Basic Juice - the wine blog for my generation

Waiting for Bronzinelle

Of late, Southern France has been a beehive of wine-related "activity."  A recent post by Christian at, "Turn the Screw," got me thinking about Garrigue and France's Languedoc region.  First, what does the term Garrigue mean?  Good question.  I take the answer from Mssr. Christian:

"When reading 'more established' wine journals, one will often come across the word 'garrigue', used as a descriptor for the wines of the Languedoc and southern Rhône valley. Literally translated, the word means 'scrub' but as it pertains to wine, it is meant to encompass the multitude of 'shrubs' that proliferate in this part of France i.e. rosemary, lavender, sage, etc..."

The Coteaux du Languedoc appellation is most definitely varied.  It's not a strict, practically fixed appellation like say, Burgundy.  It appears to function as an incubator for up-and-coming wine districts in the French Mediterranean south.  The Wine Doctor has a great guide to all things Languedoc.  My most recent taste of Garrigue and Languedoc is from Chateau St. Martin.

The Skinny
Chateau St. Martin de la Garrigue Cuvee Bronzinelle, 2001 ($19)

• From the Coteaux du Languedoc AOC
• Made from Syrah, Grenache, Carignane, and Mourvedre
• Moderate indigo in color with a rusty red rim
• Scents of raspberry, blackberry, vanilla (oak), and hints of wood & herb
• Medium-bodied in the mouth with fairly integrated tannins.  The flavor is surprisingly restrained with less fruit and more of a tomato/herb taste.  The finish feels slightly hot (i.e. lowish acidity and high-ish alcohol).  However, after 20+ minutes of breathing in the glass, the wine really begins to open up.  The vegetal flavors decrease, the wine feels more balanced, and offers a longer finish

***.5 (3.5 stars out of 5)

Patience and waiting are key for this wine.  Open it.  Pour.  Back away.  Come back in about a half hour and enjoy with an iron skillet steak & Belgian Frites

R. Pannier Muscadet Sevre et Maine

2003 Remy Pannier Muscadet Sevre et Maine ($9)
Clear, pale lemon fading to a pale watery rim. Slight petillance detected. Clean, youthful, medium intense nose of minerals, lemon peel, and a slight yeasty character. Dry, with medium acidity. Medium bodied, with light to medium intense flavors similar to the nose.  Medium alcohol with medium length and some lingering bitter acidity. Good quality, simple wine from the neutral Melon de Bourgogne grape, beefed up by the sur lie process. Wine is a bit fatter than average due to the warm vintage, and it should be drunk now and over the next 2-3 years to preserve its intended freshness and acidity.

For more WG tasting notes, click here.

the Top3, 23may-30may

   

1. Sangre de Toro is the Vatican's new hizzle wizzle.  My question is:  Will they be letting visitors keep the itty bitty plastic bull that comes with the bottle?
   
2. What about the children??  Lenn takes a "Prohibitionist" to task
   
3. The News at Vine; perhaps the most important fake wine news show you will ever see

In Memorium

Nothing young Americans can do in life is more honorable than offering themselves for the defense of their nation. It requires great selflessness and sacrifice, and quite possibly the forfeiture of life itself. On Memorial Day 2005, we gather to remember all those who gave us that ultimate gift. Because they are so fresh in our minds, those who have died in Iraq make a special claim on our thoughts and our prayers.

In exchange for our uniformed young people's willingness to offer the gift of their lives, civilian Americans owe them something important: It is our duty to ensure that they never are called to make that sacrifice unless it is truly necessary for the security of the country. In the case of Iraq, the American public has failed them; we did not prevent the Bush administration from spending their blood in an unnecessary war based on contrived concerns about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. President Bush and those around him lied, and the rest of us let them. Harsh? Yes. True? Also yes. Perhaps it happened because Americans, understandably, don't expect untruths from those in power. But that works better as an explanation than as an excuse.

Read the rest of this Op/Ed from the Minni. Star Trib here.

Lisbon

Lisbon, Portugal - oct02

Speaking of Portugal, try one of my favorite Portuguese wines - Campo Ardosa

News at Vine (a 'Daily Show')

Live from the Basic Juice Broadcasting Center in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.  It’s The News at Vine with anchor, Vin Vintner.

V. Vintner:  Good evening and welcome to News at Vine.  Tonight we begin at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.  The court ruled, in a five to four decision, to support interstate wine shipments directly from wineries to consumers. The High Court reasoned that state laws banning such shipments are discriminatory and, therefore, unconstitutional.  Plaintiffs in Michigan and New York are certainly pleased with this decision.  For more on today’s ruling, we turn to News at Vine Senior Legal Affairs Correspondent, Barry Cooper.  Barry, how does this decision affect wine enthusiasts in the state of Utah?

B. Cooper:  Thanks, Vin.  Today’s ruling by the Supreme Court does precisely bubkus for Utah’s wine lovers.  Sure, Utah could follow the sensible example of Nevada and Virginia and require out-of-state wineries to purchase a direct shipping license from the state, pay both excise and sales taxes, limit shipments, mark boxes, and consent to the jurisdiction of the state issuing the license.  But Vin, we must protect the children.  I mean can’t you see, kids are just waiting to order a $500 case of Pinot Noir from Wolverine Winery in Michigan?  They’ll order online, wait a week for delivery, and then uncork the bottles at a slumber party, washing their Cheez-its down with forty-buck-a-bottle wine.

V. Vintner:  Excuse me Barry.   Do you really think children will order wine online?  Wouldn’t it be much easier for an underage drinker to obtain alcohol with fake identification or through a friend of legal drinking age?

B. Cooper:  Vin, please don’t try to analyze this complicated legal matter.  Frankly, you’re not qualified.  Do you mean to tell me that little Jimmy would pay his older friend, “Frank” ten dollars to run into the Kwiki Mart, buy a forty-ounce bottle of Olde English Malt Liquor, and then guzzle it down behind the dumpster?  Vin, that seems far-fetched.  A minor purchasing fine wine over the Internet is much more dangerous.  As such, Utah should be vigilant in barring access to all out-of-state wineries.

V. Vintner:  That’s Brian Cooper, with insight into today’s Supreme Court ruling.  When we return, our very own “Veggie Vern” Reece Ling will help us pair wine with persnickety vegetables and herbs.

(Musical jingle) Veggie Vern knows pro-duce.  Veggie Vern knows wine too.  Veggie Vern knows what’s good for you..

V. Vintner:  Hello, Reece!  What have you got for us today?

R. Ling:  Hi, Vin.  Let’s talk raw garlic.  Who doesn’t love a Caesar salad with chunks of raw garlic?  And what about hearty, garlic-laden pasta salad?  Don’t you just love it?

V. Vintner: Reece, I must admit, I enjoy eating fresh tri-colored pasta salad with mounds of fresh garlic.  Funny, though, my Merlot doesn’t seem to sit too well with it.

R. Ling:  Oh Vin!  Don’t drink a fruity red with raw garlic.  Sip a chilled Sauvignon Blanc.  It’s the perfect foil to garlic.  Sauvignon Blanc is tangy and zesty.  Many also have great herbal and citrus flavors.  I recommend a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.  Try the 2003 Lake Chalice Sauvignon Blanc.  It sells for fourteen dollars.  You’ll adore it with garlic, onions, or even chives.

V. Vintner:  Thank you, Reece.  I’ll take a bottle home with me tonight.  Now, let’s turn to our wine critic, Roberta Parks.  Roberta, what wines are you reviewing this week?

R. Parks:  Hello, Vin.  We’re coming up on blockbuster movie season.  And what’s summer movie season without summer wine?  I raise one glass way up to a fabulous little white wine from Argentina.  It’s Bodega Norton Torrontes.  This wine is from the 2004 vintage, it will make a great house wine, and it’s only eight dollars.  Torrontes was a fairly anonymous supporting wine grape in Spain.  However, under the direction of Argentina’s climate and winemakers, it has become a charming wine.  My second summer pick is from a relatively unknown district within France’s famous Burgundy region.  This undiscovered district is called, Santenay.  Red Santenay wine is made from the current ‘It” grape, Pinot Noir.  My second glass is raised high for the 2001 vintage of Morey Santenay Passetemps.  At only eighteen dollars, you’ll be able to taste Pinot Noir, in all it’s subtle, deep, alluring glory.

V. Vintner:  Fabulous, Reece.  Both wines sound like winners to me.  Oh by the way, are the labels for these wines in English or are they in French and, uh, hmm, uh, Argentinian?

R. Parks:  Vin, the wine from France has a partially translated label.  And the Torrontes label from Argentina is all in English.

V. Vintner:  Oh great, Reece.  I tend to have a difficult time with foreign wine.  That’s it for us tonight.  Thanks for watching and please tune in tomorrow night.

(Ominous music; Barry Cooper’s voice) “Do you drink Pinot Noir?  Are you going bald?  Are you afraid of going bald?  We’ll explore the unsettling connection between baldness and Pinot Noir.  We discuss “Sideways” star Paul Giamatti’s purported affinity for Pinot Noir and his obvious baldness.”

V. Vintner:  Disturbing indeed.  Until tomorrow night…Cheers!

Rock. Howl. Wail.

Forget the caveat that Sleater-Kinney is a great 'girl' band.  S-K is a great band, period.  Have a listen to their latest release, "the Woods."  Really, gnarly rock music.

Christoffel "Ürz Würz" Riesling

2003 Christoffel Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese ($32)   
Clear, with a pale lemon green core fading to a pale watery rim. Clean, youthful, intense nose of slate, mineral, apples, citrus and white flowers.    Dry to off-dry, with crisp acidity to balance the high ripeness levels. Medium bodied, with an intense, juicy palate similar to the nose - green apples, zesty citrus and slate. Medium alcohol, with long length. Very good quality riesling from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, with zesty fruit from such a warm vintage. Flavors will integrate with a few more years, but tremendous ripeness and acidity will allow this wine to age for another 10-15 years.   

For more WG tasting notes, click here.

Friday Fluff Dry

"fluff dry only"

BFE Travel

Tree of Life - BFE (western UT)
see more BFE photos