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Terroir al Limit's Historic Priorat Blanc (2015) Garnacha Blanca And Macabeo Blend Shows The Terroir Of Priorat From White Wine's Perspective

3/22/2017

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by Patrick Ogle

Terroir al Limit Historic Priorat Blanc (2015) is a rare white wine from Priorat made from garnacha blanca and macabeo.

It is rare not because either grape is rare but because white wine from Priorat is; five percent or less of the output in a given year is white. Priorat is decidedly red wine territory.

The wine has a deep golden yellow color and some serious acidity and tannins--a great deal of tannin for a white wine. Like other white Priorats I've had these are flinty and mineral with lots of stone and mineral laden rockiness. Indeed, minerality presides and fruit is just a supporting cast member here, although fruit is more apparent as the wine opens up with some air. There is a full, almost viscous, mouthfeel that is expansive and luscious. You get a bit of an "oxidative" sense too. This is the taste you find in sherrys. It isn't nearly as pronounced here-- it is quite subtle but it is there.

The wine calms down after being open for a few hours. It needs time to open up and you should give it time in a decanter. How long? I found that, even in the bottle, after opening and not in a decanter, it opened up a good deal within 2 or 3 hours.

You can taste something woody in the wine--this is likely because of whole cluster pressing since the wine sees no wood barrels. It is a wine that benefits from being open. Hints of white grape and maybe a little honey on the front end it almost reminds of tropical flowers. It isn't sweet but there is a hint of that honeyed scent of tropical flowers. There is also something of fruit rind here. It isn't exactly citrus rind but you get a "rindy-ness', especially on the finish. It finishes with bitterness. I started to think of ripe peach or apricot maybe as I went on with this wine. There is a lot going on here. I tried some on day two and it was still lively and had opened to a point where you get all the nuances and details. It may be that holding onto this wine for a year or two (at least) would reward your patience.

I had it with a Mediterranean plate which seems a pretty solid bet for food pairing--although this could certainly stand up to even bigger and richer foods.

This particular wine is 75 percent garnacha blanca and  25 percent macabeo. It is an expression of the place as much as it is of the grape. You can find out more from the producer HERE.

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Autocton White Blend, Xarel-Lo, Xarel-Lo Vermell, Malvasia De Sitges And Macabeu A Complicated Wine From Southern Spain

1/11/2017

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by Patrick Ogle

Autocton Cellers 2015 white blend is is xarel-lo, xarel-lo vermell, malvasia de sitges and macabeu (also spelled macabeo). These are all familiar grapes for lovers of Spanish whites. Xarel-lo and macabeu are in any case; the other two are grapes are cousins of  xarel-lo and malvasia. Xarel-lo vermell has a pinkish skin which is thicker than usual for xarel-lo. It also has higher acidity. Malvasia de sitges is a type of the ancient malvasia grape that has often been used in sweet wine production. It is one of many grapes that might easily have gone extinct (there are many out there now facing this oblivion). You can read a fascinating history of malvasia de sitges HERE.

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My first thought regarding the nose of this wine was “grassy.”  That is, however, dead wrong: the nose is more a whiff of a herb garden than mundane grass clippings. There is perfuminess here and floral hints. It is tart, zippy and is a lively wine that has so much complexity that it might beg some time before drinking. You get a feeling you are missing something in the various tastes and scents here.

It is a wine that has body and acidity. I thought it might be fruity but it isn't (where it is from might be warmer and warmer usually means fruitier). But this is xarel-lo. It is a rich wine with a bitter finish and, here on this site, I eschew terms like "mouth feel" but here you sort of have to write it--this wine has a full, luscious mouth feel to go along with that bitter finish. This wine would stand up to rich food too: heavy, rich cheeses but it is perfectly suited to just having a glass.
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Can Feixes Blanc Seleccio 2013, A Crisp, Refreshing White Blend From Penedès, Spain

9/25/2015

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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.

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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
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Cortijo III Blanco Viura (2012) Is A Wine You May Want In The Fridge This Summer, A Nice White From Rioja

5/1/2015

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by Patrick Ogle

Viura is a mostly Spanish grape varietal (you may also see it called Macabeo).  This particular wine, Cortija III Blanco, hails from Rioja, which is most known for its red blends.

Cortija viura is a fairly light wine with a slightly grassy taste and a lightly, for lack of a better term, astringent finish. It certainly has a bit of acidity.  If there is ever a wine that should have the word summer associated with it is this wine. It is a nice light wine without pretension and without a great deal of complexity. The label says the wine is “medium bodied.” Buy it, taste it and you tell me if it is medium bodied. This isn’t a knock. Light wines can be great.

It isn’t big, it isn’t bold it doesn’t have dozens of flavors roaming around in the glass but it is nice served super cold as the temperature starts to inch upward.  There is zero oakiness and the grapes come from 40 year old vines.  Since I look out the window in Chicago and finally see people not wearing jackets? This might be a go to wine even in the frozen north.

If the name of the varietal seems familiar it is one of the components of the Spanish sparkling wine, Cava. It is apparently used making a particular fortified wine (similar to a sherry or port).

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I am fond of telling a story about how, years ago; when I went to Spain I asked some Spanish friends “Can I bring you anything from the States?” They responded; “Yes bring us white wine, all ours is terrible.”

That WAS some time ago, of course, but when you think of Spanish wines it is still likely your mind wanders to red first. Things have changed though and there are Spanish whites worth your notice (and they are not all albarinos). Part of this prejudice against Spanish wines might be that the focus was on the reds and we didn’t see as much of the white as we have been over the past few years.

To make up for my slights against Spanish white wine we will be chatting about some others here soon. In the meantime this one is a pretty solid summer wine, especially for the price.

$10-13



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    WINE!

    There are thousands of wine grapes and many places that grow great wines. Why not find out about some surprising wines from surprising places?

    NOTE-Until recently I did not capitalize the names of varietal grapes (as a matter of style) but for a variety of reasons as of February, 2018 we will capitalize but I am not going back and altering the previous style!!!


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