APRIL 2021 FEATURED WINES
Wine One: Broc Cellars Love White
About: Steve and Diane Love started Love Ranch back in 1994 (it’s now owned by Oscar Ramos). Their sustainably farmed Rhone grape varieties in the Madera Foothills form the perfect base for the Love White. The vineyard is at 1350 feet above sea-level on granitic schist. The grapes are harvested at the end of August to maintain acidity. All four grape varieties are fermented separately in a combination of twenty-five hectoliter Hungarian oak, barriques, puncheons, and German halbstück. After a few months, the wine is bottled with minimal Sulphur. This vintage is 46% Marsanne, 38% Grenache Blanc, 8% Rousanne, 8% Picpoul.
Taste: This wine is a pale gold in the glass. It is an angelic cherub, gargling and cooing for your attention. You’ll find aromas of white peach, tangerine, meyer lemon, pear blossom, toasted meringue, heather, and dried pineapple. On the palate you’ll find radiant sunshine, warmth, and a soothing hum. Somehow it is both zesty and as plush and squishy as a marshmallow. The acidity is perfectly balanced by ripe stone fruit and a subtle creaminess. On the finish you’ll find hints of chamomile, yellow plum, dried ginger, and sweet hay.
Pairing: As California was Mexico more recently than you might think, our focus is on the foods of Baja California, just south of the boarder. Tacos de pescado can either feature fried or grilled fish, often with a little dollop of sour cream, and salsa bandera. In the same vein, tacos de camarones focuses on the sweetness of shrimp sautéed in garlic. Adding a little fried corn would be a proper ode to the Mexico-California culinary exchange. Sopa de Calabaza would be a wonderful vegetarian alternative provided you swap out the chicken stock for one derived from vegetables. Make sure to make some toasty pepitas, they’ll also pair beautifully with this wine.
Wine Two: Gut Oggau Atanasius
About: The grapes for this cuvée come from a low yielding plot of 35-year-old Zweigelt and Blaufrankisch. The vines are planted on gravel and limestone. The grapes are destemmed and fermented in 500L and 1200L barrels. 2/3rds spent three weeks on the skins, 1/3rd was direct pressed. Élevage is done in the same barrels for a year. The wine is bottled unfined, unfiltered and without Sulphur.
Taste: This wine is a vivid purple in the glass. The nose is chiseled, angular, honed to perfection. Aromas of blueberry, black cherry, violet, juniper, black pepper, balsam, black granite, gunpowder, and pomegranate. The palate is perky with a shocking spritz that implies electricity. The tannins are tight knit and generous fruit balances its acidity. You’ll finder further flavours of oxalis, raspberry juice, dried rose, underbrush, black currant, and blood orange. Handsome and earnest.
Pairing: For this wine we’ve taken a deep dive into classical Viennese cuisine. Beuschel is essentially a ragout based on offal. Lungs and hearts were once thought of as too mundane and rustic for royalty, but thanks in part to this dish, they became all the rage in the 19th century. With our modern focus on sustainability, and elevating unsung ingredients, it’s a shame offal hasn’t found its way into North American food culture. Served with a rich dark gravy scented with marjoram and capers and finished with a mixture of sour and double cream, the tender offal meat is heady and primal. Serviettenknödel, a thick bread dumpling, is the perfect vessel for any leftover sauce.
Wine Three: Louis-Antoine Luyt Pipeño País
About: The País for this project comes from 200+ year old vines planted in Maule. The iron rich clays are punctuated by quarts and granite. The grapes are hand destemmed using the traditional zaranda method. The wine ferments in open top lagares for two weeks before being pressed into traditional pipas for a brief élevage. The wine is then settled in tank before bottling - sometimes with minor filtration and a pinch of SO2.
Taste: This wine is a medium ruby in the glass. It runs wild through the hot forest - elderberry, rooibos, sunbaked raspberry, cedar, terracotta, long peppers, wilted rose, red apple skins, dried porcini, and espelette. The palate is feral, shaking its long, matted hair, pulchritudinous and riled up. It has ample richness to balance the succulent acidity. Alcohol adds warmth and the illusion of sweetness while tannins contribute grip. You’ll find further flavours of patchouli, sumac, rose hip, roasted pumpkin, baked red plum, strawberry, and wild bay. You’re in for a serious adventure.
Pairing: Merquén, a Chilean spice mix made from ripe smoked and sundried aji peppers, with coriander and salt would really make this wine sing. It traditionally has more sweet earthy notes than pure spice, making it an ideal rub for larger cuts of meat (cordero al palo if you’re feeling particularly adventurous). Milacaos Chilotes, a traditional potato bread stuffed with chicharrones would also be delightful for a crisp spring afternoon snack.