by katrin on January 11, 2012
Occasionally, I find a wine that is so surprisingly good that I am blown away. The 2008 August Kesseler Spätburgunder Pinot N is one such wine.
The color is garnet that is starting to turn a bit brownish. The nose and palate have ripe strawberry and blackberry, spice, brambly, and just enough mushroom and black tea to remind you that you are enjoying a Pinot Noir. Light oak adds some warm vanilla to the palate.
Perfectly balanced, with medium acidity, medium-minus tannins that are delicate and grippy, and a relatively significant 13% alcohol, this Pinot Noir has a solid, but not overbearing, structure for the fruit. By New World standards, this would be considered a light-weight wine, but it is wonderfully full and ripe compared to other German reds. Delicious with or without food. Long spicy finish.
If you like Pinot Noir, this wine is worth seeking out. Very good/excellent.
At Nine Acre Wines for $19.99.
by katrin on January 4, 2012
To make good on two of my wine resolutions for 2012 – to drink lighter wines and more German wines, particularly reds – I made my first wine of the new year a Franz Keller Pinot Noir. The wine comes from the Baden region in southwest Germany. Despite being the warmest winegrowing region in the country, making it possible to ripen red wine grapes, the Franz Keller Pinot Noir is light and delicate, but flavorful.
Pale garnet in the glass. The nose is fruit-forward, particularly raspberry and cherry, with some baking spice. The palate has more of the fruit, minerality, and a bit spicy. Medium-plus to high acidity, low tannins, and light body. The Franz Keller Pinot Noir is not an ideal quaffing wine, but great with food. On its own, we found its acidity somewhat bracing, but it was a perfect foil to roasted ham with trimmings, effectively cutting through the richness of the meat.
At Julio’s Liquors for $20.99.
by katrin on October 31, 2011
Unoaked. Unadulterated. Crisp, dry “naked” flavor.
Like the description on the back label of Undone Pinot Noir from Valckenberg, this is a straightforward wine. While Germany is better known for producing white wines, increasing numbers of vineyards are being planted to red grapes – perhaps a result of global climate change bringing conditions that allow red grapes to ripen better in the northerly wine growing regions. Pinot Noir has particular importance with about 11.5% of all vineyards planted with this grape according to the Deutsches Weininstitut.
Pale garnet. The nose is fresh and filled with bright red berry, sour cherry, and herbal aromas, including some eucalyptus. The Undone is bone dry and mouthwatering with medium plus acidity, low tannins, and a medium long finish. A touch of spice in the finish. Not terribly complex – and it’s not intended to be – but easy going and certainly enjoyable.
At New Hampshire Liquor Stores for $10.99.
by glenn and katrin on October 26, 2011
GLENN – My serious wine education began with weekly tastings at Federal Wine and Spirit hosted by Len Rothenberg. The tastings weren’t just a “swirl, sniff and slurp” event but an in-depth tutorial taught by Len, one of the early and continuing players in Boston’s wine culture. Even though I never obtained the distinction of being one of the Federalistas - that merry band of wine-savvy long-term tasting regulars, I conscientiously attended the tastings for several years. By the time I decided to formalize my wine education by attending Boston University’s wine program, I had a more than solid foundation. I got a promotion – my hours changed – and attending the weekly tastings was over, though I didn’t miss descending Federal’s torturous stairway to the tastings in the cellar. When Katrin informed me that Len was offering a seminar with dinner at Journeyman covering the outlying regions of Burgundy – Chablis, Auxerre, Hauts Côte de Nuits, Côte Chalonnaise and Maconnais – and would I like to attend, I replied, “Sign me up!” What a partnership! Wines chosen and expounded upon by Len and dinner by the culinary duo of Diana Kudajarova and Tse Wei Lim made for the wine and dine event of the season.
KATRIN – The seminar started with a glass of Matchbook California Chardonnay. Though some wondered why Len would choose this ripe, tropical, smooth Chardonnay to prepare us for a Burgundy tasting, Len selected it to demonstrate what Chardonnay is not supposed to be. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the two dominant grapes of Burgundy, evolved in a very cool continental climate – a far cry from California’s typical warmth and sunniness. Often times Burgundian grapes would struggle to achieve ripeness. The best vineyards are the ones that faced south or southeast, which are warmer and more likely to produce ripe grapes. That’s changing now a bit through a combination of better winemaking techniques and climate change, which has been bringing warmer temperatures to regions like Burgundy over the past few decades.
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by katrin on July 27, 2011
After a string of terrific white wines that have been perfect for summer, I was in the mood to shift gears a bit and enjoy a light red wine. This La Crema Pinot Noir from the cool Sonoma Coast hit the spot.
In the glass the La Crema was light and fresh-looking with violet and garnet hues. The nose had inviting aromas of ripe raspberry, tea, and dried herbs. Cherries and spice fill the palate, rounded out by earth and underbrush. The oak influence was more pronounced on the palate with notes of vanilla and cedar. The La Crema has a light body, a good acidic backbone, and delicate tannins that linger for quite a while, along with cherry and vanilla oak flavors. A light, flavorful option for the warm weather!
At Marty’s for $24.99.
by katrin on February 24, 2011
In one of my first wine classes with Bill Nesto at Boston University, he noted that for many wine lovers Pinot Noir was both the pinnacle of their wine drinking experience and their biggest disappointment. The sentiment has stayed with me and, largely, proven correct, though I feel that for no other varietal is the quality so closely tied to the price of the wine. I am generally suspicious of Pinot Noirs selling for under $20, since so many are either bland, mass-produced wines or they lack the varietal characteristics that makes Pinot Noir a wine drinker’s favorite. Although the selection of Argentine Pinot Noirs in the $15-$20 range has increased in recent years, I totally avoided them for this reason. For this post I tasted seven Pinots from Argentina. To my surprise I could only find two examples from Patagonia, which seems to have a more suitable climate for Pinot Noir; the other five came from Mendoza. While I could not characterize any of them as Excellent, a couple were quite enjoyable.
I am hopeful that Pinot Noir from Argentina will improve in the coming years. As wineries expand further south into Neuquén and Rio Negro, Patagonia’s cooler regions, there is a strong possibility that Pinot Noir will finally find its proper home in Argentina, and may even become available in this price range.
In a future post, I will write about some of the Argentine Pinots in the $20-40 range. But for now here is a look at the seven I found below $20.
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by glenn on February 21, 2011
No – this post isn’t about a date or liaison gone wrong. Rather, it’s about two wines that nearly ruined my weekend – nearly, but not quite – I recover quickly. It’s rare for me to pour wine down the drain – my Yankee sensibilities keep me from that. I can always use a wine I dislike in cooking. But after tasting these two, I had to restrain myself. With the first, a Chardonnay of the value wine sort, I stepped out of my comfort zone of drinking only French Chardonnay, venturing into the land of big California chards. With the second, a Pinot Noir, I left my plonk sensibilities behind, “splurging” on this wine. Both come from the same producer – Angeline Winery, the second label of the Russian River winery Martin Ray. According to the winery,grapes are sourced from cooler regions of California – Santa Barbera, Mendocino and Sonoma Counties and both are barrel aged. On to the tasting. [click to continue…]
Occasionally, I find a wine that is so surprisingly good that I am blown away. The 2008 August Kesseler Spätburgunder Pinot N is one such wine.
