The Wine Curmudgeon

Mini-reviews 52: Beach House, Trump, Hedges, Drouhin

• Beach House Sauvignon Blanc 2013 ($10, sample, 13%): South African white was much different than I thought it would be -- young and fresh and citrusy, with a bit of a pithy finish. It’s a one-note wine, but delivers value for price.

• Trump SP Brut 2008 ($30, sample, 12%): Virginia sparkling wine from the former Kluge Estate continues the Kluge tradition of excellent bubbly. Lots of tight bubbles, crisp cherry fruit, an even finish, and a noticeable and welcome lack of oak.

• Hedges Family Estate Red Mountain 2011 ($25, sample, 13.5%): One of the best wines I've tasted this year -- classic Washington state red blend with rich, black fruit and where the Washington state syrah stands out. Highly recommended.

• Joseph Drouhin Bourgogne Laforet 2011 ($17, sample, 12.5%): Pinot noir from France has some Burgundian character, which means it has a little earthiness and not that much fruit. But it's a little thin, and the price is problematic.

Wine of the week: Domaine de la Janasse Terre de Bussiere 2009

Just when the Wine Curmudgeon thinks that he can’t be surprised by wine any more, I taste something like this. Is it any wonder that this is the best job in the world?

My reaction to the first sip was “Wow!” – for just that reason (and because, in my notes, wow stands for a possible wine of the week). The Janasse ($15, purchased, 15%) is a red blend from the Rhone in France, but with some very un-Rhone-like merlot added to syrah and grenache. I don’t pretend to understand what’s going on here, but I didn’t need to understand to enjoy it.

This is an earthy and fruity wine (black cherries?), if not especially complicated, and another example of the fine values that are available from the Rhone. It’s an end of the summer barbecue wine, perfect for the porch.

And don’t worry about that 15 percent alcohol level; frankly, I don't believe it (though 2009 was a very warm vintage in the Rhone). The wine wasn’t hot or overdone in the way that so many California 15 percenters are, and I only realized it was so high in alcohol when I did my notes.

Expensive wine 54: Charles Heidsieck Champagne Brut NV

The occasion required a sparkling wine for celebration, and it required more than cava. So the Wine Curmudgeon, spotting the Heidsieck ($56, purchased, 12%) on the shelf at a local wine bar, opted for Champagne. And why not? How often does the Cheap Wine Book go on sale?

Champagne has long been one of the great contradictions in my wine drinking life. I love Champagne, but I have little use for the Champagne business. It embodies everything that makes me crazy about the way wine works – little regard for consumers, pricing that bears almost no relationship to reality, and the idea it can operate like it’s 1953 and not 2013.

But they do make nice wine, and the Heidsieck is no exception. Look for lots and lots of caramel at the front, giving way to layers and layers of flavor, including white fruit and a mineral finish that has been described as almost iodine by some of my colleagues. This is not a subtle or especially elegant Champagne, and bears more than a passing resemblance to the mass Champagnes, like Veuve Clicquot, that I don’t much care for. But it is incredibly well made and a perfect example of this style. And we had a fine time celebrating the book.

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.

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.

Wine of the week: Leonce Bocquet Chablis 2012

$15 Chablis. That is a value. That tastes like Chablis.

Let me repeat that, to demonstrate how practically giddy this wine made me: $15 Chablis. That is a value. That tastes like Chablis.

Because, frankly, it’s rare to see $15 Chablis, even more rare when it’s a value, and more rare again that it tastes like Chablis. Affordable Chablis – chardonnay from the Chablis region of Burgundy in France – doesn't get much better than this.

So what’s the catch? Because, as regular visitors here know, the Wine Curmudgeon always expects a catch. In this case, it’s that the Bocquet ($15, purchased, 12.5%) may not be as available as I would like. It’s not exactly a private label, but it’s close enough. Which means that if the wine is in your market, it’s likely to be at only one retailer.

If you can find it, buy some and expect steely acidity, a touch of lemon fruit, and more complexity than one expects in a $15 white Burgundy. It was a bit thin in the back, but, on the other hand, it wasn’t too fruity or too tart in an attempt to cover up that thinness. And did I mention that it only cost $15?

Wine of the week: Domaine des Cassagnoles 2012

A friend read the manuscript for the cheap wine book and said he had a fairly big question: “Why aren’t there any wine recommendations?” Because, of course, all wine books have to have wine recommendations.

The Cassagnoles ($10, purchased, 12%) helps answer his question: It’s the quintessential cheap white wine – professionally made and interesting, yet simple enough to appeal to people who are scared of wine and who don’t want to spend a lot of money for something that they don’t know.

It’s produced in the wonderfully white grape and citrus style that defines Gascon white wine, and is made with grapes that don’t show up too many other places – one-half colombard, with ugni blanc and gros manseng filling out the blend. It’s fresh and bright and lively and the bottle is gone before you know it. Wine for weeknight dinners doesn't get much better than this. That's why it's in the $10 Hall of Fame and should stay there for a long while.

But what happens if I recommend it in the book, and a reader can’t find it locally? Or buys an older vintage, which is worn out and off-putting? Or buys the wine one year when it isn’t well done, which is possible given the vagaries of the wine business and that the book probably won’t be updated every year with new recommendations. They’ll fire off an angry email.

That’s why the book is about the process of cheap wine – its history, why cheap wine is possible, what makes a quality cheap wine, and how to find one. Then the reader won’t be complaining. He or she will will be too busy drinking great cheap wine they found themselves, like the Cassagnoles. What more could I ask for?