Scott Bilbro, one of Chris’ 4 sons, who took over the winery explains about this wine “The sum is greater than the parts. It was inspired by the old field-blend blocks and cooking with his (Chris) friends. It put Marietta on the map and has been a great connector.He’d blend on the hoof for a particular meal. Used Zin as the base at around one year old and two-year-old Syrah and three-year-old Petite Sirah.“
At a time when blends were making way for single varietal wines, something many still regard highly, California’s real treasure trove lie in the heritage vineyard sites of unheralded locales.
Old Vine Red is a proprietary red wine made to replicate the field blends of many of the above mentioned vineyards in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Predominantly comprised of old vine Zinfandel, this iconic label offers year-in-year-out pure fruit, a supple mouth feel and a rich, solid structure.
To get to these grapes, a strong bond had to be made, and that was Chris’ strength in the early days, fostering relationships with meals and simple hand-shake agreements.
“Deep ruby-purple in color, the NV Old Vine Red Lot 71 has bright black cherry on the nose, with accents of fresh tobacco leaves, wood smoke iron and potpourri. Medium-bodied, grainy and fresh, it has spicy, mineral-laced fruit and a long, lifted finish.” Erin Brooks, 94 points
Sweeet wines were the most prized tipple in the 19th century, often costing more then the highly regarded chateaux of Bordeaux. Most regions, depending on the location, over time learnt to create specialty wines with names we might not be familiar with. Those producer’s range, will likely include a sweet wine – meaning not fermented dry, from either white or red grapes. In areas along Europe’s coast, sweet wines often are made by arresting fermentation by adding distilled spirits (fortification). Regardless of the technique, these wines with residual sugar – dessert, sweet, or stickies, can be some of the longest lived wines with highly complex aromatics that surely mesmerize ones senses.
In our selection today, we suggest five easy drinking off dry and sweet wines that can be enjoyed chilled as an aperitif, with savory or spicy dishes, plus of course cheeses and desserts. They are crafted, but do not undergo complex or long processes that can be make them very expensive. Since natural grape sugar remains in these, the wines often have lower alcohol degrees. Below, we describe the wines from easy and fruity to more sweet or complex.
Braida Moscato d’Asti Vigna Senza Nome 2020, Piedmont, Italy
Often called the day-time Champers for its light alcohol, measuring a mere 5.5% ABV; this grapey, juicy and aromatic wine shows frothy orange blossom, rose and musk. Deliciously effervescent. thb 890; special @ thb 750
Domaine Aubuisieres Vouvray Plan de Jean Moelleux 2015, Loire, France
The great food-friendly Chenin Blanc from the Loire still could be more widely known and can be found bone dry, off dry, very sweet or also made into complex Cremants. The Moelleux here describes a wine that “is sweet, soft, tender, smooth and mellow”. Something for on its own, or with Blue and Hard Cheeses, or also moderately spicy or salty dishes. 12% ABV. thb 1,300; special @ thb 1,100
From a warmer side valley off the steep-sloped Mosel landscape is this textured and layered Kabinett wine. In this warmer vintage, the German Kabinetts could be confused with a Spatlese by ripeness and sugar levels. Gorgeously juicy and subtly creamy. 9.5% ABV. thb 1,200; special @ thb 1,000
Hofgut Falkenstein Riesling Spatlese Euchariusberg Kabinett 2018, Saar, Germany
The lightest and most transparent among German Rieslings, this Saar late harvest captures the grape’s slatey minerality with ripe, intense and concentrated aromatic profile. Long lasting flavors, and also a good distance runner for aging to gain complexity. 8.5% ABV. thb 1,400; special @ thb 1,100
Julien Schaal Altenberg de Bergheim Grand Cru 2017, Alsace, France
The pride and joy of the village of Bergheim is this Altenberg Grand Cru, known and celebrated for greatness since the 12th century. Julien Schaal is well connected to a large estate owner, and can sell organic Riesling and Gewurztraminer for this complex cuvee. 13.5% ABV. thb 1,400; special @ 1,100
António Madeira-Produtor de vinho no Dão Cr Niepoort Projectos
Portugal is remarkable for finding value and offers wines of character from indigenous varietals. Even if the Douro has cemented itself as the oldest demarcated region in the world, their red wines only became more familiar about 20 years ago. So how can one compare them to the reds of the Dao?
Photo Cr Os Goliados
At the more premium end, the Douro can be powerful with fine tannins, and the Dao shows comparatively softer with plenty of refreshing acidity. As with all Portuguese reds, except for the fruity styled, these will age extremely well.
The granitic outcrop and pine tree lined region of the Serra d’Estrela is were Antonio Madeira came home too. To resuscitate neglected vineyards is ambitious, but can be achieved as a side project. The initial vintages were made in his parent’s vacation home, and within a few years the promising wines were so well received, he made it is calling and relocated the entire family to focus on micro-parcels and historic preservation of vines well above 100 years old.
Granitic soil Cr Indigo Wine
Antonio cultivates over 20 plots across multiple villages, totaling 6 hectares of vines. Ferments and ages them now in his own winery producing around 6-7 cuvees each year. The wines are medium to full bodied, dark toned, energetic and perfumed, finishes spicy with plenty of layered fruit. We tried this over multiple days opened and the wine keeps on getting better at this stage. A blend of Tinta Pinheira, Negro Mouro, Tinta Amarela, Baga, and many more varietals, farmed biodynamically and aged for 18 months in neutral barrels. Alc 14.5%
Chris Mercier of Wine & Spirit IQ will host this zoom tasting on Thursday August 26th – starting at 630pm.
He will share general content about the tiniest of French appellations, and cover the following 5 wines from Stephane Tissot’s stable:
Chardonnay Patchwork 2018
Arbois Savagnin 2016
Poulsard Vieilles Vignes 2018
Trousseau Singulier 2018
and Pinot Noir Sous La Tour 2018
To register please email: marketing@winegarage.asia. The price including some Comté cheese will be thb 1,650 per person and the tasting kit of 5 x 60ml bottles will be delivered during the day of the event.
It’s hard to believe that bottles from this region rarely made an appearance outside of Galicia until the 1990s. But once restaurants in London and New York got a taste for these thirst quenching and aromatic dry whites wines, there was no holding back.
Dr. Guenther, a Wine Garage partner visited Eulogio, the professore among the ever increasing number of producers, in 2018, and witnessed why Eulogio has the native Albarino in his genes. His vineyards lie about one kilometer away from the ocean, thus refreshed by the wind from the sea, and the high trellised pergola vines help aerate against mildew. Several generations of experience in this area cannot be fast tracked.
Eulogio told Guenther “the problem with Albariño is that the message has been ‘drink young, drink young, drink early, drink young’ for the last 20 years. But the best thing with Albariño is to make wines that last.” Their old vine and great healthy soils make Albariños that are not only the best white wines of Galicia, but potentially in all of Spain.
Over the years, many myths regarding Albarino was spread, among them “that this grape originated in the Rhine valley or was brought by French Cistercian monks on pilgrimage from Cluny in the 12th century. Today scientists at a research institute in Galicia have debunked theories and confirm it was cultivated from wild strain and has been in the region since Roman times” (Guardian Aug 2020).
We recommend to try this fresh, mineral and balanced cuvee, and if you enjoy it, later opt for their single vineyard wines, which will delight when around 5-7 years old. These are a world class act in line with the best Chablis, Muscadet and dry Rieslings.
Luis Gutierrez of Robert Parker “The eponymous 2019 Zárate is their entry-level Albariño, a vintage with structure and acidity, still very young, a powerful vintage with more of everything and probably a long-distance runner. It’s varietal and clean, characterful, powerful and with a long, tasty finish, vibrant and almost salty. 64,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2020.” – 92 points
We are too far apart, and don’t know the full story of the family feud during his last year’s of life, so will only focus on the legacy of his prime during the 1980-1990s.
Spanish wine, and yes also food, wasn’t popular, and this one man’s mission made a great impact, at the same time when American wine critics began to move markets. Alejandro’s foresight to develop vineyards not only in Ribera del Duero, but also Toro and La Mancha, eventually created a behemoth with other agricultural products and a hotel.
Today’s preferred wine style has moved to the fine-boned, elegance, perhaps also lighter, but we find in these classics, the truth about soil and people in this western part of Spain. It is the combination of the scorched earth, the power of tannins, and the intense fruit profile that takes as back to the old days, when wine was made for the people.
These are wines that need time, something many don’t have, or perhaps also no space to keep for maturation. It is therefore even more particular to have such a jewel ready to drink at a reasonable price. Salud Alejandro. You will always be remembered.
In 2014 we began representing different domaines from Chateauneuf du Pape in Thailand. Understanding the sizeable region of over 3,000 hectares and 180 wineries, offers a varied range of styles. Along with Laurent Charvin, we choose the cuvee Quartz from Le Clos du Caillou and later added Jean Royer and also Roche Audran.
The Papal wine claimed the first AOC back in 1932. Since then, throughout the world the crested bottles has been synonymous with French wine history and grandeur. According to The Wine Cellr Insider “Le Clos du Caillou dates back to at least the first part of the 20th century in the Southern Rhone Valley. However, the modern era for Clos du Caillou began when it was purchased in 1956 by the Pouzin family. The domaine was managed by Claude Pouzin until 1995. At that point in time, Sylvie Pouzin, the daughter of Claude Pouzin and her husband, Jean-Denis Vacheron began to run the estate, taking Clos du Caillou in a new direction. Tragically, Jean-Denis Vacheron died in an accident in 2002. Sylvie Pouzin took over managing the estate from that point forward. While the property has a history in Chateauneuf du Pape, the reason there are no great older vintages, or any older vintages for that matter is simple. Until 1993, they sold the majority of their harvest to negociants. From that point forward, they began bottling and selling their own.”
Le Clos du Caillou has plots scattered across the plain, and grows mainly Grenache and Syrah on sandy or limestone as well as rocky soils. The entire range consists of 10 different Cotes du Rhone wines and 5 from Chateauneuf du Pape. In their vinification the team uses stainless steel tanks for the white and rose wines and wooden and cement tank for the reds. Aging takes place in foudres and in oak barrels during one year and more, in the underground cellar, built in the safres, with a natural temperature (13 to 15°C). Foudres and demi-muids composed the maturing cellar. Bruno Gaspard along with the cellar team experiments as well with amphora.
The sole wine, that has a different approach is this Esprit Nature. It does share the same texture and purity, but has been raised solely in tank, and bottled early before the next spring. The grapes come from the same organically farmed vineyards, aged around 30 years. Yields are ridiculously low at 20L/h. Throughout harvest and winemaking and prior to bottling no sulfites added. The resulting wine issmooth, concentrated and fresh.
To find imported produce from a far in Bangkok, isn’t that difficult. As the F&B industry is a core attraction for locals and visitors, these quality minded specialists have established themselves and offer also home delivery. Additionally our restaurants delivery posts from mid 2020 and early 2021 are here and here.
EL MERCADO
Specializes in in cheese, cold cuts, seafood and wine. Main restaurant and grocery in Pai Singto, with branches in Suan Plu and Sukhumvit Soi 35
Offer 20% discount on all the products Delivery is Monday to Friday from 9.30 am to 6.30pm and Saturdays from 9.30am to 1.00 pm Offers dairy, confiserie, conserverie, condiments, vegetables and fruits
We do know and have occasionally tried a vin gris. But in hind sight, perhaps have taken more note of the Californian Vin Gris being offered, than ordering the original French version in a wine bar. Rosé wine, especially from Provence has been growing almost exponentially, but how does vin gris fit in?
Poolside at Siri House
Vin Gris can be made from any red grape. Important is the pressed juice does not spend much time on the skins to extract color, as well as phenols and tannins. Hence the wine is lighter than your typical rosé, and also drinks much fresher. In this northern climate, very close to Champagne, even the red wines are lighter, thus making this salmon colored Gamay-Pinot blend by Camille Migot a delicious and minerally wine choice.
Photo Cr: L’est Republicain
The serious organic farmer, is the 13th generation of this small domaine, and is starting to gain attention abroad. Their line up includes a superb sparkling wine – traditional method – as well as a fresh and juicy Gamay and bright Pinot Noir. The Vin Gris though is unique and the poster child of the small Cotes de Toul appellation.
Phot Cr: Estetique Homme
This is indeed a versatile wine for aperitif, summer salads and Asian fair. And since we took the poolside photo at Siri House, we would also advise to check out their online offering for delivery. Fresh dishes that will certainly go nicely with a Vin Gris. For details click here or call 094 868 2639
Wine Garage is delighted to present a creative culinary experience bringing rural Korat to life in a secret city hideaway. A 5 course chef’s table for those who seek the unexpected for Songkran.
The evening begins in the culinary props ‘kodang’ of a narrative food stylist. Where a sparkling wine accompanies the palette on a wild leaf tasting. An incidental “sumrab” set has been designed to create a foraging experience in MRMH Studio’s collection of curiosities.
This event is an auspicious nourishment of body & soul to welcome in the Thai new year. You may want to visit Mango Art Festival at Lhong 1919 during the afternoon, then head to Wat Arun for the sunset before arriving at MRMH Studio for dinner.
The one-off special evening is limited to 20 seats only; seating by individual tables. The experience commences at 630pm and price per seat is thb 3,900 net and payable with booking.
Tegernseerhof Gruner Veltliner Bergdistl Smaragd 2017, Wachau, Austria
PALETTE CLEANSER
Clear duck bone broth with pickled lime, shredded duck breast
MAIN SUMRUB
Pork and 2 style duck egg wild galangal five spice stew
Mild spiced ‘liang leaf’ paddy field herb soup with smoked river fish
Korat style stir fried rice noodle with pork belly
Mother’s grilled eggplant namprik with wild leaves & herbs
8hr Smoked BBQ Beef Ribs rubbed with ‘Pla ra’ Esan style fermented catfish & spices
Organic Esarn rice
Bruno Lorenzon Morgon Les Charmes 2017, Burgundy, France
DESSERT
2 types of Korat inspired seasonal fruit desserts with smoked ‘sticky rice forgets husband’ tea
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Mango Art Festival
is a 4 day art festival taking place at Lhong 1919. Visit the beautiful venue on the Chao Phraya River to see over 20 galleries exhibiting, plus local craft and handmade accessories from Thailand’s artisans.
