Haut - Medoc Region Wines

Personally, I have tasted some great wines from this region.  Visiting the region two years ago was amazing and we cannot wait to return.  There are so many great wines here not available in the US.

The Haut-Medoc region in France is the Appellation d'Orgine Controlee or AOC for wine in the Bordeaux wine region in southwestern France.  It is located on the left bank of the Gironde estuary. 

The Dutch settlers drained the region in the 1700s.  Large beautiful chateaus were built along the Gironde river that are still there today. The region was originally salt marshes mostly used for grazing animals rather than viticulture.  The British market was emerging and the Dutch wanted to offer the British alternative wines.  Graves and the Portuguese regions dominated the British market. 

The region allows Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Carmenere, and a small amount of Malbec grape varieties to grow here.  Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant grape in this region.

The soil in this region consist of mostly gravel, chalk and clay.  There are just shy of 400 vineyards in this region of France.  You will notice on the map above, there are several sub regions of Medoc that include Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, Sain-Julien, Pauillac, and Saint Estephe.  These areas were split off in 1936 and created their own AOC

You must put this region on your travel list. 

I tasted Vecordia 2009- Ribera del DueroRoble  from Spain tonight.  When visiting Total Wine, this was rated high by one of the magazines according to the shelf and I thought I would try it.

I totally loved the wine.  It is bold and dry, it doesn't have much fruit and is made mostly from the Temparanillo Grape.  It is a quality wine at a great price.  Total wine is selling it for $12.99, but I did see it a little less online on several websites.

I think this wine would go great with appetizers that have some spice, like a spicy mustard, or great with some spicy thai food - YUM!

This ripe red opens with notes of spice and currant on the nose, leading to bright red fruit notes on the palate supported by a touch of oak. Subtle tannins give weight to this wine without overpowering it. A silky finish rounds off with light hints of vanilla.

The wine has a really dark ruby red color.  The smell has a nice bouquet and long dry finish. This has a much smoother texture but similar robust flavor of a Rioja.  Please try it  and love it.

Spring and Rose Wine is mighty fine. BRAVO Oregon

While at the beach for the first nice spring weekend after a long snowy cold winter, I decided to try a rose wine and this one stood out on the shelf mostly because of it's color.  It is a beautiful color and I loved that it perfectly stated it was a "dry" rose.

This wine is made of 3 different grapes and is from Oregon.  BRAVO Oregon.  I loved this wine at $15.99 a bottle.  The blend – Pinot Noir – 44%, Pinot Blanc – 23%, Pinot Gris – 21%  12.8% alcohol

Tasting Notes:

Beginning:
Pink grapefruit, mandarin orange. The bouquet of scents from a fruit stand.
Middle:
Just bitten cherries, the bright freshness of a cranberry. Soft rosewater, cream.
End:
A marine tang, delicious! Sweet spice, white pepper.


Serve this nice and cold on a hot day and it is just lovely.  Hope you come to our wine tasting on June 28th.  It will be the arrival treat prior to our wine tasting

Cheers Winos!

A Great Italian - Michele Chiarlo Barbera d'Asti DOCG 2010

This wine I found at Harris Teeter in Virginia and as are most Italians, it is fantastic.  I packed an extra bottle and brought it home for other to try.   It is Superiore DOCG distinction with medium body and robust, rich fruit on the nose. It has rich cherry, black currant and black pepper flavors with moderate tannins that work with the acidity and a dry finish.  The superiore distinction means that it has been aged at least 12 months with 6 months spent in a barrel.

The price was $14.99, so don't be afraid to go over that $10 a bottle price point because it was so worth it.

Barbera is a dark-skinned red grape variety found in  several Italian wine regions (Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Puglia, Campania, Sicily, Sardinia).  It is Italy's 3rd most common grape.  Barbera d'Asti is in the Piedmont region of north-west Italy and one of the most famous.  In 1970 this region became a DOC and in 2008 it was upgraded to DOCG.  The Barbera grape is a favorite among winemakers and consumers alike.


Here is a beautiful photo of the region in Italy

Be Italian - Italian Wine Classifications - DOC, DOCG, VdT, IGT - Which is best?

A group of Italian wine makers got together in the early 1960's  to find a way to raise the quality standards for Italian wines and classify regional wines.  The goal was to give the consumer a way to gauge the quality of the wine and determine if it is made with a consistent quality and style.  They created this 4 distinction system of ranking wines according to local wine making traditions.

VdT or Vino Da Tavola  is considered the lowest class of wine in Italy and are table wine.  This is wine created by the producer as they see fit to make it.  Most of this wine is insipid, thin, weak, and acidic.  The kind of wine that was sold in jugs.  However, in the past there were also some spectacular Vini da Tavola, wines made by extremely good producers who decided to make something that didn't qualify for a superior status because of its composition or the way it was made.  Because of laws in Italy almost all the quality wines that were once VdT are now IGT or wines that are produced in specific areas like

IGT or Indicazione Geografica Tipica -   Typical of a local region wines.  Most of these wines come from Tuscany.  Cheap and great for everyday drinking with pasta or pizza, but not the type of wine that will knock your socks off.  You can find some super Tuscan wines that are great, but most are still classed at the IGT level.

DOC  or Denominazione di Origine Controllata - These wines convey a regional wine making style with specific grapes and the quality of the wine tends to be higher than Vdt and IGT.  .  Similar to the French AOC distinction, these wines are produced in specific rules and regions that are designed to preserve the traditional wine making practices. These wines also are more expensive than Vdt and IGT.


DOCG - here the "G" stands for Garantita.  This is a wine that is guaranteed to follow specific wine making rules and where you will find some of Italy's best wines and most expensive.  They require longer aging practices and require a tasting to obtain this distinction.  The government actually will stamp the distinction along the side of the bottle/cork.

All this said, you may find you like a ITG or DOC over a DOCG, so get out there and start tasting now that we all better understand the classifications of Italian wines.

This is a brother like no other... JT

JT

Chateau de Nages - 2010 
Costieres De Nimes -
This is the brother to the wine I blogged about last week:
Chateau De Nages Costieres De Nimes - Red Rhone Wine - 2010 vintage.

Total wine said they considered it a reserve.

I was back at Total Wine again and saw this wine.  I spoke with the clerk, they actually know their wine, not to mention the have very cute clerks.  The price point was $19.99 a bottle.  I just get tired of tasting the same wine, so I Thought I would try it.

I kind of have a saying I love my wines that start with J.  Josh, Justin, J. Lohr, Jordan, Joseph, and now JT.

The Gassier family owns the vineyard in Southern Rhone region.  They produce about 50,000 cases a year with about 1/3 of this being imported in the US.  This wine is 95% Syrah and 5% Mourvedre.  This wine cuts a broad swath with dark anise, plum, and steeped black current.  The finish is inlaid with graphite and smoky tobacco for definition.  This is a big red, but balanced well.

Get yourself out to Total Wine or you liquor store and make a purchase.  Well worth it.

In Love with my French Wines

I have been trying a lot of French wines lately.  I have to say you almost cannot go wrong with anything from Cotes de Rhone or Bordeaux region of France.  I just keep finding great wines.

I was at Total Wine in Norfolk, VA and for those of you that have a Total Wine.

Chateau De Nages Costieres De Nimes - Red Rhone Wine - 2010 vintage.

I drank this bottle over two nights.  The price point at Total Wine is $14.99 and it was a great wine.  I really enjoyed it.

This is a wine that combines leathery, cedary notes with touches of spice and red fruit. It's supple, creamy and inviting, with a long, softly tannic finish." Enjoy with a pork tenderloin and fruit glaze.  I had it with chicken and spinach.

This wine is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvedre, where the Mourvedre and Syrah are aged, on lees, in barrel, and the Grenache all in tank. Showing classic old vine Grenache character, with loads of licorice-laced blackberry fruit, smoked herbs, garrigue, pepper, and earthy minerality, it hits the palate with a medium to full-bodied, voluptuous and rich texture, notable balance, and a grippy, chewy finish. High quality stuff and well worth the effort to track down; it should shine for 5-8 years, if not longer.  It has received 91 points from Wine Enthusiast Magazine.  Try it, you will love it.

It will make a great impression at your table and your next dinner..... keep loving the wine :-)