winewaves

Out in the West Texas Town of El Paso: Palacios Remondo La Vendimia Rioja 2006

It's a long way across Texas, even by air. But, in an attempt to turn over a new leaf and get going early, I made it from Nashville to El Paso, via San Antonio, by high noon. After an afternoon of work and squeezing my jump rope session in to the late afternoon blazing sun, it was time to go in search of something local to eat. Out on the west side of El Paso, near the mall and my hotel suite, I decided on The Greenery Cafe and Market. The reviews on Trip Advisor, once all thumbs up, appear to be slipping, but convenience won out and there I went for a take out and a bottle of wine.

Yuppie was the word that came to mind as I browsed the bottles and other goods at the Greenery Market. The Tuesday night staff was hoping I would choose something so they could get on with their closing routine. I did. I ordered Tacos Al Carbon over at the cafe, to go of course. After all, why not take advantage of that funky cool two level suite the I got upgraded to over at the Holiday Inn? After some deliberation, I went with a Rioja as my bottle of wine - to last me my two nights' stay. Palacios Remondo La Vendimia Rioja 2006 turned out to be a really nice choice for the mood and food.

You know the story of Rioja because that's the name everyone is familiar with when it comes to Spanish reds. Rioja is northern Spain, and Tempranillo is really popular there. Rioja can be really fresh, fruity, and sort of light, like La Vendimia, or it can be really heavy, oaky and some say, leathery, if you choose a higher priced Reserva that saw years of aging in the barrel.

Alvario Palacios is the brash young perfectionist who took over Palacios Remondo in Rioja after his father died. He since has modernized and La Vendimia is one of his products aimed at the new world. Based on the promise of excellent local low-yield vines, it is styled for drinking right away. Vendimia translates to "harvest", and this is Alvario's statement of the versatile potential of young Rioja.

The blend is 50/50 Tempranillo and Garnacha. Aging in oak is brief, just 4 months in 70% French oak, the remainder American. The wine was fined but not filtered.

You will pick up on the ripe red fruit here, a lot of cherry and perhaps strawberry. That sounds like a Pinot Noir, and you might substitute La Vendimia for a Pinot Noir. You could chill it a bit, but I was in too much of a hurry to wait. There is also a "garrigue" character to it, a combined sense of unbridled herbs and rocks. The oak comes across in the nose as a slight expresso note. On the tongue, the wine is a bit spicier and not as silky smooth as many Pinot Noirs, which I mention as a positive. It's not a Pinot Noir, it's a Rioja, and it has its own personality, regardless of the temptation to pigeon-hole it. The finish kicks out just a bit of vanilla.

Price: $15 (El Paso). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

As for The Greenery, I would rate it a thumbs up. The take-out order from the Cafe, consisting of Tacos Al Carbon, was overly generous, and it stood the test of time - the time it took to get back to my hotel room and go get the wine opened at the hotel bar. The beef was truly prime quality, tender and tasty. The trimmings were a cut above expectations. The establishment itself is impressively clean and uncluttered for a mall location. The Greenery Market is next door to the Cafe. I can't deny my roots as a Yuppie, having gotten my MBA in the 1980's, and I still own a 1987 BMW 3-series. This market might appeal to everyone, but a Yup will find it irresistable. Expect a nicely chosen wine selection, lots of chocolate, coffee, tea, nuts, dried fruits, sandwiches to go, olive oils, and all the things we can't leave home without. To whom it may concern, they even had Orin Swift's Prisoner and Grateful Palate's Bitch in stock. Who knew El Paso is so civilized?

Looking for Pepper and Butter? Try This Red and White: Las Rocas Calatayud Garnacha 2005 and Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay 2006

Pepper and butter seem to be the two most requested flavor influences among red and white wine shoppers. When it comes to butter, I think the American Chardonnay section of a retail store could be arranged on the basis of a butter scale. When it comes to pepper, most people think Zinfandel, but sometimes that elusive spice shows up in Grenache (Garnacha) or Mourvedre (Monastrell).

Here are a couple of bargains that remind me of more expensive wines, and they deliver a fresh grind of black pepper and a nice pat of butter. As you can imagine, they make great accessories to savory dishes.

Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha 2005
Pass by the Zinfandel and turn over this rock for pepper. This is the entry level Las Rocas Garnacha, made in the unoaked style. Still, it reminds me of a Chateauneuf Du Pape, albeit on a more accessible level, and at 1/5 the price. Here you will find pepper a plenty, not to mention cherry liqueur, a savory characteristic not unlike roast meat, plus a certain gravelly earthy sensibility. Made for food, capable of carrying a slow cooked roasted dish, you might also find it to be a superb match for a well made pepperoni pizza.

Fruit for Las Rocas is sourced from 70-100 year-old vines located in Calatayud, between Madrid and Barcelona. The modern day Spanish importer/legend Eric Solomon is responsible for bringing Las Rocas to market. Wine Advocate gave Las Rocas 2005 90 points, and they say it's time to drink up. The 2006 is on the market, but there is still some 2005 to be bought in and around Nashville.

Price (Nashville): $11. Closure: Plastic cork. Alcohol content: 14.5%.

Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay 2006
Columbia Crest gives a lot for a little, like this wonderful example of a Columbia Valley Chardonnay. Here you are getting something that delivers the elegance of a mildly oaked Burgundy at a bargain price. If it's what's in the bottle that counts, you might just want to pass by the top shelf Chardonnay and grab this one.

Expect lemon drops, lovely pear, light smoke, ginger, plus a moderate pat of that much in demand buttery character. This is a creamy white that would do very well with grilled chicken, roast chicken, or even a rich fish dish along the lines of Pompano en Papillote.

The creamy buttery character is developed through secondary fermentation, and the light smoke and spice owes itself to judicious oak aging (about 9 months in a variety of new and old barrels).

Price: $11 (Nashville). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Jim Freeway Intro | Bitch Grenache 2006

Hi there - Jim here. Not Jerry, obviously. Not long ago I'd noticed that Jerry had gone on hiatus and I offered to help out with Wine Waves. Jerry kindly agreed, so here goes -

As it happens, the wine I was drinking when I made the offer was the latest released of R Wines' Bitch Grenache. You can find Jerry's write up on the 2005 Bitch Grenache here. Having discovered Bitch on a whim last summer when the temperature climbed a little too high for an evening glass of claret and a friend suggested that I try a grenache, I often turn to it on a warm evening.

I was, as you should be, pleased to see that the Bitch is a product of R Wines and imported by the kind folks at The Grateful Palate. This is the same duo that brings you a multitude of other be-screw-topped gems including Boarding Pass Shiraz and the Marquis Phillips Cabernet. (Both of which I have on hand and will be profiling in the near future.) Among those three, Bitch is the lowest priced at my local wine shop at just $10.99. To be honest, there is not a lot of wine at $11 that I enjoy drinking. And looking like a Sex in the City promotional item doesn't help either...but once you crack the top and spin it off, all sins are forgiven.

In the glass it's clearly not a full bodied wine. Really, from across the room you could mistake it for cranberry juice. It's a charmingly light ruby in color. As light as it appears in the glass, however, it is not (as some less expensive Australians are - especially shiraz) watery. In fact, going in to catch the nose you're surprised at the amount of heat. While grenache do not tend to be especially fragrant, a moon shine like alcohol content doesn't exactly help. One thing you notice right away, as well, are the incredible legs.

Anyway, enough swirling, down the hatch I say! I will admit upfront that aside from the Bitch I have had only one other grenache and it would be difficult to say either was completely typical of the varietal. But how important is that in an $11 bottle with a screw top? What you really want to know is - is this a good bottle of wine for the price, should I buy this bottle of wine, would I enjoy this bottle of wine? Well, yes, yes, and that depends on your palate, my friend.

Right off you'll notice that the Bitch is sweet, there are notes of cranberry and strawberry. If higher alcohol wines aren't your thing, steer clear, this is probably not for you, while the alcohol doesn't compromise the taste, it's omnipresent. I quite like the integration, the result is a light, but flavor packed wine that feels almost carbonated on your tongue.

In short, the 2006 Bitch is ...bitchin'?

Price (Out West): $10.99. Closure: Screw top. Alcohol content: 15% (yow!).

The Hunt for October Red

Click for a larger picture of these bottles.

The hunt for October red has turned up a whole lot of alternatives. Here are four to get the week off on the right track. I love them all and have repeated them in search of my favorite. I can't say which is best because they're all top notch, each perfect for the season, and each priced at about $15 or under per bottle. Two are from Spain, continuing on my October theme; one is French and one from Washington State. Perhaps the balance of the month will turn up something from California.

Eric Soloman's European Cellars is an importer many people trust. It's like a seal of approval for any Spanish wine in the eyes of many value conscious Americans. Eric brings us Capçanes Mas Donís Montsant Red 2004 ($15) and Mas Que Vinos Ercavio Tempranillo Roble 2005 ($13). Both are deep purple in the glass, but the Ercavio has more of an unfiltered appearance, showing some haziness under a halogen beam.

Mas Donís 2004 is mostly old-vine Grenache (80% Grenache with 20% Syrah) and has a perfumed black cherry nose with teaberry and hints of pencil lead. The body is medium, the flavor's tart and the mouth feel is moderately tannic. The cherry fruit along with some vanilla flavors come together nicely in the dusty dry finish. The only thing I don't like is the plastic cork. Why must anyone use that blasted plastic cork? Alcohol content: 14%.

Ercavio Tempranillo 2005 spent 5 months in French American oak and has a lovely aroma of black raspberry, loganberry and apple pie spice, plus the scent of a tobacco shop. Lush and fruit forward, this is what I would describe as a masculine comfort wine, and it would pair perfectly with a cheeseburger. The closure is a Nomacork*. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Jean-Philippe Bourgeois was the General Manager for Eric Solomon for 6 years, and now he is bringing French values to the American market. Château Capion 1C Rouge 2005 (Vin de Pays de l'Hérault, $13) is a blend of 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah, 20% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot and was barrel aged for 14 months. That sounds like a recipe for a great Bordeaux but this gem of a red comes from further south. Still you get the deep purple color and aromas of black currants, dark berries and hints of vanilla. The rich blackberry cobbler flavors envelop the mouth in a far reaching luscious dry finish.

The Magnificent Wine Company is the mass-production wing of K Vintners of Walla Walla, Washington. KV is the project of Charles Smith who brings us such magnificent wines as "The Creator". You might walk right past House Wine 2005 ($11) due to the rather "in your face" and non-standard graphics on the label. You might mistake it for a generic red blend but it's anything but. The blend is 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 11% Syrah, 3% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc. Here's another ideal Bordeaux blend, and the latitiude is virtually the same as Bordeaux. The resulting aromas and flavors are much better than the average house wine, with dark berry flavors and aromas, resolving nicely in to a lush dry finish that echoes the virtues of barrel aging. The closure is a real cork. Alcohol content: 13.9%.

*The Nomacork is a composite resin artificial cork that is similar to the Neocork, but the Nomacork brand is much more popular in terms of units sold.

Pannotia Vineyards La Tierra De Castilla Garnacha 2006

Pannotia Vineyards is a virtual winery whose name was chosen to signify bringing together the wine world ("all the world is a single continent" = Pannotia). The founders describe Pannotia as "a new concept in wine, offering American wine lovers a portfolio of emblematic wines from around the world". Begun in the Spring of 2006, Pannotia managed to sell 10,000 cases in year 1 and their goal is 20,000 this year. They have put together a nice portfolio of what I would call "alternative wines", including Spanish Grenache, Argentine Malbec, Torrontes, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, and Mendocino Zinfandel.

Pannotia brought on board Master Sommelier and Master of Wine Doug Frost as their consultant. I say he's a good choice. After all, who better to help break through the vast wine landscape than probably the only person with his level of wine expertise who also has a vast collection of punk rock and weird music records. Pannotia obviously does not want their wines to be confused with "your father's Oldsmobile".

Pannotia's labels currently all feature paintings by Cedar Falls, Iowa artist Gary Kelley. Gary has been hard at it producing works and perfecting his vibrant style for 35 years. It was Kelley's artwork that first made me take notice of Pannotia's line. Kelley's works range in scale from wine labels to 80-foot murals. You may have seen his murals in Barnes & Noble or his illustrations in Rolling Stone magazine.

Pannotia Garnacha 2006 is sourced from "the limestone hills south of Madrid".

In the glass the color is vibrant, deep candy apple red with bright purple edges and translucent. Sour cherry and framboise fruitiness is surrounded by black pepper and nuanced with a little bit of ash. Youthful bones and a medium body carry the dried cherry and pepper flavors well.

Excellent value ($12). Closure: Plastic cork. Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Yep, this is an emblematic Spanish Garnacha (Grenache).