes, indeed. For those who hadn’t come across it before, Ratafia is essentially a ‘stopped fermentation’ wine (a Vin Doux Naturel really). Made with champagne grapes, the resultant liqueur is a complex, powerful glass (18%) that can be taken neat with an ice cube as an aperitif, savoured with foie gras or sipped over Christmas pudding.

A fascinating tasting that delivered in spades on the Club’s ‘couldn’t taste wouldn’t taste’ mantra. Both those lucky enough to attend and those who couldn’t make it can benefit from a Club offer. Nik has generously offered us a 15% discount on the list prices – as well as a lifetime 5% discount on all Red Squirrel wines for ever. See the forthcoming offer sheet for details

GH: 3/3/2018


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Drinking Outside the Box Rare and Native Grape Varieties and Forgotten Wine Regions

A small but select and happy band of OWC members gathered in Oxford Brookes Restaurant on a warm summer’s evening to enjoy a grouping of four white and four red wines from unusual grape varieties and regions.

An entertaining and committed speaker, Nik Darlington set up the online retailer Red Squirrel Wines just three years ago after a career as a political journalist. Red Squirrel offers alternative or native grape varieties, as a counter to what Nik perceives as the dominance of international grape varieties and the rise of monoculture and a lack of biodiversity.

Whites

1. Sepo Pansa Blanca, Alella, Catalunya, Spain £11.99 13%

Produced next door to the Pendenes DO on what is now the outskirts of Barcelona, this white comes from the stable of the Marques d’Alella and the small and until recently shrinking Alella DO. Made from the Pansa Blanca grape (a local synonym for the better-known Xarello or Xarel-lo), which is one of the principal grapes used in Cava, the others being parellada and  macabeo, Highly adaptable to a range of soil types, the grape is extraordinarily well-suited to the local ‘shaulo’ soil which it is felt imparts some acidity. Light straw in colour this is positioned as an aperitif-style wine. Production is using modern methods and includes stainless steel fermentation. Light on the nose and palate, the flavour profile is relatively uncomplicated and includes bruised apples with some herbaceous notes. Medium length.

2. Bruno Pigato ‘Le Russeghine’ 2013, Liguria, Italy £17.99  13.5%

Although marked as the third wine on our tasting sheets, Nik served this wine second, having felt it showed on the night as a better contrast to the Pansa Blanca than the Opta Encruzado.

The wine originates from north-west Italy, from the area around Genoa. Grown in a river valley, which runs between the sea and the Appenine Mountains, the location ensures good airflow and a considerable day/night temperature variation. The soil in the vineyard is red, as indicated in the wine’s name, which is felt to impart a more aromatic flavour structure. The grape is Pigato, which is the same as Vermentino and is locally known as ‘pigau’, meaning spotted, because the grapes develop a spotted appearance at maturity. Light in colour and almost salty or mineralistic on the palate, the wine has a light nose reminiscent of herbs or even wild lavender and has good acidity. The producer, Riccardo Bruno, is considered to be one of the best in the region and uses organic methods but is not certified as such. The yield is 50 hl/ha.

3. Opta Encruzado 2014, Dao, Portugal £13.00 13%

From central northern Portugal and the Dao region, the wine is made from 100% Encruzado grapes and is almost exclusively grown there. Prone to oxidation, if well made however the wine has great ageing potential (up to 30 years) and can at its best almost develop some of the characteristics of white Burgundy. The maker (Boas Quintos) uses destalked pressed whole grapes, stainless steel fermentation and some barrel ageing (no further details available). Somewhat disappointingly light on the palate after a complex nose of roses and violets, there is nevertheless a good citrus minerality. With age the wines are said to develop aromas of pine resin and hazelnuts.

4. Clos Rocailluex Reserve Mauzac Vielles Vignes 2012, Gaillac, France £16.99 13%

From the Gaillac area of South West France south of Bordeaux, the wine is made from 100% Mauzac Blanc, a variety specific to the area. It is used to produce dry sweet and sparking wines in both Limoux and Gaillac. The makers, Jack and Margaret Reckitt, were in a former existence an insurance broker and a lawyer respectively. The grapes come from vines that are over 60 years old with a yield of 20 to 25 hl/ha and the wine is fermented in stainless steel vats. On the nose and palate a somewhat rustic and unusual combination of bruised or dried apples, with some spice and minerality. More medium bodied on the palate, the wine is said to have ageing potential.

Reds

5. Chateau Hansen Cabernet Gernischt 2012 Inner Mongolia, China £12.50 13.5%

From an area that is hot, dry and virtually pollution-free, on the edge of the Gobi desert. The winery from which it comes is state of the art and has been built as a replica of a Bordeaux chateau. European consultants have been used with a view to the export market and the wine is 100% organic and unoaked. Cabernet Gernischt is a synonym for Carmenere and is thought to have been imported to China by French monks, having been a Bordeaux grape variety that was largely abandoned due to phylloxera. Carmenere is now of course largely associated with Chile.  This wine was chosen by Tom Cannavan of the Huffington Post as his wine of the week in April 2015. On the nose and palate ripe black fruits with blackberries and plums and a herbaceous or green pepper edge. Medium length and medium weight.

6. Benanti Nerello Mascalese ‘Il Monovitigno’ 2009, Etna, Sicily, Italy £24.99 13.5%

Grown on the self-evidently volcanic soil of Mount Etna and at an altitude of 750m, the wine is made from 100% Nerello grapes, also known as Mascalese or Nerello Mascalese. The vines are grown as free-standing bushes or ‘alberelli’. Due to the altitude the grapes are harvested from mid-October onwards. The grapes are vinified with long maceration and malo-lactic fermentation, and is matured in small French oak casks for over a year. The grower is a long-established local wine-growing family, with the current head of the family, Guiseppe Benanti, having undertaken a five-year study of the Etna region during the 1980’s in order to establish the current vineyards.  The wine has red cherries, currants and a slight smokiness on the nose and palate with some herbs and spice. Soft tannins, medium bodied and with a long finish. Considered to have good ageing potential.

7. Crios Tannat 2010, Mendoza, Argentina £13.99 14%

A wine from the stable of the famous maker Susana Balbo and made at her Dominio del Plato winery in the Andes mountains. The Tannat grape originates from the Madiran appellation in the Hautes-Pyrenees of south-west France. Madiran wines are known for their tannins, acidity, power and ageing potential. The grape has been adopted almost as the national grape of Uruguay, where the wines have slightly more rounded tannins due to the climate. In this Argentinan expression, the vines are able to enjoy a long growing season, thanks to the altitude (over 1,000 metres), which produces a softer, more supple wine, capable of ageing. (Talking of ageing the wine is allegedly one of the highest in procyanidins, which is credited with playing a role in ensuring human longevity.) The wine is intensely black in colour, with juicy dark fruits including plums and blueberries and some garden herbs, and spice on the nose and the palate. Full-bodied but with some refreshing acidity.

8. Altavia Thend 2005, Liguria, Italy £16.99 14%

Made from the Portugese Touriga Nacional, which is best known as a principal port grape. Here, it is used to make a robust red wine. The grapes are grown outside the DOC rulings in the Dolceacqua sub-region of western Liguria and hence the wine is categorised as a vino di tavola. The wineyards are located near a medieval hilltop village where the soil is marl and sand. The wine has had 18 days of maceration and has spent two years in oak barrels. Only 2,000 bottles of this wine were made in 2005. Very dark in colour. On the nose almost artificial plasticine type aromas, with some herbs and spiciness. Appears more alcoholic on the palate than the declared 14%. Lots of mouth-drying tannins. Persistent length.

Hilary Reid Evans 7th July 2015


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