December 2006 Wine Tasting Notes:
"Do y'all have any sweet wine?"
With the holidays at hand, we bring you some wines that may be enjoyed at parties, after a feast or at the fireplace. We also add a few dry wines that caught our attention. We wanted the core of this month's reviews to consist of sumptuous, sweet wines which we could imagine drinking either in a festive setting as well as in an intimate setting on a snowy night. We decided to organize these into a few categories to slip in a little education. We have reviewed wines from the 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 vintages. We also talk a little about Late Harvest and Botrytis. Don't miss our section about Port and the varieties used in making it. Lucas & Lewellen offer up a new Merlot as well as their Botrysied 2005 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc. Don't miss the amazing 2005 Malvasia Bianca. Another 2005 Koehler white, a Chablis-styled Chardonnay, has been released and submitted for our opinion. Also, Rotta Winery in Paso Robles, recently re-vamped, has come up with some fun sweet wines: a Muscat Canelli and Zinfandel Rose.
As fruit hangs on the vine well into the harvest season, the vine itself may begin to shut down, physiologically, and the grapes become dehydrated from a combination of physiological shut down and late autumn warmth. Some growers attempt to keep the canopy green and physiologically active. Vines are netted to protect the fruit from birds. Typically, late harvest wines are made from white varieties, this month we have two reds: a Syrah and Zinfandel. Both of those are unique, once-in-a-blue-moon offerings. Of note, late harvest wines, under unique circumstances, may develop Noble Rot which takes the wine to a whole new level. The selection wine that displays this character is the Lucas & Lewellen Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc.
Botrytis cinerea is a fungus which attacks the grape skins, causing the fruit to shrivel and become dehydrated. Under alternating conditions of damp, misty mornings and warm, sunny afternoons the fungus infests the grapes, leaving them shriveled, dehydrated, and super-concentrated. This is called Noble Rot. In addition to concentrated flavors and sugars, there are unique flavors which are extracted from Botrytis during wine production. The 'bot' flavors are commonly described as subtle, smoky and creamy with a dried fig or ruffle quality. Noble Rot is essential to sweet wines produced in Sauternes, Tokaji (Tokay), Germany and Austria. In conditions of constant dampness and low temperatures, Botrytis cinerea results in Grey Rot which is a devastating event for most grape varieties. Neither Grey or Noble Rot are common in dry climates with constant sunshine such as the Rhône Valley or the Central Coast.
2003 Santa Barbara Winery Zinfandel Essence, Lafond Vineyard 89 Points
2004 Cambria Late harvest Viognier, Tepusquet Vineyard, SMV 89 Points
2004 Foxen Late Harvest Viognier, Vogelzang Vineyard 91 Points
2005 Cambria Late Harvest Viognier, Tepusquet Vineyard, SMV 89 Points
2005 Lucas & Lewellen Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 92 Points
2005 Marilyn Remark Wines, Late Harvest Viognier, Arroyo Seco 89 Points
2005 Tensley Late harvest Syrah, Tierra Alta Vineyard, S.B. Cty 91 Points
While Port-styled wine can be made from just about any grape. True Port, however, is made from a combination of eight traditional Portuguese varieties: Mourisco, Sousao, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Cao, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Francesca and Touriga Nacional (read more). In the making of fortified wine, alcohol (typically brandy) is added to the wine before fermentation ends, the fermentation process stops and the resulting wine is sweet because of residual sugars. If the alcohol were to be added later (typically when fermentation is close to being finished or has completed), the wine will be dry and the result is called Sherry. Traditionally, Port is rich, with alcohol levels generally in the 18% to 20% range.
2003 Daniel Gehrs Fireside Port, Madera County 93 Points
2002 Consilience Zinfandel Port, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma Cty. 94 Points
Of all the traditional varieties, the Mourisco grape is regarded as the lowest in quality because of its susceptibility to infestations (by parasitic plants, fungi, lichens) which reduce yields and results in poor quality wines. Souzào is a northern Portuguese native but is more widely planted in California and South Africa. Its high sugar content makes for higher alcohol levels. The strongly pigmented skins give concentrated color and ripe, raisiny flavors. Tinta Amarela is another Portuguese native that is waning in popularity in the Duoro Valley but is a staple of the Dão region. It shows aromas and flavors of black fruit as well as tea and tobacco leaves. Tinta Barroca is the most productive and easiest to grow of all the Port varietals. Because of its very thin skin, it can produced wines with high extract of color and flavor but minimal tannins. It also makes fruity, aromatic and soft dry varietal wines as well as red blends. Typical aromas and flavors include: black cherries, plums as well as flowers. Tinta Cão is one of the favorite and best Port varietals from the Duoro valley. This thick-skinned variety reveals floral and spicy aromas as well as black cherry and spice flavors. Tinta Roriz the Portuguese name for Tempranillo. This Spanish variety is used both in Ports and dry table wines (which are best blended with Carignan or Grenache). It offers berry-like aromas and flavors accompanied by herbal and earthy characteristics. Touriga Francesa is considered one of the best Port varietals. To avoid confusion with the much lesser known Touriga Francisca, it was renamed Touriga Franca in 2001. Name aside, this variety contributes fruit and floral elements to the blend. Touriga Nacional leads as THE best and finest variety for port. It is also used to make dry table wines. The grape gives structured, dark colored wine with intense berry aromas and ripe flavors.
Port wine are made in a number of styles so we will briefly orient you to a few of the main ones. In general, Ports can be divided in to "tawny" and "ruby" styles. The "tawny" style is made from red grapes and aged in wood barrels. This is called "oxidative" aging. It results from seepage of air into the barrels and a more rapid aging of the wine than "reductive" aging but also allows for slight concentration of the wine through evaporation). These wines take on the characteristic tawny color. "Ruby" Ports are aged in sealed containers impervious to air (such as bottles or large cisterns or tanks). This is called "reductive" aging and takes longer, resulting in smoother wines with soft tannins. These wines will also change color but require much more time to do so. There are also White Ports made from white grapes and the Garrafeira made from both white and red grapes but these are much rarer in the new world and certainly the Central Coast.
This month, we include two white Italian varieties made in a sweet style. Malvasia Bainca originates from a Greek family of grapes is usually made into a lightly sweet style in Tuscany and Umbria. Malvasia Bianca produces floral and perfumed wines with flavors of honey, pears and spices. Muscat Canelli is a part of a very large and very old muscat family thought to originate from the Mediterranean region. It develops the most intense varietal character in warm climates where it makes perfumed and floral wines with melon and peach flavors.
2005 Mandolina Malvasia Bianca, Santa Barbara County 95 points
2005 Rotta Muscat Canelli 87 points
Other wines reviewed, by vintage.
The 2002 year saw a large total crop of 3.1 million tons of wine grapes, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. A long and dry growing season of mild temperatures gave the fruit extended time to develop complexity and depth. In addition, minimal heat peaks allowed the grapes to develop high acid levels. Paso Robles wines grapes were expected to produce excellent, concentrated and balanced wines.
2002 Consilience Zinfandel Port, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma Cty. 94 Points
Despite the challenging and testy weather in the form of unusually heavy spring rains, temperate weather in the summer and early autumn heat in 2003, there was much hope for the leaner 2003 wine grape crop. Excessive heat affected fruit development for some growers and summer cool spells also delayed maturation in other regions. Early autumn rains followed by cooler temperatures delayed harvest for some growers. The 2003 crop was 5% smaller than the preceding year's according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture in its Preliminary Grape Crush Report. Despite the stresses brought on by weather variations, fruit from the 2003 harvest was intense in color and flavor. Juice chemistry parameters indicated a promising vintage. This was felt to be particularly favorable for Pinot Noir. Chardonnay and Syrah were also reported to be promising.
2003 Lucas & Lewellen Merlot, Santa Barbara County 90 Points
2003 Santa Barbara Winery Zinfandel Essence, Lafond Vineyard 89 Points
The 2004 growing season was one of the shortest in the history of the state. It all started with a warm spring, progressed to a mild summer and ended with a burst of heat at the end. A warm spring made for an early start to the growing season. Fruit ripened slowly through the mild summer. The mid-September heat wave (with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees in some places) accelerated ripening. Harvest came two to three weeks earlier than usual, at the start of August. There was some variation in the weather affecting the different growing regions of central California as there is each year: In some parts of Monterey, autumn rains came early. This was reported to slow ripening of Cabernet (a late ripening variety) but did not affect quality. The Santa Lucia Highlands AVA in Monterey County did not report these rains. Instead, they had a smooth growing season with even crop development. In Arroyo Seco, the harvest came early as well and the growers did not have to contend with the threat of rain or cold spells. At the bottom line, there is some variation across the spectrum of wines with some reputable labels lacking in balance.
2004 Cambria Late Harvest Viognier, Tepusquet Vineyard, SMV 89 Points
2004 Foxen Late Harvest Viognier, Vogelzang Vineyard 91 Points
2004 JanKris Riatta, Paso Robles 88+ points
The 2005 growing season ended with a crop larger than previous year's. The year was generally cool and is being compared to the acclaimed 1997 vintage, but only time will prove this true. The long and cool growing season without heat spikes resulted in fruit with good extraction but lower sugar levels and subsequent excitement over the quality of wines to be produced. The slow ripening of the fruit is expected to make for elegance and balance in the wines of this vintage. A later harvest means that the grapes had a longer time to ripen and mature. The 2005 growing season started with spring rains which led to robust vine growth. With a higher risk of mildew, growers had their hands full with monitoring irrigation, fertilization and canopy management. As a result of the initial robust growth, more aggressive crop management was necessary.There were no serious heat spikes which allowed even and steady development of grapes. As reports of excellent concentration of color, sugars, acids and tannins came in, the general consensus was that 2005 grapes will produce well-balanced wines.
2005 Cambria Late Harvest Viognier, Tepusquet Vineyard, SMV 89 Points
2005 Koehler Chardonnay, Santa Ynez Valley 91 Points
2005 Lucas & Lewellen Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 92 Points
2005 Mandolina Malvasia Bianca, Santa Barbara County 95 points
2005 Marilyn Remark Wines, Late Harvest Viognier, Arroyo Seco 89 Points
2005 Rotta Zinfandel Rose 86 points
2005 Tensley Late Harvest Syrah, Tierra Alta Vineyard, S.B. Cty 91 Points
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If a bottle of wine has passed its prime and you just won't enjoy drinking it, you can still use it in a sauce. When a wine becomes oxidized, it can take on stale aromas described as 'vinegary', 'gamey' or even as 'stale bread'. These wines lack acidity and may seem flabby. A cooked wine (having been exposed to excessive heat) may have muted or dull aromas or even smell caramelized. They may exhibit anything from a brownish tinge around the edges to completely brown color. They may also lack acidity and may seem flabby. A corked wine smells foul and musty and cannot be salvaged.
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