Take Five: A Pandemic Potluck Of Wines

In these times of multiple distractions, one thing I have been able to focus on is the wine I’ve been drinking while sheltering in place—mostly because I live in 670 square feet of space and what little room I had for storing bottles seemed to shrink over the past couple of months. (And, you know, stashes of toilet paper takes up more space than you’d think.) With social distancing, my usual tasting crew is hunkered down their respective homes watching Netflix. So that means I have to carefully choose what arrives on my doorstep for sampling. Here’s a rundown of what I’ve enjoyed, either on my own or via “potluck” Zoom tastings with friends.

From Washington State, our group tasted two wines via Zoom with winemaker Nina Buty, who lent artistic interpretation to her bottlings from the Rocks sub-appellation of the Milton-Freewater AVA. The Rocks appellation, officially recognized in 2015, straddles the Washington and Oregon state line. As it names implies, this is a terroir-driven region where Syrah is uniquely expressed.

Buty’s “Redivinia of the Stones” is sourced from the River Rock Vineyard in the organic-certified Rockgarden Estate. In 2016, her Syrah-driven (81%) blend included 12% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Mourvèdre—the composition shifts slightly according to vintage. Like Rhône Syrah, this has anise and black-pepper notes, is savory, shows olive brine, and is almost gamy with some bacon-y deliciousness. High acid, and dry, fine tannins elevate the wine and keep it from edging into broodiness. Aging in French barrels without new oak keeps the focus on the fruit. A really intriguing red that’s great for lovely char-grilled meats.

Also enjoyable is her Sémillon-driven blend, which also includes 21% Sauvignon and 19% Muscadelle. Buy calls the blend “a dance with Mother Nature each year.” Grapes are sourced from the cooler Columbia Valley. Lemony-yellow in color, this had a seductive smoky/flinty nose with peach tones. Buty said this wine was influenced by white Bordeaux such as what you’d find in Pessac-Léognan. I enjoyed the balance of savory botanicals and juicy stone fruit. I’m not usually a fan of Muscadelle, but in this wine it was delicate and mitigated the greenness of the Sauvignon Blanc. A portion of the wine is lees aged in mature oak and the balance aged in a concrete tank. It was a perfect pairing with Alison Roman’s Curried Chickpea internet sensation soup.

Godello from northeast Spain is one of the most versatile and underrated whites. This one, “Papa Godello,” sourced from vineyards 1968 feet above sea level in the Valdeorras DO in Galicia, is a single-varietal wine from Ladera Sagrada. Fresh and unoaked, it reminded me a bit of Loire Valley Chenin Blanc for its flinty minerality and waxy, linen white flower and quince aspect (though I also get somewhat of a Burgundy reference). The medium-bodied “Papa” spilled over with apple, pear and yellow plum juiciness. This was terrific with grilled shrimp on top of Mexican-spiced black beans and rice.

Also from Spain was the 2018 Gewürztraminer from Enate, a slick modern winery in the northeast Somontano region, in the foothills of the Pyrenees (somontano means “under the mountains”). The region is known for its high-quality single-variety wines made mainly from international grapes. This version had all the markers of gewürz: rose petal, lychee, white-flower blossom and ginger notes—maybe a little too much so. On the palate, it also showed some bitter almond and more white and yellow fruits. A little blowsy when I first opened it, on the second day, it mellowed a little, but never showed the complexity of its cousins from Alsace or Alto Adige. It was fine with Thai take-out.

One reason to look forward to warmer months was the “Summer of Riesling,” sommelier Paul Greico’s annual celebration of Riesling. It was an opportunity for all Riesling producers—particularly those from Alsace, Austria, Finger Lakes and Germany—to strut their stuff in tastings and national promotions in participating restaurants. Though the campaign ended its successful multi-year run, it accomplished the goal of getting Riesling on the radar. My bottle of S.A. Prum Blue Riesling Kabinett (2016) was off-the-charts delicious and just what I wanted with my summer meal of organic turkey sausage with garlic-braised broccoli rabe and spaghetti. Lightly off-dry and redolent of seductive petrol notes, this high-acid, mouthwatering wine was balanced with white-pepper notes, apricot and peach pit (I say pit, because there was a tinge of pleasant bitterness).

Coming up in June: rosés, pairings with pandemic binge-watching and whatever else clears the floor space.