Wine & Words

New from South Africa...
 
Joostenberg Chenin Blanc (Paarl, South Africa)
 
Paarl, the land of the glistening mountainSouth Africa wine regions map
The South African wine district called Paarl is right at the heart of the Western Cape region. It lies at approximately 32० South Latitude, the same line as other great Southern Hemisphere winemaking regions - Mendoza, Argentina; Casablanca, Chile; and Barossa, Australia. This seems to be a sweet spot for fine wines, as 32० North Latitiude is where we find southern California, southern Spain and southern Italy. The name Paarl originated, according to legend in 1657, when Abraham Gabbema, an early Dutch settler led an expedition to search for the legendary treasures of Monomotapa. On the day that they arrived in the Berg River Valley, the granite boulders, towards the west side of the town, glistened in the sun after some showers. This inspired Gabbema to promptly name this mountain “the Diamond and Pearl Mountain” from which the name Paarl was later derived.
Joostenberg
The farm known as Joostenberg (YO-sten-berg) was bought by Philippus Albertus Myburgh in 1879 and ownership has remained in the Myburgh family since then. The Myburghs have been farming on Joostenberg for 5 generations and if all goes according to plan the 6th generation winemakers are currently frolicking among the old oaks on the farm. Mixed agriculture was practiced from the early days and wine and brandy was made on the farm in the early 1800's. In 1947 winemaking ceased and for the following 53 years grapes were sold to the local co-op. In 2000 brothers Tyrrel and Philip Myburgh resumed the winemaking tradition.
Tyrrel Myburgh has lived on Joostenberg farm his whole life and has been making wine there since 1999. Tyrrel is a bit of a Renaissance man with a BA degree from Stellenbosch University in Philosophy & Sociology and an Agricultural Diploma from Elsenburg Agricultural College. He has plenty of winemaking experience, as well, with overseas winemaking stints in Limoux and St. Emillion in France as well as in the Sonoma Valley in the US.
Chenin Blanc...with a touch of Viognier
Chenin Blanc originated in the uplands of France's Loire Valley (Vouvray) where it is renowned for long-lived white wines that have a fruity softness combined with a kiss of bright acidity and a hint of sweetness. It's no surprise that the French Huguenots who founded the Western Cape region made this their go-to white wine grape, and it remains South Africa's most planted grape.
About 50% of the grapes for the Joostenberg Chening Blanc were sourced from the organically farmed vineyards of the estate and the balance from vineyards in the area. On average those vineyards are about 25 years old, old enough for maturity but not sinking into dotage. The grapes were all hand-picked, gently pressed and the resulting juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks. 3 months after harvest the Chenin Blanc was blended with just 7% Viognier wine for that bit of spiritual elevation Viognier seems to bring to everything.
This wine has a puckery tang to it that might catch you by surprise at first sip. But sip it again to discover that this is a summer white that makes your mouth glad to be alive.
 
Boekenhoutskloof "The Wolftrap" 2009 (Western Cape, South Africa)
The Boekenhoutskloof farm was founded in 1776 in the Franschoek valley by French Hugenots (Franschoek means something like "French corner"), so it's not surprising that the Franschoek valley is the center of French-style winemaking in the Western Cape region. It's hotter than neighboring (and better known) Stellenbosch, more like the Southern Rhone. It also has more rainfall than other areas of the Cape and a wide range of soils.
As for the Boekenhoutskloof moniker: First, it's pronounced "Book-n-Howeds-kloof." Second, it means "valley of the Boekenhout"... which I have on website authority is a beech-like tree of the area that is used in the local furniture making industry. So now you know.
As far as ordering this wine at Back Bay Cafe or asking for it in our store, we'll just use the more pronouncable "Wolftrap." That name has a story, as well. Seems the early French settlers built a wolftrap to protect their sheep from harm. It appears to have worked. No wolves have ever damaged anyone...or been caught in the trap. Maybe those French Protestants brought their lupaphobia with them from the old country along with their winemaking skills.
There's nothing to be afraid of in this well-made wine. It's a Rhone-style blend of predominantly Syrah & Mourvedre with just a smidgen of oak-fermented Viognier to add some silky, flowery notes on the finish. Mostly the flavor is meaty and smoky, with notes of dark red fruits (it's hard to believe there's no Pinotage in this blend). It's a perfect pairing for the season's grilled meats. Be sure to try it.
 
And from Spain...
 
Eidosela Albariño 2008 (Rias Baixas, Spain)
One of my favorite white wines, and a perennial customer favorite toRias Baixasdrink with our indigenous seafood is Albariño from the northwest Galicia region of Spain. Unfortunately, some Albariño wines that get over here to the States are either cheap, bland affairs that give the grape a bad name or hugely expensive international style wines with lots of points and a price point to match. That's why I was so glad a couple of years ago to obtain the Don Pedro de Soutomaior Albariño from our Basque friend Andoni Uroz. Andoni grew up in a small town outside of Bilbao, Spain and he sells a small portfolio of Spanish, Portuguese and Chilean wines from his mobile office in Raleigh.
When Mary was last in the Triangle she was going to set up a rendesvouz with Andoni to replenish our stock of Soutomaior, but I got a call from her saying that the Soutomaior was no longer available but Andoni was recommending this new Albariño called Eidosela. Should she buy it? I said, "Certainly." Andoni is one of those few vendors whose taste I trust implicitly. So she brought us back a couple of cases and a sample bottle. I chilled the sample and Chef Yvonne and I drank it with enormous pleasure. ¡Muchas gracias, amigo Andoni!
Albariño
Albariño is the primary grape used to make dry white wine in the Rias Baixes (REE-us BYE-shuss) section of the Galicia region of Northwestern Spain. Considered by many to be Spain's premier quality white wine, Albariño is also known in Portugal as Alvarinho and often used as a component of Vinho Verde. Weather conditions in the Rias Baixes are generally cool, windy and rainy. Vines must be trained high and open to allow winds to dry them out and avoid the ongoing threat of rot, mildew and other fungal diseases (they certainly wouldn't like our downeast Carolina summers). As protection, Albariño grapes develop thick skins, contributing to their intense aromas.
Albariño wines are particularly suited to seafood due to their bracing acidity (Jancis Robinson calls it "razor-sharp."). But I think the seafood (especially shellfish) compatibility goes to the heart of one of the easiest rules for wine and food pairing - match wines from a region with the cuisine of the region. The Gallegos (people of Galicia) are renowned fisherman in the rough waters of the North Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay, as well as being inveterate collectors of the estuarial shellfish that inhabit the little bays at the ends of the rivers...the Rias Baixes. So Galician winemakers make wines to go with Gallician seafood. Though the tough skinned grapes wouldn't like our climate, the bright and friendly wine will love our shrimp and oysters and crab.
Bodegas Eidosela
Bodegas Eidosela is a co-operative, started in 2003 by seven founding members. By 2008 membership had increased to 25 and they bought the first piece of land (5,000 square meters...1 1/4 acres). There are now 60 members owning 45 hectares (111 acres) of vines which they hope to increase to a maximum of 60 hectares. The staff includes Jorge M Dominguez Hervella, one of the best winemakers in all Rias Baixas who supervises development in the vineyard and the winery. The first vintage was in September 2007 and first bottling in May 2008. Now you can come in to Wine & Words and taste this delicious newcomer.
 
Viña Gormaz Tempranillo 2007 (Ribera del Duero, Spain)
We've got several Tempranillo wines from Spain in our stores, especially from the Rioja region, but I was really impressed by this new one that Mary and I tasted at the Tryon Trade Tasting in Wilmington. I had a hard time pinpointing what I liked so much until I read that this Tempranillo is completely unoaked. You get the rich, dark fruit of the grape without any tampering or blending.
Ribera del Duero and Soria
Wine has been produced in this part of Castilla y Leon for thousands of years, but viticulture as we know it probably arrived in the Ribera del Duero region with Benedictine monks from Cluny in the BurgundyRibera del Dueroregion of France in the twelfth century. The Denominacion de Origen (DO) of Ribera del Duero was established in 1982. In 2008 it was upgraded to Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa) status in 2008, which made it Spain's third DOCa after Rioja and Priorat. The region is located around the lower stretches of the river, which later passes through the nearby Toro (home of our Dehesa Gago wine) and Rueda (home of Basa and the much-missed Las Brisas) regions before traversing the famous Portuguese growing areas of Douro and Porto, where it drains into the Atlantic Ocean.
We are very pleased to introduce this Tempranillo from Bodegas Gormaz. A former cooperative, this recently-privatized company controls the majority of vines in Ribera del Duero's Soria province, the highest and least exploited of the region's subdistricts. Remaining just outside the focus of major commercial development, the vineyards here have not undergone restructuring, being for the most part 50 years of age and older and commonly propagated from vine to vine in the prephylloxeric "promiscuous" manner.
This is an excellent wine at a very reasonable price, and it will, like all Spanish wines, pair very well with a wide variety of foods. But try it on its own, so you get the flavor profile of true, straight-up old vines Tempranillo.