The Identity of the blind tasting challenge Mystery Bottle revealed

 

Vina Leyda Single Vineyard Canelo Syrah 2013. Image: Alko.

Dear vinous friends, Divine Wine blog is in slight shock. This is due to the identity of the mystery bottle, which was recently revealed by Vindirekt. It was exactly in line with Divine Wine’s blind tasting evaluation! Lets see how it all went down.

Divine Wine’s conclusions based on blind tasting

1. New World (bold use of oak, sweet vanilla, fruit driven, concentrated, ripe fruit, even some stewed fruit character)

2. Not necessarily the hottest of New World climates. The style is rather black peppery, there are even herbs, the fruit isn’t completely cooked or jammy. Cooler parts of Australia? Chile’s Casablanca or San Antonio? New Zealand’s Hawkes Bay?

3. Animalistic and earthy elements. Certain areas, such as Barossa in Australia, are well known of their Brett influenced, sweaty, high quality Shiraz wines. But is this animal/leather/sweat influence in this wine too restrained for Barossa Shiraz?

4. Shiraz. Dark fruit, black pepper, liquorice and leather. Almost full body, high alcohol. I’m going for Shiraz. It might be that there is some CS in this wine (currant), but the black fruit might be also due to Shiraz solely.

Final Conclusion:

Because I have to say something, I say: Shiraz from Chile 2013. However, I leave an option open for cooler climate South Australian or Victoria Shiraz wines.

This wine is well made and is of high quality, although the finish could be longer. It can drink now, but I’d say it has aging potential.

Vindirekt announces the identity of the wine

The Mystery Bottle is Leyda Single Vineyard Canelo Syrah 2013.

The Finnish retailer Alko decribes the wine

Full-bodied, tannic, aromas of black currant, black berry, olive, spice and oak. The grapes were manually picked and the wine was fermented in open stainless steel. The wine was matured in oak barrels for fourteen months and aged for four months in bottles prior to release. The producer estimates that this wine has further aging potential of 7 years in adequate storage.  

 

How?

The accuracy of this particular blind tasting conclusion is greatly due to my incredible WSET3 teachers, particularly Alessadra Fedi, who is very passionate about wines of Chile. Although I have not had a chance to taste this particular product ever before, Alessadra’s tasting sessions last October combined with her very lively way of communicating about Chile’s varied terroirs have obviously left a mark.

Leyda Valley in Chile’s San Antonio lies only 14 kilometres from the ocean, hence boasting an exceptionally cool climate favouring production of more elegant style of wines compared to the hotter regions of Chile. Nevertheless, this wine is still very ripe fruit driven, soft and non-challenging. In my mind this nature of the product combined with unrestrained oak and black peppery character pointed clearly towards cooler parts of Chile while blind tasting.

Maquinon Garnacha 2013 Priorat DOCa, Spain

 

Maquinon Garnacha 2010.

Wine review

3 of 5 stars

A good wine

This young Garnacha wine shows a clear, ruby red colour of medium intensity. Fresh and simple on the nose, this wine has a focused aromatic profile of fresh red fruit with light spice and oak aromas. Red cherries dominate with strawberry appearing on their side. Having matured for four months in oak casks, this wine also has a slight scent of vanilla.

The first strike is medium bodied, markedly fruity and round.  On the mid-palate pleasant white pepper notes accompany the red cherries. Tannins are medium in amount and quite ripe. However, there is some roughness to the tannins. Acidity is also of medium intensity, while fruit as well as alcohol are abundant. As a result the balance is not optimal but tends to lean towards fruit and alcohol creating a very round overall impression. The acid structure doesn’t have quite enough power to support all the weight. Ending with a pleasant medium length, white pepper finish, this wine steers my thoughts to barbecue parties, where it would certainly serve its purpose.

Not too complex while quite alcoholic, this BBQ wine would be best served with fatty meats like sausages, ribs and pork chops. Also, it will be able to tolerate all kinds of sauces and grilled sides due to its simple, fruity nature. Even foods with plenty of umami, such as fresh mushrooms and asparagus, would work without a problem because there’s so much fruit in this wine.

Info in a nutshell

Price examples:

DKK 100 (EUR 13) per glass, wine bar Antidote, Copenhagen, Denmark

DKK 135 (EUR 18) wine shop Smalle Vin, Kööpenhamina

EUR 19.50 web shop ebuywines.com

USD 23.99  web shop heightschateau.com

Country and region: Spain, Priorat

Grapes: Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mazuela

Alc vol: 14%

Producer: Casa Rojo

Background

Spain has only two wine regions with the highest DOCa classification: Priorat and Rioja. Maquinon Garnacha comes from Priorat, and is made of the area’s dominant grape Garnacha (in French Grenache). Even though Garnacha is widely planted in Spanish vineyards, apart from Priorat the rest of Spain mainly uses Garnacha only as a component in blended wines. AS a thin-skinned grape with high demands for a very warm climate it presents the winemaker a challenge. Creating intensely coloured, full-bodied wines with a proper acid structure from 100% Garnacha is a vexing task.  Priorat and Souther Rhone the two wine regions in the world that reach this kind of peak results with Garnacha. More simple style Garnacha wines are easy to drink, fruity and slightly peppery. This is exactly the role Garnacha has in wine blends: to soften the somewhat tougher grapes with potent tannins and acidity, such as Tempranillo and Syrah.

Casa Rojo is a negotiant producing natural and organic wines from the most important wine regions in Spain. The label of Maquinon Garnacha indicates 100% Garnacha, however the technical sheet of the wine mentions also Mazuela and Cabernet Sauvignon leaving the percentages of their usage unclear. Hence, the final truth of the grape consistence of this wine remains an enigma, but the wine is marketed as 100% Garnacha.

P-U-R Beaujolais-Villages 2013, Beaujolais, France

P-U-R Beujolais-Villages 2013.

Wine review

4 of 5 stars

A very good wine

Should you be bored with Beaujolais candy-potions, this wine presents you with an opportunity to taste a different style of Beaujolais. 

True to the nature of Gamay variety, this wine is pale, clear, ruby in colour. However, the nose is a different story. From a Beaujolais, I would ordinarily expect some fresh banana and candy-like strawberry aromas due to carbonic maceration but these are non-existent. The surprisingly multifaceted, medium intensity aroma profile is first accentuated by flowers followed by red fresh berries and finally some farmyard funk. Violets, red cherries, raspberries and cranberries form a fresh scenery that is elegantly intertwined with a backdrop of subtle animalistic depth.

On the palate, high acidity and abundant fruit depict the first strike. Very fine grained, light tannins and crisp acidity generate a light and etherial mouthfeel. Although Gamay usually gives low-tannin wines, in this case these light tannins are clearly perceptible. In tandem with vivid acidity, they enjoyably balance the complex red fruit and animalistic aromas of the mid-palate. Finishing with a medium length cranberry aftertaste, this wine leaves a pleasant impression.

Vibrant, fruity and fresh, this Beaujolais is best enjoyed now or during the next few years. Its light, acidic nature invites vegetable based dishes like grilled zucchini. Fish and light meat dishes could also be paired successfully with this light, acidic, floral red wine.

A graceful example of Beaujolais-Villages natural wine. 

Info in a nutshell

Price examples:

USD 14 at Brooklynwineexchange.com

EUR 7.50 per glass and 47.50 per bottle at Gastropub Tuulensuu, Tampere, Finland

Country and region: France, Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages

Grape: Gamay 100%

Alc vol: 10,5%

Producer: Product Unique Rebelle, P-U-R

Background

P-U-R (Product Unique Rebelle) is a negociant owning a few hectares of vineyards and buying the rest of their grapes from organic farmers. Adhering to strictly natural winemaking style for P-U-R doesn’t mean taking risks in terms of wine faults. High quality is not a laughing matter to P-U-R, although they sure like to make rebellious fun of wine world phenomena. P-U-R’s Finnish importer told me that a while ago P-U-R aptly placed a banana smelling sticker on their Beaujolais wine’s label as a comment on the direction taken by aromatic development of wines in the area. In my opinion, an aromatically versatile, interesting and pleasant wine like P-U-R Beaujolais-Villages is a statement on the subject in itself.

Charles Smith Boom Boom! Syrah 2013 Washington State, USA

Charles Smith Boom Boom! Syrah 2013.

Wine review

4 of 5 stars

A very good wine

This Syrah rocks! It starts with a deep, clear, ruby red colour and clean, pronounced dark berry-herbal first nose. I’m immediately on board. A slight swirl is enough to open a range of aromas. There is plenty of dark and red fruit: blueberry, blackberry, cherry and plum. Some soft vanilla and an abundance of herbs and blackcurrant leaf aromas follow. Finally, depth and edge are brought to this interesting wine by black pepper, animalistic nuances, leather and a slight hint of balsamic.

Pleasantly soft and full-bodied first strike turns into a mid-palate of dark berry and fruit aromas. Plummy fruitiness is well balanced by medium acidity and medium tannins. An impressive after taste lingers for a long while leaving a floral-herbal impression.

For a wine of this caliber, it would be an understatement to call it an ”easy drinking” wine. However, this wine has fruitiness and roundness to suit those who enjoy softer wines, as well as aromatic complexity and acid structure to give more demanding wine lovers plenty to explore. Ready to drink now, Boom Boom! would make a perfect pair with a broad range of barbecue dishes. Especially lamb would be beautifully complemented with its herbal aromas.

Expressive, relaxed, while still surprisingly complex already at young age, this Syrah is definitely a rock star. Highly recommended.

Info in a nutshell

Price examples:

DKK 149 (EUR 20e) Smalle Vine wine shop, Copenhagen, Denmark

DKK 100 (EUR 13,50) per glass at wine bar Falernum, Copenhagen, Denmark

USD 13,98 at Wineworksonline.com

EUR 19,90 Viinitkotiin.com (in Finnish)

Country and region: USA, Washington State

Grape: 97% Syrah ja 3% Viognier

Alc vol: 13,5%

Producer: Charles Smith Wines

Charles Smith himself. (Image courtesy of Charles Smith Wines.)

Background

No wonder this wine has star quality. The man behind Boom Boom! Syrah is a California born, Scandinavia marinated rock band manager who became a star winemaker in Washington. Charles Smith was awarded ”Winemaker of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast in 2014 and Food & Wine in 2009, now being the only person to have won both awards.

It all started when Charles Smith was on a road trip and met a French wine maker who also loved Syrah. Consequently, Smith built an impressive sequence of wine businesses, and today is an owner and winemaker of  K Vintners, Charles Smith Wines, ViNO, Secco Italian Bubbles, SIXTO, Wines of Substance and one-half of Charles & Charles.

Charles Smith Wines produces wines to modern people, who want to enjoy their wine immediately instead of long storage time. The Modernist Project aims at doing this hand in hand with wines being expressive of their grape variety and terroir. In my glass, the project absolutely proved its point.