Winophilia

Why should you care? Harry Peterson-Nedry is one of the Willamette Valley’s most renowned pinot noir producers but he has a smooth hand with white varieties as well. In fact, he’s a firm believer that the varied soils and coolish growing conditions in much of the area are better suited to growing white grapes than red. Chehalem’s multiple white wines share common elements of finesse and clarity, and most of them are made with little or no oak influence. The unoaked 2010 Chardonnay Inox (inoxydable is French for stainless steel) is a classic example of the Chehalem house style and makes a strong case for chardonnay in this pinot-dominated region.

What does it taste like? In the Willamette Valley’s cool growing season of 2010, late-ripening red grapes struggled to reach full maturity. But white varieties often thrive in such conditions, producing wines that are bright, nervy and precise, like this one. This chardonnay’s intense citrus fruit and apple flavors are complemented by an exotic lemongrass note, making it a great companion to springtime dishes, especially those with an Asian influence.

How much does it cost? $20

In the weeks ahead I will offer several short articles on superb values from Argentina. Along with Spain and Southern France, Argentina is one of the world’s richest sources of full-flavored red wines at very reasonable prices. You can pay up to a hundred bucks—or even more—for one of Argentina’s icon malbecs, but you’d have to be very rich, or very crazy, to do that, as it’s possible to enjoy an outstanding bottle for one-fifth that price. Continuing strong sales of Argentine wines in the U.S. make it clear that consumers have figured this out. READ MORE »

As undeniably impressive as the best wines from the northern Rhône Valley’s marquee appellations Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage and Cornas can be, the painful fact is that even the least expensive bottlings now run well over $50, and it’s very easy to spend two or three times as much. But as long-time Rhône aficionados know, there’s still excellent value to be found from neighboring Saint-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage, whose vineyards are often quite similar in soil composition and exposition to those of their more exalted neighbors. READ MORE »

People nowadays talk a lot about how Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone wines, and big Napa Valley reds are increasingly being made with considerable early appeal. Do you feel pressured to make your most expensive bottlings flashy or immediately accessible? Will today’s market accept subdued or even austere high-end wines that require extended bottle aging? Finally, and perhaps most important, will these “new” wines ever attain the complexity of the wines made a generation ago?

Marc Hugel, Hugel et Fils (Alsace, France). This is a subject of “Greek tragedy” type and intensity. Our fathers and grandfathers did not have to care about this, and the bottles from these times prove they did not. With modern technology and the natural and developed curiosity of the winemakers, most of whom have traveled in most of the wine areas in the world, there is a nearly infinite possibility to change the style of the wine of any wine region. READ MORE »