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Home , Cahors wine, Chianti

Chianti: World Famous; Yet Mostly Misunderstood

By Michael Schafer There are eight regions in the DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) i.e. the Chianti is one of the most recognizable in the of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin. This long world, yet many enthusiasts are bewildered by the phrase guarantees the wine will be of the highest quality. different labels and regions they see on of Chianti. Here is a quick guide to the aging requirements of the Let’s explore this wonderful wine. different subregions of Chianti: Chianti is a large area in central comprising more than 38,000 acres. If you remember the straw- • Colli Senesi: Aged for 6 months covered bottles that were ubiquitous in the 1960’s-1970’s, • Colline Pisane: Aged for 6 months they were known as fiascos, perhaps due to the less-than- • Colli Aretini: Aged for 6 months stellar quality of wines in them. • Montalbano: Aged for 6 months Chianti varies widely from to bottle. The varied • : Aged for 9 months minimum in the region offers wines of refreshing acidity and • Rùfina: Aged for a year minimum grippy tannins to elegant, complex wines of balance and • Colli Fiorentini: Aged for a year minimum depth. One of the most frequent descriptors is cherry. This historic wine, as with most Italian wines, is made to be Riserva is aged for two years and can be from any subregion enjoyed with food. of Chianti or from Chianti Classico. History The League of Chianti was originally created to protect Gallo Nero from other duchy-states around it. In 1394 the Chianti Classico is at the heart and center of the region. League changed focus to promote the wine and It’s 17,800 acres of are between Florence and of the area. Then in 1716, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, the , two of the most picturesque spots in all of . infamous Cosimo Medici III established a larger region that In 1716 it was designated as “Chianti Classico” because extended from the north to the south of the current region. natives considered it the iconic wine of Chianti. Gran The current emphasis on as the dominant Selezione (only from Chianti Classico) is aged for at least 30 grape began with Baron when in1872 he months. created a recipe for Chianti that included Nero The famous black rooster symbol or gallo nero is now and . the official emblem of Chianti Classico. Why a black rooster? In 1984 Chianti Classico became DOCG and allowed ten Florence and Siena were fierce rivals for power and land percent of non-traditional grapes in the mix. In 1996 the back in the day (800 years ago). Stay with me here. The laws changed once again, mandating 75-100% Sangiovese rival city-states agreed to determine their border with a grapes. In 2006, all white grapes were forbidden. The Gran race. The legend is that the competitors would each send Selezione tier was introduced in 2104 featuring the 2010 their best horseman into the territory at sun-up to ride as . What a history! fast as possible. Their meeting place would determine the boundary between Siena and Florence. The rivals decided The Regions to use roosters to wake up the riders. In an interesting turn As crazy as it seems, Chianti Classico and Chianti are of events, each city chose a rooster to wake their respective actually two separate wines with different production rider. regulations! The Sienese allegedly selected a white rooster and fed him as much as he could eat. They reasoned he would wake up early to eat even more. The Florentines were more devious, picking a black rooster they fed nothing. They thought the hungrier bird would wake up really early looking for food. Remember last Thanksgiving when you fell asleep on the couch after satiating yourself with the bounty of the feast? Now think back to when you were ravenous because you skipped breakfast and lunch and all of a sudden it was four o’clock and you were really, really hungry after waking up from that 15 minute catnap. Sound familiar?

2 FALL/WINTER 2019 - TASTERS GUILD JOURNAL As you have probably already discerned, the black rooster, Pairings hungry, cranky, and upset, woke up before the well-fed Chianti pairs effortlessly with so many slumbering white rooster. The black rooster crowed earlier delectable dishes. For appetizers, the than his white counterpart. The horseman from Florence Tagliere, the Tuscan version of charcuterie is took off before the horseman from Siena and the rest was a board piled high with cheeses, salami and history! prosciutto. A bit of Some accounts honey for drizzling say the Florentine pulls together the rider met up with his saltiness of the Sienese competitor cured meats and when the rider from the tanginess of Siena was only seven the cheeses. They and a half miles from combine to soften his start. It’s about and enhance the 50 miles from Siena Chianti. to Florence! Classic parings Thus the Gallo are pizza, pasta Nero was adopted as with red sauce, the official emblem lasagna and of the League of carbonara. The Chianti in 1384. The best cheeses to Chianti Classic Wine enjoy with Chianti Consortium adopted are Parmigiano it 2005. Reggiano, Pecorino Roman The Grapes and Asiago. If you’re on a budget Provolone is delicious Chianti is composed primarily of Sangiovese grapes, and Grana Padano is an excellent substitute for Parmigiano the most-planted in Tuscany. These grapes are, like Reggiano. , temperamental, late ripening and challenging to Bistecca alla Fiorentina, the most popular meat dish in grow. It ripens unevenly and while the wine may be a blend Tuscany is fantastic with Chianti. The acidity and tannins of of red grapes, at least 80% must be Sangiovese. The word the wine cuts through the fat of the porterhouse beef for a Sangiovese is from Latinsanguis Jovis - the blood of Jupiter, marvelous mouthful! a name given by monks living near Mount Jupiter, near the Surprisingly tasty are certain Mexican dishes with region. Chianti, especially younger, fruiter styles of Chianti. Carne asada, queso fundido and carnitas tacos all benefit from a glass of this famous . A note on tasting Chianti (or any wine for that matter) if you have enjoyed the wine in the area where it is made. Your author has frequently been asked: “Why doesn’t the same wine I tasted in Tuscany taste the same at home?” Even if it’s the exact same wine, including the vintage, the wine will taste different at home than when you enjoyed it where the grapes grew that made the wine. Your experience in the Tuscan countryside on vacation with loved ones enjoying local Italian food while watching the sun set from your villa is a fundamentally different experience than tasting it while helping the grand/children with their homework as you wash the dishes! Capiche? Before 2006 the white grapes, Malvasia and were permitted in Chianti. White grapes are no longer Cheers! allowed. Only the following red grapes such as Colorino, Canaiolo Nero, and are © 2019 The Wine Counselor LLC permitted to be blended with Sangiovese.

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The Retailer's Shelf BODEGAS MUGA 2018 BLANCO, By Dick Scheer, Village Corner SPAIN $16 Ann Arbor, Michigan Founded in 1932, Bodegas Muga sits rightly between the traditional Rioja houses founded H. SICHEL SOHNE BLUE NUN SCHAUMWEIN WITH 24 in the 19th century and modernists started KARAT GOLD FLAKES, GERMANY $15 up after 2000. It has its barrel aged masterpieces and Well, how about this blast from the past! Back in the 1960s also wines of freshness, making some of the best rose and 1970s, when I was getting started as a wine merchant, and white wines of the region. This 2018 Blanco consists Blue Nun was a gateway wine for many a budding wine of 90% Viura, the telling white variety of Rioja, plus 10% lover. The brand goes back much further though; it was Malvasia and Garnacha Blanca. Following skin , introduced in the great 1921 vintage. Almost 100 years it was fermented in French barrels and aged on its lees later comes a new iteration: a sparkling Blue Nun with gold for three months in the same. Viura yellow fruits abound. flakes in the bottle. It's a wine of wide appeal and multiple Malvasia adds an aura of talc and Garnacha Blanca an service applications, steering a middle course between extra measure of body. The oak contributes a lightly toasty fruitiness and dryness. Start a holiday evening off with quality. For its volume, intensity, and richness, this will assorted canapes and a hearty toast to the founding Sichel adeptly accommodate a wide variety of tapas. family. Z. ALEXANDER BROWN 2017 UNCAGED SANTA LUCIA GAZELA 2018 VINHO VERDE 2018, PORTUGAL $7 HIGHLANDS , CALIFORNIA $15 Gazela is made by one of Portugal's largest wine producers, It's not unusual for rock stars and professional athletes Sogrape Vinhos, also the maker of the iconic Mateus rose, to invest some of their millions in the wine business another gateway wine of the 60s and 70s. A Vinho Verde, and parlay their name recognition into success brands. it comes from northernmost Portugal, well wetted country Frequently, they go the prestige route, underwriting high where white grape varieties thrive. 'Verde' (green) refers to priced Napa Valley cabernets and chardonnays. Zac Brown early harvested grapes, full of racy fruit acidity and levity has taken a different tack, putting his efforts and name to (Gazela is only 9% ABV). Always well priced, Gazela seems moderate priced wines of wide appeal. His winemaker John to have improved over my years in the business, perhaps Killebrew attributes to this 2017 aromas of 'white peach, because it incorporates today more of the top grape varieties of the region. It's now 40% Loureiro and 15% Trajadura, two of the best. Crisp, vigorous, fruity, and flavorful, it soars high, and then comes down to a soft landing. Enjoy with shrimp sautéed in .

LAGEDER 2018 VENEZIE PINOT GRIGIO RIFF, ITALY $11 Alois Lageder's Alto Adige estate produces some of the finest wines of the Dolomite Alps region of northeast Italy. The escarpments and the soils at the base are high in limestone left behind by a primeval reef (Riff), a wonderful basis for white winegrowing. Lageder's talents are too noteworthy to confine to his estate's grapes alone, so he contracts for additional fruit and carefully oversees its transformation into wine. Crisp, cool, clear, and bright, this is joyously fruity, both plump and racy. Brassy grape peel extracts add frame and texture. Serve with fritto misto.

5 FALL/WINTER 2019 - TASTERS GUILD JOURNAL orange blossom, honey, and baking spices' and flavors of DOMAINE DUPEUBLE 2018 BEAUJOLAIS, 'stone fruit, vanilla, and toasted oak.' The eloquent editor $15 of Tasting Panel adds 'pineapple and banana cream pie' A good friend just back from Beaujolais scents and 'vanilla-kissed lemon bars, cashews, kiwi, and observed that while there was quite a bit MacIntosh apple' flavors. Sure sounds irresistible to me! of hail damage this year, the region looks prosperous, Will add dazzle to Wiener Schnitzel. sporting many new homes and buildings. Like rose, Beaujolais has found new vigor in the American market as KUENTZ-BAS 2018 ALSACE BLANC, FRANCE $15 wine lovers turn away from over-oaked, overly alcoholic, Established in 1795, Kuentz-Bas is seated in Husseren- and over made wines. Domaine Dupeuble has made it les-Chateaux, one of the highest villages of Alsace. Its through thick and thin, making wine continuously since named for three medieval towers easily visible from 1512. While qualifying for merely the basic Beaujolais the Route Nationale below As one drives along, the appellation, 2/3 of its 50-100 year okl vineyards lie on the towers mysteriously seem to change places. This Blanc same granite soils that define the region‛s Grands Crus. is a traditional Alsace blend formerly called 'Edelzwicker' Deep, alluring aromas of blueberries and violet preface a (a mixture of noble grape varieties). The name was very zesty, snappy palate inviting of food. Such as a gruyere not a selling point in non-German markets, so several cheese omelet plated alongside andouillette. winemakers came up with the term 'Gentil' instead. Others market under neither title. This one's 65% Sylvaner, 15% LES VIGNERONS DE CASES DE PENE 2017 COTES Muscat, 10% Pinot Gris, and 10% Gewurztraminer. It works. CATALANES PENYA, FRANCE $12 There's Sylvaner earthy basis, Muscat green tropics, Pinot Cases de Pene is a tiny village in the Roussillon region of Gris body, and Gewurztraminer rose. Yes, the body and Southern France, just 30 miles north of the Spain. Ceded foundation grapes, the aromatic grapes, and the gewurz to France in the mid 17th century, the area is still known ring of bitterness at the finale all work together to form an as ‛French Catalonia‛. Penya rouge is a perennial favorite of integral yet variegated palate. A wurst assortment is the mine. The 2017, of 52% , 36% , and 12% best choice. , comes across full and bright, and abundantly fruity and spicy. The palate echoes these attributes and offers a MATETIC 2018 EQ COASTAL CASABLANCA VALLEY cool and racy aspect as well as spot-on ripe fruit. Perfect , CHILE $14 for ratatouille. The Matetic family left Croatia in 1892 to settle in Chilean Patagonia. In 1999, the fourth generation set sights farther WATERMILL 2016 CHANCES R COLUMBIA VALLEY RED, north, to the cool microclimates of Casablanca and San WASHINGTON $16 Antonio Valleys, where it planted vineyards. This EQ cuvee, I‛ve been forever impressed with the large-scale, a symbol for 'Equilibrio' (balance), is the embodiment of its concentrated (and expensive!) Walla Walla Valley red name. From a just 20 kilometers from the Pacific, wines of Watermill, founded in 2005. I imagined that was its cool environment fosters racy Sauvignon Blanc aromas the extent of the production. Turns out though that in of citrus, soft tropical fruits, and herbs. There's great taste 2017 Watermill's Brown family partnered with other family and minerally texture, and a briny finish. Serve with citrus- winegrowing enterprises to create a conglomerate of marinaded cerviche. estates from Washington AVAs spanning the length of the Columbia River from the Oregon to the Canadian borders. LES VIGNERONS DE SAINT LOUIS 2018 COTEAUX VAROIS Simultaneously, it expanded the wines‛ price ranges down EN PROVENCE ROSE DIAMARINE, FRANCE $15 into the teens. This selection is from 50% Walla Walla The vignerons (winegrowers) of Saint Louis form a small Valley Merlot, 25% , and the rest Carmenere and cooperative in the Varois region of Provence, which lies Petit Verdot. It‛s spent 11 months in barrels, 25% new. between the larger Cotes de Provence to its east and the The fruit is round and rich, the oak a definite complicating smaller Coteaux d'Aix en Provence to its west. Its Diamarine factor. On the palate, bright fruit pastilles and good oak consists of Grenache, Cinsault, and Syrah. Provence is brown spice seasonings come forth in perfect harmony, best known for its rosés. They've been around since early suave and round and fruity. Take this to your Thanksgiving in my 55-year career as a wine merchant, but they've never table to serve with turkey and all the trimmings. enjoyed more popularity than now. They ride the rosé boom to double-digit annual sales growth now that Americans have DOMINIO DEL PLATA 2018 CRIOS DE SUSANA BALBO finally embraced dry rosé wines and are finally drinking them MENDOZA MALBEC, ARGENTINA $15 year round too. Fresh and full, this one sports strawberry In 1981, Susana Balbo became the first woman in Argentina and raspberry aromas and a peachy plumpness. Fruit to earn an oenolgy degree (though her first choice was sweetness and acidity are fully harmonious, and the finish nuclear physics). In 1999, she celebrated the creation of has a cleansing bitter edge. Wonderful with bouillabaisse. her own winery. Her eponymous wines are barrel aged and

6 FALL/WINTER 2019 - TASTERS GUILD JOURNAL sophisticated. At a gentler price and for easier drinking, FAMILLE RICHEL check out her Crios range, which honors her children, 2018 SAVOIE APREMONT LA COMBELLE, who now participate in the firm. These are fruit-driven FRANCE $15 wines, Malbec, appropriately, the star of the lineup. This It's almost impossible to find wines of 2018 is large, sweet, black, strong. Swollen fruit pleasures Switzerland in the American market, let alone ones that are here: cherry, tar, and licorice malbec ID. On the palate, it‛s fresh and moderate priced. The next best thing is to look full of sweet fruit, power, oak framing, texture, and fine to the Alpine France region of Savoie (Savoy), bordering tannin. Oodles of flavor: a wine of abundance. Since it‛s an Switzerland and featuring similar climatic conditions uncomplicated, unwooded Malbec, and since Malbec pairs and grape varieties. This one comes from the village of well with blue cheese, how about a blue cheese burger? Apremont and the Jacquere grape variety. A dry white wine, it features deep aromas of dried citrus peel and walnut MCMANIS FAMILY ESTATE husk. Lots of flavor, texture, and personality here. It's both 2017 LODI , CALIFORNIA $12 fresh and suave. A pleasurable accompaniment and reward McManis Family wines are not strangers to this column. for the angler of a prized fresh water catch grilled over the This fifth-generation enterprise has over 3600 acres in campfire. AVAs Lodi, Clarksburg, Borden Ranch, Clements Hills, Janhant, Mokelumne River and River Junction, all east GEORGES VIGOUROUX of San Francisco Bay. From its Lodi estate vineyards, this 2017 MALBEC GOULEYANT, FRANCE $15 2017 Zinfandel incorporates 11% Petite Sirah and 9% The village of Cahors and its surrounding vineyards lie in . It was aged 5 months in new and seasoned French southwest France, upriver from . It used to be and American oak barrels. It‛s sweet, deep, and old vines legendary for its 'black' wines. The color resulted from long intense, with plenty of black raspberry and peppercorn macerations of dark-skinned Malbec grapes. With color varietal character. Rich, full, and power laden on the palate came tannin, so the wines required long aging before they (all along, well balanced), it invites BBQ pork ribs, so keep became pleasant to drink. Wines like that are inappropriate the grill on the patio this fall. for current market tastes, so winemakers have added the more pliable Merlot to the vineyards and have shortened CASTELLO DI ALBOLA the maceration period. Georges Vigouroux, perhaps the 2015 CHIANTI CLASSICO, ITALY $15 leading winegrower of Cahors, makes many an ageworthy During the 15th century, the castle and cellars of Albola (and expensive!) Cahors wine. For this cuvee though, he's were built at the highest elevation in Chianti Classico. lightened up with a gouleyant (gulpable) take on Cahors Today its 400 acres of vineyards range up to 2150 feet in that is quite the opposite of a 'black wine.' Fruity, gentle, elevation. The property is in the commune of Radda, 30 and shy on tannin, it's best appreciated served cool minutes north of Siena. The varietal makeup of this wine and recommended as an aperitif with soft cheeses like is 95% Sangiovese and 5% Canaiolo. Thanks to the high Reblochon or SaintNectaire. elevation, Sangiovese here exudes not just cherry but also strawberry and floral overtones. Tar and tobacco join in BODEGAS DEL MEDIEVO on the palate. If your market has moved on to the 2016 2016 RIOJA CRIANZA, SPAIN $12 vintage, no problem. It‛s equally commendable. Each is Rioja's traditional hierarchy is based on length of aging in game for bistecca alla fiorentina. barrel and bottle. It's assumed that the longer the barrel age the more quality and stamina to the wine selection. PELLEGRINO SUPERIORE SWEET MARSALA, ITALY $15 Cosecha is wine without a barrel age statement. Crianza No, Marsala is not just for cooking. It‛s one of the world‛s requires a year in barrel and year in bottle minimum before classic fortified wines, alongside , Port, and Madeira. leaving the winery. For reserva, it's three years total, and It‛s no coincidence each was concocted by a Brit, out of for Gran Reserva five years. What I look for in a Crianza is need to make a wine to sustain the voyage to Great Britain plenty of original fruit plus barrel extracts and barrel-age and to last beyond spring following the vintage. Marsala was mellowness. This new-to-market Medievo Crianza hits the conceived by English trader John Woodhouse in 1773 and sweet spot. Of 80% and 10% each Garnacha named after its town of origin in western Sicily. Yes, there‛s and Graciano, it's a beautifully managed production that's the basic, young cooking stuff out there, but Superiore is both suave and fresh. Grilled lamb with infused garlic would different: aged at least two years in cooperage to achieve a be a delicious choice or experiment with classic paella. measure of sophistication. Pellegrino‛s is sweet, nutty, and pungent. On the palate, strength balances its sweetness, and the always good acidity of a class Marsala is present. Big time date flavor here. Serve with Christmas puddings.

7 FALL/WINTER 2019 - TASTERS GUILD JOURNAL Ask Tasters Guild perceive the wine as sweet. Wines are chemically By Joe Borrello dry (the opposite of sweet) when there is no grape sugar left that could be fermented by Q: I’m a big fan of . What makes this great yeasts. From a sensory standpoint, wines are celebration wine so special, and do they add sugar to get the considered dry when any sweetness present is not perceived different degrees of sweetness? by the taster. Since the popular image of "sweet" wines is often limited to dessert wines, many people believe that they A: There is a mystique about Champagne that compels like dry wines when they actually prefer wines with some people to save it only for special occasions. Ironically, most residual sugar. The taste threshold for sweetness generally falls and sparkling wines are meant to be consumed between .5% and 1% residual sugar in wine. Since the word and enjoyed early in their lives. Only a few exceptional "dry" has no legal definition on a , some vintage champagnes will maintain their appeal over a few will label wines "dry" with as much as 2% sugar because they years. Champagne is the coldest, most northern of France’s feel that is the level of sweetness the consumer favors. great wine growing regions and produces grapes of high acid and low alcohol potential. The character of the Champagne Q. I would like to give a bottle of wine to some friends as a depends on the dosage. The dosage is a liqueur made of house-warming present, but I don’t want a wine that has to aged wine and sugar that is added to the Champagne to form be stored for years before they can enjoy it. Any suggestions? brut, extra dry, dry (sec) and sweet (demi-sec). Their terms are a little misleading. Demi-sec is the sweetest Champagne A. Many people are of the misconception that the longer followed by dry, extra-dry and brut as the driest. A newer they keep a wine, the better or more valuable it will become. classification has surfaced where no sweet liqueur is added at Contrary to this popular belief, most of the world’s wine is all. This form of is called naturale or “brut-O” consumed within a few years after bottling. As a matter and is bone dry. of fact, if the majority of the world’s wine was aged for a long period of time, it would more than likely deteriorate in Q: Any special advice for serving Champagne? quality. Almost any wine found on the retail shelves would be appropriate as a gift to be consumed within the next year A: First and foremost, be careful opening the bottle. Slowly or two. If you’re the recipient of such a gift, enjoy the wine remove the cork with the aid of a towel to keep it from flying while it is fresh, fruity and full of life. The super premium wines and to absorb any spillage. Sparkling wines should be served would be the only exception and your local wine merchant is well-chilled and in flute or tulip-style glasses for full enjoyment. your best guide for those products. Avoid the flat, saucer-shaped glasses. These so-called “traditional Champagne glasses” allow the bubbles to dissipate Q. What makes U.S. hybrid grape varieties different from too quickly and the fun is gone much too soon. In either case, European grapes? nothing adds to the festivities like the bubbles of a sparkling wine. A. The French-American grape varieties you refer to are the result of carefully selected crosses between European Q. Are liqueurs and cordials wine-based or are they derived vinifera and native American grape vines. The goal has been from distilled products? to increase adaptability to the environment of Eastern U.S. growing regions by increasing resistance to extreme cold, A. Originally liqueurs, also known as cordials, are believed to insects, diseases, mildews, etc., while achieving optimum have been wine-based with various herbs, roots, spices and production of quality grapes for winemaking. Many of these peels added to flavor the drink. Today most liqueurs start so-called hybrid grapes trace back over 50% of their parentage with distilled products from grapes, potatoes, grains or fruits, to European varieties. For example, the versatile Vignoles depending on the country where they are made. The blending grape claims one of its direct parents as Pinot Noir, a highly of herbs, spices, etc. are closely guarded secrets, even within regarded variety from France’s Champagne and Burgundy the companies that make them. France and Italy are the regions. The popular Great Lakes Vidal Blanc's heritage is leading manufacturers of liqueurs and have mastered the directly connected to the widely used Italian grape known as blending and marketing of their products over the centuries. Trebbiano. The hybrid varieties of Seyval, Foch and Chancellor also have a strong European heritage in their development. Q. I have found quite a difference in "dry" wines. Is it me or Maybe hybrid grape varieties are not so different from are some less dry than others? European vines, after all. Besides, it’s the end result that counts. A. It is not you. Winemakers will sometimes label their wines "dry" because they believe that their customers will not

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