The National Wine
UnClub
Newsletter
January/February 2005
Changing Tastes in '05
The start of a new year brings a renewed spirit of adventure in many of us; we resolve to make a fresh new beginning in our daily habits or lifestyle. Change is unsettling but also a good thing because getting stuck in the old rut we've always known makes life a very dull experience indeed. OK, so are you ready to explore this with regard to your favorite wines?
Ask people what they drink when they choose wine and most often they'll tell you they like Chardonnay when it comes to white wine, and if red is considered, it has to be Merlot, usually Californian. A few white drinkers have branched out by going for Italian Pinot Grigio, and the Merlot gang can be seen to imbibe the occasional Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir.
Boring! Now, while I love a well-made Californian Chardonnay and/or Merlot, I would probably lose all interest in wine as a subject if these were the only wines available to me for the rest of my life. Don't get me wrong - I'll fight for your right to drink what you want! But if you're a little tired of your regular wine choices there's hope for you and all other wine enthusiasts in this state of mind.
For starters, if you want to stay safe continue to drink Chardonnay, just branch out to try Chardonnays other than your favorite label, and particularly other Chardonnays from regions outside of California. The holy grail of great Chardonnay wines are the rather expensive whites of France's Burgundy district which appear under such names as Macon Blanc, Pouilly-Fuisse, Chablis, Meursault, Chassagne Montrachet, St Aubin, Rully, and so on. Just remember that if the bottle says the wine is 'White Burgundy', it's Chardonnay. Some day you really must try one of these; they are crisp, clean, and wonderfully alive with fresh apple/pear flavors complemented, in the finer examples, by subtle oak nuances!
For Chardonnays that have the feel of white Burgundy, you should seek out South African labels like Glen Carlou and De Wetshof. We've even found the humble Fleur du Cap Chard to taste remarkably like a simple French Chablis on occasion. The South Africans are priced quite cheap by comparison with both French and Californian Chardonnay. Another white Burgundy look alike is the Trapiche 'Oak Cask' Chardonnay from Mendoza, Argentina. What a steal! A few Washington state labels can be good in this regard as well; try the Silver Lake Reserve Chardonnay for instance.
For affordability, and a ripe style quite reminiscent of California, go for Australian Chardonnay. Usually the best examples of these wines can be had for considerably less than their Californian counterparts. Some good choices include Rosemount's Show Reserve, Wolf Blass's Presidents Selection, and the Western Australian Frankland Estate Chardonnay.
Merlot from California can be magnificent but until you try a French Pomerol you really haven't seen what Merlot can be when fashioned by a people steeped in hundreds of years of history with this Cabernet family varietal. Pomerol is rarely cheap but once again you should try the original to see why Merlot is so famous. Try the wines of Chateau Plince, Chateau Bourgneuf, or Chateau du Sales to see what we mean.
Merlot from other countries is surprisingly deficient. Take Australia for example - very few really outstanding Merlots are found. For everyday, we prefer the Jacob's Creek and for the more special occasions the Marquis Phillips Merlot is decent. Chile can boast a few good Merlots. We like the Morande Terrarum particularly. However, most Chilean Merlots are marred by a mean 'green' streak of herbaceousness.
In the same vein, if you do like Merlot from Chile, you really must try Chilean Carmenere, an obscure Merlot relative originally grown in the Bordeaux region of France. Carmenere is usually more fruit-rich than Merlot, with less of the weedy edge of Chilean Merlot. We love the value of the Calina Carmenere and the depth of character shown in the Morande Terrarum. Cabernet/Carmenere blends are excellent as well; look for the Casa Patronales or the Mont Gras Quattro labels.
Lastly, we should mention another Merlot family member, the increasingly popular Malbec varietal, also hailing from Bordeaux in antiquity. Argentinian Malbec is a hit in the United States with labels like Catena and Trapiche 'Oak Cask' leading the way. Also try the ultra-affordable Fundacion, Uvas del Sol, and Navarra Correas versions to get familiar with this excellent alternative to Merlot.
In the next few issues of the Wine UnClub newsletter we'll explore other wonderful wines of the world that you may have not been properly introduced to as yet. You may be surprised at the range and variety available in this regard! We look at these wines as Discovery Wines - wines to be discovered by you and I as we move forward into a new year.
Cheers!
Donald W. White