He Says, She Says December 2007

Wini says: Brunch, desserts, coffeecake, breakfast smoothies, a spiced Mandarin Punch—this month’s issue of Relish has some mighty tempting recipes. However, the only one screaming, “Fill my wineglass, now!” is the Artisanal Fondue. I’ll give my pick for that, below.

So, Chas., to earn our keep, why don’t we strike off and do something else this month? Let’s get a jump-start on all those “Best of 2007” lists and give our top five wines of the year: The best of the best of all we sipped and loved.

Of course, any wisenheimer with a second home in France (which, of the two of us, is not me) can go on and on about the rare and long-cellared Pauillac they savored last summer while they watched the Tour de France wheel by their home in the Pyrenees, so let’s lay down some ground rules. This isn’t the time to get all lyrical about the bottles of Gevrey-Chambertin sipped on a barge in Burgundy—any monkey can do that!

Let’s talk about terrific wines that are available closer to home—bottles that have stood out from the hundreds we’ve tried this year. I’ll start.

Chuck says: You’ve got a deal! But be warned: I’m calling the shots on this “best of” biz next year, missy. As for this time around, you have my word—every wine I’m recommending was purchased and tasted in the good ol’ US of A. And as for next year’s rules? Let me give you a little preview. It’ll go something like this: “Rules? We don’t need no stinkin’ rules!” So take it away, pal. . . .

Best $20-or-under Red of 2007

Wini’s pick: Marquesa de Casa Concha 2004 Syrah ($19)

I have been rendered sleepless at night wondering how best to spread the word about how good the Chilean reds I sampled were this year, specifically, the Syrahs, and most specifically, this Syrah. I loved the rich black cherry fruit and the sultry smoke-and-violets notes in the nice, plush package. This one’s brimming with personality, but not overbearing, which is to say, a great co-mingling of the Old World and New.

Chuck’s pick: Descendientes de José Palacios, Pétalos del Bierzo 2005 ($20)

I’m going to pick up where you left off on that “old and new” theme. Because, even though this deeply colored, luscious red comes from the Old World in Spain, it also happens to be influenced by one of Spain’s hottest modern winemakers, Alvaro Palacios, and his nephew, Ricardo Perez. Plush, ripe, and ready to drink right away, this wine could easily pass for New World nectar—except that it’s also dripping with European complexity and finesse. Pétalos brings together the best of both worlds in one delectable slurp. I recommend not only getting to know this wine in particular, but the Spanish Bierzo region as a whole.

Best $20-or-under White of 2007

Wini’s pick: Rosemount Show Reserve 2006 Mudgee Chardonnay ($15)

I’ve come full circle on Chardonnay. I want it and I want it oaked. In the past years, Chard has been the “Merlot” of whites—poo-pooed by the wine cognoscenti, who would have you believe that anything as popular as Chard can’t be that good. They’re wrong, wrong, wrong. Then there are the “no oak” folk—those who disparage oak aging in their Chard in favor of “pure fruit.” I must admit I marched in that parade for a while.

But now I’ve come to realize that no oak in Chardonnay is as dumb as too much oak! I love this pick because it offers full-throttle fruit; lots of pear and citrus abound—but there’s just enough oak to give it those captivating creamy, nutty, vanilla tones and a nice round finish. This luscious, balanced pick, my friend, makes me remember why Chardonnay became the best-selling white in the first place.

Chuck’s pick: François Chidaine Clos du Breuil 2005 Montlouis sur Loire ($24.99)

Wini, please, please, please don’t be a stickler on this—just keep in mind that I’m honoring the spirit of the rules, if not the letter. How so? Well, this wine is sometimes available for under $20!!! After all, isn’t that the main thing? I really need you to let me slide on this, OK? (And before you jump me on the wine’s somewhat obscure provenance—the French appellation of Montlouis sur Loire—I’ll have you know that I bought this in Boise. So there!)

Anyway, let me just say, I became acquainted with lots of nice Chenin Blanc wines this year, and Chidaine’s Clos du Breuil was one of my favorites. Sometimes a wine can transport you to another place and time, and this one’s aromas of spring blossoms and pear definitely did that for me. Throw in some Loire minerality and a bright finish that goes on and on, and I’m a happy sipper. It is worth shopping around for and, if necessary, shelling out a bit more than the $20 benchmark price we set for this category.

Best Sparkling Wine of 2007

Wini’s pick: Schramsberg Crémant Demi-Sec ($37.50)

After years of insisting that my bubblies be toasty dry, as in the elegant French blanc-de-blancs, I stumbled upon this heavenly, lightly sweet sparkler. Perfect for after dinner, this gently sparkling, creamy sip set the end of our evening aglow—with honey, spice and more things nice, like toasted tropical fruits and soft melon flavors. I can’t get enough of this one. It’s worth raising a glass to (and hopefully with!) someone you adore.

Chuck’s pick: Trevisiol Rosé Brut (NV) Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, Italy ($16)

Shocked? Well, after stretching the budget just a wee bit with my last pick I decided to make this one simply about fun and crazy value for money. In this category, that’s quite often what I’m looking for anyway, and Trevisiol’s rosé brut fits those parameters to a T. It’s super-charged with loads of effervescent, tiny bubbles, balanced with just the right amount of zinginess, and sports a surprisingly intense nose that gets even more pleasant and fruity with the passing of a little time in the glass. Cheery, honest, enjoyable, and a no-brainer price.

Best Over-$25 Wine of 2007

Wini’s pick: 2003 Wild Oak Cabernet Sauvignon ($30)

Here’s the ground rule for this pick, Chuck: It has to be something we’d actually go out and buy ourselves, not something we merely sampled at a wine show or winery.

Launched this year, Wild Oak wines are a new line of premium, limited-productions wines produced by Sonoma’s St. Francis Winery. The Cab is a $30 bargain. Plush fruits are woven through and through with Cab-esque licorice, tar and pepper notes, but the wine is so soft and velvety, it reminded me a bit of Merlot. Turns out there’s a little Merlot and Malbec in the mix—consider this a Cabernet for Merlot drinkers who wish to trade up.

This would be my pick with the Artisanal Fondue; I tend to like reds better with fondue (it’s a digestion thing). And if you’re going to the expense of making a fondue with artisanal cheese, such as Comté, you might as well step up and get a handcrafted wine to go with it.

Chuck’s pick: Belle Pente Pinot Noir 2001 Murto Vineyard Reserve Willamette Valley (current vintage, $35)

There you go with those rules again! So what if I was to tell you that for once I did actually splurge on something? On a stupidly expensive bottle of old Bordeaux. And drank it while sitting on the kitchen floor with my father-in-law, rehashing loads of fun memories. Hands-down, one of my all-time favorite wine experiences (and worth every penny). What was the wine? So sorry—I’m afraid your rules forbid me to tell!

But what I can tell you about is the wonderful time I had with a most reasonable and delicious Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Belle Pente Vineyard and Winery. You know, it’s interesting—one constantly reads of winegrowers’ and winemakers’ trials and tribulations in producing great wines from this fickle varietal, but let’s not forget that Pinot routinely vexes the patience of wine enthusiasts, as well. How many times do we pop those corks in search of bliss, only to find bilgewater?! And expensive bilgewater, at that. But I guess that’s one reason why it’s so rewarding when we do find a winner—that special wine that vividly reminds us why Pinot is so revered. This year, Belle Pente’s Murto Vineyard Pinot was one of those delightful surprises we’re always hoping for, but seldom find.

Luckily, I believe my timing was just right on this one—the 2001 wine seemed to me to be hitting its peak when I tasted it last spring, and what a peak it was. While many outstanding Oregon Pinots are big and bold in a New World sort of way, the style of Belle Pente is light-ish and decidedly old school. Instead of power, this is about finesse—beautiful cherry and berry fruit flavors tinged with smoke, leather and spice, oozing with subtle earthiness and charm. Again, I do think that a couple years of aging is a good thing here, but it’s not strictly necessary, nor would you want to go more than six or seven, in my opinion.

Best “Wild-Card” Wine of 2007

Wini’s pick: Anything goes here, Chuck. What turned your head this year? When did you go: “Oh, wow!” no matter what the category?

I, personally, had a rosé revelation! After years of heaping adoration on bone-dry French and Spanish rosés, I was tickled pink to find myself falling for Clos du Bois 2006 Rosé ($12), a kind-of-sweet American rosé. Nothing at all like a decidedly boring and unhip white Zin, this cutie-pie pink has all the rich, ripe, strawberry and raspberry flavors you’d expect in a great rosé but made all the more irresistible with a fleeting sweetness breezing through the fruit.

Chuck’s pick: What turned my head this year? Well, there was a time not long ago when the sight of white Burgundy sealed with a screwtop would certainly set my tête a-reeling and my jaw a-dropping. But that day not only passed, but was pretty much forgotten once I twisted off the top, poured a glass, and was immediately swept away by the beguiling fragrance of the exquisitely memorable Thierry & Pascale Matrot 2005 Meursault (around $30). They can seal this stuff with a pop-top or a beer cap or put it in a Mason jar for all I care—with wine like this, it almost doesn’t matter.

So, let’s return to the subject of oaked Chardonnay you mentioned just a moment ago. For me, this wine is what it’s all about. And it seems to me that once again you and I are on the same page, my friend. You see, this wine never touches any oak younger than two years old, meaning that the heavy oak flavor you get from the brand new barrels so many producers use is completely out of the picture. What’s left behind is fruit, glorious fruit, backed with just enough oak character to make the wine thrillingly full and complex, yet astonishingly fresh. For anyone wondering what the big hoo-ha is about when it comes to white Burgundy, this wine offers the best introduction at a reasonable price that I can think of.

Hey, I hope you had as much fun as I did with this, Wini—and maybe those rules of yours weren’t so bad after all! See you next month!

Wini says: Yes, looking forward to another round next month—sans rules!