Changing Lanes 2005

Jean Dubuffet, a French painter and sculptor, described the concept of Art Brut* as “pieces of work executed by people untouched by artistic culture, in which therefore mimicry, contrary to what happens in intellectuals, plays little or no part, so that their authors draw everything (subjects, choice of materials employed, means of transposition, rhythms, ways of writing, etc.) from their own depths and not from clichés of classical art or art that is fashionable.”  Art Brut, also known as raw art or outsider art, is essentially work done by someone outside the artistic community, without the restrictions of accepted norms.  Today’s wine is a bit of Art Brut in a bottle, the Alpha Box & Dice Changing Lanes 2005.

Alpha Box & Dice is the work of Justin Lane, founded 2008, and home to an alphabetic collection of wines.  Essentially set up as a garage enterprise, Lane sources grapes from a stable of local growers and makes wines based more on his personal tastes than on established conventions.  While his “Hercules” Shiraz, “Rebel Rebel” Montepulciano and “Tarot” Grenache varietals may sound conventional enough, his “Apostle” Shiraz/Durif, “Fog” Nebbiolo/Cabernet Sauvignon/Tannat and “Golden Mullet Fury” Muscadelle/Chardonnay wines give perhaps a slightly better idea as to his unconventional thinking when it comes to what varieties might sit well together in a blend.

Mark Lane and Justin Lane

This wine in particular is a good example of Lane’s willingness to try something out of the ordinary.  Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon are not typically found together in Spain or France, but in Australia they’re fair game as blending partners.  Similarly, this wine is a collaboration with another winemaker, Justin’s brother Mark Lane, which again isn’t so out of the ordinary.  Mark sourced some particularly good Tempranillo, vinified it, and sent some of the best barrels to Justin, who was doing the same with Cabernet Sauvignon.  What is unusual is that Mark Lane works in Western Australia, some 3000km from Justin Lane in McLaren Vale, South Australia.  That makes this wine one of the most geographically diverse I have ever encountered.  In terms of wine being an expression of the varietal characteristics of the grapes, the terroir and the intention of the winemaker, this has all three, times two.  And while it has no impact on what’s in the bottle, the label features a lenticular print of mugshots of both winemakers, with the image changing depending on the angle at which it is being viewed and it’s easily the most creative label I’ve ever seen.

While I don’t typically comment on branding, Alpha Box & Dice does it well.  The convention they’ve established of wine names with an alphabetic theme works well, though it remains to be seen what happens after Z.  Each label is uniquely designed, and while they have little in common with one another, they sit well together in a group.  Even the cellar door has a quirky, rustic feel to it, which flows nicely from the old garage in the country where the wine is made.  Should it ever grow into a $500/bottle ultra exclusive, mailing list only winery, I officially call dibs on the parody label Art Brut & Dubuffet.

While Dubuffet used his term Art Brut to refer to art produced by asylum inmates and children, I use it in the more general sense of self taught.  In many ways this applies to Lane, as he has no formal qualifications in winemaking, and his approach to what can make a good wine is uninhibited by tradition or fashion.  That said, he’s not strictly speaking quite so much the outsider.

Justin Lane grew up in the Hunter Valley, and while not from a wine family, he spent much of his time in vineyards and after an abandoned attempt at studying viticulture, worked with Hardy’s and Tatachilla wineries.  Those experiences opened the door for him to work vintages in France, Italy and even Moldova.  In Australia he helped run a cooperative in McLaren Vale called Redheads Studio, which provided him with the network of growers needed to found Alpha Box & Dice after his partner bought him out in 2007.  He’s recently co-founded an eating and drinking establishment in Adelaide called Cantina Sociale that sources barrels of wine direct from producers and pours them by the glass.  While I don’t do bar/restaurant reviews, I’m a fan.

How does all this come out in the wine?  In the glass this wine is clear and bright, with a dark garnet colour and quick, stained legs.  On the nose it’s clean and developing, with high intensity and notes of sweet spice, dried red fruit, persimmon, pomegranate and strawberries.  On the palate it’s dry but with some fruit sweetness, medium acidity, medium plus body, medium plus intensity, high alcohol, medium minus fine tannins and a long length.  There are notes of chocolate, pomegranate, black pepper, as well as dried fruit, both red and black.

This is a very good quality wine.  It’s big in most respects.  It has much more fruit than tannin, and while some of it comes across as dried fruit, it’s much more fresh than I would expect 7 years after vintage.  It’s not for everyone – at 15.5% ABV it’s not a timid wine, but if you want a big fruit bomb that is showing itself to be capable of ageing, it’s a good bet.  So while Lane has no formal winemaking credentials, there is nothing about this wine that suggests he needs to go back to school.

* Art Brut also happens to be the band that played at my wedding.

Kaiken Mendoza Malbec 2009

I have roughly a dozen really nice bottles of Malbec in the cellar that my wife and I brought back from our trip to Argentina a few years ago.  I believe they’ll all improve with another decade of careful maturation, but nonetheless I did pick out one to open a couple of months back.  As fate would have it, before I had the chance, we received the good news that another child is on the way.  My wife suspended her drinking and that bottle, among others, went back into the cellar for safe keeping.  While I’m happy to reserve the best bottles of our collection until we can share them, that doesn’t mean I have to abstain entirely, and so this more recently and locally purchased wine fits the bill without making my wife too jealous.  Today’s wine is the Kaiken Mendoza Malbec 2009.

This is the fourth Malbec dominated wine this blog has seen, and I described the grape with a decent level of detail when I covered the Majestic Plough on Malbec World Day.  However, to quickly review it’s a red grape, originally from and part of the classic red Bordeaux blend, but it’s more recent French home is in Cahors.  In the New World, it is widely planted, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere, and Argentina is the country where is has become the national grape.  We hit upon Mendoza when I wrote about the Zuccardi Aglianico but to recap it’s an arid region of Argentina in the rain shadow of the Andes, and vine cultivation is only possible through irrigation based on the annual melt of the snow cap.  Malbec is the most widely planted, and indeed signature grape of the region.

So having written previously and separately about both the grape and the region, it’s worth spending some time on Malbec specifically in the context of Mendoza.  In the vineyard, the region mitigates some of the weakness of the grape.  Malbec is prone to downy mildew and rot which are most commonly problems under wet conditions, but since Mendoza is essentially high desert, neither is so much of an issue.  Likewise in Bordeaux Malbec ripens after Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon as it needs more sunshine, but in Mendoza the combination of clear skies and altitude allows the grape to not just ripen consistently, but also to develop a fruitiness not found in French Malbecs .  Apparently the higher ultraviolet component at altitude also encourages thicker skin development, which provides more and softer tannins.

In terms of picking a producer that is typical of Mendoza, I must admit I am more than slightly off the mark.  While Kaiken produces wines in Argentina, it is actually a label in the family of wines from Montes, a multinational producer originally from Chile.  Fittingly this branch of the company is named for a species of wild goose that regularly crosses the Andes between the two countries.  Under the Kaiken label, Montes produces varietal wines and blends largely based on Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon at different quality levels, as well as a Malbec rosé and a traditional method sparkling wine from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Founded in 1987, Montes, the parent company, produces several lines of wines in Chile, from vineyards in the Colchagua Valley (including one in Apalta), Aconcagua Valley and Curico Valley.  They were one of the first large exporters of Chilean wine, and have branched out not just to Mendoza, but also to Napa and Paso Robles in California.

This wine is in the Kaiken Reserva line, which is worth a quick note.   The term “reserva” is legally defined in Spain with respect to how a wine has been matured, and such treatment is generally applied only to wines of higher than typical quality.  Within the New World, “reserve” is used more broadly, and without legal definition, often by producers to indicate a range of wines that are of higher quality than their standard range.  However, some producers use “reserve” or “reserva” for even their most modest wines, which has devalued the term to a large extent, and as the Kaiken Reserva line is their most affordable, that could well be the case in this instance.  Even more confusingly, some Grands Crus Classés producers in Bordeaux incorporate the term “reserve” into the names of their second wines, such as Réserve Léoville Barton.  In short, if you see the term “reserva” or “reserve” it can indicate very different things (or nothing at all) depending on the context.

And as much as I like to pick nits about how wines are labelled or positioned in the market, the real judgement of a wine is in the tasting.  In the glass, this wine is dark ruby with quick legs.   On the nose, it’s clean and developing, with sweet spice, plum, cinnamon, and raspberries, not to mention a bit of oak and cedar.  On the palate it’s dry with medium acidity, medium plus alcohol, medium plus fine tannins, medium plus body, medium plus intensity, and a medium length.  There are notes of red meat, chocolate, simple red fruit, brambles, and a mocha finish.

This wine is good, but I can’t go any higher than that.  It has a granular texture – not because there are bits floating in it but just because that’s how it’s hitting my palate.  I don’t know if it’s just not well integrated yet, but it’s perceptible in the mouth in a somewhat negative way.  Also, there were no violets or perfume on the nose, which to me are essential for a Malbec experience, particularly one that’s only three years old.  Beyond that though, there was some complexity on the nose and palate that showed some development, it was in balance as far as the intensity, tannins and body, though could have used more acidity, and the flavour profile was pleasant enough even if it was missing some of the varietal characters I wanted.  I don’t normally go into price in my analysis, but as the theme for this week is “cheap and cheerful” it should be known that this was not an expensive wine, and as such delivered good value for money.

Warwick Estate Old Bush Vines Pinotage 2010

I know my tastes often run contrary to both the mainstream and to the tastes of people who know wine.  I like wines from out of the way places, or from lesser known varieties.  I’m not a huge fan of Bordeaux, or Burgundy for that matter, but not because I don’t like their wines. I’m just more interested in what else is out there, like forgotten parts of France or emerging areas in the New World.  This wine is indulging my contrarian tastes, in that the grape is fairly well know, just not widely loved.  I give you the Warwick Estate Old Bush Vines Pinotage 2010.

Now let me first clarify that last statement in that it’s the grape, Pinotage, which is held in less that illustrious esteem, irrespective of producer, and secondly, that statement is largely true outside of South Africa, where the grape is a local icon.  Those disclaimers firmly in place, let me tell you about Pinotage, and why I think people should give it a chance.

Pinotage is a modern grape, one of the rare varieties that can be traced to a very specific birthdate.  It was created in 1925 by Abraham Izak Perold, a professor at Stellenbosch University, by crossing Pinot Noir and Cinsault (which was known as Hermitage locally).  The notion was to try to combine the fine wine character of Pinot Noir with the reliability in the vineyard of Cinsault.  The resulting vine is relatively easy to grow, both as bush vines or trained.  It ripens early, and can give consistently high yields.  It was first commerically planted at Kanonkop Estate in 1941 and the name Pinotage first appeared on a wine label twenty years later on the Lanzerac brand from the Stellenbosch Farmer’s Winery.

There are a few things to know about Pinotage which are not strictly about the vine.  First, it is completely New World.  While it is a cross between classic grapes of Burgundy and the Rhône, it is identified uniquely with South Africa, though there are some experimental plantings in places such as Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.

Second, this means that as a variety, it is often burdened by whatever people generally think of South Africa and/or South African wine.  While I think most people who have been there in the last ten years will agree that it is a progressive, emerging country with some innovative winemakers, many people still associate South Africa with the oppressive system of government that made it an international pariah, and the cheap and nasty wine that characterized that era.  I believe this can be seen as recently as the burnt rubber criticisms levelled at South African wines over the last few years, despite such character being found in wines from around the world.

And finally, Pinotage, like all varieties, has a unique flavour profile which some people enjoy and some people don’t.  At its best it can produce an intense, long-lasting wine with black fruit and rich tannins, which develops notes of brambles, chocolate and earthiness.  However, it can also develop excessive amounts of isoamyl acetate which can give it flavours ranging from bananas to nail varnish and paint.  And as with every variety, how the grapes are grown and how they are made into wine has at least as much influence as the variety itself, and there are examples of both great and rubbish wine made from Pinotage.

Right, so that’s my take on Pinotage, and there’s scarcely space left to talk about the producer and the region.  Fortunately, we’ve covered this region before, when I took a look at Haute Cabrière, so have a look there for a recap, and now it’s down to talking about Warwick Estate.

The farm on which they’re based, just north of Stellenbosch, was established in 1771, though it only picked up the current name in 1902 when it was purchased by a British officer and renamed in honour of the regiment he commanded in the Anglo Boer war.  Stan and Norma Ratcliffe purchased the property in 1964 and grew Cabernet Sauvignon which they sold to local wineries for twenty years before taking the plunge into making their own wine.  Their first proper vintage was 1984, and two years later they first released Warwick Trilogy, their flagship Bordeaux blend.  To this day the company is still family owned and run, and funnily enough Mike, son of Stan and Norma, attended the University of Adelaide and received a Graduate Diploma in Wine Marketing.  (Small world.)

In addition to Trilogy, the company produces a trio of varietal wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Pinotage branded the Three Cape Ladies, varietal Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and a reserve Bordeaux blend.

For me, this wine was meant to be another ticked box in terms of advancing toward 100 varietal wines from different grapes, and one I which I expected to find most satisfying as Pinotage is somewhat thin on the ground here in Australia. Imagine my surprise and disappointment when I discovered that in fact this wine is a blend, with 12% Cabernet Sauvignon.  I have nothing against blends, and certainly nothing against Cabernet Sauvignon, but really, I was after a varietal wine.  This is not the first time it’s happened to me – a certain Gamay and Carignan spring to mind.  I know, there’s no need to mention minor blending partners if they constitute less than 15% of a blend, but still, it means I’m going to have to dig up another Pinotage sometime soon.  There are actually a few Australian producers, so perhaps a compare and contrast is in order.

In the glass this wine is clear and bright, medium plus ruby, quick thin legs with some colour to them.  On the nose it’s clean and youthful, with medium plus intensity, black cherries, sweet spice, liquorice, and a hint of tar.  On the palate it’s dry, with medium plus acidity, medium plus green tannins, medium plus alcohol, medium plus intensity, and medium plus length.  It has notes of sour cherry, a bit of funk, some stem/stalk, cedar, chocolate, and more liquorice.

This is a very good wine – strong fruit, but a certain underlying richness.  It will certainly get better over the short term, though I don’t think it’s destined for decades of ageing.  While young and fresh, it does have a bit of complexity on the palate.  It shows no unfavourable aspects that people commonly (and sometimes wrongly) ascribe to Pinotage, and I’d love to serve this blind to the next person who speaks ill of the variety.

Château Pierre-Bise Anjou Villages Sur Schistes 2009

I’ve had my notes for this wine sitting around for a few weeks, and I wasn’t sure I was going to find the time to write up an actual post because I’ve been a bit busy with this or that.  However, I’ve been inspired to finally put this up because of an article today in the New York Times about a dispute in the Loire Valley that mentions this producer.

The wine is Château Pierre-Bise Anjou Villages Sur Schistes 2009.  Working from general to specific, this is French, from the Loire Valley, and in particular the Appellation Anjou Villages contrôlée.  That AOC is exclusively for red wines, made up of 46 communes, and makes light to medium-bodied wines from Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon.

But first context, starting with why I write what I write.  I’m pretty ombibulous with regard to what wine I enjoy, and so looking my notes could be a Drunkard’s Walk through the cellar of a wine merchant.  However, I am influenced by a number of outside inputs, and the New York Times is one of them.  They have an excellent wine writer, Eric Asimov, and often I run out to grab a bottle after having read one of his articles, such as was the case recently with his article on Douro reds which prompted me to write about the Niepoort Douro Vertente 2006.  I try to keep up with the industry whenever I can, but there are so many people writing so much, that it’s quite the task.

So the article in question is broadly about the Loire Valley trying to implement a ranking system for their vast collection of vineyards.  Within many some other French wine regions, there are various official methods of determining the quality level of vineyards and wines made from their grapes, in particular in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, and to a lesser respect Alsace.  Within the Loire however, all vineyards are considered equal.  In particular this article is about a small appellation called Quarts-de-Chaume which produces a sweet wine, and how the introduction of a ranking system, and along with it some regulations as to how grapes are grown and processed, will impact some producers which is causing them to oppose it.  My summary does not do it justice, so please have a look for yourself if such things are of interest.

How this article about a sweet wine appellation has brought me to write about a dry red wine is Claude Papin.  He is the producer of this Anjou Villages, but also produces a Quarts-de-Chaume (among others) and is the head of their local vignerons’ association.  As such, he is closely involved in the dispute, and is quoted in the article.  Seeing a news article that relates to the producers of a wine I recently tried was enough to get me moving on this post.

So, Anjou as I mentioned is within the Loire Valley in France.  If the Loire Valley, going from the west to the east, is divided into four sub-regions, they would be Nantais (home of Muscadet), Anjou and Saumur, Touraine, and finally the Central Vineyards (central France that is, but the easternmost Loire Valley).  Anjou itself is the area around the city of Angers, and the region as a whole produces red, white and rosé wines, still and sparkling, which range from dry to very sweet.  Grapes commonly associated with Anjou are Chenin Blanc, Grolleau, and Cabernet Franc, though Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Pinot Noir and Pineau d’Aunis (Chenin Noir) can also be found.  Anjou-Villages AOC is one of many appellations in the region, and the AOC rules only allow Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, and they’re commonly found blended together as is the case with this wine.  The climate is continental, though they are not so far from the coast as to avoid maritime influences.  The main soil type for grape growing is based on schist, a metamorphic rock, from which this wine takes its name.

Anjou Crest

Another Anjou fact – if your wine is from Anjou, you can emboss your bottles with the region’s crest.  As a fan of regionally-embossed bottles, I approve.

Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon are such familiar grapes (found in four other wines each that I’ve covered so far) that they hardly need to be described.  However, this is the first instance where Cabernet Franc is the dominant player in a blend (and the first time Cabernet Sauvignon provides only a supporting role) so it may be worth describing them a bit in this context.

Cabernet Franc is one of the classic Bordeaux red grapes, and as my previous tastings can attest, it often plays only a supporting role to Cabernet Sauvignon.  It buds and matures earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, and is less vulnerable to poor conditions at harvest.  It produces a lighter wine in terms of colour and tannins, and generally matures earlier.  It’s also lighter in body, with more fruit than Cabernet Sauvignon, and often a green note that I associate not so much with under-ripeness but rather with stems or leaves.  What Cabernet Franc gets in this blend from Cabernet Sauvignon is structure, as well as colour and tannins.  It brings a bit of backbone to the blend, though without dominating the lighter fruit notes of the Cabernet Franc.

Finally, Château Pierre-Bise, bringing me finally back to what prompted me to write this.  The name means stone and wind, and refers to the château (or castle) itself, which is on a ridge overlooking the Layon (both the town and the river), roughly 17km south by southwest of Angers.  The château and some nearby vines were bought in 1959 by Pierre Papin, who passed them on to his son Claude Papin who has expanded the holdings significantly with different parcels across different nearby appellations.  There is a hugely comprehensive article about Château Pierre-Bise and Claude Papin at thewinedoctor.com from which I’ve pulled a few facts.  He holds 60 hectares of vineyards, with 40 being Chenin Blanc and the remaining 20 being largely a mix of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Gamay.  His produces wines that hail from appellations within Anjou, Savennières, Coteaux du Layon, Chaume, and Quarts de Chaume in white and red, dry to sweet.  For more details, please check out thewinedoctor.com.

Finally, this wine in front of me.  Very dark in colour, and on the cusp between garnet and ruby.  The nose doesn’t give up much – there is some perfume and dark red berries, but it’s not particularly intense.  In the mouth, it’s medium bodied, but with vibrant acidity.  Here lies the fruit, with intense tart, sour cherries and blackcurrant.  There’s also fine but very noticeable tannins, though not as green as I would have expected from Cabernet Franc.  Apparently the fermentation is done without pumping over to avoid extraction, which could explain it.  It’s a well balanced wine, though it would likely be better still in a few years.  I should have bought a second bottle to put in the cellar.