Wine on the Rocks

                                         Rocks can be instrumental in making a complex wine

This is not an article for novices on wine coolers or putting ice in your wine.  It is an article for serious wine lovers on the important role that rocks can have in a vineyard.  Rocks can be instrumental in the difference between a ho-hum wine, and some of the best wines on the planet.   Perhaps the most famous wine rocks are those of Bordeaux and the Rhone (especially Chateauneuf du Pape).   But, many other world-class wines owe part of their greatness to rocks.

                                     Galets can vary from pebble-sized to larger rocks

The French actually have a specific term for these vineyard rocks. They are called “galets.”   Galets can vary anywhere in size from several pounds to large pebbles.  Regardless of size, however, rocks are integral to the growth of vines and their fruit in several ways.  Rocks absorb heat from the daytime sunshine and then slowly release the heat back during the night.  During cold winters this is important so that vines don’t freeze.  During cool summer evenings, on the other hand, heat retention and heat transmission are critical for vine’s growth and fruit ripening.

 

Rocks can also be critical for drainage.  Vines need proper drainage in order to produce quality fruit.   Layers of pebbles or even smaller sized rocks can create a perfect drainage system and allow the vine to send its roots downward to seek water and nutrition for the plant.   In this search downward through the vineyard’s stratum, the plant also brings back nuances from the earth that create complexity in wine.

  

                                                   "Graves" is all about it's "gravel" soil

Rocks are an important part of the vineyard’s terroir.  In the case of Bordeaux’s left bank and Chateauneuf du Pape, both of these wine districts lie beside large rivers.  In Bordeaux, millenniums of granite from the Pyrenees have been washed downward and were deposited in vineyards when rivers overflowed their banks.  Graves, one of Bordeaux’s premium districts, actually takes its name from the word for “gravel.”  Graves' vineyards are littered with rocks that have been broken down by the water's churning action as the rivers carry rocks toward the Atlantic.      

     This Chateauneuf du Pape vineyard is located a croissant's toss from the Rhone River

The Rhone wine region lies beside the Rhone River.  Alpine rocks have been washed down via the Rhone for ages.  Chateauneuf du Pape is the flattest part of the region, hence, its vineyards are laden with galets from the Rhone’s flooding.   On the other side of the world in New Zealand, there’s the Gimblett Gravels wine district, an area known for its world-class red wines.  The Gimlett Gravels are located in an old river bed filled with rocks.  In this case, the river actually changed course and left in its wake a perfect terroir for growing wine grapes:  several feet of deep gravels.   

If you're looking for a novel idea for a wine-tasting, why not consider a "Wine on the Rocks" soiree?

 

Brilliant Bordeaux Bargains

I belong to a very high-end group of Bordeaux wine-lovers called the Commanderie de Bordeaux.  One has to be recommended to join, and then must be vetted via several personal interviews with members of the club. (Some of the questions I was asked were:  How large is your cellar?  What percentage of your wine is Bordeaux?  Burgundy?)  Many of their events are black tie and held in San Diego’s finest restaurants or at swanky private country-clubs….and older vintages of the top Bordeaux chateau are always served.  So, how could I turn down the opportunity to attend the Commanderie’s seminar on bargains from Bordeaux?

Each attendee was asked to bring a bottle of red from the 2011 vintage with a price of <$40.  Each person was asked to decant their wine for one hour prior to the seminar.  All wines were tasted blindly (always my preference).  Wines were tasted in flights of four.  Wines were scored in each flight with a 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, or 4^th place rating.  At the end of the full tasting, the top three scoring wines were then re-tasted against one another and then re-ranked. 

Before I list the winner, let me say that the wines were quite diverse.  There were wines from both Left and Right Banks, as well as from Graves.   A few didn’t offer much in terms of aromatics.  Some were thin and didn’t have a finish.  As expected because of their youth, many had rough tannins.  A couple of the wines were inspid (my tasting notes indicated “no there, there” for aroma, taste & finish).

Here are the group’s top three scoring wines.  The first two wines are definitely worth buying, representing great quality/price ratio.  Both of these should be cellared for another 2-3 years minimum.

• 1^st place:  Chateau La Pointe (Pommerol)
• 2^nd place:  Chateau Montlandrie (Cotes de Castillon, just east of St Emilion)
• 3^rd place:  Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion (Pessac Leognan)
• 
  

Hope you find lots of bargains in 2016!

Oyster Capital of France

Today we arrived in oyster nirvana.  Since ancient times, oysters have been very popular along France’s southwest coast not far from the town of Bordeaux.  The Romans, who were supposedly so enamored with oysters that they sent thousands of slaves to the Atlantic beaches to gather them, paid for these mollusks by their weight in gold.  By the time of Emperor Napoleon III in the 19^th century, however, oysters were nearly wiped out.  Concerned, Napoleon set up a plan to ensure the species’ survival.

One of the elements in Napoleon’s plan was farms for the oysters….these farms still exist today and are located in the gigantic Aracahon Bay.  Over 50% of France’s oysters come from this bay.  Considering the long love affair with the French of these morsels from the sea, that’s beaucoup. (It is said that Marie Antoinette ordered carriage loads full of them sent on a regular basis to Versailles; also claimed is that Henry IV ate 300 oysters regularly as an apéritif.)   

On my first visit to this area in 2004, I’ll never forget walking along the Bay when the tide was out and being astounded to see huge collections of curved tiles that looked like they had been taken off someone’s roof.  The tile perimeter was surrounded by large poles that were 10 feet high.  At the time I did not realize that I was looking at oyster farms.  These tiles, apparently, are the perfect object in which oyster larvae attaches and grows.  The poles were there to signal boaters when the tide came in to avoid this area.

France is Europe’s largest producer of oysters and the industry, like wine, has huge economic implications for the Bordeaux area.  The oyster business was all but wiped out in the early1970’s when a disease killed most of the mollusks.  Just when things began to return to normal, there was a severe issue with the oysters that had survived---they were not re-producing.  The culprit for the later issue was environmental:  marine paint that was used on most boats in the bay contained an ingredient (TBT) that is known today as being one of the most toxic environmental poisons.  It has been since been outlawed in the area.

To add further insult to injury, the Bay of Arcachon took a huge hit from the disastrous oil spill of the super-tanker Cadiz in 1978 off the coast of France.  Many oyster growers simply went out of business after this third insult and the industry almost collapsed.  The French government stepped in and provided generous financial subsidies for the oyster growers on the Bay.  Today, the industry seems to be making a comeback.

Tonight we’ll be dining on a platter of oysters and washing them down with a bottle of white Graves from nearby Bordeaux….a marriage made in heaven!

Bordeaux ’s Other Wine

Gravel soil of Graves district



“A glass of Bordeaux?”   Many people would assume a red wine was being offered, however, they could be totally in error as Bordeaux produces some stunning whites.  Unfortunately, white Bordeaux is little known outside of France which is regrettable as a white Bordeaux can compete with the world’s best crafted wines.  Case in point:  the white wine from Chateau Haut Brion is one of the most memorable wines to have ever passed through these lips---and that’s saying something as I’ve had Haut Brion’s red on several occasions.

 

The best white Bordeaux is produced in the southern part of the wine area in the district of Graves.  Its distinctive gravel soil, for which it is named, is credited with much of the character and quality of both its white and red wine.  Graves' two main white grape varieties, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, are often blended.   While wine lovers are familiar with Sauvignon, not so many Americans know Semillon.   I love this varietal especially for the creamy texture it contributes, however, I also enjoy the apricot, peach, and pineapple notes it adds.  Because of the unique gravel soil, there’s no where else in the world that these grapes can even come close to producing the likes of a white Graves.

 

If  Haut Brion’s white ($900) is not in your budget, an excellent alternative is Smith Haut Laffite.  While its "blanc" is still pricey at $90, this primarily Sauvignon Blanc wine is no step-sister…it’s one of the best constructed Bordeaux whites that I’ve tasted.  If you’re looking for more moderately priced bottles, try either Latour-Martillac or Le Thil Comte Clary, both under $50.  Regrettably, you will probably need to turn to the Internet to find them as few wine shops in the U.S. carry them.  Try  www.wine-searcher.com/