The Westin Kierland Villas is once
again proud to present to you our quarterly Wine Newsletter. It is our
hope that this publication finds you in good spirits, happy, and healthy.
Your wine experience at your home away from home is important to us and we are
pleased that we can continue to provide insight following your departure.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy our fourth quarter installment, authored once again
by our resident Wine Expert, Mr. Tony Miller.
Happy belated Malbec Day (April
17)! On May 4 we will raise a toast to International
Sauvignon Blanc Day. In honor of these
actual national/international days, which are set aside to recognize two
internationally famous grapes, let’s first briefly explore the history of
Malbec and Sauvignon Blanc and end with a description of two wines that amply
demonstrate what these grapes can achieve when carefully grown and made by
experienced winemakers.
Malbec
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| Picture courtesy of Wine.com |
Current research suggests Malbec,
famous for being the unofficial national grape of Argentina, originated in the
northern Burgundy region of France several hundred years ago. At one time it was grown almost everywhere
throughout France and it was known by over 1000 different names. It has a thin skin and needs more sun to
ripen than Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and it's prone to several diseases and
viticulture challenges including mildew, bunch rot, coulure and early frost.
Although not an ideal place to grow this
sensitive grape, Bordeaux eventually became the primary home for Malbec and
it's one of the five allowed red Bordeaux grapes. It’s still grown there but in very small amounts.
In 1956, Bordeaux suffered a severe
frost and so many Malbec vines were lost that many farmers took the opportunity
to plant other hardier varietals. Malbec has been, at best, a minor blending
grape in Bordeaux wines ever since. However,
the Cahors region of southwest France offers far better climate for Malbec and
there's been something of a renaissance going on in Cahors centered around
producing intense and full-bodied 100% Malbecs. More on that later.
Malbec came to Argentina in the
mid-19th century, but it was only in the last 30 years that Argentina has
produced fine Malbecs. Flood irrigation
was typically used on vines in Argentina but excess water tends to make Malbec
vines produce mass quantities of poor quality grapes. Drip irrigation was introduced by foreign
winemakers in the last 30 years and high altitude vines were planted beginning
in 1994. High altitude vines are exposed
to plenty of sun and Malbec vines here don't have many mildew, bunch rot and
coulure issues. So, high altitude vines, better irrigation techniques and
foreign winemakers bringing new ideas and technologies have all combined to
make Argentina Malbec a serious entry into the world's red wine scene.
Malbec was grown in the Unites
States as a main component of bulk wine up to Prohibition but it's
popularity waned until the 1990's with the onset of "Meritage"
blended wines. It's now grown successfully in California, Washington, Oregon, Virginia,
Texas and New York primarily as a blending grape, but in the Western
Hemisphere, Argentina Malbec still reigns supreme.
As mentioned previously, the Cahors
region is putting Malbec back on the wine map of France, and one leader in that
effort is none other than an American. Paul
Hobbs. We were fortunate to obtain the
last 3 cases of Paul Hobbs 2012 Cahors Prestige Malbec to enable a fortunate
few to taste what modern super-premium French Malbec can achieve in the hands
of a world-famous American winemaker.
2012 Crocus Prestige
Malbec de Cahors
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| Picture courtesy of AllianceWine.com |
Crocus
is Paul Hobbs' newest winery venture. Paul
is one of the most famous and highly regarded winemakers in the world. He
established his namesake winery in Sonoma in 1991 and produces some of the most
critically acclaimed (and expensive) Cabernet Sauvignons, Chardonnays and Pinot
Noirs in the U.S. Hobbs is also in great
demand world-wide as a winemaking consultant and currently consults for
wineries in Argentina and Chile while making his own wines in France, Sonoma
and in Argentina. Crocus, based in the Cahors region of southwest France, is a
joint venture with a 4th generation Cahors winemaker Bertrand Gabriel
Vigouroux. The Cahors region has been
producing wine since the 13th century but in 2008,Hobbs brought a new
dedication to quality in the vineyard and modern winemaking techniques that allowed
Crocus to begin producing Hobbs-quality wine beginning in 2011.They
produce five levels of Malbec at Crocus with Prestige and Grand Vin being the
top two cuvees. The Prestige vineyards, cropped at 2.2 tons/acre, were
handpicked between October 22-27,2012. After hand-sorting, primary fermentation
was done in stainless steel. Secondary fermentation was done in oak before 18
months of final aging in 100% French oak, 50% new and 50% in one-use barrels.
It was bottled unfined and unfiltered. This wine is big and dark but soft and
silky. It has a smooth texture, bright acids, a near-black color and a long,
complex and layered finish. The wine
displays flavors and aromas dried black cherry, blueberry, black plums, black
raspberries, cocoa, vanilla, black pepper and perhaps a floral note. Pair it with prime ribs, grilled steaks, seared
ahi Caesar salad, grilled portabella mushrooms, gourmet burgers, roast turkey, rigatoni with
lamb ragu, crown roast, lamb shanks, pancetta-wrapped beef tenderloin, dark
chocolate or a premium cheese plate. Drink it now and over the next 3-5 years. But, with the 2012 being virtually unavailable
in the U.S. and with Paul Hobbs' pedigree, our inventory of this rare wine will
disappear quickly. Quantities are limited. • $48.95
Sauvignon Blanc
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| Photo courtesy of Wine.com |
Spring is here and Summer is around
the corner so let's explore a popular summer white that has quite an
interesting background; Sauvignon Blanc.
Whether the wine comes from New Zealand, the U.S., Chile, Italy, South
Africa, Australia or its original home in France, this grape shows it's singularly
unique aromas and bright, refreshing flavors that has made Sauvignon Blanc
among the most widely planted white grapes in the world. The fact that Sauvignon Blanc, along with
Cabernet Franc, were shown via DNA profiling in 1997 to be the parents of the most
famous red grape in the world, Cabernet Sauvignon, makes this grape all the
more intriguing.
The historical record is incomplete,
but it suggests that Sauvignon Blanc has been around for a few hundred years
beginning in France's Loire and Bordeaux regions. It was in the 18th century that the
natural-occurring hybrid of Cab Franc and Sauvignon Blanc created Cabernet
Sauvignon in Bordeaux and it was in the mid-19th century that French cuttings
were brought to Chile. In the 1880's, cutting
were brought, by Cresta Blanca Winery, to California. French cuttings also found their way to New
Zealand in the 1970's as an experiment, an experiment that proved to be a
smashing success.
This grape tends to bud late and
ripen early in cooler climates. Heat
makes the grapes ripen too quickly and creates a dull, flat wine with no
character so better Sauvignon Blancs tend to come from cooler locations. Stainless steel is generally the preferred
fermentation and aging vessel which allows the bright flavors to show through
without being encumbered by excessive oak.
New Zealand makes so many interesting Sauvignon Blancs partially because
the shape of the long narrow south island means no vineyard is farther than 80
miles for the ocean. It is in maritime
climates like in New Zealand (Marlborough) Sonoma, Bordeaux/Loire (Sancerre, Graves,
Pouilly-Fume),Chile and Australia where this grape really shines.
When blended with Semillon, this
grape also produces beautiful dry Bordeaux Blancs and this same blend can
create some of the world's most famous sweet dessert wines from Sauternes. In short,
this versatile and prolific grape is grown world-wide and is capable of
producing interesting wines that display, depending in climate, soils and
winemaking decisions, a wide variety of flavors and aromas from just this single
grape.
2016 Mauritson Sauvignon Blanc
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| Photo courtesy of Wine.com |
One such interesting Sauvignon Blanc
comes from the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County California; 2016 Mauritson
Sauvignon Blanc. The Mauritson family, originally from Sweden, has been farming
and ranching in Dry Creek since 1868 but they didn't produce any wine until the
1998 vintage. They raised sheep and then
planted their first vineyard in 1884.The family now manages 310 acres, all
overseen by Clay Mauritson, a 6th generation grape grower. Clay graduated from Oregon University with a
business degree in 1997 after starring as a linebacker on Oregon's 1995 Rose
Bowl and 1996 Cotton Bowl football teams.
He worked at several Sonoma wineries in the summer while in college
before producing the first Mauritson wine in 1998. They produce several award-winning Zinfandels
along with Cabernet Sauvignons, Syrah, Petite Sirah and some blends, but their
2016 Sauvignon Blanc is something special. The grapes were hand-picked after four passes
through the vineyard. They were
whole-cluster pressed, fermented in stainless and aged in 90%stainless and 10%
2000 gallon French oak foudres.
The result is a Sauvignon Blanc that
seems to combine the best characteristics of Sancerre, Marlborough and Sonoma
in one bottle. It has aromas and flavors
of red grapefruit, white peaches, key limes, papaya, kiwi and oranges along
with hints of honeydew, mango and tangerine.
It has bright acids, a streak of minerality, intense fruit components
and a layered finish. Pair it with
grilled halibut with lemon butter, broiled scallops, hot and sour soup, lobster
ravioli, ceviche, chicken salad, seared tuna, smoked salmon, fish tacos, calamari,
sushi/sashimi, crab cakes, prosciutto-wrapped melon, a fruit/cheese plate or by
the pool or on the patio by itself. Drink
it now and over the next 18 months However, the 2016 is sold out at the winery
and Mauritson has VERY limited distribution, so available quantities are quite
limited. • $29.95
That's all for this newsletter. If
there are any topics you'd like to read about....any topics you'd like to see
explored...any type of wine you'd like to see featured....let us know and we
will consider them.
__________________________________________________________________________
If you desire any further
information or would like to purchase the wine, please contact The Westin
Kierland Villas Food, Beverage, and FUN Manager John Voita directly at
john.voita@westin.com. Please note that deliveries are not available to all
areas.
Wine
Event Information
It is always a pleasure hosting the
wine events for you. Please be sure to register prior to your arrival to
ensure you are a part of the experience. Thank you.
Tony Miller
Resident Wine Expert
