QOTD, March 12

Jim Budd on the insane proposal to limit Appellation Controllee Touraine to only sauvignon blanc:

Sauvignon Blanc is popular now but a SOS (Sod off Sauvignon) movement may soon appear!

I'd like to become a charter member. Where do I sign up?

Winter Releases from Renaissance

Renaissance makes some of the most distinctive wines in the US as well as some of the best, and as I've written before, their terroir's signature is carved into the wines, be they red or white, in stone and spice. And yet the more I come to know Renaissance and its wines, the more I've come to learn that they will in various ways surprise me, as do their latest releases (which, disclosure, I received as a press sample).

Renaissance Chardonnay 2006
What, Renaissance makes a varietal chardonnay? Since when? And not only is this a chardonnay, it's also the most mainstream dry white Renaissance I've tasted. Not unlike many fine California chardonnays, it was aged for 9 months in a mix of new and used oak barrels, which contributes to the aromas of salted butter, toast, flowers, and tropical fruits that dominate the nose.

But before you think, "Renaissance sells out!" know that this limited production (76 case), estate grown wine was fermented solely with native yeasts and minimally sulfured. It's fine, fresh, and lively on the palate, with robust acidity, cool orchard fruit tones, and nice structure — it's not at all blowsy or fat (this clocks in at 13.6% abv and a pH of 3.3). As it warms in the glass, the cool spice and herb tones inherent in all Renaissance wines begins to emerge — albeit to a lesser degree than in, say, their Roussanne — and the long finish is enlivened by the zippy minerality. It's definitely a top-of-class California chardonnay, and it stayed very fresh and alive over three nights of tasting.

Renaissance Sauvignon Blanc Late Harvest 1992
This new release, a spicy dessert wine, is 17 years old. The nose is rich with aromas of apricots caramelized in brown sugar. It's clean and silky in the mouth, not heavy or sticky, and the robust acidity helps it stand up on the palate. Straightforward flavors of pears poached in ginger hit the mid and back palate immediately; an initial impression of modest viscosity then ebbs quickly, leaving a light but warm glow on the finish for some time. This isn't as complex or as interesting as the drier, more recently made late harvest wines that Renaissance releases, but twist my arm and I'll drink this with a pear tart.

Renaissance Cabernet Sauvignon Première Cuvée 1998
This is a fascinating wine. At the first pop of the cork this smells just like a Renaissance cabernet, with deep aromas of black currant and worcestershire, but on the palate it drinks almost like a young Barbaresco, very tannic yet somehow light. The rough edges abate somewhat with just a bit of air and the palate deepens with flavors to match the aromas. On night two, the flavor of cassis comes to the fore and the acidity is more prominent, too, although the weight has dropped and the finish is slightly thin. Black cherry and black pepper flavors come to the fore on the third night — it's a living wine, ever changing — and if the finish is still a bit short, the wine seems a touch more focused: the tannins no longer have a sweet quality, the palate is silkier and just a touch more substantive than it was the previous night, and dried herbs show up on the finish. There's plenty of structure and acidity in this baby (pH is 3.4) so while it's perfectly fine to open this now, there's no need to rush. 82% cab sauv, 7% merlot, 6% cab franc, 5% malbec.

By the by, I recently drank a bottle of the 2007 Carte d'Or white Bordeaux blend, which I last drank a year ago, and it's showing brilliantly. The melon fruit is luscious, generous, and layered with crushed white stone and gingery spice, and it was a great with the smoky, tangy, earthy flavors of middle eastern cuisine. I can't imagine anything pairing better with the smoky, umami flavors of middle eastern cuisine than any dry white from Renaissance; but now that I think about it, maybe I should consider a good cru Beaujolais...

2006 Crochet Sancerre with Pasta Fagioli

I visited a friend in San Francisco, and among other things we camped overnight in Big Basin Redwoods State Park. I'm in pretty decent shape but hiking up and down and up and down the Santa Cruz Mountains left my calves feeling a bit sore even two days after the fact. So when I returned to Chicago, I decided to feed them a nice plate of noodles and beans pasta fagioli. I had a meyer lemon handy so I dressed the fagioli in herbs and lemon juice and popped open Lucien Crochet's 2006 Sancerre.

I rarely drink Sancerre, or any sauvignon blanc for that matter, so I was inclined to compare it to the '07 Vacheron I so recently adored. But I thought the better of it (different vintage and all that) and decided to let the Crochet stand on its own delicious merits.

Lucien Crochet Sancerre 2006
According to importer Neal Rosenthal, Crochet sources his "basic" Sancerre from a variety of vineyards, harvests the grapes manually, ferments exclusively in steel tank, and avoids malolactic. In 2006 this led to a wine that ably straddles the gooseberry-grass divide and, more importantly to my palate, is simultaneously creamy and precise.

The aromas suggest lemon and white flowers, while delicate hints of smoke and chalk add intrigue. On the palate the wine is quite ripe but also firm, zesty, and energetic. This shows great poise and the minerality on the finish is pure, clear, and fairly long. Interestingly, I found that a great white pepper note emerged when paired with the lemony — and well-peppered — pasta fagioli.

In other words, the 2006 Crochet fulfilled one of my essential wine commandments: that wine be self-posessed and true but marry well with an appropriate pairing. And at the end of the day — or at least at the end of a hike — what more could I ask for?

Speaking of commandments, happy Easter and Passover to all y'all...

Sémillon My Way

Since Eric Asimov recently complained about the dearth of sémillon in the US, I figured this would be a good time to check in on two sémillon-based whites from Renaissance: a varietal bottling and a Bordeaux style blend of sémillon and sauvignon blanc.

I share Eric's complaint. Yep, I've been subjected to candied, stanky, pineapple-rotting-on-rainforest-floor white Bordeaux and faux Bordeaux, but in its minerally and elegant forms, I dig the way the creamy body of sémillon joins the grassy attack of sauvignon. And done right, a touch of aging in oak enhances rather than masks these qualities.

It would be absurd to compare a Pessac-Léognan with these Sierra Foothills wines. Vines planted in humid, gravelly Graves will of course yield something quite different than vines planted in decomposed granite marl in the high elevation, semi-arid hills northeast of Sacramento. Besides, Renaissance aims for balance, restraint, and transparency on their own terroir's terms, and that's just what we get.

Renaissance Carte d'Or 2007
Though a year younger than the below varietal bottling, this blend of 60% sémillon and 40% sauvignon blanc is easier to appreciate in its youth, thanks to a fruitier attack, a rounder profile (at 14.2% abv, it's two degrees above the sémillon), and the immediacy of the sauvignon. Part of the immediacy is conveyed to the nose, which like the 2006 Carte d'Or shows soft, grassy notes. But you might be surprised that the sauvignon also delivers white pepper and ginger spice to the palate, a quality that was obvious when I tasted young, unblended sauvignon from barrel last fall. As with the 2006 bottle that I liked so much, this marries sweet juicy peach flavors with savory herb notes, medium body with a round mouthfeel, and minerals and spices that last quite nicely on the tangy finish. It's a nice wine to drink with simply prepared fish.

Renaissance Sémillon Vin de Terroir 2006
Varietal sémillon is rarely giving in its youth. With time, it's apt to show herb, smoke, and honey characteristics, although attention must be paid to determine how it will evolve. And as Renaissance make wines with an eye toward the far horizon, it's doubly true for this wine, which rolls stones across the palate and clocks in at a mere 12.3%. Currently the aromas convey quite subtle notes of lemon, smoke, and almond. The wine's true character comes out on the long and mineral palate, where the creamy yet lifting body resolves into nicely focused flavors of meyer lemon, nuts, dried green herbs, and ginger zest. (If you're looking for fruit cocktail, look elsewhere.)

As to its future, the wine's complete presence is promising. The acidity and the minerals provide excellent structure and the wine is particularly full at midpalate without being fat; this is not a wine that will fade soon. That's fortunate, as it needs time to show greater depth and complexity. But from what I can tell, the future is promising.

2007 Domaine Vacheron Sancerre Blanc

I picked up some Humboldt Fog and asked myself, "What to drink?" The obvious answer, for me, is a slightly demi-sec Vouvray, which makes for a magical pairing. But this time I opted for others' obvious answer: Sancerre.

Over the years I've given little attention to Sancerre blanc given my lack of enthusiasm for sauvignon blanc in general. But as Jim Budd notes, "the Sancerres that are worth drinking completely transcend Sauvignon Blanc’s two-dimensional varietal character... [and] often have a thrilling minerality and precision of flavour."

Domaine Vacheron delivers exactly that. Now, you should read Jim's post on his September 2008 visit to Domaine Vacheron, but I'll summarize a few key points. The Vacherons implemented a biodynamics regime a decade ago and their vineyards' soils are composed equally of silex and limestone. In recent years they have backed off the extraction levels and also now use fewer small barrels in favor of 600 L vats, and have even changed the pruning system for new plantings, eschewing the Guyot system in favor of cordon so as to reduce yields. They don't stop experimenting, thinking things through, and above all doing everything they can to emphasize terroir.

Given the wine's ability to age, the very pale 2007 is obviously very young, and it was tightly wound, if deeply aromatic, when first opened. I got calcerous lemon, slightly bitter grapefruit pith, and energetic salty minerals. A strong and pure spine of acidity provides excellent structure, but again, you are at arm's length from the wine's core essence. But by night three the body becomes rounder, even creamy, without losing an iota of its weightlessness, acid precision, or salty drive, and the elegant, multilayered alfalfa and lemon cream notes really sing on the long finish, particularly at midpalate.

This is a delicate wine, and my spicy vegetable soup overwhelmed it, but once it had evolved it was indeed fantastic with the Humboldt Fog. It should also be great with steamed bivalves or light, grilled whitefish. Decant now or cellar for later — preferably both.

Overlooking the Obvious: White Bordeaux

In my quest to walk roads less traveled I sometimes overlook obvious paths of pleasure. For too long have I forsaken white Bordeaux, seduced instead by, say, Godello from Valdeorras, or Asirtiko from Santorini. Partly this is because less-known regions can offer amazing value and interest; correspondingly, I figured that I'd have to settle for mediocre Bordeaux Blanc unless I was willing to pay a modest ransom.

I came to realized I was acting, or rather not acting, out of prejudice and ignorance. The more I thought about it, the more I also realized that it would be really interesting to explore how my palate reacted to varying blends of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc.

What I found should please most any food and wine lover. All three examples I tried delivered significant pleasure for under $20, and all would pair well with a wide variety of food.

Château Graville-Lacoste Graves 2006
The Graville-Lacoste is brought in by Kermit Lynch and cost a tick under $20 so I figured it would be a good place to start my Bordeaux Blanc exploration. It was, in fact, stunning, with a beautiful and complex nose of peach, rose, tangerine, gooseberry, lemon, paint, cinnamon, honey, and a hint of wet gravel. All these aromas coalesce in the mouth to form a singular, creamy, yet delicate experience. It's incredibly clean, with soft but mouth-smacking acidity and a barely-perceptible minerality. This is incredibly well-balanced and I could see pairing this with a delicate, lemon-tinged whitefish or with a buttery vegetable pilaf. Possibly 80% Semillon?

Château Ducasse Bordeaux Blanc 2006
This almost certainly has more SB in the blend than the Château Graville-Lacoste Graves, which is also vinified by Herve Dubourdieu, and it's also a simpler wine, less layered and expressive. But it's still very good. Apple, pineapple, and hay aromas predominate and the follow-through is very clean. This would be particularly good in summer accompanied with a light Mediterranean meal and/or cold summer vegetables.

Château Guiraud Le G Bordeaux Blanc Sec 2006
This esteemed Sauternes producer also makes this dry white from a whopping 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sémillon. It's larger-framed than either of Dubourdieu's wines, surely thanks to the nine months of barrel aging and occasional lees stirring, but it also features more typically SB characteristics of lemon and a hint of gooseberry — although it's not as piercing as, say, a typical Sancerre. This paired nicely with white risotto. The topsoil in the vineyard is sandy gravel; subsoil varies from sand to gravel to red clay to limestone marls.

In sum, I'm hardly going to give up my beloved Loire Chenin Blanc or hold a crucifix up to Oregon Pinot Gris, but I'm intrigued enough to continue my exploration; and I have even socked away a 2004 Château Carbonnieux from Pessac-Léognan for a special occasion. Of course, with a cool spring night being the perfect time for a fish in cream sauce, I might have to create that special occasion sooner rather than later...