A Beautiful Find - "Cautivo" Rioja 2005 Crianza

Years ago I attended a blind tasting of fine wines put on by a collector. There were wines from all over the world, many of them cellared for ten years and up (I was surprised to find how complex and intriguing a D'Arenberg Shiraz/Grenache blend could be after a decade). 

Of the reds, there was one special wine that kept evolving in leaps and bounds within my glass. At first, the fruit came forward - lush and lively strawberry. After a few swirls, the cinnamon and nutmeg started to come out. Another swirl and I found myself breathing in tobacco, saddle leather and a seductive herbal note I couldn't quite name but the mystery intrigued me.

I would have sworn the wine was an aged Chianti - the light red fruit, the dusty baking spice and cedar. Throughout the hour I had with the wine, it kept going and going, becoming more complex, more fascinating.  At the end, when the bottles were revealed I found out no, it wasn't an Italian wine but a red Rioja from Central-Eastern Spain!

A Rioja Gran Reserve from 1993 to be exact. A wine that had seen over ten years in a bottle. 

I was blown away. If the wine was a person, I would have stayed up all night and listened to its stories. 

TIME AND WINE

Trying and tasting fine, aged wines can be a rare and wonderful experience for both the novice and experienced connoisseur alike. Many of us buy a wine and uncork (or un-cap it) within 24 hours of our purchase. It's just the way things go. But when we are given the opportunity to taste a wine that has seen years, if not decades in a bottle, our perception of wine can dramatically change. 

WINE NEEDS TIME THE WAY VINES NEED SUNLIGHT
After fermentation, when the new wines are transferred from one vat to another to age, time is the only way to bring everything together. Without the passing of time, the red and whites we consume at our dinner tables, on our patios, with our friends and family would be disjointed, harsh and cloudy. 

Even after bottling, a wine still needs more time. But once it's supposedly ready (no wine is truly ready because it will be always changing) it's up to the consumer to decide when to pop and pour. 

For whites like Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Viognier, it's usually best to buy and drink as soon as possible. 

For some young reds, usually the producer recommends ready consumption; others say hold off but who can?

 

For wines in a higher price age, wine drinkers need to consult experts on when to pour. 

WHEN IS ENOUGH TIME?
Sometimes we'll never know the right moment to open a wine. Most of the wines we buy for parties and for easy going get-togethers are fairly young. Wouldn't it be great to bring something unique to the table?

With this in mind, I highly recommend a spectacular if not beautiful find at the LCBO: 'Cautivo' 2005 Crianza from Bodegas Heredad De Baroja from Elvillar de Alava.

ELVILLAR DE ALAVA

North of the town of  Logrono and the River Ebro and just south of the rugged Cordillera Cantábrica (Cantabrian Mountains) lies the Rioja sub-zone of Alavesa. The climate is comparatively cool compared to the rest of Rioja and sees more rain than Rioja Alta and Rioja Baja to the south.

Within Rioja Alavesa is Elvillar, a wine area protected by the cool, damp winds of the Atlantic by the mountains. The soil is fairly chalky made of calcareous clay.

For those that have tried Rioja, the wines of the region are some of the lightest but have the most finesse. 

BODEGAS HEREDAD DE BAROJA

Fernando Meruelo started his bodega in 1964. He remains the current owner and is continually determined to select the best grapes for his wine. 

The wines of "Cautivo" line are the ones ready for everyday consumption beginning with a Blanco (using the Viura grape - a.k.a Macabeo) and ending with a Reserva and Gran Reserva (both using Tempranillo). 

Available at the LCBO is the "Cautivo" 2005 Crianza, made from 100% Tempranillo. 

A Crianza in Spain is a wine that has been aged for at least two years,  typically six months of which has seen time in small American oak casks.

A Joven is young and may or may not have seen time in oak. 

A Reserva (which is just above Crianza) is aged for three years with a minimum of one year and oak; a Gran Reserva has been aged five years with at least two years in wood and three in bottle.

I highly recommend the Crianza. The grapes were picked in 2005, the wines were aged in oak and then bottled and further aged. 2005 was an exceptional year in Spain (rated 'E' for 'Excellente') and with the 'Cautivo' you can tell.

There is a strong strawberry character but with time and age, you will discover another world. Tobacco, leather, barnyard with just a hint of cinnamon from the American oak. 

The wine's bouquet, however, continues to evolve and becomes more seductive and fine as the minutes go by.

Again, time is a luxury and if you're pressed to find something unique and rewarding, I highly recommend this beautiful wine. At $13.95 it brings wonderful value to any wine consuming occasion and would pair well with light meat dishes and traditional Spanish paella. 

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Alsace in Ontario - Jackson Triggs' Gewürztraminer

In a previous blog I recommended a notable Pinot Blanc from Konzelmann. I also mentioned the grape variety hales from Alsace in North-Eastern France on the German border.

Considering we're on the "border" of summer with spring still dragging its feet, I feel it's time to be prepared for the warmer weather and get to know some of the greater white wines of the Niagara Region. 

ONTARIO AND ALSACE: A COMPARISON

For those beginner wine lovers in southern Ontario, it's essential to note that despite the humid months of July and August, we live in what's considered a cool climate viticultural area. If you look at a map of the world, the majority of wine growing countries fall between 50 degrees and 30 degrees North and 30 degrees and 50 degrees South latitude.

Ontario's three main viticultural areas (Lake Erie North Shore, Niagara Peninsula and Prince Edward County - just outside of Toronto) all fall in between 41 and 44 degrees North latitude (the Okanagan Valley  in B.C. is just shy of 50 degrees). 

Alsace in France is also considered a cooler climate lying between 47 and 49 degrees North latitude. 

Here in the Niagara Peninsula we have the Escarpment acting as a buffer for the on-shore winds from Lake Ontario. This green, southern series of bluffs creates a circular air flow which helps to blow away fog and mist and reduce the threat of damaging frost in the early spring.

In Alsace, the Vosges mountain range protects the region from westerly, rain-bearing winds. While Alsace is one of the driest wine regions of France, along with Roussillon (just north of the Pyrennes), Loraine, which lies west of the Vosges is the wettest. 

The soil in Ontario's vineyards range from Glacial till (mix of clay, silt, sand, gravel), Clay Loam, Sandy Loam (found near Lake Ontario) to Silty Clay (mostly around the Escarpment benches).

The vineyards of Alsace have been described as a 'checkerboard of soil types' including chalk (mixed with clay), limestone, granite, schist, volcanic rock sediment and sandston along with Alsace's pinkish-coloured sandstone which has become known as grès de Vosges (often used as a building material for local cathedrals).

Despite all the technical stuff, the two regions have some nice things in common, namely their easy to read labels and aromatic whites.

GEWÜRZTRAMINER

Pinot Blanc or Weisburgunder, Pinot Gris or Grauburgunder, Riesling, Muscat and Gewürztraminer are perhaps the most famous white varieties of Alsace (the latter four considered the four 'noble' varieties suitable for making the Grand Cru wines of the region).

Of the five mentioned, Gewürztraminer (ge-VURZ-trah-MEAN-er) is the tongue twister, the one  the majority of wine lovers have the most trouble pronouncing. 

Gewürz is actually a German word (big surprise, right?) for spice. Traminer or Tramin, a town in Alto Adige in Northern Italy and is thought to be the place where the grape first originated. So really, the name means "spicy grape from Tramin". 

In parts of Germany and Austria the variety is known as Clevner (which is easier to pronounce, if you ask me).

Styles of Gewürz (the abbreviated form is understood and used quite often) range from light and floral to viscous and rich. Italian Gewurztraminer - mainly known as Traminer - is traditionally closer to Pinot Grigio in body with notes of strawberry and white flowers. In Alsace, you typically find lychee, pink grapefruit and rose water. 

In Ontario, so far many of the wineries I've seen with Gewürztraminer vines are aiming to produce the French style. Some are successful but I find most fall just a tad short of the mark. 

I can highly recommend Featherstone out in Vineland for an excellent rosewater/lychee Gewürztraminer.

For those looking for the lush Alsatian style, Jackson Trigg's two Gewürztraminer offerings. 

WHAT DO YOU PREFER - PINK OR WHITE GRAPEFRUIT?

While visiting the winery today, the young trainee behind the tasting bar, Laura said she really enjoyed the Grand Proprietor's Reserve 2007 Gewürztraminer. I have to say, I first tried the 2007 Riesling (a nice apple petrol touch) and 2008 Chardonnay (buttery with notes of toffee and apple pie), then went on to try Laura's recommendation. 

I was very impressed. For just about nineteen dollars, you can enjoy the lychees, the grapefruit and roses with an additional round, plump honey melon element. The acidity could be a bit brighter but that's just it, Gewürztraminer is not traditionally known for its zesty quality - unlike Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. The viscous body, however, makes the wine so seductive and exotic. An excellent value and comparable to the offerings of Alsace. 

I can also recommend the Delaine Vineyard 2007 Gewürztraminer which has more of a white grapefruit, orange rind, rose and floral feel. It's also gorgeous but it all comes down to your palate and your preferences.

Both wines would be perfectly paired with spicy dishes - Indian, Thai and Vietnamese. Tonight, I had my Grand Proprietor's Reserve with Pad Thai.

Excellent wines but the only thing is I have a hard time recommending the winery namely because of Jackson Triggs' Cellared in Canada (CIC) wines. 

Nonetheless, for a corporate winery, they make some nice higher-end wines. If you love Alsatian Gewürz, these are a must-see and drink

Bibliography

Clark, Oz, 2009 Pocket Wine Guide. Harcourt Publishing, Orlando, 2008.

Fielden, Christopher, Exploring the World of Wine and Spirits. WSET: London, 2005.

 MacNeil, Karen, The Wine Bible. Workman Publishing Company Inc. New York, 2001

Wine Council of Ontario, The Wine Regions of Ontario: An Introductory Course for Ontario Colleges and Ontario Wineries, Second Edition

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Alsace in Ontario - Konzelmann's Pinot Blanc

Yesterday, my step-brother, his girlfriend and I wandered out into Niagara-on-the-Lake to do some white wine tasting. We had drank heavily the night before but surprisingly, after six shots of Cognac and three glasses of wine, I didn't feel the hurt (actually, I was at the gym around 10 am so maybe wine is truly 100% good for me). 

We headed to Cattail Creek (highly recommend their Rieslings and Chardonnay), Hillebrand (their Sauvignon Blanc is the closest to a California Fume) and Konzelmann. 

For white wines, Konzelmann is a must and with spring here and summer poking its head, they make some of the best patio sippers in Niagara. 

I always buy something at Konzelmann. Along with Chateau des Charmes, Inniskillin and Reif, you can't beat the great value these wineries offer. 

Jeremy served us at Konzelmann and we had a great time mispronouncing all the wine names. Mer-lot,.Pee-not Blank. Cab-er-net Sav-ig-non.  But he knows his wine and he brought out a bottle of their 2008 Pinot Blanc. He mentioned the wine had been getting some excellent press and that a prestigious restaurant in New York City were selling them at $38.00/bottle. I had to try it. 

For those getting into wine and looking to move beyond Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc is one of the main grapes grown in Alsace and throughout Southern German where it is known as Weisburgunder (pronounced vice-ber-gunder). Whereas Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris can have a metallic and often oily-apple character, I find Pinot Blanc tend to lean towards white flower and stone fruits.

Konzelmann's 2008 Pinot Blanc is perhaps one of the most impressive whites I've had in a long time. The nose is lovely with an apricot-honey aura and on the palate, there are peaches, lemon, pear with just a hint of mineral. The acidity is just right, not too tart, not too flat and the finish is bright and tangy.    

I bought a bottle (along with their Shiraz - another must) and early this evening cracked it open after the rain. The sun is out now and I'm still sipping this wine. 

For just over a eleven dollars a bottle, it is well worth the trip to Konzelmann or your local LCBO. You would be hard pressed to find a wine from Alsace with the same character at the same price. An ideal wine with mussels and oysters, seafood dishes and white pizza (especially with Kalamata olives and artichokes).

I'm sure this wine won't be around once the word gets out.

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