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Peter Wagner |
The New World does not by
any means have the market on affordable good wines all to itself despite
what past columns might have implied. Here are two Europeans I was
fortunate to try recently. I have no idea how widely available these two
are, even in Europe, but they are worth twice the price and I would buy
both for short and medium term drinking if I could.
White
2005 Wurzburger Stein, Silvaner Kabinett, Staatlicher Hofkeller (about
10 Euros). The nose has delicate yet forward, slightly perfumed,
melon/lemon characteristics and is very clean. The palate is also one of
delicate but tasty melon/lemon with slight cashew nuttiness that fits
well. Acidity is well-balanced and accounts for a long, clean and dry
finish. Words that come to mind are balanced, fresh, structured and even
elegant, especially for the price. Easy to drink alone, yet well enough
endowed to go with food.
Red
2004 Barbera d’Alba DOC, Enologo Mauro Sebaste, Alba, Piemonte (about 10
Euros). This is a quite “big” wine in flavor and structure, but don’t
equate big with being heavy, dull, overly tannic, bitter, oxidized or
coarse, which I have often found to be the case with low priced Old
World reds. The nose has bright plum jam, vanilla, spice and cedar. On
the palate, there is goodly tannin, and a fair dose of oak, but neither
dominate the fruit, allowing all-important balance. Rather, these
features enrich the lively mouthfeel and provide pleasing viscosity and
a long finish, with fruit outlasting the oak.
For those of us limited to wines available in the USA here are some
bargains:
Whites
2004 Concannon Chardonnay “Central Coast” $6. Surprisingly enjoyable and
easy to drink, this wine has forward lime and stone fruit flavors,
excellent acidity and very restrained oak treatment, making for a clean,
crisp and refreshing wine. Not your usual overly oaked, buttery
chardonnay, it may not be very complex but is a very good value.
Reds:
If I can do a Two-Buck Chuck issue, I can do a Yellowtail issue. All 5
Aussie 2005 Yellowtails cost $5 or so, and are best found at but not
restricted to Trader Joe’s. All are similar in style:
Ready-to-drink-but-do-not-age; fruit-driven, not too tannic or tart;
straightforward, go best with burgers and such. You will have to
prioritize them yourself, but my taste was for the Shiraz/Cabernet
(60%/40%) as first choice because of the lush dark berry fruit that
comes alive after 30 minutes airing (which also eliminates the touch of
sulfur).
Second place to the Cabernet 70%/Merlot 30%, just a bit less fruit; then
a clear step down to the straight Shiraz, a bit briary, tart and less
rich. I did not care for the straight merlot or the straight cabernet
which were both generic and sulfurous. |
