Editors note: A while back, I called upon the powers of Craigs List to find myself some help. We wanted to cover more wines, more regions, and to have some different perspectives here on Catavino. This week we’re showcasing a couple of articles from two of the most qualified respondents, and if all works out, you’ll be hearing more from them as we continue to move forward. Today Adrienne Smith, who lives here in Madrid, has a short note on Noble Rot! Let her know what you think of her story. In a couple of weeks, we’ll be introducing our new writers more formally, so stay tuned!

If there were ever two words that I never expected to see together they are noble and rot. Notwithstanding, this is the nickname for the fungus Botrytis Cinerea which can attack grapes, covering them with a gray mold and strangely, sometimes making us jump for joy. Much in the same way that someone discovered that you can eat an artichoke, or that meat tenderizer takes away a jellyfish sting; someone one day discovered that under the right conditions this noble rot could be the impetus for the production of many of the world’s great sweet wines, such as the French Sauternes or Hungarian Tokajis. In years when there is too much humidity, this fungus can quickly extend through a vineyard, covering the grapes with a gray mold, and ruining the harvest. However if the process begins and the weather stays dry and warm, it can take place very slowly, and this fungi foe-turned-friend will penetrate and shrivel the skins of grapes using up all of the water in the juice. This causes the sugars, flavors, and acids to concentrate, ultimately resulting in complex, unique and sweet wines.

There are some grape varieties that are especially good at withstanding or rather experiencing noble rot, known as podredumbre noble in Spanish. They tend to be white grapes such as the Semillon, Sauvignon, and Chenin varieties used to make the Sauternes in France, or the Riesling variety in Germany. (more…)

Some of my loyal readers will no doubt remember my interview last year with the well known Christopher Cannan of Europvin. I mention this because at Alimentaria, I was able to talk with him again and taste through some of his wines - more specifically, the Spanish wines from his estate Laurona located in the Montsant region of Spain. I was also able to taste a few wines from his personal property in Clos Figuera located in the Priorat region. Laurona is co-managed with the famous Spanish winemaker René Barbier of the famous Clos Morgador - possibly one of Spain’s greatest red wines.

For me, both sets of wines were everything you could hope for in their respective styles- rich, intense and full of complexity. After having just been to the Priorat region and having toured the area, I found it absolutely amazing how different the wines could be, considering that they are made within a very short distance of each other.

The Priorat wines you can typically spot from afar with their inky concentration of color and intoxicating aromas that seem to draw me in with ghostly fingers. On the other hand, the Montsant wines were somewhat lighter in color with a delicate, soft nature that felt a bit seductive - never quite giving up their full charm but leading me on and drawing me back to take another taste.

I have to admit to having not spitting all that I should have while tasting his wines at Alimentaria. In truth, I almost always do, but in this case I found that the wines I had before me deserved to be acknowledged for what they were, and experienced how they were meant to be.

Enjoy the notes…
Ryan Opaz

• 2002 Europvin-Falset Montsant 6 Vinyes de Laurona - Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant (3/13/2006)
  Deep clear red in color. The nose shows toasted oak, red fruits, and pepper. In the mouth fine thick tannins and a strong acidity balance each other well. Great raspberry flavors with black pepper, and minerals.

• 2002 Europvin-Falset Montsant Laurona - Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant (3/13/2006)
  Rich clear red color. The nose shows anise, vanilla, wood, ripe fresh cherries. It has a high acidity with fine tannins apparent in the back palate. Flavors of raspberry, pepper and rich mineral flavors throughout.

3.5/5

• 2003 Clos Figueres Priorat - Spain, Catalunya, Priorat (3/13/2006)
  Deep reddish purple in the glass with a nose that shows dusty earth, anise, tar and mineral laden dark fruit. Deep and powerful with huge tannins thick and dense. The palate is awash with black fruit, anise, chocolate, minerals, tar, cherries…earth….and more. Really the finish is close to a minute. Great wine,

• 2003 Europvin-Falset Montsant 6 Vinyes de Laurona - Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant (3/13/2006)
  Deep dark red, very intense in the glass. The nose shows a fruit background with oak, pepper, and vanilla overtones. Creamy in the mouth with a lush fruit palate, anise, black raspberries, and more. This is a great wine with tannins and acid to go for another 5-10 yrs.

• 2003 Europvin-Falset Montsant Laurona - Spain, Catalunya, Tarragona, Montsant (3/13/2006)
  Rich red color, clear and brilliant. The nose shows chocolate, anise, and fresh cherries. Dense in the mouth with medium weight tannins. The acidity is high and helps to keep this wine fresh as flavors of fresh raspberries and vanilla oak round out the palate.

• 2004 Clos Figueres Priorat Font de la Figuera - Spain, Catalunya, Priorat (3/13/2006)
  Deep rich purple in color. The nose is of raisiny earth, black fruit, and rich spice on the nose. The palate is dense and intense with firm but fine tannins. Flavors of chocolate, anise, black raspberry, plum, prunes and clove all come wrapped in a rich earthy blanket. Fun wine

xA new grape? I suspect by this point most of you have heard of the grape Garnacha (grenache). Found through out Spain, France and slowly the rest of world, Garnacha can be found producing wines of great depth and power. Its profile is often of ripe red fruit and hints of black pepper. If you’ve had a Cote-du-Rhone from France or a wine from the Navarra region in Spain you’ve most likely tasted this grape.

But what is Garnacha Blanc?

While from the same family as Garnacha, it is a separate varietal with a set of characteristics. Ampelography, or the study of grape varieties (yes there is a specific field just for this), has over time, traced the roots of both Garnacha and its white partner to the island of Sardinia. In Sardinia, it goes by the name Cannonau and is thought to have been brought to Spain between 1200 and 1700 A.D. While Spain was under Aragonian rule, it was planted widely mainly due to its hardiness and ability to withstand abuse from Spain’s sometimes temperamental climate. With time and having only the Pyrenees to contend with, it found itself a home in the Rhone valley in France, where some of the most famous example of it exists in both its white and red form.
(more…)

A new grape? I suspect by this point most of you have heard of the grape Garnacha (grenache). Found through out Spain, France and slowly the rest of world, Garnacha can be found producing wines of great depth and power. Its profile is often of ripe red fruit and hints of black pepper. If you’ve had a Cote-du-Rhone from France or a wine from the Navarra region in Spain you’ve most likely tasted this grape.

But what is Garnacha Blanc?

While from the same family as Garnacha, it is a separate varietal with a set of characteristics. Ampelography, or the study of grape varieties (yes there is a specific field just for this), has over time, traced the roots of both Garnacha and its white partner to the island of Sardinia. In Sardinia, it goes by the name Cannonau and is thought to have been brought to Spain between 1200 and 1700 A.D. While Spain was under Aragonian rule, it was planted widely mainly due to its hardiness and ability to withstand abuse from Spain’s sometimes temperamental climate. With time and having only the Pyrenees to contend with, it found itself a home in the Rhone valley in France, where some of the most famous example of it exists in both its white and red form.
(more…)