Relish Wine Picks - March 2010

This month’s Relish issue is all about breakfast — not the most wine-worthy of meals (though some might argue that point!). Rather than offering our monthly wine pairings, we thought this would be a good month to offer up some random “Wild Card Wines”— bottles that fly under the radar either because they’re made in small quantities or they come from lesser-known regions. Note that you may need to head to a specialty wine shop or order online to find these well-kept secrets.  

(P.S.: If you’re parlaying any of the month’s breakfast recipes into brunch, check out this month’s Good Glass of Wine column, which highlights sparkling wines—always great with eggs.)

Wini’s Wild-Card Picks

A Drink To Your Health: “1907” Madiran 2007 ($14)
Whether or not you should drink wine for your health is between you and your doctor. If you go that route, however, some research suggests that wines made from the Tannat grape are high in procyanidins, touted to be the thing that makes wines healthy (source: The Wine Diet, by Roger Corder). A good place to find wines made from this grape is Madiran, a region of Southwest France — wines from here must contain at least 40 percent Tannat.

Here’s the catch: Because they’re high in tannins, many of these wines can taste harsh and puckery to those who prefer plusher, fruitier reds. However, in a tasting of Madiran wines in the Southwest of France, I came across the infinitely approachable “1907” Madiran, a wine made specifically for the export market. The dark, full-bodied blend of Tannat and Cabernet Sauvingon offers plush plum notes and hints of violets that will play well to those who like their wines on the supple and fruity side.

A Merlot with Something Extra: Gordon Brothers Family Vineyards Columbia Valley Merlot 2007 ($23)
We all know the bad rap that Merlot gets for being soft and fruity and not much else. But then, you come across an amazing version and you fall in love with the grape all over again. That happened to me when I recently tasted the Gordon Brothers Columbia Valley Merlot 2007 ($23). With just 5,000 cases made, it might not be on every store shelf, but it is worth seeking out.

Aged in a mix of French and American oak barrels for 9 months and blended with wee bits of Cabernet Sauvingon (2 percent) and Syrah (5 percent), the richly fruity wine offers bold dark-cherry and toasty notes, along with a wee bit of that little something extra I often find in great Washington reds: a curiously spicy angle that’s vaguely reminiscent of cinnamon red-hots candy. And I mean that in a good way! The flavor adds a bit of sprightly refreshment that makes this generous wine surprisingly light on its feet around foods.

A Sauvignon Blanc with a Surprise: Maycas del Limari Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Have you ever tasted a strange quality in a wine that made your mind go “huh?” but your palate say, “more please”?

That’s exactly what happened to me when I tasted Maycas del Limari Reserva Especial Sauvingon Blanc 2007. Hailing from the cool-climate Limari region of Chile, this round, full-style of Sauvignon Blanc brings plenty of citrusy refreshment as well as appealing mineral undertones reminiscent of a Loire Valley Sauvingon Blanc.

What nudged it into a league of its own, however, was its curious and wonderful green-chile spark. And I’m not talking about those vaguely vegetal or grassy notes common in some wines, but rather a zippy-fresh, spicy spark, reminiscent of a jalapeño pepper. Though it didn’t sound like anything I’d really want in a wine, it really was; it added a fascinatingly fresh and energetic angle to this well-balanced white.   

Once again, there’s a catch. The 2007 vintage I tasted is long gone; the 2008 vintage is hard to find (I’m not the only one who loved it). Look for the 2009 vintage, which should be coming to our shores later this year.

Chuck’s Wild-Card Picks

Hip, hip Syrah! Gilles Robin Crozes-Hermitage Cuvée Albéric Bouvet 2005
I have a friend who’s a diehard Rhône fanatic. He brought Gilles Robin Crozes-Hermitage Cuvée Albéric Bouvet 2005 to pour alongside a roasted venison meal I served at Christmas. Yow — thank you, Thomas! Rhône wines, both north and south, have a reputation for being delicious with game. If you want to know why, look no further. Grace, restraint and a surprisingly compelling earthiness make this a venison wine, par excellence.   

Rhône neighbors Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage get more play as “serious” Syrah zones, but in the hands of a good producer, Crozes-Hermitage fruit can float some awfully exciting wines — and often at a bit more palatable price. Wines from the northern Rhône are hardly ever what you’d call cheap — this one had a price of around $36 on release — but for Syrah with a pedigree, it’s one of the best places on the planet to explore.

No knight-errant — a wine that knows what it’s about: Quixote Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Stags' Leap Ranch 2001
I enjoyed Quixote Cabernet Sauvignon with dinner at the home of friends only 2 days ago and simply had to get it in here. In keeping with the theme of this month’s exploration, it is ABSOLUTELY a wild-card, the sort of wine we rarely discuss. Why? $60, 480 cases made. Need I say more?

Yet, I have to admit that I often adore wines that are produced in teensy quantities. They can be a bit idiosyncratic, highly characterful, and reflective of the personalities of the folks who make them — and the places they come from. I love every bit of that! And, while this wine is most assuredly a big-time splurge at $60, many small-quantity wines are extremely affordable. There are scads of them in the $20 to $30 range, and many go for a lot less. Seek them out in good wine shops. Cherish them for their rarity, their one-off-ness. (And so ends the soap-box portion of this entry . . . .)

Oh, yes, the Quixote? It’s a wild-card wine for me in another sense — it is a high-test, power-driven, ultra-intense, flavor-crammed, mouth-sockin’ mama . . . a style of wine I don’t often recommend but just KNOW many Cabernet lovers will swoon over. (Hmm . . . and I certainly haven’t ever referred to a wine as a “mama” before!) It promises. It delivers. If this is your kind of wine, beg, borrow, steal, employ whatever slimy mechanism of deceit necessary to get your hands on a bottle.

Finally, I can recommend this! Adelsheim Caitlin's Reserve Chardonnay 2007
So, another rarity for me is the opportunity to fairly gush over a Chardonnay — especially, if it happens to be a Chardonnay not from France. (I know, I know . . . I hate the hoity-ness of that “not from France” line, too. Believe me. But sheesh, if it’s true, it’s true!)

The thing is, when crazy-satisfying, mouth-melting texture fuses with an acutely refreshing and achingly long finish, all over sumptuous strata of stone fruit, pear, and spice, I’m going head-over-heels no matter where the stuff’s made. But this knockout just happens to hail from Oregon, and from a producer you have heard me rave about in the past, Adelsheim.

The catch here is that Caitlin’s Reserve is another wine made in infinitesimally small quantities — if memory serves, less than 200 cases. It took a wildcard month like this one to allow me to say that if you EVER get a chance to taste this one, don’t pass it by. And if that fails, try the Adelsheim Willamette Valley Chard. At more than 1,000 cases produced, it’s a bit easier to source and more than hints at the majesty of the Caitlin’s Reserve. Either one will bring a smile.

Say, what a fun month, Wini — I can’t wait to see what great wines April might bring!





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