Tag: Molloys

Make Mine A Double

Puglia in your Pocket [Make Mine a Double #59]

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Puglia Map

Like many European wine regions, Puglia has several different quality levels which overlap when shown on a map.  In general, the lower quality regions (IGP in the map above) are the largest in area and the highest quality regions are the smallest (DOCG).

In a recent post on Puglian wines I reviewed two red wines which were quite rich and even a little sweetness, so perfect for barbecues.  They were both IGT wines from Salento; now we have two DOC wines which are still fruity a little more serious:

Disclosure: bottles were kindly provided as samples, but opinions remain my own

Marchese di Borgosole Salice Salentino Riserva 2016

Marchese-di-Borgasole

The grapes for this wine – over 85% Negroamaro – are fully destemmed before undergoing seven to eight days maceration.  Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation take place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks, with 24 months maturation mixed between tank and wooden barrels.

In the glass this wine is still dark in the body but is already a little light at the rim.  The nose has wonderful bramble fruit and exotic spice.  The palate is all about fresh morello cherry and raspberry, giving a pleasant tartness, and rich black fruits.  The body is full but not huge, and fine tannins help to give a savoury edge.

This is a lovely example of Salice Salentino, an easy drinking wine which is well put together.

Corte Ottone Brindisi Riserva 2016

Corte-Ortoni

From Salice Salentino we head slightly north to Brindisi.  Vinification is similar to its southern neighbour except that the 24 months maturation is entirely in wood.  Negroamaro is again the principal grape, backed up by Malvasia Nera and Sangiovese.

The nose has sweet – ripe, not sugary – black fruit such as blackberry and black cherry, with some hints of wild herbs.  The palate has a nervous energy to it; tart cherry and cranberry and lively raspberry plus some exotic spice and cedarwood.  The acidity is marked and thus the wine remains fresh.  This would be great with some charcuterie or tomato based dishes.

 

 

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Single Bottle Review

Wine Review: Tor del Colle Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva

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Boutique Montepulciano d’Abruzzo?

The Abruzzo region is geographically in the centre of Italy* but is considered to be part of southern Italy for cultural and historical reasons.  Grapes are grown throughout all four provinces of this hilly region: L’Aquila, Teramo, Pescara, and Chieti – with the last being the most productive, ranking as the fifth highest wine producing province in Italy.

2000px-Map_Region_of_Abruzzo.svg
Abruzzo within Italy (Credit: Gigillo83 (Wikipedia))

Trebbiano d’Abruzzo is the main white wine of the region and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is the main red.  At this point I feel duty bound to include the standard remark that the latter is not to be confused with the Sangiovese-based Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

Montepulciano_wine_regions_in_Italy

Under DOC regulations Montepulciano d’Abruzzo must be composed of a minimum of 85% Montepulciano with up to 15% Sangiovese for the balance.  Standard DOC wines must be aged for a minimum of 5 months prior to release with Riservas requiring 24 months, of which at least 9 months must be in wood barrels.

Although we think of Abruzzo as being the home of Montepulciano, it is in fact used throughout a large swathe of Italy from Emilia-Romagna to Puglia (see left).

It’s success is due to it being relatively easy to grow and producing high yields, yet still plenty of colour from the thin skins.  Acidity tends to be moderate and tannins are present but not too harsh.

Here’s a cracking Montepulciano d’Abruzzo which I tried recently:

Disclosure: bottle was kindly provided as a sample, opinions remain my own

Tor del Colle Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva 2016

TOR_DEL_COLLE_Montepulciano_DAbruzzo_Doc_Riserva

Tor del Colle is a label used for wines from Abruzzo, Molise and Puglia, three regions along the Adriatic Coast.  The brand is owned by the Botter group who trace their origins to 1928 Venice.

Grapes were fully destemmed and macerated for 7 to 8 days before temperature-controlled alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks.  Maturation is for 12 months in barrels (size & age not given) and 12 months in steel tanks.

The wine pours a bright cherry red, though not that deep.  The nose is intensely aromatic with alpine strawberries and cherry, plus cinnamon and other spices in the background.  The palate is rich and lithe, full of red and black fruit.  It’s a soft and supple wine; tannins are present but ripe.

Due to its ubiquity and relatively low price we are used to Montepulciano d’Abruzzo as a great glugging wine – probably the first wine that springs to mind when we’re asked to suggest a wine to go with pizza.  Although it’s not expensive, this wine shows that it can be so much more than that.  It retains the fresh flavours, balanced acidity and soft tannins of an everyday Montepulciano d’Abruzzo but adds additional layers of complexity which don’t weigh it down.

This is a lip-smackingly good wine, the best value red wine I’ve had so far this year!

*Just like the Mid-West of the USA is actually in the eastern half of the country**

**No I don’t know why either, ask them!

Make Mine A Double

Puglia Pair for BBQ Season [Make Mine a Double #56]

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With the current restrictions on being able to visit restaurants in many countries, eating – and drinking – at home has become the new dining out.  As we have been lucky with the weather in Ireland so far this summer the siren call of the barbecue has been heard throughout the land.

How should we choose the wines to drink with our charcoal cooked food?  For me there are a few key criteria:

  1. Drinkability: this doesn’t mean a dichotomy between wine that is either palatable enough to be drunk or wine to be poured down the sink, it means a BBQ wine should be approachable, gluggable, and not austere.
  2. Robustness: barbecue food has lots of strong flavours and needs wines that can stand up to it and take it on.  There’s little point drinking a delicate Tasmanian Pinot Noir with flame-grilled burgers or sticky ribs
  3. Affordability: barbecues are an informal affair – you’re often eating without utensils, possibly on paper plates, and quaffing multiple glasses, so reasonably priced wine makes the most sense.

Here are a couple of wines I tried recently that perfectly fit the bill – and as it happens they are both from Puglia in Italy.

Disclosure: Both bottles kindly provided as samples, opinions remain my own.

Old True Zin Barrel Aged Zinfandel Salento IGT 2018

Old-True-Zin-Organic-Zinfandel

The name and label design of this wine are more reminiscent of a beer than a wine, and using the better known term Zinfandel rather than its Puglian name Primitivo give it an American image.  Is this misleading?  Perhaps a little, but the most important aspect of any bottle of wine is the liquid, and its that which I am assessing.

The bright purple colour in the glass gives you an idea of what you’re in for.  The nose showcases an intense collection of fruits – plum, black cherry, blackberry and blackcurrant among them – plus notes of coffee and chocolate – mocha anyone – and vanilla from the barrel ageing.  The flavours on the palate are a continuation, so no surprises there, but even given the richness of the nose the full-on explosion of flavour might take you back.  It’s the richness and sweetness together which make this such a mouthful.

On reflection, if this wine suggests that it is a Californian Zinfandel then that it is fair enough as it is exactly in that style!

  • ABV: 13.5%
  • RRP: €17.95
  • Stockists: Mortons, Ranelagh; Listons Camden Street; Barnhill Stores, Dalkey; La Touche, Greystones; Gleeson’s, Booterstown; Molloys Liquor Stores; The Old Orchard Off Licence, Rathfarnham

Bacca Nera Negroamaro Primitivo Salento IGT 2018

Bacca Nera Negroamaro Primitivo

The Bacca Nera is from the same place as the Old True Zin and is the same vintage, but differs in two main respects; firstly, it has (attractive) conventional packaging with an Italian name, and secondly that Puglia’s other main grape: Negroamaro.  It’s a little less deep in colour than the Zin, but we’re not talking Pinot Noir here.

The nose is delightfully spicy at first, then revealing dark berry fruits.  In fact “Bacca Nera” means “Black Berry” according to google translate, so the name is apt.  On tasting this wine is a big mouthful – round and powerful with sweet and rich fruit – very more-ish.  The fruit flavours are both red (strawberry, raspberry and red cherry) and black (blackberry and black cherry), tamed by a touch of bitterness (that would be the Amaro) which adds interest and partially offsets the sweetness.

  • ABV: 13.5%
  • RRP: €17.95
  • Stockists: Mortons Ranelagh; Listons Camden Street; Barnhill Stores, Dalkey; La Touche, Greystones; Gleeson’s, Booterstown; Molloys Liquor Stores; The Old Orchard Off Licence, Rathfarnham

Conclusion

These wines both fit the bill perfectly.  There’s little to choose between them in quality and just a slight difference in style.  With my BBQ ribs I would narrowly choose the Bacca Nera!  Now where are my coals…

 

 

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Opinion

A Trio of Classy Clarets

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In the winter months – and with C*****mas looming on the horizon – many wine drinkers turn to the classics such as Bordeaux and Chablis.  Although Claret isn’t the best match for the traditional turkey, many disregard that and drink it simply because they like it – or like me, drink it with something other than turkey!

First, a quick refresher on the AOCs of the Médoc, the left bank peninsula which is home to many of Bordeaux’s world-famous Châteaux:

Medoc

As a generalisation, the AOCs of the Médoc are considered to be ranked as follows:

  • Pauillac & Margaux
  • Saint-Julien & Saint-Estèphe
  • Listrac-Médoc & Moulis-en-Médoc
  • Haut Médoc
  • Médoc

Of course, the quality of any wine is heavily dependent on the producer and vintage.

Here is a trio of Bordeaux reds that are drinking superbly right now and won’t break the bank:

Disclosure: samples were kindly provided, opinions remain my own

Château Monteil d’Arsac, Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois 2014 (13.0%, RRP €18.95 at Molloys)

monteil_d_arsac

The Cru Bourgeois label is for the “Best of the Rest”, i.e. those Médoc estates not included in the 1855 classification.  It was introduced in 1932 covering 444 estates, but between 2003 and 2007 it was altered, updated, split, reversed, and finally annulled – phasing in and out of the space-time continuum like transport ships caught in the nexus.  In 2010 a completely new version was published for the 2008 vintage, and it is revised annually based on the quality of the wines submitted.

If drinking this wine makes me bourgeois then that’s all right with me!  It’s quite smooth with oodles of black fruit and tangy red fruit.  There’s also a spicy element then pencil shavings and plums on the finish.  This is an excellent wine for the price, probably the best Bordeaux under €20 I’ve tasted for years!

Château Moulin-Borie, Listrac-Médoc 2015 (13.5%, RRP €24.95 at Molloys)

moulin_borie

Château Moulin-Borie is owned and run by Bruno-Eugène Borie who is also the proprietor of Saint-Julien’s Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, a Second Growth in the 1855 Classification.  Moulin-Borie is located in the appellation of Listrac-Médoc which is humbler than the big guns of Pauillac and co but is nevertheless capable of producing very good wines.

Despite coming from a ripe year, this is very classic left bank Bordeaux.  it shows lots of black fruit and a touch of vanilla, but also quite savoury, with cedar and black olive notes just starting to appear.  It’s mid weight, not a wine that weighs you down, and very classy.  I would definitely be interested in trying this wine after another five years of maturation – time to buy a few for the cellar I think!

Château Castelbruck Margaux 2014 (13.0%, RRP €32.00 at Molloys)

castelbruck_margaux

Margaux is seen as the most feminine of the big four AOCs and often shows an ethereal quality which eludes the others.  This 2014 is still quite young but very approachable and dangerously drinkable!  It has ripe, juicy blackberry, blackcurrant, black cherry and plum – so ripe that you almost feel like you are biting into actual fruit!  Fine cocoa powder and a touch of pencil shavings are part of a wonderful finish.

It’s sometimes said that Cabernet-based wines are a good match for chocolate and it doesn’t usually do much for me, but in this case a few squares of high cocoa-content black chocolate went down a treat with the wine!  For me, a big glass and a warm fire would be perfection.

Opinion

Frankly Wines Top 10 Value Reds of 2017

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Here are ten of the reds which impressed me in 2017 and represent fantastic value for money:

10. Bodegas Salentein Portillo Pinot Noir 2014 (14.2%, RRP €12.99)

portillo-pinotnoir

An unusual grape for Argentina, Pinot Noir is much more often seen on the western side of the Andes, but this is a remarkably drinkable example from Bodegas Salentein. Although it’s their entry level Pinot, it has plenty of upfront but elegant fruit, and is nicely balanced – quaffable without being either jammy or thin.  There’s more complexity further up the range but this is the ideal mid-week quaffer!

9. Loggia Della Luna Morellino di Scansano 2014 (13.5%, RRP €15.00)

 

Loggia Della Luna Morellino di Scansano

This Tuscan treat is predominantly Sangiovesi and comes from the Maremma region of coastal Tuscany.  Morellino is (yet another) synonym for Sangiovesi with differing stories over the origins of its name.  However, given the prominent cherry flavours and high acidity I think the story of it being named after the morello cherry is the most likely.  This isn’t a hugely complex wine but is more likeable than many lower priced Chiantis so it gets a firm thumbs up from me.  Would make a great party wine that you’re not afraid to drink yourself!

8. Viña Chocálan Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 (14.5%, €13.95)

chocalan cab-sauv

Chilean Cab Sauv is something of a commodity nowadays, so it’s nice to find one that stands out from the crowd for its intensity of flavour and balance.  In addition to cassis so vibrant that you can almost feel the individual blackcurrants popping in your mouth, this wine also offers the cedarwood and pencil shaving that are more often associated with left bank Bordeaux.

7. Castaño “Hécula” Yecla Monastrell 2015 (14.0%, RRP €16.99)

 

Hecula

This was one of the standout value wines at Liberty’s 15th anniversary portfolio tasting.  Monastrell (aka Mourvèdre, aka Mataro) is a grape which needs plenty of heat – and gets it in south east Spain – but crucially this is grown at altitude so the vines get to rest at night and acidity is preserved.  This has some structure behind the big and bold fruit but can happily serve as a tipple on its own.

6. Frères Laffitte Le Petit Gascoûn Rouge 2016 (12.5%, RRP €13.50)

petit gascoun rouge

Yes the label is cute, but the wine is pretty nice as well – an easy drinking Tannat-dominated blend which is surprisingly quaffable (or “smashable” in modern parlance).  The lighter alcohol also suggests that this would make a great picnic wine in the warmer months – it’s exactly the wine to have on hand in case of an impromptu barbecue.

5. Casa De La Ermita Lunatico 2015 (14.0%, RRP €18.99)

Lunatico

Another Spanish Monastrell shows that there is lots of good value wine being made from the grape – and Spain is one of the few European countries with a climate hot enough for it to fully ripen.  12 months ageing in French oak adds structure to blueberries and blackberries.

4. Pagos de Labarca AEX Rioja 2011 (14.5%, RRP €22.99)

Pagos-De-Labarca_Rioja

Rioja wines are generally easy to like, but, on reflection, not all of them are easy to admire – some have have too much wood at the expense of fruit, some have a big bang of strawberry fruit from Tempranillo but not much else, and some are just plain weird.  As with most European wines, the region is most talked about but the producer is key to what’s in the glass.  This is one of the most accomplished and well rounded Riojas I have tasted at any price – wonderfully rich red fruit with delightful vanilla in support.  As an aside, it was also given the stamp of approval from DNS Wineclub!

3. Fog Mountain California Merlot 2015 (13.5%, RRP €20.95)

Fog Mtn Merlot NV-corkcap

It’s sometimes said that Sideways killed California Merlot (and gave a big boost to Pinot Noir).  There’s an element of truth in that statement as the trajectory of the grapes’ sales moved in opposite directions, but the reality is that it was the poorer Merlot wines which lost out, leaving the good stuff behind.  The name of this wine alludes to the cooler sites from which the grapes are sourced helping to preserve acidity and balance.  The presence of 14% Petit Sirah in the blend adds a touch of backbone and complexity.

2. Domaine de Montcy Cheverny Rouge 2016 (11.5%, RRP €23)

montcy

The assemblage of this wine – 60% Pinot Noir, 35% Gamay and 5% Malbec – would rarely be found anywhere else but the Loire.  It’s made with minimal intervention from organic grapes, resulting in a light but fruity red which tastes more alive than almost any other wine.  It’s like having freshly squeezed orange juice after a glass of squash!

1. Château Tayet Cuvée Prestige Bordeaux Supérieur 2010 (13.0%, RRP €23.00)

de-mour-bordeaux-2010-chateau-tayet-cuvee-prestige

I had sung the praises of the contrasting 2009 and 2011 vintages of this wine during the year (with my personal preference being for the 2009), but on tasting the 2010 at SPIT Festival I found that put those both in the shade.  It’s a rare thing that Bordeaux is classed as good value nowadays, but this bottling from the De Mour group is the most superior Supérieur around!

Make Mine A Double

The Victorians at Molloys [Make Mine a Double #23]

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2016-09-17-21-28-35

Once past the humongously big area that is “South Eastern Australia”, the next level of appellation is usually the state.  As the biggest wine producing state it’s usually South Australia that is most prominent on the wine shelves, with perhaps Western Australia next (WA is a relatively small producer in volume terms though it does produce a good proportion of Australia’s quality wines).  NSW has the Hunter Valley and others, but it’s those regions whose names make it onto labels.

Victoria has lots of quality wine regions such as the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Heathcote, but blends between them are not that common either.  Here are a couple of Victorian wines I tried recently that are multi-region blends:

MWC Pinot Gris Victoria 2015 (13.5%, €18 down to €15 in September at Molloy’s)

mvc-pinot-gris

The stylistic division between Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris is quite a divider (and I’ve commented on it myself several times).  The divide is now being blurred by many wine makers who want to make a fresh, mineral style but with a lot more flavour than bulk Italian Pinot Grigio – Fiona Turner at Tinpot Hut is one.

This example is quite rich, though not as sweet or oily as Alsace versions can be.  There’s lots of tangy fruit flavours as a result of extended time on the skins.  It’s got enough to please both crowds without selling out to either – a great achievement!

MWC Shiraz Mourvedre Victoria 2014 (14.0%, €18 down to €15 in September at Molloy’s)

mvc-shiraz-mourvedre

Wines sold in the EU don’t have to mention minor parts of the blend if they are less than 15% in total, so mentioning the Mourvedre component of this 95% Shiraz 5% Mourvedre wine is a deliberate choice by the producers.  That tells you something – they want to stand out from the crowd of varietal Shiraz and they also think that even 5% of a variety adds something to the final wine.

As its sibling above, this is a blend from different premium vineyards across Victoria.  My educated guess would be that it contains a fair bit from the cooler southern regions such as Yarra Valley as it’s much lighter than most I’ve had from the warmer inland areas.  In the mouth it’s nice and smooth, but well-balanced.  It has the usual black fruit and spice but they are fresh rather than stewed or jammy.  This Shiraz blend would be fantastic with a peppered steak!

Disclosure: both wines kindly provided for review

**Click here to see more posts in the Make Mine a Double Series**