In case you haven’t seen it yet, you might want to check out the November/December issue of Mutineer Magazine. This issue includes a column, authored by yours truly, about sparkling wines—just in time for the holidays. One of the wines included in this article is the Lucien Albrecht Cremant D’Alsace – Brut Blanc de Blancs.
“Cremant” is the name given to French dry sparkling wines that are not from the Champagne region, but are made using the traditional sparkling wine method. The full method is far to complicated to explain here, but one of the key differentiators is that it doesn’t go through CO2 carbonation.
“Alsace” is the region of France where this wine is made. So, “Cremant d’Alsace” basically means “sparkling wine from Alsace.” Alsace is considered by many to be one of the best white wine regions in the world, and it is one of my favorite regions. This wine is a great example of why.
This is a nice, soft and clean sparkling wine. Up front it has a slightly floral aroma, along with apple, fig and a touch of citrus. On the palate it’s creamy-smooth and delicious. It has a nice crisp apple flavor and a perfect level of acidity. Bubble-wise, I’d say it’s medium fizzy. The finish is a little on the short side, but that just means you won’t want to wait to take another sip of this superb sparkler.
Wine: Lucien Albrecht Cremant D’Alsace
Variety: Sparkling Pinot Blanc
Vintage: N/V
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 89
Price: $19.99
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
This past weekend I did a blind tasting with about 20 wines. They were grouped according to variety (i.e. all the Cabernet Sauvignon at once, all the Pinot Noir, etc.) There were a few surprises coming out of the tasting and this was one of them.
There are some brands that are seen practically everywhere and I admit that I have a prejudice against them. I think of them as “supermarket brands,” “bulk brands,” or “generic brands.” That’s why I do blind tastings, to help eliminate the prejudice and let the wine speak for itself. This is one of those brands that I had sitting in the tasting queue, but admittedly I wasn’t excited about. But I’m thrilled when a wine like this does well in a blind tasting because I know that it’s one that most readers can find just about anywhere they shop.
Forest Glen is one of many brands owned by cheap wine giant, Bronco Wine Company. Some brands in the Bronco family sell for as little as $2.00 a bottle, but this Forest Glen has a suggested retail price of $11.00. That said, you can probably find it on sale for under $10.
I tasted the Forest Glen alongside some other Pinot Noir that retails for more than double the price of this one, yet this was my favorite. And it not only did well in my tasting, but I invited some friends to taste the wine after I was done and this was a crowd favorite.
Powerful floral, raspberry and strawberry aromas give this wine an exceptional nose. The palate is beautiful with cherry, strawberry, and red raspberry blended with nutmeg-like spices. It’s well-balanced and the acidity and tannins are both right about where I want them. This is a very good wine.
I am simply amazed that this is from Forest Glen.
Wine: Forest Glen
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 12.8%
Rating: 88
Price: $11.00
Find Forest Glen Pinot Noir with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample. Another disclosure: I sometimes pronounce “Pinot” like “minnow” and I don’t know why… I know that’s wrong.
I’ll be the first to admit, that I’m not a big fan of sweet wine, outside of a few very well-done Botrytized wines. Nonetheless, I receive some every now and then and I’ll still review them for the benefit of those who do prefer sweet wine.
Although I’m not a big fan of sweet wines, there’s something about Muscat that I like. It’s floral and interesting, and if you ever have the chance to taste a Muscat grape you’ll notice that you find that same perfumed characteristic in the grape right off the vine, not just in the wine.
The first thing to strike me about this wine is a clear apricot aroma. I’d say this Moscato has the most pronounced apricot aroma I’ve ever smelled in a wine. There’s also plenty of honeysuckle and other floral notes. The palate is quite sweet, but the wine also has good acidity to keep it balanced. The flavors are predominantly apricot and peach, sweetened with honey. The finish is quick. It’s a good wine, but not extraordinary.
After I finished my tasting notes, I enjoyed this wine with some spicy pad thai and it was a great match.
Wine: Terra d’Oro
Variety: Moscato
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 11%
Rating: 83
Price: $16.00
Find Terra d’Oro Moscato with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
Washington State interests me more and more as a wine region, and I wish I saw more wine from that region on the shelves of my local wine shops. I expect that over time I’ll see more of it showing up in my mid-western locale.
I’ve previously reviewed the Bridgman Chardonnay, and I need to note again the potential perceived conflict of interest with this review as I have a business relationship with an online retailer from whom I may get paid if you happen to click the link at the end of this article and buy this wine. Nonetheless, I always strive to give my impartial opinion for any review I do… and this is no exception.
Cedar dominates the nose, but under it you’ll also find some cherry, black currant and smoky aromas. Give this wine some time to open up and it becomes much more interesting. There’s quite a bit of fruit on the palate, with dried cherries and currants. There’s a touch of coffee on the finish. The tannins are moderate, but not quite silky.
It’s a good wine at a reasonable price.
Wine: Bridgman
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol: 13.1%
Rating: 85
Price: $13.50
Buy Bridgman Cabernet Sauvignon at Barclay’s Wine. You can also purchase Bridgman Chardonnay as a part of a Washington State Wines Pack.
In winery years, Doña Paula is still relatively young, with it’s roots going back to just 1997. It was actually founded by Grupo Claro from Chile, owners of Viña Santa Rita, as they diversified operations into Argentina. You could say it was a good investment, as demand for Doña Paula wines has driven the winery to acquire additional vineyards and expand operations over their relatively young lifespan.
After tasting the 2007 Malbec, I’m not surprised that they’ve been so successful. I should note that Doña Paula released a few different Malbecs in the 2007 vintage, this one is from the Lujan de Cuyo vineyard.
This is a very nice Malbec. The nose has plum and currant fruit aromas with cloves and vanilla adding complexity. The palate is lush and fruity with lots of plum and cherry flavors. The finish adds a touch of spice to the experience. It’s a well structured and very enjoyable wine.
Wine: Doña Paula
Variety: Malbec
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 87
Price: $13.49
Find Doña Paula Estate Malbec with Snooth
Being as into wine as I am, I get into a lot of conversations about wine and I’ve noticed that there are a few names that come up time and time again. One of those names is Layer Cake, and that’s particularly related to their Shiraz. I meet people everywhere who are nuts about Layer Cake Shiraz. And ironically, I have yet to taste it.
In addition to Shiraz, Layer Cake also produce Cabernet, Primitivo, Cotes du Rhone, and Malbec, all from different regions of the world. Jayson Woodbridge is the force behind Layer Cake. He’s also the owner of Hundred Acre wines, a high-end wine label based in Napa that sells wines starting at about $250 a bottle (that’s not a typo). Layer Cake is much more affordable at $15 a bottle, and it’s still good wine. It’s actually produced by same team that makes the Hundred Acre wines.
Each Layer Cake wine is grown, made, bottled and labeled in its country of origin before being shipped to the US. So, this Malbec was produced in the Mendoza region of Argentina, just like every other Malbec I’ve reviewed.
One of the things I look for in a wine is intensity in the aromas. I would say that this Malbec has moderate intensity. While I’d like it to have a touch more intensity, it’s still interesting. It has a bit of a spicy nose, with black pepper, cedar and soy sauce. The fruit is there too, mostly cherry, but it’s not very powerful. However, the fruit comes to life on the palate, where it is downright jammy! Heavy cherry and blackberry flavors coat your tongue and stay there for a long, syrupy finish. At 14.9% ABV, the Layer Cake Malbec has the highest alcohol level of any of those we tasted for this series. It also may be the jammiest, so if jammy is your thing you’ll want to check this one out.
Wine: Layer Cake
Variety: Malbec
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 14.9%
Rating: 85
Price: $15.00
Find Layer Cake Malbec with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample. Another Irrelevant Disclosure: Long John Silvers is a guilty pleasure of mine.
It seems that in all the wine shops I visit, Don Miguel Gascón is the Malbec that I see everywhere. Perhaps that’s because it’s distributed by wine powerhouse, EJ Gallo. It’s named after the original founder of the winery, who moved from Spain to Argentina in 1880 and began building the winery in 1884. The winery was run by descendants of Gascón for over a century until it was purchased by a group of inventors in 1993, led by the Catena family—the same folks who make the Alamos Malbec, previously reviewed here.
There is only one type of wine that you’ll see with the Gascón name, and that is Malbec. In fact, unlike a number of other producers, they make only one version of their Malbec.
There isn’t much intensity on the nose of this wine. I gave it a while to open up and it’s still tight. Although it lacks intensity, the aromas are pleasant with jammy blackberry and a soft, dusty earthiness. On the palate it has much more concentration to the flavors than the nose would indicate. This is a big wine that gives loads of blackberry and plum flavors up front, leading into cocoa that carries into a fairly long finish. Fine tannins and sufficient acidity give this wine reasonable structure.
In the grand scheme, it’s a decent Malbec. But for the price, it’s very good.
Wine: Don Miguel Gascón
Variety: Malbec
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 14.2%
Rating: 85
Suggested retail price: $12.00 (But I found it for about $8.00)
Find Don Miguel Gascón Malbec with Snooth
Disclosure: I bought a bottle of this wine to do the review and then received another a sample before I got this posted. Sometimes the new FTC disclosure rules get confusing.
Tercos is a relatively young wine brand, but the men behind it have a long family history in the wine business. The winery is owned and operated by Pedro and Patricio Santos, sons of Argentine winemaker Ricardo Santos. Ricardo founded the Norton winery in the 1970’s and in more recent years has been producing wine under his own name brand, Ricardo Santos. He was the first to export Malbec to the US and for years only focused on Malbec—although he now also produces a Semillon.
Ricardo’s sons have worked with him at his winery, and now they have their own label. Patricio Santos is the winemaker for Tercos, while his brother Pedro manages sales and marketing.
The name, “Tercos” means “stubborn” in Spanish and is meant to represent Pedro and Patricio’s stubborn commitment to quality. The labels feature a burro, known for their stubbornness.
The 2007 vintage marks the second Malbec vintage for Tercos. And it’s a nice Malbec for the price. Cherry, coffee and oak aromas give it a pleasant nose. While the palate is filled with luscious black raspberry and cherry flavors. The fruit is slightly jammy, which isn’t my personal preference, but some consumers like it that way. There’s a hint of strawberry on the finish. And speaking of the finish, I’m surprised by how long the finish is on this wine. This is not the most refined or elegant Malbec, but it’s tasty.
Wine: Tercos
Variety: Malbec
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 84
Price: $12.00
Find Tercos Malbec with Snooth
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
As I continue this series on Malbec I’m struck by the fact that it seems like it’s just been within the past ten years that most of us in the US started to notice Argentine wines, and the rise of Malbec seems to be at the crux of that. But wine has being produced in Argentina for ages. In fact, Trapiche has a 120 year history in Argentina.
I’m starting to sound like a broken record with this comment, but Trapiche has several different labels of wine that they produce, at different price points. Broquel is one of their most affordable brands.
The grapes in the Trapiche Broquel Malbec come from several different vineyards around Mendoza. Trapiche owns over 2,500 acres of vineyards, so they have plenty to choose from for this wine.
The nose on this Malbec has a nice aroma, although the intensity is slightly shy. Black cherry, blackberry, coffee and leather make up the bouquet. I love the complexity, I just wish it had a touch more intensity. The palate is big and juicy—loaded with ripe blackberry flavors and a splash of tart cherry. Rich, silky tannins give it a big mouth feel. It’s a little bit spicy mid-palate and the finish is lingering and fruity.
This is a very good Malbec, well worth the 14 bucks.
Wine: Trapiche Broquel
Variety: Malbec
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 88
Price: $13.98
Find Trapiche Broquel Malbec with Snooth
While there are several characteristics to wine that I enjoy discussing and writing about in reviews, my quest ultimately boils down to two critical measures: 1) Is it good? And 2) Is it affordable? The sweet spot is when a wine does well in both measures. But when it comes to wines I’ll recommend, it’s a bit of a sliding scale. If a wine is really affordable and pretty good, I’ll recommend it. Or if a wine is really good and a little more expensive (but still under $20), I’ll recommend that one too. I should note that the ratings I give wines are not on the sliding scale, only recommendations… ratings are purely qualitative, regardless of price.
This particular wine is one that is really affordable and good, but not exceptionally good. However, given the awesome price, this is a wine I can recommend.
Another factor that can influence recommendations is the producer. Sometimes I’ll find a very good and very affordable wine from a bulk producer, but I’ll be reluctant to recommend it due to concerns about consistency. I get more excited when I find a great, affordable wine from a smaller producer who not only produces the wine, but also grows the grapes that go into it.
Santa Julia Organica is one of the brands produced by Familia Zuccardi, a family-owned vineyard and winery in Mendoza, Argentina. The winery was founded in 1963 by Alberto V. Zuccardi, and is now run by his son, José Alberto Zuccardi.
Familia Zuccardi produces a few different labels of Malbec (as well as other varieties) and from what I’ve seen, the Santa Julia line is the most affordable. But even within the Santa Julia label, there are a few different product lines with different price points. The Santa Julia Organica wines I’ve seen priced at about $10 or less, and I found this one for about $8.00. That’s right, an organic wine for $8.00!
I assume that this wine has not touched oak. I didn’t see anything in the production notes about oak and I didn’t taste or smell anything that was indicative of oak. This is probably part of the reason this wine is so affordable, as oaking wine adds to the production costs.
Chocolate covered cherries is the best way to describe the nose on this wine. There is a slight floral aroma too. The palate is relatively fruity, but not jammy, and not a fruit bomb. It’s mostly cherry and blackberry on the palate, with a hint of cocoa. It’s not quite as big as I expect of a Malbec, but it’s good. The finish is rather short, but at 8 bucks I’m not complaining. This is definitely a good wine for the price.
Wine: Santa Julia Organica
Variety: Malbec
Vintage: 2007
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 85
Price: $7.98
Find Santa Julia Organica Malbec with Snooth
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