Powell doing well after leaving Torbreck

When most people think of premium Australian wine, they may think first and only of Penfold’s Grange. But the pricey, legendary shiraz is hardly the only Australian wine that excels in quality and commands the price to prove it.  

Torbreck, for one, has established a place in the country’s hall of fame. Founded by David Powell in 1994, the wines of its Barossa Valley estate were scoring awards for years. Then, Powell had a falling out with the winery’s owner Pete Kight in 2013.  Powell left the company and immediately launched a new brand with his son Callum, now 25 years old. Today, Powell & Son wines are following a similar trajectory of winning awards and spinning heads with dizzying prices. 

I had the opportunity to taste the recent releases and can attest to the 91-99 point scores they are getting. Made from grapes grown on vines more than 100 years old, the 2015 Kraehe Shiraz and the 2015 Steinert Shiraz are two of the most complex shirazes we’ve tasted but you’ll need $623 to buy one. More reasonable in price is the 2015 Powell & Son GSM (grenache, syrah, mourvedre) that sells for $58 or the Riverside GSM for $21.  

Powell doesn’t own any vineyards – he was able to win over the owners of vineyards who once sold to Torbreck. Call it poetic justice. Powell farms nearly all of the vineyards himself. He also uses old concrete ferment vats and basket pressing – a unique form of winemaking that obviously works well for him. 

Hermes and wine don't mix

It may not be a good idea to bring your Hermes handbag to the Alpine Country Club in New Jersey. Nor is it a good idea to work there.

A woman has sued the country club for spilling wine on her $30,000 Hermes handbag given to her by her husband. Hermes no long makes the handbag, thus making it irreplaceable. The country club declined to pay the woman and instead blamed it on the unnamed waiter — as if that removed their liability.

The country club initially sued the waiter, but later dropped the effort once it went public. Good thing — I doubt the lawsuit would have held up in court. There are plenty of precedents in which a company is responsible for its employees mistakes.

Strange, no?

Giving space to Bordeaux

Space Cargo Unlimited has sent a case of red Bordeaux into outer space. It’s not for astronauts to drink but it’s rather an experiment to see if the lack of gravitational pull has any effect on wine after a year in space.

A case of the same wine will be preserved on Earth so that a scientific comparison can be made.

Alas, wine wasn’t the first or only beverage to be test. Beer, scotch and other spirits have been launched a million miles away as part of a broad analysis to see if agricultural can survive in places other than here.

My imagination just wanders at the thought. Could vineyards on Mars be far away? If there isn’t gravity, how on Earth will one pour wine into the glass? Or keep it in their mouth?

Researchers have stumbled on to wine that has been unwittingly stored for centuries in amphoras, at bars in Pompeii and even at the bottom of the ocean in sunken ships. Why not space?

Rynders always lands on his feet

I met Tony Rynders in the mid 2000s when he was cutting his teeth at Domaine Serene. It was here that he established himself as a premier winemaker, especially with pinot noir grown in the Pacific Northwest.

Shortly after my visit, it was reported that Rynders was fired by Domaine Serene owners, Grace and Ken Evenstad and then sued by the Evenstads for stealing a formula for the white pinot noir he made there. They eventually settled out of court and Rynders went on to make great pinot noir for Tendril and consult for other pinot noir producers. The Evenstads, on the other hand, went on to fire more winemakers. This turnover doesn’t help the wine, which is highly dependent on a winemaker’s touch.

How Rynders was treated reminds me of a conversation I had with Grace Evenstad during a visit to Naples, Florida, the family’s winter home. They had just purchased a French winery in Burgundy. She told me the first thing they did was fire everyone. Despite that she still felt the French welcomed the Americans. I’m not so sure.

Rynders has now joined Jackson Family Wines to introduce a new line of pinot noirs from Anderson Valley. Called Maggy Hawk, the four pinots I tasted were quintessential Rynders — big, bold and expressing the unique soils of each of the four vineyards. The Stormin’ pinot noir was chewy and full bodied with blueberry character while the Jolie was silky and elegant, much like a French burgundy premier cru.

Like all great pinot noir, these wines aren’t cheap at $65 a bottle. But if that' price doesn’t scare you off, I highly recommend trying them. Rynders has the midas touch when it comes to pinot noir.

Bordeaux may add grape varieties

Global warming has opened the door to additional grape varieties in Bordeaux. The General Assembly of Bordeaux AOCand Bordeaux Superieur has approved a new list of grape varieties that, if passed by the INAO, will help growers adapt to changing climate with hardier stock.

The present collection of six grape varieties will expanded by 7 more varieties. The reds included arinarnoa, castets, marselan and tourigna nacional and the whites include alvarinho, liliorila and petit manseng.

If approved, these secondary varieties cannot make up more than 5 percent of the vineyards or 10 percent of any blend. Furthermore, these grapes cannot be listed on the label.

It is not surprising that growers are seeing dramatic changes from the changing weather patterns. Grapes that flourished decades ago aren’t producing the same results as temperatures warm. Grapes are being picked later in the year and are loaded with sugar. The results are riper and more alcoholic wines.

I doubt we’ll see much change in the blends of first growths, but AOC and Bordeaux Superieur wines will quickly adapt these varieties. Yet, even they are planted next year, it will be several years before the new vines produce usable grapes.

Touriga nacional is a variety that does very well in Portugal. Alvarinho is another name for Spain’s popular albarino grape. Arinarnoa is a cross between tannat and cabernet sauvignon. Marselan is also a cross but between cabernet sauvignon and grenache. Petit manseng is grown in France along the Spanish border.

A second generation of Oregon pinot noir

For the first time, three top wine producers in the Willamette Valley have collaborated to create an incredible pinot noir from their family-owned vineyards.

Called Second Generation Vintners Oregon Originals, or 2GV for short, the 2017 blend represents the work of the second generation of winemakers at Ponzi, Elk Cove and Sokol Blosser. Luisa and Maria Ponzi, Adam Campbell and his sister Anna, Alex Sokol Blosser and sister Alison contributed fruit from each of the three families’ vineyards to make 350 cases — 140 of which were donated to charities.

It has been my experience that winemakers in this pinot noir region often collaborate even if it’s at a Friday night party. It’s not often you see winemakers sharing information. I really wonder if this project could have occurred in any other region.

The project allows the unique soil characteristics of the vineyards to come together under one wine-making recipe. The tasting of each property was done blind — but of course each winemaker could identify his or her wine. The final blend was 36 percent Ponzi fruit with the balance evenly divided by Elk Cove and Sokol Blosser.

The soil blend included Marine sedimentary soil at Elk Cove’s La Boheme Vineyard, Laurelwood soil at Ponzi’s Madrona Vineyard and Jory soil at Sokol Blosser’s Old Vineyard Block.

I’m familiar with the pinot noirs from each of these producers and they are all excellent. But, together, this wine is one of the best I’ve tasted from the Willamette Valley. Alas, given its distribution and cost ($100), you may not have a chance to taste it. It is being sold at the vineyards.

Second Generations pinot noir is a fitting testimony to the parents who were among the pioneers to settle the Willamette wine industry.

A scary turn of events

I will never understand the annual campaign to sell wine with a Halloween theme. Who wants it? Do you throw parties and look for a wine with a scary label or a name with “ghost” in it? Someone must.

Every year I’m inundated with requests to feature Halloween-themed wines. Concha Y Toro Casillero del Diablo (Devil’s Castle) at least has its brand year-round. But other brands come out of the woodwork at this time of the year. If you’re planning a party, look for labels like Apothic Inferno, Ghost Pines, Witching Hour and Vampire.

One wine that is actually worth drinking is Fora Springs’ Ghost Winery Malbec from Napa Valley. It’s a delicious fruit-driven wine made in small quantities.

Also worthy of note is Root: 1 Cabernet Sauvignon. At this time of the year it is sold ion a Halloween-esque bag.

What makes French oak so special?

At a recent tasting I moderated, a participant asked what made French oak so special. It was a good question and a timely one because I was just reading about it in Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson’s World Atlas of Wine.

French oak has been seen as the top source for centuries. Like vineyards impact grapes and thus the flavor of wine, the soil for trees means a lot. For instance, the Troncais forest in France produces some of the best oak for wine barrels. The soil is terrible, so the tree grows slowly and produces a wood that is tightly grained. Limousin oak, on the other hand, is wide grained and more tannic. A wine producer will choose a forest that will deliver the nuances that he is trying to create. In fact, many producers will actually choose the specific tree.

Oak isn’t the only wood used in barrels. Hungarian oak is admired for its nutty flavors. American oak, mostly from Missouri, is commonly used in Spanish wines and is noted for its aggressive tannins and vanilla flavors.

The best world atlas of wine

During my first visit to France, I brought along a copy of The World Atlas of Wine, a collaboration by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson. It was instrumental in helping me to understand the villages, the wine and the landscape of Burgundy, Champagne, Provence, Alsace and more.

First published in 2003, the 8th edition of the atlas has just been released.

It was fascinating to see the changes. The previous editions didn’t have much to say about climate change or even bottle closures. And, there are more pages devote to remote wine regions such as China and Croatia.

Johnson and Robinson are among the most respected wine journalists in the world. Their painsaking effort to provide a condensed yet concise record of the wine growing regions of the world are evident to anyone who reads this book.

Johnson also published his revised “Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2020.” It’s much lighter and easier to fit into a suitcase. I’ll be taking it with me to France next year. Meanwhile, the World Atlas of Wine is a book that you should have on your shelf. It’s a great present too.

Josh dips into hot prosecco market

Call me a neanderthal or, better, a romantic. But I always liked that real zinfandel comes only from California and that Rias Baixas is the only wine-growing region that can make albarino. Prosecco? Veneto, Italy, right? Who else grows glera grapes anyway?

So, when I saw that Josh Cellars added prosecco to its impressive array of value-priced wines, I was taken aback. How could they? Well, first, the grapes are coming from Veneto. Winemaker and owner Joseph Carr is simply riding the coattails of a successful sparkling wine. But can’t we all just leave prosecco to the Italians and albarino to the Spaniards?

Egads, is nothing sacred any more?

In fact, nothing is. Cupcake and other producers are making prosecco. And, there are producers who are putting their labels on wines made abroad. Gallo has been distributing wines made in Europe for decades, but you won’t find Gallo on the label. That seems to be a smarter marketing tactic. I would imagine many consumers wouldn’t drink a prosecco made by an American producer because, well, it’s not a part of the romantic Italian culture.

What do I know?

Late harvest zin: how sweet it is. Not!

A dear friend shared with me his last bottle of 1968 Mayacamas Late Harvest Zinfandel. What a treat. While many late harvest zins are vinified sweet, winemaker Bob Travers vinified this one dry. Travers is a legend in wine making and this 51-year-old wine demonstrates why.

Despite its age, there was still a freshness to the fruit with raspberries and blackberries most dominant. There was just a trace of the raisiny character you would expect from an aged zinfandel. With 17 percent alcohol in this giant of a wine, there was still a lot of bottle and just some fine tannins. Although some critics, including Robert Parker Jr., suggest this wine can last another 20 years, I thought it was drinking perfectly. Long, long finish and a touch of spice.

It always blows my mind to find such great California wine that has survived this long.

A gut reaction

As if we don’t have enough reasons to consider wine a healthy elixir, now comes a study that shows wine increases “gut microbiota diversity.” Don’t worry, that’s good. It’s probably the same thing yogurt does for your stomach.

Published in the journal Gastroenterology — you subscribe, don’t you? — researchers with King’s College in London found that red wine provides better gut health than white wine, beer, spirits, and cider. The study was done on 918 female twins living in the United Kingdom.

This is amazing for one particular reason: 918 twins agreed to participate in a study!

What a lousy development

The Walla Walla Valley Alliance is reporting that the dreaded root louse, phylloxera is showing up in Walla Walla vineyards. Reports say the louse, which devastated vineyards in Bordeaux and later in California, has been present in the state since 1910 but no one has seen it in Walla Walla until now.

Earlier reports show that it also is in the Willamette Valley.

The colder climate in the Pacific Northwest is too cold for the root louse, but global warming has made temperatures more hospitable. That explains much of the spread.

None of this news means the end is near for either wine region. The spread of the root louse is easier to contain today that it was in the last century. Quarantine is usually the best solution, but no grape grower wants to admit their infection. Phylloxera takes 10-15 years to ruin a vineyard as the louse slowly sucks nutrients from the roots.

What this does prove, however, is that there is risk associated with small Walla Walla producers who develop their own root stock. Those developed by nurseries, for the most part, are phylloxera resistant and come with a lot more science invested in their creation.

Global warming making changes

If you want evidence that climate change is affecting European vineyards, look no farther than Beaujolais.

The region known for its fruity gamays is hitting harvest about two weeks early — one of the earliest since 1988. Climate experts say hotter and drier conditions will become part of the norm.

Warmer weather usually leads to wines with higher alcohol, but drier can mean significant differences in flavor too. I wonder if Beaujolais producers will have to consider growing something besides the traditional gamay. Syrah? Primativo?

Even Burgundy producers are worried. Who’s not worried are the new winemakers in Wales!

Semillon: the forgotten grape

When I first started to write about wine in the 1980s, I remember drinking a Kalin semillon from California like it was yesterday. Semillon is rarely made without a companion grape, such as sauvignon blanc. Many vintners find it one-dimensional and lacking acidity. However, in a blend it can often the natural acidity of sauvignon blanc.

The other day I enjoyed a semillon from Tyrrell’s Wines, an Australian producer in the Hunter Valley. Australia is actually one of the few wine growing regions that produce a number of semillons. The Tyrrell was very simple, but revealed that lush character for which the grape is known.

If you are in the mood, semillon is worth an adventure.

I Ott not be surprised

There it was on the shelf standing by itself on the last day of a sale: Domaines Ott Clos Mireille Blanc de Blanc Cotes de Provence. Why didn’t anyone want it? Was it calling for me?

It’s not hard for any bottles of Domaines Ott to stand out. It’s oddly shaped bottle has nothing else to compare. I’ve marveled at this producer for its outstanding rose, but I never had its white. I had to try it even though a single bottle of any wine usually portends bad things to come.

I just wish there had been more of this wine.

Made from semillon — a variety more common in Bordeaux — and a little rolle, the wine was so exotic with generous stone fruit aromas, and fresh fruit character. Ripe passion fruit and peach flavors lingered on the palate. By aging it in large wood casks, the patina suggests an aged wine. It was a 2016 I tasted but it’s a wine that would improve in several more years.

Now, I’m on the hunt for more of it.

Note to self: just because there is only one bottle left on a shelf doesn’t mean it’s a lousy wine. It’s just that someone overlooked it.

Those Andorrans drink a lot of wine

I’ve always been amused by the little known fact that the Vatican has the highest per capita consumption of wine in the world. No other country comes close — until recently.

The new top dog in wine consumption is Andorra.

You’re probably thinking the same as me: where in the hell is Andorra? And, it’s a country?

The Principality of Andorra, as it likes to be called, is a 181 square miles patch between France and Spain in the Pyrennees mountains. Known for its ski resorts and tax haven, the soverign nation is the sixth smallest in Europe (OK, smarty pants, name the five that are smaller).

The 78,000 people who live there — and the 10 million who visit annually — must drink a load of wine. In fact, the population drinks nearly 57 liters a person!

The official language is Catalan, but when the people drink a lot, it’s more like Mayan.

Here’s the ranking:

1. Andorra - 56.9 litres per capita a year

2. Vatican City - 56.2

3. Croatia - 46.9

4. Portugal - 43.7

5. France - 43.1

6. Slovenia - 42.5

7. Macedonia - 40.4

8. Falkland Islands - 38.5

9. Switzerland - 37

10. Italy - 34.1

Sacre bleu, French looking for more rose?

The Telegraph recently reported that young French people are abandoning the red wine from Bordeaux in favor of light whites and roses. The 6% drop in sales of Bordeaux has led producers from France’s most elite growing region to start pushing their white wines. Very few of them make rose because, well, rose is so declasse.

In fact, young people in France say they drink wine as an aperitif rather than with meals.

Said Louise Descamps, 28, an assistant television producer: “It’s a change in lifestyle from our parents’ generation. They used to drink mainly red wine at dinner, but we tend to drink more at bars or parties. My friends and I drink more rosé or white. I still enjoy reds from time to time, but only ever with dinner.”

Rose sales have tripled in France in the last two decades; they now account for a third of the wine sold in France.

Imagine that? French Bordeaux and Burgundy were the most desirable wine among the French for generations. Today, however, not only has per capita wine consumption decreased dramatically, but so has the desire for the country’s most prestigious wines.

I can’t imagine Bordeaux producers making rose out of their merlot and cabernet sauvignon, but who knows? First-growth rose anyone?

Not surprisingly, many experts are scoffing at the ntion of Bordeaux changing direction. Wine critic Yohan Castaing told the Telegraph: “It’s not because rosés made in other parts of France work well that they’ll work in Bordeaux. They’re not really part of Bordeaux’s DNA.”

Back to Bern's Steakhouse

Most people who are deep into wine have made the trip to Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa, Fl. It’s equivalent to Mecca for those who appreciate an aged wine alongside a good steak. Opened in 1956 by the legendary Bern Laxter, it has been filling the house for decades for those who enjoyed dry -aged steaks. .

Bern loved his wine and amassed a collection so huge that he needs an adjacent warehouse to store them. The list, once chained to the table after it began to disappear, is so extensive it would take days to peruse it.

I’ve frequented this place a half a dozen times and it never fails to please, but I learned a valuable lesson the last time I was there with my wife. I enjoyed a 2010 Marsanny and a 1998 Beaulieu Vineyard cabernet sauvignon from the restaurant’s extensive wine-by-the-glass offering. Where can you find wines like this by the glass other than at Bern’s? Both were around $22 a glass, which I thought was reasonable for their age.

We decided to order a bottle of wine for dinner and I decided to let the waiter — who said he was a “sommelier” — find something special within a $100-150 price range. He was gone forever and, frankly, didn’t give it much attention. He came back with two wines from the Rhone Valley — one I didn’t even recognize and the other was a 2008 Jaboulet Crozes-Hermitage. I enjoyed this wine for decades but questioned whether it was still good. I decided to trust his assurance.

The wine was actually fine, but I remarked to my wife that I was surprised that this was the best he could do. Afterall, it’s an average wine and the budget I gave him was reasonable. The list was extensive and I didn’t restrict the region.

He said something that annoyed me. He said the top sommeliers protected the best wines for its regular customers. The waiter said if a customer liked a particular wine, they would declare it off limits in case he wanted it again. Now, I get that regular customers who patronize the restaurant year-round deserve better access to the best wines. But here’s the lesson for me: pick my own wine.

I was entirely capable of finding my own wine and I knew I could have done better. But I thought the waiter (who said he was a sommelier of some level) knew what was really showing well.

If you go, pick your own wine.

Sacre bleu, not French wine!

President Trump is threatening to impose a tax on French wine shipped to this country in retaliation for France’s new tax on digital companies. The French tax would include Google, Amazon and Facebook — none of which are allies of the president but American companies nonetheless.

The war of words could mean that American consumers will pay more for their beloved French wine, but how much more is unclear. Those who favor French Bordeaux and Burgundy probably will not be discouraged by a small tax increase. Less wealthy wine consumers aren’t buying French wine anyway.

The only remarkable event here is that Trump doesn’t drink so it is rather ignorant for him to proclaim that American wine is better. I won’t get into that circular argument, but really, Trump should just stick with the argument that this is a counter-measure, not an issue of which country produces the best wine.