Uruguay

Through football, Uruguay is famous for its street-fighting spirit, forged from lying between the two major giants of South America, Brazil and Argentina. Essentially created as a buffer between the two, Uruguay is a small country of just 3m people which features aspects of both countries - the language has a Brazilian shush to it, while the meat-based food is similar to Argentina’s. Uruguay is, however, quite distinct from the two countries, as its wine shows.
 

view from Alto de la Ballena

the climate 

Uruguay is over 1,000km from Mendoza, and unsurprisingly its climate is quite different. Situated on the Atlantic coast, Uruguay is much wetter and more humid than neighbouring Argentina or, indeed, Pacific Chile. This has a big impact: grape varieties must be hardy enough to withstand the humid, wet, and often windy conditions; the vineyard needs a lot of attention; and the style of wine is less ripe and full-bodied. The climate is not dissimilar to Bordeaux’s and, like most of Bordeaux, it’s difficult to get Cabernet Sauvignon fully ripe.

the regions 

The historic vineyards of Uruguay are situated around Montevideo, almost in a semi-circle, where Canelones, to the east, is the most known. To the north, on the Brazilian border where the climate gets more humid, is Cerra Chapeu, where the first plantings were in the 1970s. Another recent region is Maldonado, near the ocean and subject to particularly wet, windy weather. Alto de la Ballena were the first winery here, buying their first land in just 2001. There’s a mixture of tradition and innovation, found in other South American countries, that can make Uruguay quite unpredictable.

tannat 

tannat and its large leaves

Tannat dominates plantings and it sets Uruguay apart from other wine-producing regions around the world where the variety is little planted. The grape originates from south-west France, where the main appellation is Madiran, and, like Malbec, it was brought over in the mid-nineteenth century during the wave of phylloxera-driven emigration. It can be a difficult grape to grow, requiring attention in the vineyard to manage its large leaves that can shield grapes from the sun and prevent ventilation, but it’s suited to the climate of Uruguay as its robust berries can withstand fungal pests. It’s planted all over the country, more bitter and tannic near the coast, softer and fuller bodied further inland.

In Madiran, the wines can be incredibly tannic, ready to drink only after many years ageing. This is in part due to the grape variety, but also because of long periods of extraction which make the wine very difficult to drink when young. In Uruguay, the wines are more approachable, due to less extraction and also because the grapes get riper on the vine. Even so, on its own Tannat can be quite astringent and is arguably best in a blend - either in a main or a supporting role. Back in the 1970s, wines from Tannat were often blends to soften the wine, then 100% Tannat took over as international consumers are more receptive to single-varietal wines. Blends are coming back, though; for instance, adding Merlot certainly makes the wine more immediately attractive, while still giving the wine ageing potential.

What I noted about wines from Tannat is that they have a consistent herbal quality, with aromas of fennel, oregano, and tarragon, which makes the wines quite distinctive. Although the fruits are riper than a wine from Madiran, the wines are still not forward or overly expressive. There’s a subtlety to them, with firm tannins to give the wine backbone which allows a period of oak ageing without fear of domination from the oak.

other grape varieties 

Quite a few people I met argued that, rather than Tannat, the most suitable grape for Uruguay is Merlot. Unfortunately, it’s a difficult sell, particularly abroad, but Uruguayan wines made from Merlot can be world class. The grape ripens before the autumn rains come and the small berries withstand the humid conditions. The Alto de la Ballena 2010 Merlot was as good a wine as I’ve tasted on this trip so far: smoky, intense red and black fruits, and really alive, despite some age, with high acidity and gripping tannins. It’s what high-quality Merlot tastes like, and it’s a shame that the UK and US markets are so unreceptive to Merlot that the winery is unable to export the wine.

White wines are also high quality. Uruguay’s climate is cool enough for the wines to have refreshing high acidity: Chardonnay is the most planted white grape, but Sauvignon Blanc is more interesting with a crisp, mineral drive. My favourite white wine of the trip was an Albariño, another grape whose thick skins are ideal for holding up to wet weather. From Garzon, a relatively large producer, the Albariño wasn’t quite as floral or aromatic as wines from Rías Baixas often are, but there was a wonderful crisp, stone, mineral aspect to the wine.

It will be interesting to see how Uruguay develops, and if it’s able to make its mark on the world stage in the presence of such major players as Chile and Argentina. Like its football team, the country punches above its weight and the wines are exported to Brazil, Europe, and the US. Tannat is the grape that will continue to drive Uruguay’s market, but if you're visiting look out for the white wines and reds from Merlot and, another grape with high potential, Cabernet Franc.

Crossings

Wine geeks get very excited about clonal selection. "Is the clone Calera, Swan, or 777?" they'll ask when tasting a Pinot Noir, a question that means nothing to the typical drinker. These are clones which have been developed over the years by winemakers and grape growers to suit local conditions, and each clone has different attributes: flavour, acidity, tannins, ripening time. Pinot Noir is a variety which has hundreds of clones as it naturally mutates into different versions of itself; this reproduction is taken further by deliberately crossing different clones together to produce versions of the grape which have specific characteristics.

These clones produced through human interference have also naturally been developed over the centuries and some of the most famous grape varieties are crossings of other varieties. The reason vines grow grapes is to attract birds to eat them and spread the seeds elsewhere to propagate more vines. As these seeds are spread, they meet and reproduce with seeds from other varieties of grapes, which is why the exhaustive Wine Grapes book lists over 1,300 different grape varieties.

Bordeaux grapes

One of the most famous natural crossings is Cabernet Sauvignon. Originating from Bordeaux, its parents are two other grapes native to the region, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. Given the shared name, it seems obvious that these two grapes together produced Cabernet Sauvignon but its distinct character confused people for some time - Cabernet Sauvignon has thick skins, is late ripening, and produces wines with deep blackcurrant aromas, while Cabernet Franc ripens earlier and its wines have more red fruits and Sauvignon Blanc is a white grape. However, DNA testing in the 1990s definitively proved the heritage of Cabernet Sauvignon, a heritage one can identify through the green, herbaceous aromas sometimes found in Cabernet Sauvignon and often found in both Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc.

Meanwhile, the other great Bordeaux grape, Merlot, is also a crossing, again of Cabernet Franc and an obscure, barely planted variety called Magdeleine Noire des Charentes which wasn't even given a name until the 1990s when it was found growing outside some villagers' houses.

Along with a now rarely-grown Bordeaux variety called Gros Cabernet, Cabernet Franc is also the parent grape of Carmenère, which is now mostly found in Chile. Cabernet Franc plays a vital if sometimes overlooked part in Bordeaux blends, adding colour, acidity, and aromas of red fruits and pencil shavings. As the parent grape of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as well as Carmenère, it's perhaps entitled to call itself the most important Bordeaux grape.

Chardonnay, Aligoté, and Gamay

Crossings have been formed from both natural and human interference. Both can be unpredictable, but it's the natural evolution which can be the most surprising yet effective. Pinot Noir is one of the most promiscuous grapes, reproducing to create Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc. In Burgundy, the grape has mutated, either naturally or through cutting the best vines and planting them in a new vineyard, and this is one of the reasons the villages and vineyards of Burgundy produce such diverse wines.

This has not only led to it creating different versions of itself, but also completely different grape varieties. On three separate occasions, it has procreated with the same variety - Gouais Blanc, an otherwise forgettable white grape - to produce three different off-spring all now grown in Burgundy: Chardonnay, Aligoté, and Gamay. I remember being told this in a class, and a student shouted out, "But that's impossible! How can they produce such different varieties?" The instructor likened it to having children: one couple might have three children that can be hard to tell apart, another couple might have three children remarkably dissimilar, say with dark hair, fair hair, and red hair. So it was with Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc.

Müller-Thurgau and Scheurebe

That's how nature works, now back to the humans. Riesling is one of the most difficult grapes to grow, a late-ripening variety that only produces complex wines in a cool climate and on difficult stony soils. In the late 19th century and early 20th, German scientists attempted to create crossings that replicated the complexity of Riesling, but ripened much earlier to make life easier on growers. One of the crossings created was by a Dr. Müller, who hailed from the Swiss canton of Thurgau. He thought he was crossing Riesling with another quality German variety, Silvaner, but that other variety was in actual fact Madeleine-Royal, about which there is otherwise little of interest to say. In the 1960s, Müller-Thurgau began to dominate plantings as Germany recovered from the Second World War. It was easy and cheap to grow, its rise was unstoppable, and it so badly damaged Germany's reputation as the heart of once-fashionable wines such as Blue Nun and Black Tower. Since the 1990s, there has been a concerted effort to reduce plantings, but it's still the second-most planted variety in Germany, with 11,000ha of the country's 100,000ha of vines.

Another variety that was once thought to be a Riesling-Silvaner crossing is Scheurebe, created by a Dr. Scheu (Rebe means vine in German). It has grassy, grapefruit aromas, and its high acidity makes it ideal for good-quality sweet wine. Despite its quality, there's not much planted in Germany (just over 2,000ha) as it just doesn't produce wines as classy as Riesling, but there are some dry and sweet wines made from it (try Pfeffingen's dry Scheurebe from Pfalz). In 2012, it was finally discovered what the crossing was: Riesling and a variety I have never heard of called Buckettsrebe.

other notable crossings

One of my favourite crossings is Zweigelt, a fruity, often easy-drinking, yet tannic red that a customer once admitted to me she was addicted to. It's Austria's most planted black grape, and is a crossing of the country's two highest-quality black varieties, Blaufränkisch and St-Laurent. Its name comes from Dr. Zweigelt, who crossed the grapes in 1922. Hans Igler produces an extraordinarily good value Zweigelt from Burgenland.

Another less successful crossing is Pinotage, although South Africans would dispute that claim. The wines are often full of chocolate aromas, with a weird rubberiness. Despite that, it's become South Africa's national grape as it's barely grown elsewhere. Wines are getting much better as winemakers learn to deal with the grape (check out Rijk's). It was developed by South African I. A. Perold in 1925, a random crossing of Pinot Noir and the Rhône grape Cinsault. Both of these varieties are known for their red fruit characteristics, yet Pinotage has big, bold, overripe black fruit aromas. Such is the unpredictability of crossings ....

Bordeaux Blends

Here in Napa, many wines are described as Bordeaux blends without any real discussion of what that means or how the wines of Napa are in fact very different from those of Bordeaux. Most red Bordeaux wines are Merlot-based, yet those of Napa are dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon. Napa wines increasingly contain Malbec in the blend, even though it's rarely used in Bordeaux nowadays. In addition, Napa's Mediterranean climate is very different from Bordeaux's wet maritime conditions, meaning that Napa's and Bordeaux's wines often don't have that much in common. All of which leads me to ask, What is a Bordeaux blend exactly and why use that term?

climate contingency plans

Bordeaux is as far north in France as Cabernet Sauvignon will reliably ripen (although it is planted, mainly for rosés, in the cool Loire). For this reason, the earlier-ripening Merlot is also planted as a back-up if Cabernet doesn't successfully ripen. In contrast, Merlot can be subject to spring frosts which will ruin the crop - here, the later-budding Cabernet can act as a back-up. These climate contingency plans are the fundamental reason that all Bordeaux reds are blends. On top of this, the characteristics of the two grapes naturally balance each other out, making them great blending partners. In warmer, more temperate climates such as Napa, blending is done for style and taste rather than through necessity, whereas in Coonawarra in Australia, they just go for straight Cabernet, impossible in Bordeaux.

left bank vs right bank

This may suggest that all Bordeaux is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which is not the case. The only area of Bordeaux where Cabernet dominates is the Left Bank - short-hand for the Médoc and Graves regions which are planted to 70% Cabernet Sauvignon. Here, the soils are gravelly, retaining heat during the day that's released in the evening to help continue the ripening. Elsewhere in Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon simply won't ripen, which is why Merlot is such an important grape for both simple and complex wines. The most famous Merlot wines are found on the Right Bank in the villages of St-Emilion and Pomerol, where they are often blended with Cabernet Franc. The great Cabernet-based and Merlot-based wines of Bordeaux can sometimes be hard to tell apart, but they are very different: Cabernet-based wines are more aggressively tannic, while Merlot-based wines are softer and fruitier.

the grapes 

Cabernet Sauvignon

plantings: 28,000ha - 25% of Bordeaux's black grapes
The reason the term Bordeaux blend often refers to a Cabernet-based wine is because the historically great Bordeaux wines are those of the Left Bank. These wines are concentrated in the Haut-Médoc, in the villages of St-Estèphe, Paulliac, St-Julien, and Margaux, as well as Pessac-Léognan in Graves. It's still very rare to see a wine with more than 80% Cabernet in the blend, and it's often a lot less than that - and this is one reason why the wines of the Left Bank are quite different from their Cabernet-heavy New World counterparts.

Merlot

plantings: 69,000ha - 62% of Bordeaux's black grapes
Merlot is generally an easier grape to grow than Cabernet Sauvignon because it ripens earlier, but that also makes it a more difficult grape to make great wine out of. Merlot dominates plantings in the undistinguished parts of Bordeaux that produce entry-level wine, but it's also the most important grape in mid-level regions such as the recently-created Côtes de Bordeaux - a group of appellations producing good, affordable red wine. And then it's the base for the wines of St-Emilion and Pomerol, some of the greatest and most expensive wines of the world.

Merlot has been subject to much ridicule since the release of Sideways, a movie in which one of the characters refuses to drink Merlot (in his words, "I'm not drinking any fucking Merlot.") This was in response to the cheap Merlot that was being produced in California and Washington in the 1990s. Though many viewers didn't quite get the joke, the movie ends with him drinking his favourite ever wine, Cheval Blanc - an iconic St-Emilion wine that's a Cabernet Franc-Merlot blend.

Cabernet Franc

plantings: 13,000ha - 12% of Bordeaux's black grapes
Cabernet Franc is the great unsung hero of Bordeaux, playing a small but significant part in both Left Bank and Right Bank wines, not least as it's the parent grape of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Carmenère.

Until the 1960s, it was planted in Bordeaux as much as Cabernet Sauvignon, because, like Merlot, it's easier to ripen and it can also survive rainy weather during harvest. Like its off-spring Cabernet Sauvignon, it can be quite tannic, but it has distinctive flavours of red fruits and in cooler vintages green bell peppers, and it also contributes acidity to a blend. It's fallen from favour because Cabernet Sauvignon replaced the white vines ripped up in Bordeaux in the 1960s and has since taken over the world, but a Bordeaux wine without Cabernet Franc is like a home without books.

Petit Verdot

Bordeaux plantings: 479ha
Petit Verdot is planted to provide backbone and structure in difficult years. It's an incredibly tannic, deep-coloured wine and it can be very difficult to drink on its own. In Bordeaux, it's most complex in the best years, but paradoxically it's not needed in those years because other grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon already have plenty of richness and structure. There's an unwritten rule in Bordeaux that a wine should have no more than 10% of Petit Verdot. This is a rule that's generally followed in the warmer New World regions that use the grape, even though adding its power to an already big wine isn't really necessary.

Malbec

Bordeaux plantings: 974ha
Malbec originates from south-west France, where it is the main variety for the Cahors region and is known as Auxerrois or Côt. It was introduced in the eighteenth century to the Right Bank by Château de Pressac (still an important St-Emilion producer and one of the few to plant Malbec and Carmenère) and to the Left Bank by Sieur Malbek, where the grape's international name comes from. It was much planted, but there were several problems: the wines it produced weren't as good as Merlot, which overtook Malbec in plantings, and Malbec is susceptible to many diseases as well as spring frost. In 1956, that frost killed off many of Bordeaux's Malbec vines, and, as Malbec plantings were already in retreat, few bothered to replant. It's now mainly grown in Blaye and Bourg, both of which form part of the Côtes de Bordeaux.

After its near devastation in south-west France, Malbec has become an extremely popular black grape due to its success in Argentina where it was introduced by French immigrants in the mid-nineteenth century. In warmer climates, the grape, which ripens late, does not struggle like it does in Bordeaux. Because of this, Malbec is much more likely to be found in a New World Bordeaux blend than a wine from Bordeaux.

Carmenère

Bordeaux plantings: 4ha
No one cared about Carmenère until the 1990s when it was discovered that a lot of the Merlot being produced in Chile was in actual fact the old and mostly-forgotten Bordeaux variety Carmenère - and it's still unclear whether many of the plantings in Chile are Merlot or Carmenère. Chilean producers understandably want to make Carmenère their national grape, given there's so little planted elsewhere in the world. However, I have yet to try an interesting wine made from Carmenère, which in my experience has simple, ripe blackcurrant aromas.

best regions for Bordeaux blends

In Bordeaux itself, the best value Cabernet-based wines can be found in Moulis and Listrac, which border the Haut-Médoc. Likewise, the satellite regions of St-Emilion produce good, affordable Merlot-based wines.

Many regions around the world have their own take on Bordeaux. In the US, Washington marries the ripe fruits of the New World with the tannins and acidity of the Old - the Red Mountain AVA is particularly good for both Cabernet and Merlot based wines. Napa is more fruit forward, bigger and bolder, and more Cabernet. In South Africa, the best wines are from Stellenbosch and they are complex Cabernet-led blends. In Australia, the ocean influence on Margaret River in Western Australia, together with the region's gravel soils, make the wines similar to those of Bordeaux -  the blends are likely to be Cabernet led. Finally, New Zealand's Gimlett Gravels, whose name gives a clue to the soils found there, produces some of the best-value, quality Merlot-based blends. Whether based around Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, climate and winemaking make Bordeaux blends very different from one another across the world.

The Value of Bordeaux

My difficulty with Bordeaux is that the wines I can afford to drink, I don't want; the wines I want to drink, I can't afford. Although the wines of Bordeaux are much imitated around the world, this is why their reputation has suffered in recent years. Inexpensive Bordeaux offers little of either the quality or value for money that similar wines from Australia, South Africa, Chile, or, indeed, other areas of France give, while the premium wines compete with more accessibly priced, yet still high quality, wines from all around the world (Napa is an exception to this rule, its market not too much different from Bordeaux's). Bordeaux relies too heavily on investors and the nouveaux riches of the US and China, instead of producing wines that the general consumer can afford to buy.

I went to a tasting in San Francisco that challenged this reading of Bordeaux's market, and which demonstrated that the Bordeaux wine industry is determined to compete at the lower end of the market by aiming to produce good-value, inexpensive wines. Whether those wines can compete with established New World brands remains to be seen.

whites

The dry white wine of Bordeaux has two advantages: it rarely fetches the exorbitant prices of the reds, making it often good value, and one of the two important grapes is Sauvignon Blanc, a grape riding the wave of international trends. The other grape is Sémillon, which back in the 1960s was the most planted grape in Bordeaux, black or white. Sémillon results in high-quality wines, but it's not fashionable, its waxy weightiness not always inviting. Put Sauvignon Blanc on a label, the wine sells; mention Sémillon, it stays on the shelf. As a result, Sauvignon Blanc is becoming more and more widely grown, and this is how the dry whites of Bordeaux are going to compete on the international stage.

There were sixteen dry white wines available to taste; eleven of them were Sauvignon Blanc dominant and these were the most inexpensive whites on show ($8-$20). They had characteristic grassy, vegetal aromas with a dry, refreshing acidity; simple, but pleasant and attractive wines. However, I am not sure how well they would fare on the international stage despite the affordable prices: the wines are not as pungently aromatic as New Zealand's, nor as steely and flinty as Loire's.

My overall impression is that $15 is when a dry white Bordeaux becomes interesting and engaging. That's also the price point when Sémillon becomes more involved in the blend, and the use of oak is more likely. My two favourite whites were Château Grand Abord (Graves, 2014; $17), which was 80% Sémillon and showed a creamy, lightly oaky spiciness and baked apples, and Château Respide-Médeville (Graves, 2013; $29), an almost equal blend of Sémillon and Sauvignon, with a little Muscadelle thrown in. The latter demonstrated everything good about white Bordeaux blends, with fresh, floral, stone fruit aromas, a nutty, spicy palate, with a refreshing acidity - but at $29 it's appealing to a very different market than the more inexpensive, green, vegetal Sauvignon Blancs.

reds

This is where pricing gets difficult and it's hard to find good-value wines. The inexpensive reds, which started at $10 at the tasting, just aren't that good. The tannins are bitter and green, the fruits far more restrained than similar wines from Australia or Chile, and there's little or no oak to give the wine structure or longevity. Most are not appealing, fruity, or forward enough for those consumers buying wine in the $10-15 range.

On the evidence of this tasting, quality red Bordeaux begins at around $25-30 and really kicks in at $30-40. That's a very difficult price bracket: more expensive than most consumers are willing to spend, competing with high-quality, arguably better value wines at the same price from around Europe and the rest of the world, but not expensive enough to attract the wealthiest customers.

Nevertheless, there are some good-value wines to be had for those willing to spend in that $30 price range. I was pleasantly surprised by the Bordeaux Supérieur appellation, which I had always dismissed as being rather basic (it can come from anywhere in Bordeaux, but has a slightly higher minimum level of alcohol than standard Bordeaux AC) - but it was only the pricey ones ($25-30) that impressed. The major appellations that offered good value were the Right Bank: being Merlot based and less aggressively tannic than the wines of the Haut-Médoc, they are fruity and inviting to drink at a young age. Château Moulin Pey-Labrie's 100% Merlot from Canon Fronsac ($28) had a lively acidity lifting the gripping tannins, with bright red plum and violet aromas, while Château de Viaud-Lalande's 2010 Pomerol ($30 - also 100% Merlot) had tannins well integrated with the ripe but not plump red fruits, with a nice spicy finish.

One more thing: Bordeaux's labels are hopelessly old-fashioned, most with a château seemingly drawn by a destitute artist from the nineteenth century possessing only a blunt pencil to draw with. In Bordeaux, a château simply refers to any winemaking enterprise - "a straggle of sheds," as Kingsley Amis puts it in On Drink, rather than an actual castle - but it devalues the whole Bordeaux brand when it's used with $10 bottles of wine. If Bordeaux is truly to compete with inexpensive wines from around the world, it needs to rethink its packaging as much as it does its quality.

A Ridge Pilgrimage

Since moving to California, I've made lots of new discoveries but just as excitingly I've visited wineries I'd grown to love back in the UK, especially Tablas Creek in Paso Robles and Au Bon Climat in Santa Barbara. This week I finally made it to another iconic California winery, Ridge. Based south of San Francisco, Ridge are most famous for their Monte Bello - one of the world's greatest Cabernet Sauvignon blends - but also make wines rich in California heritage from old Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Carignan vines (just to emphasise their attachment to California's history, Ridge continue to spell it Carignane).

pilgrimage

Visiting Ridge's property near Cupertino/San José really felt like a pilgrimage. The winery is at the top of a steep mountain, reached by a long, narrow road full of hairpin bends that takes twenty minutes to drive up. Wild, isolated, and nearly 900m high, rattlesnakes slide through the grass, vines work the hard, rocky soil, and the views of Silicon Valley reveal a different side of California's culture.

history

The Monte Bello property dates back to 1882, but its modern history started in 1959 when three Stanford graduates made wine from Cabernet Sauvignon vines planted in the 1940s - still the basis of the Monte Bello Cabernet. They were joined by another Stanford graduate, Paul Draper, as winemaker in 1968, whose winemaking philosophy involved as little interference as possible. As well as Cabernet Sauvignon, since the 1960s Ridge have made Zinfandel planted on the property in the 1890s as well as more old-vine Zinfandel from Geyserville and Lytton Springs north in Sonoma County.

The 1971 Monte Bello Cabernet was one of the California wines featured in the 1976 Judgment of Paris, the American wine that organiser Steven Spurrier thought most likely to win. Although it did not do so, the more professional 2006 reenactment of the tasting featuring the same wines saw the wine unanimously come top.

zinfandel

I love Ridge's range of Zinfandels - probably the best in California - most of them single-vineyard wines from old vines. They represent an older side of California far removed from the modern style of winemaking that has emerged, particularly in Napa. Ridge call their winemaking "pre-industrial," making wines that have as little chemical or technological influence as possible, as they would have been made in the nineteenth century. This is certainly reflected in the Zinfandels; there is a raw, rustic quality to the wines, with fruits ripe but wild, tasting like they have just been picked off the ground. The tannins are dry and gripping, rather than overripe, giving the wines a structure not always found in other juicy, alcoholic Zins. And each Ridge Zinfandel is quite different, representative of the climate and soils of the vineyard. To add further to the individual character, the Zinfandels are most often a blend, changing each year, using other historic grapes such as Carignan, Petite Sirah, and Mataro (an old California and Australian name for Mourvèdre) to structure the fruity tendencies of Zinfandel.

wines tasted

2013 Estate Chardonnay ($50)

Although Ridge are known for their red wines, they also make a small amount of Chardonnay. For the estate wine, the grapes are grown lower down the hillside. The wine goes through full malolactic fermentation and is aged in oak (most of it used and American) and is aged on its lees, giving the wine rich, full flavours of butter, yoghurt, and dill, but there's a pleasing floral elegance to the wine as well as integrated ripe apple, lemon, and pineapple fruits. ✪✪✪✪

2007 Monte Bello Chardonnay ($85)

In exceptional years, Chardonnay is made from the Monte Bello vineyard (otherwise the grapes go into the Estate Chardonnay). This was a magnificent, mature wine, its slightly oxidised sherry aromas gradually subsiding as the wine opened up. The wine still had a rich, full creaminess to it, but with a nutty maturity added to the floral aromas. ✪✪✪✪✪✪

2013 Geyserville ($38)

As Zinfandel should be, this wine is aged in American oak (20% new) and is a blend of several different grapes just like the wines of the nineteenth century would have been: 73% Zinfandel, 17% Carignan, 9% Petite Sirah, and that all-important 1% Mataro. All the grapes come from old vines on the same three vineyards planted on a 30ha site. Dusty, dry, chewy tannins give a defining structure to the fruity black plums, cherries, and berries. ✪✪✪✪✪

2012 Merlot ($50)

Serious Merlot is becoming all too rare in California, so it was pleasing to taste this wine. The cool vineyards on the mountain lend the wine firm, gripping tannins, rather than the ripe, lush tannins often associated with Merlot. Beyond the tannins, there are ripe blackberries and blackcurrants, and subtle floral, herbal aromas. ✪✪✪✪✪

2012 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($50)

This is one of my favourite, good-value Cabernets (good value by California standards). Equivalent to a Bordeaux second wine, the grapes still come from the hillside vineyards, not quite good enough for the Monte Bello - which still means pretty damn good. The 2012 is still young, with the tannins a little too aggressive and drying. It needs at least another five years, when the tannins will have softened and integrated with the intense black fruits and floral aromas. ✪✪✪✪✪

2011 Monte Bello ($165)

The cooler 2011 vintage makes this more approachable than young Monte Bello often is. The tannins are a little softer, allowing a more immediate appreciation of the floral, herbal aromas on the nose and the balanced black fruits on the palate. The Monte Bello (the 2011 is 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc) is one of California's most distinctive high-end wines. Aged in American oak, with a tender alcohol level of 12.8%, nothing quite compares to the delicate yet substantial, complex layers of flavours that the high-elevation vineyard produces. ✪✪✪✪✪✪✪

All this may seem like unthinking, gushing praise for the winery. After all, that's why one embarks on a pilgrimage: to give worship. Not all of Ridge's wines are without fault (while I was visiting, I had to explain why I didn't like the Buchignani Carignane that much) and I think they make a few too many Zinfandels (16). However, the overall standard of Ridge's wines are exceptional and the commitment to land and quality beyond reproach. Their best Zinfandels (particularly the Lytton Springs) are the finest California has to offer and the Monte Bello is one of the three greatest American Cabernets I have tasted. On top of a mountain overlooking the madding modernity of Silicon Valley and far, far from Napa, there is nowhere quite like Ridge.

Washington State

On a very wet afternoon, I visited three wineries in Woodinville, an area north west of Seattle where some of Washington state's major producers are based. As the cold, wet weather in mid-July suggested, this is not vine-growing country; instead, producers buy grapes from eastern Washington and make the wine closer to the crowds of drinkers of Seattle.

where?

The contrast between Seattle and eastern Washington could not be greater. Seattle is a green, hilly city surrounded by mountains and water, with active volcanoes just 90 miles away. Average rainfall is 45-50 inches a year, meaning that serious viticulture is all but impossible. East of Seattle are the Cascade mountains, a bleak, rocky range which break up the rain from the Pacific and create a very different environment beyond the mountains. Eastern Washington is arid, hot, and almost desert like, with rainfall as little as 4-8 inches a year.

Washington's wine industry has expanded hugely over the last twenty years; from 12 wineries in 1980 to 60 ten years later to over 700 today. It's now the second largest wine-producing state in the US, although California produces over 90% of the country's wine. There are eleven, and arguably too many, AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) for such a young wine region: the entire wine area is Colombia Valley AVA, within which the most important AVAs are Yakima Valley and Walla Walla Valley.

grapes

Washington produces wine from a huge variety of grapes, which is both to its advantage and disadvantage. Unlike Oregon and its Pinot Noir, Washington lacks a signature grape which consumers can identify the state with; at the same time, this allows winemakers a freer range of possibilities.

During the 1990s, Washington was most strongly associated with Merlot. In June 1991, the Washington Wine Commission met to discuss how best to promote the state's growing wine industry. They briefly discussed Cabernet Sauvignon before realising the futility of competing with Napa Valley, settling on Merlot, a grape little planted and largely unknown in the States at that time. Coincidentally, in November 1991 60 Minutes broadcast a documentary, "The French Paradox," which claimed that drinking red wine had health benefits. This led to the fashion for Merlot, which Washington was well positioned to take advantage of.

Despite its notorious fall from grace, Merlot is still the third most sold varietal wine in the US and Washington would arguably do well to reclaim its status as the best state by far for the grape, giving the state a stronger identity than it currently has. Washington Merlot at its best has ripe, rich red and black fruits, with a high acidity, and a coffee toastiness from the use of new oak.

The other black grapes that thrive in Washington are Cabernet Sauvignon and, increasingly, Syrah; there is great potential for Sangiovese and Tempranillo, though the American market remains addicted to French varieties. The most planted grape in the state, perhaps surprisingly for such a warm climate, is Riesling: astonishingly, Chateau Ste. Michelle is the largest producer of Riesling in the world (and that doesn't include the other brands it owns). Washington Riesling is made in a whole variety of styles of sweetness, but is recognisable for its stone and tropical fruits. Chardonnays are beginning to become less oaky and more balanced, while Washington's best whites are perhaps from less fashionable Sauvignon Blanc-Sémillon blends.

Tempranillo in véraison

wineries

Betz Family Winery

Bob Betz worked for Chateau Ste. Michelle from 1974, until establishing his own winery in the late 1990s. In the meantime, he became one of the most important exponents of Washington wine, both in promoting the wine outside the state and in defining the most suitable areas for planting. He's now the only Master of Wine in the US actually making wine. At 5,000 cases a year, production is small and focused on high-end Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

My visit focused on two vintages from two single-vineyard Syrahs, La Serenne from Boushey vineyard in Yakima and La Côte Rousse from Ciel du Cheval in Red Mountain. La Serenne 2010 was subtle and elegant, with juicy blackberries, light pepper, and a slightly dusty finish: just beginning to open up now, but with lots of ageing potential still. The 2012, which will be released in September, was too young but still indicative of the warmer vintage - earthier, thornier, with darker fruits. La Côte Rousse is a richer, warmer wine, from a hotter, sandier vineyard (though just 20 miles away). The 2010 was far more pungent than La Serenne, its smokiness almost peaty, with tobacco leaves, ripe blackcurrants, and sweet spices. Again, the 2012 is a little too young, but showing an additional, engaging floral character.

Delille Cellars

Just a four minute drive away are Delille Cellars, established in 1992. Many of their grapes are sourced from Red Mountain AVA, particularly from Ciel du Cheval and Grand Ciel vineyards, the latter established by the winery in 2001. Highlights included the Ciel du Cheval 2013 Roussanne, a complex yet immediate and refreshing wine - nutty and yeasty, with stone and tropical fruits. This is part of the "Doyenne" series, focusing on Rhône style wines, but it's Bordeaux blends the winery specialises in. The D2, named for the road which goes through the Médoc in Bordeaux, is their best-selling wine and is a good example of a Merlot-based wine from Washington, with black fruits, cedar, and a nice spicy finish. The flagship wine is the Cabernet Sauvignon dominated Harrison Hill from Snipes Mountain AVA. Complex, maturing flavours of tar and leather, smoke, black tea, and figs, as well as cassis and brambles, though with a subdued finish. A very good wine, but at a hefty $85. My favourite wine, though, was a white, the Chaleur Estate 2013 - a blend of 65% Sauvignon Blanc and 35% Sémillon. Cellared in the last three White House administrations, this is a complex wine that shows all the best of Bordeaux blends - oaky and creamy, smoky and toasty, with lemon, spices, and brioche, and a barnyard feel.

Brian Carter Cellars

Unfortunately, I missed the opportunity to meet winemaker Brian Carter, described to me as "the librarian of Washington wine," and didn't get the full story to his winemaking philosophy. All of his wines are blends, often quite unusual, taking advantage of the number of varieties grown in Washington, as well as growers' and winemakers' increased understanding of how to get the best out of the different varieties.

I did get to taste six of his wines. Oriana is a unique blend of Viognier (53%), Roussanne (32%), and Riesling (15%), which was aromatic, nutty, with a spicy finish. Together with the peach and nectarine aromas, this was a wine expressing, yet integrating, all three of the varieties. Tuttorosso 2009 is a super Tuscan blend, which seems to be how Sangiovese is most used in Washington. I was looking forward to this, but found it a little simple with smoky red cherries and light spices. The most interesting was the Corrida, a blend, which I can only assume is unique, of Tempranillo (62%), Graciano (12%), Merlot (11%), Cabernet Sauvignon (9%), and Garnacha (6%). Evocative of grilled sausages, with a peppery finish and dry tannins, this is a wine definitely doing its own thing, and no Rioja clone.

These are just three of Washington's 700+ wineries, but which give a good indication of the range and style of the state's wines. I hope to be back before long to taste more, but for now I'm off to California to explore the Golden State.

non solo Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo may be the most important grape in Piemonte, but there are plenty of others grown in the area, producing many different styles of wine. Here are some of those grapes, and some of the wines I tasted on my recent trip.

not only Nebbiolo: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Dolcetto, Merlot, and Moscato at Marchesi di Grésy

Arneis

Piemonte isn't particularly known for its white grapes, but there are plenty of them. Arneis is perhaps the most interesting. In the local dialect, "arneis" means "little rascal," which may explain its name as the grape is hard to grow and vinify. It used to be planted with Nebbiolo, as its strong flavours attracted birds away from the more expensive black grape, and it was also blended with Nebbiolo to soften it. After nearly disappearing in the 1970s, it's made a welcome comeback, though wines from the grape still aren't seen that often outside Piemonte. The wines are full-bodied but not aged in oak, with perfume and pear aromas.

Favorita

This is actually the same grape as Vermentino, a white grape grown elsewhere in coastal north-west Italy and the south of France, as well as Sardinia and Corsica (it's arguably at its best by the sea, where it takes on fresh, saline qualities). In Piemonte as Favorita, the wines are fragrant and mineral, fresh but quite full bodied. I had a glass with some gnocchi, and it had the acidity and full flavours to stand up to the tomato sauce. 

Moscato

In French, this grape is called Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains, and is one of the oldest and most important grapes in the world. It's one of the few grapes that actually smells of grapes, making its aroma extremely distinctive. In Piemonte, it's grown to produce two sweet sparkling wines, Asti and Moscato d'Asti. The reputation of Asti isn't particularly great, mainly because its heyday was the 1970s and 80s, but 80m bottles a year are produced of this sweet, low alcohol, fully sparkling wine. Moscato d'Asti is a superior wine with a lower level of alcohol (5-5.5%), slightly sweeter, and only lightly sparkling. Perfumed, floral, and fragrant, Moscato d'Asti is a beautiful wine for a summer's day and a bowl of strawberries. Even better, because of its low alcohol, it's always cheap.

We also tasted a late harvest Moscato from Marchesi di Grésy, L'altro Moscato 2007, a wine made only in dry conditions to avoid rot. A complex sweet wine that had spent three years in barriques, it had inviting aromas of orange peel, marmalade, and dried apricots, as well as honey and chestnuts.

International Varieties

A Nebbiolo-Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend from renowned Barbaresco producer, Gaja.

There are quite a few varieties not indigeneous to Piemonte also grown in the area. G. D. Vajra produce a delicious Riesling from vines planted in 1986. We tasted a very balanced Sauvignon Blanc from Marchesi di Grésy, who also make a very oaky Chardonnay. In the Monferrato DOC, Grésy make a mature, developed, and sophisticated Merlot - the 2007 is to be released in the coming months, and we were fortunate to taste it before it's been bottled. Piemonte winemakers are protective of the local grapes, but at the same time willing to experiment in small quantities with other grapes.

Dolcetto

Misleadingly meaning "the little sweet one," Dolcetto is mainly found under the Dolcetto d'Alba DOC. It's usually a straightforward, fruity wine, deep in colour with quite high tannins and low acidity - a combination which provides a challenge to the winemaker. It's normally designed to be drunk young, though some examples can age for around five years. Vajra's Dolcetto d'Alba 2012 was a good example of the grape - red fruits, floral, light, and ideal for a spring day. Their Dolcetto Coste & Fassati 2011 is more serious, from forty-year-old vines on two Barolo vineyards, with more tannins and spicy flavours, and more ageing potential.

Barbera

There are two appellations for the Barbera grape, Barbera d'Alba and Barbera d'Asti DOCs. The wines from Alba are darker and more powerful than the brighter, more elegant wines of Asti. Quality varies, but if the wine is aged in new barriques (which is more common than with Nebbiolo), it can produce wines with complex, oaky, spicy depth. Again, G. D. Vajra produce two good examples. The Barbera d'Alba 2011 had toast, smoke, and barbeque flavours, with spices and red fruits. The Barbera d'Alba Superiore 2010 was complex, from west- and east-facing vineyards, contributing finesse and power respectively. This had real structure and depth, with pepper and tobacco, dark fruits and smoke, but with a bright acidity. Another exceptional wine is the powerful, rich, oaky Barbera d'Alba Conte Tre Pile from Aldo Conterno, a renowned Barolo producer I wasn't fortunate enough to visit. The 2009 is as good a Barbera as I've tasted.

Brachetto

Brachetto d'Acqui is the red equivalent of Moscato d'Asti - low alcohol, very lightly sparkling, and sweet. As with the wine I tried in the photo below, it can also be made in the passito style - where the grapes are allowed to dry, which creates sweetness in the wine. Either way, Brachetto d'Acqui is a beautiful, vibrant red colour with aromas of roses and wild strawberries. It goes especially well with chocolate - how any meal should finish.

Barolo Chinato

An increasingly popular drink invented in the early twentieth century, this amaro is made from old Barolo wine. The name comes from the cinchona bark that's steeped in the wine, which is then infused with herbs, roots, and spices - each producer has their own recipe. When we were in Barolo, we visited the odd, but fun, wine museum; at the end of it, there was a Chinato and chocolate tasting. We only had time to taste one from Barolo producer Borgogno - herbal and bitter, it went well with dark chocolate.

In a region dominated by Nebbiolo, all these different grapes can get overlooked. However, because Nebbiolo is taken so seriously, it means that there are lots of winemakers with the know-how, experience, and enthusiasm to make very good wine from other grapes at more affordable prices. The severity and power of Barolo and Barbaresco are not for everyday drinking, but Piemonte has plenty of alternatives to offer.

Wax Seals/Bordeaux Amarone

You don't see them that often, thank goodness, and when you do it's usually those pesky traditionalists in Burgundy (especially with Crème de Cassis). They're a nightmare to open, particularly if no one's told you how to do it properly. When I've had the misfortune to encounter them, I've patiently hacked away before recoursing to violence. I'm talking about bottles of wine sealed with wax, a traditional way of ensuring that the bottle has not been tampered with. Completely pointless now, but, because they're traditional and they do look good, still used.

@bleuettextiles and I inadvertently ordered such a bottle the other night in a restaurant that shall remain nameless. The server showed us the wine and proceeded to start opening it. Two minutes later, I looked to see why she hadn't opened it yet and there she was, patiently hacking at the wax. As politely as I could, I told her the best way to open it was to pour some hot water over the wax to soften it. She shook her head, "I got it open this way last time," and continued hacking away. A few minutes later, another server came over to manfully show her how it was done. And proceeded to hack away, just as she had been doing. This time it was the turn of my sister to suggest pouring hot water over the seal. He shook his head, "I got it open this way last time." It took fifteen minutes for the wine to get opened and resulted in a tray full of bloody scraps of wax.

after the wax had fallen

I don't know how sommeliers are trained to open these bottles, but pouring hot water over the wine is quick and effective, and it can be done away from the table before presenting it. Another more aesthetically pleasing method is to heat the wax under a candle. Either way, once the wax has softened you can plunge the corkscrew through the wax into the cork and suddenly you have an open bottle without any mess.

I have two messages: to winemakers, please don't seal your wines with wax, and to waiters, listening to your customers can sometimes make your life easier.

the wine

Le Joker de Couronneau 2009 (15.5%)
After all that, and despite the bits of wax floating in my glass, the wine was sensational. We chose it for its uniqueness: a Bordeaux made in the style of an Amarone with, it turned out, just 800 bottles made. Inspired by "a chance tasting of some Italian Amarone," it's a smooth, supple wine packed with rich flavours. 100% Merlot, the wine had all the dried fruits (prunes and raisins) one would expect from an Amarone, but with the fresh ripe fruits (blackcurrants) from the grape, plus Bordeaux's characteristic oak, tobacco, and smoke. The only criticism I have of the wine is that damned wax seal.

worth the wait

Flight of Fancy: A Merlot Tasting

All of the classic grape varieties are haunted by cheap versions that can put a drinker off for years, but none has been dragged down quite like Merlot. It's seen as the wine drunk by those who don't really like wine that much - lots of juicy, jammy fruits and not much else - yet Merlot is a vital component in some of the world's greatest wines and without it the world of wine would be a much poorer place.

fa-fa-fa-fashion

More than any other black grape, the popularity of Merlot has been subject to the whims of fashion, particularly in the States. In 1991, a television documentary called French Paradox was aired in response to neo-Prohibitionist health lobby groups which equated all forms of alcohol with all forms of drugs. The documentary discussed the claim that wine, particularly red, was a staple part of a meal and good for the heart. This helped transform Americans' drinking habits, turning them from white wine and sweet rosés, and Merlot suddenly became the wine to drink. 

Unfortunately, this resulted in a lot of cheap, commercial Merlot flooding the market. By the time of Sideways (2004), it was all too easy to joke about, and dismiss, Merlot. Despite the supposed Sideways effect, though, Merlot is still the third most popular varietal wine in the US after Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The real joke of Sideways is that any wine connossieur knows that Merlot is one of the great grapes and only an unthinking wine snob would automatically place Pinot Noir above Merlot. It's just that there's a lot more cheap Merlot around than there is Pinot.

where it's grown

The heartland of Merlot is Bordeaux, where it is the most planted grape. On the Left Bank, where Cabernet Sauvignon is the most important grape, Merlot is needed to soften the heavy tannins of Cabernet and to give the wines some fruity structure. On the Right Bank, it often stands on its own, or with small doses of Cabernet Franc, in famous appellations such as St-Emilion and Pomerol, producing wines that don't need as long to mature as their Left Bank counterparts and are full of ripe red fruits. The wines of Pomerol are particularly fashionable - and expensive - these days because the expressive, complex wines drink young yet age well.

In Italy, cheap and cheerful single-varietal Merlots are produced in Veneto and it can form part of expensive Bordeaux-style Super Tuscans. The unheralded Lazio region around Rome is also capable of producing high-quality Merlot. At their best, Italian Merlots are powerful oaky Bordeaux-style wines with Merlot on its own, with other Bordeaux grapes, or with Sangiovese.

Washington State is the best area in the US for Merlot. In 1991, having decided there was no point in competing with Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, the Washington Wine Commission decided that Merlot would be "the Washington grape" - coincidentally just a few months before the French Paradox documentary was aired. The Washington wine industry boomed as a result, though with too many cheap, easy Merlots. Some great single-varietal Merlots were and are still produced, though as elsewhere I still think it's at its best as part of a blend with the Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc - and Washington produces some exceptional Bordeaux-style wines.

Chile produces wine from just about every major grape, but Merlot has been the most important in leading its boom in the last twenty years. However, a lot of the wine sold as Merlot has actually been another historic Bordeaux grape, Carmènere, or a mixture of the two. New Zealand has made its reputation on Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, but there are now many exciting wines coming out of the country from other grapes. Merlot is at its best to the north, particularly in and around Hawke's Bay.

what it tastes like

Merlot is a difficult grape to pin down. Its popularity, particularly in the US, is down to its"smoothness": that is, fruity and juicy and not really tasting of anything interesting, but at least it's good for your heart. More expensive and complex wines will have all sorts of flavours: strawberries, raspberries, plums, blackcurrants, and figs; cinnamon, cloves, and liquorice; game and chocolate. It all depends on where it's produced - a moderate climate like Bordeaux or a warm climate like Washington - and the aims of the producer - how much oak? single-varietal or blend? straightforward and juicy or complex and ageworthy?

 

what we tasted

My diploma starts officially on Monday, so I thought I would get in the mood with a flight of Merlot based wines. Although I knew what the wines were, they were presented to me blind, meaning I had to make an educated guess as to which wine was which.

Château Certan Marzelle Pomerol 2004 (Wine Society, £30)
There were three tell-tale signs that this was old school and not New World: the paler colour (medium ruby), the slightly lower alcohol (13.5%), and the high acidity. The garnet rim also suggested there was some age to it. Despite being nine years old, though, the fruits - plums, cherries, strawberries, and blackcurrants - were still fresh, ripe, and full of flavour. The grainy tannins, high acidity, and toasty oak all balanced perfectly. The spicy finish was long and lasting.
Verdict: outstanding. This wine is 100% Merlot - definitive proof that great wine can be made from Merlot on its own.

De Toren Z Stellenbosch 2010 (hangingditch, £30)
A really powerful wine and very different from the previous one. This time the proportion of Merlot was 55%, made up with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and a little bit of Petit Verdot. The oak was smoky rather than toasty, with lots of black fruits. There was also a minty herbaceousness to it, which I guessed came from the Cabernet Sauvignon but may actually have been the Merlot. Both this wine and the Pomerol could have done with decanting, as they both really improved as the night and following days wore on.
Verdict: very good. The alcohol was perhaps too high at 15% and the acidity not quite high enough, but this is an impressively expressive wine that will age for another five years at least.

J Lohr Merlot Paso Robles 2011 (hangingditch, £18.50)
The Pomerol was 100% Merlot, but given its subtle complexity you perhaps wouldn't have guessed it; with this wine, though, it was clear from the start. Lots of flavours, but all of them quite shallow: oak, cherries and plums, and cloves. There was also a greenness to it that at first reminded me of peas, but I eventually realised was underripe fruits.
Verdict: good. Simple flavours but lots of them; tannins lacking; not especially complex.

overall verdict

An outstanding wine, a very good wine, and a good wine: not a bad score for poor old Merlot. The tasting demonstrated how, rather than being a uniformly fruity, jammy wine, Merlot is capable of very different expressions in different areas, according to the winemaker, the climate, and the blend. I still think you need to choose a wine made from Merlot carefully, but if you do so, you will be surprisingly pleased by the complexity which you find in the bottle.