The Wine Curmudgeon

Wine of the week: Yalumba Y Series Shiraz/Viognier 2010

The epic decline in the Australian wine industry has been well documented; the wineries that have survived have done so because they have been that much better than the rest of the business

Case in point is Yalumba, which managed to avoid the excesses on both the high and low ends over the past two decades and has emerged as an example of what a post-modern Aussie winery can be. Jane Ferrari, who tours the world for Yalumba, told me the effort wasn’t always a lot of fun, but that the fifth-generation family business was the better for it.

One improvement is better distribution, so that we can buy the wines in more places in the U.S. The shiraz ($10, purchased), a red blend with a bit of viognier to add interest, has been difficult to find in Dallas. That always annoyed me because Yalumba’s Y series has terrific cheap wine.

The shiraz is an Australian wine that one can actually drink without taking a nap between glasses. It's still big and juicy (lots of black fruit and 14 1/2 percent alcohol), but both are well under control. Missing is the ashy aftertaste that so many of these wines have, and that makes them so difficult to like. It’s a red meat wine, but you can enjoy it without food. Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2013 Hall of Fame.

Wine of the week: Tormaresca Neprica 2010

Background music for this post.

“It’s not going to work any more.”

“What are you talking about? We’ve been together since you started the blog – five years, five vintages. You need me. I need you.”

“I thought I needed you. But we’ve grown apart.”

“How can you say that? We were made for each other.”

“Maybe we were once. But not any more. You’ve changed this vintage ($11, purchased), and I don’t know that I like the changes. Where’s your Italian character, that darkness that made me want you in a way I never wanted another wine? Where’s the plum and earth that made you the blog’s favorite wine for so many years? Instead, you’re jammy and extracted, with gobs of red fruit and almost no acid for balance. I can get that anywhere – even from one of those California tarts.”

“Does this mean it’s over? After all this time, after all the wine we’ve shared?”

“You tell me. Should we give it one more chance, one more vintage? Or is it already too late?”

Expensive wine 44: Patricia Green Yamhill County Pinot Noir 2010

In a couple of weeks, many of us will drink pinot noir with Thanksgiving dinner, since pinot is traditionally the red wine recommended for Thanksgiving. The catch, of course, is that much of the pinot noir we’ll be drinking won’t be especially pinot-like, thanks to one of the biggest changes in the wine business over the past five years.

Those of us who do want to drink pinot that is varietally correct and want to spend a little extra would do well to look for the Patricia Green ($36, sample), long one of my favorite Oregon pinot noirs and not a bad value given pinot noir prices.

In the old days, when winemakers paid more attention to these things, there were three kinds of pinot – red Burgundy from France, which could be earthy and almost mushroomy; California pinot, which was focused on fruit but remained true to the Burgundian concept of elegance; and Oregon pinot, which fit somewhere between the two.

The Patricia Green has remained true to that ideal, and is made as it should be, without any foolishness like over extraction, extra oak, and 15 percent alcohol. There is berry fruit, but also herbs and earthiness; in this, it is what one critic has called a benchmark for Oregon pinot noir -- clean and well-crafted, where the grapes and not the winemaker determine what the wine tastes like. Highly recommended.

Wine of the week: Robert Hall Rhone de Robles 2011

The Wine Curmudgeon practically gushed about this wine during my recent chat with Robert Hall winemaker Don Brady, so more details are in order. The first is that this is the kind of California wine that undoes so much of the damage caused by the rest of California’s wines.

How much so? The night after I drank this, I drank a similar sort of red blend made by a popular Napa producer that cost a couple of bucks more. There was no comparison, and I was quite shocked that the Rhone du Robles ($15, sample) came off of so much better. But why not? It isn’t too fruity, too oaky, or too alcoholic.

Look for some red fruit, which Brady makes a special effort to keep to sensible levels, as well as a structure that shows something besides fruit, including some very pleasant tannins. This is a terrific food wine; think Thanksgiving, modern French bistro or even something as old-fashioned as steak frites. Highly recommended, though not, unfortunately, always easy to find.

Mini-reviews 41: Eurl Patrick, Fougeray de Beauclair, Chateau Massiac, House Band

Reviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the final Friday of each month:

• Eurl Patrick Barrière Village 2010 ($10, purchased): I bought this wine because I didn’t expect it to be worth drinking (I am the Wine Curmudgeon, after all). But it wasn’t French bad – green and tannic. Instead, it was California bad – overripe and extracted, without tannins or acid, and made in the grocery store style.

• Fougeray de Beauclair Bourgogne 2009 ($20, purchased): Another attempt to find drinkable red Burgundy for less than $40 with mixed results. Slightly rustic (pencil lead on the front and a rough, interesting finish), but not much fruit, even for Burgundy, and a bit thin in the middle.

• Château Massiac Minervois 2008 ($15, sample): Surprisingly fresh and fruity (black cherry?) red blend from southern France that includes syrah. But still dark and almost brooding; I'm not sure how it would fare with Americans used to Central Coast merlot.

• House Band White NV ($10, sample): This white blend takes full advantage of California's plethora of cheap, quality grapes and solid winemaking skills. It's dry and fruity, but not overdone in any way.

Wine of the week: 14 Hands Hot to Trot Red 2010

Chateau Ste. Michelle, the Washington state multi-national that does the 14 Hands, is on a roll. It placed four brands in the top 20 in a recent survey of best-selling $10 wines, only one less than E&J Gallo and as many as Constellation and The Wine Group (which does Cupcake) combined. That’s a very Rocky-like performance given how powerful its competitors are.

Equally as impressive is that a 14 Hands wine is a wine of the week for the second time this year (despite this one’s very silly name). I try not to do that sort of thing, but it’s difficult to overlook 14 Hands’ combination of quality and value. Which, no doubt, is why Chateau Ste. Michelle sells so much wine.

The Hot to Trot ($9, purchased) is a red blend – mostly merlot, syrah and cabernet sauvignon – that is simple but well made. It doesn’t try to do too much, and it doesn’t taste like winemaker Keith Kenison used his chemistry set to take it in any one direction. Look for some spice and lots of black fruit and that earthy Washington state feel, especially in the back.

Very nicely done for the price, and should please anyone who wants a glass of red wine but doesn’t want to make a big issue of it. Pair it with basic red wine food like meat loaf and mashed potatoes.

Wine of the week: The Other Red 2009

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. This wine now costs as much as $15 a bottle. Which, as much as the Wine Curmudgeon likes it and as much as I respect the producer, Lodi’s Peirano Estate, is a lot of money for what it is.

Fortunately, The Other (purchased) can still be found for as little as $10. When that’s the case, it’s the kind of wine that makes writing the blog such a pleasure. This vintage is a blend of moslty cabernet sauvignon and merlot, with 10 percent syrah, and is fruitier than usual (cherry). But it has enough acid and tannins for balance, as well as just 13.8 percent alcohol. The difference in alcohol between this and 14.5 percent wine, over the course of a bottle, is not only noticeable, but enjoyable -- a weeknight dinner without getting buzzed.

Note, too, that the cherry is real fruit, not the fake, candied kind that is the current style as winemakers try to give the impression of sweetness in dry wine.

It does seem a little thin in the back, but that may be a function of age. Three years is a long time for this kind of wine to last. But The Other remains one of the best California-style red blends available, and has never disappointed me. Serve this with any casual red meat dinner.