After surviving the Holiday season, I've been looking around for new wines to start the New Year. While the white wine isn't new, it's one I've meant to try for a long time and the second, a red wine, comes from a grape I don't remember tasting before so that makes it kind of new. The third wine is again a red that has just hit our shelves and the packaging looked interesting. So those are the reasons, lame or otherwise, I chose these three wines.
Peter Lehmann Clancy's
Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2013 (791848)
$16.99
Prior to 1979, Peter Lehmann and other growers in the Barossa Valley grew grapes for other wine makers. When they wouldn't take the grapes because of a wine glut, Peter Lehmann stepped up, bought the grapes and began his foray into the glass jungle, as they call it and the rest is history as they say. The Lehmann brand has been very successful. Today there are 140 growers providing grapes for their vast line of wine.
The Clancy's Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc blend is the classic white wine blend of Bordeaux, France. In Bordeaux even the sweet Sauternes are of these two grapes. This Australian version is a pale straw colour with green tinges in the glass, and not at all as green as it appears in the tinted glass bottle it comes in. The aromas are of lemon-lime with apple and tropical fruit with a green grass quality that is indicative of Sauvignon Blancs. In the mouth, I found it fresh and crisp with light and delicate flavours of citrus and tropical fruits. This a good wine to pair with shellfish or lighter meat dishes like chicken or pork.
Boutari
2009 Naoussa (23218)
Greece
$15.99
Macedonia in northern Greece is home to the Bourtari 2009 Naoussa. This wine is made from a grape varietal I wasn't familiar with, the Xinomavro. It's pronounced - ksee-NOH-mah-vroh and with a little practice I'm confident I'll be able to impress, or fool, most of our customers that don't speak Greek.
This wine was the first to be bottled in Greece in 1879, has high regard from both the domestic and international communities and is the number one selling premium red wine from that country. The winery has been named the Winery of the Year 16 times by Wine & Spirits Magazine and this year the Wine Spectator has this wine on their Top 100 list with 90 points.
Right from the beginning I was struck with how much this wine reminded me of a French Burgundy. The colour had that rustic red appearance and the aromas too were like a Pinot Noir. Red berries are the fruits I noticed, but with a slightly more dried quality, raspberry and red cherry are the most pronounced and as with a good Pinot Noir this Xinomavro has an earthiness to it along with some savoury spice. In the mouth, I found it had extremely good balance. Nothing outshone the other flavours and even the texture was in balance. The tannins and acidity are very mild, but detectable and it had a very pleasant finish. I can imagine this wine being served with moussaka, beef or pork kabobs or a roasted leg of lamb.
San Pedro
2011 Epica Red (828590)
Chile
$16.99
I've mentioned before that there is a trend towards blended wines. There is nothing new in this as blends have been the norm for centuries, but in the recent past consumers were looking for and buying single varietal wines. I find a commonality among these new blends and understand why they are so appealing. The newest we have on the shelf is one from the Central Valley of Chile made by San Pedro.
Epica is a blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with a little Carmenere and Syrah and the colour in the glass is a dense dark purple. On the nose, I found it to be very jammy with dark ripe cherry being the prominent fruit aroma. In the mouth, it was quite jammy in flavour almost feeling sweet and, as it appeared in its bouquet, you will find hints of dark chocolate. I really didn't feel the presence of tannin or acidity. Even without those the finish was quite long. This is perfect wine for those who are looking for a red to make the transition from the sweeter white wines to red. This might make a good companion to a dark chocolate dessert.
