November brings many things to be thankful for, including tannins! Enjoy this adventure through wines that offer present if minimal tannins all the way to the bold, grippy tannins you can feel on your gums. What is your personal tannin spectrum? Our wines this month are paired with mostly quintessential Thanksgiving dishes.
Cormòns Chardonnay – Friuli-Venezia Giulia, IT (Gold)
While we have had the Cormòns Malvasia previously, it made sense to also showcase another one of their cool climate whites because it conveys a more delicate expression of the often-judged grape, Chardonnay. The most planted and versatile white variety in the world, Chardonnay thrives in cool, moderate, and warm—even hot—climates. In a chillier region like Friuli, the grape will retain higher acidity, culminating in flavors more akin to green and lighter stone fruits. The Cormòns has exuberant notes of apple, citrus, and white peach and is replete with acacia honey and vanilla aromas. Fresh bread on the nose is another attribute due to its lengthy 6 months on the lees. Fermentation and maturation in stainless steel preserves the Cormòns’ fruitiness. This Chardonnay will work beautifully with roasted vegetables like brussels sprouts, carrots, and squash with their crunchy caramelization and char.
Matthieu Rochette did not want to craft a Beaujolais Nouveau, the perennial tradition in Beaujolais that releases a barely two month old wine the week before Thanksgiving. Rochette ignored these regulations of the appellation and created this declassified Gamay, which comes from the youngest of the ten Beaujolais crus, Régnié. The Rochette home is right across the street from the 40-year-old vines used for the ‘Reggie,’ a play on the cru, but also named for a fun-loving rooster on the property. ‘Reggie’ has become known as ‘The Chicken Wine’ due to its label, and it is a perfect accompaniment for the Thanksgiving table. With traits of cherry, raspberry, plum, black tea, minerality, and subtle smoke, this Gamay is fresh and fruit-forward. Rochette aims to use minimal sulfur in all of his wines, showing his commitment to minimal intervention winemaking. Each sip shows tangy acidity and well-balanced fruit; shared with cranberry sauce, the ‘Reggie’ will fly!
You may automatically associated the name ‘Argyle’ with sparkling wine, which is an accurate depiction as Argyle was founded in in 1987 to become Oregon’s premier sparkling wine house. Argyle wanted to preserve traditions of the past while also experimenting with new techniques; thus a time came when they wondered if they could produce both high quality sparkling and still wines – which they have done well. Argyle is the only winery in the world to be named to Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list for three categories: sparkling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. The ‘BloomHouse,’ an homage to the lovely wildflowers that grow throughout their vineyards during harvest, exhibits dense red fruits and polished tannins. Spiced tea on the finish is complemented by dark cherry, cranberry, pomegranate, and plum in the forefront of the palate. Pinot Noir is delectable alongside the star of the Thanksgiving table, turkey.
Cave de Tain is family-driven cooperative in the Collines Rhodaniennes IGT, an appellation in the Northern Rhône that is not subjected to the numerous restrictions of the Rhône AOC. This means the winemakers can play a little more and have more fun, which is evident in your glass. French Syrah can be meaty, peppery, and super-earthy, and the ‘Domaine Des Gardes’ certainly has some of those characteristics, but it is complemented by crunchy red fruits and a more chill vibe. However, Cave de Tain is committed to sustainability, having been certified in 2009 and instrumental in creating ‘Vignerons en Developpement Durable’ throughout France, which has a mission of corporate social responsibility. This Syrah is medium-bodied with supple, round tannins and aromas of violets and peony aromas. Red cherry, strawberry, redcurrant, earth, and black pepper are distinguishable notes. It can be paired with sweet potato casserole as the fruitiness of the Syrah will complement the luscious texture of the dish.
Every bottle of Chianti Classico has the symbol of the gallo nero, or black rooster, to let the consumer know it is a special wine. And if you don’t know the legend, please read on! In medieval times, there were many bloody battles due to border disputes between residents of Florence and Siena. Determined to reach a truce, it was decided that two knights, one from each village, would set out from their respective towns at sunrise when the roosters crow. Wherever they met would delineate the exact boundary of each town. Siena chose a white rooster, which was fed extremely well, with the aim that the bird would awaken full of energy. Florence’s decision to use a black cockerel, which was deprived of food, was a fortuitous, if not cruel choice. On the fateful day, the black rooster began to crow well before sunrise because it was famished, so the Florentine knight set off very early and met his rival 12 miles from Siena. Borders were established, and Chianti Classico wines honor that 1384 event. Poggio Scudieri, although not as old, was founded in 1890 and crafts some of the most delicious Sangiovese in all of Tuscany. The ‘Meditari’ is a Riserva, which means it is subject to additional aging requirements; this wine spent 24 months in oak and 6 months in bottle before release. Violet aromas are enhanced by notes of cherry, plum, blackcurrant, spice, earth, and leather. Enjoy a glass with creamy, buttery mashed potatoes, which will be pleasurable with the ‘Meditari.’
Alias Wines has a vibe – their motto is to “resist industrial wines,” and their imagery conveys a tinge of paranoia with a tongue-in-cheek look to align with their name. Their website reads: “After years spent toiling away in the bowels of the wine industrial complex, we escaped in 2007 with our love of wine still intact. We got to see 'how the sausage was made' at the giant corporations - in the cellars, streets, and the boardrooms. Our goal has been to make honest, affordable wines without the industrial trickery needed to make millions of cases. Wine crafted from grape to glass, true to varietal character and expressive of California's bold style. It's a cure for industrial wines…and we took on an ALIAS just in case the corporate powers came after us.” All in all, Alias crafts fun wines at excellent prices. Their Merlot, with its velvety tannins, conveys traits of raspberry, dark cherry, black plum, bay leaf, tobacco, and vanilla. Merlot’s fruit-forward nature will be celebrated on the Thanksgiving table with a blueberry or chocolate pie.
Salta is known for having some of the most extreme elevation vineyards in the world, several of them as high as 10,000 feet. Las Mercedes Estate, which is the vineyards used for the Amalaya Malbec, stands at 5,900 feet and is a convergence of low latitude and high altitude. The Andes create a rain shadow over Salta, which ensures clear skies but low levels of precipitation, with irrigation provided by snowmelt from the mountains, making an ideal climate for Malbec to thrive. In fact, ‘Amalaya’ translates to ‘miracle’ in the local language, which refers to the offerings that farmers would make to ensure a bountiful harvest each year. This wine, consisting of a majority of Malbec with 10% Tannat and 5% Petit Verdot, is rich and mouth-filling but retains fresh acidity. Its floral aromas transform to ripe red fruits on the palate, such as strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry, followed by a touch of pepper, spice, and vanilla on the finish. The perfect Thanksgiving dish for the Amalaya is green bean casserole, with its umami and vegetal notes balanced by the fruitiness of the wine.
‘Old Vines’ is a mostly unregulated term, so Master of Wine and famous critic Jancis Robinson wanted to set up something more official, thereby creating The Old Vine Registry, which is an international catalog of vineyards that are 35+ years old that still produce fruit. Cerro Chapeu’s vines were planted in 1976, coming in at 49 years old, and are listed in the Registry. Originally from Catalunya in Spain, the Carrau family chose Uruguay’s Rivera region after searching for an ideal terroir in which grapes would remain virus-free. They created Cerro Chapeu, which became South America’s first gravity-flow winery, comprised of four stories and built directly into a hillside. Their specialty is Tannat, the grape known for its thick skins and hearty tannins, which can be mouth-drying but full of heart-healthy antioxidants. This Tannat offers redcurrant, plum, blueberry, and blackcurrant fruits matched by cloves and cedar from time in second use oak. Sausage stuffing is an excellent accompaniment due to its hefty proteins, which harmonize with the wine’s robust tannins.