Wine Each Week- 2018 Chateau Tour de Mirambeau, Despagne White

France is known for its many wine regions (specifically Bordeaux and Burgundy) but it has one which is almost unknown just outside of the city of Bordeaux. Entre-deux-Mers is the place for dry white wine. In the 1950s through the 1970s Entre-deux-Mers was pretty much avoided as it was considered cheap bulk wine. That Mirambeau championed the resurgence of the region starting in the 1980s has helped place the region again on the map, this time with much better results. Their Despagne white is a blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc, 17% Semillon and 3% Muscadelle and is all stainless steel fermented, which allows for a crispness. It presents bright grapefruit, lemon verbena, white peach, a slight guava, spring wildflowers as well as a bold acidity, making food pairing easy.

You can visit the winery itself when near Bordeaux, or get a taste of the entire Entre-deux-Mers region if you visit the “Syndicat,” a consortium of growers whose wines are collectively housed in a re-purposed barn from 1512 (original timbers are used throughout the building and is the backdrop for the above photo) that belonged to the Abbey of La Sauve Majeure next door. Here you can sample the exciting dry white wines that Bordeaux should also be known for. Specifically, under French law, wines from Entre-deux-Mers must contain a minimum of two grapes so you’ll find white wines unlike other Bordeaux regions. 4 Euro gets you three wines to taste, or better yet, spend just 8 Euro and that includes access to the very cool ruins of the Abbey.

ORIGIN: Entre-deux-Mers, Bordeaux, France

ALCOHOL: 13.5%

PRICE: $10/ 750ML

SCORE: 90 POINTS

Www.vins-entre-deux-mers.com

Bargain Bordeaux: Légende by Rothschild

Ok, so here’s the point: Not everyone can afford First Growth Bordeaux. Well, even Second Growth is pretty pricy. So for those of us who would like to drink Bordeaux without carving up our savings account, there is a light at the end of the wine tunnel. With all that in mind, may I present the 2014 Légende Bordeaux Rouge. Let me be honest, this is not some stellar wine you’ll embrace by buying dozens of cases, but it is a solid example of a reasonably priced wine that is enjoyable - an “everyday drinker” as we like to call it. Sound good? 60% Cabernet, 40% Merlot, it provides muted black cherry, raspberry, pomegranate, cranberry and sweet cedar notes and combines that with a pretty good acidity to make a wine that is fairly complex and enjoyable to drink. Oh, and it picked up a Silver Medal at the Decanter Wine Awards, if that matters to you. Since it’s part of the Lafite Rothschild group, you already know you’ll be getting a better than average wine, at a better price for a better jolly good time with your meal.  LAFITE

ORIGIN: Bordeaux, France

PRICE:  $17.99, 750/ML

ALCOHOL: 12.5%

BOOZEHOUNDZ SCORE:  88 POINTS

Straighten Up and Fly Right

Classic Bordeaux blends hailing from Napa are not uncommon; what is uncommon is to find one that truly represents a traditional blend, but also promises compatibility with food and, quite simply, is a pleasure to drink. The 2012 Canard Vineyard Vintner’s Blend nails it. As a wine writer I have written about Canard Vineyard in The Hollywood Reporter; as a wine buyer I carry their Reserve Cabernet in my wine department at PierreLafond Market in Montecito, so yes, I am a fan. Their Vintner’s Blend is comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon (42%), Merlot (36%), Cabernet Franc (21%) and Petit Verdot (1%). Grown in Calistoga and aged 19 months in both new and neutral French oak, the result is a wine that is seamless and graceful with nothing out of place, sort of like a restrained opulence. The nose offers typical blackberry, blueberry and dark cherry hints, but it hits the palate with soft tannins and lingers in the mid palate with cassis, black cherry, cedar and a wisp of mocha and mint. The under current of acidity allows tremendous food pairing options and the oak treatment is judicious meaning this wine will not overpower your meal. Canard turned out just 517 cases of this wine, which not only provides a stellar value at this price, but allows you bragging rights since Canard wines are not easy to get your hands on.

ORIGIN: Napa, California

PRICE: $45/ 750ML

ALCOHOL: 14.9%

BOOZEHOUNDZ SCORE:  92 POINTS

New Year’s Resolution: 12 Months – 12 Cabernets

With every year that passes we set out new goals, new challenges and new experiences for ourselves. But often that doesn’t translate to our wine habits, which can get old and tired. So for Cabernet Sauvignon lovers, here’s a road map for a new Cabernet Sauvignon to try each month from various places, each with its own unique quality and character; a road map that will entice your senses and open you to new wines you may never have considered. (NOTE: The original holiday version of this article was published in The Hollywood Reporter-DEC/2014)

Amici Cellars 2011 Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon: From Calistoga, winemaker Joel Aiken has a pedigree worth toasting. He made the BV Georges de Latour, one of Napa’s most iconic wines for a quarter century. Now he crafts killer Cabernets from choice vineyard sites around the Napa Valley. Once poured you’ll find flavors reminiscent of violets, oak and vanilla, blackberry and blueberry. This is a smooth drinking wine that makes you realize how approachable a high end Cabernet can be, without all the fussy tannins and aging time. ($125, amicicellars.com)

Barons de Rothschild Lafite Reserve Speciale Pauillac 2010: Bordeaux is not Napa. That might seem obvious, but many people expect Bordeaux to drink like Napa Cab. The differences in this wine are obvious from the subtle and nuanced flavors to the berry notes of black cherry, and blackberry. However the earthiness, acidity and quiet nature of Bordeaux is a counterpoint to aggressive American Cabernet’s. This is a terrific example of reasonably priced Bordeaux, and a wine meant to work with food. ($49.99, finewinehouse.com)

Beaulieu Vineyards 2009 Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon: Long used as the go-to juice for the Emmy Awards Governor’s Ball and a benchmark of Napa Cabernet since 1936, this BV is as smooth and suave as George Clooney himself. There is upfront acidity, black cherry, huckleberry, blackberry seamless oak and vanilla and a textural weight all delivered with a silky and smooth wine that makes you wonder why all wine can’t be this tranquil and creamy. ($80, bvwines.com)

Clos Pegase 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon: With renowned architect Michael Graves behind the design of this Napa winery facility, their Cabernet should be just as world class, and it is. Ready to drink now this 2011 Cabernet is very accessible for everyone and presents black cherry, rhubarb, plum, blueberry, mild acidity and though still a young wine, it is nonetheless quite structured and amiable for your dinner table. ($50, clospegase.com)

Frank Family 2012 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon: Though owner Rich Frank is producer on the hit TV show Royal Pains (he was former Chairman of Walt Disney TV) he also produces wine from his northern Napa Valley property. This lithe, supple wine is replete with mild notes of blackberry, blueberry, cedar, and black cherry, balanced and structured with soft delectable oak, acidity and tannins showing the firm control of a veteran producer. ($50, frankfamilyvineyards.com)

Hourglass Vineyards 2012 Blueline Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Like a classic timepiece this wine, grown on the slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains, exudes black cherry, lavender, blackberry, cedar, soft but noticeable minerality and a touch of caramel. The tannic structure is evident but not overwhelming and a brief decanting will enhance the floral aromas. Easy to drink, it might be gone in a few minutes if you’re not careful. ($125, hourglasswines.com)

Jordan 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon: Though Napa gets most of the Cabernet attention, Sonoma too has its own choice spots in which to make excellent Cabernet. Served at several of the Academy Award Governor’s Balls in the 1990s and served at the White House in 1988, this current iteration is all cassis, bright cherry, blueberry, with a mild acidity and oak program balanced along with tame tannins which makes this an easy drinking wine with a bit of heft. ($53, jordanwinery.com)

Justin Vineyards 2011 Isosceles: Paso Robles has long been a producer of Cabernet and it is this wine that actually put this region on the map. The current vintage celebrates its 25th anniversary of this now iconic wine with rustic dark red fruits like rich deep black cherry, black currant and ripe blueberry. The judicious use of oak is tempered by a befitting acidity and an easy drinking quality. ($70, justinwine.com)

Kimmel Vineyards 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon: From Mendocino comes this delightful wine full of rhubarb, blackberry and dusty black cherry with a touch of oak, mild acidity and mild tannins. Owner Jim Kimmel (not Jimmy Kimmel) employs certified sustainable growing practices, which shows that great wine can be made in a responsible, yet tasty way. There is a nose of sandalwood, cedar, cassis, black cherry, dark chocolate and a whisper of dark spice. ($48, kimmelvineyards.com)

Mastroserio Winery 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon: When gold was discovered in El Dorado County in the Sierra Foothills in 1848 signaling the gold rush, wine was not in the mix. But when the gold ran out, pioneer-entrepreneurs planted grapes. One of the better Cabs to come from this region is this lush rich Cab heavier on its barrel fermentation program, which results in lots of cedar, resin, blackberry, black cherry and dried chervil with a surprisingly buoyant acidity. ($50, mastroseriowinery.com)                        

 

Pepper Bridge 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon: Walla Walla Washington is the source of the fruit for this earthy Cabernet with plenty of rustic cherry and blackberry, blueberry fruit, minimal tobacco and aged oak - a combination of new and used French oak to be precise. 2011 was a cooler season in the state therefore there is less bright crisp fruit and more of a dense and dark nature to this wine for those who crave a more mysterious and brooding wine. ($60, pepperbridge.com)

Spottswoode 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon: One of Napa’s premier under the radar producers, Spottswoode goes about quietly making first-rate wine. Their Cabernet opens with rich black cherry and a nose of oak and vanilla and a slight cocoa, but is rewarded with decanting time to reveal, cedar and ripe blueberry, roasted oak and the flavors smooth out with a mature ripe red fruit note, changing the complexity to a velvety, deep berry. ($150, spottswoode.com)         

Tasting With: Adventures with Stephan Asseo - L’Aventure, Paso Robles

I’m not French, but I do love visiting France, however I must admit I’m more of a California wine guy. Hell, I lived here all my life and California wines fill my house. Biased? I guess so. But a Frenchman making a kind of cross between French and California wine in Paso Robles means you gotta look into it. Ladies and gents, meet Stephan. You might know of L’Aventure winery in Paso Robles, but since they only make around 7,000 cases of high-end wine, well, you may not. I recently visited Stephan and his daughter Chloe who handles marketing and distribution (she studied fashion in Paris and always seems impeccably dressed), to speak directly with them. (I have written about the wine before for The Tasting Panel Magazine/January 2014 so I was already familiar with the wines, not so much with them). A little note: There are new underground caves and a spanking tasting room in the works.

 

Stephan

“The story of “L’Aventure was not to do Bordeaux in France but to make Bordeaux in California,” Stephan tells me with his thick French accent. “I wanted to find a place with fewer regulations than France.” There are good sides and bad sides to France’s rules he says - the good side is that it preserves the identity of regions. But you have to contend with only the grapes allowed to be planted there under French law. He wanted to plant Syrah, but that could not happen in him homeland, but in Paso? Hell yes. Though trained in France on a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru property, Paso Robles offered Stephan “more creative freedom,” he says. He looked in Napa, Sonoma, and Monterey for property, but nothing spoke to him. “I thought I was very rich, but I was very poor,” he jokes about the land prices that scare off many a vintner. Over the course of a several days he visited dozens of properties in Paso, then came to this spot off a dirt road, a kind of amphitheater with low rolling hills and a serpentine canyon allowing for the necessary maritime impacts to soften the fruit. “The cooling influences of the Pacific Ocean are crucial in Paso, otherwise we would be like Fresno,” Stephan says. Now there’s a thought! There are 40 blocks of grapes around here and this is where Stephan will be. “I’m a grower more than a winemaker,” he admits, therefore the role of sales is better suited to his charming daughter, so chances are he won’t be pouring wine standing idly behind the counter. And being farmer he acquiesces to the seasonal changes annually which reflect the changes in his wines. After all, a plot of earth cannot produce the same exact, identical  fruit year in and year out. You want sameness? Then buy a wine from a mega producer who achieves sameness as a matter of sales. 

Chloe

L’Aventure, and many Paso area wineries strive to educate the public that change is good. “The attack of the wine is always soft, the palate rich and long, and textured like silk,” he tells me. True, and the best part of his wines is the constant touch of acidity which gives his wines body and mouth feel, something lacking in many Paso Robles red wines. And after 17 years there’s a Frenchman in Paso making non-California wine. It is this intrigue which should compel you to visit. “I don’t want to make the wine of my appellation, but specifically I want to make the wine of my place.” And that is, exactly, the essence of L’Aventure.

The Wines:

2013 Estate Rose: Made from Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Petit Verdot, it’s light and clean with soft berry flavors and solid acidity ($25)

~2011 Optimus (sold out) a blend of Syrah, Cab, Petit Verdot, there is a deep, rich dark fruit center with medium tannins and a pleasant long finish ($45)

~2012 Optimus Syrah, Cab and Petit Verdot, this version is less tannic than the former, amore bright cherry fruit and since it had been bottled only two weeks showed much promise ($45)

~2011 Cote a Cote of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Grenache this is a complete wine, a subtle bacon fat surrounding bright, clean blackberry ($85)

~2013 Chloe (in barrel) made from Syrah and Grenache from “cherry picked” fruit and co-fermented – this is a robust, earthy, rich gamy wine with a touch of acidity. “The Syrah brings the elegance, the composition,” says Chloe. ($85)

VISIT:

Tasting fees: $15

Open daily by appointment only. L'AVENTURE

Creating Pedigree: Cabernet & Paso Robles

Napa lays claim to Cabernet Sauvignon like they invented it. They didn’t of course in spite of being the dominant region in the U.S. However Paso Robles is positioning itself to challenge Napa and this central California region is producing Cabernet and Bordeaux blends offering terrific value and diversity, something Napa often takes for granted.

“There is something about the Napa Valley’s unique topography, climate and growing season that is perfectly suited to Cabernet,” says Ann Colgin of Napa’s Colgin Estate, whose Cabernets sell for $300 (ouch). “While Napa Valley wines can be expensive, there is no substitute for the pedigree of fruit this region is capable of producing.” And she’s correct…to a degree. But pedigree will only take you so far, you still need to deliver the goods, at a price and perceived value the consumer will buy. Let’s be honest – average wine consumers are not buying $300 bottles of Napa Cabernet.

“If you want to know how good Paso Robles Cabernet is,” suggests Gary Eberle of Eberle Winery, “have a blind tasting of Napa Cabernet and a Paso Robles Cabernet. We may not always come out on top, but we can compete against Bordeaux and Napa first growths,” he says. But can Paso Cabernet compete in an already crowded field? “Consumers can expect wines that are approachable immediately but yet will age beautifully for years,” says Daniel Daou of Daou Vineyards, one of the founders of PRCC. “An indication of a great terroir is where ripeness can be achieved most if not all the time. In Paso Robles we achieve ripeness consistently from year to year and our wines come from soils that are calcareous, so they don't have to be acidulated,” Daou says. Is Paso Robles the ideal spot to grow Cabernet? “I looked for 10 years for the perfect place to grow Cabernet,” Daou tells me, including searching Argentina, Spain and Bordeaux. “Paso is cooler than Calistoga, we have the right soils. I believe that Paso is the ultimate appellation for growing Cabernet Sauvignon, but we need a little time to reach our potential.”

Unconvinced? Well then the Paso Robles Cabernet Collective held April 25^th - 30^th is just for you. There are winery tasting room events, the ubiquitous Grand Tasting on Saturday, April 26th, winemaker dinners, and the like. Should you go? Yes. Will Paso Robles compete against Napa for Cabernet supremacy? Well, not for a while. But having sampled some of the top Cabernet producers like Daou, L’Aventure, Justin, Eberle, Jada, Vina Robles, Halter Ranch, Robert Hall and others, there is the possibility that if Napa blinks, Paso Robles will pounce, and attending the Paso Robles Cabernet Collective’s Cabs of Distinction will give you a window into the future.

PASO ROBLES CAB COLLECTIVE 

Red Obsession: Wine, Power & The Color of Green

Red Obsession, the first documentary made by Australian filmmakers Warick Ross and David Roach, is narrated by Russell Crowe. “That voice of Maximus lingered with me,” Ross says which is why he tapped the Oscar winner’s resonant husky voice. Born in Hong Kong Ross always had a fascination with China but beyond that he is both a filmmaker and winemaker but as he told me, “The wine films I’d always seen were all about rain, sun, tannins and acids to the score of Vivaldi.” Boring, right? Ross’s approach was different.

“We started off making a film about wine but it became something else; that political and economic power shift from West to East.” Red Obsession, about Bordeaux wine and its unlikely China connection, begins with the basics of France’s legendary vineyards. First planted by the Romans the region has attained mythical status, catapulting the top echelon wines into market values similar to that of a Picasso. That is due to the promotional efforts of the Bordelais; that group of top tier wineries including Château Lafite, Margaux, Latour, and others. And the Bordelais may love red wine, but they adore green money. In the past decade Bordeaux wine prices have risen 1,000%, making it, ironically, too valuable to drink.

I shot this when I visited the Great Wall - a once in a lifetime experience!

Bordeaux long depended on the U.S. and UK as its financial base, but power and greed, so the filmmakers suggest, got the better of the Bordelais and they turned their attention to Shang Hi, Hong Kong and Beijing. Thus the 75-minute film explores the newfound purchasing power of the Chinese. The film suggests there are at least 600 billionaires in China which is currently the largest importer of Bordeaux in the world. “The Chinese had put Château Lafite Rothschild on a pedestal,” admits Ross. “It was selling for $2,400 (USD) a bottle during the height in May/June of 2011.” This re-birth of power and money is expressed in buying the worlds most expensive wine, and as one Chinese collector in the film says, she wants her prestigious wine regardless if she drinks it or not. That kind of comment saddens any wine lover, but also reveals the raw commercial side of wine. Beautifully shot film by Emmy award winning cinematographer Lee Pulbrook, Red Obsession is a lesson on wine, politics, marketing, and the new global wealth. It’s a film for wine folks, students of economics, those fascinated with China, and anyone curious about brand, image and the cultivation of luxury.

I adored my time in China. Everyone needs to visit!

Director Warick Ross’s Top Five Bordeaux Choices (you know, wine for the rest of us!)

Château Grand-Puy Lacoste – “A giant killer, well below First Growth prices. Highly regarded amongst the Bordelais themselves – good value Fifth Growth for what you get.” Around $55.

Château Batailley – “Terrific value and consistently good. The best value of these five.” Around $45

Reserve de la Comtesse – “An elegant second wine from 2nd Growth Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, ages beautifully.” Around $50

Alter Ego Palmer – “The second wine from the fabulous Château Palmer and made by the charismatic Thomas Duroux. Good value at the moment, well off its highs of 2010.” Around $60.

Vieux Château Certan – A wonderful refined and elegant right bank Bordeaux. Not cheap but consistently rated in the top 10 of the Merlot dominant right bank wines. $140.

(note: The original article, of which this is derived from, I wrote for The Hollywood Reporter published in September, 2013: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Tasting With: Joe Lange of Lange Twins Winery – Lodi, California

There are about 60 wine tasting rooms and 80 wineries in Lodi, a lot more than when Credence Clearwater Revival opined about being “stuck in Lodi again” in 1969. Yet most people either,

a) have never heard of Lodi, or,

b) have no idea even remotely where it is (just north of Stockton if that helps). 

So when Joe Lange and his lovely wife, Amanda, came to Santa Barbara in July, 2013, we met for lunch to taste some of his wines and to talk about Lodi, Lange Twins and leverage.

 

Joe is not the winemaker, but he and his four siblings do run the operation. The first vintage was 2005 and this is a family ideal, seeing as how the Lange’s, originally from Germany, are 5^th generation Lodites (I don’t think that’s the correct term, but I like it). The land they currently grow grapes on - much is sold to other wineries under contract- was, back in the day, dry farmed watermelon. Joe’s grandfather planted grapes and made some wine, but it wasn’t really a business enterprise until Joe’s father and his twin brother, Randall and Bradford, decided to get serious about wine. 

Joe & Amanda Lange

Currently Lange Twins growing 23 different varieties, and growing them as certified green and sustainable - after all, we need to respect our earth. But it took borrowing money from the bank and fully leveraging everything they had to create their winery however Joe tells me the Lange family is totally committed, an “all hands on deck,” philosophy. And since Lodi isn’t on the radar for most people, they have more work to do than a winery located in a known wine region. But Lodi is working towards a more wine-centric core with new places to stay and new restaurants coming on line. Currently it’s a stop on the way to or from someplace else: drive in off Highway 99, visit a few wineries, then leave. But places like Lange Twins will encourage folks to stay a little bit longer. The great thing about Lange Twins is price to quality, something I constantly look for and promote. Aside from Joe’s favorite, the Petite Verdot, try the wines and discover your personal preference. LANGE TWINS

Caricature is one of their most popular wines

What We Tasted Together

2009 Midnight Reserve ($30) a Bordeaux blend of Cab, Merlot, a wee bit of Petit Verdot and an even wee-er bit of Malbec. There’s cocoa and blackberry: a meet n’ greet of bright red fruit, followed by darker, deeper notes on the mid and back palate.

2011 Sauvignon Blanc – Musque Clone ($13) a mild non-grassy Sauv Blanc, the Musque gives it a more floral element and it’s aged sur lie. This is not an aggressive herbaceous wine, but a soft and restrained one.

2011 Moscato (13) a super wine with just 4% residual sugar so it hints at sweet but isn’t candy. Love the beautiful nose of pear, lemon and honeysuckle. It’s easy to drink this like water – you’ve been warned.

2010 Zinfandel ($15) is all bang for the buck here. It’s blueberry and spice, raspberry and pepper, and has some 103 year old-vine Zin in this vintage. All about quality.