Wines of Germany tasting

Tonight was the Wines of Germany class at Atlanta Wine School. A great opportunity for exposure to more serious German Wines. I don't often drink German wines, although not due to lack of interest. It's more a case of lack of exposure to anything beyond the basic mass-imported QbA's, Kabinetts, and Spatlese. I know that profound expressions of Riesling emanate from the beautiful slopes above the Mosel River and throughout the rest of the German wine countryside- so the class was a welcome opportunity.

German wine can seem a bit dense on the surface. The nomenclature on the labels seems complicated, but is actually fairly simple upon memorization. The classification of levels of ripeness/sweetness on the top level QmP wines is different, but overall the quality classifications are similar to other European countries. The aesthetics of the bottles are unique but grow on you as you come to appreciate the wines. The German Wines website is a good source of specific information.

We tasted wines from Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Rheinhessen, Pfalz, and Rheingau. All were Riesling (QbA, Kabinett, Spatlese, and Auslese) except for a Scheurebe Spatlese from Pfalz and a QbA Troken (dry) Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir) from Rheingau. Generally, I ended up preferring the sweeter Kabinetts and Auslese wines as the residual sugar consistently came with an intensity from the fruit profile and acidity. A good example of this was the Joh Jos Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2006 from Mosel- beautifully elegant and sweet heather honey flavors that were ushered into the palate by an attacking tart tropical fruit profile- bone dry on the tip of the tongue before the lush sweetness comes in. The Joh Jos Prum Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese 2005 was less sweet and more marked with apple, lime, petrol, and floral notes- very nice as well.

Other favorites included Gysler Weinheim Riesling Kabinett 2007 from Rheinhessen- red floral notes, red apple, and honey on the nose moving into citrus, exotic spice, pear, apple, and honey on the palate- very rich and complex. I also liked the Kurt Darting Durkheimer Spielberg Scheurebe Spatlese 2007. Great aromatics of currants, grapefruit, and wet stone and a palate of honeycomb, forest floor, grapefruit, and apricot- very nice. Both of these wines are selections of noteworthy importer Terry Theise.

A great overall experience, and a nice break from my usual wine suspects...

2005 Chateau Fombrauge

I recently was the recipient of an email from Green's, a large beverage retailer in Atlanta. They had secured a great deal on a few 2005 Bordeaux as the wholesaler was reducing inventory. Some of the available wines originally were priced in the $50 price range, but were on sale for more than half off. One of them was the 2005 Château Fombrauge Saint-Emilion Grand Cru.

Picking this up for $24.99, there was no guilt about opening it early and partaking in the great 2005 Bordeaux vintage for Valentine's Day. Dinner was at 10 Degrees South in Buckhead, a great little spot serving South African-influenced cuisine. (see yelp review here). The corkage fee was very fair and the sommelier provided great service. With my wife's filet in a peppercorn cream sauce and my rack of lamb, the wine was a good overall fit with dinner.

As for details of the wine- it gets 18 months in oak; is 77% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon; and the AbV is 14.5%. In the glass it is a highly extracted black-ruby color with full body. Light notes in the nose of blueberry, creme de cassis, vanillin, and oak. Blueberry and pencil shavings open on the front palate with full flavors of cedar, espresso, dried herbs, and leather in the middle, accompanied by secondary notes of dark fruit and chocolate. It finishes with coffee and black cherry with very firm tannins. It's tight but has good structure and a broad range of integrated flavors. Very nice- the complexity is very pleasurable, and with time to brighten the fruit this can reach an even higher level. Very respectable at its original price point, and quite a find at $24.99.

I've had good luck with wine store email lists; it's a great way to shop for wine. You never know what's coming down the pike next... Here's to great food and wine on Valentine's Day!

**On a side note, I'd like to thank the State of Georgia for passing the law that allows consumers to take open bottles of wine home from restaurants. It's consumer and business friendly while promoting responsible drinking.

Purchased at Green's

Thoughts From New Classic Winemakers of California

I recently read New Classic Winemakers of California. The book is a series of conversational interviews conducted by Steve Heimoff from Wine Enthusiast with noteworthy California winemakers. The sections are divided by decades which the winemakers got their start, either the 70's, 80's, or 90's. Big names such as John Alban, Heidi Peterson Barrett, Greg Brewer, Merry Edwards, Elias Fernandez are profiled- and the list goes on and on.

Heimoff does a great job conducting candid conversations with the subjects. For instance, the question is often asked about rising alcohol levels in California fine wines. The variations of responses are fascinating, and some winemakers offer theories about why this might be the case. An idea that came up more than once was the role that lowering yields plays in driving up sugars in the remaining fruit. If the goal is to pick with ripe mature tannins, then the brix is often already high due to the reduced yields, resulting in higher alcohol. Another idea that was mentioned was the lack of old vines in California. The idea being that old vines produce a naturally lower yield and this allows the tannins to ripen in concert with the sugars in the grape- allowing for a complex profile at a lower brix. This makes sense when considering the recent history of California viticulture- new vineyard development, replantings, phylloxera in the late 80's, etc.

The discussion also gets into cellar techniques that winemakers may or may not use when picking at high brix. At least one noteworthy producer admits that they are willing to resort to water addition as a means to lower alcohol. Others say the high alcohol is better than using reverse osmosis or water addition, they view it as the natural expression of the vineyard. Most seem to regard it as an issue that they are beginning to deal with and that the levels will start to come down in the future. Plenty of other subjects in the cellar and the vineyard are discussed, the brix discussion just happens to be what resonated most with me.

If you're interested in issues in the vineyard and the cellar and haven't checked this out, it's a fascinating and worthwhile read. I like Steve Heimoff's stuff in Wine Enthusiast- his reviews seem to correspond with my tastes, and he's not easy to peg like other critics can be. I'll look forward to reading his earlier book, A Wine Journey Along The Russian River.

Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2007 Vintage Tasting

Atlanta was one of four U.S. stops on the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux 2007 Vintage tasting tour. Thanks to an Atlanta Wine School email, I was able to be there today experiencing a virtual tasting tour through Bordeaux. It was truly a unique opportunity to taste my way through each of the appellations-experiencing the differences in terroir and style.

From all reports, the 2007 vintage in Bordeaux was a mixed bag. A wet summer put a damper on hopes for a good overall vintage; but a sunny, cool, and dry September improved prospects and some quality wines were made. This tasting included whites and reds from Pessac-Léognan, reds from Saint-Émilion, Pomerol, Listrac-Médoc, Moulis-en-Médoc, Haut-Médoc, Médoc, Margaux, Saint-Julien, Pauillac, Saint-Estèphe, and sweet whites from Sauternes & Barsac. The Saint-Émilion were all Grand Cru Classé, and there were a good amount of classified growths among the Médoc and Sauternes offerings. I was able to taste 44 different wines.

From Pessac-Léognan my favorite white was Domaine De Chavalier- very nice hints of tropical and citrus fruit elegantly balanced with mineral and straw notes. From the reds I liked Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion with its anise, coffee, black fruit, and herbal notes; their white was good as well-very Semillon influenced. Overall the whites were more consistent than their reds. The reds were fairly muted in their fruit and astringent.

The Saint-Émilion wines were a little uneven, mostly highlighted with herbal and earthy notes. On the ones where the fruit came into balance you could see nice potential. My favorites were Château La Tour Figeac & Château Trottevielle. The Pomerol wines were big and ripe compared to the Saint-Émilion, the Merlot really standing out much more. The ones I tasted were nice but fairly simple and straightforward with fairly muted aromas. Château Clinet was a favorite here. Between Listrac and Moulis, Château Chasse-Spleen was nice- with good ripe fruit and light spice notes. Of the Haut-Médoc, Château Cantemerle stood out for its elegant balance of dark fruit and spice.

The Margaux wines were consistently very delicate and complex- many with beautiful floral and red fruit notes on the nose and complex palates of fruit, herbs, and baking spices that suggested great potential for development. Château Lascombes and Château Rauzan-Ségla were standouts here; several more were very nice as well. Moving into the Saint-Julien wines- what stood out here was the gripping tannins and fine structure. The fruit-spice balance like that of Margaux was present, but with the fruit a little more to the forefront and consistently firm tannins. Flavors like cracked pepper and coffee beans were present in some of the best of these as well. I think the Saint-Juliens were the best overall of the day- with Château Lagrange, Château Léoville Poyferré, and Château Saint-Pierre as the standouts. Their complexity and structure showing great potential. The wines of Pauillac had more brawn and masculinity- dark spice, dark fruit, and ripe tannins. Bolder and richer than Saint-Julien but with a more relaxed structure, probably a little more drinkable now. Château Lynch-Bages was the standout. Of the Saint-Estèphe wines, Château De Pez was similar in profile to the Pauillacs- big fruit and rich spice with coffee notes- nice for now. Château Lafon-Rochet was big and tannic with notes of pencil shavings, herbs, and enough fruit to suggest nice potential for development.

I finished with a few Sauternes. The flavors here seemed pretty developed-ranging from the very aromatic Château Bastor Lamontagne, whose nut-brown sweetness was very balanced with rich fruit; to the intense Château La Tour Blanche, whose dense layers reminded me of apple and lemon meringue pies with a intense tart acidity.

So for what it's worth, these are my observations of a cross section of the 2007 Boudeaux vintage. It may not be another 2005, but I'm sure I could be happy for a long time with a supply of 2007's! Thanks again to Atlanta Wine School for getting me into the loop for this fascinating tasting!