Archive for September, 2018

As mentioned in our last report, we stuck to a steady diet of whites from our cellar during the hot summer months, mostly wines that we’ve already reviewed. A few nights ago, I was in the mood for more of the same, and happened upon this little gem, which I’d purchased a few months previous from our friends at Ferndale’s Western Market, cellared and then forgot about. We love pretty much everything from Domaine Luneau-Papin, although the last Clos des Allées we had didn’t show quite as well as we might have hoped. Happily, this one delivers everything we could ever want from a dry white, and the QPR (quality-price ratio) is off the charts. (Click image to enlarge.)

2015 Domaine Pierre Luneau-Papin Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie Clos des Allées, 12% alc., $17.99: I posted this picture on Instagram and Facebook while I was enjoying my first glass, along with this terse description: “Classic Muscadet and then some, from the 2015 vintage. Rich, mineral-driven and bone dry. All that’s missing now is a plate of oysters, and it’ll get even better with more time in the bottle.” To that I would add that the wine shows clean, medium color and offers great depth and intensity of flavor. Medium bodied, with excellent acidity, this does everything one would want from a topnotch Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie. We like this so much that that we made a point of going back and buying another three bottles for now, with an eye to acquiring more later. Highly recommended. Find this wine

Imported by LDM Wines, Inc., New York

Reporting from Day-twah,
Bastardo

Yeah, I know, it’s been a while since our last report. There are a couple of reasons for this, but the one that really matters is that we’ve mostly been drinking whites from our cellar that we’ve already reviewed; think summer heat and cool and refreshing. However, we did have occasion to try a couple of reds from our friends at Troon Vineyard recently, and as has been the case so often with samples from this rising star from southern Oregon, they are quite impressive. The good news here is that the red grape of Madiran, along with several other seemingly unlikely varietal subjects, thrives in the  Applegate Valley. (Click image to enlarge.)

2015 Troon Vineyard Tannat Applegate Valley Kubli Bench Estate Bottled, 96% Tannat, 4% Tempranillo, 14.1% alc., SRP $35: Clean dark color, with a lovely nose of earthy blackberries and black currants, leading into plenty more of the same on the palate; full bodied, nicely balanced and structured for at least 3-5 years of development. Very true to varietal character, based on Madirans we’ve enjoyed in the past, and with extended air, some nice leathery undertones emerge. This drinks quite well already, especially with a grilled, medium rare beef steak. Find this wine

2014 Troon Vineyard MT Applegate Valley Kubli Bench Estate Bottled, 52% Tannat, 46% Malbec, 2% Tempranillo, 14.2% alc., SRP $50: Clean dark color, with expansive aromas of crushed blackberries, black currants and a pretty kiss of sweet oak. Silky smooth on the palate, and a bit more plump and immediately accessible than the Tannat. Flavors echo the nose nicely, and it will also do well with 3-5 years in the cellar, but drinks well already and pairs nicely with the same sliced medium rare beef steak. This will be the last Troon “MT” (tannat/malbec co-ferment); the next vintage will released with a new label and under a new name, “Cuvée Pyrénées,” made in exactly the same manner. Find this wine

These were the last wines bottled under the producer’s old label. New releases will feature a reconceived package designed to better reflect Troon’s mission. As always, Troon General Manager Craig Camp provides plenty of juicy background information on these wines, included here in its entirety.

CC: A key characteristic of granitic soils is that they naturally give softer, rounder tannins, a characteristic you’ll find in all of our estate wines. In our terroir the famed tannins of tannat are tamed, well, somewhat tamed anyway. So while both of these wines exhibit a firm tannic structure, those tannins are more rounded, with no hint of green or bitter tannins. These naturally silky tannins are just one of the reasons we eschew the use of new oak barrels – just one reason as there are many. Laying the tannins from new oak barrels over our naturally generous tannic structure would be… well just stupid. All it would do is bury the character of our vineyard, which we are working very hard to express fully and for this reason we have chosen to practice biodynamic agriculture.

Each of the wines are crafted in the same way. They are crushed by foot and stay overnight in the bins to let the native yeasts get a head start. They are then partially destemmed, but not crushed into small, one ton fermenters. Only hand punch-downs are done, normally once a day, instead of more aggressive pump-overs. Only native yeasts are used and no sugar, acids, enzymes or any additives are used. Fermentation completes in about two weeks and then they are gently pressed and barreled into mature French Oak Burgundy barrels. Malolactic fermentation completes the following spring and the wines rest in barrel for eighteen months. The small amount of tempranillo in the MT is due to the limited amount of tannat and malbec we produce. We decided to use the tempranillo as the topping wine as we felt it would be the most complimentary choice.

Reporting from Day-twah,

Bastardo

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