February 4, 2014: Lioco Chardonnay 2012

Last night Paul and I had a late night lentil and pumpkin soup. The recipe was from the book  THE BEST OF COOKING LIGHT. And the best part of the meal was ....THE WINE. Seriously, don't make that soup!
We discovered this really nice and reasonably priced and AVAILABLE IN KNOXVILLE chardonnay at a "throwdown" party last year.  It was available at Downtown Wine and Spirits at a very reasonable $11 a bottle.
LIOCO, a Sonoma County white wine,  is the joint vision of Matt Licklider, an import specialist, and Kevin O'Connor, sommolier and the Wine Director at Spago-Beverly Hills to create wines of place. The name is a hybrid of their surnames. Their first bottle was produced in 2006. They also produce a very nice Pinot Noir.  Interestingly, they aren't a vineyard. They have been referred to as a "virtual winery." They source their wine from "high end" local growers and the actual wine making takes place in Santa Rosa. LIOCO’s winemaking practices are methodically minimalistic; hand sorting, wild yeast fermentations, low or no wood contact and no fining or filtration.  The grapes are whole cluster pressed then aged six on the lees in stainless. The collective results of these vineyard and cellar principles are expressive, well-balanced wines that over-deliver for their price. They are expanding their repetoire of varietals as well, so expect more reasonably priced tasty everyday wines from this duo.

JUST THE FACTS

This wine pours a very clear and straw yellow.

On the nose, we detected peach and an almost buttery essence. Others have detected apricots and oak.

On the palate, there is again peach, lemon zest, a bit of toffee flavor  and a brisk acidity.  Others have noticed citrus fruits, pear, apple, passionfruit, brioche, ocean air  and  "clean stone." The finish is crisp and lemony.

Cellaring will likely not add anything to the taste on this product.

Ratings are pretty consisently between 88-90.

We purchased this for $11 but it seems to have become a bit pricier, but still mostly under $20

So knock back a glass or two. In fact, it might be too drinkable.


WINE QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“I should say upfront that I have never been in a cellar in my life. In fact, I can see no reason why anyone should ever go into a cellar unless there is wine involved.”
― Rachel Hawkins, Hex Hall

February 2, 2014: Finca Villacreces 2009 Pruno

2009 Finca Villacreces Ribera del Duero Pruno

Tonight’s dinner was a lighter take on eggplant parmesan--- a strata of eggplant and zucchini with chopped tomatoes, garlic and scallions and some sprinkled feta topped with parmesan encrusted panko breadcrumbs. If that isn’t mixing up cultures, I don’t know what is, so I felt comfortable serving a SPANISH red with this hearty winter meal.

Pruno is a red blend, but it mostly temperanillo with a suggestion of merlot and cabernet sauvignon to round out the flavors. Tempranillo in a more concentrated, full-bodied and fruit-driven style than most rioja wines—rioja was virtually the only Spanish varietal on the export market for years.

Ribera del Duero is one of the Spanish denominacions de origen (DO) located on the northern plateau region and one of the eleven “quality” wine regions located within Castille and Leon. It is found along the Duero River. The region is characterized by flat, rocky terrain. Wine Enthusiast magazine named this area wine region of the year in 2012.

Viticulture as we know it probably arrived in the Ribera del Duero region with Benedictine monks from the Burgundy region of France in the twelfth century. Ribera del Duero wine making goes back over 2,000 years as evidenced by the 66-meter mosaic of Bacchus, the god of wine that was unearthed relatively recently at Baños de Valdearados. Wine-making monks, the Romans…what’s not to like? In the 20th Century, the property belonged to a wealthy aristocratic family from Valladolid, who used to spend their holidays and weekends there. In the early 1970s, 100 acres of vineyard were planted, which has now been increased to 150. Including a 200-year-old forest, the estate comprises a total of 285 acres.

In 2003, the Anton family - owners of a Rioja bodega and one of Spain’s most famous Michelin starred restaurants in the Basque country – purchased the estate and invested in revitalizing both the estate and the vineyards. The property is situated at 2,300 feet above sea level on poor soils comprised of lime, gravel, sand and quartz which naturally keep yields low (the estate averages 1.6 tons per acre). The proximity to the Duero river helps protect the vines from and reduce the effects of the frosts that are common in the Ribera del Duero.

This wine is produced from temperanillo grapes that are from vines between 5 and 25 years old.  They are aged in French oak for twelve months.

JUST THE FACTS

It pours a deep ruby to purple color.

On the nose, you get some wet earth and dark fruit aromas. Others have mentioned Asian spices and incense as well.

In the glass, you get a bold dark currant taste with a nice tannin finish that is lengthy.

This wine is meant to be drunk young, but a couple of years didn't seem to hurt it. In fact, I might take a chance and disagree with the majority of wine experts who don't recommend giving this wine a few years in the bottle.

The ratings on this wine are fairly wide ranging: as low as 85 and as high as 92. The average one was between 88-91. I would like give this a 90 myself. Very tasty.

Price: $12 to $25. I bought it for $14 from Wine Library in New Jersey.   I couldn’t find it in Knoxville, although Total Wine and More in Atlanta carries the 2010 vintage and seems to be the closest purveyor. All in all another highly drinkable wine at under $20!

WINE QUOTE OF THE DAY

“There are days when solitude is a heady wine that intoxicates you with freedom, others when it is a bitter tonic, and still others when it is a poison that makes you beat your head against the wall.”
― Colette, Oeuvres complètes en seize volumes