Patagonian Pinot

Patagonia. Howling wolves, wind-driven snow storms over a desolate landscape and survival of the fittest. That's what I imagine Patagonia to be like, and I'm sure you can find that out there, but it's not all Bear Grylls and Ironman. Valle Perdido is a new winery/spa resort in Patagonia that has recently started producing excellent wines. Penny Johns, manager of the Bluebird wine shop, recommended today's vino to me. She says it's one of her new favs and after gulping it down, I can say I wholeheartedly agree with her.

It's another pinot noir from S. America but this time from the "right" side of the Andes, as the Argentines love to remind me. Argentina's flagship grape is Malbec but if you scratch the surface of their viticultural portfolio, you'll find that they are beginning to branch out into other varietals and doing a very good job of it.

Valle Perdido has a state of the art facility but their philosophy is to use as little intervention as possible and let nature take it's course. They get up at the crack of dawn to pick the grapes and use a gravity system to move the must (or juice) around the winery. This helps to preserve the aromas and flavours of the wine.

The 2007 Pinot Noir was a pure delight from start to finish. Before we knew it, this little baby was gone, baby, gone. Looking at it, it was a clear, pomegrante red in the glass. A fresh, red fruit nose was the first thing I noticed. Then it evolved into perfumed raspberry and cherry scented aromas with a hint of sweet spice. Swishing it around my mouth, I found spicy red cherry, strawberry and a warm toastiness with a fruity finish. There was one last, lingering, bitter chocolate note that seemed to hang on by it's fingertips before slipping away. The tannins were very soft, almost velvety which made for an easy drinking, medium bodied wine.

An impressive example of Patagonian pinot noir and for less then a tenner. In these credit crunchy times, it's good to know you don't have to scrimp on quality wine. Keep'em coming!

14% alc
RRP £8.99
Bluebird Wine Shop

No Burgundy Clones here - Viña Leyda P. Noir '07

Last week we tried a new Pinot that arrived in the shop - Viña Leyda Pinot Noir, Las Brisas Vineyard, 2007.

I like a good Burgundy any day but I keep an open mind to the New World, especially when it comes to Pinot Noir. I've had some great stuff from New Zealand and the Pacific Northwest. There is a difference, no doubt, but I think that good producers of pinot noir in the New World do their best to stamp their own identity on the  wine rather then try and make a Burgundy clone.

The Leyda pinot noir is made with fruit sourced from a single vineyard, Las Brisas. Brisas means breeze in Spanish and this vineyard is situated on the southwest slope of the estate, where there is less direct sunlight and more exposure to the ocean breeze, which keeps the grapes cool and allows them to develop slowly. 

When I opened this one, the first thing that hit me was a rather fruity attack to my nose and I hadn't even poured it yet! This wine had a full-on nose of red cherries, ripe strawberries and raspberries. After a minute or so, we began to detect spicy notes and hints of bramble,wild herbs and a subtle smokiness. The wine spent 8 months in used French oak barrels, which was apparent but not overbearing. 

On tasting it, I thought it had a juicy, mouthwatering palate of ripe red berries, cherry and bramble with a bit of smokiness. A silky, medium bodied number with a hint of minerality on the finish. Despite the fact that the alcohol level was 14%, the alcohol didn't assault my palate or nostrils. This wine had jumping acidity and was great on it's own but I'm not sure if it was necessarily food friendly. I had some chicken with it and it didn't really add anything to my enjoyment of dinner. This is a very fruity wine but it's not subtle. And that's the difference between Old and New World, big fruit in your face but none of the finesse or subtlety of a red Burgundy. Which isn't to say I didn't like this pinot, I did. It's no Burgundy clone and it's a great example of New World pinot that won't break the bank. 

14%alc

RRP £8.99

Codorniu Cava

Working for a big wine merchant does have it's advantages. Tuesday night the company invited the winemakers from Grupo Codorniu to come down and have a chat and informal tasting with us. There were about 25 of us from various London based shops. 

Grupo Codorniu is a Spanish owned and operated winery group based in northeast Spain, although they do have holdings in Argentina and Napa Valley as well. Codorniu  is one of the big boys in cava production. Cava (Catalan for "cellar")is produced the same way as champagne but can't be called champagne because you know how those Champenois are, they'd start howling bloody murder about copyright infringement and the lawsuits would be flying thick

 and fast. 

Codorniu have been in the wine biz since the 1500's but have "only" been making cava since  the 1870's. They were one of the pioneers in the commercialization of Spanish sparkling wine and have recently brought in a whole new winemaking team to improve their products.  One of the changes they've made is an overhaul of their bottle design. Very sexy now. There's something almost prim

al about the design of the bottle that compels you to pick it up, the slender neck, the way it flares out at the bottom and the sleek feel beneath your fingers. I'm not the only one who's had this reaction to the bottle desig

n. I've heard quite a few comments in the shop regarding that. Kudos to the bottle designer on that one.  

Back to what's INSIDE the bottle. In Spain, the main varieties used are indigenous - xarello, macabo and parellada. Recently, they've started using chardonnay and pinot noir although

 they are again prevented by EU law from putting pinot noir on the label except for pinot rose. 

The Tasting: 

Condesa Blanca Cava is their entry level sparkling. Light and fruity, big bubbles that disappeared fairly quickly, lots of green apple and pears with a hint of nuts and toast on the finish. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this was, esp. since it retails for about £5. 

The next one up is their most popular cava in Spain - the Codorniu Reserva Raventos Brut. Reserva does have a legal definition in Spain, it must be aged on the lees for 15 months. Gran Reserva has to be aged on the lees for 30 months. The Reserva is 60% chardonnay and from a single vintage. It was richer and fuller with more of a toasty, briochy nose. On 

the palate, aggressive bubbles, a bit earthy with lots of lovely green apple and citrus.  This one retails for about £9.

A sparkling rose, Codorniu Pinot Noir Rosado Brut, was next up and it was fab. 100% pinot noir. A very light, refreshing sparkler. It was redolent of strawberries and raspberries, like walking thru a raspberry patch. And the taste was more of the same but not sweet, as a matter of fact it was quite dry, just what you want in a sparkling rose. Small perpetual 

bubbles on this one. Another excellent value at £6 for a bottle. 

The last two were fantastic! First up, the Codorniu Reina Maria Cristina Brut Reserva Vintage. 50% chardonnay, remainder local varieties, single vintage, 18-24 months in bottle before release.  A very soft, delicate, rounded sparkler. The bubbles weren't aggressive, rath

er petite and dainty. They seemed to loll about in my mouth taking their time before slipping down. On the palate it was a lovely blend of apples and pears with a touch of lemon on the finish. Delicious! Unfortunately, it's not available in the UK - natch! 

The last one was their limited production Jaume de Codorniu Brut. Again 50% chard, 50% native. This wine was all about fruit selection and is always made from a single vintage. Bruno, the winemaker, told us that each 

bunch was hand selected to go into this blend and fermented to very exact specifications. He said some other stuff but I was too busy drinking it to really pay attention. Needless to say, this is their p

ride and joy. Named after the founder of the company, Jaume Codorniu. 

The wine's aged for 18-24 months in bottle before release. This one had a very distinctive nose of spice, brioche, and biscuits with hints of apple and green fruits coming thru at the end. Quite a complex nose compared to the previous offerings. On the palate, very fine persistent bubbles with toast, baked green apple and a slight nuttiness all rolling around my mouth. It ended with a s

lightly honeyed finish that seemed to go on for a very long time. A great sparkling wine and one that I would buy for a special occasion, still cheaper then branded champagne, retailing for about £20 a bottle. 

After the sparklers we had the still red and white wines to taste but I'll blog that later. Right now I think I'll open that Codorniu rose I have in the fridge.