Category Archives: Wine

PX Sherry: Lustau Pedro Ximénez “San Emilio”

Lustau LogoEarly November I started a series to support the drinking of sherry to get more good sherry casks for the whisky industry. For reasons not even science can wholly explain, I picked PX Sherries as a starting point. As mentioned before, PX or Pedro Ximénez is the most syrupy and sweet Sherry around, and is considered an after dinner Sherry or one to accompany a nice (sweet) dessert. Goes well with ice-cream.

Lustau PX San EmilioEmilio Lustau was founded in 1896 by Don José Ruiz-Berdejo who was an Almacenista himself. He made Sherries and stored them for a while, after which he sold them off to larger companies, thus adding value. In 1940, his son-in-law and name-giver for the company, Don Emilio Lustau Ortega moved the Bodega to the old quarter of Jerez. Since then the company wanted to be the best and expanded by offering high quality Sherries.

This “San Emilio” PX (17% ABV) is from the Solera Reserva range which has it’s heritage in the original Stocks of Don José Ruiz-Berdejo. His stocks were combined with special Sherries from different “Almacenistas”,  small independent wine-producers. Besides this Solera Reserva range, where casks of the same type of Sherries are blended, there is also a very interesting Almacenista range. In this series, Lustau selects small batches of high quality sherries which have been made and matured by small independent producers, or “Almacenistas”, who often make Sherries as a hobby.

Color: Almost black mahogany.

Nose: Very elegant syrupy Sherry which has a nice dry whiff of paper over it. Grassy with cloves. Dried apricot and raisins, also a more spicy element which you get when putting parsley in broth. A hint of yeast and/or flor (Marmite), so not only syrupy and sweet. For me also hints of lavas.

Taste: Sweet (sometimes sugary), but accompanied by a nice acidic touch, which is a great effect on the palate. The acidity reminds me a bit of the lemon part of cola. I Love SherryYes the apricots are there and some vibrant freshly made raisins and maybe some dates. Very lively and never dull, heavy or dusty.Very well balanced. Actually, this is blended so well to a nice harmony, that it’s almost hard and not even fair to look for separate markers or hints of it. The sum is so great.

Easily a favourite of mine when looking at PX Sherries. Excellent and an easy recommendation. Oops, another “San Emilio” finished…Next bottle!

Points: 89

Chateau Saint-Paul 2005 Haut-Médoc

I used to drink a lot of reds and for the last six years or so I love to drink a lot of whites. Alsace was probably what set that off. But as you might have guessed, being the frequent reader you are, I drink foremost Scottish Single Malts nowadays. But it’s not all Scotch that lights our world, so I’ll definitely have to try some different things here too. This time the first red wine on Master Quill.

Haut-Médoc is the large southern part of the Médoc district of Bordeaux in the south-west of France. The famous wines from this region are Margaux, Pauillac, Saint-Estephe and Saint-Julien. You might have heard of those.

The wine of choice for today is Chateau Saint-Paul of the 2005 vintage. Saint-Paul is a Cru Bourgeois from the Haut-Médoc (St. Seurin de Cadourne). 2005 was a good year for Haut-Médoc, as it was for the whole of the Bordeaux region. The soil is mostly gravel, chalk and clay. The wine is made of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. ABV is 13%.

Color: Ruby red.

Nose: Meaty and sour. Red and dark fruits, berries, black currants and blackberries. Plums maybe? Dust and moist dirt. Floral. In fact it tasted quite thick and sweet (raisins), which it probably is not, still it reminds me a bit of sniffing a ruby port.

Taste: It has depth and is a little sour and powdery. Definitely some wood in here too. Wet leaves, but not earthy. Elderberries, but not bitter. Good tannins which do not take over the wine, still you’ll know from your tongue. It isn’t overly complex, but is has good balance and is a very nice wine to drink. Medium body and medium to long finish.

This one is at it’s best decanted for an hour or so, maybe two. When I tasted this from the just opened bottle, it was quite closed, but a few hours later it showed a lot more. So age this maybe a little longer, decant it properly, then this will be at it’s best.

Points: 85

PX Sherry: Elite Selección Dorada

Here’s an appeal to all. Start drinking Sherry. NOW! Because it may be too late already. Let’s face it people. We love our whisky and we particularly love it when it’s from a good Sherry Cask. But as can be seen, prices are soaring when a nice sherry casked whisky is released these days. I’ll be reviewing some Pedro Ximenez (PX) Sherries the following days, but there is a lot more out there. You might want to try a nice Oloroso (maybe the best performing casks for whisky). Some of you might like a dry Fino. But there is a lot out there, and a lot of differences in quality too. One thing is sure, when trying out some nice Sherries you won’t break the bank.

The Sherry I’m about to try is made by Elite Vinos y Licores,  S.L. and this PX is part of their premium range. Just not super premium prices (yet).

Color: Mahogany Brown.

Nose:  At first, raisins, raisins, raisins and figs, but that quickly changes into fresh mushrooms, mushroom soup and wet earth. Hints of liquorice and old & dark tarred wood. I said hints. The mushroom cream soup is predominant. Dusty lavas. Very atypical and interesting nose for a PX.

Taste: For a PX Sherry it’s quite thin, and not syrupy as most other PX-Sherries that are around. At first a nanosecond of an acid attack but then the slow-moving sweetness comes in with a little bit of lingering woody sourness. Coffee in the aftertaste. Very easily accessible. Burned creamy sugar as in the top layer of Creme Brulée. The acidity is a very nice addition to the taste of this PX. It doesn’t seem to be as sweet as the competition, and it is certainly not as thick. The finish therefore, is not the longest in the business.

Very easy drinkable PX. It’s not overly sweet and syrupy. It has very nice construction of fine tastes. Nicely balanced and very restrained PX.

Points: 84

Fattoria La Vialla NubeRosa 2010

Fattoria la Vialla, a Lo Franco family owned business that operates for more than 30 years. It lies between Arezzo and Florence. The firm also tries to keep forgotten grape varieties from extinction. The wine is a Bianco di Toscana and is 11,5% ABV from Subbiano Italy. Even the bottling date is on the bottle: 16 november 2011. The grapes for this wine are: 50% Trebbiano Toscano, 20% Pinot Nero, 15% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Vermentino. It’s a white wine with a pink hue over it, that comes from the Pinot Nero and carbonates slightly.

Color: Pinkish lychee water (slightly bubbly).

Nose: Very elegant and light. Lemons and slightly flowery (roses?) ánd slightly fruity. Sea spray with pears on syrup.

Taste: Light, half sweet with nice acidity. Both traits fight for first place, and it takes a while before the sourness wins. Also in the taste the roses emerge.

Relatively low in alcohol, and it’s character including the carbonation, makes this a perfect summers wine. May work well as an aperitif, but certainly goes well with good Tuscan food. I had it with fish and pasta. Don’t analyze, just sip away in beautiful weather.

Points: 78

Short Stories: Kuentz-Bas Pinot Gris Tradition 2007

Kuentz-Bas Pinot Gris Tradition 2007, ABV 13%, Husseren Les Châteaux, Alsace

Color: Light White Wine.

Nose: Already a balance between sweet and sour. A bit flinty maybe, and a hint of Galia melon. Very fresh and light. Perfumy.

Taste: Well, not very sweet at first. Dryish and simple. Not overly acidic, so there is balance. I would have thought that some yellow fruit would stick out, but none of that. It has a fuller body for a second or two, and dissipates in a very light and slightly warming and short finish. After some time, there is some more sweetness to it. The perfumy note that was there in the end of the nose, seems to creep into the finish too. Easy drinkable.

Definitively better with fish than meat.

Have a look at: http://www.kuentz-bas.fr/index_en.html

Points: 79

Short Stories: Klug Gewurztraminer 2009

Caves Klug Gewurztraminer 2009, ABV 13%, Bennwhir, Alsace

Color: White Wine.

Nose: Lychee, thin exotic Gewurztraminer nose, citrussy, all very subdued.

Taste: Very thin, some lychee and dried apricots, typical Gewurztraminer yet very light. Don’t give it to children it still is 13%! Decent lemonade for in the summer, not with food. Even boiled rice would overpower it.

Won a gold medal at the 2010 grand concours des vins d’Alsace in Colmar. Well that’s possible. But it must have been in the el cheapo category. It’s definitively ok, but very very simple. Get a chilled bottle, put a straw in it and take five minutes on a park bench in the sun. So it does have a purpose, and hey, it still brings me back to the region. Flammenkuchen anyone?

Points: 71

Short Stories: Harald Konrad Fehres Riesling Classic 2002

Weingut Harald Konrad Fehres Riesling Classic 2002, ABV 12%, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer

Color: Full White Wine.

Nose: Fresh, apricots, buttery, classic Riesling, boiled potatoes, flinty, peach.

Taste: Perfect balance, slightly lemony acidic ánd slightly sweet, light but not simple, very drinkable.

Highly recommended!

If it were still available I would buy this by the box. Maybe not too complex, but absolutely without flaws. I tried some other Fehres whites and all were pretty good.

Just have a look at: http://www.weingut-fehres.de/

Points: 84

Short Stories: Tokara Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2005

Again a wine I had with dinner yesterday. This time a copious swiss cheese fondue in classic style. Into the fondue went a very nice Alsatian Vorburger Pinot Gris 2008. The Vorburger is a biological wine with a great combination of acidity (needed for the fondue) and sweetness.

After the Vorburger I opened the South African Tokara which was a very different type of wine. The Tokara is aged 11 months French oak barrel, with 40% new oak barrels. The taste is completely different, less sweet than the Vorburger. Color was typical white wine, with a slight green hue to it. Nose was crisp, clean, fruity. Lychee maybe? After that the nose became flinty and sour-fresh. The taste was industrial, again flinty, buttery, toasty and meaty. Lots of meat in fact. Meatballs! For me the nose was very atypical, yet very nice, or maybe I should say “interesting”? For me this wine had nice citrus like acidity with lots of meat to it. I found it better with food than on its own afterwards. As an after dinner wine it’s simply to acidic, which cancels out the sweet bit. This will do better as an aperitif. All in all still recommended (and this one is not expensive), just use it well. By the way, ABV was 14%.

Short Stories: Navaherreros Blanco De Bernabeleva 2008

Since it seems I’m starting to review almost everything I put in my mouth, why not one little piece about a wine I enjoyed yesterday.  This one accompanied a nice and light fish dinner and boy did this go well with that.

This white wine is made from Albillo grapes combined with some Malvisia and Garnacha Blanca and is married in oak barrels.

Nice color, if it were whisky I would say this has the color of well…white wine. Nice straw yellow, almost looks sparkly. I started to drink this a bit too cold, but even then it was very nice. You could almost drink this as lemonade when properly chilled (ABV is 14.5%). When it got to it’s proper temperature, wow. Not overly complex, but such great balance. Great summer wine which starts with yellow, light fruits with some flowery notes in there too. later on it deepens with some spicy and woody notes, which makes for a fine balance and a acidity I know from wines from Alsace. Recommended!

I have another bottle of this, so I’ll probably add something to the review of this “a bit, technical wine”. What I mean by this I will explain next time around.