Wine & Words

Ironberry Chardonnay Viognier (Western Australia) Everyday Low Price $9.95
We’ve been carrying the Ironberry Cabernet Shiraz Merlot for several years now. Its jammy, easy drinking fruitiness and extraordinarily low price have made it a customer favorite.  “Got to get my Ironberry.” Now we add a white blend to our shelves, and I think it will get just as keen a following. 
 
The wine is a blend of Chardonnay, the most widely planted grape in the world, with one you may not have heard of… Viognier (vee-on-yay). Viognier is a white grape from the Rhone region that was almost extinct except in a small appellation called Condrieu, where it is a specialty. Like Malbec and Carmenère, the somewhat neglected red blending grapes of France that have been given star status in Argentina and Chile, Viognier is becoming a bit of a specialty with winemakers in such diverse regions as South Africa, California’s Central Coast…and Australia. 
 
As is typical in Australia, the Chardonnay is done unoaked, bringing out the ripe fruit characteristics of the grape. Then the Viognier adds some flowery notes and hints of ripe peaches or apricots. It’s a very pleasant combination that is sure to catch on among our customers. Now when someone comes into the store saying, “Got to get my Ironberry,” we’ll have to ask, “White or red?”
 
 
Acrobat Pinot Gris 2008 (Eugene, Oregon) Regular Price $16.50, Feature Price $13.20
 
We reviewed the King Estate Signature Pinot Gris last August and, with its clean, organically raised fruit, it was very popular. But at $21.75 a bottle, it’s pretty pricey. This Acrobat is the “second label” of King Estate, which means either that the grapes are not as mature as those in the premium bottling or the yields were higher (lower yields usually mean better quality), or maybe the winery just has a lot of wine and doesn’t want to flood the premium market. Whatever the reason, second labels are often very good values, and the Acrobat Pinot Gris is a fine example of that. Wine Spectator magazine gave this wine 90 pts, and I say it’s well deserved. The wine is fruity & rich, not as fat and honeyed as the French (Alsace) style pinot gris or as minerally as the northern Italian pinot grigio (same grape, different language). It’s somewhere in between, which makes it a delight on its own or when paired with a wide variety of food. As you would expect, this wine will be a great companion with seafood, but I think it would also go well with roast poultry, baked ham, garlic mashed potatoes…you see where I’m going here?
 
You’d better grab this wine while you can. Our distributor tells us the word is out on Acrobat, so the supply is getting short.
 
 
Line 39 Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (Lake County, California) Regular Price $16.50, Feature Price $13.20
 
The emerging Lake County AVA is north of the better known San Francisco Bay area regions of Napa and Sonoma and just east of Mendocino. Most of the Lake County wineries are around the shore of Clear Lake (the largest natural lake in California), just outside the southern end of the Mendocino National Forest. Given this great location, it’s no wonder we liked the wine when we tried it. It’s not as assertive as some Napa cabs. Rather, it has an easy softness, with enough depth to be truly present without monopolizing the conversation…or the meal.
 
But what’s with this “Line 39” thing? The bottle says, “Lake County is located on the 39th parallel. Many of the great wine growing regions of the world are found along this line.” Really? “Great” as in Bordeaux or Tuscany? Turns out not. I got out my old atlas (lines of latitude haven’t changed much over the years) and followed the 39th parallel. It does go through Valencia, Spain, one of my personal favorite areas of the world. But the local wine regions of La Mancha and Utiel-Requena aren’t exactly the first to come to mind. Likewise, when the 39th runs through Italy, it sees the toe of the boot…no wine regions here. It’s also the border between North and South Korea…but I don’t think we get any great wines from there. Anyway, the wine is really good, but the marketing is…well, American hype. But I’m sure you’ll remember the name.
 
 
Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone “Les Deux Albion” 2007 (Rhone, France) Regular Price $27.75, Feature Price $22.20
 
I was excited about this one when Jeremy Overman, our Country Vintner rep, brought it to the Back Bay Café one afternoon. Mary had already tasted it earlier that day at the Washington store, but she never lets on what her choices are until after I commit. So the bottle had been well breathed and, as he often does, Jeremy had saved it for last. I tasted it and wrote one word on my notes sheet – “Lovely!” I then took the glass back to the kitchen for Chef Yvonne to try. “Mmmm. That’s yummy!” Later when I talked with Mary to compare notes, she said, “I knew you’d like it!” Later I found that the Wine Advocate’s Robert Parker agrees with all of us locals. He gave the wine 90 points and called it “sensational.”
 
What’s not to like? This is classic southern Rhone, a blend of 40% Syrah, 30% Grenache, and the rest equal parts Mourvedre and Clairette (a white grape that is often blended in Chateauneuf-du-Pape). The Domaine de Saint Cosmes (sant comb) is near the village of Gigondas in the heart of the Southern Rhone region. The winemaker, Louis Barruol, is the 14th generation Barruol to make wine at Saint Cosme. Talk about tradition! The Chateau was built in the late 16th Century on the site of a former Roman villa, and the remains of a Roman wine cellar, carved into the stone of the hillside, still exist in the chateau’s caves. There are 37 acres of vineyards and the vines average 60 years of age.
 
This wine has a deep, fruity flavor I think of as “grapey/plummy.” It will pair extraordinarily well with ham or pork tenderloin done with some sort of fruity sauce. And it will go equally well with roast birds of any kind. I’ll probably put aside a bottle for the little two-person Thanksgiving feast Chef Yvonne and I will have. But at this price, you could afford to feature it at a much larger table.