winewaves

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%.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Dry Riesling 2006

Usually when I mention a Riesling to an experienced wine customer who is looking for something different from Chardonnay they say "no thanks - I don't like it sweet". But I think it's really neat that Riesling can be sweet or it can be totally dry, and if it's made well, it can be really good all along the residual sugar spectrum.

For those who find this post later, I posted it on June's Wine Blogging Wednesday. The topic, hosted by Catie at Through the Walla Walla Grape Vine, is Washington State Cabernets. Now Winewaves has posted some beauties, and Walla-squared is one of my favorite places in the world to be. If I had one, I would open and review a bottle of Bergevin Lane, Chatter Creek, Powers (Champoux), Januik, Whitman Cellars, Amavi, K Vintners, Hedges Red Mountain, Hightower Cellars, Bonair, Harlequin Cellars, or 3 Rivers, to name a few. Unfortunately I haven't stopped in at Pete's in Seattle lately. Therefore, I'm reviewing an excellent Dry Riesling from the "oft considered rather dead common but really amazingly good" Chateau Ste. Michelle. As I write about it I am drinking a beautiful Cab which I will tell you more about later (it's a keeper) - a 2004 Sonoma Valley Cab from my friends at Schug in beautiful downtown Carneros, a day or more drive south of Walla-squared. (You go past The Dalles, Portland, Eugene, Weed, and turn right just past Sacramento).

Let me get back to Ste. Michelle's Dry Riesling 2006. Bob Bertheau is as good a wine strategist as director of winemaking. He has delivered the goods and stuck his neck out a bit with a dry Riesling, something more frequently seen coming from Alsace or Australia, and something much misunderstood in the states. No oak of course, just 100% Riesling from the Columbia Valley. Until this vintage you had to live in or around Washington State to get the dry bottling, but now even those of us as far away as Tennessee can get it. Thanks Bob!

Outstanding value ($9.50). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 13%.

Style: Palate cleansing, vibrant, unwooded and refreshingly dry.

Tasting Notes: Appearance: Pale to light gold. Aromas: Apricot, lime, citrus rind, and maybe a bit of green melon. Lively tart and crisp as a freshly picked Granny Smith, the appley, white peachy fruit flavors are backed by mandarin lime acidity and sensibilities before your mouth is stripped naked in the pole dance of a finish.

Comment: Have you ever seen the ice fog that hovers over the Columbia Valley hills? I was actually pulled over by a Washington State trooper last January for weaving a bit on the highway as I couldn't keep my eyes from wandering all over the landscape in awe of that scene. The trooper suspected I had been drinking but I had not had a drop that day. Anyway this wine reminds me of the ice fog in Washington's Columbia Valley.

Hedges CMS White Columbia Valley 2005

The Hedges' crazy good fusion of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay plus Marsanne catalyst is very versatile to say the least.

Pete Hedges reports the composition of 2005 CMS White is 44% Chardonnay, 2% Marsanne, and 54% Sauvignon Blanc.  Vinification was all stainless steel.  Cases produced: 14,200.

Tasting Notes: Color: pale straw with a greenish tint.  Aromas: Pear and apple, backed by hints of vanilla and cold blossoms.  At first piercing and lean, then fleshing out into a nice curvy body, the pear, gooseberry, and citrus rind flavors are tart and generous.

Excellent value ($12).  Closure: Artificial "neocork".  Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Food pairing: Turkey & trimmings.

Hogue Fume Blanc 2005

Here's a big-volume, big-Corporate-owned*, mass-produced success! While priced at the bottom of the everyday wine range, it delivers a high-quality broadly-appealing white wine experience at a leadership price. And it is easily available.

Hogue Fume Blanc 2005 is a blend of 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 25% Semillon. The fruit was sourced from the Rattlesnake, Zephyr Ridge, Olsen, Foothill Farms and Andrews Vineyards.  Co Dinn & Jordan Ferrier are the winemakers. Tasting Notes:  Color: Pale straw. Aromas: Tropical fruit cocktail and whiffs of smoky vanilla, plus traces of flinty minerality. Here's a light bodied apperitif, with grapefruit and melon on the palate, cleansing with tartness and a dry finish. Closure: Screw cap. Outstanding value ($7). Food pairing: Chicken Salad.

*Vincor International has owned Hogue since 2001.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Horse Heaven Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2003

Horse Heaven Sauvignon Blanc is a blend of 78% Sauvignon Blanc and 22% Semillon from a south-facing vineyard in Paterson, Washington. The vinification included 70% barrel fermentation in 1/5 new French oak, followed by five months aging on the lees. 89.5 points.  Color: Straw. Creamy lemony aromas are complexed with hints of melon, grassy/herbal notes and mild spice. The mouthfeel is very round and mouthwatering, with apple, citrus, and honeysuckle flavors, minerality, and a slight nuttiness. The finish is clean, dry, playing out ripe. Closure: real cork. (A screw cap would be a plus.) Price: $13. Value: Excellent.

Covey Run Sauvignon Blanc 2003

Covey Run Sauvignon Blanc is a blend of Yakima Valley and Columbia Valley grapes; 91.6% Sauvignon Blanc, 8.3% Semillon, and .1% Chenin Blanc. The vast majority is stainless steel fermented, with a judicious portion fermented in toasty oak barrels. The color is pale straw, with honeydew, lime, ginger, and green apples in the nose and on the palate. The finish is dry and crisp. We drank it with a Grilled Chicken Breast on Romaine with Avocado. The closure is a composite synthetic cork (SupremeCorq). (A screw cap would improve this wine.)

At $7 (Nashville price), this is a Washington State value - a US version of a "White Bordeaux" - priced 40% less.

Hogue Columbia Valley Fume Blanc 2004

Hogue has put together a really good wine, for the right price, in a screw-cap bottle. We have had this wine on our list for several vintages, because it fills the need for a zippy crisp white on a budget. The wine is bright pale, and comes across refreshing, tart lemony and limey, with some green melon and herbal tones. The body is light and lively, and the finish is tart and dry. The closure is a screw cap. At $6.99 (Nashville price), worth buying a case for the Summer.

Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Dry Riesling 2003

Bonny Doon, one of the most creative and fashionable winemakers/marketers, "fused" (blended) Washington State and Germany (Middle Mosel) juice to produce this Dry Riesling, which drinks like an Australian. Dry Riesling has a totally different personality from the typical sweeter ones. Cool apple crispness, juicy tart acidity, and a lively mouthfeel make this as fun and lifted as Champagne, but without the bubbles. The nose is pretty orchard fruit, the palate is grapey, and the finish is crisp and refreshing. The closure is a screw cap. At $9.99 (Nashville price), this is not just a delicious crisp white, but a flawless good value.