A Napa Legend- Freemark Abbey

'It is one thing to be a Napa winery, it is quite another to be a Napa legend.'  So says the quote on the winery's website. But what does it take to be a 'Napa legend?'  How about being founded in 1886 by a woman who may have been the earliest recorded female winemaker in modern history?  Or topping 22 Chardonnays from around the world at a New York tasting in 1973?  Or perhaps being the only producer to have two wines selected by Steven Spurrier for the historic Judgement of Paris in 1976?  Perhaps it is a combination of those things, but Freemark is certainly a legend of the Napa Valley.

Now I know I usually try and write up unsung heroes of the wine industry and Freemark is anything but unsung, however this is a winery that has been in my life for a long time and I so rarely find exceptional examples of proper Napa Valley wines these days that when one crosses my path I have no choice but to write about it.  I like Freemark; it is classic and honest.  Its prices are relatively reasonable. 

Named for a trio of investors who took over the winery in 1939, Charles Freeman, Markquand Foster and Albert 'Abbey' Ahern, Freemark Abbey produces very elegant takes on American wines.  The two varietals which show best in Napa Valley; Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are the flagships among a range of distinct styles, including Sangiovese, late harvest Riesling and others.

The 2011 Chardonnay, a descendent of the victor at the 1973 New York Tasting, is a rich yet elegant white.  Bright fruit aromas of tangerine, banana and honey lead the nose before vanilla and and buttered toast follow through, courtesy of the lightly charred new oak barrels.  This style is at risk of the over-opulent style many Californians are guilty of, however a wise decision by winemaker Ted Edwards to forego Malolactic fermentation, kept the racy acidity to ensure that the rich, bold body maintained freshness and highlighted the fruit rather than the oak.

The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon is a prime example of Napa Valley Cab.  Garnering a 92-point score from the Wine Advocate, this bold, full-bodied Cabernet comes from the prime Napa vineyards of Bosché, Sycamore and Veeder.  The nose is very direct with a burst of cassis, cigar-box and violets with clove spice and coffee.  The palate is still quite firm with solid tannins and acidity that begs for a rich meaty lamb dish.  Some cellaring will be well rewarded over the next few years as the wine evolves, but this style is best enjoyed with a bit of youth for the sake of that full-bodied, punchy structure.

In a way the 1976 tasting in Paris serves as a similar watershed in American wine history to the 1855 Bordeaux Classification in that the wineries taking part have come down to this day as the heroes of American Wine.  Stag's Leap, Montelena and Ridge alongside Freemark are all reliable sources of high-performing, top-end wines.  Despite upstarts such as Screaming Eagle and Sine Qua Non with their outrageous prices they remain true to origin as America's first growths.

G

Bordeaux Tasting

Hey Everyone!

Long while since I posted to this or any blog but I'm happy to be doing so again! Today I'm writing about a wee tasting I put on for a few friends of mine as they prepare for a high profile tasting competition at the Residence de France in London a fortnight from now. The theme of the evening is Left Bank Bordeaux, including Médoc, Graves, Sauternes and Barsac. I took part in this tasting last year and despite doing somewhat poorly (then having my spirits lifted by a stunning meal and lovely wine) I feel that the exercise of analysing Bordeaux from a blind tasting perspective was very enlightening.

When training for blind tasting, you always look at the general styles of grapes and regions in the following manner: Syrah tastes of violets, but is fruiter in Australia and more briny in the Rhône and so on. Basically you paint a region with a broad brush and Bordeaux is the same. There is a character to Bordeaux that makes it unique from wine anywhere else in the world. I am fairly confident I could pick out a Pomerol in a line up of Merlots from the rest of the world, but when it comes to picking apart the differences between the various cabernet-based communes of the Left Bank things get a bit tricky. So today's tasting was aimed at four appellations and three vintages.

1. Chateau Le Pey 2010 Médoc- The nose was creamy, sweet salted caramel and milk chocolate followed by cherry and crème de cassis. The colour was youthfully red; no traces of ageing yet lighter than some of the older wines showing the wine to be less concentrated. The palate agreed with lighter tannins, less intense flavours and acidity. A pleasant wine, but not the product of great grapes.

2. Chateau de Cardaillan 2007 Graves- Deeper colour but with some brickish hues showing the affects of ageing. 2007 is an early drinking vintage so it follows that maturity was reached quickly in comparison with the older Fourcas-Dupré. The nose was marred by a slight cork-taint but the character showed through in a perfumed fruit nose

3. Chateau Fourcas-Dupré 2004 Listrac-Médoc- This one was difficult to describe. There was not a whole lot to distinguish it from general Bordeaux wine. It lacked the cocoa powder of St-Estephe, the perfume of Margaux or the woody cedar of Saint-Julien. It was a good wine, but there really wasn't a whole lot to tell us what exactly a Listrac-Médoc was like. That said, it was a lovely bottle of wine!

4. Chateau Martinens 2007 Margaux- Classic to Margaux, the nose showed plenty of floral aromatics, perfume (almost like Campari smelled from a distance) and something along the lines of kirsch liquer. The palate showed fine grained tannins and an elegant finish. A really great wine and amongst this line up, I think it showed as an amazing wine.

Overall, I find the concept of blind tasting a highly invigorating experience, especially when put into such a singular context as Left Bank Bordeaux. It also shows what a versatile region Bordeaux is for wine production. It's not a tired region only good for putting out overrated and expensive wines. Rather it does offer some good value and quality across the board. Especially in an age where so many new world wineries boast of their high altitude or extreme conditions, Bordeaux is temperate by comparison and never more than a few metres above sea level.

For whatever reason, wine from Bordeaux is often overlooked by the casual drinker, but it should not be. It offers good quality, easy drinking and food friendly wine at a reasonable price point. These four bottles showed particularly well, but there are countless others like them.

Much Love,

George

 

Posted with Blogsy

Wine of Origin Malgas- South Africa's Monopole

Hey Everyone,

We all like a product with a point of difference. Bordeaux blends focussed on Cabernet Franc (Raats) or even a country's only Biodynamic winery and that is exactly what I came to South Africa to find. The last winery I am going to write about specifically is not so much a winery but a wine farm. Also, it is a South African monopole. To give that term some meaning, a monopole is a winery that is alone in it's appellation; one of a kind. Château Grillet, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti are among the most famous monopoles, with wines fetching astronomic prices.

Here in Malgas, where the Breede River cuts a tooth-shaped course towards Cape Infanta there is no wine route. No wine bars or tasting rooms for miles and no restaurants along this beautiful African river contribute to the remote feeling of the place. The paved road ends about halfway through the journey (it seems) and eventually you arrive at a small farm with the only grapes you've seen in a hundred kilometres. Here is the origin of one of my favourite South African wines and to get here was an incredible journey.

The Breede River lends it's name to the wine; 'Sijnn' from the Khoisan language. The place is very special, and shows a visionary wine-style that revolves around the iron-rich ancient river stones that make up the top layer of soil; the spitting image of Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe, and the shale base. The wines are beautifully made and tasting through the forthcoming vintages and some experimental bottlings, I can say that this farm, after turning plenty of heads will not be resting on it's laurels.

What was most exciting for me was to see the emergence over time of a distinct Sijnn flavour. The way that Reyneke and Raats have achieved a recogniseable texture and flavour profile, so has Sijnn in the most recent vintages. Tasting some of the older vintages, it is great to see that they are evolving so well, with the maiden 2007 maturing like of the greats of the Rhône, but the 2011's in the white, red and Cabernetshowed the coming of age of the vines and the true expression of the soil and place.

The Cabernet, bottled in small quantities showed big fruit and mineral as well as some pretty chunky texture more like a Napa Cabernet though with a hint of herbal quality that I find distinctly South African. The 2011, however shows classic Cabernet qualities taking a back seat to aromas of olives, fynbos and pepper.

The Low Profile (intended as a supporting act for the Red) is a surprisingly serious wine with seductive richness, lighter fresh herbs and very pure fruit. There is a layering of garrigue and fynbos, but in reality, this wine is all about complex, rich fruits. Very nice stuff!

The whites have eveolved nicely, and the 2011 is again the best of the line up for me. I am curious to see what becomes of the 2012 as it develops in bottle, but the culture of evolution here in Malgas has led David Trafford to plant some Roussane to see how it works in the white blend. As I love Roussane, I am excited to see how this works with the Chenin Blanc and Viognier in the blend.

For all this talk about the varieties planted at Sijnn, I want to quote what someone said whilst tasting the wines at Malgas- "It's not the varieties that make the wine unique; it's the place." I think that that should be the approach everyone takes when tasting Sijnn, because it is too easy to look at the back label and read off the hybrid Rhône-Douro blend and credit that with the uniqueness of the wine. It erally is all about the place.

This is my last post from the bottom of the world and tomorrow I will be flying back up the length of this continent to St. Andrews and I hope that I've helped to whet your appetite for some delicious South African wines! They truly are amazing!

Much Love,

George- WynExplorer

 

Posted with Blogsy