Wines; Tasted!

Rocchi Serrapetrona Dolce

Serrapetrona Dolce is one of the most unique and unusual wines I've gotten my hands on.  It's sparkling off dry red wine made, partially, from grapes dried on straw mats; there is nothing mainstream about this wine whatsoever.  Adding to its mystique, only about 45 hectars of land are approved to produce Serrapetrona Dolce and the peculiar wine making process for it is quite involved.  I regret that I only bought 6 cases when I had the opportunity. 

Serrapetrona Dolce is a small DOCG area in Italy's Marche, over on the east coast about 20 km inland from the Adriatic.  The soil is a mix of clay and loam with a fair amount of gypsum and sulfurous rock mixed in underneath.  I don't have a real handle on how that influences the wine, but it does reportedly pick up minerality and a resultant stony undertone from the gypsum.  Paris Rocchi took over from his father in the late 90's and is one of only four producers of this wild wine. 

Aroma: The aroma is a lot of dark berry fruit, cooked flavors, particularly blueberry pie, black cherry, and a spicy smell that is similar to the spicy smell of burning leaves and dead branches in autumn-but not specifically just smoky. 

Palate: This is a full red, but it's effervescent too which makes it seem brighter.  The bubbles are small and frothy, not too intense.  The sweetness likewise isn't overpowering; it makes the wine taste lusher and more substantial but it's balanced by the tannin and spice so you aren't overwhelmed with it.  The taste of the wine starts with big juicy  fruit that fills your mouth with a velvety texture.  Behind that fruit the wine starts to show some spicy herbal qualities of dried lavender, rosemary, and thyme followed by some sweetness and a meaty taste.  The wine finishes with a long and lingering dried plum and slight tannin.

This is my go to wine for National Pie Day but unfortunately I don't have much so it's only available at a few places.  The only retail shops with this are Rosemont on Munjoy Hill and the Freeport Cheese and Wine shop; however you could also try it at Bresca or Trattoria Athena in Brunswick.  I was all excited thinking about how well this will go with blueberry pie, or pork pie, or a mince meat pie and thought I was brilliant for having thought of these pairings.  Then I translated the company's website and discovered that they actually recommend pairing this with pie.  Oh well, at least I'm validated.  This is approximately $17 retail

Spending a whole day in a Pie Suite for the Preble St Resource Center

The Portland Pie Council has talked me into dressing up as a slice of pie for a whole business day in order to raise money for the Preble St Resource Center!  If I can raise a minimum of $500 for Preble St in the next week I will wear a giant brown and purple slice of pie suite for an entire day as I go about my business.  I'll wear it to the bank, in the supermarket, moving wine around in my warehouse: everywhere.  And I'll post pictures all over the Devenish Wines Facebook page so you can see me looking ridiculous.  In fact, here's a picture of me with the suite on so you can see what it will be like. 

Please email me back at devenishwines@gmail.com for how to donate.  Donations to Preble St are way down right now but more and more people in our community, our neighbors, need help. The Rosemont Market has already given me $100 towards the goal of $500, so just $400 left to see me spend a whole day in a pie suite.

Chateau le Bergey Bordeaux 2009

Chateau le Bergey is one of the best values I have and it comes to me by way of my friend Laurent in the Loire valley.  Le Bergey is the entry level label of Chateau L'Escart, a Bordeaux Superior winery run by Damien Laurent, who lives on the property with his family.  The 2009 vintage was just released and I was excited to see how this drank as I had really liked the 07 and 08.  09 was a good vintage in Bordeaux and this is more structured than usual.  In past vintages this was Merlot based, but I'm told that with the 09 Damien took advantage of the unusually good season to use more Cabernet. The grapes are grown organically.

This vintage is 60% Cabernet and 40% Merlot

Aroma: Classic Bordeaux!  Dark intense fruit hits my nose first; cooked cherry, licorice, currant, and hints of baking chocolate and cedar when you get down to it.  Almost brooding it's so serious!

Palate: This is intense and concentrated.  I have to say I did open this early and it had plenty of aeration, but boy is it good now!  Ripe cherry, licorice, blackberry followed dry tannins and a tightly wound fruit on the finish that is, dare I say it? Grapey.  This is a well made, honest Bordeaux.  It's not super polished, but what do you want for under $12? 

This is a dark, serious, Bordeaux that's organically farmed and sells for about $12.  It's a great deal, but decant it!

Available at Vic and Whit's, the Rosemonts, Tess's Market, Downeast Beverage, and Bathra's Market, as well as many fine restaurants such as Caiola's and Figa. 

La Mancina Barbera "Foriere" 2009

La Mancina is a family winery south west of Bologna in Emilia Romagna. Emilia Romagna is south of Piedmont and the vineyards here are in the rolling foothills of the Apennines. The sun is warmer, it's less foggy than Piedmont and this Barbera really benefits from the extra warmth. The Zanetti family founded the winery back in the 60's and have slowly built a reputation as a local star and naturally farmed winery.

I personally have always had problems with Barbera from Alba. I feel a lot of it is just too thin and unripe for my tastes. The cooler climate results in lighter simple wines that would be just fine if they didn't run $15-$20. This example is the most personally pleasing Barbera that I've run across over my career.

The aroma is dominated by fresh cherry, but underneath there are also hints of roasting meat and wood smoke. It's very forward and earnest but has those darker tones under the fruit balancing things out.

The taste of this wine is classic Barbera: fresh cherry, plummy, and bright acidity, but it's riper and more developed than most Piedmont examples of the grape. This Barbera has more fruit to it that you can kind of sink your teeth into. I wouldn't call it chewy, it's not really tannic, but it is fleshier. This is honestly the most satisfying Barbera I've ever had. It's not super complex, but it is very integrated and delicious!

This is priced in the mid teens at the Freeport Cheese and Wine Shop, Vic and Whit's in Saco, The Blue Hill Wine shop, and Black Cherry in Falmouth.

Corte Le Marsure Refosco 2009

Friuli is a small and well respected wine region in Italy's north east corner.  Though it's long been established in Italy, America is still discovering it.  Part of this is due to Friuli being up in the cooler climate of the Dolemite mountains.  That cool mountain climate makes the region ideal for producing cleanly complex white wines and lighter refreshing reds; unfortunately that's not at all what Americans think of as classic Italian wine.  That's starting to change though and Friuli is starting to build on the success of cheaper Pinot Grigio to get more of their fine wines into the US.  I've had some fantastic white wines from Friuli, but also some great reds.  Refosco is the predominant local red variety and makes wines reanging from bright and simple to gamey and smokey. 

Le Marsure is made by the Teresa Raiz winery, a family winery founded back in the early 70's.  Paul Joseph Tosolini farms more naturally and plants his vines at significantly higher densities in order to limit their yields.  Paul has been making wine here for over 35 years now and has gone watched the region's wine culture evolve and establish itself internationally.

The aroma of this Refosco is very bright, very pretty, and particularly floral and vivid!  The aromas of black raspberry are intense but there's also violet and just the barest hint of peppery basil leaf.

The palate is vividly juicy, but also balanced.  The intense blackraspberry, fresh acidity, and light touch really evokes Cabernet Franc in the best way for me.  This is a fun and playful wine, that's silky smooth textured and has seductive undertones of pepper.

This is under $15 at the Freeport Cheese and Wine Shop and Aurora Provisions.

Moretti Omero Terre di Giano 2010

I describe this wine as deliciously rustic.  That's about the best reduction of how this wine tastes that I can really put together.

This is a blend of: 50% Ciliegiolo, 25% Sangiovese, 25% Merlot. 

Moretti Omero's organic Umbrian blend manages to combine lush texture, and juicy black cherry fruit with undertones of pepper and wild herbs and a slightly chewy character.  It's totally approachable and easy to drink, very expressive, and over flowing with aromas of violets, cherries, and plummy fruit.

Moretti Omero produced about 800 cases of this.  I got 17.

This is available for about $17 at the Freeport Cheese and Wine Shop, Black Cherry Provisions, Vic and Whit's, Cinque Terre, and the Blue Hill Wine Shop.

Joseph Cattin Pinot Blanc

Joseph Cattin is a is a family winery in Alsace, FR, that has been involved in wine making for three centuries.  Their vineyards in Alsace benefit from the general climate, which is hot, continental and sheltered by the Vosges mountains which create one of the driest climates in France.  They also benefit from having particularly high amounts of granite, limestone, and gravel throughout there vineyards.  The soils are farmed traditionally and all the grapes ar harvested by hand. 

I'm really enamoured with this wine right now.  It's one of the best Pinot Blancs that I've had.  It's been a lot of fun sampling this to my customers and surprising them with how bright and entertaining it is! 

Aroma: The first aroma I pick up is white flowers.  It's a pretty (in both ways) floral white wine that also has hints of citrus fruit, fresh grass, and peach fruit as well.  It's a nice mix of aromas.

Palate:  Cattin is supposed to have more limestone and gravel in the vineyards and this certainly tastes like it.  There is surprisingly bright, engaging, fresh acidity and mentality on the mid-palate, but that acidity is perfectly integrated with the lush, mouth filling fruit of the wine.  I really love this combination of Pinot Blanc's typical mouth filling texture with refreshing acidity.  This wine opens up as it warms and starts to show more layers with hints of stone fruit. 

My over all reaction is that I really enjoy this.  Plus it's a very adaptable food wine.  The full body plus teh freshness of the wine allow it to stand alone or work with appetizers, white fish, and poultry such as turkey (hint, hint)  This is under $15 retail and is available at The Freeport Cheese and Wine Shop, Whole Foods, the Rosemont Markets, Downeast Beverage, Scratch Bakery, and Oak Hill Beverage.

 

Thanksgiving Wine Treatise

I realized last year that Thanksgiving is really just about my favorite holiday; I even prefer it over my own birthday (though my birthday isn't a national holiday either).  Underneath it all, Thanksgiving is about a big, involved meal with friends and family; basically it's a great excuse for a dinner party.  And I love dinner parties! 

So I've been devoting a lot of thought to what I want to drink for Thanksgiving.  And not just what I want to drink with Thanksgiving but what I want to drink with every possible contingency that could arise on Thanksgiving!  Turducken? Friuli red blend from Comelli!  Turkey burnt beyond recognition?  Magnum of Dierberg Pinot to drown your sorrows!  Turkey lasagna?  I Balzini Red Label Super Tuscan!  Brussel sprouts with garlic, salt, and pepper?  Hatzidakis Nykteri Assyrtiko!

I could go on and on, but really, that wouldn't be in keeping with Devenish's focus on education and empowering you to be better wine consumers.  Instead of just dictating to you a list of wines that I approve of, I feel it would be more progressive to explain what kinds of wines I think suite Thanksgiving food and why.  So here goes nothin'!

Excess is an integral part of the American Thanksgiving dinner, but adding high alcohol reds (like 15% Zins) to the tryptophan in turkey can knock you out harder than a roofied Pinot Grigio.  So in the interest of going the distance I'm focusing on wines that aren't too heavy handed.  Turkey, while flavorful, isn't a really rich meat and is often kind of dry and lean; therefore I look to brighter vibrant reds that will complement the slightly gamy qualities of the bird with out overwhelming the flavor.  I really like Pinot Noirs for this purpose.  There are a couple different primary regions that are known for Pinot Noir which each have there own characteristics, but all the good examples will have a deft balance and soft texture that will work towards the goal of complementing turkey's flavor with out overwhelming it.  Broadly speaking, French Pinot will be a bit lighter and silky; Oregon will be a bit earthier and brawnier (more rugged Pacific northwest if you will) and Santa Barbara Pinot is often more fruit driven and hedonistic.  All these styles have their strengths.  I think the French is the most mouth watering, but Oregon has that rustic honesty, and Santa Barbara is just, well, gorgeous.

DISCLAIMER: this is a personal recommendation.  I may not follow it my self.  There are certainly always exceptions to the rule, especially in wine, and the unexpected prodigal son is often the most rewarding for it's unexpectedness.

But when was the last time you had a Thanksgiving meal that was simply turkey and nothing else?  Right!  There's mashed potatoes, roasted squash, root vegetables, stuffing, probably some cheeses.  And then desert!  The point is that there's a lot more to take into account than just turkey.  As Marylin Munroe said, and I'm so fond of quoting, Champagne goes with everything!  And it looks cool.  The effervescence helps to remove food flavors from your mouth, allowing you to taste the wine and making it seem more refreshing.  I'd recommend some kind of sparkling wine made in the Champagne style, but not necessarily Chapmagne because of the cost. You can get sparkling wine that's just as good for half the price from Cava or the Loire if you go to a good shop and ask around.

If Champagne for Thanksgiving doesn't really do it for you I'd recommend some kind of white that's full bodied but also still has some good acidity to it, and maybe a bit of sweetness.  A dry German or Alsatian Riesling or not quite dry Loire Vouvray would be perfect; full enough that it won't get pushed around by sweet potatoes and stuffing, but still bright and with some mineral and earth tones that will help it against roasted vegetables.  Argentine Torrontes has always been another favorite of mine for this. 

Here's a picture of someone trying to enjoy all those wines at once.  On a train.

And let's not forget Cabernet Franc!  A nice medium bodied Loire Cabernet Franc will have a silky texture, but a bit more fruit and pepper than a Pinot Noir.  They're less common, but I think they're some of the best food friendly wines around.  Bourgueil and Chinon are the two best appellations.  Any good wine shop will have a couple.  Check out this post on Bourgueil form

These are just guidelines and a glimpse at how I approach wines at Thanksgiving.  Probably the best way to find a wine that will please you is to come to one of my many wine tastings over this week and see what strikes your fancy.  Check out my Coming Events here!

Franck Givaudin Irancy 2009

Franck Givaudin is the 5th generation of his family to run this vineyard.  Irancy is a small sheltered valley up near Chablis in northern Burgundy where it's normally too cold for Pinot; however the particular geography here lends itself to Pinot production.  All the grapes from Franck Givaudin's estate are hand harvested and fermented with natural yeast.

Aroma: 

This has the bright vibrant red Burgundy nose that I expect, but it's riper and more developed than it would typically be due to the unusual ripeness of the 2009 vintage.  Under the violets, ripe cherry and raspberry there's a smoky, edge that's really more char; kind of a charcoal actually.  I pick up a hint of bramble too.  To really get wine geeky and let myself go I'd say it's like lying under a raspberry bush on a hot august day in the sun.  The intense ripeness evokes that intense sun and the smoke and earth aromas make me think of the sun baked grasses and bush....regardless of how geeky you are this is a ripe, well developed red Burgundy.

Palate:

The developed fruit and unusual ripeness continues on the palate with a real pronounced fresh strawberry.  Really, this is very much like eating a really ripe strawberry; maybe there were a few blackberries in that handful too.  It's not just fruit though.  It's structured with a slightly noticeable drying of tannins on the finish and a dark mid-palate that builds in intensity in a deceptive way given the wine's bright aroma.

This is a great, characterful red Burgundy from a little seen, exciting AOC.  It's about $20 retail and currently is available at the Rosemont market up on Munjoy hill and the Blue Hill Wine Shop.  If you like vivid red burgundies I strongly recommend this.

Domaine Espieres Cotes du Rhone 2010

Philippe Cartoux founded Domaine Espieres in 1989 when he started buying some small parcels of vines in his home town of Gigondas. He's a big believer in organic farming an putting in a lot of work in the vineyard so that he has top quality grapes to start from. To that end his vineyards are planted at unusually high densities; almost twice the average number of vines per acre in the Cotes du Rhone in order to drastically limit yields. His cotes du Rhone includes a large proportion of Mouvedre (20ish %) which gives the wine a deep, dark, slightly wild character while still preserving it's refined character. It's a very cleanly made, well mannered, beastly powerhouse of a wine. I really enjoy it's duel personality!

Aroma: ripe cherry, currant, fur, a hint of wood smoke, a hint of leather and cinnamon.

Palate: dark, spicy, peppery. It has a fresh vivid quality to the fruit that lingers on. There's a dense plum/roasted cherry character complemented by a dry, slightly salty, earth and persistent tannins on the finish.