Exotic grapes - a love story

Anyone who knows anything about our latest book Wine Grapes - a complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties including their
origins and flavours will know that I am likely to be madly in love with unusual grapes.
I was recently treated to a tasting of a collection of them in London by someone who is every bit as besotted by them as
me. I'll be writing about that person and the tasting on Saturday, but meanwhile please regard this collection of tasting
notes as a little offering for St Valentine's Day.
In the nearly two weeks since that tasting I have been able to add a few more notes to the collection below. My co-author
José Vouillamoz very kindly gave me a bottle of Valais Eiswein made from Eyholzer Roter, a rare Swiss red wine grape
to which I had been introduced at the big London tasting. As it turned out, it was the perfect time to taste the sweet
version; it went perfectly with the liquid left in the pan after Nick had put his 2013 marmalade into jars.
We had also planned to move our office to the French alps for four nights just after the tasting, and I found another repeat
of an exotic grape variety at one of our meals there, a second example of the particularly promising Savoie red wine
grape Persan. And I got especially excited when I found a bottle of varietal Mondeuse Blanche in the local charcuterie in
our little alpine village. This is the rare variety that has been shown to have a parent-offspring relationship with Syrah! And
Viognier! And of course Mondeuse Noire, Savoie's ubiquitous red wine grape. See the tantalising family pedigree in Wine
Grapes here. We need to research and identify what are probably some very old, possibly extinct, grape varieties to fill in
the blanks.
One of the most bizarre wines in the London tasting, and one that was really rather delicious, was a bizarrely labelled and
named Ontario version of Savagnin Blanc, the variety that has been shown via DNA profiling to be genetically very
important. Australian Garry Crittenden of Crittenden Estates, Victoria, just sent me his version, made in the wake of the fandango whereby all the Albariño Australian
growers thought they had planted turned out to be Savagnin. He thinks his is the first Savagnin to be made in Australia in the image of a Jura version, under surface yeast. All very interesting…
The 39 wines are listed by colour and then alphabetically by grape name.
WHITE
Red Hook, Vipolze Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc 2010 North Fork, Long Island 16 Drink 2013-2017
Not exotic grapes but an unexpected provenance and style (oxidative orange wine). 'Product of Brooklyn'. In a funny
squat flask. Very pale orange really! Actually smells quite a bit of orange peel (auto suggestion?). Fun! Some real texture
here but no oxidation. Still fresh. Firm with a slightly chew finish. Definitely meant for food but by no means unpleasant.
You taste élevage more than varieties. Interesting! 12.4%
Johann Holler, Uhudler Elvira/Noah 2010 Südburgenland 13 Drink 2012
Again, smells distinctly talcy, powdery, non clear and fresh. Sour and with no core of fruit but lots of acidity on the end.
Peachy non-classic nose and then it just fades away. 11%
Chanton, Visp Eyholzer Roter 2006 Valais 15.5 Drink 2010-2015
Very pale ruby. Clean, light, strawberry-jam aroma. Very light with lots of acidity. Surely made more as a curiosity than as
a fully satisfying wine? Maybe this is fun sipped cool on a summer's day. Zesty and very light. As I said before! But
sincere. Dry, almost drying finish. 11.4%
Mario Chanton, Crystal Eyholzer Roter Eiswein 2008 Valais 16.5 Drink 2011-2016
Tasted with liquid marmalade and it was a perfect match - and not just for colour. Tangy, bittersweet. Very fresh and
clean. Lots of sweetness and very fresh. Really, just like molten marmalade. Strong orange peel flavours. For me the acid
was just a tad too much but Nick said, 'I think this is one of the nicest sweet wines I have ever tasted.' Mind you, we were
listening to Kirsty McColl singing 'Sail Away' and he was making small pancakes. 10.6%
Patrick et Dominique Belluard, Cépage Gringet 2010 Savoie 16.5 Drink 2013-2016
Terres de Mont Blanc, promises the label. Bright greenish pale gold. Nervy and broad somehow on the nose. Light – one
can taste the mountain streams in this wine – and quite difficult to grasp the essential Gringet-ness of it. Bone dry and
something a little green and vegetation-like. Delicate and vaguely alpine. Some texture on the end. Chewy finish – quite a
phenolic variety? 12%
Astley, Veritas Kerner 2009 England 16- Drink 2011-2013
Worcestershire. Light nose, light wine. Clean and off dry without as much definite varietal character as the Alto Adige
version but very creditable in terms of balance. Just not that much nose. 12%
Cantina Produttori Valle Isarco Kerner 2011 Alto Adige 16.5 Drink 2012-2016
(The Cantina Produttori Valle Isarco is also known as Eisacktaler Kellerei.) From Klausen. Pale and light. Very firm and
intense nose. Pungent and piercing. With a rich but dry undertow. Clean, palate-scrubbing fresh finish. Seems as though
it will go on for quite a while! Very slightly sweet impression. White currants? 14%
Dom Grisard, Cuvée Prestige Mondeuse Blanche 2010 Vin de Savoie 16 Drink 2012-2014
According to the label, this is the famously rare Savoie variety that is an antecedent of Syrah. Grown on south-facing
pebbly vineyard near Freterive where this particular Grisard has for four generations made local wines, nowadays 30
different cuvées. Grapes are hand-picked and the wine is suitable for ageing apparently. This was my first ever taste of
Mondeuse Blanche and I'd forgotten that José has demonstrated it was so closely related to Viognier.
The wine's nose immediately made me think of the northern Rhône – and yes, Condrieu! Despite its relatively low alcohol
it is very broad and spicy and has very, almost uncomfortably low acidity. And it has some gingery notes, something quite
blossomy, and a finish that is much saltier and with more mineral grip than a Condrieu. Really interesting, not least now
that I see there may be no more than 5 ha in the world. But my non wine friends found it too flabby. 12%
€20.40 in the St-Martin de Belleville épicerie, €12 at the cellar door, according to Savoie and Jura specialist wine writer
Wink Lorch
Chanton, Visp Resi/Rèze 2006 Valais 17.5 Drink 2009-2019
The Chantons' distinctive tall bottles. Bright pale coppery gold. Very delicate. Nose more mineral than anything else.
Lovely tangy freshness and something rather burnished about this. Very succulent and still in great shape. Even some
bite on the finish and in fine fighting form! Long nutty finish. 12.5%
Crittenden Estate Savagnin 2011 Mornington Peninsula 16.5 Drink 2013-2017
Garry Crittenden wrote to me recently, 'As you may recall we fell foul of the Albariño/Savagnin fiasco a few years back but
continued to make our Savagnin in the fresh or typical Galician style. However, in 2011 we made a Jura-style Savagnin,
albeit without the very lengthy barrel maturation. We made the wine totally without intervention: juice from whole bunch
pressed fruit; spontaneous primary ferment in older barrels; 100% natural malolactic fermentation; no sulphur, fining or
filtration; and we encouraged a natural flor yeast to develop on the ullaged surface of the barrels. It had 20 months in old
wood. It hasn’t been long in bottle and is not yet released but we think it brings a new dimension to our Australian
understanding of the variety. We believe we are the first Australian winery to attempt this.' A sample bottle followed and I
must say I was very impressed. The acidity is a little lower/less painful than in most Jura examples and the fruit is quite
in-your-face, but the wine is very recognisably Jura flor style but is fruity enough to enjoy already. It's pretty and I would
have thought a fine archetype for all that Savagnin that went into the ground in the belief it was Albariño.
Giroud, Chamoson Heida (Savagnin) 2009 Valais 16 Drink 2011-2015
Pale gold and glowing. Light nose vaguely suggests alpine flowers. Again, very firm almost gingerbread on the palate.
Great explosion of fruit. Yet overall delicate. Enough acidity but just off dry. Quite pungent. A bit more emphatic than
Chandra Kurt's? Older. Lots to chew on. 13.2%
Megalomaniac, Eccentric Savagnin 2010 Niagara Peninsula 16.5 Drink 2013-2016
What a find! In a flask-like bottle with a wacky label. www.megalomaniacwine.com. From the Oliveira Vineyard.
Pale and slightly musty (because of the Uhudler tasted before?) on the nose. But very firm and juicy. Some of the
structure of a Savagnin. No surface yeast character but no Traminer character either. Very juicy and with a bit of oak
influence? Really firm framework and pretty appetising. No hurry to drink this. Very structured and admirable. 12.9%
Freigut Thallern, Messwein Zierfandler 2005 Thermenregion 14.5 Drink 2007-2009
Mid gold. Lacks a bit of freshness on the nose. Smells slightly of filter pads. Juicy fruit and very full bodied, pretty spicy
and heavy. Reminds me of old-fashioned Austrian whites: distinctly heavy. A bit phenolic and bitter on the finish. Perhaps
just too old? RS 7.4 g/l on the back label! 14%
RED
Winzervereinigung Freyburg-Unstrut André 2009 Saale-Unstrut 14 Drink 2010-2012
Mid crimson. Not much nose. Sour start and very light body. Tastes as though it was bred for colour rather than flavour.
Pinched finish. Bit of a trial and very astringent. 12%
Strohmeier, Neuberg Blauer Wildbacher 2002 Weststeiermark 16 Drink 2010-2016
Wild looking indeed – a sort of undisciplined dark ruby. Pale rim. A bit dusty. Like freshly picked berries on the nose and
then very dry on the finish. Those berries don't have much juice! Severe. Probably a lot better with a fatty meat dish –
something gebraten? But it does cut off a bit suddenly… Highly individual! Still lots of fruit there after all this time! 13%
Henry of Pelham, Reserve Baco Noir 2010 Ontario 16 Drink 2011-2014
Bright crimson. Clean but neutral nose. Fresh acidity. Lots of broad friendly ripe fruit on the palate entry. A tad sweet but
awfully easy to like. Open and early maturing. Just very slightly bitter on the finish, but very well made. Nothing obviously
non vinifera about this, but not for the long term. 13.5%
Hirschhof Cabernet Dorsa 2009 Rheinhessen 15.5 Drink 2011-2015
Mid crimson. Some attractive freshness on the nose. Lots of acidity on the palate. A sort of sweeter, more velvety
Cabernet Sauvignon. Clean enough but a bit vapid. 13%
Schlosshof, Dernauer Cabernet Mitos 2006 Ahr 15 Drink 2009-2015
Six generations listed on the back, since the 18th century. Very dark crimson indeed! Not much nose. As dark as if it were
a red-fleshed variety. Rather winning scent. Lovely sweet satiny texture and none of the aggressive graininess of some
Ahr reds. Something vaguely reminiscent of tonic wine. Definitely a bit sweet. Admirable but not especially appetising.
Iron filings on the finish? 13.5%
La Cadalora, Majere Casetta 2005 IGT Vallagarina 15 Drink 2011-2015
San Margherita Di Ala, Trento. Dark ruby. A bit of piquancy on the nose – lots of refreshment. Slightly bitter finish after
sweet soft start. Not very integrated in this particular example. Tough (as old boots). 13%
Pfeiffer, Uhudler Concord/Ripatella NV Südburgenland 13 Drink 2011-2012
Eltendorf. Pale rose red. Very foxy rather syrupy nose. Good acidity and not unlike fraise des bois in aroma but then lots
of acidity, not much fruit and a very sudden finish. 12.5%
Emilio Bulfon, Valeriano Cordenossa NV Vino da Tavola 15 Drink 2013-2014
From Valeriano, Friuli. I think the front label tells me it was first cited in 1923. Healthy dark colour. Almost rudely ripe black
berry aromas. Very sweet start. Surely there is some residual sugar in this! Dry finish. Rather nice fruit juice but not very
subtle wine! Slightly bitter finish. Interesting rather than fine. 13.5%
Henri Badoux Cornalin 2009 Valais 17 Drink 2013-2020
From Aigle. Mid crimson. Firm with good scent and structure. Racy and very fruit. Fine and refined. Lots of personality.
Still firm tannins but masses of good ripe redcurrant fruit too. A little bit of carbon dioxide in this but good balance
between fruit and structure. Long with lots of character. Luscious. 13.5%
Biddenden, Gribble Bridge Dornfelder NV England 14.5 Drink 2012-2014
Pale crimson. Sweet berries plus acid. Not very appetising and pretty light. 12%
Kallmann-Lex Dornfelder 2009 Mosel 16 Drink 2012-2014
Mid to dark crimson with some fizz. Intensely mineral on the nose. Well balanced and I suspect I am tasting vineyard
more than grape. Elderberries. Round. Early maturing. Clean finish. 12.5%
Henri Badoux, Aigle Garanoir 2009 Valais 16.5 Drink 2012-2016
Bright mid ruby. Something a bit wild on the nose. Sweet start and very fresh. Roses again but not heavy or tired. Slightly
reminiscent of Gaglioppo. Good structure. 13%
Chanton, Satigny Garanoir 2007 Geneva 15.5 Drink 2010-2014
Healthy ruby. Rather wild and diffuse nose. Sweet, roses, flattering but a tad syrupy on the nose. Then a bit metallic on
the finish. Interesting but not complete. A bit sweet and heavy on the finish. 13%
John & Mike Favre, Oriou Curare Chamoson Humagne Rouge 2006 Valais 15 Drink 2009-2012
Crimson. Not much nose. Light and dry and the opposite of luscious. A bit tentative in fact. Dusty finish. Dry end. Fruit has
dissipated. Is this because the wine is a bit old? At this stage the wine has lost its fruit. Shame. 12.5%
Pravis Negrara 2008 IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti 16.5 Drink 2012-2018
Mid blackish ruby. Bloody, meaty nose. Fairly lightweight but very racy and appetising with lots of fruit and very fresh.
Italian – slight hint of bitterness on the end but lots to get your teeth into here. Really refreshing and just a little smudgy
and inky, but well done. Really gets the saliva flowing! Just a bit bitter and dry on the end but very expressive. Something
reminiscent of some metal. 12.5%
Adrien Berlioz, Cuvée Octavie Persan 2011 Savoie 16.5 Drink 2013-2020
Very deep purplish crimson. Almost uncomfortably tart and tannic without food but with lots of personality. With pigeon it
was much mellower and had great grainy texture and assertive stone-sucking personality. Alluring enough to have the
gainsayer when tasting it without food insisting on a second bottle. 13%
St-Germain Persan 2009 Savoie 16.5 Drink 2014-2019
Mid ruby. Great whack of fruit on the nose – though not that much fruit on the palate. Relatively light. Dusty dry finish. A
little demanding. The mouth puckers up but it's proper wine with a very strong mineral character. Very chewy. Some
green streak. Sucky stone. 12%
Deutzerhof, Alfred C Portugieser 2009 Ahr 16.5 Drink 2012-2018
Mid ruby. Sweet rosy nose. Heady and smudgy and round. Actually rather nicely balanced. Mouthfilling. Lots of fruit and
an attractively dry finish after some suggestion of roses on the nose. Some juiciness but it needs food. 12%
Hummel Portugieser 2010 Villány 16.5 Drink 2012-2016
Mid ruby. Gamier than the other two examples. Then transparent and very fresh. Good, appetising and dusty. Nicely
balanced. Lots of juice and fruit. Dry finish. 12%
Monfort, Vini dell'Angelo Portoghese 2010 Vino da Tavola 16 Drink 2014-2018
Trento. Pale ruby. Rich and sweet and rosy. Easy rather than demanding or fine. Dries out just a little on the end. Light
and racy and very dry. Dusty finish. 11.5%
Pravis Rebo Rigotti 2007 IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti 15.5 Drink 2011-2016
Dark ruby. Some oak. Quite positive but then it rather falls apart. Chewy finish. Rather overwhelmed by winemaking.
Difficult to discern the varietal characteristics. 13%
Hirschhof Regent 2009 Rheinhessen 14.5 Drink 2011-2013
Dense ruby. Sour edge. Masses of acidity. Falls away. Talk about upfront...! 13%
Schlosshof Regent 2009 Ahr 15.5 Drink 2011-2015
Smudgy ruby. Smudgy nose. Sweet start and full of fruit and roses. Chewy finish. Not that appetising. But lots of sweet
appeal. 12.5%
Grafen Neipperg, Barrique Samtrot 2007 Württemberg 16 Drink 2012-2016
Mid ruby. Lots of cappuccino oak on the nose! Quite light and delicate and struggling somewhat under the weight of the
oak but a pretty wine that's just a tad too sweet to be refreshing. But very easy to like the first three mouthfuls! 14%
Cleebronn-Güglingen Schwarzriesling 2009 Württemberg 15.5 Drink 2013-2016
Pale ruby. This smells a bit dirty. Very sweet start. Not very grown up. Blue cheese hint. A wine for a Mitteleuropean café
rather than a serious dinner. A bit of gas. Pleasant but not serious. Chewy end. 13%
Untermoserhof Georg Ramoser, St Magdalena Vernatsch 2011 Alto Adige 14 Drink 2013-2014
Pale red. A bit lacking refreshment, Sweet start. Very light and sweet. Metallic finish. 13%
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