Author Archives: Stephan Droege

Unknown's avatar

About Stephan Droege

With a specific focus on characterful and overachieving wine in the $15 to $18 price-point range, DéClassé aims to expand the readers' taste and curiosity about a diversity of wine styles--while exploring the winemakers in a cultural and historical context. Thank you for visiting the site!

Vinho Verde Alert

Posted on by

Monção is the most northerly sub-region of the Vinho Verde DOC, which in turn
is in the most northerly province of Portugal on the frontier with Galicia. As this
terroir is also bordered by the damp, western coastal climate, the grapes grown
among the forested hillsides which line these misty valleys – are fast maturing,
white wine varieties. Moreover, the grapes are necessarily grown in an overhead
canopy style, that promotes good air circulation, lessening the possibility of fungal
disease which can be more prevalent with these elevated moisture levels.

This week’s recommended vintner is Adega Cooperativa Regional de Monção,
based in the heart of Melgaço – a historical town whose intriguing stone walls
provide both the bottle’s namesake and graphic. Over the past several decades
in particular, they’ve achieved an enviable reputation as a consistent producer
of high quality wine – despite the numerous variables involved in sourcing grapes
from 1,700 individual growers, each of whom contributes from vine plots that
are typically only 2 acres or less.

Becoming a seasonal tradition, early springtime now sees DéClassé promoting
a Vinho Verde, though this year the LCBO release has come out a touch later.
This so-called ‘green wine’ (more likely to mean ‘young’) is built around a blend of
2 noble grape varieties: the indigenous, Portuguese Trajadura (15%) along with
the somewhat-more aromatic Alvarinho (85%). The latter has a distant Spanish
heritage from across the border – providing the characteristic spritziness and
contributing a slightly higher level of alcohol than is the norm for this delightful
wine style. Spring has sprung, so celebrate by uncorking some of this very bright
bottled sunshine to enjoy alongside patio brunch-fare!

Muralhas

MURALHAS DE MONÇÃO VINHO VERDE 2012
VINTAGES – LCBO Product #80374 | 750 mL bottle
Price $ 14.95
12% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content Descriptor: D

Made in: Monção e Melgaço, Portugal
By: Adega Coop. Regional de Monção
Release Date: Apr 26, 2014

Tasting Note
This refreshing wine has aromas of ripe peach and apricot coupled with apple
flavours and a pleasing acidity and minerality. A natural compliment for seafood
of all kinds, also try with white meats, pasta and light cream or pesto sauces.

Cab Sauvignon Reserva Alert

Posted on by

Founded in the 1870’s, Bodegas Torres has over the course of 140 years or
so, been the major driving force in putting Spain’s now-famous Penedès region
on the international wine-making map. Numerous impediments along the way,
including the partial destruction of the winery during the civil war (1936-39),
have inspired and motivated the evolution of this vintner’s practices away from
simply being a bulk wine supplier to now thriving in the current status as a
renowned bottler of vintage offerings in 50 different styles – though many of
these will only be produced in appropriately good harvest years.

The Torres Family has been based in the town of Vilafranca del Penedès since
its inception as a company and has progressively expanded its holdings to over
1,700 hectares of vineyard growing at 3 levels of successively higher elevation:
coastal, central and high. The harvested fruit is vinefied and allowed to slowly
mature in the more than 2O,OOO barrels that are stored in stacks along an
impressive 2 kilometers of underground galleries!

Wine has been cultivated on the Mediterranean shores of the Iberian Peninsula
since the Phoenician period, though for this week’s benchmark, Reserva grade
red, we have Miguel A. Torres to thank for the contemporary vision of introducing
Cabernet Sauvignon to Penedès during the 1960’s and 70’s; a time when only
local, obscure white wine varieties were the norm. Along with promotion of the
French ‘emperor of red varieties’, an additional innovation came in the choice of
using indigenous Tempranillo grapes as a blending partner, better-known in the
Catalonian vineyards southwest of Barcelona as Ull de Llebre (hare’s eye).

A perennial listing in the LCBO’s Vintages Essentials catalogue, this remarkable
value is available year-round, though for the next week or so, it’s sale-priced so
as to make way for the upcoming vintage; an opportune time to reevaluate the
quality of Spanish wine and this bottle would be the ideal starting point!

Gran Coronas

TORRES GRAN CORONAS CABERNET SAUVIGNON RESERVA (V)
VINTAGES – LCBO Product #36483 | 750 mL bottle
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content Descriptor: D
Limited Time Offer
Was: $ 19.00
Now: $ 18.00
Until Apr 27, 2014

Made in: Penedès, Spain
By: Miguel Torres S.A.,
Release Date: Apr 18, 2013

Tasting Note
With a deep red hue, this dense and silky-rich red imparts aroma and flavours
of cherry, plum, red current and characteristic coffee, vanilla bean and leather
notes – that tend to arise from its slightly extended period of barrel ageing. It’s
perfect with charcuterie, cheeses, pasta with lemon cream sauce, vegetarian
paella, as well as, filet mignon, roast chicken, grilled lamb.

Côtes du Rhône Blanc Alert

Posted on by

Continuing in the focus on lesser-appreciated white wine styles that offer up
an engaging alternative to Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio, this week’s
DéClassé recommended bottling is a reintroduction of Côtes du Rhône Blanc.
This distinctive version is produced by the Perrin Family who are unfortunately,
frequently mistaken as a bulk wine producer. They are actually a storied, local
vintner (currently 2 brothers) building on a legacy of a century of wine making.
180 hectares of vineyard including their Château de Beaucastel, are situated
between the Ouvèze and Aigues rivers in south-central France near Cairanne
and Joquieres. Five generations onward, the family owned winery has traditions
spanning several centuries. The current holdings represent steady, progressive
investments made since the early 1900’s that have with careful management
– now reached their full potential and terroir distinctiveness.

This is a fairly typical Rhône blend of unoaked, aromatic white varieties including
50% Grenache Blanc offering an acidic base, 20% Viognier and an equal parts
mix of Marsanne, Roussanne adding both aroma and texture. This combination
of grape characteristics coupled with bio-dynamic, unobtrusive wine-making
techniques, results in a crisp, fresh, medium bodied white that’s easy-drinking,
as well as, extremely versatile with food pairings.

This bottling is ready to drink now, but also cellarable for another couple more
years. Don’t over-chill, so as not to lose the depth of flavour available here. This
might be a refreshing add to your upcoming, Easter brunch event.

Perrin Fils Cotes Du Rhone Blanc

PERRIN & FILS RÉSERVE CÔTES DU RHÔNE BLANC 2012
VINTAGES – LCBO Product #499509 | 750 mL bottle
Price $ 14.95
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content Descriptor: XD

Made in: Rhône, France
By: Perrin & Fils
Release Date: Apr 12, 2014

Tasting Note
Dry, very fresh and nicely balanced with tropical fruit, stone fruit and almond
aromas and flavours. Try serving as apéritif or with pasta dishes and pan-fried
chicken, steamed mussels, clams or grilled fish.

Dão Blend Alert

Posted on by

In the reputational shadow of the better-known Portuguese wine making regions
of Alentejo and Douro, the rich offerings from the Dão are rightfully beginning to
gain more notoriety for sublime quality and consistently accessible price-points.
A case in-point, is this week’s DéClassé recommended Colheita 2010: product
of the wine-making vision of Manuel Viera, who draws on some of the very best
vine stock on the 100 hectares in the Quinta dos Carvalhais estate.

Some geographic keys to this successful terroir is that the vineyards of Dão are
surrounded on 3 sides by the Serra da Estrela, Serra do Caramulo and Serra da
Nave Mountains that offer protection from uncertain swings of Atlantic weather
systems to the west and harsh continental climate to the east. The soils here are
primarily crushed granite mixed with sand and clay. Tending to yield grapes with
fairly high levels of acidity, this provides the wine with a brightness to balance-off
the otherwise already supple, dense fruit.

A full-bodied blend built on the Touriga Nacional grape (83%), Alfrocheiro (13%)
and Tinta Roriz (4%), this has spent 12 months maturing in a combination of
French and American Oak ‘hogsheads’ (60gl. barrels). In part, these indigenous
grape varieties reference why Portuguese wine continues to display a distinct
character of ‘somewhereness’, contrary to creeping homogenization elsewhere.

As with all good Dão reds, this wine has excellent ageing potential and will hold
its prime drinking condition for up to 10 years. So, stock up on this vintage year
– winner of the 2012 International Wine & Spirit competition’s Quality Award.

Quinta Dos Carvalhais

QUINTA DOS CARVALHAIS COLHEITA 2010
VINTAGES – LCBO Product #13474 | 750 mL bottle
Price $ 17.95
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content Descriptor: XD

Made in: Dão, Portugal
By: Sogrape Vinhos
Release Date: Mar 29, 2014

Tasting Note
Leading with intriguing, aromatic hints of vanilla and cinnamon, this bottling is
loaded with lush fruits, balanced off by the dry, savoury tannins. As an almost
full-bodied red, its best served with game dishes, rich stews and buttery cheese.

Sylvaner Alert

Posted on by

Lying comfortably between the maritime zone to the west and the protective
shadow of the Vosges Mountains eastward, Alsace is the driest wine region in
France. This translates into vineyards where the grapes enjoy a long growing
period toward maturation – resulting in more complex, layered flavors. Since the
Middle Ages, within this zone, the terroirs of Riquewihr have been renowned
as producing some of the most distinctive and interesting white wine varieties
in the entire country including Gewurtztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and this
week’s DéClassé selected, varietal bottling of a 100% Sylvaner.

Surprisingly, these noteworthy wine-producing tracts were almost wiped out
early in the 20th century by a combination of the earlier Franco-Prussian wars
and then the scourge of various pests and horticultural disease! Nonetheless,
the Sylvaner variety, considered a noble grape, has battled its way in and out of
favour for most the ensuing period. Recently it has again declined from 27% in
the early 1980’s to only 11% of the vineyards currently planted. Gradually, this
grape has waned due to increased consumer demand for Riesling. But Sylvaner
appears to be the come-back kid of Alsace. From the 2005 vintage onward, it
qualifies for the distinction as ‘Alsace Grand Cru’, which should help the variety
to regain part of its former, elevated status.

Also, though grown all over the Europe, it has not caught on significantly in the
New World wine regions. So Alsatian versions, derived from very mature vines,
should continue to revive the deserved re-appreciation and interest in dry, crisp
whites that display none of the overly “grassy” or “herbaceous” notes that seem
to be the current norm for these wine styles from warmer climates.

This bottling is ripe and ready to be enjoyed now, but this strong 2012 vintage
will hold well in the cellar for at least a couple more years – so buy several!

Hugel Sylvaner

HUGEL SYLVANER ALSACE
LCBO – Product #361543 | 750 mL bottle
Price $ 15.25
11.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content Descriptor: XD

Made in: Alsace, France
By: Hugel & Fils S.A.

Tasting Note
This has an attractive fruit-driven and refreshing, springtime character that’s
typically a much drier wine style than its Riesling cousins. Savour with mildly
spiced roast pork, sweet-and-sour chicken, baked hams and cabbage recipes.

Zinfandel Alert

Posted on by

Based in California’s Sonoma County since the mid 70’s, Joel Peterson began
forging wines in an itinerant manner by moving about the region for 15 years
with his tanks and barrels in tow – searching for a financially and logistically
sustainable setting where his dream winery might take permanent root. Even
more colourful is the formative anecdote of a Raven flock buzzing about while
he desperately worked to complete his first harvest ahead of an impending and
potentially destructive thunderstorm Their inspirational form and provocative
energy led to creating the winery’s distinctive logo of 3 interlocked Black Ravens
perched on branches; a somewhat later introduction to the tragic character of
Lord Ravenswood at an operatic performance of ‘Lucia de Lammermore’ would
inspire the property’s moniker.

Since 1991, the central operation has been producing signature wines drawn
from a host of connected growers, who in local wine making lore are playfully
referred to as co-conspirators. Utilizing traditional methods such as employing
only wild yeasts in open-vat fermentors and the subsequent resting and aging
for 10 months in 100% small French Oak barrels, illustrates a combination of
traditional, old-world wine making, innovative modern techniques while wielding
the philosophical adage of ‘Nullum Vinum Flaccidum’ – no wimpy wines!

Long considered to be California’s heritage grape, the Zinfandel cultivar at the
heart of this vintner’s story also has a circuitous history as a variety, seemingly
originating on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea in Croatia. A near-relative
to Italy’s Primitivo grape and wine style, its Californian arrival is pegged around
the early 1850’s where it took root in the counter-intuitive growing context of
so-called dry-farming and low-production. Refered to as ‘Zeinfandell’ in these
early days, it has remained one of the most important vinestocks, vigorously
producing copious volumes of grape bunches and whose only, primary liability
lies in an uneven ripening characteristic, which needs to be closely managed.

This week is an excellent time to revisit this full and robust wine that, even when
not on sale as it currently is, continues to be one of the better price-point values
coming from a region that more-typically – is unjustifiably overpriced!

Ravens Wood

RAVENSWOOD VINTNERS BLEND OLD VINE ZINFANDEL (V)
VINTAGES – Product #359257 | 750 mL bottle
Price $ 15.95
Was: $ 17.95
Limited Time Offer
Until Mar 30, 2014
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content Descriptor: D

Made in: California, USA
By: Ravenswood
Release Date: Apr 18, 2013

Tasting Note
Ripe raspberry, cherry, blueberry flavours have long made this an upscale
barbeque classic. It will stand up to some time spent on your cellar rack, so
stock up on several now to serve along your first batch of brisket or pork ribs.

Super Venetian Alert

Posted on by

The development of Appassimento grape drying technique originates with early
Roman wine making experiments. Initially aimed at creating various sweet wine
styles such as Recioto della Valpolicella, it was gradually adapted to create a
broader range of drier, though still immensely rich variants such as Amarone,
Ripasso and this week’s DéClassé recommended 2010 vintage of Campofiorin.

Here in the hilly vineyards of Verona, numerous generations of vintners at Masi
have been refining the so-called ‘Super Venetian’ first released in 1964: yet
another variant of the traditional techniques, this has also gained the winery the
deserved reputation for being the leading innovators of a regional style boasting
a Latin subtitle “Nectar Angelorum Hominibus” (“Nectar of the angels for men”)!

The artisanal process begins with pre-selected, optimally ripe grape bunches
being harvested long after the main picking has been completed. These are then
laid out to dry on bamboo racks known as ‘Arele’ and left to wither for a portion
of the early winter months. Once having reached the desired concentrations for
both sugar and glycerin content, they’re slowly pressed and allowed to gradually
ferment for an extended period – also in the cold.

The extracted juice from this complicated process becomes Amarone wine; the
residual grape pomace that’s left over is re-purposed by being added to young,
partially aged wine. This promotes a secondary fermentation, adding richness
and becoming a Ripasso-style wine. For the Campofiorin version, a small batch of
whole dried fruit is added. In all cases, the typical grape varieties include the local
stars of north-eastern Italy such as Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara.

This bottling is several dollars above the traditional DéClassé price-point, though
with an appreciation of how much effort has been invested by the winery – it’s a
real bargain for what should be a classy dinner wine addition to your go-to list.
Remarkably, this has so much body, it could stand up to 15-20yrs. of cellaring!

Masi Campofiorin

MASI CAMPOFIORIN IGT
LCBO Product #155051 | 750 mL bottle
Price $ 18.95
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content Descriptor: XD

Made in: Veneto, Italy
By: Masi Agricola S.P.A.

Tasting Note
Has a distinct and layered set of aromas and flavours including cherry, currants
and spice. As expected from a Ripasso wine, it’s velvety smooth and extremely
versatile with a broad range of food pairings. Try as apéritif with appetizers
such as steak tartare, salsa verde or also ideal with well-aged cheeses.

Tempranillo Alert

Posted on by

Bodegas LAN, founded in 1972, is an acronym derived from 3 provinces in the
Rioja designation of origin – Logroño (now called La Rioja), Álava and Navarra.
This winery’s picturesque 72 acre plot known as Viña lanciano, is a spectacular
horseshoe-shaped location along the meandering, vineyard-lined Ebro River. At
a higher elevation this area is also referred to as Rioja Alta, with a reputation
for producing somewhat lighter, fruit forward wines – resulting from the shorter
growing season and the character of its limestone, sandstone and alluvial soils.

Though La Rioja has ancient traditions of winemaking dating back to the period
of the Phoenicians, it was the King of Navarra and Aragon who was the first to
convey legal recognition on these indigenous wines early on in the 12th century.
Unlike many of the large producers in the region who source their grapes from
numerous independent growers with wide-ranging standards, LAN, as part of a
new generation of Spanish vintner, is producing a more distinctive flavour profile
from the closely managed harvests of its large, single vineyard.

Native to Rioja, grapes for this 100% Tempranillo varietal wine are hand-picked
and sorted, with initial fermentation begun in stainless steel tanks. The Crianza
designation attests to the young wine then being aged in a novel construction of
wooden casks (which combine American Oak staves with French Oak tops) for
12 months, followed by at least another year in the bottle. This current bottling
has 3 yrs. of cellaring at the Bodega and though it offers less complexity than a
Reserva grade, it has serious credentials for a $16.00 offering.

Unlike the perennial and immensely popular DéClassé recommendation of the
2006 thru 2009 vintages, the 2010 release has been ordered by the LCBO in
sufficient amounts so as to qualify for its ‘Vintages Essentials’ listing – happily
making it available throughout the better part of this year!

LAN

LAN CRIANZA 2010
VINTAGES – LCBO Product #166538 | 750 mL bottle
Price $ 15.95
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content Descriptor: XD

Made in: Rioja, Spain
By: Bodegas Lan, S.A.
Release Date: Mar 1, 2014

Tasting Note
Layered aromas of red fruit, vanilla and spice. This medium-bodied, lively red has
a smooth balance of light tannins and alcohol. Try pairing it with grilled chicken
salad with Arugula and lemon pepper dressing or leg of lamb and pork loin with
roasted beets and goat cheese salad.

Roussanne Alert

Posted on by

This Domaine, run by the brothers Michel and Andre Berthet-Rayne, began in
the 1880’s as a modest 6 hectare vineyard plot. 4 generations onward, this
winery’s holdings have swelled to 25 in the one of the Côtes du Rhône region’s
most desirable locations – Cairanne. At the edge of the sun-baked Plan de Dieu
plateau this is part of the ‘Villages’ appellation. Officially including the name of the
village, this AOC designation signifies a superior grade of wine being made here
in the Southern Rhône Valley. Elevated quality is due to stringent requirements
that includes pruning techniques to both thin the vines for better aeration and
lower the grape yields – resulting in more characterful and concentrated fruit.
As of this vintage, the farm’s output is also certified organic and chemical-free.

Influencing the character of this terroir is the clay and calcareous (calcium-rich)
soil covered in the drainage-promoting, crushed rock top layer left behind by the
retreating Rhône glacier. Now in its place, the frigid winds of the Mistral (derived
from ‘miserable’) blow for upwards of 150 days per year, often at near-hurricane
speeds! Though frequently destructive, an upside of these blasts is that they blow
off the moisture-loving fungus growth in spring and cool the vine stock and grape
clusters during the hottest, wilting periods of summer.

The harvest and vinification involves 100% hand picking and sorting, as well as,
fermentation in individual tanks to better ensure that this equal-parts blending
of Clairette, Marsanne, Bourboulenc and traditional star variety Roussanne
– is of a consistently high-caliber.

First established as a wine growing region by the Greeks in the 4th century BCE,
more recently this wine won a Silver Medal at the prestigious Concours Général
Agricole de Paris 2012. With this release you can dare to think that a white wine
from the Côtes du Rhône can be as rich and satisfying as its red counterparts!

Cairanne

BERTHET-RAYNE TRADITION CAIRANNE CÔTES DU RHÔNE VILLAGES 2011
VINTAGES –LCBO Product #354100 | 750 mL bottle
Price $ 17.95
14.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content Descriptor: XD

Made in: Rhône, France
By: Dom Andre Berthet-Rayne – Earl Les
Release Date: Mar 1, 2014

Tasting Note
With its tell-tale notes of pear, plums and touches of honey, this weighty-white
also delivers a fine supporting minerality imparted from calcium-laden soils.
Best served with food, try this with roasted vegetable minestrone, lamb and
grilled poultry and fish.

Cab Sauvignon Alert

Posted on by

Drawing on fruit harvested from vines originating as French root-stock, coupled
with the relative softness imparted by a collection of 400 French oak barriques,
this neo-Bordeaux blended red of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cab Franc
nonetheless does impart the unique character of Bulgaria’s verdant vineyards.
Here in the Danube Plain wine growing region west of Sofia, in the tiny village of
Nisovo with its diminutive population of 120, the impressive underground cellar
of this vintner vies for attention only with a nearby rock monastery and 70 large
stone crosses of the reputed Templar graves mixed into the Roman cemetery.

It’s a historic and colourful context for what quizzically remains undiscovered,
yet very rich and prolific wine country. This is partially explained by the reality
that Bulgaria, being a key component of the former Soviet Union, directed most
of its premium exports to Russia and only now is gaining an improved reputation
in western markets for offerings other than the unfortunate flood of inexpensive
and unremarkable bulk wine that it released in the 1980’s. Fortunately for us,
this changing attitude of quality vs. quantity consciousness by Bulgarian vintners
continues to translate into modest price-points for their much more exceptional
wines – a case in point is the week’s DéClassé featured, Reserve Grade offering.

Having mostly been planted in the 1960’s to replace less-remarkable or archaic
varieties, these vineyards, blessed with some of the geographic benefits of being
situated on the same latitude as Bordeaux and Tuscany – are now fully mature.
Coupled with updated wine-making techniques that includes planned reduction in
yields in favour of more-concentrated fruit, the revitalized and dynamic wineries
of ‘Thrace’ are now creating modern wines that fully deserve the attention, the
appreciation and the votes of confidence by discerning buyers like you!

Horse Valley

HORSE VALLEY SINGLE VINEYARD RESERVE RED 2011
VINTAGES – LCBO Product #363929 | 750 mL bottle
Price $ 16.95
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content Descriptor: XD

Made in: Danubian Plain, Bulgaria
By: Wine Union JSC
Release Date: Feb 15, 2014

Tasting Note
This is a medium-bodied, smooth and fulfilling red with some classic flavour and
aroma notes of cherry, vanilla and spice. Try serving with heartier food fare such
as roasts, game, ratatouille and gnocchi with meat sauces.