August 2015 – Page 2 – Colin Harkness on Wine

La Vie En Rosé

LA VIE EN ROSÉ

PROVENÇAL ROSÉ – VARIATIONS ON A THEME?

Well, no, actually – colour-wise, they’re all the same!

Let me firstly say that I am a keen fan of Provençal Rosé. During our very recent Provençal sojourn I tasted well into double figures of different wines and whilst I had my favourites, it’s true to say that I enjoyed them all.

There’s nothing quite like tasting iconic wines in situ. This year (summer 2015) there have been record temperatures to go along with a record number of sunshine hours. So much so that wine producers will be picking early this year as the grapes are reaching optimum maturity and ripeness at least a week earlier than has been normal for decades.

Indeed I know of one producer who has serious concerns about the survival of the new vines he has recently planted, because of the climate change and, of course, its attendant lack of rain. It’s all very well for the teeming tourists, but for farmers there are serious worries.

Now, a change of tack – but the course will revert back to the Rosés of Provence.

I was at a major wine tasting earlier this year where I was talking to a Spanish producer whose wine’s I’d just tasted. One of them was a very pale pink rose petal coloured rosado which I enjoyed. I asked him about the rather dramatic change in colour, considering the rosados that they have produced in the past, which I’ve also enjoyed.

As I expected he replied that this colour change was a response to the current world-wide demand for rosado wines made in the Provençal hue, the very pale pink that is so typical of rosé wines from Provence.

An interesting, similar experience occurred at another tasting this year where a producer was presenting the bodega’s first rosado of the same pale hue. It was ironic, for me, that there were far more negative comments about this wine than positive, from the Spanish tasters. In some respects Spanish consumers are a step behind what’s going on in the rest of the world, re wine. (Another example is Spain’s delay in embracing screw-top bottle closures).

The pioneering bodega which had decided to launch this new (for Spain) shade of rosado was also responding to the international demand for oh-so-pale rosé. They sell all over the world and were not surprised that the wine wasn’t (as yet) popular in their area, and indeed in Spain in general. A profit in his own country . . . .

Today (2^nd week of August 2015) I received my copy of what is for me Spain’s best wine magazine, PlanetAVino, whose largely pink front cover suggested that there was a major article about rosado wine inside, before the headline confirmed it. A sub-heading in the article itself reads: “Clarete, Rosado y ahora, Rosé” – (Clarete, the very darkly coloured style of Spanish rosado; Rosado, the various and many variations on the ‘pink’ theme; and now, Rosé – essentially referring to the very pale, Provence style rosés). ,

The article’s author, the owner-editor of the magazine (as well as the excellent Guía Proensa, Spanish Wine Guide), Señor Andrés Proensa is making the point that now in Spain there is a huge choice of rosado wines, in terms of grape varieties, of course, some of which include white wine grapes, as well as in colours.

And this is where our two tacks converge. There are many different grape varieties used for Provençal Rosé wines (this number is smaller than those for Spain, of course, as Provence is a relatively (to Spain as a whole) small area of production. However, though I’m no artist and cannot really note any infinitesimally slight change in shade, when it comes to the colour of Provençal Rosé, they are all the same!

On supermarket shelves there is a vast array of rosé wine in Provence – understandably, as in the towns and villages there are signs proudly claiming that they have a 2,600 year history of making such wines! But, in terms of colour – there’s practically no difference!

I’m sorry, mes amis, but as a spectacle, it’s boring!

I just wonder if there is a producer in Provence who has the guts to break the mould, like the two Spanish producers mentioned earlier. A revolutionary who is prepared to take some flack, who wants to make rosé of the same undeniable quality as that which is made already, but, for heaven’s sake, rosé with some colour in its cheek!

I know – the answer is a rhetorical question: ‘Why change a winning team? If it aint bust, don’t fix it!’ Plus, of course, the evidence in the international market suggests that this pallid rosé is what the consumer demands. Our two Spanish pioneers (along with a few others who’ve also always made their rosado in this style, regardless of fashion) have decided to [join ’em] rather than try and [beat ’em]. So Provençal producers must have it right!

Well, let me leave you with a thought, alluded to already in the paragraph above – consumers are notoriously fickle. The international demand for pallid-pale coloured rosés is nought but a fashion. A mode that will reach its zenith and then, like colour in the wine, fade. As with many fashions it will come again, but for me, it’s variety as well as quality that counts.

This is where Spain (see above) wins out!

Colin Harkness

August 2015

BODEGAS GODELIA

DO BIERZO

As I write, experiencing temperatures of 33ºC+ on the Costa Blanca, I think of lovely, aromatic, flavoursome, well chilled white wine. Well, don’t you?

I’m not one of these people who think between the blinkers only – white is for summer, red for winter, and maybe rosado for in between times! I enjoy a chilled glass of white wine whatever the temperature; and I love Spanish reds throughout, when served below the ambient temperature.

I’d love to reach for a glass of a Godello based wine right now (please visit www.costa-news.com click Cork Talk and scroll down to my recent thoughts on this super Spanish white wine variety), but I’ve run out of Bodegas Godelia’s Sparkling Wine as well as their still dry, which also has a small percentage of Doña Blanca in the blend. I’ve really enjoyed these wines and I’m certain you will too!

Bodegas Godelia makes it’s wines under the DO Bierzo umbrella. Situated in the North West of Spain, the finca is as traditionally built and designed as are the wines, which have their roots in a proud history of wine-making, but which also make use of more modern technology. The philosophy is simple – great respect for the land in which the wines grow as well as to those growers and wine-makers who have come before the current incumbents, with a view to a sustainable crafting of fine wines that speak of terrior.

It works!

Fructus (don’t try saying that when you’ve had a few!) Brut Reserva Sparkling Wine does not carry the official DO Bierzo logo, but don’t let that be a concern. The reason for this will be that fizz is not officially recognised in the DO. Or, perhaps I should say, is not yet recognised! This limited production Sparkling Wine should be the flagship fizz that persuades DO Bierzo to think again, as well as suggesting that other bodegas follow suit and make some too!

For me it emphasises just how good, and versatile, the Godello grape variety can be. It’s time for Godello to escape the shadow of the neighbouring Albariño variety and step up to the plate. I’m confident that it will also be elevated to the stature of one of the noble varieties of Spain. I’m certain too, that once the thought nestles in the psyche of wine-makers in the area (and in DO Valdeorras, where Godello is queen), Sparkling wines from Godello will become as popular as those made from Albariño in nearby DO Rías Baixas!

In the glass there is a golden tinge to the wine, a product of the variety, and its extra time spent ‘en rima’, in bottle with its lees. This extra time with the lees (20 months) also gives the wine greater structure, depth of flavour and a certain endearing creaminess. You’ll find white peach on the nose as well as a delicate floral fragrance which adds elegance to the wine as you bring it to your lips.

On the palate, you’ll notice a certain weight, another attribute, courtesy of its time ‘en rima’, but this is not at the cost of freshness and indeed, vivacity. Typical bready pastry notes found in most sparkling wines also give a little fullness to the wine without taking away any of its elegance. I love it – but there are only 2,000 or so bottles made, so it’s first come first served!

Godelia Blanco is made from Godello too, but here there is a significant contribution from the other local variety, Doña Blanca. 20% of the blend is this latter variety, harvested from vines that can count 60 – 80 seasons. The grapes are accordingly rich and full of character, giving a great depth to the wine as well as some complexity and weight.

The wine is correctly clean and fresh, of course – however, there’s more to this than just a refreshing acidity. This is the stuff of quality white wine, a height to which many aspire but fail to reach. This is why there is such a world of difference between ‘entry level’ wines and those for which we pay a little more, but which repay consumers several fold!

In the glass its brilliance will attract, along with the straw colour showing bright flashes of lime too. There’s a citrus element to the wine as well, both on the nose and the palate. Look also for a slight herbal note, thyme perhaps, with a faint note of fennel, typical of Godello, and some understated stony minerality. There’s also a very slight blanched almond note, both on the palate and the nose.

Dry, of course, but fruit rich – the citrus again with a little peach and the faintest whiff of something more exotic, was that mango? A lovely drink – ideal aperitif, particularly in this heat, but also fish and seafood friendly and salads too. Try it with lemon chicken sometime too – super!

Whilst Godello may be the darling white wine variety of DO Bierzo, the area is probably more famous for its distinctive reds, made with the uniquely flavoured and fragranced Mencía. Bodegas Godelia’s softly spiced Mencia has had a well-timed 12 months in French and American oak.

The grapes have come from old vineyards and are harvested by hand with this careful selection augmented by another on the selection table back at the bodega. There are three different vineyard plots and the grapes from these different plots are blended together in proportions that can change from year to year. The wine is therefore a reflection of the whole ‘terroir’ as each plot has its own characteristics.

There’s the faint minerality referred to in the white, but a little more so in the red, indicating perhaps that the 2011, the sample that I tasted, had a slight bias to grapes from a more slate and stone orientated vineyard. The wine has elegance and complexity, with some deeply layered flavours of damson and forest fruit. And it’s this fruit that will be the lasting memory as you drain, first the glass, and finally the bottle.

We enjoyed it with a pork dish, rich in a creamy cider apple sauce, which it complemented perfectly, allowing the meaty cider notes to form a perfect liaison with the dark fruits of the wine!

www.godelia.es – well worth a visit!

Contact Colin: colin@colinharknessonwine.com and via www.colinharknessonwine.com where you’ll also be able to subscribe (gratis, of course) to his newsletters which give information about the various wine related events he organises. You can also join Colin’s 850+ followers on Twitter –

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Bodegas Lavia DO Bullas

DO BULLAS’ BURGUNDY!

BODEGAS LAVIA

I was most impressed when I first met Sebastian Boudon, who in 2013 was Head Winemaker at a winery inland from Alicante, making DO Alicante wines. Regular readers may recall my words about him in an article written in April of that year (I doubt it though, as I had to refresh my memory too!) :

“ [Sebastian Boudon], who, it’s clear to me, has a deep passion for quality wine and a philosophy born of tradition in both his native France and his adoptive Spain as well as modern methods learned and developed during training.”.

So, when I saw him proudly exhibiting the ‘Lavia’ portfolio of wines made by Molino y Lagares de Bullas at the exclusive DO Bullas wine fair, I was as delighted with the wine as I was intrigued by his presence! It was easily explained, and I’m not surprised – Sebastian had been head-hunted by this bodega which is on the fast-track to fame, bringing the whole DO with it!

If you go to www.bodegaslavia.com you’ll see the whole, impressive range, and when you realise that this bodega is in fact but one of a clutch of bodegas now operating under the umbrella company, MGWines Group. This group, the brainchild of Señor Luis Miñano San Valero, an Alicante businessman, is intent on producing wines of a Mediterranean character, which simultaneously also reflect the distinct terroirs of the various areas of wine production in which the bodegas concerned are located.

MGWines Group has bodegas in DOs: Alicante, Bullas, Bierzo; as well as the Vino de la Tierra de Castilla however, the management, whilst imparting this objective to the staff in each individual bodega, very sensibly leave them to their own devices. Thus, included in the package, is a certain autonomy where the wine-makers, bodegueros and other integral members of the team are able to simply get on with the job.

This is the first article in a series about the bodegas concerned, and of course, their wines.

The favoured grape variety of DO Bullas is Monastrell, one of the most grown varieties in Spain, and one so perfectly adapted to the soils and micro-climates of the DOs on, and inland from the Costas of South East Spain. It’s a variety that features regularly in this column, where you’ll read that it delivers darkly coloured, rich, plum and damson fruit flavoured wines that are verging on the hedonistic. Yet there is also elegance.

Now, the elegance in Lavia + 2009 is undisputed, it’s mouth-feel has a graceful weight about it. However, when the wine is first poured you’ll notice that those dark colours actually aren’t present. The lightness of the weight on the palate is reflected in the paleness of the wine. At first glance, and indeed, first sip, you may well question the wine’s provenance – this is from SE Spain, made with Monastrell? Well, I certainly did.

There is an element of fine Burgundy in the wine! I kid you not! But how come? Well, Sebastian explained that the vineyard from whence the grapes for this wine hail is aluvial with limestone in it’s make-up. If you ever wanted proof that different soils have different effects on wines, just take a look at, and a good sip of Lavia + – DO Bullas’ Burgundy-esque wine!

It’s floral on the nose, delicate with only hints of the fruit to follow. In the mouth it’s rounded, light, yet seemingly perversely full in subtle flavour. There’s more dark and red cherry than plum plus an alluring black chocolate note on the finish. There’s a well integrated French oak note coming from the 500 litre barricas in which the wine has been aged, as well as an almost hidden earthiness.

The sum of the parts is a wine that is drinking just right now, though for me, doesn’t have too long left at this ideal level. I can’t wait for subsequent vintages!

Lavia 2010 will not cause the brow to furrow whilst you try and work out the grape variety etc. It’s Monastrell, big, rich, plummy and yummy! This wine surely has to have been made with grapes whose vineyard has a different soil profile. At 14·5% abv it packs a punch, representative of the variety and the region, though still retaining an element of elegance.

There’s a little black pepper spice on the palate (coming from the small percentage of Syrah included in the blend), similar earthy notes, but this time with some endearing herbal notes, bay, thyme and perhaps some illusive rosemary. A wine to really enjoy – there’s depth, yes, but it’s not so complex that you have to concentrate whilst drinking it on its own, with meat, game, cheese . . . . It’s that sort of wine!

Lavia + Finca Paso Malo 2012 is a single vineyard wine made with 50 old Monastrell vines. It too has the paler Lavia + colour and is, I feel, a work in progress. There’s a richness to the wine, along with elegance and slightly more pronounced minerality, and although there is no Syrah in the blend there is nevertheless a pleasing spiciness, emanating, I think, from the open 500 litre barrels in which the wine was fermented, along with regular stirring, plus its18 months French oak ageing.

Rather than cultured, commercial yeast, this wine has been made with wild yeasts indigenous to the vineyard itself, which I believe makes an impact on the fisnished product. There’s a singularity about the wine – it’s distinctive already, but will develop further as it matures in bottle. At just three years of age, there will be further evolution and I’d like to try it again when it’s double the age!

So, a rather good starting point for the MGWines Group – with more to follow, soon!

@colinonwine. Plus, don’t forget you can see Colin talking about Spanish wines etc on www.youtube.com – just search Colin Harkness On Wine!