Spring Greening
Spring is Marching in, with gusty winds and erratic temperature shifts and enough sun to herald the coming of white wine season. Global warming is freaky, and it is going to play pure HELL with winemaking. That’s my prediction, anyway. A few degrees hotter, on average, and the polar bears drown. Every last one of them. Then the grapes ripen unevenly. THAT, my friends, is Hell on Earth.*
Predictions of Armageddon doubtless are based on knowledge of humanity’s penchant for self-destruction. It’s all quite depressing. But perhaps I’m just feeling the effects of a sorrowful and challenging time in my own life. . .
Must be time to drink! And as I was just saying to my compadre Laura, white wines offer a hell of a lot of value, especially compared to reds. At a recent dinner, Laurie Lou contributed a delectable Benton-Lane Pinot Gris, the 2005 I think, or perhaps the 2006. Normally, I think of Pinot Grigios (the Italian name for the same grape) as light and relatively non-descript; summer sippers, and not much more. But shake yourself loose of the Santa Margherita mass advertising, and go get yourself a Benton-Lane PG!
The Benton-Lane Pinot Gris had nice structure and more body than I’m accustomed to with a Pinot Gris – and this is a good thing! It put me in mind of the New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, with its citrusy nose – what the winemaker calls “floral, pear, and white peach aromas.” Full of flavor and fragrance, pale in color, this dandy sipper is crisp and fruity, with a long, clean finish. It’s recommended with seafood and creamy pasta dishes, but it went just swell with our Mediterranean cuisine.
From Willamette Valley, Oregon, the Benton-Lane retails for $17 and drinks like it costs much more. What I find interesting is that Pinot Gris/Grigio is a natural mutation of the Pinot Noir grape. Apparently the Oregon climate is similar to that of Alasace, Italy and Germany, the other regions that have success with this mutated grape, which prefers colder temperatures – temperate summers and cool autumns (*see gloomy prognostication, above).
Another wonderful white I was lucky enough to try last month was the 2004 Cambria Chardonnay Katherine’s Vineyard, in the Santa Maria Valley of northern Santa Barbara County, near the Pacific. Like the Benton-Lane PG, this Chardonnay is medium-bodied, with a citrusy bouquet, and has a similar price. It’s a remarkably consistent wine, good year after year. It’s packed full of tropical flavors, and I like the oak and vanilla it exhibits. Yum! It’s lusher than the Pinot Gris, but like it is an ideal expression of the vineyard’s climate and growing conditions. Maritime influence, gravelly soil, extended growing season – all of this matters, apparently.
What else matters is that this wine is named for the proprietor’s eldest daughter. You don’t just slap your daughter’s name on something mediocre, not if you’re a self-respecting winemaker. Naturally, that means meticulous care. Quoting from the winery, “leaf thinning in early summer allows more sunlight to reach the clusters, facilitating even ripening and development of concentrated flavors.” Also “limited irrigation techniques and green harvesting” (whatever that means), along with fermentation in French oak barrels, and aging sur lies for eight months before bottling.
We appreciate the painstaking attention to quality, Katherine. Your pa has done you proud.
Predictions of Armageddon doubtless are based on knowledge of humanity’s penchant for self-destruction. It’s all quite depressing. But perhaps I’m just feeling the effects of a sorrowful and challenging time in my own life. . .
Must be time to drink! And as I was just saying to my compadre Laura, white wines offer a hell of a lot of value, especially compared to reds. At a recent dinner, Laurie Lou contributed a delectable Benton-Lane Pinot Gris, the 2005 I think, or perhaps the 2006. Normally, I think of Pinot Grigios (the Italian name for the same grape) as light and relatively non-descript; summer sippers, and not much more. But shake yourself loose of the Santa Margherita mass advertising, and go get yourself a Benton-Lane PG!
The Benton-Lane Pinot Gris had nice structure and more body than I’m accustomed to with a Pinot Gris – and this is a good thing! It put me in mind of the New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, with its citrusy nose – what the winemaker calls “floral, pear, and white peach aromas.” Full of flavor and fragrance, pale in color, this dandy sipper is crisp and fruity, with a long, clean finish. It’s recommended with seafood and creamy pasta dishes, but it went just swell with our Mediterranean cuisine.
From Willamette Valley, Oregon, the Benton-Lane retails for $17 and drinks like it costs much more. What I find interesting is that Pinot Gris/Grigio is a natural mutation of the Pinot Noir grape. Apparently the Oregon climate is similar to that of Alasace, Italy and Germany, the other regions that have success with this mutated grape, which prefers colder temperatures – temperate summers and cool autumns (*see gloomy prognostication, above).
Another wonderful white I was lucky enough to try last month was the 2004 Cambria Chardonnay Katherine’s Vineyard, in the Santa Maria Valley of northern Santa Barbara County, near the Pacific. Like the Benton-Lane PG, this Chardonnay is medium-bodied, with a citrusy bouquet, and has a similar price. It’s a remarkably consistent wine, good year after year. It’s packed full of tropical flavors, and I like the oak and vanilla it exhibits. Yum! It’s lusher than the Pinot Gris, but like it is an ideal expression of the vineyard’s climate and growing conditions. Maritime influence, gravelly soil, extended growing season – all of this matters, apparently.
What else matters is that this wine is named for the proprietor’s eldest daughter. You don’t just slap your daughter’s name on something mediocre, not if you’re a self-respecting winemaker. Naturally, that means meticulous care. Quoting from the winery, “leaf thinning in early summer allows more sunlight to reach the clusters, facilitating even ripening and development of concentrated flavors.” Also “limited irrigation techniques and green harvesting” (whatever that means), along with fermentation in French oak barrels, and aging sur lies for eight months before bottling.
We appreciate the painstaking attention to quality, Katherine. Your pa has done you proud.
Labels: spring, white wine
posted by Winetaster | 12:39 PM
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