by Patrick Ogle

Chardonnay may seem a little out of place on a website called "surprising wines." It might seem more appropriate on a site called "ubiquitous wines." Chardonnay is everywhere. Cheap bottles and blends for under $10 a bottle abound, as do well crafted high end wines. It would be easy to find a Chardonnay that cost more than my last car.

What makes this wine interesting is both the location, Oregon, and the approach used making it. It is a natural wine that recalls different versions of classic Chardonnay without being identical to them.
 
Many people will be able to identify this wine with a sniff. It screams Chardonnay. After so many years of smelling and tasting various Chardonnay I have lost the ability to describe this "scream" but I know what it isn't here--overwhelming oak and over done malolactic fermentation (which gives that buttery taste).

This Statera, 2016, Corral Creek Vineyard Chelahem Chardonnay, is a pure expression of Chardonnay with orchard fruit, a bit of peach and bit of pear overlaid with a strong acidity. Maybe some honeydew melon. One adjective
that kept creeping into my head while drinking this was "spectacular." This was one of those times where it was hard to not just enjoy the wine and dispense with description and comparison.

When you think of unoaked chardonnay you may think of moderately priced Chablis and other Chardonnay that can be stark and citrusy. You might describe this as having citrus and starkness but the wine also has body and depth. None of this wine's characteristics overwhelm the others. 

This wine was created, crafted with a clear philosophy. First off one ofthe winemakers, Luke Wylde, views oak as an additive. No oak at all here but still a wine with complexity. This is a wine that we hang the natural wine tag on but it is as much a throwback to winemakers who wanted wines to be a product of terroir. Terroir refers to the unique combination of weather, climate, soil, elevation etc in the area where the grapes grow. 

Oregan is, more and more, being seen as a Chardonnay region and one that produces a distinctive version of the wine. It isn't Northern California Chardonnay nor is it Burgundy. It is a different iteration.  Wylde and Meredith Bell are the brains behind this wine. They partly funded this project with a Kickstarter. This enabled them to hold their bottles for a year before release to the public. Often smaller producers are forced, for financial reasons, to release wine right away. The fundraiser allowed them to hold not just the first bottling but subsequent bottlings for that crucial year.

Find out more about Statera Cellars HERE.

by Patrick Ogle

Day Wines' Malvasia Bianca is wine from an ancient grape with a new address.  Malvasia is more a family of grapes than a single variety. The most common is this one, Malvasia Bianca, often found in Mediterranean countries. You can find out more HERE.

Greenery abounds on the nose here. It isn't grassy green but spring day in a wild field while biting into a crisp, green apple. When you  get past the green (nose and taste) you may get ripe pear taste. I did anyway but it took me awhile to put a name to it. Later, I added tart apple meets ripe pair. Perhaps demonstrating not just deficiencies in my palate but my grasp of the English language.

There is hint of something bruised here but not oxidation.  It isn't a light wine to me but it is still crisp with better acidity than I've found in some Malvasia's Ive had. This undergoes malolactic fermentation and spends time in a barrel. You can find out more HERE.  The bottle I had is NOT the 2019 (2018 I believe).
 
I also felt relief when Id written my impressions, for right or wrong. I just wanted to have another glass. I think ultimately that is the point isn't it? Wanting another glass. It doesn't mean the details do not matter. I had this with black beans and rice Id made. I thought it wasn't going to work together. But, of course, it did.

by Patrick Ogle

Charleville Vineyard's  Chardonel is a white wine with  lime and crisp greenery on the nose. The wine has solid acidity and hints of  green apple too. It is refreshing to drink on a hot day but it is also a nice wine to pair with food, even fairly rich food. Charleville Vineyards is in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, a town with a number of wineries nearby, lots of history and tons of bed and breakfast-type lodging. This wine is not some curiosity from a tourist area though, but  a quality every day drinker.

The grape is the child of Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc. It was created in 1953. Like the former parent wine made from Chardonel is sometimes oaked. This particular version is not.

Be sure to not think "Chardonnay" when you try this wine because it is not that. It is its own thing and has its own flavor profile.  Even so it will please Chardonnay lovers and this version will get some Sauvginon Blanc drinkers on board as well--especially lovers of French versions.

Among the hybrid grapes Chardonel has perhaps the best reputation. Even the skeptics say that high quality wines can be made with the grape. I also tried a version (from nearby Chaumette Vineyards) that was oaked and the wine handles oak well. That wine was bigger, with more vanilla and a hint of butterscotch. Hybrid grapes are crossings between European vitus vinifera grapes and any of a number of American grapes (or in this case? other hybrids).

Why were hybrid grapes created? Initially it was because Phylloxera was wiping out wine producing grapes around the world. Later it was to create grapes that were more cold hardy or that would grow in other areas wine grapes found inhospitable. In many cases these grapes have a dubious reputation but not always. We've dealt with reasons for grapes having dubious reputations before--it is often because few winemakers have really TRIED to make quality wine with them.

Distribution of these wines is iffy because our country has idiotic laws about wine distribution (usually written by big distributors with loads of campaign dollars to hand out). You may have to get into the area (or at least Missouri) to find these wines but it would be a lovely weekend trip.

by Patrick Ogle

BLANKbottle "Don't Look Back" Swartland (South Africa) Clairette has an orange flavor that  jumps out of the glass to your nose and when you taste.  I found this a little odd and had to taste again to be sure (and again and again). Initially I thought this was somewhat odd. It isn't unheard of but it is slightly less than an everyday wine drinking experience.

​​Orchard fruits make an appearance as well--pears or exotic apples perhaps. There is acidity here but it isn't "rip your face off" acidity. It gives this nuanced impression of roundness then the acidity taps you on the shoulder.

This is a complex little white wine. It is deceptive because it is fun and easy to drink. When you are tossing it back you do not want to think about it. It is like listening to your favorite high energy dance music. You just want to dance. You don't want to notice the song is about love and death and poverty and the various mysteries of existence. It also tosses in some minerality, a hint of stoniness and a dab of earthiness (but only a dab).

Ok, maybe I am putting too much on this Clairette. It won't end strife in the world but it is an excellent, interesting white.

Clairette is not widely grown but it is not endangered. There is something like 200 acres planted in South Africa. Various areas in the Rhone Valley and Provence (France) use the grape in blends. There are around 7000 acres grown in France. It is allowed in Chateau neuf de Pape and is also used in Rhone sparklers Clairette de Die and Cremant de Die. The latter usually featuers more Clairette. There are also Clairette sparklers from Australia and South Africa.

When you read about this grape you will see the usual disparaging remarks made about grapes that are not among the half dozen or so deemed to be "good grapes for wine."  You will read it is light, fruity and simple and, indeed, it can be that but it is not limited to that. This wine is fruity but it isn't super duper light. You will see the odd oft cut and pasted notion that it is low in acidity. This also CAN be true but isn't necessarily so. Most of the varietal versions I've had of this have had fairly high acidity and grapes used in sparkling wine generally feature high acidity. Jancis Robinson has a short (and to me) more accurate description of Clairette.

by Patrick Ogle

Pinnacle Ridge's Grunder Veltliner (2017) is made from an Austrian Grape that has found a new home in Eastern Pennsylvania.

This wine's nose is like a clear, crisp summer day right after a sun shower.

Yes, I actually thought that.

The smell is also lightly green and a tad astringent. The taste is quite, well, Gruner-like.  It is deceptive on the first sip because you get fruit and roundness before the bracing acidity smacks you in the face. There is stone fruit--like a ripe peach--here and maybe a hint of some sort of citrus. This wine compares favorably to  Austrian Gruners that cost about the same amount (around $18.99 retail, $13.99 from the winery). It has solid fruit, a sort of big mouth feel but also quite solid acidity, which is why this wine is so good with food.

The first time I had it was with Japanese food and it worked wonderfully. I confess I'd already had a few so I bought a second bottle to try out later. If anything my opinion of the wine rose. 

Pinnacle Ridge is a winery in the Lehigh Valley AVA in Kutztown in Eastern Pennsylvania. In addition to this lovely Gruner they produce an excellent 100 percent Chardonnay sparkler that retails around $25 and $19.99. Judging from this small sample size the winery is one to keep an eye on. One gripe with smaller wineries from states not generally associated with wine is price. Small producers often have to charge more but these wines are value priced given the quality. 

Of course my writing that this wine is "Gruner-like" above is a broad statement. I've had light Gruners that were fairly fruity and light on acidity, gruners that were sparse and super acidic. There are Gruners that are citrus-y or that taste 
like peaches. I've had a few golden-colored oak aged Gruners that should have been aged much longer than I aged them. Gruner can produce large yields. This sounds like a GREAT thing but with wine grapes? The more grapes the lower the 
quality.When growers go for large amounts of grapes they get a lesser wine. Likewise when the grapes are harvested makes a difference. Early harvest means less sugar and possibly more acidity. Find out more about the grape HERE. Gruner is grown all over the area of the former Austro-Hugarian Empire and, in recent years, is being grown in the Pacific Northwest.

It isn't all terroir (the land and climate etc) and grapes as some say. It is winemakers and Pinnacle Ridge must have solid ones.

​by Patrick Ogle

Castell D' Age (Penedes, Spain)'s Xarel-Lo is a still white wine mad from the premiere grape used in Cava, Spain's primary sparkling wine. Indeed, Castell D' Age is a producer of excellent Cava.

This is a tart, nicely acidic wine with medium/medium full body with  citrus fruit and green apples. Xarel-lo can have herbal characteristics but I did not really get that here although there is a hint of something floral in the wine.

This wine did call to mind how I have repeatedly heard that in Cava production, Xarel-lo is the "Chardonnay."  That is to say the highest quality grape. I could quibble with this given the wonderful Viura/Macabeo wines I've had but for the moment let's run with the notion.

In part I suggest this because this wine calls to mind moderately priced cold weather Chardonnays which isn't what I've had in past versions of Xarel-Lo wines. There isn't opulence here. There is Malic acid and lemon zest. It is a wine that has the power and acidity to cut through richer foods but also pleasant enough to drink on its own.

I picked this not necessarily to talk about it but to talk about Xarel-Lo in
general. This isn't a rare grape. It is, in fact, widely grown in Southern Spain. Several sources say that around 20,000 acres of the grape are grown in Spain. Yet, despite its being regarded as a high quality grape, it isn't on the shelves of every wine shop.

Why?

​One reason here is that a lot of Xarel-Lo winds up in Cava. Another is probably because we tend to drink the tried and true. Yet, with Xarel-Lo, even those wedded to wine orthodoxy can find a patron of the grape. So search it out. There are plenty of good examples.

by Patrick Ogle

Iago Chinuri is a dry Georgian white wine from the cradle of wine making. Georgia (the country, not the U.S. state) is in the Caucasus where wine making may have started.

There is honey, spice and melon on the nose. It almost smells like a sweet wine (even though it is  dry). I had the sensation of residuual sugar but if there is it is just a hint and it may be an illusion created by the honey flavor. There is a hint of bitterness deep in this wine which is part of why it makes such a good food wine. It also has a really big, viscous mouth-feel.  Mouth-feel means just what the term sounds like--how the wine feels in your mouth.

This would go well with spicy food. It has decent acidity but it isn't super high? I made something based on a Morrocan recipie (with nutmeg) and it worked fabulously. Middle Eastern food, Ethiopian food both would be good matches with this. 

When folks who know wine hear "Georgian wine" they think of orange wines. These are not wines made from oranges rather white wines that are produced using skin contact. Basically (and this is quite basic) red wine comes from skin contact. If you press the grapes and take the skins away? The wine is white regardless of the grape. With red skinned grapes the pressed grapes are left in contact with the skins to impart the "red" color. With white grapes the skins are usually separated but in an orange wine? The skins are left in like with a red wine. 

This isn't an orange wine. It doesn't have skin contact but you can really get how it would taste if it were. Iago produces an orange wine made from this same grape. 

by Patrick Ogle

Orealios Gaea "San Gerasimo" Cephalonia Robola (2017) has something green on the nose mixed with hints of floral. I swear this called to mind a field of wild flowers or orange blossoms. Maybe it is a little more subtle than orange blossoms. What does a lemon blossom smell like? I don't know. The wine is crisp acidic and minerally with peach and apricot in the mix.

As it warmed up the hints of herbal greenness came out more. I also immediately thought; "This reminds me of a sea breeze." I kind of discount this because I know the wine is from an island so my imagination might be running away with me. Imagination is, of course, a good thing, even when it comes to wine. Wine should spur the imagination.

This is a wine you could sit on the back porch and drink on a summer day. It would also be a nice wine to have with Mediteranean fare. I am not just saying this because it is Greek. It would be great with Greek food but also falafel. I kept thinking I wanted something with tahini sauce.

Robola is apparently grown mostly on the island of Cephalonia. I wasn't able to find out tons about the history of the grape--aside from some "they used to think it was related to this or that but now they don't." Ribolla Gialla was the mail grape that was thought to be synonymous or related. Again , apparently it isn't.

It certainly isn't a big abberration for Greek whites. It has unique qualities but has the minerality, acidity and hints of the floral you expect. As always? If you haven't heard of Ribola? Don't be afraid of it. You can get a bottle of this particular wine for under $20.

by Patrick Ogle

BLANKbottle's Orbitalfrontal Cortex (2016) is a crisp, tasty wine from South Africa that starts with a white grape juciness that gives way to acidity, followed by floral hints. I hate using the word "tasty" for some reason but I wrote it in my notes. I also wrote "I am not really sure what to say."

Of course I didn't leave it there.

The acidity on the finish sort of leaps up and smacks you. It perhaps seems stronger than it is because the first sensation is fruit--white grape juice or maybe melon is likewise boisterous. What you get out of this wine seems to change with every taste. Is it changing with air or am I just noticing different things? This is a wine you may need more than one bottle to sort out. It is peculiar but not in any way that makes it hard to approach. It is quite easy-drinking.

The blend is Clairette Blanche and Verdelho with smaller amounts of Palomino, Chenin Blanc and Grenache Blanc. To say this is an unsual blend is an understatement. Find more information on South African grapes HERE.

Clairette Blanche is a moderately common grape in the South of France (including Southern Rhone, Provence and Languedoc-Rousillon). Historically it has been used in making vermouth. It produces wines with lower acidity and often finds its way into blends with higher acid wines. It is one of the main varietals used in white Chatteau neuf de Pape. It is also used in sparkling wines. It is grown in relatively small amounts in various other places, including South Africa where there are less than 500 acres planted.

Verdelho is a white Portuguese grape grown both on the mainland and on the Madeira Islands. In the latter instance it is mostly used in fortified wines. It is also grown in Galicia in Spain and is making inroads in the New World in South
America, Australia,California and Virginia.

Palomino is the major grape used in making Sherry (Spain), Grenache blanc is grown extensively in France and Spain. Chenin Blanc is a native of France and is the signature grape France's Loire Valley. There are actually more acres planted of Chenin in South Africa than there are in its home country.

I haven't seen them all blended together before but this is probably because, as far as I know, they only grown in the same vicinity in South Africa.