Newsletter
June,
2002
The Labyrinth of Rhodes
Steve Rhodes is our kind of guy. He says that, after he makes his fortune in the wine business, he will retire to his wife’s village in Mexico. Sit on the porch. Drink beer and watch the world go by from afar. This should not be long in the future because "Senor" Rhodes is a gifted winemaker. It will be considerably longer before we do the same.
We think Steve is a world class winemaker which is quite a statement, considering that he works the vines around the town of Hotchkiss, Colorado.
He goes about his work quietly. It is a one man operation. There is no tasting room at the winery. "I’m not here to promote tourism, but to make wine," he muses.
This brings up a point about Colorado’s winemaking industry which seems to focus on tourism. There is little focus on quality because the wineries can sell random bottles to tourists as curiosities. This is a similar situation that has kept the quality of the white wines low in San Gimignano in Tuscany, where foreign tourists come because of the village’s beauty and incidentally drink the wine or buy bottles as souvenirs.
From his vineyards, perched at elevations around 6000 feet, Steve crafts wines of style and complexity. Currently he works with a number of varietals—Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay andGewurztraminer. This could change shortly. He is having such success with his Pinots that he is considering going exclusively to that grape. Sadly, we have none of his Pinot. Most of that goes to the Little Nell restaurant in Aspen. But we do have some magnificent Rhodes’ specimens—2000 Reserve Merlot ($24.99), 2000 Claret ($16.99), 2000 Merlot ($16.99), NV Fire Mountain Red ($12.99) and a unique, dessert 1999 Chardonnay ($11.99/375 ml).
Wine Alert
Rioja’s Force, ArtadiLaguardia, Alava, Spain— "Es un milagro." It’s unlikely that when Juan Carlos Lopez de Lacalle formed Cosecheros Alaveses (Artadi), he thought his wines would shortly become some of the most highly prized and highly priced of all Riojas. It is a miracle.
He says, "Since its foundation in 1985, our winery’s aim has been to maintain the winemaking traditions of Rioja Alavesa (Basque Rioja). It is not any easy task to realize the full potential of what nature has offered us. Only through our own hard work, our daily routines and using the knowledge gathered by our ancestors can we exploit the advantages our land has to produce wines of high quality, full of personality. It was with this as our goal that we formed Artadi-Cosecheros Alaveses."
Most would say that Senor Lopez de Lacalle has achieved his goal. He has certainly obtained high wine press scores and the, aforementioned, high prices. This May, I was invited to taste 10 of his wines. I was thrilled. And, as the following notes show, there was reason to be such.
Before plunging into the subjective world of wine notes, there are certain things people should know about Artadi’s various bottlings. Most important is that the winery is not much enamored with the "crianza, reserva, gran reserva" classification of Rioja. They feel that because a wine may spend two yearsin a wooden container does not automatically make it grand. These people are much more interested in the vineyard concept of making wine. They compose their wines from small vineyard plots that are tended by nine different growers. These are usually blended, but are sometimes bottled alone.
There are four red levels of wine. The lowest level, and I don’t say "lowest" derogatively, is the "Vinas de Gain." It’s a blend of as many as 16 vineyards. It is aged the least, being classified as a "crianza." Normally red fruits are its dominant essence. "Pagos Viejos" (meaning old vineyards) is a blend of the best vineyard sites in a specific vintage. The vines are at least 50 years old). This is darker, denser and more ageworthy than the "Vinas de Gain." The "Grandes Anadas" bottling is the best vineyards from only great vintages. This is a concentrated Bordeaux style wine. Only four vintages have been made to date—1994, 1998, 1999 and 2,000). "El Pison" comes from a 57 year old vineyard, planted on clay and limestone soil. This produces a distinctively, elegant wine, much like a fine Bur- gundy.
So those are the basics of Artadi’s wines. Here is the specifics on ten of these beauties.
"VINAS DE GAIN"
1994—From the legendary vintage that gave perfectly mature grapes. The color is bricking. There is leather and a little must on the nose. The flavors are velvety, dominated by dried fruits. A Spanish beauty. Tasted from a magnum.
1999—Kind of a disappointment after the ’94. The nose is undeveloped. The flavors are mainly red fruits. Short on the palate. Another fashionable "wine critic" scored it 90 points. Still we’re not enthused. We can get this...but???
"PAGOS VIEJOS"
1996—I’ve never been convinced that 1996 was a great vintage in Rioja, though people say so. This example is still young, dark, in need of time. It’s just a bit lean and, somewhat, boring. So, its future doesn’t seem brilliant.
1998—A fantastic bottle of wine. It’s dominated by oak toast, but there are essences of violets and black cherries that are poised to emerge when the oak recedes. It should age and improve for at least a decade. It’s one of the finest Riojas I have ever tasted. We have it in the store for a "lowly" $81.99/bottle.
1999—A bit of a letdown after the 1998, but still good. The nose is actually more interesting with some cinnamon and red fruits. It only lacks some complexity and length on the palate.
"GRANDES ANADAS"
1999—Dark and brooding. The nose is reminiscent of Amarone. There is a ton of oak, but there is the substance here to handle it. This needs lots of time to be fairly evaluated. It’s a perplexing wine.
"EL PISON"
1994—Beautiful mahogany color. Leather and dried fruits on the nose. Dried fruits on the palate. It seems to be very near its peak.
1996—Bricking on the edges. Nose is reluctant. Seems to need more time. But, as with the Pagos Viejos ’96, it is a bit simple.
1998—Virtually opaque. Overwhelmed by oak at this time. There is so much stuffing and alcohol with this wine the oak is not a problem. This has the potential to become a profound bottle of wine. We can "give" it to you for $113.99/bottle.
1999—Another stunning product. Again it is dark. There are raspberries, cherries, spice and smoky oak aromas. It has a satin, sensual mouthfeel. It is round, long and scarily complex. As they say, "it’s the bomb."
New Arrivals
1999 Miner Merlot, Napa, $33.99—Here’s another wine that rocked us on our heels. Or, it healed our angst. It’s complex, tremendous stuff. Minute quantities. Get it on a splurge or curiosity about what Merlot can be.
1999 Justin Isosceles, $54.99—We’ve never understood geometry, but this triangle (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot) is something we could ponder for a couple hours. It’s big (14.5% alcohol), but harmonious. Frankly, we are astounded that it hasn’t all been sold...we could only obtain six bottles.
1998 Muga Rioja Reserva (unfiltered), $16.99—So, I guess we’re getting stuck on Spanish wines again. This family, now led by Manu Muga, is traditionalist. No stainless steel, computer controlled fermentations. Wood is in every aspect of the winemaking and they let nature take its course in the birthing of the wine (like malo-lactic fermentation). This is a pleasing red wine that is way underpriced. We have next to nothing to sell.
2001 Muga Rioja Rosado, $8.99—We assume you read the above bit about Muga. Well, to be succinct, this is the most "kick-ass" rose we’ve recently tasted. A steak or lamb chop might be intimidated by this guy. In reality, paella or octopus would be more satisfying company.
1998 Torre Muga Rioja, $55.99—While we’re at it with Muga, we should tell you that this top wine has come in. Only made in great vintages. It’s expressive now, but should age to give cedar and cigar-box essences, like a fine Bordeaux. It "don’t" get much better than this, anywhere.
1999 Beaune-Greves, 1er Cru, Domaine Parigot, $23.99—One of the most satisfying Beaune-Greves we’ve tasted in recent time. There is some earth and smoke, along with bushels of cherries. The price is pretty satisfying too.
2000 Cairanne, Cotes du Rhone Villages, Dominique Rocher, $14.99—Stop whatever you are doing (other than one thing) and get this wine. It is the best red wine value we’ve seen in a year or so. And, over that period, we’ve been bombarding you with great Cotes du Rhone Villages wines, and we do mean great.
1999 Rully, 1er Cru, Meix Cadot, $19.99—We featured this at Christmas and it sold-out immediately. Somehow we got another five cases. Incredibly, it’s gotten even better than before. It’s more complex and resolved. One of the best Chardonnays (white Burgundy, of course) in the store.
1999 Chianti, Fattoria Montellori, $9.99—It is no longer easy to find a decent Chianti under $10. This is one (but we had to buy 15 cases to get it in at the price). It is rich, satisfying, with that special Tuscan crudeness we all crave.
2001 Basa, Rueda White, $8.99—From Remelluri’s "boy wonder," Telmo Rodriguez. He makes wine all over Spain. Normally, we don’t like Rueda wines that aren’t pure Verdejo, the traditional grape. But Telmo puts some Sauvignon Blanc in and gets away with it. This has some flowers, grass and figs. Pretty darn good.
2000 Castano Hecula, Yecla Red, $9.99—These guys made our wine of the month, five or so issues back. This, I believe, is all Mourvedre, the great grape of Bandol and, seemingly, Spain as well. It offers cassis, vanilla, tobacco and much more. It is sensational.
1999 Sausal Reserve Zinfandel, Alexander Valley, $22.99—Sausal has a sterling reputation and when you taste this you will know why. It provides the spice, bramble and raspberry you expect from a Zin. Also, there is a fetching "suavity" on the palate. It can joust with the finest Zinfandels out there today.
1997 Amici Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, $41.99—We have a new distributor of ultra-exotic California wines. His name is Tony. Our dipsomaniacal memories can’t remember his last name. But, Tony, this is good. It gives the secondary essences of leather, coffee and tobacco of a mature wine. Drink now and thank Tony for his sober work.
2001 Luzon Merlot, $9.99—"Dios mios." Here’s a cheap Merlot that we (Merlotabstainers) can get into. It has 15% Mourvedre which might explain our approval. It gives full, berry flavors and some gravity. Forget the cheap Californians and get this .
1995 Barolo, Bartolo Mascarello, $66.99—His posters read, "No barrica, no Berlusconi." If Bartolo were American, the "Berlusconi" might be replaced with another name. Anyway, he is anti-technology and anti-corruption. Huh, must be hard for him to live in Italy, or anywhere else. He gives us his usual divine, idiosyncratic wine, at a price below the norm. He’s one of the few Barolo makers to drive an old Fiat, not a BMW M5. We received a couple bottles. If they remain over a week, we’re drinking them.
2001 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, $12.99—Does anyone know where "Old" Zealand is or was? We wonder about this a lot at 4 a.m. A perfect hour for a crisp, citrus driven, Sauvignon Blanc such as this. At the least, it’s a steely, "mourning" wine to prepare you for the mid-day news from Paris.
1999 Bourgogne Chardonnay, Henry de Vezelay, Regularly $15.99/Sale $12.99—We really didn’t need to put this in, but it tastes so good, we couldn’t resist. It’s a lean, well tutored Chardonnay. The price is ridiculous.
1997 Brunello, Azienda Agricola Pertimali, $57.99—Those who love Brunello should perk-up here. This is one of the top from the superlative ‘97 Brunello vintage. The price is very low for this "Prada-esque" gem.
Wines of the Month
2000 Onix, Priorato Red, Spain, $9.99—So, what is the whole "Priorato phenomenon" about? It’s surely about a lot of expensive, hard to get wines. Some are fantastic. Some are hardly worth their comparatively low $30 prices or elevated $250 prices. This wine, from the cooperative of Gratallops, gives you a hint of what is going on. It comes from old vine Grenache and Carignan. It has all sorts of red berry things happening on the nose and on the palate. Besides the enlightenment aspect, it’s "muy loco," good drinking. As they say, "Spain makes better wines than ‘armadas.’"
2001 Chartron la Fleur, Bordeaux Blanc, Regularly $8.99/Sale $7.99—We’ve pushed this wine for two or three previous vintages. Over that period, the winery has been able to keep the quality up. We’re impressed. This is a lightish, minerally, gooseberry job. And there are some herb and grass essences. It’s 80 percent Sauvignon Blanc. The other 20 percent is Semillon. Try it with a trout or naked on an "unbareble" afternoon.
COALTRAIN
Wine & Spirits
330 W. Uintah
Colorado Springs, CO 80905
719-475-9700