Emiliana Novas Riesling Gran Reserva 2021 Val Del Bio Bio (DC) Chile, 13.50% ABV
€16.95 O’Briens Wine
stunningly complex and a real deal at this price!
This organic Chilean Riesling from Bio Bio* is clear golden yellow in colour. It features lifted aromas of apple, pear, and lime, a waft of diesel (common in Rieslings wines the Bio Bio Valley, one of Chile’s most
Pedro Parra ‘Vinista’ Itata (Chile) 2019, 12% ABV
RRP €25.95. Stockists: The Cinnamon Cottage /
JJ O’Driscoll Superstore Ballinlough / Donnybrook Fair /
The Corkscrew / Avoca
"A light and fruity beauty, easily drunk."
‘Vinista’ comprises 100% País sourced from 120-year-old vines, aged in concrete and stainless steel. Pais is a red grape variety of great historical importance. It was the first Vitis Vinifera grape variety to be exported (via the conquistadores) from the Old World to the New World in the 16th century. It is known as Criolla Chica in Argentina and as Mission in California.
Pais is pronounced as pah-ees. Don’t say no just because you’re not familiar with it. You’ll miss out on a light and fruity beauty. An easily drunk wine and Very Highly Recommended.
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| Pedro Parra (via Liberty Wines) |
Pedro Parra is a major favourite of mine. He has spent decades working internationally but bit by bit realised he really wanted his own vineyard and winery and so he set up in Itata near the ocean, 500 kms south of Santiago, the capital of Chile. And this Vinista, the fruit sourced from 120-year-old vines planted at 300 m above sea level, is one of the results. It was my wine of the year in 2020.
Besides wine and family, Pedro’s other great love is jazz music. His three single-vineyard Cinsault ‘Premier Cru’ wines are aptly named after legendary musicians: Freddie Hubbard, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk.
You may well spot DO Secano Interior Itata on the label. It means Itata Interior Dryland (secano meaning 'dry land' or 'unirrigated') and is the special DO for wines made from País or Cinsault in the area of southern Chile between the Mataquito and the Bío-Bío rivers.
Two Excellent Wines from Chile's Aconcagua Coast DO where "the vines grow happy and the grapes ripen slowly"
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Montes Alpha Pinot Noir Aconcagua Costa (DO) 2019, 14.5%
RRP €23.99. The 1601; Martins Off Licence; Sweeney's D3; Higgins Off Licence; Blackrock Cellar; Wineonline.ie
“It is totally coastal influenced. In morning there’s mist and fog and then a shy sunshine from mid day. The vines grow happy. The grapes ripen slowly.” This was Aurelio Montes speaking of the Aconcagua Coast during a 2020 Zoomed masterclass as he sipped a Pinot Noir (Quite possibly this one).
Montes are serious players. According to the Wines of South America, Montes (founded in 1988) is credited for its pioneering work in the Colchagua’s Apalta district, the first to realise its potential as one of the best locations for red wines in Chile and “is among the most important wineries in Chile today”. As a further endorsement, their Alpha “M” (very limited production) is listed as one of the top 20 South American wines to drink before you die.
Bright ruby red is the colour of this 2019 Pinot Noir. It is quite aromatic, full of cherry, blueberry and raspberry, hints of vanilla too, sweet spice in there also. It is juicy and that bit spicy on the palette, hints of its time in oak (integrated), well rounded tannins, and a vibrant acidity helping the balance, keeping it smooth and elegant, as well as interesting, right through to the abiding and perfumed finish. Very engaging, totally likeable and Very Highly Recommended.
Montes Alpha wines are elegant and easy to drink, faithfully expressing the variety and terroir. “This has spent twelve months in French oak barrels, 20% new, for structure and complexity.”
Their website tells us: Just 7 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean and located in the northern part of the Aconcagua Costa winemaking region, Viña Montes is the only winery with vines planted in this new D.O., characterized by cool, cloudy summer mornings, with sun at midday, and afternoons that see clouds reappearing with low temperatures. These conditions favor a slow ripening of the grapes that allow them to develop complexity and powerful aromas.
Importers Liberty Wines add: The proximity of the vineyards to the Pacific coast endows the wine with tremendous freshness, minerality, and cool climate typicity. The granitic soils of the Coastal Mountains have varying percentages of clay, which contributes elegance, creaminess and a unique sense of place.
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Best Value Wines 2022 Under €18.00. With Reviews & Irish Stockists.
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Montes Classic Series Sauvignon Blanc Aconcagua Costa (DO) 2021, 13.5% ABV, €14.95 Bradleys Cork
Chilean Sauvignon blanc is usually pretty good and good value too, especially at entry level, as is the case here with this engaging Montes from the coastal vineyards of Aconcagua.
Colour is pale straw with green tones. Aromas are quite intense: herbaceous, pineapple, lime, and more. It is much the same on the palate, where a lively acidity comes into play, but you may also notice orange blossom and a light spice.
No oak used by the way. An everyday wine they say. But a good one and Highly Recommended. Serve at 12 to 13 degrees and you’ll find it goes well with sushi, Caesar Salad, ceviche, garlic shrimp, grilled Mahi-Mahi, pasta primavera, seafood chowder and lemon chicken.
Don’t think the Mahi-Mahi suggestion will be of much use to you. It is a fish of the Americas, also known as Red Snapper, and not usually available here, though I had it once at an early gastro pub in Passage (I was told it had been flown in that morning!). You could try bream instead.
I was a regular visitor to that pub and the food was good. One of the best dishes I remember was a Scallop Pie. They must have been relatively inexpensive then for the dish was packed with them. They had a French chef I recall; my mobile phone (an early version) rang out loudly one night and the chef started singing along to the “incoming call” music, which was the Marseillaise.
The Montes Classic Series of wines represent the outstanding value Chile can offer for everyday drinking. “Grapes are hand-picked and transported to the winery with the utmost care, to keep bunch damage to an absolute minimum.” You don’t have to stop at this Sauvignon as the Series also include wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, and Chardonnay.
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Top Wines 2022. With Reviews & Irish Stockists.
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Well worth checking out this red and white double from O’Briens Wine
Emiliana Coyam Valle de Colchagua Chile 2019, 14%, €25.95
When I was around ten years of age, there was a series of summers when a week or more was spent picking blackcurrants on a farm that was quite close. That came back to me when I smelt the cork of this Coyam from Chile and that mix of berry and leaf wafted into my nostrils. A summer’s day on Dring’s farm and half the neighbours picking currants.
A long long way from the Los Robles Estate in Chile’s Colchagua Valley where this wine, a blend of Syrah (37%), Carmenere (33), Cabernet Sauvignon (8), Carignan (5), Malbec (4), Garnacha (4), Tempranillo (3), Mourvèdre (3) and Petit Verdot (3), is produced organically in a Mediterranean climate.
Coyam (the word means oak forest, there was one here) is a rather famous wine, made under the care of Alvaro Espinoza, a leading exponent of organic and biodynamic practices, a signature wine of Emiliana, one of the most accoladed wines in Chile and awarded no less than 94 points by JamesSuckling.com .
Colour is a dark cherry with a lighter tinge around the rim. The full aromas are, as you’d expect, more than just the blackcurrant now, other dark berries there too along with floral notes (including violet) in a complex mix. The depth of fruit shines on the palate where the intro is rich and power-packed. Still, for all that, it is juicy and soft with a touch of sweet spice, the friendly finish long ,with just a little tannin grip. Very Highly Recommended. Might take a bottle with me next time I get a call to go picking blackcurrants
You may well note vanilla during your tasting and here’s why. Ageing is 18 months, 75% in 225 L French oak barrels (mix of new barrels, second- and third- use), 15% in 2,000- and 5,000-litre foudres, and 10% in concrete eggs.
I was advised to decant an hour or so before drinking. This very versatile wine can be enjoyed with both sophisticated and simple dishes. Ideal to pair with red or white meat with either a black pepper, Roquefort, or garlic butter sauce. There’s also space for spicy foods like Indian or Mexican, or vegetarian dishes with mushrooms, bell peppers, potatoes, aubergine, or peas.
Kuentz-Bas Le 4eme Tour Pinot Blanc Alsace (AC) 2017, 13.5%, O'Briens Wine
This organic Pinot Blanc has a clear light straw colour. Beautiful citrusy aromas and pear with some floral notes (one is reminded to some degree of the Riesling that is also grown in the Alsace). Elegant and refreshing with a lengthy finish. A dry refreshing white and it is a little gem. Highly Recommended.
Kuentz-Bas was founded in the Alsatian town of Husseren-les-Châteaux in 1795. In 2004 the 10ha estate was bought by Jean-Baptiste Adam, the fourteenth generation of his family involved in winemaking.
'Useful rather than exciting' is a fair description of this versatile grape variety, according to Jancis Robinson. “Austria is perhaps the country which values Weissburgunder the highest … But it is probably in Italy that, as Pinot Bianco, this vine is most widely grown, and produces the greatest diversity of styles.
This bottle illustrates that they grow it well also in Alsace, well enough to get me excited!
* O'Briens, by the way, have a "Winter Warming Reds" offer at present. Check it out here. The selection includes the Bodegas Tandem Ars in Vitro, a favourite of mine.
O'Briens Introduce Exciting New Wines
Including This Very Highly Recommended Viognier
Lynne Coyle MW, O’Briens Wine Director: “We are delighted to have recently added these exciting new wines to our range over the past couple of weeks. Six of them are organic, of which three come from our long-time Chilean partners, Emiliana.”
The two wines featured below are among the newcomers and both are on offer until July 18th. Others will come on offer after that date and we’ll get to those as well (including two more from the Emiliana Novas series).
Watch out also for the O'Briens Spanish Wine Sale between 21st July and 2nd August.
Emiliana “Novas” Viognier Gran Reserva 2020 Valle Casablanca (DO), 14%, €12.95 until July 18th (was 15.07).
Light to mid straw is the colour of this organic Viognier from Chile’s Casablanca Valley, part of a group of wines new to the O’Brien portfolio this year. Peach and nectarine feature in the pleasantly intense aromas and also on the palate. It is quite dense and silky in the mouth, certainly ample, and the balancing acidity is key to this excellent experience, right through to the harmonious finish. Very Highly Recommended.
The vineyards, just 100km north-west of Santiago, are only 30km from the Pacific Ocean, so cooling sea breezes and ocean fogs help to moderate the long hot summer days and lengthen the ripening season, allowing the grapes to develop greater complexity of flavour, whilst retaining acidity. After fermentation, the wine is aged in oak barrels for 8 months to add a creamy texture. Those cooling sea breezes are a key factor as Viognier can easily over-ripen.
The label tells us that these “Premium organic wines are made with carefully selected grapes to create unique and high-quality products that faithfully express their terroir”. The Cabernet Sauvignon was listed as the 7th best value red in Chile by Wines of South America (pub. 2014).
We’ll have another couple from Novas (a Riesling and a Syrah-Mourvedre blend) over the next few weeks and, after this, I'm really looking forward to those.
Emiliana are one of the largest producers of estate-grown organic wines in the world. Their spectacular biodynamic vineyard and winery at Los Robles is a model that attracts visiting viticulturalists and winemakers from all over the world. General Manager José Guilisasti and winemaking consultant Alvaro Espinoza were key to establishing this project to convert a large commercial winery into a commercially viable organic one. These innovative wines are made with great care and attention and the results are inspiring.
Emiliana’s “Gé” is Chile's first ever certified biodynamic wine and is listed at #9 in the Twenty Wines to Drink Before You Die (Wines of South America pub. 2014)
Luzon Monastrell Jumilla (DOP) 2020, 14.5%, €10.95 until July 18th (was 13.95)
This unoaked Monastrell from Jumilla in Murcia, a small region on the Mediterranean coast of south-eastern Spain, has a deep cherry colour. Intense yet elegant on the nose, a pleasing melange of red and darker fruits (cherries, plums and strawberries). And, on the intro to the palate, you immediately think juicy and fresh, as the fruit and acidity combine in impressive harmony. Tannins are pretty well integrated and the finish lingers. Highly Recommended.
This excellent newcomer has no added sulphur (as you can see on the label), is certified organic and vegan. The label calls it “honest, fresh, fruity and flavoursome” and indicates it should be served at between 14 and 16 degrees.
O’Briens: Bodegas Luzón was established in 1916 and specialises in growing Jumilla´s Monastrell grape. The estate is now owned by the Fuertes Family, who have invested heavily in the vineyards and winery. Luzón are one of our top Spanish producers, making a range of good value red wines. This Monastrell is a good example. It is a very good price point and already proving popular with our customers.
Note too the climate in this part of Spain is Mediterranean, with dry, sunny growing seasons. This helps the grapes remain healthy, disease free and allows for easier implementation of sustainable farming practices. Not all plain sailing though. Wine-Searcher.com says that “frosts, violent storms and torrential rains still pose real threats to vines” here.
Monastrell is known as Mourvedre in France where it is a key component of the Rhone GSM (Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre) blends.
Two Very Highly Recommended Reds From Chile
Clos des Fous Cauquenina 2014, 14%,
€22.99 Blackrock Cellar Green Man Wines Molloys Clonsilla The Corkscrew Wineonline.ie
Cauquenina, meaning “girl from Cauquenes”, is a blend of several varietals. Each lot was vinified and aged separately to create aromas of black pepper, tea leaves, graphite and violet and a full-bodied wine. Blend: 27% Carmenère , 25% Carignano/Carignan, 11% Petite Sirah, 10% Cinsault , 10% Malbec, 10% Pais, 7% Syrah/Shiraz. The amounts and varietals in the blend are not necessarily the same in each vintage.
Colour is a deep ruby red. Aromas are quite intense, red fruit like strawberry and raspberry and darker such as cherry. The palate is light and dry; reminds me of a Beaujolais Gamay one moment, of a Burgundy Pinot Noir the next. These are two of my favourite grapes, so I’m very happy with it and its generous and smooth palate, smooth tannins too, its balance and its good long finish as well. Very Highly Recommended.
This quite original wine starts with each varietal being vinified and aged separately. Fermentation took place in cement vats. A portion (about 15 to 20%) of the wine was put into new French oak barrels and the other part in one-year-old barrels. The fermentations were slow and careful so as not to over-extract.
Clos des Fous is about four friends, four crazy guys that have chosen to ignore the experts about where to plant vineyards and to trust their own instincts. But don’t worry, the four are experts themselves, experts with a mission. The four (listed on the label in tiny print) are winemaker Pedro Parra, François Massoc (extensive experience in Burgundy), winemaker Paco Leyton (Altos las Hormigas, Puculan) and businessman Albert Cussen (strengths in admin and finance).
They are about growing wines over “the Chilean extreme, fresh and unpredictable places, looking for natural balance”. “This is a unique and groundbreaking project based on a delicate and novel terroir selection. Following the Burgundy philosophy, our focus is to achieve wines with minimal intervention, letting the terroir express itself.”
Clos des Fous (the madmen’s vineyard) is highly praised in Wines of South America: “Their approach produces wines that distinctively express their terroir, made with organic fruit and using techniques that are so minimalist that the wines are vinified without ‘safety nets such as fining or filtering'.”
Montes Alpha Carmenère Valle De Colchagua (DO) 2018, 14.5%
€22.99 Baggot Street Wines, Ely Wine Store, Sweeney’s D3, Terroirs, The Corkscrew Wineonline.ie, World Wide Wines
Deep dark red is the colour here. Intense blackberry on the nose, tobacco (I barely remember that!), plus a touch of Mocha and toasty too. And that continues on the assertive palate, deliciously fruity and certainly full-bodied, one to be sipped and savoured, and the smooth tannins carry you into a long and pleasing finish. Yet another very satisfactory Montes wine and Very Highly Recommended.
The grapes were cold soaked at 10°C for five days to extract aroma and colour. Following this, they underwent fermentation in temperature controlled stainless-steel tanks for 12 days and were then kept on the skins to impart structure and colour. 55% of the final blend was aged in French oak barrels for 12 months.
Montes are serious players. According to the Wines of South America, Montes (founded in 1988) is credited for its pioneering work in the Colchagua’s Apalta district, the first to realise its potential as one of the best locations for red wines in Chile and “is among the most important wineries in Chile today”. As a further endorsement, their Alpha “M” (very limited production) is listed as one of the top 20 South American wines to drink before you die.
Liberty have some interesting background detail: They learned, when they started producing Montes Alpha in 1987, that they needed balanced yields and to harvest when the grapes were ripe. They adapted these practices to all their vineyards and the results were startling. Montes’ own vineyards now cover 75% of their requirements. The other 25% of fruit is produced in vineyards that they have planted, cultivated and picked. In other words, they control everything except the ownership of the land. In addition to this control over the vineyard, they also sell in bulk what is not good enough to go into the bottles that carry their label. Having made the selection in the vineyard, they are able to make a further selection in the winery. The results are there for you to taste.
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Red And White Gems
From The Southern Hemisphere
Montes Limited Selection Pinot Noir Aconcagua Costa (D0) 2018, 14%
€17.99 Avoca Handweavers Shops; Baggot Street Wines; Barnhill Stores; Blackrock Cellar; Cinnamon Cottage; Donnybrook Fair; Ely Wine Store; Menloe Stores; Sweeney’s D3; The Wine Centre; wineonline.ie
“It is totally coastal influenced. In morning there’s mist and fog and then a shy sunshine from mid day. The vines grow happy. The grapes ripen slowly.” This was Aurelio Montes speaking of the Aconcagua Coast during last year’s Zoomed masterclass as he sipped a Pinot Noir. (quite possibly this one).
So this Pinot Noir, with its bright ruby red colour, comes all the way from the coast of Chile. Aromas are concentrated, of fresh summer fruit, cherries and berries. Touch of oak too. The palate is just as intense, toasty oak spice flavour in with the red fruits, elegant and complex, smooth with excellent acidity, rounded tannins also part of the harmony on the way to an abiding finish. Very Highly Recommended.
They say: Our Montes Limited Selection range is a collection of individual wines. This premium wine is recognised as a seductive, voluptuous, smooth and satisfying sensual pleasure. This range includes a Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Carmenère and a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère.
The wine has spent 6 to 7 months in oak. Recommended pairings are: White meat (including veal), fish, Pasta, Sushi, charcuterie, desserts. They advise decanting 15 minutes in advance of serving at a temperature of 14 to 15 degrees.
*****
Spice Route Chenin Blanc Swartland 2019, 13.5%
€24.99 Fresh Grand Canal and Smithfield; wineonline.ie
The Swartland is 65kms north of Cape Town (South Africa). The climate is hot and dry. Viticulture here it is not straightforward, according to Fairview and Spice Route owner Charles Back (widely regarded as a wine pioneer in the area). “You have to be very careful to select good moisture retaining soil in the first place, soil that can trap the moisture and slowly release it later when needed.”
“We monitor winter rainfall very carefully and if the rain isn’t enough, the yield must be cut. We use bush vines and the canopy has to be managed.”
That attention to detail is well illustrated here in this superbly complex barrel-fermented Chenin Blanc. Light straw with greenish tints. Fairly intense aromas featuring tropical fruits and peach. It’s a beautiful mouthful, immediately likeable. Very harmonious with fresh fruit and acidity all in tune. Plus a pretty long finish. Very happy with this one on the table (especially in the summer months) and Very Highly Recommended.
Charl du Plessis, the winemaker, said (on Zoom last year): “This Chenin Blanc is from a vineyard planted in 1978. These trellised vineyards are planted on a southeast facing slope and are dryland farmed. The soils are predominantly koffieklip (decomposed granite and iron-rich clay). Due to the late picking of the second portion, there were some raisins present on select bunches. This added a beautiful dimension to this fantastic grape variety which will benefit from 3 or 4 years bottle age. Enjoy!” I certainly did.
He went on to say that there is still a lot to discover from Chenin Blanc, that there is the possibility of getting a broader range of wines from it.
País and Weiss be with you all. Salud and Prost!
Outstanding Wines from Chile and Austria.
Leonardo Erazo “A Los Viñateros Bravos” Volcánico País 2018 Itata (Chile), 12.5%
€24.95 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny
Some terrific wines, many made from the País grape, are coming out of the Itata area in Chile. And this is one of them.
Colour is quite a light ruby. Aromas of wild strawberries and, I’m told, of the local vegetation. Palate is fresh and light, vibrant, delicate red fruit flavours, touch of spice, distinctive and refreshing, smooth all the way to the finish. The granitic soils have a lot to say and tell here and, perhaps, that is why, or at least one reason, this wine reminds me of a good Beaujolais. A quiet friendly one and Very Highly Recommended.
“A Los Viñateros Bravos” means to the brave vignerons. This is Erazo’s tribute to those the have kept these incredible red vines alive, 100% farmed by hand. Here in the interesting granitic and volcanic soils of Itata, old vines, ungratified, unirrigated, natural low yields, and natural winemaking allow us to show the impact on the wine were the roots are feeding the mother rock.
The first País (also known, particularly in California, as the Mission grape) was brought by the conquistadors in the 1550s and, for centuries, the new locals used it to make wines for themselves. But bit by bit, the big companies began to use the big-name grapes and the ancient imports lost ground. Leonardo Erazo was one who wanted to reverse this trend. He travelled the world for ten years to study wine and then came back and founded A Los Viñateros Bravos.
In Itata, Leonardo has worked with the scattered local farmers’ old vines—many well over 100 years, still growing as dry farmed, untrained small bushes—to enhance their traditional natural practices to align with biodynamic guidelines. His mission, throughout this journey, has been to bring a sense of place into the bottle. Looks like he (and others, such as Pedro Parra) is succeeding.
Beck Weissburgunder Austria 2019, 12.5%
€21.85 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny
This Austrian Pinot Blanc has a beautiful bright yellow gold colour. Gorgeous inviting aromas too of citrus and white fruits. Strikingly full-bodied and a delicious satisfying harmony between the complex fruit and a refreshing acidity with a hint of spice in there as well. Another outstanding wine from Judith Beck. Very Highly Recommended.
The winery says Weissburgunder is a globally underestimated grape. It is perfectly adapted to the climate and soils around Lake Neusiedl and finds its ideal conditions here. The fruit is picked by hand, and is matured, on the entire lees, for 6 months in used oak casks, so as not to add an oaky flavour and it is fragrant and refreshing.
Since 2007, Judith Beck has produced wines in accordance with biodynamic principles. They say: the focus is on the vine growing. Biodynamics is an art of healing which takes advantage of the holistic curativeness of nature. It aims at strengthening the natural resistance of the plant.The aim is to produce authentic wines with an individual aroma while at the same time maintaining healthy soil and vines.
