The Wine Curmudgeon

Wine review: Benziger Sauvignon Blanc 2011

Periodically, the Wine Curmudgeon will wax nostalgic about great $10 wines that are no more – the old Big House Red, when Randall Grahm owned it, for example, or the legendary Hogue Fume Blanc, which once got me out of a wine bar fight (a story I’ll have to share one of these days).

Benziger’s Fume Blanc, which the winery stopped making four or five years ago, was one of those wines. It was a regular in the $10 Hall of Fame in those dark, pre-recession days, when I wrote that “wineries, producers, and marketers seem to be spending their money on packaging and advertising instead of what’s in the bottle” and I worried that great cheap wine was going to go away.

This, as near as I can tell, is the successor to the fume (which is just another name for wine made with sauvignon blanc), though I haven’t tasted it in a while. The 2011 ($8, purchased, 13.5%) is a previous vintage, which is why it cost so little; suggested retail is closer to $15, though the 2012 may be available for $10 or $11 in some places. This is classic California-style sauvignon blanc with grassy aromas, but also a very refreshing tropical pop in the middle. Very well done, and a steal at this price.

Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2014 $10 Hall of Fame – as it should be, if the past is any indication.

Wine of the week: Maxwell Creek Sauvignon Blanc 2012

Maxwell Creek has been one of the great mysteries of the wine business – incredible $10 wine from Napa Valley, but no one quite sure who or what Maxwell Creek really is.

The Wine Curmudgeon, using post-modern technology (in the form of a federal government website that matches producers and wine labels) can confirm the rumors: Maxwell Creek is a second label for St. Supery, long a consistent and quality and expensive Napa producer.

Whatever possessed St. Supery to do Maxwell Creek, the Wine Curmudgeon is grateful. The sauvignon blanc ($10, purchased, 13.5%) is $10 Hall of Fame quality wine, and the only thing that will keep it out of the hall in January is limited availability. Apparently, it’s only sold at World Market (and maybe Bed Bath & Beyond with wine departments), and World Market has stores in just 30 states.

This wine has a little more citrus (grapefruit and lime?) than a traditional California sauvignon blanc, but it’s not quite as overwhelming as similar wines from New Zealand. There’s even a little tropical fruit in the middle, and it’s not nearly as simple as a lot of other sauvignon blancs at this price. And yes, the adjectives fresh and clean and zingy apply here.

Drink this chilled with an end of summer picnic or barbecue (grilled chicken, perhaps?) and hope that St. Supery will continue to do us this favor.

Mini-reviews 51: Bolla, Grechetto, Chinon, Vouvray

Reviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the final Friday of each month; for August, some surprisingly disappointing wines.

• Bolla Soave Classico 2011 ($8, sample, 12%): Ordinarily, I don’t review wines that are spoiled. But I mention it here, because the Soave had none of the flavors it should have had (white fruit, almonds) – just a musty, booze-ish feel to it, probably from being shipped in the summer heat and is no reflection on the producer. So if you taste a wine that has a musty, booze-ish feel, throw it out. Unfortunately, since the wine business pays so little attention to educating consumers, hundreds of thousands of people will buy this and assume that’s what Soave tastes like.

• Scacciadiavoli Grechetto 2012 ($11, purchased, 12.5%): Bland and boring, with almost no flavors of any kind, and apparently targeted at the pinot grigio crowd. Otherwise, very old-fashioned -- the kind of wine people drink and say, "I don't like wine."

• Pierre Archambault Chinon 2011 ($13, purchased, 12.5%): Disappointing, but probably because I love cheap Chinon (cabernet franc from the Loire in France) and expect more. Lots of violet on the nose and subdued black fruit, which is a Chinon trademark, but the middle was a little empty, and $13 makes it a problematic value.

• Sauvion Vouvray 2011 ($10, purchased, 12%): White wine from the Loire in France made with chenin blanc that is sweet without any acid to balance it, though it does have a little flowery chenin character. Another disappointment; cheap chenin is usually much better than this.

Labor Day wine 2013

Labor Day means two things: The Wine Curmudgeon’s annual appearance at the Kerrville wine and music festival and a reason to write about rose.

On Saturday, the Kerrville panel will do Texas wine and cheese, and we’ll have an opportunity to see – once again – the tremendous strides the Texas wine industry has made over the past decade. Sometimes, it even surprises me. Say hello if you’re there; there’s a slight chance the ebook version of The Cheap Wine Book will be ready, so I’ll probably natter on about that as well.

So what about wine for Labor Day? These suggestions are a good place to start. The goal is wine that is food friendly and doesn’t get in the way of the holiday:

• Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc 2012 ($10, purchased, 13.9%): California-style sauvignon blanc doesn't get much better than this, and it's even more stunning at this price. The wine is varietally correct (grassy-ness and citrus), has flavors in the front, middle, and back, and is crisp and refreshing to boot. Highly recommended and a candidate for the 2014 $10 Hall of Fame.

• Bodegas Castano Monastrell Yecla ($10, purchased, 13.5%): Nicely done red made with monastrell combines New World-style red fruit with Spanish terroir -- acid and tannins to balance the fruit. Tremendous value, and a great barbecue wine.

• Cortijo III Rose 2012 ($10, purchased, 13.5%): One of the most interesting and sophisticated roses I've tasted in years, which is saying something given my enthusiasm for rose. More fruit (cranberry and watermelon playing off each other) than a traditional Spanish rose, but still not New World-ish and as dusty dry as it should be. An amazing wine that will almost certainly be in the 2014 Hall of Fame.

Finally, don’t overlook regional wine for Labor Day weekend. It’s as good a time as any to try it if you haven’t. If you have, then enjoy one of your favorites, like I will in Kerrville.

For more on Labor Day wine:
• Labor Day wine 2012
• Labor Day wine 2011
• Wine of the week: Domaine de Nizas Rose 2011
• Wine of the week: Dibon Brut Reserve NV

Wine of the week: Domaine de Nizas Rose 2011

Labor Day marks the end of summer, which traditionally means two things: One can’t wear straw hats anymore and one has to stop drinking rose. It’s a good thing the Wine Curmudgeon isn’t hung up on tradition. Because where I would be without my straw and my rose?

The Nizas ($10, purchased, 13.5%) is one more example of the general, all-around brilliance of rose. For one thing, it’s a previous vintage, and it’s still fresh and crisp and refreshing, something that’s not easy for cheap rose to do. Look for cranberry and raspberry fruit and a long, satisfying, fruity finish.This is another standout effort from an excellent producer from the south of France; serve chilled and drink on its own or with any Labor Day weekend festivity, from barbecue to picnic.

Speaking of which, I’ll be back at the annual Kerrville Labor Day music extravaganza this weekend, talking about Texas wine and plugging The Cheap Wine Book. Stop by and say hello if you’re there. I’ll be the curmudgeonly fellow with the straw hat.

The Five Day, $3 Wine Challenge: The results

The good news is that the five $3 wines that I drank with dinner last week were mostly OK, and the horror stories that I heard proved to be – for me, anyway – unfounded.

Which is also the bad news. Most wine, even $10 wine, is going to taste reasonably consistent from vintage to vintage. Yes, these wines were OK – and a couple were more than that – but that’s no guarantee they’ll taste that way again if I do this again next year. And, unfortunately, none of them made me jump in the air and fall back down with excitement, ready to re-do the $10 Hall of Fame. Dull is probably a better adjective.

More details on the challenge, as well as my analysis and a few suggestions for the retailers who sell these wines are after the jump:

Wine of the week: Dibon Brut Reserve NV

How much did this Cava impress me? The bottle had a neck hanger with a Winestream Media blurb, but I bought it anyway.

And why not? The Dibon ($10, purchased, 11.5%) is a sophisticated sparkling wine with layers of flavor that is made more in the style of Champagne than Cava -- creamy and caramel-like with candied pineapple in back and not as much tart apple. In this, it's got more winemaking going on than I like, but you can't argue with the results. This is an incredible value for $10.

My guess is that this wine, made by the largish Spanish producer Bodegas Pinord, is a one-off – made because there were so many quality grapes available, thanks to the euro crisis and the collapse of the Spanish economy and its 25 percent unemployment rate. Cava sales in Spain were down six percent in 2012, so it makes sense that some producers would re-label bottles or make wines especially for the export market. The Dibon is not listed on the Pinord website, and even Robert Parker had not heard of it when he reviewed it.

Highly recommended, and a candidate for the 2014 $10 Hall of Fame. Drink this chilled on its own or with Sunday brunch or something like a crabcake appetizer.