Browse Month

July 2008

You pays your money

[glass & bottle]Dupont Calvados du Pays d’Auge (Normandy) – Hints of pink pepper dust, liquid metal, and some sun-browned earth. Plus apples, naturally. Fairly simple, but very pleasant. (7/08)

Mon Dieuvaille

[label]Miquel “Domaine de Barroubio” 2004 Muscat St-Jean-de-Minervois Dieuvaille (Languedoc) – A single-parcel muscat (or so I’m led to believe) named after an historic church near the village. Intense essence of muscat, with life and plenty of nerve. Very intense, and while it’s heavy it’s got the structure to support itself. Terrific. (10/06)

Am I Bleue?

[label]Miquel “Domaine de Barroubio” 2004 Muscat St-Jean-de-Minervois “Cuvée Classique” (Languedoc) – This is thee basic wine, also known as “Cuvée Noire” in some markets. Clover honey drizzled over gingered grapes. Long and floral, though with a certain lightness that freshens the sugar. (10/06)

Miquel “Domaine de Barroubio” 2005 Muscat St-Jean-de-Minervois “Cuvée Classique” (Languedoc) – Richer and more vivid than the 2004, though there’s a spikiness to the structure than reduces the appealing cream of the previous vintage. Grapes and green apples add themselves to the finish, which is surprisingly tangy. This is clearly a better wine than the 2004, though it may take a little while to settle into itself. (10/06)

Barroubio 2004 Muscat St-Jean-de-Minervois “Cuvée Bleue” (Languedoc) – Aged in wood (one presumes old) for nine months, on its lees. Chewy/creamy pine needles. Strong, heavy, and somewhat hot. Too much. (10/06)

Sec & thoughts

Miquel “Domaine de Barroubio” 2005 Muscat Sec (Languedoc) – Fresh-cut hay, but the mower caught a more than a few flowers as well. Clean, crisp, and long. Nice. Though Alsace remains my benchmark for dry muscat, there’s a sun to (or in) this wine that’s really appealing. (10/06)

John, Mike, Marie, Tess

[label]Miquel “Domaine de Barroubio” 2002 Minervois “Cuvée Jean-Miquel” (Languedoc) – Carignan-dominated, with grenache playing the supporting role. Grapey and thick, with a rough texture and a slightly green finish. There’s not much form or cohesion here, nor are the elements particularly appealing. (10/06)

Miquel “Domaine de Barroubio” 2003 Minervois “Cuvée Marie-Thérèse” (Languedoc) – Here, syrah is king, with some grenache along for the ride. Denser than the Jean-Miquel, with a thick earthiness that feels almost sludgy. The fruit has a nutty character that’s a little odd, but ultimately intriguing. That said, it’s not very interesting now, though a short stretch of time might help. (10/06)

Pazo tea

Pazo Pondal 2004 Rias Baixas Albariño (Northwest Spain) – Sweet lemon juice, rind, and curd, with grapefruit along for the lemony ride. Summery and sunny, though a touch hot. There’s a bit of a carbonic sizzle to the finish, which is refreshing. (10/06)

Doux date

[vineyard]North of Bize-Minervois, the rocks scattered throughout the seemingly endless vineyards that carpet this region turn white, glinting in the relentless downpour of the southern French sun. This, according to oenophile cartography, is where Minervois turns into St-Jean-de-Minervois, and the deep, powerful reds of the former become the perfumed, rich, muscats of the latter.

Continued here, and including a tasting at Domaine de Barroubio.

Olive me

[mapua bay sunset]The Nelson area has a lot of eateries, including one frequently-lauded establishment a few steps from our front door. But the locals I’d consulted had arrived at near-universal agreement: Flax (Mapua Wharf, Mapua) is the best of the bunch. And so, we choose it for our final restaurant meal in New Zealand.

Some choices one might like back.

…continued here.

Sugar, sugar

Bera 2006 Canelli “Arcese” (Piedmont) – Tastes like muscat, smells like muscat, but it’s not muscat, it’s favorita, cortese, and arneis. So, then: it’s floral and bubbly/spicy (no actual bubbles), with a bit of sweat but little toil. Eminently appealing at first sip, yet there’s a difficult component that not everyone will get past. I love it, because it takes muscattish obviousness and brings to it more complexity and balance than is the norm. And still, no muscat. It’s almost hard to believe. Fun wine. (7/08)

Indian percussion

[label]Tablas Creek 2005 “Côtes de Tablas” Red (Paso Robles) – Performing beautifully, as is its wont. Rich, deep baritones of dried red fruit, mild earth, a bit of spice, perhaps a hint of porcini, done in a palate-coating wash of tasteful appeal. As reliably solid a wine as you’ll find in the States, outside the more peripatetic house of Edmunds. (7/08)