Wine Mizer: August 2016

MIRAVAL ROSE (Cotes De Provence)

“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful …..” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Reading Goethe as a high school student decades ago wasn’t exactly a beautiful experience. But fast-forward to the 21^st century and I think he was on to something. This wine is a sense of the beautiful. Just its color shimmering through the glass on the store shelf was seductive. Rose water. Petals with their essence extracted. Pure essence. If you cook Indian dishes and use rose water, you have an understanding of this color. So I bought it, years ago, albeit reluctantly. I don’t like “celebrity” wines. Wines with photos of long dead movie stars on the label; stars that had never worked a vineyard and whose only association with wine was that they could afford to drank too much of it. There is a chasm between marketing and winemaking, though I understand the need to bridge it if the business is to continue. But when a company indifferently relies more upon the skill of its marketing than upon its winemaking, they fail to attract me. Labels with offensive double entendres, labels with photos of sports stars whose light has long diminished and never shined upon a vine anyway, singers…. oh, just spare me. Count me out.

But I bought Miraval years ago and have been buying it every year since my first taste. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie bought the estate in 2012 for an estimated cost of $60 million. Learning that actually discouraged me from buying the wine. Would this become just another wine whose appeal was its connection to movie stars? I don’t follow their lives in fan magazines; don’t care about whom they marry or what they do off-screen. And the bottle is oddly shaped making storage difficult and the label contains no information about the wine. Was this another example of more attention being paid to marketing at the expense of making a good wine? Miraval was launched on Valentine’s Day in 2013 and the first 6000 bottles were sold out in five hours. Oh, oh: the heard was being moved, it seemed, by stardom not quality. Even worse: the wine had previously been released (pre Pitt-Jolie) under the name “Pink Floyd” after the rock band that recorded “The Wall” in Miraval’s recording studio. This had the markings of stardom fancying itself for an encore.

But then I learned that the Perrin family was involved. Perrin on wine is like the words “Gold Note” on older paper currency. It adds value. Wine Spectator ranked the first vintage of Miraval at 84 out of the year’s Top 100 wines of 2013. It was the only rose wine included. Decanter described its elegance and its mouthwatering finish. Turns out grapes for Miraval are selected from the best parcels: Muriers, Longue, Romarin and selected also from the best terroirs of Provence with clay and limestone soil and from elevation of about 1,247 feet: cool temperature vineyards with large diurnal swings. Turns out too that grapes are harvested in the early morning to preserve the fruit’s fresh character, and they’re sorted twice.

Grapes used are Cinsault, Grenache, Rolle and Syrah, the

Took a while to get the color right
taking the photo. It's all about
the lighting. Note: this is not a 750ml
bottle (also oddly shaped) but 1.5 liters.

latter being partially vinified using the “saignee” method. Similar to “drawing off,” “saignee” involves removing only a portion of the juice from its skin contact, the remainder being retained for use in red wine production. Rose made in this method will have higher acid, though it’s important to remember that in Miraval, only the Syrah is vinified this way and only a portion of it is so used. Rolle may be better known as Vermentino, a light skinned wine grape made famous from Italy. As in so many things of beauty, the composition is greater than its individual parts. Call it teamwork. In the case of Miraval, call it experienced expert winemaking.

Only 5% of the juice sees wood (with batonnage). The rest is vinified in temperature controlled stainless, or what I personally think qualifies as the greatest advance in winemaking since yeast was first discovered. The result is a wine that speaks freshness with delicate aromas of white flowers. Mineral notes with a sense of salinity. Lovely balance and seamless integration of raspberry, wild strawberry (I grew them, but then were they no longer wild?), cherry, pear, white tea and rose water. As with all wines of quality, for me, it’s not the individual taste notes (which can be discerned), bit how those notes play together. In Miraval, it’s a symphony of finesse.

Marc Perrin has said that Angelina and Brad have been intimately involved in the wine making process, attending “rose blending sessions” and helping to design a new shape and label for the bottle (the latter being something obviously successful but of which I’m not a fan). But as for the wine, I am a fan though I must disclose that when it comes to Rose wine, I have a preference for those of Provence.

Decanter reports that the winery is considering making a red Provence wine in the style of Italy’s Super Tuscans (labeled as IGT because they don’t meet criteria of grapes or percentages of them used in Italy’s DOC and DOGC classification. “We are planning to experiment with different grape varieties, from Syrah and Mourvedre to Cabernet Franc and others,” said March Perrin. “There are no conclusions yet, but we will be happy to use the Vins de France label if need be.”

What spring-boarded California to world attention resulted from its ability to innovate and an appellation system not based on varietals but only zone. As a lover of “old world” wine I have an appreciation of “old world” requirements: varietals must include certain percentages of particular grapes to be labeled with the appellation. Yields must be restricted to meet established standards and there are other requirements. So called IGT wines are not inferior to DOGC labeled wines; they just don’t meet the standard for DOGC or DOC labeling. Wines labeled simply as “Vin de France” (that term replaces the older “Vin de Table) allows for wines that are multi-regional and multi-varietal. Whether such a wine from Miraval will be “good” will ultimately depend upon the site decisions, the winemaker and consumers. Personally, I look forward to Miraval’s introduction.

Sante!

…………….. Jim

Wine Mizer is not a “dba” because it does not do any business. Truth be told, it is a not-for-profit non-corporation, money-losing sole-proprietorship venture. Such assures you, however, that opinions are unbiased. Wine Mizer accepts no advertisements. Support this venture by “Liking” Wine Mizer on facebook.

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BLASSON WINES PINOT GRIGIO (2015)

“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences” . Audre Lorde

Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris. Same grape. Different white wines; so different in taste that many people don’t realize both are made from the same grape. Consider Syrah and Shiraz as the same but different grape in the red category, though I think the Grigio/Gris style is even more pronounced. Here, in the U.S., the Grigio style has won the pocketbook vote of consumers. It is a light, crisp, citrusy-fruity but dry white wine that is easily enjoyed and easily affordable. A good choice in the summer outdoors, it is picnic palatable, goes nicely with seafood in restaurants and if you open a bottle with visiting friends everyone will be comfortable with it. No wonder it became so popular!

Northeastern Italy is the epicenter of Pinot Grigio viniculture

About as far northeast as you can go.

and production. Here the cool temperatures assure grapes of increased acidity to provide the mouthwatering finish that consumers love. Since the grape itself is not naturally high in acid, grapes in Friuli, Venezia, and Guila are picked early (thankfully not so as to make for an offensive vegetative character – timing is everything) while acids are relatively high and sugar not at its peak. Fermentation and storage is traditionally done in stainless-steel tanks in order to preserve freshness, fruit and the “zing” quality of Grigio. Seldom is oak used as it would add weight and tertiary notes not consumer associated with the style. Pinot Gris, with grapes ripened, is rich and weightier. It is heavier in mouthfeel and (for me) makes a better match for some fish meals.

I enjoy both styles. Each serves its purpose. But I know from experience that success breeds imitation and over production and waves of watery thin and quaffable but overpriced Pinot Grigio have washed ashore. I wanted something different. Yes, there’s a PG or two out there that have become my “go-to” Pinot Grigios. But, tasting wine as frequently as I have comes with the potential of jading the palate and I wanted something different. It was time to experiment. Pinot Grigio, yes, but not my “go to” wine. Different, but same. Fortunately, I found what I was looking for within the glass of a bottle of Blasson Wines’ Pinot Grigio (2015). As for northeast Italy, Giovanni Blasson’s winery is only ten miles from Italy’s eastern border with Slovenia. About as far northeast in cool temperature Italy as you can go. His D.O.C. Pinot Grigio immediately commanded my palate’s attention as most PG wines have not for sometime. Yes, this was Pinot Grigio. The nose offered Meyer lemon, ripe-ripe pear, salinity and notes of white flower, but all so reserved. I know tasters that referred to a nose that “jumped” from the glass, but that was not my experience. This was refined, subtle, and artful. I was interested.

Then came texture. Pinot Grigio is, for me, not a palate weighted wine. But this had body. It had texture like a Pinot Gris. Still, the fruit was there; all the traditional fruit so expected of Grigio: lime, lemon (Meyer), kiwi, and fresh cut red apple and with a whisper of melon (orange). It finished with a bitter green apple taste. For a Pinot Grigio, this was becoming complex. The acidity was there, but – like the fruit – melded into a tapestry of elegance and reserved finesse. Blasson juice is never oaked, but benefits from gentle lees stirring which accounts for the richness and adds elegance, while maintaining the expected fruit of the style. Found at Vin Chicago for $10 retail, it didn’t just excite my palate, it pleased my pocketbook. It was different. It was good. It was a positive palate exciting experiment I will be repeating.

Cent' anni

……………..Jim

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INCIDENTAL INFO

Azienda Agricola di Giovanni Blason

Estate Bottled

Country: Italy

Region: Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Sub Region (Appelation): Isonzo del Friuli D.O.C.

www.blasonwines.it

Alc: 12.5%

Imported by: Terraneo Merchants:

http://terraneomerchants.com/product-type/wines/

ON PREMISE LABELING OF WINE

“Listen, Peaches, trickery is what humans are all about," said the voice of Maurice. "They're so keen on tricking one another all the time that they elect governments to do it for them.” -- Terry Pratchett, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents

Many restaurants will not show wines on their list that are available at retail outlets because if you know the retail price, you could lose your appetite by what you were being charged at that restaurant for the same wine. A wine that I enjoy with oysters for example, Juan Gill (a dry Muscat) retails for $10. At my local oyster haunt, ordering it will tack $50 onto the bill except on half-price bottle night when it is $25. The restaurant’s cost for that bottle is around $7.50. It’s a very good wine, goes nicely with oysters and other seafood, but at $50 it will sour your stomach. Let me mention – before you do – that I would prefer a Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie, but none are offered. And the Juan Gil does very well.

Anyway to avoid this embarrassment, some restaurants purchase “on-premise” wines. These are wines specifically labeled for restaurants and not available in grocery stores. Lots of wineries make “on-premise” wines. Sycamore Lane’s Pinot Grigio is an example. It’s from Trinchero Family Estates in Napa, though you won’t see the name Trinchero anywhere on the bottle. I was able to find one big box retailer that carried this wine, but generally, you won’t see it on the shelves of liquor stores. In fact, the website states: “Because

Sycamore Lane wines are not sold at retail, cost comparisons will never be an issue, so you can price this house wine appropriately.” A bottle of Sycamore Lane at the restaurant I enjoyed it at recently (with a Caprese salad) cost $24. The advertised case price to the restaurant is $68.29 bringing their cost down to $5.69 per bottle (less with large orders). Actually, that markup (321%) is not uncommon and better than the dry Muscat at 566% (though at half price, the Muscat is a great deal (233%).

Then, there is custom labeling as in the example of Starved Rock Merlot, made by Rutherford Wine Company of St. Helena California. Starved Rock is a state park in Illinois and no wines are made in the park, certainly not Merlot. The label clearly states it is from California and Rutherford is identified on the label. It’s labeled for local sales at gift shops, hotels, retail stores and other outlets. Many wineries offer custom labeling and you can have labels from some wineries made to occasion almost anything: birthdays, anniversaries or almost anything per whatever standards the individual winery may have. You can order wine and have it labeled with your name as in “Bob’s Select Cabernet Sauvignon,” though if your name is Charlie you may not want to do that. Rutherford’s site states that “Exclusive Branding Private Label Programs” enhance image and build customer loyalty, and “offer customers a uniquely branded wine unavailable in retail” and, perhaps most important to sellers: “Realize increased margins over nationally branded wines.”

Rutherford’s Merlot isn’t made exclusively for Starved Rock. It’s labeled for Starved Rock and is the same Merlot that Rutherford makes and labels for other outlets through their Private Label Program. At $17 retail for this bottle, it’s nicely priced and tasty enough not to cause indigestion. In the lodge’s restaurant at Starved Rock, expect to pay about $30, which should not spoil your appetite. In fact, at about 300% markup (from their cost, not retail), it was the best deal of the three examples, discounting half price bottle night in the first example. But such markups will vary from restaurant to restaurant. Before I leave this mention of Private Labeling, let’s consider that the purpose of this type of labeling is broader than simply increasing margins. It considers the “cutesy” factor of souvenir labeling. For many, there’s a value to that.

And there’s nothing deceptive about a restaurant charging $50 for a nationally branded wine that retails for $10. Whether that’s smart, well that’s another matter. Caveat emptor, after all. The information is out there. Full disclosure. And the restaurant will not refuse you service if you don’t buy wine. With wages, rents, waste, equipment costs, insurance, licensing and so many other costs, restaurants whine that their margins on food are so thin that they need these markups on alcohol to remain in business. Whether that markup should be five times the consumer’s retail cost is ultimately each consumer’s decision. One could argue that reducing that markup would net more sales, but I have to assume the bean counters have already analyzed that potential. No matter what you may think of these markups, there’s nothing deceptive about them.

Then too, you could probably say the same about “on-premise” labeling. Many restaurants will offer diners a small taste of a wine when asked. Then it’s up to you to decide if the wine is worth the price. In “blind” wine tastings, tasters are not allowed to see the bottles lest it influence any ratings the tasters assign. I’ve tasted wines of lower cost which I rated higher than those costing more. No surprise there. But it’s the intention of “on-premise” labeling that instinctively bothers me. It is centered on deception, fooling the customer. Worse: “on-premise” labeling restricts the consumer’s ability to learn about the wine. Seldom will you even know the winery. For certain, you’ll not be able to learn anything about its vinification. For people who deeply love wine, this is the greatest affront.

Did “on premise” labeling come about by the greed of restaurants and their scheme to keep customers in the dark? Was it simply a business decision that was made because customers won’t acknowledge the restaurant’s cost of doing business and their need to expand profit margins in order to remain in business? I don’t have the answer, but like you – like us all – I have the power of choice. Personally, I find five times retail cost objectionable. But complaining to a server accomplishes nothing other than adding grief to their day. Consider sending a note to the owner or corporate headquarters. If it’s met without sufficient explanation or a change in pricing, explain why you won’t be returning.

One more consumer note: usually the restaurant’s cost (not price) for the bottle is met with the price they charge you for one glass. If the price of a glass is shown as $8, you may assume that’s what they paid for the entire bottle. Assume 4-5 glasses per bottle, look at the price of the bottle and do the math. In most cases, you’re better off buying the bottle. Then decide as an educated consumer if you want to do a wine purchase. Voting with your pocketbook does eventually get noticed.

Cheers!

……………. Jim

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DOMAINE DIDIER DAGUENEAU SILEX BLANC FUME DE POUILLY (2010)

“The best wines are those we drink with friends.” …… unknown

A miser could be taken to mean a person who is reluctant to spend, but it can be used also to describe someone who has a proclivity to hoard or, to be nice, – collect. So when I chose the name Wine Mizer¹ for this blog, it was an acknowledgement that my actions can at times fit either definition. I have a reasonable collection, but included within it are many value wines. If you’re a longtime reader, you already know that most reviews here have been for wines with retail prices below $30. Today it is not, though I still consider the wine (priced at $60 - $120) a good value.

Now for the shocker. Remember, the French label their wine by region, not by the grape. So “Blanc Fume de Pouilly” in the name may not be helpful toward knowing the varietal. Translated, it reads “White smoke of Pouiilly.” “Domaine Didier Dagueneau” is the name of the Chateau (or “Estate” in the U.S.) Again, no help perhaps. But you may have heard of Pouilly Fume, the AOC in the Central Vineyards (which are NOT central, but at the easternmost area) of the Loire Valley. Pouilly-Fume sits across the river from Sancerre. O.K. Let me just get to it: This is Sauvignon Blanc!

You’re thinking, “$100+ for Sauvignon Blanc?” After all, every country makes it. You can buy it for less than $10. Why oh why would you spend ten times that? All I can say in my defense is that a canned product of pork shoulder and ham with salt, water, potato starch, sugar and sodium nitrate is meat and so is filet mignon. And while I have enjoyed many a delicious Sauvignon Blanc (both French and non), none have matched the experience. As in so many things, it’s a question of degrees.

Soils in the Pouilly-Fume (stony, chalky, well-drained and with marine fossils) are much the same as in Sancerre but with more flint. But, unlike Sancerre, no red wines are made here. The climate is continental with severe winters and hot summers. As with Sancerre, Sauvignon Blanc produced here is in a style more restrained than that of New Zealand’s.

The Dagueneaus have long worked to finesse the best from Savignon Blanc. Selecting sites, blending juice and working with top coopers using very low-toast barrels, uniquely shaped to nuance the benefit of lees contact and specific oxygen exchange, the end result is a wine that transcends both definition and your expectation. Best said, perhaps, by Eric Asimov of the New York Times in his obituary of Didier Dagueneau (who died Sept. 17, 2008): “Tasting a Dagueneau wine for the first time was a revelation. His Sauvignon Blancs had an unexpected purity and clarity to them. The flavors were intense but nuanced. It wasn’t the fruit that was piercing, as in so many Sauvignon Blancs, but the freshness and the focus. As powerful a personality as he was, his wines did not exalt the stature of the winemaker so much as the beauty of the terroir.”

Didier was survived by his son (Louis Benjamin) and daughter, Charlotte, who have maintained the passionate commitment of Didier in producing wines that bring out the natural minerality of the soil and are palate poems of balance and harmony made even more seductive by aroma of acacia.

I keep saying that all palates are personal, and they are. A little web-trolling in preparing for this review popped up one reference to “greenish, grassy aromas” and another of “underlying herbal/grassy notes” and one more of “green grass” on the nose. I didn’t get any of this and I’m glad I didn’t. In discussing why his wines never undergo malolactic fermentation, Louis-Benjamin said, “It’s no problem to wait for malic acidity to decrease when the grapes are at 12 degrees of potential alcohol. When they’re at 14 and you still feel that you have to wait for the malic, then that’s what gives you anxiety. We’d rather make a wine with a little more alcohol than we’d ideally like, rather than pick earlier and still have herbaceous flavors. There’s nothing worse than sauvignon with green flavors, like asparagus.” (emphasis mine).

Others referred to passionfruit, honeydew, guava, fresh cantaloupe. Some of these flavors are there but, for me, much subordinated to the citrus of preserved lemon, lime, quince and orange zest. Some white peach. A thread of smoky minerality weaves throughout the citrus along with a hint of salinity. Fruit, for me, was more applely than tropical, but again, all palates are personal. Along with this incredibly seamless weaving of tastes is an acidity that cleanses the palate, makes for a mouthwatering invite to another sip and is yet artfully unobtrusive. Dry, racy, complex – especially for a white – this wine is at the top of the pecking order of Loire Sauvignon. Despite all the citrus, there is a roundness and silkiness to this wine.

Another measure of quality is the cellaring potential of this wine. Most Sauvignon Blanc is meant to be enjoyed young. But Domaine Didier Dagueneau’s sauvignons are famed for their longevity. This wine (a 2010) is drinkable (easily) through 2024 under good storage conditions. If you’re sensing I’m excited about this wine, know that I’m in good company. Robert Parker awarded it 93-94 points. Stephen Tanzer gave it 92. Jancis Robinson assigned it a score of 17.5 out of 20 potential points. Those are all grades, as I remember them, of A.

Younger people today talk about the experience. Allegedly they eschew material goods, forsaking the purchase of automobiles and relying instead upon purchased rides. It’s all about the vacation to a distant land rather than a possession. It’s the memory of an event more than an item. Seems then that a Domaine Dagueneau Silex would be perfect, both for the experience and the memory of it. I know it was for me. Speaking of me, let me add that I found this bottle as an “End of Bin” in a big box store. Retail was $115. I bought it for $48. Rather Mizerly don’t you think?

Sante!

……… Jim

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^{1. Ben Franklin was a strong proponent of phonetic spelling. I think he
would approve.}

Incidental Tech Info

Domaine Didier Dagueneau Silex is a blend from two parcels. One of hard, dense clay and flint on the upper part of the Saint Andelain hillside and the other of limestone. Alcohol ranges between 13–14.2%. Acidity is 6.2g/L. Wines are held in oak (elongated cigare pipes, barriques, demi-muids and foudres) for their first year, then transferred to vat for 5-7 months before bottling. Imported by Connoisseur Wines.

Sorry about the length. The wine deserved respect.

PETITE PETIT

For every dish, there is probably one perfect wine – but for most of us, life is too short to figure out what it is.” - quote from What to Drink with What You Eat

I was pouring wines for a distributor a few years ago at an outdoor event and women kept coming back to my table asking for “the elephant wine.” Of course, they were referring to Michael David’s Petite Petit. They liked the wine, that much was certain. But they were initially attracted to it by the label design. This is not something I guessed at. They told me so. They talked between themselves, and to me, saying “how cute the label is.” Michael David winery is indeed skillful at branding, using catchy names and label designs. They also produce, for example, 7 Deadly Zins, Lust Zinfandel, Comedylicious 2, and Freakshow Cab. Fairness requires I mention they produce many wines, most with more traditional labeling and all at budget-friendly prices: nine reds (as of this writing) and with an average price under $18 U.S.

O.K., so I’m a traditionalist: not a fan of new and trendy labels. I recall one wine (from a different winery) with a name that was such a gross double entendre that, although the wine itself was pretty good, I would never buy it on principle. As with some celebrity branded wines, I resent being played by people that have more confidence in the skill of their marketing than they do in the skill of their wine making.

That, however, is NOT the case with Michael David’s Petitt Petit. The label is not offensive, just “cute.” The name also makes perfect sense (85% Petite Sirah and 15% Petit Verdot). And, as for the bottle’s content, I don’t think this wine has ever gotten a bad review. Nor is it new to me. I’ve been buying it for years and consider it a staple. It’s delicious by itself and it’s food friendly too. And if the “cute” label spurs sales, and sales keep the price down, maybe it’s time I become a little less stuffy.

From its start in the glass, this squid-ink, opaque, deep purple wine alerts your senses that you’re in for a serious experience. No, not the type of wine you agonize with in viticultural psychoanalysis; the type that requires years of study to describe so that other wine “snobs” will be impressed. No, this wine is simply and immediately pleasurable. Juicy black plum, sweet black cherry and violet entice the nose. The wine is rich, luscious and mouth filling. Threads of smoke attach to the black fruit on the palate. The finish develops some sweetness and heat (14.5% Alc.), building interest. Twelve months in French oak adds tertiary notes of vanilla, toast and chocolate but weaved into and not overpowering the juice. Tannins give the wine substance but are fine. Frankly, this wine over delivers. Consistently.

Most recently, I paired this wine with grilled loin chops of New Zealand lamb accompanied by roasted potatoes and eggplant roasted then cooked with skinned tomatoes. It was a perfect pairing. But I have enjoyed this wine several times with other dishes. I don’t remember the meals, but I do remember the wine.

Grapes are sourced from the Lodi AVA in Central California and the Michael David Winery produces 80,000 cases of Petitt Petit yearly. Given that the wine is 85% Petite Sirah, that’s a serious chunk of Lodi’s Petite Sirah fruit. It’s also a seriously tasty wine and seriously in demand by consumers who know value. (I paid $16). No doubt the number of units of production keep the cost per unit down (this from an Econ guy). But it’s the quality of each unit made vintage after vintage that drives consumer demand. Drink now through the next 5-7 years.

Cheers!

………………………… Jim

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TECH SPECS

Vintage: 2013

Varietal: 85% Petite Sirah

15% Petit Verdot

Alc: 14.5%

pH: 3.58

T.A.: 0.61g/100ml

Ratings: 92 Wine Enthusiast

90 Robert Parker

Michael David Winery

http://www.michaeldavidwinery.com/

4580 West Hwy 12

Lodi CA 95242

Ph: 1-888-707-WINE

CLEAN SLATE RIESLING 2014

"What is the USP of Mosel Rieslings? Sky-high acidity that links arms with the honey of ripe Riesling." … Hugh Johnson OBE, The World of Fine Wine (UK)

"German wine goes well beyond the sweet and white type, even a single region can produce a range of styles to suit everyone. " JancisRobinson, M.W. (UK)

Fair enough, perhaps you’re` not a fan of oysters on the half shell. But bear with me a moment and share a discovery apart from them. Oysters here are just a reference to something else. So if you are a fan of oysters, you’ll love the transition; and if you are not, you’ll at least enjoy a new wine that may excite your palate. With that agreement now binding, I need to explain that my traditional “go-to” wine for oysters has been Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine (Sur Lie). Made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape and coming from the Nantais region of the westernmost Loire Valley of France, the wine is crisply dry, with threads of gooseberry, quince and key lime melded seamlessly over a mineral base. Sometimes I think some smart oyster must have invented these wines just so people like me would enjoy eating them. Together, they are a symbiotic and joyful encounter. (I’ll talk more about Muscadet in a separate post).

Problem is, no Muscadet (remember, that’s the region, not the grape) is available at my local oyster haunt. But they do serve a Dry Muscatel from the Jumilla region (almost south but definitely in the eastern area) of Spain. There it is known as Muscatel and it’s made from the Muscat grape, of which there are many varieties. Muscatel can be vinified dry to super-sweet and the one I order is dry and also goes nicely with oysters.

Now comes another grape, one you would normally recoil at pairing with oysters: Riesling! Even more alarming: Riesling from the Mosel region of Germany! Dry Rieslings, in Germany, are commonly enjoyed, but here, in the U.S. they’re as common as hen’s teeth. Not to say I don’t enjoy Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese and other styles of Mosel Riesling. But Clean Slate’s Dry Riesling has its place too, and, surprisingly, it can work with oysters. Its value, however, is its ability to work with and without. It will work, for example, with those finding a Muscadet too dry. Although not dessert sweet, your palate will detect residual sugar in the finish (at 2.6%, it’s close to a grapefruit) making it likely more suitable for a mixed group. The sensation of sweetness is balanced by the acidity that German Rieslings are renowned for. This Walenda of balance works on the palate telling your brain the wine is less sweet than it is.

The nose is rich with scents of freshly squeezed lime juice and lemongrass softened by floral notes. Almost everyone tasting or talking about this wine enjoyed tastes of peach though, for me, this was dominated by kiwi, quince, lemongrass and lime. Crisp, mouthwatering acidity, so terroir-driven by the slate-soil and cool-climate of the Mosel, balances the fruit and makes for a mouthwatering finish. Notes of tart apple linger on the finish intermixed with lime.

Grapes are selected from throughout the Mosel. The steep, blue-slate slopes of the Lower Mosel contribute minerality. The Middle Mosel contributes spice and the notes of peach are a natural gift from the Upper Mosel. At 10.5% alcohol, this is a light weighted wine, making it suitable for oysters on the half shell. But with its stone fruit character and slight sweetness, it would pair well also with fish, particularly if accompanied by a spicy pineapple or mango salsa. It would also serve well with a pork roast or tenderloin.

Grilled Haddock with a spicy pineapple salsa and sprouted coconut
rice with bay shrimp and cashews.

The old saw that white wines don’t age well needs sharpening. I’ve previously given many examples of white wines that benefit from aging including Rieslings that develop notes of petrol over time. But Clean Slate is not one of them. This is 100% Riesling, 100% enjoyable, but meant to be enjoyed now. Slightly sweet, Clean Slate is aptly named per the minerality natural to Riesling grown in slate soil and in the cool climate of the northern area of Germany which assures sufficient acidity to clean the palate and provide a mouthwatering finish.

With an ARP of $10 (I found it at $9. U.S.), it’s hard not to recommend this wine just for the benefit you’ll gain from its experience. Aficionados of Muscadet may find the wine too sweet to properly accompany oysters on the half shell, yet find it excellent with spicy Thai, Chinese, Mexican or Indian cuisine. And for those finding Muscadet too dry, you may have found your spiritual, white-wine home.

Clean Slate is a product of partnership between Moselland of Bernkastel-Kues of Germany and Winebow, a top U.S. importer and distributor of fine wines around the world. Moselland is the largest vineyard owner in the Mosel and one of Germany’s top exporters of Riesling.

Prost!