Winophilia: Stephen Tanzer

Serious, affordable reds from Washington State

Stephen Tanzer — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:29:15 +0000

With big-name French and California reds beyond the budgets of most wine drinkers these days, except for special occasions, Washington’s red wines are looking better and better. Yes, a relative handful of the state’s top bottlings now retail for $60 or more, but the number of excellent values in the $20 to $30 range is greater than ever before, thanks in large part to a succession of successful vintages. Vintage 2008, in particular, produced vibrant, intense wines with lovely balance, thanks to a coolish growing season and a late, relaxed harvest that took place under excellent conditions. READ MORE »

Red Burgundy, Southern Rhône, Germany

Stephen Tanzer — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:14:03 +0000

Issue 160 of the International Wine Cellar, published yesterday, leads off with extensive coverage of the 2010 red Burgundies, one of the most exciting vintages for these wines of my professional lifetime. The new issue also highlights the superb 2010s and 2009s from the southern Rhône Valley and Germany’s 2010 vintage. For as little as $19.95 for a two-month subscription, you get immediate and unlimited access to the current issue, as well as to the easily searchable and sortable IWC data base of nearly 90,000 tasting notes.

Whatever you normally spend on a bottle, the International Wine Cellar will help you become a smarter consumer and drink better wine.

Here’s what you’ll find in the massive new issue: READ MORE »

Against wine extremism

Stephen Tanzer — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 09:12:56 +0000

There's a fundamentalist fervor these days about “natural” winemaking. This seems to me a disturbing trend, given the temperature of the rhetoric being tossed around on some wine chat boards.

For those who have missed the current tempest in a wine bottle, here are a number of the key elements of natural winemaking: No acid or sugar additions (or de-acidification). Exclusive use of native yeasts. No use of enzymes to extract or stabilize color and tannins. No sulfur additions. Minimal racking. No filtration. Little or no new oak. READ MORE »

Renacer 2008 Punto Final Reserva Malbec Mendoza

Stephen Tanzer — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:54:46 +0000

Why should you care? There’s a race to the bottom going on these days with Argentine malbec pricing (remember low-end shiraz from Australia?). Tasting cheap malbecs can be a tedious exercise, with too many wines plagued by crude oak, distinctly overripe or underripe flavors, or dry tannins. But smart wine consumers continue to pay a few bucks more for malbecs of real depth and character: concentrated, balanced wines that in terms of sheer flavor impact outperform just about anything else available in their price range. We’ll offer much more coverage of malbec in the coming weeks, but here’s a foretaste.

What does it taste like? Renacer’s Punto Final Reserva Malbec is a stunning value in vintage 2008, displaying musky aromas and flavors of crushed blackberry and licorice complicated by spices and pepper, and a sweet, remarkably deep palate impression. This very young but already lush and pliant wine has more than enough stuffing to support its ripe, building tannins. Italian consulting enologist Alberto Antonini, who works his magic for a number of topnotch Argentine producers, serves as assistant winemaker here.

How much does it cost, and where can you find it? $20; Winebow.

Antucura 2007 Calcura Vista Flores Mendoza

Stephen Tanzer — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 09:51:03 +0000

Why should you care? Along with Napa Valley cabernet and Marlborough sauvignon blanc, Mendoza malbec is one of the most widely recognized “brands” among American wine drinkers. But there’s a downside to such marketing success. First off, virtually every Argentine wine producer and his hermano now make malbec, and too many of these wines have become generic and interchangeable. Meanwhile, the large shadow cast by malbec in the marketplace is hiding the growing success of Argentina’s cabernet and cabernet-based wines, which are better now than ever before--especially when they're from the favored Uco Valley, as the Antucura example is.

What does it taste like? Antucura’s 2007 Calcura bottling, a blend of 50% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot and 20% malbec, offers assertive aromas of blackberry, cassis, menthol and licorice, lifted by a violet topnote. It’s juicy, intense and serious, with tightly knit, sharply delineated flavors of dark fruits, spices and truffle and a vibrant, long finish featuring a suave dusting of tannins. A difficult flowering resulted in a particularly small crop in ’07, and the result is a vintage with unusual concentration of flavor. By the way, globetrotting enologist Michel Rolland serves as consulting winemaker here.

How much does it cost, and where can you find it? $20 (Southern Starz)

Alta Vista 2011 Premium Torrontés Salta

Stephen Tanzer — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:27:00 +0000

Why should you care? Torrontés, Argentina's most distinctive white variety, yields captivating light-bodied, scented wines that make perfect aperitifs and pair well with a range of first courses. These generally dry and delicate wines, usually made without any contact with oak, remind me a bit of viognier with a perfumed hint of muscat: they're mostly dry to bone-dry, crisp yet slightly chewy, and dominated by aromas and flavors of stone and citrus fruits, soft spices, mint and flowers.

What does it taste like? Although torrontés is produced in Mendoza, Argentina’s most important wine region by a wide margin, many of the finest examples come the high-altitude vineyards of the Salta province, in the country’s extreme northwest. The example from Alta Vista offers delicate aromas of white flowers and curry powder followed by a tactile, saline mouth feel, with hints of gingery spices and bright acidity giving definition to its subtle tropical fruit flavors. The finish is sappy, elegant and persistent. This smooth torrontés has the acidity and pungent character to work well with spicier Asian, Indian or Mexican dishes.

How much does it cost, and where can you find it? $16; Buena Cepa Wines.

Standout white wines from Washington State

Stephen Tanzer — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 09:35:16 +0000

Most of Washington's grapes are grown in the desert east of the Cascade mountains. With summers frequently marked by blazing-hot daytime temperatures and annual rainfall so low that the vineyards must be irrigated, white wine is not the first thing that springs to mind. But generally cool September nights allow the grapes to retain healthy acidity, resulting in wines with noteworthy intensity of varietal character. Needless to say, acid retention is at least as much of a boon to white wines as it is to the cabernet-, merlot- and syrah-based reds on which Washington’s position in the world wine is based. READ MORE »

Whither Burgundy?

Stephen Tanzer — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:42:42 +0000

It remains to be seen if the Chinese government will buy Europe’s debt, but that country’s wealthy collectors are certainly snapping up Europe’s wines. After focusing on Bordeaux in recent years, top collectors in China and Hong Kong are beginning to turn their attention to red Burgundy. Since production of the top Burgundies is just tiny fraction of the typical Médoc estate’s output, any sustained new demand from a powerful, cash-rich market is sure to place serious upward pressure on Burgundy prices. The other day a well-traveled Burgundy insider “joked” (at least I hope he was joking) that Burgundy prices could well double in the next few years. Even allowing for hyperbole, any significant price spike would be bad news for long-time American collectors. READ MORE »

Elio Grasso 2008 Barbera d’Alba Vigna Martina

Stephen Tanzer — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:17:41 +0000

Why should you care? Barbera from Italy's Piedmont region is among the most flexible, food-friendly red wines made anywhere, complementing everything from pizzas and tomato-based pastas to richer meat dishes to salty cheeses. This penetrating wine, which relies almost entirely on its acidity for structure (the barbera grape is low in tannins), is generally ready to enjoy on release but has the ability to mellow and gain in complexity with time in bottle, particularly the more ambitious versions made in oak casks or smaller French barrels. Many of the finest barberas come from top producers of Barolo and Barbaresco, who enjoy drinking barbera on an everyday basis while reserving their more serious and expensive nebbiolo wines for special occasions.

What does it taste like? The Grasso family's Barbera d'Alba Vigna Martina, froma vines close their their top Barolo vineyard in Monforte d'Alba, is aged in new and once-used French barriques for 15 months, then held in bottle for at least a year before being released. The 2008 version offers highly perfumed aromas and flavors of red fruits, flowers and spicy oak. It's fine-grained and suave, with perfectly harmonious acidity and a strong floral component giving definition to the pliant middle palate. This very stylish barbera finishes with smooth tannins and subtle lingering perfume.

How much does it cost, and where can you find it? $35; Sussex Wine Merchants.

Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils 2010 Chablis

Stephen Tanzer — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:21:53 +0000

Why should you care? It's hard to find a better warm-weather thirst-quencher than crisp, minerally Chablis. But it's in the cooler "R" months (September through April), after the summer spawning season has ended, that oysters, clams and other shellfish are generally at their best in North America. That calls for Chablis, the classic examples of which come from soil rich in fossilized oyster shells. Village Chablis is my choice, as premier and especially grand cru bottlings can be too intense for delicate sea creatures. And village-level wines are cheap enough to enjoy on a regular basis.

What does it taste like? The village Chablis from father-and-son team Christian and Fabien Moreau is one of my perennial favorites in this category. Their bottling from the cooler 2010 growing season offers scents of lemon drop, grapefruit and mint. It's high-pitched and vibrant on the palate, with a captivating ripeness leavened by firm acidity and soil-driven saline and crushed stone character.

How much does it cost and where can you find it? $25; Frederick Wildman & Sons.