It’s the peak of Summer, and for many of us it will be a last chance to enjoy the beverages that we love on warm outdoor afternoons and evenings.

During my Malibu wine store years, the industry people returning from the festival in Cannes would seek out the recent Provence Rosé release they had just enjoyed…mostly Domaine Ott. Ironically, the makers and importers would always have the first bottles of that year’s release on a slow cargo vessel waiting to unload in LA.

Fortunately, with Rosé’s popularity, winemakers around the globe are finding markets for their wine. The best Provence Rosé may not reach LA until the start of summer, but if you live in a warmer climate…like Scottsdale, you can and should enjoy them year round! (Remember, all the southern hemisphere winemakers are trying to ship their wines out 6 months after we Northerners would, to free up space, so it is constant!)

Rosé can range from extremely light and subtle, and great for all-afternoon quaffing, to big and bold, capable of complementing a great lunch…ideal for a steak salad.

Provence Rosé can show faint pink coloring, like the popular wines of Ott and Chateau d’Esclans, and hundreds of others (Whispering Angel is d’Esclans mass market, more budget-priced wine…they are known for extended aging of their more expensive Rosés which adds a very creamy mouth feel to the otherwise crisp Rosé, and creates a more substantial wine which pairs well with summer dishes).

The well-known Bandol Rosé from Domaine Tempier raises the intensity of flavor and color, and the dominant Mourvedre grape blend is capable of aging for several years, unlike the lighter, typical Provence Rosé we commonly see.

(as an aside, let’s address Orange wine…which I also adore! Think of Orange wine as being made in the same style as Rosé, but using white wine grapes rather than red, and allowed to stay in contact with the skins and then ferment for a longer period of time. The result is neither clear, nor Rosé, but orange-ish. Orange wine is now produced around the world, including here in America, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Australia and most major wine regions.)

MAKING ROSÉ:

DIRECT PRESSING is the traditional method that crafts light, subtle Rosés. The grapes are pressed after harvest to separate the juice from the skins and stems. There is very minimal contact with the red skins, as the juice only mingles briefly with the rest of the crushed grapes as it runs out of the press. This gives it very subtle coloring and muted flavors from the skins, and yields the typical strawberry and citrus notes we associate with the classic lighter style of Provence Rosé.

SKIN CONTACT (Maceration) will deliver a more potent Rosé style. Since the skins of the ripe grapes will impart color and flavor, keeping the juice in contact with the crushed skins ups the intensity. Longer contact (from several hours to days…), will result in more obvious and distinct flavors, and a darker hue. When the wine maker thinks the juice is right, they will draw it off the skins and start fermenting it into a wine.

BLEEDING (Saignée) creates Rosé as an additional product while making a red wine.  This can be a very focused production that delivers a batch of flavorful Rosé wine along with their production of red wine, or it can be inconsistent as it may just be used to concentrate the red wine being made. In Bleeding, the wine maker is producing a red, but after a brief resting of the juice with the skins, a portion of wine with shorter skin contact, will be drawn off early. This portion is ideal to be fermented to make a Rosé. The remaining, reduced portion of juice is now left in contact with ALL the skins, and allowed to rest and gain as much of the flavor and color as desired to create a richer red wine. Well-made Rosés, produced using the Bleeding or Saignée method, can be very flavorful.

BLENDING finished red wine with white wine to create a Rosé of the desired intensity, almost seems like cheating after the technicalities involved in the other methods, and it is prohibited in the traditional wine areas. One of the only traditional areas that allows and indeed favors blending to create a Rosé, is Champagne. Here blending of the red with white gives them a more consistent approach to delivering the same wine style with each release. For large volume production in newer wine areas around the globe that permit it, this will also be a favored method for crafting mass market Rose wines.

I always tell people to try new things when they can, but drink what they like. I love great wine, but I really do appreciate a simple, inexpensive bottle of cold Rosé, quaffed with friends on a beautiful afternoon.

Chateau Minuty M is a lovely Rosé available at many wine stores including Total Wine for under $20, but most stores, including Whole Foods  and Trader Joe’s will have a light Rosé from Provence for around $10-12 that will give loads of pleasure. (another aside-I just enjoyed Michael Broadbent’s Vinho Verde imported white wine from Portugal that is a spritzy, fizzy bottle of lime-tinged summer fun for $11.95 at Whole Food’s)

If I want to change it up a bit, and my friends appreciate the difference and wish to savor rather than quaff, I will open a wine from Chateau d’Esclans Estate. Here Sacha Lichine makes amazing Rose that ages in Barrel and Bottle. The Chateau d’Esclans Estate wine is great (about $40/btl)  and the increasingly complex and powerful Les Clans (about $75/btl) and Garrus (about $90/btl)  bottlings, are distinct, and delightful! Sadly, if you live in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado or Utah, you’ll have to buy these from a California store and have them shipped…check wine-searcher.com!

Don’t hesitate to try some California or Arizona Rosé…I loved a Stolpman Rosé that I opened last week.

And if you want a benchmark Rosé as companion for your lunch, try the Bandol Rosé from Domaine Tempier…Total Wine will bring it in on request!

BACANORA, the spirit from just south of the Border.

With: An introductory Cocktail, The “BACANORITA”.

(My attempt at Adrian Galindo’s recipe, mixologist at Bacanora on Grand Avenue.)

INGREDIENTS

.75 oz. Casa Noble “Cristal” Blanco Tequila or similar silver/blanco tequila that shows agave character (Like: Espolon, Herradura, Roca Patron, Maestro Dobel Diamante, Siete Leguas, Jose Cuervo Traditional Silver…whatever works with your budget)

.75 oz. Rancho Tepua Bacanora (or Sonora or Puntagave Silvers…)

.75 oz. Orange Liqueur     (Please…no Triple Sec.  Cointreau and Grand Marnier are the traditional orange liqueurs, but when I want something with more orange and a little less heat, I use Patron’s Citronge, or Naranja, Agavero or Grand Imperial orange liqueurs…they will all change the drinks profile…see what your tase buds prefer)

.75 oz. Fresh squeezed lime juice

.5 oz Agave nectar…or to taste

Rimmer: Tajin (found in any Mexican food section), or a sweet yet spicy pepper blend (dried orange or lemon zest, mixed with dried chiltepin pepper, ground & powdered with a mortar and pestle, then mixed with at least an equal portion of raw sugar, to taste)

Lime or Orange slice

CREATE:

Measure out Tequila, Bacanora and Orange Liqueur into a Pint Glass, (multiplying portions if making a batch…for a party, use a 32 or 64 oz pitcher).

Add lime juice and agave nectar, stir, and adjust to your taste. Personally, I want to taste the Tequila and Bacanora notes, get a little pucker from the lime, and have some deep orange notes added, but not turn it into an orange juice drink. When you have your mix adjusted to your own taste, prepare your glasses.

I like to mix my rimmer and put it into a shallow bowl. You can either wet the entire glass rim about ¼” down the side from the top, by pressing a cut lime slice onto the rim, pushing down and turning it to wet the entire rim, or for something different, you can lime-coat a half circle from the rim down on one part of the glass. Dip the moistened part of the glass in the rimmer to pick up a light coating.

Carefully fill the “rimmed” cocktail glass with ice (A very large cube will give you a full strength drink to appreciate the flavor notes, but crushed ice will dilute and give you a lighter, easier drinking cocktail and it is particularly fun in the heat).

Add your drink mix, and garnish with a lime wheel, or a flamed orange or lime slice (grill, or torch the rind and fruit.)

SIP AND ENJOY!!!!!

BACANORA     is a spirit obtained from agave, and is a regional sub-classification of Mescal, made only in the State of Sonora that sits below our border, and is in its own way, similar to tequila, mezcal, and raicilla. The difference between these spirits is in the type of agave with which they are produced, the location they are grown, and the actual production methods.

Tequila, which is highly regulated, uses only Blue Weber Agave, and can only come from the area around Tequila, chiefly in the states of Nayarit and Jalisco, but also Guanajuato, Michoacan, or Tamaulipas.

Mezcal is produced throughout Mexico and surrounding countries, and commonly comes from about 20 different agave that have varying sugar levels and flavors unique to their type, and whose flavors are affected by the site, soil and elevation.

The state of Sonora produces a huge number of the most common Maguey type used in Mescal, the Agave Angustifolia, commonly known as Maguey Espadin, and in Sonora specifically referred to as Maguey Pacifica. It is deep green in color, and as it grows and ages, gets lighter. The agave can measure about 4 feet high and 6 feet around. At maturity, it sends up a yellow flower on a stock growing up the middle, growing 2 ½ inches a day during the first week and an inch a day for the next three months. This growth slows but continues for nine months, with the interior holding the seeds that will sprout new agave. We tend to call both these, and the even larger giant Maguey Arroqueño (Scientific name: Agave americana), Century Plants, when this process is occurring.

This process usually occurs after 5 to 10 years of age, and allows the maguey to reproduce and be harvested for a number of uses, one of the most profitable now being the production of spirits.

You can find mostly silver or clear bacanora in the United States market, but Bacanora aged in wood is quite common in Mexico.

MAKING BACANORA

Bacanora started production as a crudely fermented beverage (pulque) from the agave heart, made by the indigenous Opata people. It was harvested wild, fire roasted with mesquite wood in pits, then mashed into a pulpy liquid and left to ferment. About five hundred years ago, crude distillation methods began to emerge and the first mescal was produced. Missionary Spanish priests introduced more formal distillation that increased the quality and strength of the beverage, and turned it into a true spirit, as it became popular throughout mexico and spread to Sonora. Local Sonoran mescal started being referred to as Bacanora, as an abundance of the Agave Pacifica or Espadin, grew wild around the town founded by the Jesuits in 1627 called Bacanora, establishing a reputation for the quality of the liquor made there.

The highest quality, small production Bacanora, is still produced in the traditional method.

Agave Pacifica is harvested through a process known as jimar (hee-mar). The “Jimador” cuts off the pointed leaves from the pineapple shaped core, or piña using a spear/spade like tool called a Coa.

These pina/cores are then split, and placed into specially designed underground ovens called mallas, to roast and soften the pina. This helps break them down to extract their juice and because of the wood used, they will take on some smoky flavor. If the producer uses a boiler rather than the wood oven, it will produce a less smoky Bacanora.

The cooked pinas are then crushed – traditionally in a “tahona”, a giant stone grinding wheel. Larger scale producers may use mechanical crushers to extract the juice and separate it from the fiber.

To ferment, the agave pulp is placed into barrels, combined with fresh water and covered air-tight, which begins the natural fermentation process, which can take from 6 to 12 days, depending on time of year and temperature.

The fermented juices are placed into stills and heated over mesquite fires. The vapor escapes as steam from the top of the still and goes through a funnel and cooling tube, which may be coiled. As the vapor condenses in the tube and becomes liquid, it will flow into a container as a raw spirit.

What differs in the production of Bacanora from other mezcals, is the method of the second distillation of the liquid, called “resaque”. During the resaque, the master producer, called a “vinatero” in Sonora, basically the “master mezcalero”, uses a container to collect the first distillate from out of the still: the high alcoholic content called the “Heads”. As soon as the Vinatero observes a group of small superficial bubbles in the liquid that flows, he changes the container. This next distillation is the Bacanora, with between 20 and 30 degrees of alcoholic purity. When he notices the bubbles disappear quickly, he switches to a new container, as the next discharge or “Tails” is composed almost entirely of water.

The last step is to adjust the bacanora and mix it with the “heads” to blend it to the desired alcohol level and taste, which results in a spirit that is between 40 and 50 percent alcohol.

The resulting agave spirit, Bacanora, is less smokey than most mezcal, a little more grassy in flavor, and a little sweeter in the mouth, and may show off peppery notes. I have found that it will appeal to many drinkers who just say no to Mezcal’s smokey flavors, and don’t get to appreciate the complexity that can be found in good Mezcal.

One of my favorite bartenders, Adrian Galindo, at Bacanora , the upscale Sonoran Restaurant on Grand Avenue (and James Beard nominee) named for the regional spirit (and their sister outpost Espiritu in Mesa), uses a combination of bacanora and blanco tequila to make his “bacanorita’, and reflect the flavors of Sonora.

“Particularly with the bacanorita, I wanted to make it as accessible as possible,” he says. “All it is, is a split base of bacanora and tequila, a good version of triple sec… then fresh lime juice and agave nectar to sweeten.”

The combination of Tequila and Bacanora delivers the best elements of a classic margarita, while adding some of bacanora’s more rugged, grassy charm, and just a subtle puff of smoke. Adrian uses agave nectar to bring out agave flavors, rather than just sweetening, as simple syrup would do. For the right amount of oomph, a rim coated with Tajin is an easy and lovely complement, but Adrian takes it further using a rimmer of sugar, citrus rinds, and dried chiltepin pepper to elevate this drink even further with the regional flavors of our Sonoran Desert. TRY IT!

Bacanora is readily available at Total Wine, and most mescal and tequila purveyors.

Holiday Greetings!

Great Sparkling wines are coming out of California, Oregon, New Mexico, Michigan, New York, and are starting to be produced in the emerging wine areas too. I have even enjoyed great Sparklers from Richard G Peterson, made in California with Pinot grapes grown from cuttings imported from Wrotham in Kent, England, originally planted by the Romans…if you see any bottles, pounce and enjoy!!! (His daughter, cult winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett learned a thing or two about winemaking around him…)

 

I get excited opening Camille Saves , Egly-Ouriet, Pierre Peters, Guy Larmandier, Pierre Bertrand, Andre Jacquart, Chartogne-Taillet, Gosset-Brabant, Frédéric Savart, Duval-Leroy…but, if they aren’t readily available, and you are watching the budget too, grab a couple of bottles of Chandon Rose from California, a nice Cremant Rose from Alsace or Bourgogne, or a Rose Prosecco…They really do work with everything and should cost you under $20.

It’s a great time to choose something different with fun, unusual non-Champagne style sparklers like a good Italian Lambrusco or Brachetto, which are medium-bodied reds, with bubbles! Today’s well-made Lambrusco and Brachetto are a far cry from the mass-imported Riunite (“Riunite on Ice, Tastes Nice” was the TV ad tag line) which made Lambrusco a punch line to jokes! A nice Lambrusco will cost about $20, Brachetto will range from $18 to $35 (Rinaldini, Cantina della Volta, Chiarli, and Vignetto Saetti are solid producers). They will be fruit forward with spice, slightly sweet, but with good acidity and complex flavors. It’s a crowd pleaser with the Holiday menu.

Don’t be afraid to try a Sparkling Shiraz which will provide deeper, dark fruit flavors and more wine body with a little grip, while the sparkles make it lighter on the palate…like dancing in your mouth! It’s nice to have a wine you can be wine geeky about and appreciate for its unique fit, while your younger relatives and grandparents appreciate its more obvious qualities…rich fruit flavor, velvety mouth feel…and fizzzzzz! Paringa, The Chook, Mollydooker, Jip Jip Rocks, Bleasdale, Teusner, Mr. Riggs, all deliver great value and flavor.

If you want to show off, pick a beautiful red wine that is unknown to most Americans. Sicily has some stunning wines that show the velvety, delicate character of great Burgundy but with the plusher fruit levels of those new world Pinot. I love Palari’s Faro Red blend that over-delivers for the price, and several other producers make stunning wines with the Nerello Mascelese grape that aren’t too rich or tannic…look for “Etna Rosso”.

Well-made, lower alcohol Zinfandels will show off rich fruit and have lower tannins, and work better for your meal than some monster Zins. California has some gems, but if your suppliers are limited, you can’t go wrong with Ridge’s “Three Valleys” or “Geyserville”, zinfandel driven red blends.

Grenache-Syrah/Shiraz-Mourvedre Blends will work similarly whether you find them around Paso Robles or Australia. Just search out the easier drinking, less powerful versions of these rich wines, and they will be loved by all. This is not the time to pull out that cult wine that received a 100 point score…wait!

Personally, I love these blends, and I’m bringing 3 Liter bottles from L’Aventure in Paso Robles, of their “Optimus” and their “Cote a Cote” Red Blends. Owner/winemaker Stephan Asseo, crafts his French inspired beauties with Central Coast grapes and no rules on blending to hold him back from his vision.

Optimus is his younger-vine Bordeaux-inspired blend, made to drink beautifully with less cellaring (56% Syrah, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petit Verdot). His “Cote a Cote”, is a Chateauneuf-inspired gem that is predominately Grenache. (a 51% Grenache, 26% Mourvedre, 23% Syrah blend).

Incidentally, its also a good time to pour food-friendly wines from around your home.

In Arizona, Callaghan Vineyards in Elgin, Caduceus Cellars in Jerome, Laramita Cellars in Willcox, and Dos Cabezas WineWorks out of Sonoita, Page Spring Cellars and Pillsbury, are among the producers making very good, but relatively small production, food-friendly reds and whites and even Sparkling Whites and Rose!

A nice Grenache from Spain, or a (non-trophy) Syrah from California’s Central Coast or Napa/Sonoma (great fruit, lower tannin, softer….) will be crowd pleasers. Search out Qupe, Alban, Tablas Creek, Saxum, Linne Calodo, Melville, McPrice Myers, and that’s just a small slice of great Syrah.

If you want to have a Name Cabernet, pick one that’s generally softer and less tannic. Silver Oak’s Alexander Valley is going to work better than the more tannic “Napa”. Caymus Cabernet works better than their powerful age-worthy “Special Select”. Is this the best pairing for a wine geek…probably not, but for a Cab lover…why not!

And for some of us who rush through the dinner, but relax afterwards, talking with Family and friends and catching up…now is the time to enjoy that Port, trophy Red or other big-flavored beverage of choice.

While I was thinking about less expensive wines that deliver a great “Big Wine” experience, but work with the Holiday spread, I ran across an Old friend at Costco, and then saw her at Total Wine…Boekenhoutskloof’s, “The Chocolate Block”!!!! Such a lovely buy:

Boekenhoutskloof’s, “The Chocolate Block”

I first tasted Boekenhoutskloof’s “The Wolftrap Red” and “The Chocolate Block” Red Wine in San Francisco before they had distribution in SoCal. The Wolftrap Red, was a great bargain wine, and the Chocolate Block was a lush complex Red for under or around $30…and they still are.

Established in 1776, in the furthest corner of the beautiful Franschhoek Valley, they gained recognition, and strong demand for these wines since 2000. I was able to get a first shipment of WolfTrap and The Chocolate Block in SoCal for my store, Malibu Village Wines, and it was a hit. The Wolftrap took it’s name from an actual Wolftrap found on the farm, dating back to its founding when the region was wild and wolves were a feared predator.

The Chocolate Block was originally named not only for the chocolate nuances that punctuate it, but also for a block in the vineyard where the grapes were grown. Today, the wine has become so popular world-wide that production has grown exponentially and the Vineyard sources have multiplied.

The spectacularly well-made 2019 is juicy enough to work with the sweet and savory flavors in the Thanksgiving Dinner spread, and has just enough tannins to balance the jammy fruit and please lovers of big, powerful reds.

Chocolate Block shows off the beautiful Syrah of the Vintage and like the “Blocks”’ before it, gets its multiple flavors, plush mouthfeel, character and charm from the combination of grapes used.

The wine immediately shows off flavors of dark berry pie with Holiday spice notes. Jammy, juicy dark fruit notes of Black Berries, Plum, and a slight but pleasant hint of prune, combine with the spicy, peppery accents. After you swirl, sniff, roll it around your mouth and swallow and contemplate what you just tasted, the finish notes start to arrive and surprise you…as they bring the characteristic dusty cocoa notes that almost always accompany this wine.

Blend: 71% Syrah, 11% Grenache, 9% Cinsault, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Viognier

Winemaker Notes

Vintage 2019 was preceded by a very dry growing season ensuing in a record-low harvest yield. The crush was down 2% from 2018 tonnages. The optimistic retrospect of these conditions resulted in smaller, more concentrated berries due to their higher pulp-to-juice-ratio. These circumstances, along with green harvesting due to uneven bud-break, were encouraging for the making of wines with great complexity. The Swartland experienced moderate temperatures during December ’18 and January ’19 with the first heatwaves impacting the appellation during February. The picking window for The Chocolate Block was a mere two-week period. Fortunately, our even greater reliance on our vineyards from Porseleinberg and Goldmine farms made it a manageable fortnight in terms of fruit-picking and refrigerated transport logistics.

By early accounts, 2019 is proving to be another good vintage for Syrah with pronounced black fruit flavours and a classic black olive nuance. The predominant variety (71%) displays a beautiful inkiness in the glass. The Grenache vineyards on Porseleinberg are becoming well-established, and this variety is undoubtedly the bright, perfumed star of the blend revealing an old, Châteauneuf-du-Pape-like charm. Old vine Cinsault remains an unheralded gem which effortlessly knits the wine together and establishes a refined elegance. At merely eight percent of this finite variety grown within the appellation, Cabernet Sauvignon is essential in providing structure and grip to the blend. Syrah and Cinsault were matured in a combination of seasoned 2,500L French oak foudres and barriques. Grenache was matured in seasoned 600L demi-muids. Cabernet Sauvignon was the only component exposed to new French oak barrique. The elevage ranged between 13 & 16 months, dependant on component and vineyard parcel. 2414 barriques were selected for our 2019 vintage.

The nose is dark, intense and brooding with aromas of black cherries, cardamom, sweet tobacco, espresso and subtle whiffs of perfume. The dark fruit character of the nose follows through onto an exceptionally complex, juicy palate with gentle nuances of ripe plums, violets, black olives, cloves, and liquorice. The mid-palate is focused, lithe and elegant with very fine, cocoa powdery tannins. The wine is medium bodied, very balanced with an earthy, layered character, covering the entire spectrum of berry fruit – from tart red plums to rich blue and black berries. The finish is svelte, clean and dry, peppery and lingering, with hints of dried cranberry, tar, graphite and smoke. Blend: 71% Syrah, 11% Grenache, 9% Cinsault, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Viognier

Critical Acclaim

RP90

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

Made from a blend of 71% Syrah, 11% Grenache, 9% Cinsault, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Viognier, the 2019 Chocolate Block begins with a broad, juicy nose of spiced plum, blackberry compote, fresh cracked black peppercorn, dusty purple flowers and hints of baking spices. Medium to full-bodied, the wine initially expresses fresh, ripe and juicy dark fruit tones with an undercurrent of black and red spice before firm tannins grip the gumline. The wine concludes with a dusty and spicy finish and a lingering tannic edge. The wine spent 13 to 16 months in barrels before being blended. Rating: 90+