Heat Wave Wines
Heat, heat, burning
heat,
Melts the soles
under my feet,
Look at this! It’s
kinda neat:
I’m frying an egg on
the street!
Looking for
delicious ways
to temper, soothe
and cool the blaze
and chill throughout
this summertime?
Well, looky here
folks, I have wine:
Rippon Mature Vine Riesling 2016, Central Otago, New
Zealand
I’ve been waiting
for this wine to arrive for a couple months, if it’s as good as the 2015 then
this may be my unofficial Wine Of The Summer. The vineyards around Wanaka Lake
enjoy a more temperate climate than the rest of the South Island’s Central Otago
region, and the Mills family takes advantage of this extra heat by letting the
35+-year-old Riesling vines get a bit of extra hang-time – though not to the
point of Botrytis. Organic and dry-farmed, the crushed grapes are left on their
own lees (from indigenous yeasts) for over 3 months, adding more comforting
texture than a shag-carpeted van filled with bunnies and hair-dryers. Green
apple, honeysuckle and beeswax abound. The ever-so-eensy-weensy off-dry finish
(hey, you deserve it) is tempered by a sobering streak of tartaric acid,
striking the right balance between Disneyland and the Dewey Decimal System: it
can keep for a decade and get a good education but it’s hella fun right now. 94
points Robert Parker, 3 cases available, $49.99 +tax
Chateau Le Puy Rose-Marie 2016, Bordeaux, France
A Rosé that isn't.
Ever wonder why the Brits call Bordeaux “Claret”? I’m gonna tell you anyway:
because it wasn’t this colour when they named it that. Back when the marriage
of Henry Plantagenet and Eleanor of Aquitaine joined Bordeaux and England to
form the Angevin Empire, the wines of Bordeaux weren’t red, they were a deep,
electric pink, just like this rare offering from Chateau Le Puy’s
winemaker/shaman/nut-bar Jean-Pierre Amoreau. The 13th Century English had
never had a steady supply of good wine before, and they excitedly named this
dark Rosé “Claret”, after the intense “éclair” of colour. Over subsequent
centuries the wines reddened and darkened but the name stuck, even as the
original Claret style passed into legend. But did it? Mr. Amoreau, already renowned for his
pre-20th-century methods and style, makes this robust, floral, beautifully
rustic throwback by running off Merlot juice during fermentation (saignée
method, for those taking notes) and keeping it in old oak for almost a year.
I’m loathe to use the term “natural wine”, but this wine fits the bill: no
added sulphites, no pesticides, farmed by horse – to my knowledge the only
electricity involved is in the bottling. I’ve even heard stories of Jean-Pierre
running through his vineyards on a full moon to ward off evil spirits (I guess
it worked, though, as this wine contains no evil spirits). Try the Claret that
started it all (and serve at cellar temperature, not fridge-cold) 2 wooden
cases available, No Evil Spirits, $78.49 +tax
Passopisciaro “Contrada P” 2015, Sicily, Italy
Need a summer fun
buddy? Meet Nerello Macalese, an expressive, light-bodied grape that thinks you
should totally break up with Pinot Noir because Nerello is prettier, more fun
and will love you way more. It’s true, the wines are way friendlier and filled
with a joie-de-vivre that the studious Pinot often lacks, but the catch is that
you have to move to an active Volcano, because Nerello Mascalese is only grown
on the slopes of Mt. Etna. This Cru (Contrada) called Porcaria (P) is widely
considered to be the best vineyard on that slope: the thin layers of hardened
lava crunch under your feet and the extra light reflected off the Mediterranean
gives spunk and ripeness to the Nerello grapes, even at the sky-high altitude
of 2100ft. Brilliant red fruits abound here, swirling with baking spices and
quinine, the ripe 2015 vintage boosted the body and the powerful, time-bomb
finish. This is Etna royalty, the Queen Of The Volcano, and I’m stoked that
it’s finally available. 94 points Wine Spectator, 4 3-packs available, $118.99
+tax
Stay cool out there,
folks, and Happy Drinking!
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