Reviews of wines and spirits for the curious drinker.
A winemaker, Nicole Walsh of Ser Winery, recently recommended a wine to me. And I thought, “If a winemaker recommends someone else’s product, it must be worth seeking out.” That wine? Hedges Family Estate Red Mountain Syrah.
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Brian Carter Cellars
“I came into the field 
of wine [at a young age], not because my parents were wine drinkers, but because I was given a microscope when I was 12 years old. I heard about these things called yeast, and I wanted to see what they looked like under a microscope. I was told if you want to look at yeast you have to start a fermentation. So I picked some blackberries, fermented the wine, took a sample, and brought out my microscope — and there they were — the little yeast. I’ve been having those yeast work for me ever since.” — Brian Carter
A charming tale of a precocious young scientist, no? There was just one small problem: before he got to actually inspect the yeast, during a robust fermentation that first blackberry wine exploded in his mother’s kitchen. “There was a big stain on the ceiling for a couple of years, until it finally got painted,” Carter admitted. History hasn’t recorded whether that chore fell to Carter or someone else. Continue reading “Brian Carter Cellars”
Altolandon Rayuelo
Bodega Altolandon is located in Landete, Spain, in the country’s east-central region. The estate covers 120 hectares (296 acres), and is at 1100 meters (3600 feet) altitude at its highest point.
It is this altitude that Altolandon believes is crucial to making their wines unique and special. At this height, the temperature range is greater, warmer during the day and cooler at night than lowland vineyards, making for a slow and prolonged maturation.
All of Altolandon’s plots are grown organically. Prevailing winds clean the air and vegetation is free of pesticides. Soil fertility is maintained only with natural fertilizers.
Altolandon grows a wide selection of grape varieties. Reds include Bobal, Malbec, Syrah, Grenache, Merlot, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. Whites encompass Chardonnay, Muscat, Petit Manseng, Viognier, and Grenache. The planting density is 4,000 plants per hectare (2-1/2 acres), forcing the vines to compete and thus obtain smaller, higher-quality grapes.
The wines are made in stainless steel tanks to extract as much color and flavor as possible. The skins are kept in contact with the must for about two to three weeks under controlled temperature. Fermentation is done spontaneously, without added yeasts. Temperature during fermentation reaches a maximum of 26º C. (79º F.). Once initial fermentation is finished, the wine is pressed and goes into an assortment of new and old 225-liter French oak barrels, where it undergoes a secondary malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged for between eight and 24 months, depending the type. Finally the wine is bottle aged for no less than eight months before distribution.
This Spanish red is 80% Bobal (from 60-year-old vines) and 20% Malbec and Monastrell (from 15-year-old vines). Bobal is a dark-skinned wine-grape variety native to Utiel-Requena in southeast Spain. Despite its relative obscurity, it is one of that country’s most-planted grape varieties behind Tempranillo and Airen.
The wine was fermented in stainless steel using all-natural yeasts, and then aged eight months in French oak. The high-altitude grapes produce a wine with a nose redolent of red fruits, generous blackberry and dried-cherry flavors, and good acidity.
Enjoy this with Spanish Meatballs with Almond Sauce, Pot-poached Spiced Chicken, or Beef Tangine with Prunes.
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Marius Wine
Languedoc-Roussillon (often called “the Languedoc”) is a historical coastal region in southern France, extending from Provence to the Pyrenees Mountains and the border with Spain. It’s now part of Occitanie. The area is a major wine producer, with Vin de Pays d’Oc and sparkling Crémant de Limoux among its best-known varieties. The regional capital, Montpellier, is home to a well-preserved medieval quarter.
Clos du Bois Wine
Although it sounds French, the Clos du Bois [klow doo bwa] winery is definitely American. Clos du Bois was founded in 1974 by Frank Woods, who planned on simply naming his new winery “Woods Vineyard.” His children, who were studying French at the time, suggested “Clos du Bois” instead, which loosely translates to “enclosure in the woods.”