by Patrick Ogle

Can Feixes is a crisp refreshing white from Penedès Spain. There are a few tastes that you see written but here? You can taste some of them--straw for one. Now, that sounds like some sort of BAD flavor but it really isn't. Think of being in  a fresh field of straw on a fall day and the scent--not so much the sensation of having a mouth full of straw!

There is more here too. There is melon and maybe a little lime here too. Ive read others say "green apple" but I don't get that. You, however, might. It is super dry and minerally as well. It apparently grows in rocky, mineral soil which may account for this. There is also a hint of pepper and maybe some hints of the herbal.

The wine is  a blend of parellada, macabeo, chardonnay and malvasia. The first two grapes make up 72 percent of the wine with chardonnay making up 20 percent and malvasia 8 percent.

Can Feixes was founded in the mid 1700s and covers the some 400 acres or so in Penedès. Penedès is one of the finest wine growing regions in Spain--after perhaps Rioja and Priorat. It is also a wine-growing region of long standing; it might be one of the oldest regions in Europe. There is indication the Phoenicians brought vines to the area.

The area grows mostly white grapes (a contrast with nearby Priorat to be sure). Penedès produces the Spanish sparkler, Cava, as well. In fact, Penedès produces the vast majority of Cava (over 90 percent).

$13-15

by Patrick Ogle

Puig Priorat's Vinedos de Ithaca Odysseus 2009 garnatxa blanca is from a region mostly known for its reds.  This, however, is a white wine you can refer to as "substantial." It has body and oak to it (the oak is not overwhelming). There is a hint of fruit. I first thought lemon but citrus isn't quite right here. Perhaps some sort of white plum or something with a barely perceptible hint of tartness.

I kept thinking--is it a persimmon? A white plum? Possibly white raspberry? I gave up on the conjecture and drank some more wine.

It has a nice acidity, high alcohol (over 14 percent) and has hints of vanilla. Vanilla is a common flavor for wines that have been aged in new oak barrels. The wood makes this wine what it is. (aged how long)

Joseph and Silvia Puig are a father and daughter wine making team apparently infatuated with Greek mythology--so much so they name their wines after heroes. There are a number of different wines named Akyles, Penelope and, obviously, Odysseus.

Unusually they have a number of white wines; these are made from garnacha blanca and pedro ximinez. The reason whites are unusual for a Priorat winemaker is that 96 percent or more of the grapes grown there are red. While their pedro ximinez is a solid wine it is this one that will really stick with you.

Priorat produces some of the greatest wines in Spain. It is a wine region with a rather severe landscape and temperature. Grapes really have to work at it and yields are low. Low yields often mean great wines.

Puig's red blends, by the way, are spectacular, especially the Odysseus.

by Patrick Ogle

Broc Cellars Love Red 2014 uses Carignan, Valdiguié and Syrah to make a light and lovable red wine.

This definitely made me thing Beaujolais when I sipped it. The blend has a very grapey taste,  you might say jammy if that didn't conjure up images of hugh bodied, big alcohol wines like Northern California petite syrahs and zinfandels. This is not one of those; this is a light fruity wine with a nice acidity and not much in the way  of tannins. When I say fruity I am thinking mild red fruits, the aforementioned grape and blueberry perhaps. There is also some sort of "spiciness" that I cannot put my finger on. This is subtle.


Love Red is  75 percent carignan, 14 percent valdiguié, and 11 percent syrah. Carignan was once planted extensively in California and there has been something of a revival. When you think of carignan as a varietal, stand alone, grape you generally think of quite tannic wines (we've talked about tannins before but they are a component in wine that give a sort of drying sensation in the mouth). This wine isn't only carignan but it is a high percentage yet it is NOT exceptionally tannic. Innovative winemakers find ways to make old dogs do new tricks.

Valdiguié is also an interesting choice. The grape is little seen outside Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. In the not too distant past it was confused in California with gamay (of Beaujolais fame). It was less than 20 years ago that this was shown to be false. Nonetheless the grape being confused with gamay is pretty good indication the two have  similarities. The wine is rounded out with syrah. An unusual blend to be sure.

I've been neglecting reds over the summer months but decided to jump back in. This is a good place to start. Broc Cellars  doesn't make tons of this wine (or any of their wines) so if you want to try it? You need to grab it fast. It might be best to just go to the source and get it on their website.

$18-25

by Patrick Ogle

Robert Sinskey Vin Gris of pinot noir was a wine I discovered accidentally. An old boss decided to open a bottle so everyone could try it. As soon as I took a sip I said "@#$% you!" because I knew I was buying a bottle.

This light, elegant rose pinot noir has something just short of effervescence, a crispness from dissolved CO2. It definitely calls to mind strawberries and finishes with a hint  of acidity. It is a nice rose for a hot day--a commonly statement about light crisp roses. Remember that when someone says something has a fruit flavor they are not necessarily referring to sweetness but other parts of the fruit's flavor. This wine is dry as a bone.

I don't always think of what food to have with a wine but here I couldn't help thinking of having this with some light fair--cheese (nothing to stinky) and dried fruits. I wouldn't want to fruit to be too sweet or too acidic. This is a wine to serve cold. 

"Is this sweet?" is a common question aimed at a bottle of rose. Perhaps this is because the wine is pink and pretty and just SEEMS like it should be sweet.  Perhaps they are recalling days of yore when white zinfandel ruled the grocery store shelves. Sweet roses, however, seem to have gone out of fashion these days; they are rare birds.

This is a Carneros pinot noir and if you can find a bad wine from there I will eat my hat.

$24-28

Richter's Mülheimer Sonnenlay Riesling Brut 2008,  is a sekt made from riesling. This is a sparkling riesling. The first thing that often comes to mind with riesling is "sweet." While there are many sweet still rieslings (and I assume sparkling as well) this one is brut. Riesling is commonly used to make sparkling wine in Germany but it is less familiar to Americans as a sparkler.

As noted this wine is dry. Brut generally means less than 12 grams of sugar per liter. Extra brut is driest followed by: brut, extra dry, sec, demi-sec and doux.  This sekt has fine bubbles and a bit of that oily, petrol-y feel you get from rieslings. There is a hint of bitterness in the finish. It is made from ice wine, grapes left on the vine until they freeze.

This is a unique dry white sparkler. I couldn't name its fruit as I drank. In fact, I finished the whole bottle before I came to any determination. This seems like a pretty solid endorsement regardless. There is perhaps something of the apple in this wine, almost a reminder of some fine ciders.  Maybe a hint of some sort of mild stone fruit but  fruit  isn't this wine's most important feature.

The name "sekt" denotes a sparkling wine from Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and occasionally the term is may be applied in sparkling wines from other areas (although perhaps not officially). This wine is labeled "Deutscher Sekt" so all the grapes are grown in Germany.

In many cases grapes are imported to make sekt. Another thing to note about sekt is that much of it is made using the "charmat" method rather than the traditional method (as is done in Champagne). This wine uses the traditional method. There is, by the way, nothing wrong with the charmat/tank method; some fine wines are made using it.

A number of sources say nearly 90 percent of sekts use imported grapes and the charmat method meaning this wine is something of a rare creature in that. It is also a sparkler that stands out in it's price range.

$15-16

by Patrick Ogle

Broc Cellars Love Rosé 2014 will truly make you love rose (if you don't already). The first thing I thought about this wine was how pleasant it is to sip on a hot day. A little later I thought; "This wine is the reason I love wine." It is more than just smell and taste. A wine like this makes you think and thinking is part of enjoying wine. It isn't just about getting boozed up.

I thought "strawberry" first then rejected that notion. Next I thought "cherry". But even here I am not quite sure (I confess I had something of a cold). There are things you might find contradictory--a round softness that shares space with some crispness. The first sensation of "sweetness" (it isn't really sweet) is the fruit. It makes you think of sweetness-- in this case a scary mythical red fruit like cherry candy (with no sugar).

See how confused this wine made me? I am making up fake fruit.

How does a rosé have this much going on? Maybe it is the unusual grape choices--white grenache gris, zinfandel and barbera. This combination is part of what makes you think; is that taste from the barbera? Sure the grenache is predominant but a little zin goes a long way! Keep in mind grenache gris is not grenache blanc but a mutation of the red grenache grape. Barbera is, of course, one of the most planted red varietals in Italy and it is planted with some frequency and success in California.

This is what I love about wine. I am still trying to figure out this rosé. I may go through two or three bottles before I come to any solid conclusion and I will have fun doing it. This kind of depth in a rosé, to me, is what makes a good or great wine--keeping in mind the context; this is an under $20 bottle of wine.

Broc Cellars wines are  excellent, unusual and moderately priced. I have yet to taste a bad one. The make numerous fun, unusual blends but they also make varietals of note. They recently released a rosé zinfandel that was a tribute to the white zinfandel of days gone by (even though it didn't taste like it at all). White zinfandel has been credited with saving the zinfandel vines of California. Red zins were not popular back in those days and the vines might well have been replaced with more lucrative plantings had white zinfandel not taken off.

These folks think about their wines and it shows. Broc Cellars wines are always, ALWAYS, fun. This rosé is trendy, elegant and unique. If you see it grab a bottle.

$17-20

by Patrick Ogle

Chignin is  a white wine made from the jacquère grape. Haven't heard of the grape? Neither had I but this grape, from the homeland of fondue, Savoy, is unique and well worth a taste. Savoy is in France near the Italian and Swiss borders.

Charles Gonnet's 2014 Chignin is a light fruity wine for something from the old  world. It smells and tastes like bananas and other tropical fruits like papaya or guava. The wine is dry but the fruit will make you think "sweet."  There may even be residual sugar but if there is it isn't a LOT of sugar.

This is one of those rare wines where saying it has a "banana" flavor is accurate. It also has some acidity that balances the fruit and sugar. I have also seen melons and pears in the description? But maybe these folks don't get to the tropics much.

It is refreshing and something I would drink with a spicy dish. Then, of course I would prefer to drunk everything with a spicy dish.

The jacquère grape is grown mostly in Savoy but it can also be found, in small amounts, in the Condrieu area and Switzerland. Savoy wines are often made from grapes rarely grown outside the area.

These grapes are hand harvested and aged for six months on "fine lees." This is also a fairly low alcohol wine at 11.5 %.  This Chignin is a wine with a nice price, less than $15.  Break out the fondue!

$14-15

by Patrick Ogle

Cleto Chiarli E Figli's Lambrusco is a nice lightly sparkling red with a slight hint of vinegar. Forget super sweet Lambruscos you may have had. This one is a treat without sweet. It smells like candy and tastes like strawberry and maybe some light raspberry. It has a slightly bitter and dry finish. There is minerality lurking just under the surface here as well.

I was told to drink it with spicy Chinese or a pizza with hot peppers. This was solid advice.

The fruit  is balanced by tartness and that hint of bitterness. The acidity really makes this wine work. Some folks think acid is a bad thing but it is a component of wine that is essential to a balanced wine. This lambrusco is certainly that.

Lambrusco's are often derided but the fact that many are not particularly good doesn't damn ALL of them. At 11 or 12 percent alcohol this lambrusco is a bit higher alcohol from many I've had (cheaper versions). Of course, wines that are dryer often have higher alcohol content. Lambrusco is the name of the grape and the wine. Often in Europe a wine is named after the place. Lambruscos come from Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy in northern Italy.

The wine's top is a little different from your normal sparkling but it isn't too taxing on the brain; just pry the attaching bracket off(while keeping a hand over the cork) and then pop as usual.  Have that spicy pizza ready! This moderately priced gem cries out for a nosh to go with it.

$12-14

by Patrick Ogle

Good Harbor 2012 Chardonnay is a high acid wine from the Leelanau Penninsula. Michigan and chardonnay are not words you usually associate like
"Florida" and "sanity" or "cuisine" and "Arby's". This is not to dismiss Michigan wines; there are excellent rieslings, cabernet francs and even gamay from the wolverine state.

But chardonnay?

I was suspicious but I suppose it is cold in Champagne.

The acidity in this wine is high--and indeed this may be the wine's most obvious characteristic. I recall a tiny, infinitesimal sweetness here but the more I think about it I might have come up with that based on what I was eating.

I had to really taste this to get at the fruit. There is a lemony hint without any hint of sour. It is more like the flavor of lemon zest. The acidity here, however, doesn't have a citrus feel.

It has some minerality. The wine is one both chardonnay drinkers and non-chardonnay drinkers may like. There is something almost French about this wine. Maybe this has to do with the winemaker letting the location determine the taste. Maybe it is the aging in neutral oak or the high acidity.

There is this prejudice against chardonnay which has always struck me as odd; chardonnay is an incredibly versatile and forgiving grape. A Chablis is different from a Northern California chardonnay and there are limitless variations of this example. Conversely wines from vineyards that are neighbors can be quite different. This isn't getting into all the wonderful sparkling wines made from chardonnay, Champagnes being only the most obvious example.

Good Harbor chardonnay is 12 percent alcohol (says even lower on the website).

This isn't going to make you pour your Montrachet down the sink?  Nor is it going to make you swear off Northern California chards. For $14-15 it is, however, a fairly solid wine. Keep in mind this is only if you are ok with the high acidity (which left me wondering if Good Harbor had any plans to make a sparkling wine).  The problem they have is that there are a large number of good chardonnays in this price range.

$13-15