2011 HARVEST UNDERWAY IN CHAMPAGNE

Harvesting by Hand Starts Earlier than Usual
Champagne’s 2011 harvest has commenced. The harvest of grapes from the carefully delineated plots of the Champagne region officially began on August 19, 2011. The combination of an exceptionally early flowering, limited spring rainfall and many sunny days has led to one of the earliest harvests for Champagne since 1822. The three prominently planted grape varieties – Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier – are now being hand-picked across the appellation located approximately 90 miles northeast of Paris. Weather conditions and forecasts are favorable for the next few days, with only a few thunderstorms on the horizon.

“The Champagne appellation is one of a kind, and the grapes being picked today are the only grapes that can be used to make Champagne,” says Sam Heitner, director of the Champagne Bureau in the United States. “As we celebrate another successful harvest from this unique region, we are reminded of the importance that location plays in every bottle of wine and renew our call on the United States to join the majority of the rest of the world in reserving the term Champagne only for wines made with grapes from this specific place.“

There are many sparkling wines made around the world, but the Champagne only comes from Champagne. In addition to allowing grapes to be grown only in a limited number of plots within the region and requiring harvest by hand, the Champagne appellation has strict regulations regarding all aspects of the cycle – from the planting of the vine through harvest, pressing and bottling – all designed to ensure quality for consumers. The grapes picked today will go into non-vintage wines that sit on the lees for at least eighteen months, reserve wines for future non-vintages or, if the producer deems this year’s harvest worthy, vintages that remain in the caves for at least three years.

“This year, the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), the region’s trade body, has raised the amount of grapes that can be harvested in a given area to 12,500 kilograms per hectare (kg/ha),” says Heitner. “They believe that this will keep Champagne on track to meet the growing demand. This is good news for Champagne enthusiasts everywhere, as more people will be able to enjoy real Champagne, which can only come from Champagne, France.”

Have a question about harvest? Thibaut Le Mailloux, CIVC communications director, will be providing on-the-ground responses from Champagne to a limited number of questions through Google Moderator. You can also send questions through Twitter (#Champagne) or Facebook, or email them directly to champagne@clsdc.com. To be considered, all questions must be submitted by Wednesday, August 31.

2007 Mi Sueño Cabernet Sauvignon

I had the opportunity to taste through all the current releases from Mi Sueño winery a few days back and can honestly say that every one of the wines was impressive. However, I chose to review the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon because it's probably the best bottle of red wine that I've tasted year to date. In all seriousness.....it blew my mind.

The 2007 Mi Sueño Cabernet Sauvignon is composed of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and was sourced from  vineyards located in Napa's Coomsville appellation. It was aged for 21 months in French oak.

On the nose I got stunning notes of black currant, blackberry, peppercorn, coco powder, and hints of espresso bean. It's textbook Napa valley floor fruit and has just the most subtle dried herb and pepper aromas that combine perfectly with the dark fruit notes.

On the palate the wine touches down with a powerful and concentrated structure and amazing black fruit flavors. The black currant and blackberry flavors are backed up by notes of chocolate, tar, vanilla-toast, and a touch of cinnamon. The tannin structure and backbone of this wine suggest that it will age gracefully for at least a decade. It's a dry wine, made in a classic style; devoid of over-extraction or over-ripe fruit flavor. The finish sails on and on for about three to four minutes after tasting.

I can say with all honesty, that after tasting probably over a hundred 2007 Napa Cabernet's in the last year, that this wine is easily the best of the lot. 95+ points

Click here to find out more about this wine

Graffigna Wines

Here's a couple of wines from Graffigna in Argentina. I've written recently about the Pinot Grigio, and my amusement at an Italian grape and an Italian name coming from Argentina. This really shouldn't be surprising, since there was a lot of Italian emigration to Argentina, and roughly 60% of Argentinians have some Italian heritage. Italian is the second most spoken language in the country after Spanish.

South America has so many fascinating immigration stories, like South Asians in Trinidad and Tobago or the influx of Japanese in Peru, including former president Alberto Fujimori. But let's get back to the wine...

Graffigna was founded in 1870 by Italian immigrant Don Santiago Graffigna, and his wines were the first Argentine wines to be exported abroad. There's an interesting history with the introduction of trains and radio and the devastating earthquake of 1944.

Detail here

Roederer Estate Brut Rose

Tasting Notes 

Full and round with smoothflavors and a fine, persistentmousse. The extra measureof Chardonnay contributeselegance and austerity thatbalance nicely with thedelicate fruitiness ofthe Pinot Noir.

Wine Maker Notes 

The Roederer Estate Rosé is full and round with smooth flavors and fine persistent bubbles. The extra measure of Chardonnay contributes elegance and austerity, which balance nicely with the delicate fruitiness of the Pinot Noir.

Technical Notes 

As with all Roederer Estate wines, the Brut Rosé is comprised of 100 percent estate grown grapes. Oak-aged wines from the Estate’s reserve cellars are added to the blend, creating a multi-vintage cuvée in the traditional Roederer style. Only the cuvée (first pressing of 120 gallons/ton) is used; no premiere or deuxieme taille. The wine is then fermented at 65 degrees Fahrenheit in high-grade stainless steel tanks. Five percent Pinot Noir is added for color prior to secondary fermentation; no malolactic fermentation is used. Oak-aged reserve wines from the Estate’s cellars make up 10 to 20 percent of the Rosé cuvée. 

Detail Here

Perrier-Jouet Champagne Grand Brut

Tasting Notes ColorGolden yellow.BouquetThe wine shows lovely aromas of tropical fruit, citrus, spice and yeast. PalateThis elegant, complex, crisp and balanced wine features fine, persistent mouthfeel as well as lingering flavors of fresh apples and lemonsWine Maker Notes The wine is aged in modern, stainless steel tanks which allow for perfect temperature control. Once all the base wines are fermented and racked, Chef de Caves Hervé Deschamps meticulously tastes from over 300 wines to choose the most outstanding lots. In addition to grapes from the current vintage, between 10% to 20% of reserve wines from previous vintages are blended into the final cuvée. The bottles are aged in the house’s historic champenois aging cellars, which are tunneled directly into the chalky soil of Champagne. The Champagne caves run 50 feet deep and remain at a constant temperature of 52° F.Food Pairing Pairs well with game hen or duck, also pomme frittes with subtle horseradish aioli, mushroom tarts with truffle crème sauce, salt baked king salmon and roasted turkey with chestnut stuffing.


 Detail Here

2008 Alysian Starr Ridge Vineyard "Clone 95" Chardonnay

Gary and Debbie Farrell purchased the 23 acre Starr Ridge vineyard in the Russian River Valley in 1996. The vineyard is planted to Dijon Clone Chardonnay and some Pinot Noir as well. This wine was aged in 100% French oak (40% new and 60% one and two year old) barrels for 10 months.

On the nose I get fantastic aromas of white donut-peach, guava, caramel ribbon candy, honey, toasted oak, and butterscotch. The bouquet is complex and from the moment I put the wine up to my nose I instantly new it was a high quality Chardonnay.

On the palate the wine touches down with a intense dose of baked apple, butterscotch, and toasted oak flavors. There are secondary notes of meyer lemon, mineral, and caramel that also impress. The acidity is well in balance and the wine finishes with long drawn out butterscotch and citrus notes. 92 points

Click here to find out more about this wine

Viognier

Origin: France

Other Names: Picotin Blanc, Vionnier, Petiti Vionnier, Viogne, Galopine, Vugava bijela

The origin of this white grape variety is unknown but many believe it to be of Roman descent and perhaps was brought to the Rhone valley in France via the Rhone river en route to Beaujolais. In 2004 the grape was studied at the University of California Davis where DNA profiling found the grape to be closely related to the Piedmont grape Freisa and to be a genetic cousin to Nebbiolo. 

Viognier is a difficult grape to grow and is prone to various vine diseases in particular powdery mildew. It has low and unpredictable yields and should be picked only when fully ripe. When picked too early, the grape fails to develop the full extent of its aromas and tastes. When picked too late, the grape produces wine that is oily and lacks perfume. When fully ripe the grapes have a deep yellow color and produce wine with a strong perfume and high in alcohol.

In France, Viognier is the single permitted grape variety in the appellations of Condrieu and Château Grillet. It is also often blended with Syrah in Northern Rhone in the Côte-Rôtie AOC. Since Viognier ripens earlier than Syrah, the grape is normally harvested separately and added to the Syrah during fermentation. One of the benefits of adding Viognier is the process of co-pigmentation that is produced which stabilizes the coloring of the red wine.

Viognier wines are well-known for their floral aromas, due to terpenes, which are also found in Muscat and Riesling wines. Viognier more than three years old tends to lose many of the floral aromas that make this wine unique. Aging these wines will often yield a very crisp drinking wine which is almost completely flat in the nose. Viognier is a grape with low acid and is often blended with grapes such as Syrah in order to soften the wines.